The Bus Reshaping Plan of 1966 was a plan devised by the London Transport Board for the reorganisation of bus routes in London , England. The main features of the plan, which was to be rolled out over ten to fifteen years, were:
78-504: The plan began to be implemented in September 1968, but immediately proved problematic: the public disliked the changes, the new vehicles - "Merlin"s - were found to be unsuitable, and it was difficult to find available land for the proposed suburban transport interchanges. By 1973 the plan had effectively been abandoned, with a decision to retain crew operation and to dispose of the Merlins. By
156-414: A Dennis Loline . Several operators purchased single-deck Fleetlines (Birmingham was the first, in 1965). Rotherham Corporation purchased two 33' single deck fleetlines with 45 seat Willowbrook dual purpose bodies. Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company ordered three similar vehicles with Marshall bodywork for White Rose Express services. However they were delivered to Yorkshire Traction following
234-448: A consequence. On 23 November Merlins were introduced to the country area for the first time, with routes 305 and 305A from Uxbridge, and 430 from Reigate converting to OMO. The country buses did not have turnstiles, but used "autofare" ticket machines, which issued tickets to different values. Five Green Line routes converted to OMO on the same date. On 30 November a flat fare network serving Ealing Broadway and Greenford (E1–E3)
312-686: A drop-centre rear axle as an option on the Atlantean, but after the two companies came under the same ownership in 1968, the low-height Atlantean option was discontinued. The prototype Fleetline was fitted with a Daimler engine, but when production started only Gardner 6LX or 6LW engines were offered. By 1968 Gardner's new and more powerful 6LXB was also an option, and in 1970 Leyland's O.680 engine became available. Gardner engines had an excellent reputation for reliability and economy while Leyland engines were more lively and had greater fuel consumption. Most Fleetline customers preferred Gardner engines, but
390-456: A fleet of four Swifts between 1988 and 1995. A small number of former London Transport Swifts ran for a time with Hants & Sussex (now Emsworth & District) on services in south east Hampshire. British Airways once owned an AEC Swift, with a special body that had an open platform at the front, which was designed for airside duties. Citybus , Belfast purchased 177 Swifts and Merlins between 1977 and 1980 to replace buses destroyed during
468-553: A low bridge, WMPTE converted double deck Leyland Fleetline 6956 (WDA 956T) into a single deck vehicle. Renumbered 1956 to fit in with the single-decker fleet number sequence, the bus passed to successor West Midlands Travel and is preserved at Wythall Transport Museum. China Motor Bus purchased 336 Fleetlines between 1972 and 1980, followed in the 1980s both CMB by 207 second-hand former London Transport Fleetlines. Kowloon Motor Bus purchased 450 between 1974 and 1979. These were mainly deployed to Cross-Harbour Tunnel routes. On
546-552: A much higher passenger capacity than conventional seated buses. The Chambers Committee had no powers to compel the London Transport Executive to carry out their recommendations, while the Transport and General Workers Union refused to co-operate. Instead, management attempted to press ahead with conversion of routes to driver-only operation. This met with little success, and in spite of the union recommending acceptance of
624-620: A new coat of paint. AEC Swifts were also sold to several other operators. Over 100 were sold to Leeds City Transport , transferring to West Yorkshire PTE on its formation in 1974. Aberdeen Corporation Transport , Birmingham City Transport and Sunderland Corporation took smaller numbers of Swifts. South Wales Transport ordered 36 in 1971 but they were diverted by the National Bus Company to London Country even though twelve of them had already entered service with South Wales. Great Yarmouth Transport bought eight Swifts new in 1973;
702-437: A number of mechanical defects shortly after delivery. The PTE also took delivery of 29 MCW-bodied Fleetlines built near-identical to London Transport specification in 1974. Other English PTEs, plus many municipal bus companies such as Cardiff Bus , with 90 examples, BET Group , Scottish Bus Group and independent sectors purchased Fleetlines. Walsall Corporation specified some non-standard short-wheelbase Fleetlines,
