Scania Metropolitan
Encyclopedia
The Scania Metropolitan was the first double decker bus model built jointly by MCW
and Scania division of Saab-Scania
. It was built between 1973 and 1978.
It was also 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 first built for the UK
market in 1969 and sold in small numbers.
). It was noted for its lively performance from the turbocharged Scania engine when compared to the old-fashioned Gardner and Leyland diesels used in many buses of the time, smooth ride due to air suspension (although the Guy Wulfrunian
was the first double decker bus to have this feature) and thirst for fuel consumption. However severe corrosion problems of the body structure led these buses to have a short life in service.
London Transport was once the largest operator of Metropolitans, with 164 being delivered between 1975 and 1977, but all of them were withdrawn by 1983.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. These included Charles Cook of Biggleswade who ran them between 1983 and 1993, Whippet of Fenstanton who even operated an open top example originating from Hull City Transport, Black Prince, Alec Head of Lutton and Camms of Nottingham. MD1 (KJD 201P) appeared in The Human League
s music video Life On Your Own
in 1984 and is now preserved in a Scania museum in Sweden while MD9 exists on a farm in Potton, Bedfordshire for non-PSV use, it was sold to the owner by Charles Cook. Other examples have been preserved within the UK, including Reading & London vehicles.
Tyne and Wear PTE were second largest operator of Metropolitans, building up 150 of them between 1975 to 1977. By the mid-1980s most of the Tyne & Wear Metropolitan's were withdrawn although a handful did pass to the new arms-length private company Busways Travel Services Ltd.
brought about by de-regulation of the British bus industry in 1986. 499 (RCU 499S) was the last to be withdrawn in 1989, and the only vehicle to be repainted in the Busways livery.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 Metropolitan's have also survived into preservation.
West Yorkshire PTE, more commonly known as MetroBus, 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 They were all withdrawn by 1985.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 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 5 with single door in 1977. One dual door 1975 example 301 (GJF 301N) survives in preservation, restored to original LCT cream/maroon livery, and attends regular rallies along with the last surviving Metro-Scania single decker 225 (ARY 225K).
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 depot's in Liverpool
they were all withdrawn by the summer of 1986 perhaps hastened by deregulation and the formation of arms-length private company Merseybus which standardised its double deck requirement on the Leyland Atlantean
- that Merseyside Transport bought in large quantities. Some of the Merseyside Metropolitans were sold for further service with other operators with Kingston Upon Hull City Transport/(KHCT)
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.
40 purchased.
Reading Transport took 33 Metropolitans from 1975 to 1978 the last one was withdrawn in 1992.
Hull bought 30 Metropolitans between 1975 and 1978. They survived into deregulation and the formation of Kingston Upon Hull City Transport (KHCT) and were augmented second-hand examples from Merseyside Transport (see above). They were withdrawn by the end of the 1980s and pretty much all have been scrapped, however one notable former Hull example - 436 WKH426S, has been retained as an open-topper by Cambridgeshire
operator Whippet Coaches/Go Whippet.
Greater Manchester Transport 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 Corporation Transport bought 10 Metropolitans in 1975 which were withdrawn from service in 1985.
South Yorkshire Transport purchased 4 Metropolitans in 1975. Again they were withdrawn in the 1980s and are all believed to have be scrapped.
5 purchased in 1975.
This Hong Kong
operator purchased two Metropolitans in 1975. They were withdrawn in late 1980s.
WMPTE, despite being a major customer for MCW bodywork on Daimler/Leyland Fleetline and Bristol VR chassis, surprisingly showed little interest in the Metropolitan and only took one example the former MCW demonstrator 6299 NVP533M which was the very first Metropolitan to be built. WMPTE acquired it in 1977 when it was three years old and sold it to coach operator Trathens in 1983 who used on a London sightseeing contract. However WMPTE - and its deregulated successor West Midlands Travel
, did purchase over 1,100 MCW's integral replacement for the Metropolitan - the Metrobus which utilised some Metropolitan technology such as air suspension.
