Optare MetroRider

Last updated

Optare MetroRider
Warrington Borough Transport 112 S112GUB (9127274288).jpg
Warrington Borough Transport MetroRider in Blackpool in June 2013
Overview
Manufacturer Optare
Production1989 - 2000
Assembly Cross Gates
Body and chassis
Doors1
Floor type Step entrance
Powertrain
Engine Cummins
Chronology
Predecessor MCW Metrorider
Successor Optare Solo

The Optare MetroRider was a midibus manufactured by Optare between 1989 and 2000.

Contents

History

Optare MetroRider rear Optare Metrorider, Blackpool, N589 GRN (7534469090).jpg
Optare MetroRider rear

Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after it bought the rights from Metro Cammell Weymann after the latter decided to cease production. [1] It was launched in November 1989, with 1,159 produced before it was succeeded by the Optare Solo in 2000. [2] [3]

The MetroRider was an integral bus, with the chassis and body constructed as a single structure. It was sold abroad in kit form, in countries such as Malaysia. [4] Four electric MetroRiders were sold to the Oxford Bus Company in 1993 and two compressed natural gas powered versions were sold to Stagecoach Cambus in 1996. [3] [5] [6]

Electric version

Electric Optare MetroRider in Oxford Oxford Electric Bus Optare MetroRider.jpg
Electric Optare MetroRider in Oxford

An electric version of the MetroRider was produced in 1993. The transport authority placed four vehicles into service on a city centre circular service in Oxford. They were operated initially by the Oxford Bus Company but later briefly passed to Stagecoach Group before withdrawal owing to a cessation of subsidy. They were later used on Jersey and Islay. [7]

Natural gas version

Two MetroRiders were produced for Stagecoach Cambus in Cambridge, powered by a dedicated CNG engine developed by Cummins.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transdev Blazefield</span> Bus operating group in England

Transdev Blazefield is a bus group, which operates local and regional bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. Formed in August 1991, the group has been a subsidiary of French-based operator Transdev since January 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Cammell Weymann</span> Former British bus manufacturer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Switch Mobility</span> British bus manufacturer

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optare Solo</span> Low floor minibus/midibus, built since 1998

The Switch Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Switch Mobility in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm (8 in) with kneeling suspension. In January 2012 Optare announced the end of production for the original Solo design with a modified Solo SR taking over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First York</span> Bus operator in York, England

First York operates local bus services, with a network centring around the cathedral city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup, which operates bus, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCW Metrorider</span> Step-entrance integral midibus

The MCW Metrorider was an integral midibus designed and built by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1986 and 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optare CityPacer</span> Motor vehicle

The Optare CityPacer was a minibus body manufactured by Optare from 1985 to 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Bus</span> Bus operator in Preston, Lancashire

Preston Bus is a bus operator running in the city of Preston, England, and surrounding areas. It is a subsidiary of Rotala. It gained some notoriety in 2009 when the Competition Commission ordered Stagecoach to sell it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Bus Company</span> Transdev-owned bus operator

The Blackburn Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Optare Versa</span> Low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare

The Optare Versa is a low-floor midibus that was manufactured by Optare at its Sherburn-in-Elmet factory. In total 883 were produced between 2007 and 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MK Metro</span> Bus line based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

MK Metro was a bus company operating in Milton Keynes from 1997 until 2010.

Environmental Performance Vehicles (EPV), previously DesignLine Corporation, is a manufacturer of coach, electric and range-extended electric (hybrid) buses. It was founded in Ashburton, New Zealand in 1985. Initially it was a manufacturer of tour coaches. In the 1990s it diversified into conventional transit buses and then added hybrid city buses in the late 1990s. It was acquired by American interests in 2006, and DesignLine Corporation's headquarters was relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina. Following a bankruptcy in 2013, the assets of DesignLine were sold and the company was renamed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach East</span> Bus operator in the East of England

Stagecoach East is a bus operator providing local and regional services across the East of England, operating in the counties of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group and is headquartered and registered in Cambridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston park and ride</span>

Preston park and ride is a park-and-ride scheme in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England, operated by both Rotala subsidiary Preston Bus and Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Counties Omnibus</span>

United Counties Omnibus was an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach in Preston</span>

Stagecoach in Preston was a network of bus routes running within the city of Preston, Lancashire and into the surrounding area. It was founded in 2009 after Stagecoach Group acquired Preston Bus that was founded in 1904. The company operated from the main depot on Selbourne Street. In January 2011, the company was sold to Rotala, which now operates the services under the Preston Bus brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach Highlands</span> Bus operator in the Scottish Highlands, Orkney Islands and the Isle of Skye

Stagecoach Highlands is a division of the Stagecoach Group operating within the Scottish Highlands as well as on the Orkney Islands and Isle of Skye. The company is based in Inverness and covers most of the former Rapson Group bus and coach operations, which were taken over by Stagecoach in May 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buses in Milton Keynes</span> Bus services in and around Milton Keynes, England

Buses in Milton Keynes are run by a mixture of operators on a network of urban and rural routes in and around the Milton Keynes urban area. These services have a varied history involving five different companies. At the foundation of the 'New City' in 1967 and for some years afterwards, Milton Keynes was served by a rural bus service between and to the pre-existing towns. Apart from a small-scale experimental service, urban buses arrived on the scene with deregulation in 1986. Since April 2010 the core local services have been provided by Arriva Shires & Essex. Long-distance coach services also serve MK, often via the Milton Keynes Coachway located near junction 14 of the M1 motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Switch Metrodecker</span> British-built model of double-decker bus, built since 2014

The Switch Metrodecker is an integral twin-axle double-decker bus produced by British bus manufacturer Switch Mobility since 2014. The bus bears resemblance to the Switch Metrocity, sharing similar interior and exterior features. The MetroDecker was designed as the successor to the Optare Olympus and Optare OmniDekka double-deckers, which were both discontinued in 2011, however unlike these, the MetroDecker is only available in integral form.

References

  1. Optare takes Metrorider Commercial Motor 3 August 1989
  2. Companion to Road Passenger Transport History. Walsall: Roads & Road Transport History Association. 2013. p. 360. ISBN   9780955287633.
  3. 1 2 Jenkison, Keith (2020). The History of Optare. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN   978-1445696942.
  4. "Revived Optare sells Malaysia 1,000 buses" . The Independent . 23 October 1994. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  5. "Electric buses in use in Oxford" . Mass Transit. Vol. 20, no. 10. Springfield Information Services. October 1993. Retrieved 8 January 2023 via General OneFile.
  6. "Natural gas-powered Optare buses for Cambridge" . Energy Report. Vol. 23, no. 6. Springfield Information Services. June 1996. Retrieved 8 January 2023 via General OneFile.
  7. "The Islay Wave Bus - the world's first! | Greenpeace UK". Greenpeace.org.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2010.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Optare MetroRider at Wikimedia Commons