The MAN 18.220 is a model of
low-entry single-decker bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
manufactured by
MAN Truck & Bus between 1998 and 2017, predominantly for the
United Kingdom and
Ireland. Over the course of nearly two decades of production, more than 1,000 were produced.
The model was introduced as the MAN 18.220 in October 1998 as one of the first low-floor buses on the market, with the first examples being delivered to
Stagecoach Oxfordshire. The vast majority were constructed with
Alexander ALX300 bodywork for
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom.
History
Stagecoach was born out of deregulation of the British express coach market in the early ...
, who ordered more than 500 ALX300s in total between 1998 and 2007 as the predominant low-floor single-decker bus in their fleet.
In addition, a small number of 18.220s were produced for independent operators with
Ikarus Polaris and
Marcopolo Viale bodywork, primarily in the United Kingdom and in Ireland respectively.
An upgraded model, the MAN 18.240LF, was launched in December 2006. The first examples, fitted with
East Lancs Kinetec bodywork, were delivered to
Stagecoach West Scotland
Stagecoach West Scotland ( gd, Stagecoach an Iar na h-Alba) is an operating region of Stagecoach UK Bus, comprising Western Buses Ltd based in Ayr, Scotland.
Operations
Stagecoach West Scotland operates in west central and southwest Scotland ...
; these were followed by a final batch of ALX300s for
Stagecoach Yorkshire, before series production of the ALX300's replacement, the
Alexander Dennis Enviro300
The Alexander Dennis Enviro300 (previously known as the TransBus Enviro300) is a light-weight full-size single-decker bus that was built by Alexander Dennis and its predecessor TransBus International between 2001 and 2015. The design was the first ...
, commenced in January 2008.
Stagecoach were once again the primary customer for the 18.240LF, ordering more than 300 examples with Enviro300 bodywork; the final vehicle was delivered in March 2010.
In 2019, Stagecoach commenced replacing the
Euro 4
The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a ser ...
MAN engines with
Euro 6
The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a seri ...
Cummins ISBs in some of its 18.240s.
From October 2009, the 18.240LF was complemented by the mechanically similar MAN 18.250 in the model line-up, the only major difference being the provision of a more powerful engine, rated at 250 horsepower (an increase of ten horsepower over the base model). A total of 31 MAN 18.250s were produced, all of which were purchased by Stagecoach with ADL Enviro300 bodywork. The final 18.250 was delivered in March 2010.
A
compressed natural gas-powered variant, the MAN 18.270, was introduced in November 2012; this model exclusively featured
Caetano EcoCity
The Caetano City Gold is a series of low-floor, single-decker bus bodywork designs produced by Salvador Caetano since 1997. As of 2022, the City Gold has been launched with diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen fuel cell and full ele ...
bodywork. A total of 44 MAN 18.270s were produced before production ceased in August 2017.
were the largest customer, primarily for its
North East
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and
North West subsidiaries.
Anglian Bus
Konectbus is a bus operator based in Dereham in Norfolk, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group and forms part of Go East Anglia.
History
Konectbus was formed in 1999 when the Saham Toney depot of Norfolk Green was purchased from wi ...
was the only other operator to purchase 18.270s.
The 18.220 series was succeeded by the
MAN Lion's Chassis. However, this model had significantly poorer sales in the United Kingdom, with only a small number produced with
Wright Meridian
The Wright Meridian was a low floor single-decker bus body built on the MAN NL273F chassis by Wrightbus. The body was essentially the same as the Eclipse.
The first production vehicle was launched as a demonstrator in October 2007. It was la ...
bodywork before MAN exited the British bus market due to falling sales.
The MAN 18.280 was sold in Australasia with
TransAdelaide purchasing 76,
Premier Transport Group
Premier Transport Group is an Australian operator of bus and coach services in New South Wales and Queensland. Its origins can be traced back to December 1987 when John King purchased Nowra Coaches. It has since expanded through a number of acqu ...
nine and
Ritchies Transport 11.
Ritchies Transport
Australian Bus Fleet Lists
References
{{MAN Truck & Bus, state=collapsed
18.2x0
Low-entry buses
Single-deck buses
Vehicles introduced in 1998