780-560: A number of operators during the 1970s, many of which were inherited from the PTE's predecessors. Prior to the PTE's creation, 85 Fleetlines were ordered by Sheffield Corporation Transport in 1971 for delivery beginning in 1974, however after lengthy delays related to the 1973 oil crisis and the moving of the Fleetline's production facilities, these were eventually delivered to South Yorkshire PTE between 1977 and 1978, with these Fleetlines suffering from
858-520: A press conference on 14 September 1966 by Maurice Holmes , chairman of the London Transport Board. Describing the plan as a "drastic recasting" of bus services, Holmes explained that the new system could not be brought in "overnight", but would take between 10 and 15 years to complete. Anthony Bull , vice chairman of the board, explained that passengers would be able to buy books of tickets in advance. Purchasers of these "stored fares" would enjoy
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#1732854772414936-467: A special red and flake grey livery, and had a standing area for 48 passengers and a raised seating area at the rear for 25 passengers. Passengers entered by the front doors, where there were twin coin-operated turnstiles (known as "passimeters"), with a flat fare of sixpence. Following the success of the first Red Arrow route, the board completed the drafting of the Reshaping Plan. It was launched by at
1014-585: A special version of the Fleetline, known as the B20 , with Leyland O.690 engine, air cowls on both sides above the engine compartment and reduced noise levels. All of these went to London Transport . The first prototype Fleetline was unveiled in December 1960. Between 1960 and 1973, the Fleetline was manufactured in Coventry , with production then transferred to Farington . Daimler Fleetline chassis designations started with
1092-450: A substantial discount. The six main proposals in the plan were: The board published an 18-page brochure explaining the plan, and giving the statistics behind it. This showed that 45.5% of journeys made were less than one mile, 32.2% were between 1 and 2 miles, 12.1% were between 2 and 3 miles, 5.1% were between 3 and 4 miles and 5.1% were of 4 miles and over. The document also identified the different types of journey made. Early drafts of
1170-584: The 1977 local elections , when the Conservative Party took control of the GLC. AEC Swift The AEC Swift was a rear-engined step entrance single-decker bus chassis manufactured by AEC between 1964 and 1980. The chassis design was closely related to the Leyland Panther . It was available in 33-foot (10 m) and 36-foot (11 m) lengths, with an AEC AH505 or AH691 engine. The design
1248-447: The Eltham area replacing RT double-deckers. In spite of being shorter than the Merlins, the new vehicles were unable to a make a sharp left turn from Eltham Hill. The buses had to be diverted until Greenwich Council made alterations to the corner, leading to complaints from passengers. The buses were also too long to be turned at Lower Sydenham railway station , having instead to reverse to
1326-571: The Minister of Labour , Joseph Godber , announced that Professor Henry Phelps Brown of the London School of Economics would head a commission of inquiry. The commission's terms of reference allowed them to review the pay and conditions of bus drivers and conductors in light of manpower requirements and working and operating conditions in London traffic. In making their report they were to pay "due regard to
1404-498: The SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive . SELNEC PTE would inherit 314 Fleetlines upon its creation in 1969; all Fleetlines subsequently purchased by the PTE, as well as by its Lancashire United Transport subsidiary, would be delivered with 'Standard' bodywork assembled by Northern Counties . The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) operated a significant number of Fleetlines bodied by
1482-543: The Swift name for the shorter vehicles. The first batch of a new class of OMO double deck bus were also placed. These DMS double-deckers were originally dubbed Londoners by LT, a name that was quickly abandoned. The final batch of Merlins were delivered in October 1969 bringing the total to 665, although they did not enter service until Spring 1970. On 1 January 1970, the Transport (London) Act 1969 came into effect. This replaced
1560-477: The Transport Act 1968 , the legislation provided that only vehicles registered after 1 August 1968 would qualify for the "New Bus Grant". Accordingly, as the Merlins were delivered they were not placed into service, but into storage, mostly in the open air. The summer of 1968 was a wet one, and the prolonged storage of the buses was to lead to corrosion and problems with their electrical systems. The first phase of
