MCW Metrobus
Encyclopedia
The MCW Metrobus is a double decker bus model manufactured by MCW (Metro Cammell Weymann
) from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model (which had a symmetrical windscreen) in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport
until 1985. The Metrobus was conceived as an integral product manufactured completely by MCW, but Alexander
and Northern Counties also bodied some examples.
The Metrobus was hoped to produce a single deck version but this was not to come into production. MCW mentioned the vehicle in the brochure but for some reason chose to focus only on the double deck version.
In the United Kingdom
, the Metrobus was mainly used in the metropolitan areas, especially London
and the West Midlands
.
The demonstrator TOJ 592S was lent to London Transport in December 1977. LT were so impressed with the vehicle they placed an order soon after. This prototype Metrobus is owned and still operated by Midland Classic of Swadlincote, Derbyshire.
took 1,440 MkI examples between 1978 and 1985, numbering them as M1 to M1440. Two MkII prototypes were delivered to London Transport as M1441 and M1442 in 1984, but there were no further orders. In 1987 and 1988, 14 secondhand Metrobuses were purchased from Greater Manchester PTE, West Yorkshire PTE and Busways
. London Transport's low-cost subsidiary
Harrow Buses leased 29 new MkII Metrobuses in 1987, but had to return 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. They remained in service for London Buses
until 2004, when the last examples were withdrawn.
and its successor, West Midlands Travel (now National Express West Midlands
), also took significant numbers of Metrobuses (over 1100), both MkI and MkII examples. These included 5 prototype vehicles (allocated to Washwood Heath depot near the MCW factory so they could see the vehicles performance in service) and 50 dual-purpose Metrobuses with high-back seats, 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. 14 guided bus
es were delivered for service 65 (branded Tracline 65), which was the first guided bus system in UK, although the experiment only lasted a couple of years. All of the 14 guided buses were converted for conventional use and all have since been withdrawn.
The last public service ran the 1 service from Birmingham Town Hall to Acocks Green Village, arriving back at Acocks Green Garage at 15:25 on Saturday 24th July 2010 and was bus 2903 C903FON.
A Metrobus Farewell event was held at Acocks Green on that day and all 3 of the last Metrobuses were operated, these were 2832, 2903 & 2988 (B832AOP, C903FON & E988VUK)
All cash fares taken on the day were donated to Cancer Research UK.
(SYPTE) 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.
The Metrobus also found sales in National Bus Company (UK) prior to privatisation, Maidstone and District and Northern bought significant numbers, later privatised NBC's bought second hand examples.
Secondhand Metrobuses have been purchased by operators both in the United Kingdom
and the Republic of Ireland
. Often, these are used mainly on school contract bus services. Several ex-London Metrobuses were recently seen in service with Top Line Travel of York Ltd.
The earliest preserved Metrobus is WMPTE's 6832 (SDA 832S) which was the second prototype delivered, and the first to have a more standard set-up. Another noted Metrobus is West Midlands Travel 3107 (G107 FJW), which actually never entered service with West Midlands Travel, because of its late delivery, it was sold to Optare
and also DAF without entering service, to assist in the development of what became the Optare Spectra.
, the China Motor Bus
(CMB) introduced 12 Metrobuses (MC1-MC12) in 1978 for its luxury coach services (which covered the routes between Repulse Bay
, Stanley
and the Central District). Within a year, MCW produced an 11-metre 2-axle version of Metrobus. Only 40 were produced globally, and all of which (MB1-MB40) were acquired by CMB between 1978 and 1979. The MB class were allocated mostly on express and cross-harbour services. Both batches of CMB Metrobuses had MkI bodies.
In 1981, MCW provided prototypes of 3-axle, 12-metre long "Super-Metrobus" for both CMB and Kowloon Motor Bus
(KMB). Two prototypes (ML1 and ML2) entered CMB services [ML2 was the only 3-door Metrobus in CMB's fleet] and KMB acquired three (M1-M3, later renumbered 3M1-3M3), all were bodied with MCW MkII body. In return, CMB purchased 82 more Super-Metrobuses (ML3-84) between 1983 and 1988, while KMB purchased 80 2-axle Metrobuses (M1-M80, with MkII bodies) 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 (the CMB 11-metre version Metrobuses were 2-axle). 254 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses (S3M1-254) were purchased by KMB between 1986 and 1989. 50 of these buses were fitted with Cummins
engines, and another one (later numbered S3M145) was originally fitted with a Sütrak air-conditioner (as a prototype air-conditioned bus), but the air-conditioning unit proved unreliable and was subsequently removed.