In all 662 Metropolitan were built. MCW launched the Metrobus
in 1977, and Scania launched the BR112DH
chassis in 1980 as the replacement of BR111DH.
Metro Cammell Weymann
Metro Cammell Weymann was once a major player in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe. It was formed in 1932 by Weymann Motor Bodies Ltd and Metro Cammell's bus bodybuilding division to produce bus bodies....
and Scania division of Saab-Scania
Saab-Scania
Saab-Scania AB was the name chosen when truck and bus manufacturer Scania-Vabis of Södertälje merged with car and aeroplane manufacturer Saab AB of Trollhättan in 1968, under the Wallenberg family group of companies. The merger meant that Saab no longer had to import the British Triumph Slant-4...
. It was built between 1973 and 1978.
It was also the second bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
model jointly built by these two companies. The first model was the Metro-Scania single decker based on the BR110/CR110 chassis, which was first built for the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
market in 1969 and sold in small numbers.
Construction
The Metropolitan was basically the double deck version of the Metro-Scania, it was based on Scania BR111DH chassis and the body was constructed by MCW. The distinguishing feature is the asymmetric windscreen being deeper on the nearside to give the driver a good view of the kerb (a similar design being used on the Mk I version of the MCW MetrobusMCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
). It was noted for its lively performance from the turbocharged Scania engine when compared to the old-fashioned Gardner and Leyland diesels used in many buses of the time, smooth ride due to air suspension (although the Guy Wulfrunian
Guy Wulfrunian
The Guy Wulfrunian was a front-engine double-decker bus chassis produced by Guy from 1959 to 1965.-History:The Wulfrunian was developed jointly by Guy and the West Riding Automobile Company, and, of 137 vehicles built, 126 went to West Riding...
was the first double decker bus to have this feature) and thirst for fuel consumption. However severe corrosion problems of the body structure led these buses to have a short life in service.
Customers
- London TransportLondon Transport Executive (GLC)The London Transport Executive was the executive agency within the Greater London Council, responsible for public transport in Greater London from 1970 to 1984...
London Transport was once 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. These included Charles Cook of Biggleswade who ran them between 1983 and 1993, Whippet of Fenstanton who even operated an open top example originating from Hull City Transport, Black Prince, Alec Head of Lutton and Camms of Nottingham. MD1 (KJD 201P) appeared in The Human League
The Human League
The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...
s music video Life On Your Own
Life on Your Own
"Life on Your Own" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey, Keyboard players Jo Callis and Adrian Wright, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984...
in 1984 and is now preserved in a Scania museum in Sweden while MD9 exists on a farm in Potton, Bedfordshire for non-PSV use, it was sold to the owner by Charles Cook. Other examples have been preserved within the UK, including Reading & London vehicles.
- Tyne and Wear Transport/(TWPTE)Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive using the brandname of Nexus, is the Passenger Transport Executive for the Tyne and Wear region of North East England....
Tyne and Wear PTE were second largest operator of Metropolitans, building up 150 of them between 1975 to 1977. By the mid-1980s most of the Tyne & Wear Metropolitan's were withdrawn although a handful did pass to the new arms-length private company Busways Travel Services Ltd.
Busways Travel Services Ltd.
Busways Travel Services Limited was a large bus operator in the 1990s in the north east of England. In July 1995 Busways was acquired by Stagecoach Group.-PTE divestment:...
brought about by de-regulation of the British bus industry 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 Metropolitan's have also survived into preservation.
- West Yorkshire MetroBus/(WYPTE)West Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
West Yorkshire PTE, more commonly known as MetroBus, 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 TransportFirst LeicesterFirst in Leicester is the trading name of Leicester Citybus Ltd., a bus company owned by the First Group. It runs buses in the city of Leicester, England...
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 5 with single door in 1977. One dual door 1975 example 301 (GJF 301N) survives in preservation, restored to original LCT cream/maroon livery, and attends regular rallies along with the last surviving Metro-Scania single decker 225 (ARY 225K).
- Merseyside Transport/(MPTE)Merseyside Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...
