MCW Metrobus


The MCW Metrobus was a two and three-axle double-decker bus manufactured by Metro Cammell Weymann between 1977 and 1989, with over 4,000 built. The original MkI was superseded by the MkII which had a symmetrical windscreen with an arched top in 1981, although production of the original MkI continued for the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and London Regional Transport until 1983 and 1985 respectively. The Metrobus was conceived as an integral product manufactured completely by MCW, but Alexander and Northern Counties also bodied some examples.
MCW planned to produce a single-decker version but this was not to come into production.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the Metrobus was mainly used in the metropolitan areas, especially London, West Midlands and Greater Manchester.

London

purchased 1,440 MkI examples between 1978 and 1985, numbering them M1 to M1440. Two MkII prototypes were delivered to London Transport as M1441 and M1442 in 1984, but no orders resulted. In 1987/88, 14 were purchased secondhand Metrobuses from the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Busways. London Transport's low-cost subsidiary Harrow Buses leased 29 new MkII Metrobuses in 1987, but returned them to their lessor three years later. London Transport's Metrobuses were the mainstay of the double decker fleet between 1987 and privatisation in 1994, when most of them passed to seven of the new operators.
MTL bought the London Northern company, with a host of Metrobuses. It acquired more when it took over London Suburban Buses, and including some ex-London examples from its Merseyside operation. Garages were at North Acton, Holloway and Potters Bar. Metroline Northern operations in London dwindled during 2002, with Ms replaced by low-floor buses on most routes. Some clung through 2003 on as deputising on the AEC Routemaster routes, but operation on TfL services ceased in March 2004. Potters Bar was the last outpost, where a handful remained on other services until May 2005; where the Volvo Olympians took over.
London General reached the end with Metrobuses in normal service in February 2003, when Stockwell Garage's last were withdrawn. This still left a couple for special purposes. There was still a crowd of white-blouse and grey-skirt training buses too, which were mainly moved out from their comfy homes to the Plough Lane open-air space, to make room for the new larger fleet of low-floor WVLs. There is an open-top MCW Metrobus for use by hire in London General; it was also replaced by the withdrawn NVs that left route 74 with a lurch.
First CentreWest, First Capital and London United also reached the end with Metrobuses in normal service in 2003. Arriva London also continued using Metrobuses until these were finally displaced in 2002/03.
Some of the MCW Metrobuses were converted to open-top for use by The Original Tour. The last were withdrawn by December 2007. London Pride Sightseeing also had MCW Metrobuses, but these were sold to Ensignbus. By 2014, there were no MCW Metrobuses licensed for use in London.

West Midlands

The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive and its successor, West Midlands Travel, also purchased significant numbers of Metrobuses, both MkI and MkII examples. The first order for five MCW Metrobuses was placed in 1977, with the first delivered in January 1978.
Fifty dual-purpose Metrobuses with high-back seats, were purchased in 1986. Many of these buses were converted to normal seated buses and continued in service until November 2008. They were mainly used on limited-stop services. Fourteen guided buses were delivered for route 65, which was the first guided bus system in the UK, although the experiment only lasted a couple of years.
All of the 14 guided buses were converted for conventional use.
In early 1995 Marshall Bus of Cambridge were contracted to overhaul all of West Midland Travel's Metrobus fleet. This was the largest used bus overhaul programme in Europe at the time and Marshalls set up a dedicated business division and staff to handle it. Many unavailable parts had to be sourced and made to original patterns by the Marshall procurement team. A production line was established in one of Marshall's aircraft hangars and anything up to 30 Metrobuses could be found in work at some stage along the line. Duration of refurbishment of each bus was usually 2-3 per week. No powerline items were included with the result that original engines were simply put back in the overhauled buses as they were. This had the effect that as the vehicles were driven from the West Midlands to Marshalls at Cambridge and driven back once completed and frequently broke down. Over 600, mainly MkII, Metrobuses were overhauled with the contract terminated abruptly in 1999 due to lack of confidence in Marshall Bus over delays with WMT orders for new single deck buses. The last were withdrawn in July 2010.. A few were retained as driver training vehicles until 2017, however. In 2017 National Express West Midlands purchased a preserved example to add to its vintage hire fleet. National Express West Midlands had previously sold this bus to a dealer in 2003. As a result, National Express West Midlands now owns a Metrobus for events and hire.
The Green Bus were operating various former Harrow Buses MkII and former National Express West Midlands Mk-IIA Metrobuses on both school services and commercial services until the end of 2013, with two entering preservation, and the rest either sold on or going for scrap.

Greater Manchester

While they failed with the Leyland Titan, they were more successful with the conventional MCW Metrobuses which were delivered between 1979 and 1983. All 190 were ordered in total over a space of four years and were primarily used in Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Manchester, Altrincham and on services linking Manchester with Rochdale, Salford and Trafford and services linking Stockport with Wythenshawe and Manchester Airport
Around 1986, Northern Counties delivered 30 more MCW Metrobuses which had bodywork that was more to a Manchester standard design. They were first used on the Trans Lancs 400 express service linking Bolton with Stockport.