1638-474: The 26 foot (7.9 m) long RT double deckers they were to replace. The buses for the satellite suburban services were fitted with automatic fare collecting equipment developed jointly by London Transport and Setright Registers. There were two consoles on each bus, situated between the front wheel arches. Although there were to be flat fares on the new routes the machines also had to allow for reduced child fares, and accepted 3d, 6d and one shilling coins. One of
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#17328547724141716-524: The Chambers Committee. On 1 January 1963, the London Transport Board replaced the executive, and entered negotiations with the unions to introduce a programme of service reforms. The union countered by submitting a claim for increased pay and a reduced working week, and by October 1963 had instituted a ban on overtime and rest day working. In November 1963, in an attempt to break the deadlock,
1794-496: The Leyland engine became popular - particularly for a period in the 1970s when Gardner were unable to meet demand. In late 1960s, Daimler developed the longer 36 feet double-deck Fleetline. This chassis had a longitudinally-mounted Cummins V6 engine, same as the single-deck Roadliner , at the rear offside corner. It was designed mainly for export, but one was built for Walsall Corporation Transport. In mid-1970s, Leyland developed
1872-580: The London Transport Board with a London Transport Executive (LTE) under the financial control of the Greater London Council (GLC). London Transport's green-liveried country area bus services passed to a new company, London Country Bus Services , a subsidiary of the nationalised National Bus Company . As the LTE took over the shorter Swift buses were in the course of delivery, with the first examples entering service on 24 January on routes 160 and 160A in
1950-438: The London central area SM (single door saloon) and SMS (dual door with automatic fare collection) classes were painted red. London Country operated green SM-class dual door, fully seated saloons that had been ordered by London Transport. Subsequently, London Transport converted a number of SMS vehicles to conventional one-man operated saloons by adding more seats and locking the centre exit so it could not be used. These were renamed
2028-474: The Merlins five years early, and to replace them with new double-deckers. After 1973 OMO was introduced to routes in a piecemeal fashion. By 1977 nearly all the Merlins had been withdrawn with the exception of the Red Arrow vehicles. In that year the LTE received sanction to replace them with Leyland Nationals . The next comprehensive plan for reforming London's bus services - "BusPlan 78" - was announced following
2106-541: The SMD class, but retained their original fleet number. Neither London Transport nor London Country considered either design to be a success and the first examples were withdrawn and sold, many for scrap, in 1972, after just four years service. Most had been replaced by 1981, mainly with Leyland Nationals and MCW Metrobuses . Some were taken by the Malta Department of Education and remained in their London form apart from
2184-1254: The Troubles , although most were withdrawn after 1981. AEC Swifts were also sold for the export market, and many were sold abroad after withdrawal. Sixty-five Swifts with bodywork by local builder Bus Bodies were sold to South African operator Durban Transport in 1974. Australian Capital Territory operator ACTION purchased 101 AH505 powered Swifts between 1967 and 1975. The State Transport Authority of Adelaide , purchased 292 AH691 powered Swifts in 1970-72 followed by 66 AH760 examples in 1978. In 1980/81, twelve AH760 Swifts were bodied by Domino , Pressed Metal Corporation and Pressed Metal Corporation South Australia for Deanes Coaches and West Bankstown Bus Service in Sydney . Approximately 50 former London Transport Merlins were exported for further use in Australia. Several former London Transport vehicles were sold to Malta bus where, after refurbishment and repowering, they remained in service until 2011. In early 1981, ten Swifts recently withdrawn by London Transport were exported to Italy to act as emergency control centres and shelters in
2262-475: The United States for double-deck open-top sightseeing work. Second in fleet size was Birmingham City Transport and its successor West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive with well over 1,000 Fleetlines, primarily bodied by Park Royal and MCW , including the first single-decker Fleetlines in 1965. Other constituent municipal fleets absorbed by West Midlands PTE, including Midland Red , as well as
