Blackpool Transport (T/A Metro Coastlines) DAF SB220/Optare Delta
Probably the best single decker in the world....
The Optare Delta was a single-decker bus body produced on the DAF SB220 chassis and was probably the best single-decker of recent times, as it wasn’t compromised to an extent by the correct and current need to build in accessibility. They were built at a former Leyland Bus factory, once the home of Charles H Roe of Leeds, by the then newly formed Optare. Leyland Bus had announced in 1984 it was rationalising production of buses as demand fell because of the ending of the bus grant and impending deregulation and Roe, sadly, was a casualty of that rationalisation.
However, a group of former employees led by former plant director Russell Richardson and backed by West Yorkshire Enterprise Board bought over the assets and the factory, launching the fledgling new business as ‘Optare’, from the Greek ‘To choose’.
Launching a bus business at such a fallow time for new orders was a brave move and initially it was helped to an extent by Leyland Bus, who allowed it to compete outstanding orders for West Yorkshire PTE to Roe’s design on Leyland Olympians. This gave Optare some much needed breathing room to get organised and on its feet.
It’s first new product, as such, was a heavy duty midi-bus, built on both the Dennis Domino (a shortened Dennis Dominator chassis) and Leyland Cub. They were built for both West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire PTEs. These were uncompromisingly square in design and gave no hint at the design flare that was in the company.
Optare then went down a different route from other bodybuilders by promoting the concept of ‘one-stop’ shopping. Prior to this, if you wanted a bus, you bought a chassis from a manufacturer and then sourced a bodybuilder to build on it. Optare went down a different path. They gave you compete product on a particular chassis and sold it as such, so you dealt with one company rather than two. Optare was responsible for all aspects, such as warranty and parts. It wasn’t a true integral bus but it was close as you could get to one.
It’s first product was the stylish Citypacer, which was built on the Volkswagen LT-Van chassis. This was probably the most stylish mini-bus on the market - if not the cheapest - and it proved there was true design flair in the company. Sadly, it turned out the Volkswagen part was the only flaw in the product - the vehicles were slightly underpowered and struggled when carrying heavy loads - but it still was a fine good-looking product. The next was the Starrider, which was built on a Mercedes-Benz van chassis. These were slightly bigger mini-buses for the extra-capacity compared to the Citypacer. They didn’t do as well as the Citypacer but that wasn’t down to any flaw with the product but more to do with changes in the market, as the Dennis Dart started to take hold,
Optare’s first full size bus was the Optare Delta. These were built exclusively on the DAF Bus SB220 chassis and initially, that chassis was only available with Optare bodywork. Optare produced a very stylish body, known for its distinctive sloping front window. A common feature about the bus that it has a distinctive one-piece windscreen with a sloped windowline and a separately mounted destination display. Initially, the buses carried supplementary DAF badges too but later in production they were replaced by just Optare badges, again to give the hint of something very integral.
Coupled with the legendary reliability of the DAF chassis - some went over a half a million miles without an engine failure - the stylish Delta was probably the best single-deck bus you could buy at that time. It wasn’t the cheapest bus on the market by far but it laid the foundations for Optare as a builder of stylish semi-integral buses. The Delta sold well, to various operators from Reading Buses to Go North East as well as British Airways, who took some with three doors for airside work. A total of 324 were built with the last being built in 1999, well into the low-floor era. The success of the Optare/DAF combination led Optare becoming part of United Bus in 1990, a pan-European collection of bus builders to take on the European giants but that crashed into administration in 1993. A management buy-out saw Optare return to independent ownership as a result.
During the United Bus episode, Optare launched the Spectra, a double decker built on a DAF chassis which owed a small part to the Metrobus and the Vecta, a midi-bus based on the MAN 11.180 chassis, both using styling ques from the Delta but with a more upright front. It also acquired the rights to build the Metrorider from MCW and this took Optare into fully integral buses.
Following the United Bus crash, it led to concerns over the supply of DAF chassis and the Delta body was adapted for the Dennis Lance to produce the Sigma. This was basically a Delta with a Vecta front and although no where near as successful as the Delta, it got Optare through a difficult time. The last adaptation of the Delta was the Prisma. This was built on the Mercedes-Benz 0405 chassis but in a break with convention, it had the generic Mercedes front end bolted on to the standard Delta body, which reduced its appeal, although the GRT Group, one of constituent parts of Firstbus bought several of the type, mainly for its Scottish companies.
Blackpool Transport was an early user of Optare buses, building up a fleet of Citypacers in a striking black/yellow livery branded as Handy Buses. It took its first Deltas in 1990 on a G-plate and ordered several chassis each year over the next four years, eventually building up the largest fleet of these stylish vehicles in the UK. It also acquired three with its purchase of Flyde Borough Transport giving it an eventual fleet of 31. They served Blackpool well and into the Metro Coastlines era, such as 122 (H122CHG) seen here in the first generic all-routes olive/yellow livery. This all-routes livery was later changed to yellow and black. The last Deltas for Blackpool survived into the millennium but were withdrawn from frontline service by 2010.
