The Optare Vecta was a
step-entrance single-deck bus body manufactured by
Optare between 1991 and 1997 on the
MAN
A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy.
Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...
11.190 chassis.
Design
Launched in 1991, the
medium-length Vecta was designed by Optare to fill a gap in its product lineup between the
Delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
full-size
city bus
A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-fl ...
body on the
DAF SB220 chassis and the integral
MetroRider minibus
A minibus, microbus, or minicoach is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is us ...
. Based exclusively on the MAN 11.190 chassis, the first time this chassis had been built with a bus body for the UK market, the Vecta body was constructed with an
Alusuisse bolted aluminium frame and shared design elements from the Delta body, including rounded windows, rear panels and a separately mounted
destination display. However, the Vecta featured a straight front end that was later reused for Optare's
Spectra double-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are used primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sightseeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They app ...
.
As a result of smaller-than-average wheels being fitted to the MAN chassis, the Vecta had a low entrance step height of . Two gangway steps led to the first five rows of interior seats, followed by another step that took passengers to the next four rows of seats. Options for the interior included carpet trim on the roof and walls, luggage racks and high-backed seats.
Operators
The largest operator of Optare Vectas were
North East Bus companies Teesside Motor Services, Tees & District and
United, taking delivery of a total of 51 between 1992 and 1994. The first two production Vectas were delivered to Teesside Motor Services in early 1992, with Teesside later taking a further six in late 1993, while Tees & District took delivery of 25 Vectas and United took delivery of 18.
Trent Buses were another large operator of the Vecta, taking delivery of 15 in late 1994. while
Reading Buses
Reading Transport Limited, trading as Reading Buses, is an English Municipal bus company, municipal bus operator owned by Reading Borough Council, serving the towns of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury, Slough, ...
initially purchased five in 1993, following with orders for nine more between 1994 and 1996.
London United subsidiary
Westlink, meanwhile, were the only major London bus operator that purchased the Optare Vecta, taking delivery of eight of the type in mid-1995.
The remaining majority of the Optare Vecta's customers were small independent bus and coach operators across the United Kingdom. The most notable of these was Hutchison's of
Overtown, who purchased seven Vectas new as well as two former demonstrators between 1993 and 1996. An early adopter, meanwhile, of the Vecta was
West Coast Motors, taking delivery of a single example in 1992 for use on town services. Other operators included
Black Prince Buses of
Morley, who purchased four in 1995 as the company's first brand new buses, R&I Buses of
Park Royal, who took delivery of five in 1995,
British Bus subsidiary
Crosville Cymru, who took delivery of four in 1995, and the
Tillingbourne Bus Company, who took delivery of the final four Vectas produced in 1997.
References
External links
{{Optare timeline
Midibuses
Vecta
Step-entrance buses
Vehicles introduced in 1991