The Mercedes-Benz O305 was a
single deck,
double deck and
articulated bus
An articulated bus, also referred to as a banana bus, bendy bus, tandem bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, or an accordion bus, (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usua ...
manufactured by
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
, West Germany from 1968 until 1988. It was built as either a
complete bus or a bus chassis and was the Mercedes-Benz adaptation of the unified German
VöV-Standard-Bus The VöV-Standard-Bus is a standard for transit buses in Germany based on requirements by the VöV Association of German Transport Companies. The first concept was named (standard city bus) which resulted in multiple variants of VöV-Buses. The fir ...
design, that was produced by many different bus manufacturers including
Büssing
Büssing AG was a German bus and truck manufacturer, established in 1903 by Heinrich Büssing (1843–1929) in Braunschweig. It quickly evolved to one of the largest European producers, whose utility vehicles with the Brunswick Lion emblem were w ...
,
Magirus-Deutz
Magirus GmbH is a truck manufacturer based in Ulm, Germany, founded by Conrad Dietrich Magirus (1824–1895). It was formerly known as Klöckner Humboldt Deutz AG, maker of the Deutz engines, so the brand commonly used was Magirus Deutz, and fo ...
,
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...
,
Ikarus,
Gräf
(feminine: ) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as "count". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "earl" (whose female version is "coun ...
/
Steyr
Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd l ...
,
Heuliez
Heuliez was a French company that worked as a production and design unit for various automakers. It specialized in producing short series for niche markets, such as convertibles or station-wagons.
The business activity ended on 31 October 2013. ...
,
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
, and
Pegaso
Pegaso (, "Pegasus") was a Spanish manufacturer of trucks, buses, tractors, armored vehicles, and, for a while, to train apprentices, and have a good brand image, some sports cars. The parent company, Enasa, was created in 1946 and based in the ...
. The O305 was designed for use as a single-decker bus, however it was later redesigned to accommodate double-decker bodies.
Germany
![Bergen Trolleybus329 1989](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Bergen_Trolleybus329_1989.jpg)
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the O305 prototype in 1967, production in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...
started in 1969. A slightly elongated ''Standard-Überlandbus'' suburban model (11.3m) followed in 1970, replaced by the O307 class in 1972. From 1974 the O305 received a more powerful engine and an
epicyclic gear
An epicyclic gear train (also known as a planetary gearset) consists of two gears mounted so that the center of one gear revolves around the center of the other. A carrier connects the centers of the two gears and rotates the planet and sun gea ...
rear axle plainly audible by its distinctive singing noise.
An
articulated
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...
version was named the O305G. In the mid 1970s, the
Falkenried rolling stock manufacturer had developed a transmission concept with the engine and the power train placed in the rear part. After Mercedes-Benz had acquired the patent, a 1977 prototype was deployed by the
Hamburger Hochbahn
Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA), founded in 1911, operates the underground system and large parts of the bus system in Hamburg, Germany.
History
The HHA was founded by Siemens & Halske and AEG as a consortium on 27 May 1911. The first chairman ...
public transport operator. Production began in 1978.
After a first converted
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
version named the O305T was deployed in
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; Palatinate German: ''Lautre'') is a city in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfur ...
, Daimler-Benz built five articulated buses with a
BBC-Sécheron electrical equipment (O305GT) which served the public transport in Kaiserslautern and the
Bergen trolleybus system, from 1985 in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, and finally in
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a popu ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. Four
dual-mode bus
A dual-mode bus is a bus that can run independently on power from two different sources, typically electricity from overhead lines like a trolleybus or from batteries like a hybrid bus, alternated with conventional fossil fuel (generally diesel ...
types were built in 1983 and deployed in
Esslingen and
Essen
Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...
. Twenty
hybrid electric
A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an Electric motor, electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertr ...
variants were used by the
Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen public transport company and in
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
. In 1979, the
CMTC in Brazil imported one O305T for test until 1980.
From 1984 onwards, the O305 was replaced by the second generation of the German ''Standard-Linienbus''
Mercedes-Benz O405
The Mercedes-Benz O405 was a single-decker bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s as either an integral bus or a bus chassis and was the last VöV SL-II standard bus in production. It was the replacement for th ...