2340-585: The aftermath of the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . Daimler Fleetline The Daimler Fleetline (known as the Leyland Fleetline from circa 1975) is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis which was built between 1960 and 1983. It was the second of three bus models to have a marque name as well as an alphanumeric identity code. The other two were the Freeline and the Roadliner . The Daimler Fleetline
2418-613: The basis of their large capacity, these were nicknamed Jumbos after the Boeing 747 . Citybus and Argos Bus, operators of non-franchised routes and private hire services in Hong Kong, also purchased secondhand Fleetlines. Many Hong Kong Fleetlines were sold to China for further service after being withdrawn in 1980s/1990s. A few Fleetlines have been preserved. The London Transport Museum has London Transport's DMS 1 kept in Acton Depot, while
Bus Reshaping Plan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2496-514: The case for the wholesale introduction of one man operation, but the committee rejected this option. Indeed, they felt that it would be impractical in much of central London, and would in fact lead to serious delays and a reduction in service efficiency. Instead they suggested that only some routes in the Country Area should be converted to OMO. Flat Fares were also examined, but were felt to be inappropriate in most areas of London. One idea explored by
2574-413: The changes in exchange for a bonus scheme, it was rejected by the membership in 1959. By the early 1960s, the problems of the previous decade of traffic congestion and recruitment difficulties had intensified. In late 1962 the LTE ordered 33 front entrance Leyland Atlanteans suitable for one man operation. In addition, 6 standee buses were ordered for an experimental central area service as recommended by
2652-566: The chassis led to flexing and stress on the structure of the bodywork. The roof sections separated, the front domes became loose and cracks appeared around the windows, with windows occasionally falling out. Remedial work had to be carried out with strengthening straps and plates applied. By March 1969, it had become clear that the Merlin was unsuited to use in London, and orders were placed for shorter (33 foot (10 m) long) single deck buses. These were again on AEC chassis, and London Transport adopted
2730-474: The committee was the "Wheel Plan", suggested by the Greater London Chambers of Commerce . This would divide bus services in London into two groups: radial services in the suburbs, terminating at the edge of the central area; and a separate system of central London bus routes. Passengers moving from the radial services to the central routes would be required to change buses at a number of interchanges at
2808-465: The delivery of 48 Leyland Atlanteans with similar bodywork a year prior. These were the first double-deck buses designed to take advantage of new legislation allowing for one-person operation of buses in the United Kingdom, with 472 33 feet (10 m) examples subsequently being built on both Fleetline and Leyland Atlantean chassis, most later examples being delivered in the orange and white livery of
2886-463: The driver could view the upper deck. The vehicles were fitted with Johnson fareboxes, a simpler system of fare collection than the autofare system fitted to the Merlins. Apart from the electrical problems that afflicted the early Merlins, mechanical faults soon became apparent. Gearboxes, throttles and alternators all proved defective, while the 35 imperial gallons (160 L) fuel tanks were insufficient and buses sometimes ran out of fuel. The length of
2964-446: The driver. However, the AFC system proved unpopular due to unreliability, and on 27 May 1979, by which the system was generating 4% revenue, the trial was abandoned and the equipment began to be removed. Maintenance was another major issue, as the parts became defective much sooner. Maintenance costs for rear-engined, front entrance buses were much higher than the older half-cab models due to
3042-576: The early 1950s, the London Transport Executive was experiencing difficulty in providing bus services in the capital. The reliability of services was declining as an increase in private motor traffic was causing congestion. At the same time, industrial relations in the organisation were poor, and the retention and recruitment of staff was difficult. The issue of London's public transport had become one of interest to national politicians, and two committees of inquiry had been appointed to investigate