Between 1987 and 1989, KCRC
also purchased 59 2-axle Metrobuses for their feeder bus services. 39 of them (101-139) were brand new with MkII bodies, while another 20 (140-159) were second-hand buses bought from England
(originally owned by 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 8 more 2-axle Metrobuses (M81-M88) in 1989. These buses were fitted with Cummins
LTA10-B282 (282hp) engines and Voith
D864G 4-speed gearbox, and were used on the hilly KMB Route 51
(between Tsuen Wan
and Kam Tin
, climbing Tai Mo Shan
along its way). Later KMB converted some of the older Metrobuses with Cummins engine replacements, in order to avoid excess damage to buses running the hilly route.
It is rumoured that CMB was still asking MCW for more Super-Metrobuses when MCW ceased bus production in 1989. After CMB had learnt about the closure, it decided to buy 12-metre 3-axle buses from Dennis
.
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 Dart
s 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 (all were accident victims) before the end of its franchise in August 1998. Its earliest Metrobuses were 20 years old at that time. New World First Bus
(NWFB) 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. These Metrobuses were then swiftly scrapped or (for most Super-Metrobuses) exported. As of 2007, there are still around 10 Super-Metrobuses from CMB providing tour service in Australia
and the United Kingdom
. The Super Metrobuses in Australia had their Gardner 6LXCT engines replaced by Cummins ISC units with Euro III or Euro IV emission standards.
The former CMB ML1 was bought by Andrew Haviland, a private collector, and restored at the Sydney Bus Museum
in Sydney, Australia. The restored bus went into its first service as an Australia Day 2007 shuttle in Sydney.
KMB allocated its 3 Super-Metrobuses to the New Territories
for many years. For example, they were serving on route 61A (which connected Tuen Mun
and Yuen Long
new towns) right before the KCR Light Rail took over the services. After that, they were seen on route 36A (which connected a public housing estate in Kwai Chung
to a ferry pier) 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. KCRC also started to withdraw their Mark II Metrobuses in the early 2000s. The last 2-axle Metrobus in Hong Kong (KCRC 134) was withdrawn in October 2005.
The 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses in KMB were not withdrawn until summer 2002. 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.
Production of Metrobus was terminated in 1989 with the financial collapse of MCW. The last Metrobus built was West Midlands Travel 3121, it had a message from the builders stating that it was the last one built by Metro-Cammell and signed by them 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.
Metro Cammell Weymann
Metro Cammell Weymann was once a major player in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe. It was formed in 1932 by Weymann Motor Bodies Ltd and Metro Cammell's bus bodybuilding division to produce bus bodies....
) from 1977 until 1989, with over 4,000 examples built. The original MkI model was superseded by the MkII model (which had a symmetrical windscreen) in 1981/1982, although production of the original MkI continued for London Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
until 1985. The Metrobus was conceived as an integral product manufactured completely by MCW, but Alexander
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders
Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to...
and Northern Counties also bodied some examples.
The Metrobus was hoped to produce a single deck version but this was not to come into production. MCW mentioned the vehicle in the brochure but for some reason chose to focus only on the double deck version.
The UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Metrobus was mainly used in the metropolitan areas, especially London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
.
The demonstrator TOJ 592S was lent to London Transport in December 1977. LT were so impressed with the vehicle they placed an order soon after. This prototype Metrobus is owned and still operated by Midland Classic of Swadlincote, Derbyshire.
London
London TransportLondon Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
took 1,440 MkI examples between 1978 and 1985, numbering them as M1 to M1440. Two MkII prototypes were delivered to London Transport as M1441 and M1442 in 1984, but there were no further orders. In 1987 and 1988, 14 secondhand Metrobuses were purchased from Greater Manchester PTE, West Yorkshire PTE and Busways
Busways Travel Services Ltd.
Busways Travel Services Limited was a large bus operator in the 1990s in the north east of England. In July 1995 Busways was acquired by Stagecoach Group.-PTE divestment:...
. London Transport's low-cost subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
Harrow Buses leased 29 new MkII Metrobuses in 1987, but had to return them to their lessor
Lessor
Lessor is the name of two places in the United States:*Lessor, Wisconsin*Lessor Township, Minnesota...