South Yorkshire

purchased over 100 examples between 1981 and 1985. The SYPTE standard fully sprung seats were fitted along with 20 MkIIs having coach seats for express work. The vehicles were noted for quick acceleration although had distinctive engine noise and were rust prone around the engine bay.
Meanwhile, also in South Yorkshire, Yorkshire Traction took delivery of the Metrobus, an order that was actually made when that company was under NBC ownership. These Metrobuses were unique in that they were built to a low height specification. They operated mainly around the Barnsley and Huddersfield areas but often rubbed shoulders with their SYT cousins on routes into Sheffield.
The Metrobus also found sales to National Bus Company companies prior to privatisation, Maidstone & District Motor Services and Northern General Transport Company purchased significant numbers.

Hong Kong

Early introductions

In Hong Kong, the China Motor Bus introduced 12 Metrobuses in 1978 for its luxury coach services. Within a year, MCW produced an 11-metre 2-axle version of Metrobus. Only 40 were produced all for CMB as MB1-MB40 in 1978/79. They were used mostly on express and cross-harbour services. Both batches of CMB Metrobuses had MkI bodies.

1980s

In 1981, MCW produced prototypes of 3-axle, 12-metre long "Super-Metrobuses". Two were purchased by CMB as ML1-ML2 and three by Kowloon Motor Bus as M1-M3, later renumbered 3M1-3M3. All were bodied with MCW MkII bodies. CMB purchased a further 82 between 1983 and 1988, while KMB purchased 80 2-axle Metrobuses between 1983 and 1985.
While KMB was not interested in the 12-metre version Super-Metrobuses, they did express their interest in an 11-metre 3-axle version with 254 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses purchased between 1986 and 1989. Fifty of these buses were fitted with Cummins engines, and another one was originally fitted with a prototype air-conditioner, but this proved unreliable and was subsequently removed.
Between 1987 and 1989, Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation also purchased 59 2-axle Metrobuses for their feeder bus services. 39 of them were brand new with MkII bodies, while another 20 were second-hand buses purchased from South Yorkshire PTE with MkI bodies.
Argos Bus purchased 6 Metrobuses for their non-franchised routes and private hire services between 1988 and 1989. They were from the same batch as those bought second-hand by KCRC.
KMB purchased eight further 2-axle Metrobuses in 1989. These buses were fitted with Cummins LTA10-B282 engines and Voith D864G 4-speed gearbox, and were used on the hilly KMB Route 51. Later KMB fitted some of its older Metrobuses with Cummins engines, in order to avoid excess damage to buses running the hilly route.

Withdrawal

The MkI second-hand Metrobuses were the first to be withdrawn, and all of them have now been scrapped. Many of the KCRC ones were loaned to Citybus for few years before final withdrawal.
CMB removed its MC-class Metrobuses from the luxury routes after introducing Dennis Darts for the service in 1991, preserving the seating layout. These Metrobuses were allocated to non-luxury routes in the Southern District, Hong Kong, as well as route 13 serving the "Mid-levels". Although CMB was the first to introduce Metrobuses, it withdrew only 3 of them before the end of its franchise in August 1998. Its earliest Metrobuses were 20 years old at that time. New World First Bus purchased all the remaining CMB Metrobuses and Super-Metrobuses when it took over most of the CMB routes, and converted 3 MC-class Metrobuses to training buses. In 2000, the last of the MCW Metrobuses were de-registered, briefly exported to The Original Tour, Big Bus Tours or Australia. Some of the MCW Metrobuses were brought back to The Original Tour in the year 2006. As of 2013, the last of the examples from United Kingdom were withdrawn.
KMB allocated its 3 Super-Metrobuses to the New Territories for many years. For example, they were serving on route 61A right before the KCR Light Rail took over the services. After that, they were seen on route 36A until the route's decline in the mid-1990s. They spent a few further years as spare buses before being withdrawn from passenger service in 1996 and converted to training buses. They were finally sold and scrapped in 2001.
KMB started to withdraw its 2-axle Metrobuses in 1997. Some of them had their chassis damaged due to the fatigue caused during their service on the Tai Mo Shan KMB Route 51, which climbed to the highest altitude achievable by buses in Hong Kong. These were withdrawn by 2003. The 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses in KMB were not withdrawn until summer 2002. KCRC also started to withdraw their Mark II Metrobuses in the early 2000s. The last 2-axle Metrobus in Hong Kong was withdrawn in October 2005.
The last Metrobus in Hong Kong KMB fleet number S3M233, license no. EH8559) ceased operation on 8 May 2007. As of mid-2011, no more Metrobuses were licensed and in use in Hong Kong.

End of production

Production of the Metrobus ceased in 1989 with the financial collapse of MCW. The last Metrobus built was West Midlands Travel 3124, it had a message from the builders stating that it was the last one built by MCW and signed by the staff on the inside of the roof.
The Metrobus design was purchased by Optare in 1990, which had recently joined the United Bus group with DAF Bus. Despite owning design and production rights, the two companies heavily reworked the design to produce a new vehicle, the DAF DB250 based Optare Spectra, which was launched in 1991 and ceased production in late 2005.