3120-491: The edge of the central area. The committee found that the Wheel Plan did not reflect the actual traffic patterns, and that it would cause unnecessary hardship and expense to passengers. One innovation that the committee did suggest was the provision of special services in peak hours where there were very heavy traffic flows such as to and from the mainline railway termini. Dedicated "standee" vehicles would be used, which would have
3198-484: The event only one (MBS 4) was completed, the overhaul taking 8 months to complete. Such was the cost of the refit, that it was decided to withdraw the remainder of the batch. In the meantime the Merlins had started to display serious mechanical problems, with oil spillage onto the roads leading to complaints from local authorities and the Metropolitan Police . In August 1973 the GLC gave the LTE permission to withdraw
Bus Reshaping Plan - Misplaced Pages Continue
3276-546: The first DMS Fleetlines in December 1970, the type was initially advertised by London Transport as 'The Londoner Bus' to avoid confusion with the Fleet Line of the London Underground , which was under construction at the time. The first vehicles entered service on 2 January 1971 on routes 95 and 220 from Brixton and Shepherds Bush garages. The first batch of London Fleetlines had Gardner engines, but Leyland engined
3354-615: The first of a batch of 1600 delivered throughout 1971 and 1972. In 1972, following reliability problems with services converted to OMO and flat fare, the LTE initiated a survey to examine the desirability of continuing the conversion programme on busy central London routes. The "Bus Operations Special Survey" or BOSS took six months to complete, and came to a clear conclusion that the busier routes could not practically be converted from crew operation. Boarding times would more than double, leading to longer journey times. This in turn would lead to loss of passenger traffic, necessitating an increase in
3432-545: The first of which, 1 UDH [1] [2] , was only 25 ft 7 in long, had no front overhang and had its entrance behind the front axle. The next 29 vehicles were 27 ft 6 in long with a short front overhang and again only an entrance behind the front axle. The remaining 69 were 28 ft 6 in long, with a narrow entrance in the usual position along with the entrance behind the front axle. 1 UDH had Northern Counties bodywork with wrap-around windscreens on both decks, similar to that specified by Barton Transport on AEC Regents and
3510-451: The first route changes was carried out. In July 1966, the government published a white paper ( Transport Policy Cmnd.3057) outlining future legislation. The Transport Bill was finally introduced to the Commons late in 1967 and included two financial aids for bus operators: a 25% grant for the purchase of new buses suitable for OMO, and a 75% grant for new interchange infrastructure. Enacted as
3588-465: The flat fare, leading to further loss of custom. Under the original reshaping plan, much of the AEC Routemaster fleet were due for withdrawal by 1975. It was now decided to continue their use indefinitely, and some of the new DMS double-deckers would now also be crew operated. By early 1973, the certificates of fitness of the 16 earliest Merlins were due to expire, requiring them to be overhauled. In
3666-534: The inability to separate the body from chassis for modular overhaul. This was also exacerbated by there being a 50% government grant for new vehicles at the time, rendering withdrawal a cost-effective option at or around the time of their first (seven-year) recertification for service. Withdrawals of the Fleetlines commenced in February 1979, with Leyland Titans and MCW Metrobuses purchased as replacements. Many of
3744-575: The intention of carrying out trials of one man operation. On 18 April 1966, the first central area "standee" was introduced. " Red Arrow " Service 500 was a Monday-Friday service linking Victoria station to Park Lane in peak hours and to the shopping district of Oxford Street in off peak hours. In a break from tradition, the new buses were not designed specifically for London use, but were based on an existing manufacturer's model. The vehicles chosen were rear-engined 36 foot (11 m) long AEC Swifts, which London Transport christened Merlins . These wore
