Plaxton President facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plaxton President |
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London Central Plaxton President bodied Volvo B7TL in July 2014
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Plaxton/TransBus/Alexander Dennis |
| Production | 1999–2005 |
| Assembly | Wigan, England |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Chassis | Dennis Trident 2 Volvo B7TL VDL DB250 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Cummins C Series/ISCe (Dennis Trident 2) Volvo D7C (Volvo B7TL) DAF (VDL DB250) |
| Transmission | Voith DIWA/ZF Ecomat |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 9.9–11.5 m (32 ft 6 in – 37 ft 9 in) |
| Width | 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 4.2–4.4 m (13 ft 9 in – 14 ft 5 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Northern Counties Palatine |
The Plaxton President was a special type of double-decker bus body. It was built by a company called Plaxton in Wigan, England. This bus body was designed to be "low-floor," which means it was easy for everyone, including people with wheelchairs or strollers, to get on and off. The first version came out in 1997, and then a redesigned one was built from 1999 to 2005. Later, when Plaxton joined TransBus International, the bus body was sold under the TransBus name. You could find the President body on different bus chassis, like the Dennis Trident 2, the DAF DB250, and the Volvo B7TL.
Contents
How the Bus Was Designed
The Plaxton President was first shown at a big bus show in Birmingham in 1997. It was made to replace an older bus body called the Northern Counties Palatine. It also competed with another popular low-floor bus, the Alexander ALX400. This bus was special because it was one of the first in the UK to be 2.55 metres (8 ft 4 in) (about 8 feet 4 inches) wide. New rules in 1995 allowed wider buses to operate.
The President had rectangular headlights and a large front window. From the side, you could tell it apart by the different window sizes on the lower deck. Inside, some early models had a staircase in the middle. Later, the staircase was moved behind the driver's area. The number of seats changed depending on the bus model. For example, buses used in London usually had 41 seats upstairs and 23 downstairs. They also had a middle exit door.
When the company TransBus International closed down, the Plaxton factory in Wigan also shut. This meant the Plaxton President bus body was no longer made. Instead, a different bus body, the Alexander ALX400, was built in Falkirk. The very last nine President buses were made in January 2005 for a London company called Metroline.
Who Used the Plaxton President Buses?
Buses in London
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The Plaxton President bus body was very popular with bus companies in London. The first ones were delivered to Arriva London in 1999. These were built on the DAF DB250 chassis. Arriva London bought 91 of these buses until 2005. They also got ten more from another company.
Metroline had the most Plaxton President buses in London. They ordered 305 buses with the Volvo B7TL chassis. They also bought 260 buses with the Dennis Trident 2 chassis between 1999 and 2005. First London also had many President buses. They received 403 Dennis Tridents and 73 Volvo B7TLs with this body from 1999 to 2003.
London General and London Central, which are part of the Go-Ahead Group, bought many Presidents too. They purchased 419 Volvo B7TLs and 50 Dennis Tridents with the President body. Other big London users included London United, who got 26 Volvo B7TLs in 1999. London Sovereign received 27 Volvo B7TLs between 2002 and 2003. Blue Triangle also had a few President-bodied Tridents.
Buses Outside London
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Lothian Buses in Scotland bought the most Presidents outside London. They purchased about 205 buses from 1999 to 2004. Most of these were on the Dennis Trident chassis. Only seven were on the Volvo B7TL chassis. Travel West Midlands was the second largest user outside London. They received 102 Volvo B7TL buses between 1999 and 2000.
Other companies in the Go-Ahead Group also bought Presidents. Brighton & Hove got 36 Dennis Trident buses between 2001 and 2002. Go North East received 15 Dennis Trident buses in 2001. Before joining Go-Ahead, Southern Vectis bought seven Volvo B7TLs in 2002 for their 'Island Explorer' services.
The Stagecoach Group ordered nearly 50 low-height Presidents. These were on the Dennis Trident 2 chassis between 2000 and 2003. Stagecoach Cambus got the first seven in 2000. Later, 30 went to Stagecoach Manchester, and six went to Stagecoach Oxfordshire. Stagecoach chose Plaxton to help support their Wigan factory.
East Yorkshire Motor Services also bought many Presidents. They ordered 36 low-height Volvo B7TLs from 2000 to 2003. Thirty went to the main East Yorkshire fleet. Six went to their Finglands company in Manchester. East Yorkshire later bought 27 used Presidents from Go-Ahead London in 2012. Some of these were changed into open-top buses.
Smaller orders came from other companies. Arriva bought 20 Volvo B7TLs for their Arriva Yorkshire buses. The Blazefield Group took 19 Presidents. Sixteen were for Burnley & Pendle's express service, and three were for Yorkshire Coastliner. Independent companies like Pete's Travel, Mayne Coaches, Blue Bus & Coach Services, Hedingham Omnibuses, North Birmingham Busways, and Liverpool Motor Services also used them.
See also