Blackpool Transport (T/A Metro Coastlines) DAF SB220/Optare Delta
Probably the best single decker in the world....
The Optare Delta was a single-decker bus body produced on the DAF SB220 chassis and was probably the best single-decker of recent times, as it wasn’t compromised to an extent by the correct and current need to build in accessibility. They were built at a former Leyland Bus factory, once the home of Charles H Roe of Leeds, by the then newly formed Optare. Leyland Bus had announced in 1984 it was rationalising production of buses as demand fell because of the ending of the bus grant and impending deregulation and Roe, sadly, was a casualty of that rationalisation.
However, a group of former employees led by former plant director Russell Richardson and backed by West Yorkshire Enterprise Board bought over the assets and the factory, launching the fledgling new business as ‘Optare’, from the Greek ‘To choose’.
Launching a bus business at such a fallow time for new orders was a brave move and initially it was helped to an extent by Leyland Bus, who allowed it to compete outstanding orders for West Yorkshire PTE to Roe’s design on Leyland Olympians. This gave Optare some much needed breathing room to get organised and on its feet.
It’s first new product, as such, was a heavy duty midi-bus, built on both the Dennis Domino (a shortened Dennis Dominator chassis) and Leyland Cub. They were built for both West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire PTEs. These were uncompromisingly square in design and gave no hint at the design flare that was in the company.
Optare then went down a different route from other bodybuilders by promoting the concept of ‘one-stop’ shopping. Prior to this, if you wanted a bus, you bought a chassis from a manufacturer and then sourced a bodybuilder to build on it. Optare went down a different path. They gave you compete product on a particular chassis and sold it as such, so you dealt with one company rather than two. Optare was responsible for all aspects, such as warranty and parts. It wasn’t a true integral bus but it was close as you could get to one.
It’s first product was the stylish Citypacer, which was built on the Volkswagen LT-Van chassis. This was probably the most stylish mini-bus on the market - if not the cheapest - and it proved there was true design flair in the company. Sadly, it turned out the Volkswagen part was the only flaw in the product - the vehicles were slightly underpowered and struggled when carrying heavy loads - but it still was a fine good-looking product. The next was the Starrider, which was built on a Mercedes-Benz van chassis. These were slightly bigger mini-buses for the extra-capacity compared to the Citypacer. They didn’t do as well as the Citypacer but that wasn’t down to any flaw with the product but more to do with changes in the market, as the Dennis Dart started to take hold,
Optare’s first full size bus was the Optare Delta. These were built exclusively on the DAF Bus SB220 chassis and initially, that chassis was only available with Optare bodywork. Optare produced a very stylish body, known for its distinctive sloping front window. A common feature about the bus that it has a distinctive one-piece windscreen with a sloped windowline and a separately mounted destination display. Initially, the buses carried supplementary DAF badges too but later in production they were replaced by just Optare badges, again to give the hint of something very integral.
Coupled with the legendary reliability of the DAF chassis - some went over a half a million miles without an engine failure - the stylish Delta was probably the best single-deck bus you could buy at that time. It wasn’t the cheapest bus on the market by far but it laid the foundations for Optare as a builder of stylish semi-integral buses. The Delta sold well, to various operators from Reading Buses to Go North East as well as British Airways, who took some with three doors for airside work. A total of 324 were built with the last being built in 1999, well into the low-floor era. The success of the Optare/DAF combination led Optare becoming part of United Bus in 1990, a pan-European collection of bus builders to take on the European giants but that crashed into administration in 1993. A management buy-out saw Optare return to independent ownership as a result.
During the United Bus episode, Optare launched the Spectra, a double decker built on a DAF chassis which owed a small part to the Metrobus and the Vecta, a midi-bus based on the MAN 11.180 chassis, both using styling ques from the Delta but with a more upright front. It also acquired the rights to build the Metrorider from MCW and this took Optare into fully integral buses.
Following the United Bus crash, it led to concerns over the supply of DAF chassis and the Delta body was adapted for the Dennis Lance to produce the Sigma. This was basically a Delta with a Vecta front and although no where near as successful as the Delta, it got Optare through a difficult time. The last adaptation of the Delta was the Prisma. This was built on the Mercedes-Benz 0405 chassis but in a break with convention, it had the generic Mercedes front end bolted on to the standard Delta body, which reduced its appeal, although the GRT Group, one of constituent parts of Firstbus bought several of the type, mainly for its Scottish companies.
Blackpool Transport was an early user of Optare buses, building up a fleet of Citypacers in a striking black/yellow livery branded as Handy Buses. It took its first Deltas in 1990 on a G-plate and ordered several chassis each year over the next four years, eventually building up the largest fleet of these stylish vehicles in the UK. It also acquired three with its purchase of Flyde Borough Transport giving it an eventual fleet of 31. They served Blackpool well and into the Metro Coastlines era, such as 122 (H122CHG) seen here in the first generic all-routes olive/yellow livery. This all-routes livery was later changed to yellow and black. The last Deltas for Blackpool survived into the millennium but were withdrawn from frontline service by 2010.