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 depot's in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
they were all withdrawn by the summer of 1986 perhaps hastened by deregulation and the formation of arms-length private company Merseybus which standardised its double deck requirement on the Leyland Atlantean
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
- that Merseyside Transport bought in large quantities. Some of the Merseyside Metropolitans were sold for further service with other operators with Kingston Upon Hull City Transport/(KHCT)
Stagecoach in Hull
Stagecoach in Hull is the sector of the Stagecoach Group that operates buses in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest bus fleet in the city.-History:...
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 PTE
40 purchased.
- Reading TransportReading TransportReading Transport Ltd is a bus operator serving the towns of Reading, Newbury and the surrounding area in the English county of Berkshire. The company is wholly owned by Reading Borough Council and operates under the brands Reading Buses, Newbury Buses and Goldline Travel...
Reading Transport took 33 Metropolitans from 1975 to 1978 the last one was withdrawn in 1992.
- Hull Corporation/City TransportStagecoach in HullStagecoach in Hull is the sector of the Stagecoach Group that operates buses in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest bus fleet in the city.-History:...
Hull bought 30 Metropolitans between 1975 and 1978. They survived into deregulation and the formation of Kingston Upon Hull City Transport (KHCT) and were augmented second-hand examples from Merseyside Transport (see above). They were withdrawn by the end of the 1980s and pretty much all have been scrapped, however one notable former Hull example - 436 WKH426S, has been retained as an open-topper by Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
operator Whippet Coaches/Go Whippet.
- Greater Manchester Transport/(GMPTE)Greater Manchester Passenger Transport ExecutiveTransport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...
Greater Manchester Transport purchased 10 Metropolitans in 1974 for use on the Trans-Lancs Express service 400 linking Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
to Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
via Bury
Bury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
and Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
. Greater Manchester Transport withdrew them from service in the early 1980s.
- Newport Corporation TransportNewport TransportNewport Transport is the main provider of bus services in Newport, South Wales, under the brand Newport Bus. Formerly a council department, it came into being as a separate corporate entity in 1986, following the Transport Act 1985...
Newport Corporation Transport bought 10 Metropolitans in 1975 which were withdrawn from service in 1985.
- South Yorkshire Transport/(SYPTE)South Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for South Yorkshire in England. It is supervised by the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, which consists of representatives from the metropolitan boroughs of Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, and...
South Yorkshire Transport purchased 4 Metropolitans in 1975. Again they were withdrawn in the 1980s and are all believed to have be scrapped.
- Maidstone & District
5 purchased in 1975.
- China Motor BusChina Motor BusChina Motor Bus Company Ltd. , often abbreviated as CMB, was the first motor bus company in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the introduction of double-decker buses to Hong Kong Island....
/(CMB)
This Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
operator purchased two Metropolitans in 1975. They were withdrawn in late 1980s.
- West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive/(WMPTE)West Midlands Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
WMPTE, despite being a major customer for MCW bodywork on Daimler/Leyland Fleetline and Bristol VR chassis, surprisingly showed little interest in the Metropolitan and only took one example the former MCW demonstrator 6299 NVP533M which was the very first Metropolitan to be built. WMPTE acquired it in 1977 when it was three years old and sold it to coach operator Trathens in 1983 who used on a London sightseeing contract. However WMPTE - and its deregulated successor West Midlands Travel
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
, did purchase over 1,100 MCW's integral replacement for the Metropolitan - the Metrobus which utilised some Metropolitan technology such as air suspension.
End of production
The production of Metropolitans was finally terminated in 1978, the last examples going to Reading Transport (with 2 built to dual-purpose specifications with high speed rear axles to operate the express X1 service to London, Aldgate).In all 662 Metropolitan were built. MCW launched the Metrobus
MCW Metrobus
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport until 1985...
in 1977, and Scania launched the BR112DH
Scania N112
The Scania N112 was a transverse-engined bus chassis built by the Scania division of Saab-Scania AB of Sweden between 1978 and 1987, mainly for the Nordic and the UK markets.-BR112DH:...
chassis in 1980 as the replacement of BR111DH.