. Production of the O305 ceased in early 1987.
Hong Kong
![DF9565](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/DF9565.jpg)
In Hong Kong, the O305 was the first bus model from outside United Kingdom and countries of
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
to be purchased. A total of 41 buses were introduced, with the prototype in 1983 and the others in 1985. All were withdrawn and subsequently scrapped in 2001/02 except three, which are preserved by groups of bus enthusiasts in Hong Kong and Australia.
Background and history
For a long period of time, Hong Kong franchised bus operators were required by law to purchase
double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
es produced in
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries. After repealing the requirement in 1983, Mercedes-Benz supplied a two-axle 11-metre
double-decker to
Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International.
...
(KMB).
The O305 demonstrator was registered on 4 August 1983. Following successful trials, KMB ordered another 40 in 1985, with improved frontal design and ventilation system. All the 41 buses were fitted with
Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
RH bodies.
KMB later adopted a policy of acquiring
3-axle double-decker buses of similar length. Because Mercedes-Benz did not offer a 3-axle version of the O305, no more Mercedes-Benz buses were purchased by KMB.
In service
Initially, the first bus ran on route 105, which was new, running between
Lai Chi Kok
Lai Chi Kok is a neighbourhood in Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area and also the largest in Hong Kong with 99 blocks. Administratively, it belongs t ...
and
Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan is an area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Western District. The name can be variously interpreted as ''Upper Dist ...
. However,
Cross-Harbour Tunnel
The Cross-Harbour Tunnel (abbreviated ''CHT'' or ''XHT'') is the first tunnel in Hong Kong built underwater. It consists of two steel road tunnels each with two lanes constructed using the single shell immersed tube method.
It is the earl ...
's environment was unsuitable for this model, as well as the fact that the towing of these buses by the tow trucks used by the tunnel authority could result in damage to the chassis, so entire fleet were reallocated to express routes running between
Yuen Long
Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang W ...
and
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan (formerly also spelled Tsun Wan) is a town built on a bay in the western New Territories of Hong Kong, opposite of Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged from the surrounding villages and flee ...
/
Kowloon
Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...
. The O305s were renowned for their speed and power, with a maximum speed of over 120 km/h reported.
The buses provided services on the trunk routes in Yuen Long until the mid-1990s. With newer buses (especially those with air conditioning) available for trunk services, the Mercedes were redistributed to
North District and
Tai Po
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui () (the original "Tai Po Market") on the north of Lam Tsu ...
and served there until their retirement on 22 November 2002.
These buses had a unique livery designed by KMB, but all of them had the livery returned to the standard livery of KMB non-air-conditioned buses shortly before their re-distribution.
Singapore
In 1982,
Singapore Bus Services
SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation ...
(SBS) acquired a single Willowbrook-bodied Mercedes Benz O305 double-deck bus in June for trial purposes. A year later, SBS also took in a second Mercedes Benz O305 double-deck demonstrator with a prototype Alexander R-type body make that was previously exhibited at the 1982 Commercial Motor Show in the UK. These buses were retired in the mid 1990s.
Satisfied with the trial, SBS purchased 200 Mercedes-Benz O305 double-deck buses with Alexander-R bodywork in 1984. They featured an 11,412 cc OM 407h engine with its modular W3D 080 R gearbox. At 11.1 metres long and a licensed capacity of 109 passengers, they were the largest non-air conditioned double-decker buses in Singapore. They entered service from 1984 to 1987 and were deployed to
Ang Mo Kio
Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East of Singapore. Located approximately north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East Region and ranks 8th ...
,
Toa Payoh
Toa Payoh (, ta, தோ பாயோ) is a planning area and matured residential town located in the northern part of the Central Region of Singapore. Toa Payoh planning area borders Bishan and Serangoon to the north, the Central Water Catc ...
and
Hougang
Hougang is a planning area and mature residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the most populous in the region, being home to 247,528 residents as of 2018. Hougang planning area is bordered by Sengkang to th ...
bus depots throughout their lifespan. Withdrawals began in 1996 and the last units were retired by late 2001.
Australia
Perth
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
was the first Australian city to operate the Mercedes-Benz O305. The first units entered service with the
Metropolitan Transport Trust
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
(MTT) in 1975.