3822-521: The last of 22 purchased new and three second hand; they continued in service until the late 1990s, and were the last Swifts to run in service with their original operator. Other customers included Blackpool Transport with 55 examples and St Helens Corporation. Three Swifts delivered to Morecambe Corporation in 1970 carried rare Northern Counties bodywork. Following withdrawal from service with their initial operators, many Swifts were sold on for further use. Staffordshire-based independent Knotty Bus ran
3900-681: The late 1960s. The largest fleet was operated by London Transport and London Country Bus Services , with over 1,500 in total delivered between 1966 and 1972. Bodywork was supplied by Strachans Coachwork (prototypes only), Park Royal Vehicles , Metro Cammell Weymann and Marshall , to basically the same design. The fleet was made up of a number of variations. The longer 36' versions were referred to as Merlins , and divided into MB (single or dual door), MBS (dual door), and MBA (dual door with turnstile payment for use on Red Arrow services) classes. The shorter 33' versions were known as Swifts . There were three variants of this model upon delivery. In
3978-401: The letters CR, of which the C is variously reported to stand for C oventry or C ommercial, and the R stands for R ear-engined. For single-deckers this became SR (although not on the earliest examples which were referred to with the standard CR). This was followed by a code to indicate the engine fitted: D6 (Daimler 6-cylinder, prototypes only); G6 (Gardner 6-cylinder, more often than not this
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#17328547724144056-453: The majority. Nearly 200 B20 Fleetlines were fitted with Iveco engines during the 1980s. The Fleetlines proved unpopular in London, mainly because boarding was much slower than with the open-platform AEC Routemasters . To counter this, London Transport trialled the AFC (Automated Fare Collection) turnstile entry system on some of the fleet. This was coin-operated and was intended as a quicker, second boarding option as an alternative to paying
4134-584: The matter. The Chambers Committee, chaired by S P Chambers, deputy chairman of ICI was appointed by the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation , Alan Lennox-Boyd in April 1953. The emphasis of the committee's work was to find ways of reducing costs "with a view to ascertaining what practical measures can be taken... in order to secure greater efficiency or economy". The committee delivered its report in February 1955, and recommended only limited changes to bus services. The London Transport Executive had forcefully made
4212-713: The opening of the third section of the Victoria line on 25 October, a number of services in Central London were altered. North London routes 79 and 79A converted to Merlin OMO. A number of country services became OMO on Sundays. On 27 October a Red Arrow 509 from Victoria to Kensington serving the museums of South Kensington . The first double deck route to become OMO was Route 233 serving the Roundshaw Estate near Croydon. XA class Leyland Atlanteans were fitted with periscopes so that
4290-506: The plan came into effect on 7 September 1968 as follows: The second phase of reshaping was carried out on 26 October 1968, and affected a number of routes in south east London. A flat fare network serving Peckham (P1–P2) was introduced, and a number of existing routes were converted to OMO, and altered or shortened. Engineering works on the Blackwall Tunnel meant it was no longer accessible to double deckers, and Merlins were introduced as
4368-399: The plan identified 38 suburban hubs where flat fare networks could be established. A new system of numbering was to be used for the networks, with two prefix letters identifying the geographical location. The number of centres was reduced to 36 in the final plan by the exclusion of Barnet and East Ham . Each centre was allocated up to ten route numbers prefixed by a single letter. Following
4446-485: The possibilities of increasing the efficiency of London Transport's road services". The committee made an interim report on 12 December recommending new rates of pay, which was rapidly implemented, leading to the ending of the overtime ban. The final report of the committee was issued in April 1964. The report led to an agreement for: Following the agreement, the board brought small numbers of front entrance Daimler Fleetlines (XF Class) and Leyland Atlanteans (XA class) with
4524-399: The publication of the plan, orders were made for the new buses. It was calculated that 450 new buses would be needed per annum. As there was insufficient time to design a bus specifically for London Transport, it was decided to standardise on the 36 foot (11 m) Merlin that had been used for the pioneer Red Arrow service. The long single deck vehicles were able to carry as many passengers as
