Duple's high one
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UPLE is taking on the cornpetion offered by rear-engined inigral coaches by offering a igh-floor body suitable for midwined chassis.
The new body, which is suit1e for mounting on Volvo 10M, Leyland Tiger, and OAF 1132000KIL chassis, incorpoites body parts from the existig Dominant range, and is nown provisionally as the uple high-floor vehicle.
It has a stepped roofline, and le floor is ramped down to ards the entrance for the front ne-third of the body.
In place of the standard rear .nergency door, which stops at or level, the new body has a ill-width pivoting door, and has eps built inside the body, thus 'eking it easier for passengers
• use.
A prototype, fitted with Domiant 2 side glasses and built on a 10M chassis, has nine cubic ietres of luggage accommodaon, with side access to a 'rough luggage compartment, ush access which permits )ses to be slid in and out withit lifting, and slant-eyed locks id concealed hinges on the ,cker doors.
This last feature is more roist than conventional budget
,cks, according to Duple.
The company is also prepared offer the new body with Domiant 3 or 4 shallow side glasses, id is unveiling the new model at its Wembley show in London on October 20 and 21.
Duple sales director Doug Jack told CM that the new body is aimed in particular at operators which want to run Continental tours with substantial luggage accommodation, but which do not want to buy ultra-high or rear-engined models in order to do so.
The price of the new body will be "highly competitive", according to the company, which intends to continue production of the Dominant 1, 2, 3, 4 and bus ranges alongside the high-floor model.
So far, around 400 Dominant 4s have been sold, and over 100 Dominant 3s (developed initially to meet a Scottish Bus Group order) have been sold. A repeat order is expected from SBG very soon.