This article is missing information about United Bus products and detailed reasons why United Bus collapsed.(July 2024) |
Industry | Bus and coach manufacturing |
---|---|
Founded | 1988 |
Founders | DAF Bus Bova |
Defunct | 1993 |
Fate | Bankruptcy |
Successor | VDL Bus & Coach Optare Den Oudsten Danish Automobile Building |
Headquarters | , Netherlands |
Areas served | Continental Europe |
United Bus was a European bus and coach manufacturing group created by the merger of Dutch manufacturers DAF Bus and Bova in November 1989. [1] The merger was made in response to a joint review of the future European bus and coach industry. DAF took a majority stake in this merger, while Bova remained as an operating subsidiary, with plans for further expansion across Europe at the offset. [2] All United Bus companies retained their identities while part of the group.
United Bus' first acquisition came in May 1990, with British bus body builder Optare being acquired for around £5 million (equivalent to £14,354,000in 2023). Optare had previously collaborated with DAF by being licensed to build its Delta body on the DAF SB220 chassis. [3] The collaboration between DAF and Optare led to the introduction of the Optare Spectra double-decker bus on the DAF DB250 chassis in 1992, designed as a successor to the MCW Metrobus. [4] [5] The Spectra eventually became the first low-floor double-decker bus in the United Kingdom.
United Bus expanded further in June 1990 with the acquisition and merger of Dutch coach body manufacturer Den Oudsten into the group, resulting in United Bus' western European market share increasing to 6%; Den Oudsten's North American New Flyer company was not involved in this merger. [6] This was later followed by 40% of controlled shares in Danish Automobile Building (DAB) being acquired by United Bus, later increased to 70% by September 1992. [7]
Due to the early 1990s recession, United Bus filed for bankruptcy in 1993. [4] Some members of the group managed to survive independently; [4] Optare was bought back by its management soon after the bankruptcy, [8] expanding to body a range of different chassis before eventually developing the popular integral Optare Solo midibus in 1998, while DAF Bus was purchased by the VDL Groep following the bankruptcy and renamed to VDL Bus in 2003. The VDL Groep acquired a 30% shareholding in Bova[ when? ] before completely taking over the coach manufacturer in 2003, [9] and both Bova and VDL Bus were later merged in 2010 to form VDL Bus & Coach.[ citation needed ]
DAB's Silkeborg factory was purchased by Swedish manufacturer Scania AB in 1995, with DAB later renamed to Scania AB Silkeborg in 1997. DAB's bus range ceased production at Silkeborg in 1999 in favour of Scania's OmniLink and OmniCity, and in 2002, the factory was sold by Scania to Norwegian manufacturer Vest Busscar.[ citation needed ] Den Oudsten, after having been bought back by its namesake family 1993, was declared bankrupt in 2001 after a failed takeover by the Mayflower Group, resulting in the loss of 257 jobs at its Woerden headquarters. [10]
Metro Cammell Weymann Ltd. (MCW) was a British bus manufacturer and bus body builder based at Washwood Heath in Birmingham, England. MCW was established in 1932 by Metro-Cammell's bus bodybuilding division and Weymann Motor Bodies to produce bus bodies.
Switch Mobility is a British bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company is responsible for the EV operations of the group with Ashok Leyland focusing on its core business of diesel-powered vehicles as well as work on alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen.
VDL Bus & Coach is a Dutch vehicle manufacturer. It is an amalgamation of several bus building companies within the VDL Groep. VDL Bus & Coach has manufacturing plants in Belgium and the Netherlands. By 2018 VDL Bus & Coach sold 500 electric buses.
The VDL DB250 was a twin-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by VDL Bus & Coach.
The Optare Spectra was a double-decker bus body built on both the step entrance DAF DB250 and low-floor DB250LF chassis between 1991 and 2006.
East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company went into administration for a short while in August 2007, before being bought by Darwen Group and performed a reverse takeover with Optare when its parent purchased the company in 2008 and its site and business was later closed in 2012.
VDL Bova was a luxury coachbuilder based in Eindhoven, in The Netherlands which began building coaches in 1931. In particular, it is well known for the Bova Futura, a streamlined coach usually powered by a DAF engine, which was first introduced in the 1980s and is still in production as of 2018 as the VDL Futura.
Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer based in Farington, Lancashire. It emerged from the Rover Group, formerly known as British Leyland, as a management buyout of the group's bus business. Leyland Bus was subsequently acquired by Volvo Buses in 1988, with the Leyland name eventually dropped by Volvo in 1993.
The DAF SB220 was a full-size single-decker bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International from 1985. Initially only built in left hand drive, in 1988 a right hand drive version was launched for the United Kingdom market. An articulated version was also manufactured.
The Dennis Lance was a single-decker bus chassis manufactured by Dennis between 1991 and 2000, replacing the Dennis Falcon. Its low floor variant, the Dennis Lance SLF was built between 1993 and 1996. Between 1995 and 1998, Dennis also built its double-deck variant, the Dennis Arrow, as the replacement of the Dennis Dominator.
The Optare Sigma was a step-entrance single-deck bus body manufactured by Optare between 1994 and 1996 on the Dennis Lance chassis.
The Optare Delta was a single-deck bus body manufactured by Optare between 1990 and 1999 on the DAF SB220 chassis. The Delta was Optare's first full-size transit bus body, with the company having previously built minibus bodies on Volkwagen LT55 and Mercedes-Benz 811D chassis. The Delta was succeeded by the Optare Excel from 1995 onwards, with production of the Delta body ceasing in 1999.
The Optare Prisma was a single-decker bus body that was fitted to the Mercedes-Benz O405 chassis, produced between 1995 to 1998, when it was discontinued in favour of the integral Optare Excel low-floor bus.
The Optare Vecta was a step-entrance single-deck bus body manufactured by Optare between 1991 and 1997 on the MAN 11.190 chassis.
The Plaxton Verde was a step-entrance full-size single-decker bus body built by Plaxton between 1991 and 1997. It was built on a rear-engined chassis, the most popular of which was the Dennis Lance which accounted for over half of the Verdes built. The rest were on Volvo B10B, DAF SB220 and Scania N113 chassis.
The Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998. The replacements for the Paladin are the Prestige and the Pointer as low-floor models for the Paladin LF.
The Northern Counties Palatine was a step-entrance 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties from 1988 to 1999 in Wigan, England.
The Wright Endurance was a step-entrance single-decker bus body on Scania N113 and on Volvo B10B chassis by Wrightbus between 1992 and 1997.
Danish Automobile Building (DAB) was a Danish bus manufacturer based in Silkeborg. It was in existence from 1912 until 2002.
The Alexander PS-type was a step-floor single-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders in Falkirk, Scotland and was produced from 1988 to the late 1990s predominantly on the Dennis Lance, Mercedes-Benz O405, Scania N113, Volvo B10M chassis.