4602-404: The purchase of 80 surplus London Transport Fleetlines, all contributed to the PTE's Fleetline fleet to boost the number to over 2,100. Upon deregulation in 1986, this had been reduced to a total of 914 Fleetlines inherited by West Midlands PTE's successor West Midlands Travel ; these Fleetlines were progressively replaced by modern vehicles throughout the 1980s and 1990s until the last Fleetline
4680-531: The remaining single deck Green Line services also became one man operated. 15 March saw more Autofare Merlins introduced to the country area garages: Crawley , Dorking , Gravesend , Harlow and Windsor all received small numbers of the vehicle. A week later on 22 March a new Merlin-operated flat fare service (M1) was formed by the joining of parts of two existing services in the Morden area. On 10 May, conventional route 212 serving Muswell Hill and Finsbury Park
4758-464: The road). Off-peak bus users (especially elderly passengers and those with children or shopping) on the suburban schemes also found the buses unsuitable due to the turnstiles. The complicated fare collection equipment chosen by the London Transport Board contrasted with the simpler systems successfully introduced by many bus operators outside the capital at the same time. The experience of the 1968 changes led to some changes in vehicle orders for 1969. It
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#17328547724144836-445: The special modifications which had been built into the buses to meet London Transport's own specifications were removed at the request of the purchaser, to improve reliability and restore standardisation with other Fleetlines in their fleets. A number were also sold for export, with many former London Fleetlines being purchased and refurbished for further service in Hong Kong throughout the 1980s. Nearly 50 vehicles found operations in
4914-557: The stop. More Swifts went into service in North West London in June 1970, displacing double-deck vehicles. By this time, it was necessary for the LTE to place orders for buses to be delivered in 1972. The Swifts had proved to be little better than the Merlins, and it was decided that all future deliveries were to be double-deck. The first of the DMS double deckers entered service on 2 January 1971,
4992-480: The takeover in October 1969. In late 1970, Yorkshire Traction purchased nine 36' Fleetlines with dual door Walter Alexander W type bodywork. Unusual engines temporarily fitted by operators in Fleetlines in the 1960s included a Perkins V8 installed in a Walsall Fleetline, and a BMMO 10.5 litre unit in a Midland Red unit. Most remarkably, in 1972 a Rolls-Royce LPG engine was fitted to a Teesside Municipal Transport Fleetline. Following damage caused by hitting
5070-424: The two machines also had a slot to accept pre-paid tickets, although this facility was never used. The initial order placed in 1966 was for 450 Merlins. They were for delivery in 1968, and were to be allocated as follows: 28 for Red Arrow routes, 253 for suburban flat fare networks, 75 for country town services and 94 for conventional OMO services. Negotiations with the unions began in 1967, while detailed planning of
5148-467: The various fares from the stop, while a central bar divided the entrance into two doorways. Passengers who had the correct change were to pass to the right and use the coin-operated entry gate, passengers who needed change were to use the left doorway and pay the driver. More country area routes were converted to OMO on 15 February. These were in the Hemel Hempstead and Watford areas. On the same day
5226-551: The withdrawn Fleetlines were either sent to dealer Ensignbus of Purfleet , or were disposed of to the Wombwell Diesels scrapyard in South Yorkshire, with some Fleetlines being scrapped before reaching ten years of service. However, hundreds of ex-London Fleetlines proved popular second-hand purchases for operators throughout Britain from 1979 and during the 1980s, including the aftermath of deregulation . In some cases,
5304-418: Was discovered that in most cases punctuality and reliability had actually worsened on the converted routes. Peak hour services suffered badly, failing to meet scheduled journey times. This was due to two factors: increased passenger boarding times (due to unfamiliarity with the fare collection system), and traffic congestion (the length of the buses prevented them from pulling into bus stops, forcing them to block
