One of the high points of the London Social Calendar is the Chelsea Flower show whose visitors were treated to a ride on this Metrobus looking smart in a revived historic London General livery seen here near the coach station. M1440 C440BUV was one of the last MCW Metrobuses delivered to London Buses, one of three delivered for type trials alongside the Dennis Dominator and Volvo Citibus, plus Leyland Olympians which succeeded.
M1440 was numerically the very last Mk1 Metrobus delivered to London, in 1985. It arrived after the "experimental" vheicles, M1441/1442, a pair of MkII Metrobuses which had entered service in 1984. The third "experimental" Metrobus, which was intended to be M1443, was never delivered. The other "experimental" vehicles were three Leyland Olympians (L1-L3), three Volvo Ailsas (V1-V3 - V3 being famed for its two staircases and front+rear door layout) and three Dennis Dominators (H1-H3). London Buses also experimented with a single Volvo Citybus, C1, which was equipped with regenerative braking (or something similar).
ReplyDeleteHowever, M1440 wasn't the last MCW Metrobus to join the London Buses fleet. In the years which followed, second-hand examples were acquired from Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Tyne & Wear PTEs, there was also a batch of new MkII Metrobuses delivered in 1987/88 in a special red and cream livery for use in Harrow. They were leased, and returned off-lease after three years in north west London service.
Hope that is of interest!