Over a period of eleven years between 1975 and 1986, over 400 O305s were purchased.
Transperth
Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system serving the city and suburban areas of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is managed by the Public Transport Authority (PTA), a state government organisation. Train op ...
(as the MTT was rebranded in 1986) and its contractors began withdrawing this sizable fleet of O305s in October 1999 although it would be 2012 until the last were withdrawn.
The bodies were built by Freighter Industries,
JW Bolton
JW Bolton was an Australian bus bodybuilder in Perth.
History
In 1972, John Bolton, the son of Boltons (bus manufacturer), Boltons owner Keith, formed JW Bolton. It initially manufactured fire engines, before moving into bus bodying completing ...
, Hillquip and
Howard Porter.
[ There were some unusual O305s operating in Perth. Examples include 444, which featured a Mauri (Italy) body assembled locally by JW Bolton and 007, an experimental bus (model OG305) with an LPG-fuelled engine. In 1984, 008 Australia's first ]CNG
Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in cy ...
-fuelled bus entered service. From the success of the trial gas buses, two O305s (270/1) were converted to LPG operation in the early 1980s, a CNG-fuelled O305G was ordered and entered service in 1987 as 009. In the early 1990s 26 O305s were converted to CNG.
Perth was also the first Australian city to operate the articulated Mercedes-Benz O305G. Three batches were purchased with 18 in 1979, three in 1980, and 19 in 1986/87. The first and second batches had bodywork completed by JW Bolton and Howard Porter and featured model OM 407h 240 hp (177 kW) naturally aspirated engines. To overcome sluggishness, the buses in the third batch (also featuring Howard Porter bodies but built to the VöV-II design) were fitted with model OM 407hA 280 hp (206 kW) turbocharged engines.
Sydney
The Public Transport Commission
The Public Transport Commission (PTC) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for the provision of rail, bus and ferry services in New South Wales, Australia from October 1972 until June 1980.
Upon dissolution, responsib ...
and its successors operated the largest fleet of O305s, purchasing 1,287 O305s and 30 articulated O305Gs, all bodied by Pressed Metal Corporation
Pressed Metal Corporation was an Australian automotive body building and assembly operation based in New South Wales.
History
Pressed Metal Corporation (PMC) was established in the late 1930s as a joint venture between Larke Hoskins, the Aust ...
for use in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
.
Originally 200 Mercedes-Benz O305s with Galvastress Mark 1 bodywork were delivered between May 1977 and August 1978 with one built with a prototype Mark 2 body. These were followed by an order for 550 Galvastress Mark 2 bodied O305s that remains the largest bus order in Australia. These were delivered between October 1978 and November 1980. Whilst the bodies on the Mark 1s had been an effectively the existing PMC body married with a VöV front, the Mark 2s were of the VöV design with a lower roofline and two-leaf doors.
A further order saw 182 O305s bodied by with the Galvastress Mark 3 body enter service between August 1981 and October 1983 with one built with a prototype Mark 4 body.[ The revisions to the body were minor, and the most noticeable were a return to four-piece sliding windows to improve ventilation and to 203mm high route numbers at both the front and rear after the 127mm examples proved unpopular. The Mark 3 body was also used on 30 O305G articulated buses. A trial unit was delivered in September 1981 followed by the production units between September 1983 and May 1984.][
A fleet of 355 Mark 4 O305s were delivered between July 1984 and August 1987.][ The chassis on these was slightly revised, being fitted with ABS.
Withdrawals commenced in 1989 with the final examples withdrawn in October 2012. At the time of withdrawal, some of these buses had accumulated more than 1 million kilometres of service.
]
Canberra
ACTION
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
took delivery of a fleet of 85 Ansair
Ansair was an Australian bus bodybuilder owned by Ansett Transport Industries and later the Clifford Corporation.
History
Ansair was founded by Reg Ansett in 1945 at Tullamarine, to make bodies for his Ansett Pioneer coaches, as well as manuf ...
bodied Mercedes-Benz O305s between November 1981 and March 1985. They were built with standard Mercedes-Benz "StULB" fronts. After being refurbished in the early 1990s, the first were sold in 1995 and then at several other intervals until 1999. All were sold to private bus companies mainly in the Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan areas with 12 being exported to New Zealand to operate in Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
and Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
.