5382-599: Was expanded to the more specific G6LW, G6LX or G6LXB); L6 (Leyland 6-cylinder); C6 (Cummins 6-cylinder). The standard length of the Fleetline was 30 feet but lengths of 33' feet and 36' feet were also available, which were sometimes (though not consistently) identified by a suffix of -33 or -36 (sometimes with an oblique stroke in place of the hyphen). Later Leyland Fleetline chassis designations were different: FE for F leetlin e , followed by 30 or 33 (length in feet); A for A ir brakes; G for G ardner or L for L eyland engine; R for R ight-hand drive. London Transport
5460-410: Was introduced, while two north London routes (143 and 242) were converted to single deck OMO. At the end of 1968, London Transport carried out a review of the changes that had been introduced. While the Red Arrow routes had proven a success, it was clear that the remaining service and vehicle alterations were extremely unpopular with the travelling public. Hundreds of complaints had been received, and it
5538-534: Was introduced. Barnet route 84 and south east London route 122A converted to Merlin OMO. With currency decimalisation due in February 1971, it became necessary to replace the coin machines on the Red Arrow fleet as they only accepted sixpence pieces. The Red Arrow fleet was completely replaced on the night of 19 September partly by new vehicles and partly by existing buses transferred from suburban routes, each being equipped with newer coin machines that could accept decimal coinage in addition to 3d and 6d coins. With
5616-476: Was introduced. Three routes were converted to flat fare: 272 in the Stratford area became S1, Enfield route 128 became W8 and Harrow route 230 became H1. On 23 August, the first "split entrance" Merlins entered service experimentally on routes 110 and 111 based at Hounslow garage. At the same time Airport Express A1, running non-stop from Hounslow West station to Heathrow Airport for a flat fare of one shilling,
5694-523: Was recognised that long single deckers had caused congestion, and that the flat fare system would not work in all cases. The inability of the passimeters to issue change also inconvenienced passengers. In order to address the first problem, a number of front entrance double deck Daimler Fleetlines were ordered. On some of the new routes "coarsened" rather than flat fares were to be introduced. The vehicles for these services were to have "split entrances", with two passenger streams. An illuminated screen displayed
5772-501: Was replaced by a new Merlin flat fare route, W7, as part of the Wood Green network. Bromley-based route 138 was converted to conventional OMO on the same date. On 14 June, route Route 20 in the Epping area was converted to Merlin OMO, at the same time absorbing route 20B. Alterations to the Red Arrow routes saw 505 rerouted and a new route 508 linking Marylebone Station with Central London
5850-513: Was suitable for driver-only operation which helped bus operators to relieve the problems of labour shortages and high costs, and became one of the alternatives to the British double-decker buses which could only be operated by a driver and conductor, such as the London AEC Routemaster or Bristol Lodekka , as British legislation prevented driver-only operation of double-decker buses until
5928-594: Was the largest British Fleetline operator, purchasing 2,646 between 1970 and 1978, the last 400 being built as B20s, in addition to the earlier XF (e X perimental F leetline) class of eight buses delivered to London Country for evaluation against the Leyland Atlantean in 1965. London Transport's Fleetlines were fitted with either Park Royal or MCW bodywork. They were classed as DMS (either D aimler M ono- S tandee or D aimler M ulti- S tandee) under London Transport's fleet code system, though upon delivery of
6006-480: Was the second rear-engined double-decker bus chassis to be launched by a UK manufacturer, following Leyland's introduction of the Atlantean in 1958. From the outset, the Fleetline had a drop-centre rear axle fitted as standard, enabling low-height bodywork to be fitted without necessitating an inconvenient seating layout in part of the upper deck, as was the case with early Atlanteans. Leyland responded by offering
6084-570: Was withdrawn in November 1997, ending 37 years of Daimler Fleetline operations in the West Midlands. The Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and its predecessors was another significant operator of Fleetlines outside London, ordering over 500 of the type despite mainly standardising on the Leyland Atlantean. In 1968, 48 Fleetlines with Park Royal ' Mancunian ' bodywork entered service with Manchester Corporation Transport, following on from
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