Joublencleckers io into battle
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IS elderly Daimler CVG6 ible-decker, in service with adon Transport, is a mobile t-bed for its new Hestairnnis Dominator.
['he test-bed bus, powered a Gardner 6LXB engine, apled to a Voith D851 irbox, is currently being iluated by LT. And it has eady been in service in tester, Derby, East Staffs 1 South Yorks.
)rders for the Dominator ye resulted from South rkshire PTE, East Staffordre District Council and icester.
Ihe double-decker market is w fiercely competitive with sa, Dennis, Foden, Leyland d Metro-Cammell Weymann hting for a share of what, in tam, could become a :lining market. And Lonn is the richest prize in that irket in which, for seven ars, Leyland has had almost naplete penetration.
LT has ordered five Metroses from MCW-Weymann evaluation purposes. The trobuses, which can be wered by either a Gardner XB or Rolls-Royce Eagle gine, coupled with either a Cs1 or Voith automatic insmission, are to join the 4 Scania-powered MCW etropolitans already in ser e in the capital.
The Metropolitans, the first In-Leyland vehicles to join e LT fleet for years, have oved popular with pasngers and crews.
Leyland also has two protoae Titans in service in Lonn as part of its development Dgramme.
So, which will be the Lonn bus of the future?
A spot check on passenger action showed that ssengers were impressed by e quietness and ride of the tans and surprised and :pressed by the smooth, iet ride on the Dennis test d vehicle.
But are the technological ly-advanced new vehicles, with features such as self-levelling air suspension, what passengers and operators want? Will garage maintenance staff cope with their • servicing?
Or are they merely products of the government bus grant?
Each of the competing manufacturers is confident that differing requirements will ensure a share of the market for their particular models.
Meanwhile, passengers and operators must hope that future double-deckers will not inherit the reputation of unreliability associated with the first generation of rear-engined vehicles.