Big bus buyers come back
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• Britain's big bus operators appear to be finally spending money again on new vehicles, according to the UK's leading double-deck bodybuilder Walter Alexander.
Sales and marketing manager Ian Murray reports that PSV operators are "coming out to buy big buses — and output may not be able to keep up with demand".
Murray's remarks come just a week after the publication of the latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders registration figures for the bus and coach sector, which show that during the first month of 1988 PSV registrations rose by over 90% to 204 vehicles. The recent jump in sales is in marked contrast to the last 18 months, with the industry going through a major slump, particularly in the heavy bus sector.
Falkirk-based Alexander believes that much of the new business is for replacement, rather than additional, vehicles with many orders coming from several former National Bus Company subsidiaries which have started to buy new vehicles after the upheavals of privatisation.
Among the recent orders won by Alexander is one for six R-type double-deck bodies for Newport Transport, on Scania N112DR chassis, powered by the 189kW (253hp) DS11 Scania diesel. The Newport order (CM 11-17 February) represents repeat business for Scania, which supplied eight double-deckers to Newport some three years ago, but with East Lancs bodywork.
Alexander is supplying a further nine R-type doubledeck bodies and six single-deck bodies, also on Scalia chassis, to Scania dealer Stuart Johnson for stock.
The six single-deckers, on 180kW (241hp) K92 chassis, will feature Alexander's new "domestic market" version of its Singapore design export body. Murray says that it will have an all-aluminium construction, in common with its existing P-type single-deck bus body, but with a "striking" front end.
The first examples are expected to roll off the Falkirk production line in six weeks time. As well as being fitted on the K92 chassis, the UK Singapore body will also be offered on the Volvo B 10M and Leyland Tiger chassis in Ilm, 11.5m and 12m body lengths.
The Scottish coachlxilider is also currently working on a new low floor single-deck bus body with an extremely low entrance "due to hit the streets in June".