NBC to test Ailsas and Metropolitans
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A TEST programme to compar, the performance of double-decl Metropolitans, Ailsas and Bris tol VRTs has been initiated b; the National Bus Company.
Five vehicles of each typ■ will be operated from Hasting garage on identical duties ti give a direct comparison be tween types.
At present the Metropolitan and VRTs have been deliverel and the test programme wil commence with the delivery o the Ailsa deckers in January.
This programme will ob viously influence the futur pmchasing plans of the NBC when deliveries of existin orders for Fleetlines and Atlas teans come to a halt. In th 1976 vehicle orders for NB1 the only deckers ordered wer VRTs. An NBC spokesma said that they had heard a lc about the Metropolitan and th Ailsa and thought it was tim to see how they performed i practice.
These are the first ND orders for the Metropolitan an Ailsa—or indeed for an vehicles with imported runnin units.
The three decker types to b tested are the only ones avai able at present which ar guaranteed to stay in produ( tion for the foreseeable future The new Leyland integral B11 decker is not due to come int' production until autumn 1977 Foden is expected to have it first prototype decker availabl For demonstration early in 197f and Dennis hopes to have 1 prototype later in the year.
But NBC involvement in till B15, Foden, and Dennis pro jects seems to have been mini mal. These three have all beei aimed more at the PTE ani municipal markets.