Scania Metropolitan

The Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW and Scania. It was built between 1973 and 1978.

It was the second bus model jointly built by these two companies. The first model was the Metro-Scania single decker based on the BR110/CR110 chassis, which was the first Scania bus built for the United Kingdom market in 1969 and sold in small numbers.

Construction

The Metropolitan was the double deck equivalent of the Metro-Scania. It was based on Scania BR111DH chassis and the body was constructed by MCW, who claimed it to be built with 70% British content. The distinguishing feature is the asymmetric windscreen being deeper on the nearside to give the driver an improved view of the kerb, a feature which was carried over to the MCW Metrobus. It was noted for its performance from the turbocharged Scania engine when compared to the earlier Gardner and Leyland diesel engine used in many buses of the time, its smooth and quiet ride due to air suspension, and high fuel consumption, particularly an issue for operators when the price of fuel rose during the 1973 oil crisis. However, severe body corrosion and mechanical problems led these buses to have a short life in service.

Customers

* London Transport
London Transport was the largest operator of Metropolitans, with 164 being delivered between 1975 and 1977, but all of them were withdrawn by 1983. Some continued in service with other operators for several years, including Reading Transport, Whippet Coaches, Charles Cook of Biggleswade, Black Prince Buses of Morley, Alec Head of Lutton and Camms of Nottingham. MD1 (KJD 201P) appeared in ''The Human Leagues music video '' Life On Your Own'' in 1984 and is now preserved in the Scania museum in Stockholm, while MD60 is preserved by Ensignbus, its restoration completed in 2014.

* Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Tyne and Wear PTE were the second-largest operator of Metropolitans, purchasing 140 of the type from 1975 to 1977. In 1985, most of the Tyne & Wear Metropolitans were withdrawn and sold for scrap due to corrosion issues, although a handful did pass to the new arms-length private company Busways Travel Services brought about by deregulation of bus services in 1986. 499 (RCU 499S) was the last to be withdrawn in 1989, and the only vehicle to be repainted in the Busways livery. A significant proportion of them were acquired by various operators throughout the UK and some of the Tyne & Wear Metropolitans have also survived into preservation.

* West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
West Yorkshire PTE purchased 95 Metropolitans between 1975 and 1977. They were all withdrawn by 1985. One example entered preservation, but was eventually scrapped in the early 1990s.

* Leicester City Transport

Leicester City Transport bought 35 single-deck Metro-Scanias and following their success bought 68 double-deck Metropolitans in several batches between 1974 and 1977 (and a handful of second hand ones for further service and spare parts), both in dual door configuration, and a final batch of five in single door configuration in 1977.

* Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive
Merseyside Transport was another major customer for the Metropolitan, eventually purchasing 60 in the mid-1970s following on from 20 single-deck-based BR110 Metro-Scanias in 1972/73. Allocated to the Green Lane and Prince Alfred Road depots in Liverpool, they were all withdrawn by the summer of 1986. Some of the Merseyside Metropolitans were sold for further service with other operators, with Kingston Upon Hull City Transport being a notable example. However the vast majority were scrapped and by the 1990s all of the Merseyside examples were believed to have been scrapped.

* Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive
Greater Glasgow PTE purchased 40 Metropolitans in 1975. All were withdrawn in 1981-82.

* Reading Transport

Reading Transport took 33 Metropolitans from 1975 to 1978, and added to these with a number from the London Transport and Tyne & Wear Transport fleets. The last one was withdrawn in 1992.

* Kingston upon Hull City Transport
Kingston upon Hull City Transport (KHCT) bought 30 Metropolitans from 1975 to 1978, dissatisfied with incomplete orders from Leyland Bus. KHCT later added second-hand Metropolitans from Merseyside Transport to their fleet. They were all withdrawn by deregulation in 1986 and none are known to survive today.

* Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
Greater Manchester PTE purchased 10 Metropolitans in 1974 for use on the ''Trans-Lancs Express'' service 400 linking Bolton to Stockport via Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne. Greater Manchester Transport withdrew them from service in the early 1980s.

* Newport Transport
Newport Transport bought 10 Metropolitans in 1975 which were withdrawn from service in 1985.

* South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
South Yorkshire Transport purchased four Metropolitans in 1975. These were sold in 1980 due to reliability issues and high costs.

* Maidstone & District Motor Services
Five Metropolitans, the only Metropolitans to be purchased by a subsidiary of the National Bus Company, were purchased by Maidstone & District in 1975 for comparative trials alongside Bristol VRTs and Volvo Ailsa B55s. When trials began in 1976, these Metropolitans were based at Hastings before being onto Chatham in 1977, and despite proving popular with both Maidstone & District staff and passengers, proved more expensive to run compared to the Bristol and Volvo buses, and would be withdrawn by 1983.

* China Motor Bus
The large Hong Kong bus operator purchased two Metropolitans in 1975. These were withdrawn in the late 1980s.

End of production

Production of the Scania Metropolitan ceased in 1978, with the last examples going to Reading Transport, with two built to dual-purpose specifications with high speed rear axles to operate the express X1 service to London. A total of 661 Metropolitans were built. MCW launched the Metrobus in 1977, and Scania launched the BR112DH chassis in 1980 as the replacement of the BR111DH.

See also

* List of buses

References

External links

{{Scania AB timeline 1968–1999

Double-decker buses
Metropolitan
Vehicles introduced in 1974