D&E Coaches of Inverness Volvo Olympian/Alexander (Belfast) RH-type
An unfamiliar type becoming more and more familiar….
In the postwar period, Leyland Motors built up a massive export market as part of the Government’s drive to bring in currency into the United Kingdom (UK). One of the markets it exported into was the Republic of Ireland where the state owned Transport Authority of the Republic, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) built up a massive fleet of Leyland Buses and Coaches.,
However as the Troubles erupted in Northern Ireland, it became very politically sensitive for companies in the Republic to purchase from the UK, particularly state owned ones. So CIE began to look at creating its own bus building business. That had various levels of very limited success. Or was a complete disaster depending on your viewpoint.
However in 1987 CIE was split up into Dublin Bus (Bus Átha Cliath), Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) and Bus Éireann. With the improvement in the situation in Northern Ireland (and I stress improvement) this led Dublin Bus looking again at UK buses and purchasing Leyland Olympians. Bodywork was by Alexander’s in Belfast. When Leyland was closed down, Dublin Bus built up a massive fleet of Volvo Olympians with similar bodywork, right up to the withdrawal of the type.
As accessibility become an important issue, the Olympians were replaced mainly with Volvo B7TLs and B9TLs and were withdrawn. They found a ready market back in the UK as school buses and were re-registered. This one, with its faded Dublin Bus paint showing, is now in the fleet of D&E Coaches of Inverness and is registered R367LHK.
D&E Coaches of Inverness Volvo Olympian/Alexander (Belfast) RH-type
An unfamiliar type becoming more and more familiar….
In the postwar period, Leyland Motors built up a massive export market as part of the Government’s drive to bring in currency into the United Kingdom (UK). One of the markets it exported into was the Republic of Ireland where the state owned Transport Authority of the Republic, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) built up a massive fleet of Leyland Buses and Coaches.,
However as the Troubles erupted in Northern Ireland, it became very politically sensitive for companies in the Republic to purchase from the UK, particularly state owned ones. So CIE began to look at creating its own bus building business. That had various levels of very limited success. Or was a complete disaster depending on your viewpoint.
However in 1987 CIE was split up into Dublin Bus (Bus Átha Cliath), Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann) and Bus Éireann. With the improvement in the situation in Northern Ireland (and I stress improvement) this led Dublin Bus looking again at UK buses and purchasing Leyland Olympians. Bodywork was by Alexander’s in Belfast. When Leyland was closed down, Dublin Bus built up a massive fleet of Volvo Olympians with similar bodywork, right up to the withdrawal of the type.
As accessibility become an important issue, the Olympians were replaced mainly with Volvo B7TLs and B9TLs and were withdrawn. They found a ready market back in the UK as school buses and were re-registered. This one, with its faded Dublin Bus paint showing, is now in the fleet of D&E Coaches of Inverness and is registered R367LHK.