Ansair also bodied five Mercedes-Benz O305G articulated buses between February and April 1983. These were sold in 1997/98 to private bus companies around Australia.
Adelaide
The State Transport Authority purchased 41 O305 and 51 O305G articulated buses for service on the O-Bahn Busway
The O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway that is part of the bus rapid transit system servicing the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn system was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by s ...
. The chassis were heavily modified at the Mitsubishi Motors
is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.[Tonsley
Tonsley is a southern suburb of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.
History
The suburb of Tonsley was created on 27 January 2017 by dividing the suburb of Clovelly Park in half. The southern part of the suburb was separated from C ...](_blank)
. The rigid bus
A rigid bus (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is a vehicle used in public transportation services with a single, rigid chassis. A bus of this type is to be contrasted with an articulated or bi-articulated bus, which will have two or more rigid ...
es had their power increased to 240 hp (177 kW) and the articulateds to 280 hp (207 kW); they were the first buses to travel at a speed of 100 km/h on suburban routes.
New Zealand
Auckland
Auckland Regional Authority and its successors had a fleet of over 300 Mercedes-Benz O305 buses which remained in use until 2005. Many of these were sold to other bus operators or converted for other uses including mobile homes. All were fitted with New Zealand Motor Bodies bodies, VoV bodies built under license.
After serving the city of Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, some were rebuilt with low-floor
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
bodies
Bodies may refer to:
* The plural of body
* ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme
* Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series
* "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order''
* ...
by DesignLine and Fairfax Industries, for further suburban use.[Mercedes Benz 0305]
Omnibus Society of NZ
New Plymouth
New Plymouth City Transport purchased seven Mercedes-Benz O305 buses over two orders:[
* 4 purchased in 1976 (on the back of the Auckland Regional Authority order).
* 3 purchased in 1984.
]
Israel
Egged in Israel purchased large numbers of O305s, some with locally made bodies including by Ha'argaz
Ha'argaz is an Israeli cooperative founded in Tel Aviv in 1932. It is one of Israel's oldest industrial companies.
History
Ha'argaz was founded on August 18, 1932, as a cooperative that produced crates for the citrus industry. The first factory o ...
and Mervakim and others with bodies by Mercedes-Benz.
United Kingdom
SELNEC
The South East Lancashire North East Cheshire Passenger Transport Executive purchased two O305s in 1973 and had them fitted with Northern Counties bodies with 43 seats and dual doors. They were evaluated against Leyland National
The Leyland National is an integrally-constructed United Kingdom, British high-floor, step-floor single-decker bus manufactured in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industri ...
and Metro-Scania
The Metro-Scania was a step-entrance single-deck bus body manufactured by Metro Cammell Weymann and Scania between 1970 and 1973.
History
In 1969, Metro Cammell Weymann and Scania formed a joint venture to build a single deck bus to compete wit ...
s.
Luton Airport
Luton Airport
London Luton Airport is an international airport located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, situated east of the town centre, and north of Central London. The airport is owned by London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL), a company wholly owned by L ...
purchased three O305G articulated buses in 1988 with Lex Services bodies based on Heuliez
Heuliez was a French company that worked as a production and design unit for various automakers. It specialized in producing short series for niche markets, such as convertibles or station-wagons.
The business activity ended on 31 October 2013. ...
framing delivered in April 1988, they were fitted with only 35 seats allowing for large amounts of standing and luggage space. As they were used within the airport and not on public roads, they were left hand drive. They were the first rear-engined
In automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places the engine at the rear of the vehicle. The center of gravity of the engine itself is behind the rear axle. This is not to be confused with the center of gravity of the whole vehicle, as an im ...
'pusher' artics to enter service in the United Kingdom.Mercedes-Benz O305G
Bus Lists on the Web
References
External links
{{Commons category-inline, Mercedes-Benz O 305, Mercedes-Benz O305
Articulated buses
Bus chassis
Double-decker buses
O305
Single-deck buses
Trolleybuses
Vehicles introduced in 1969
Full-size buses