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. They remained in service for London Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
until 2004, when the last examples were withdrawn.
West Midlands
The West Midlands PTEWest Midlands Passenger Transport Executive
The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
and its successor, West Midlands Travel (now National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands
National Express West Midlands , formerly known as Travel West Midlands , is the trade name of West Midlands Travel Ltd , a company which operates bus services from depots in the cities of Birmingham, and Wolverhampton, as well as the boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall in the West...
), also took significant numbers of Metrobuses (over 1100), both MkI and MkII examples. These included 5 prototype vehicles (allocated to Washwood Heath depot near the MCW factory so they could see the vehicles performance in service) and 50 dual-purpose Metrobuses with high-back seats, 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. 14 guided bus
Guided bus
Guided buses are buses steered for part or all of their route by external means, usually on a dedicated track. This track, which often parallels existing roads, excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of reliable schedules on heavily used corridors even during rush hours.Guidance systems...
es were delivered for service 65 (branded Tracline 65), which was the first guided bus system in UK, although the experiment only lasted a couple of years. All of the 14 guided buses were converted for conventional use and all have since been withdrawn.
The last public service ran the 1 service from Birmingham Town Hall to Acocks Green Village, arriving back at Acocks Green Garage at 15:25 on Saturday 24th July 2010 and was bus 2903 C903FON.
A Metrobus Farewell event was held at Acocks Green on that day and all 3 of the last Metrobuses were operated, these were 2832, 2903 & 2988 (B832AOP, C903FON & E988VUK)
All cash fares taken on the day were donated to Cancer Research UK.
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport ExecutiveSouth Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for South Yorkshire in England. It is supervised by the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, which consists of representatives from the metropolitan boroughs of Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, and...
(SYPTE) 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.
The Metrobus also found sales in National Bus Company (UK) prior to privatisation, Maidstone and District and Northern bought significant numbers, later privatised NBC's bought second hand examples.
Secondhand Metrobuses have been purchased by operators both in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Often, these are used mainly on school contract bus services. Several ex-London Metrobuses were recently seen in service with Top Line Travel of York Ltd.
Notable Metrobuses
Two notable Metrobuses are WMPTE's 6831 (SDA 831S) and Strathclyde Buses MB70 (G408 OGD) which were the first and last Metrobuses built (MCW went into receivership in 1989). However, these vehicles have now both been scrapped (MB70 being scrapped by First Group). The final UK ones for Merseybus, Strathclyde Buses and West Midlands Travel are considered to have been badly constructed and not suitable for preservation. This may have been due to them being dismantled and rebuilt by Optare after they bought the design to the Metrobus in order to create the DAF DB250-based Optare Spectra, and indeed one of the Merseybus ones 0819 (F819YLV) had to be rebuilt by MTL's engineering team when only four years old in 1993. 6831, however, was a prototype and had a different electrical system and layout, and was considered non-standard.The earliest preserved Metrobus is WMPTE's 6832 (SDA 832S) which was the second prototype delivered, and the first to have a more standard set-up. Another noted Metrobus is West Midlands Travel 3107 (G107 FJW), which actually never entered service with West Midlands Travel, because of its late delivery, it was sold to Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
and also DAF without entering service, to assist in the development of what became the Optare Spectra.
Early introductions
In Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the China Motor Bus
China Motor Bus
China Motor Bus Company Ltd. , often abbreviated as CMB, was the first motor bus company in Hong Kong, and was responsible for the introduction of double-decker buses to Hong Kong Island....
(CMB) introduced 12 Metrobuses (MC1-MC12) in 1978 for its luxury coach services (which covered the routes between Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay
Repulse Bay is a bay in the southern part of Hong Kong Island, located in the Southern District, Hong Kong.-Geography:Repulse Bay is located in the south of Hong Kong Island, to the east of Deep Water Bay and to the west of Middle Bay and South Bay...
, Stanley
Stanley, Hong Kong
Stanley is a town and a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It located on a peninsula on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island. It is east of Repulse Bay and west of Shek O, adjacent to Chung Hom Kok...
and the Central District). Within a year, MCW produced an 11-metre 2-axle version of Metrobus. Only 40 were produced globally, and all of which (MB1-MB40) were acquired by CMB between 1978 and 1979. The MB class were allocated mostly on express and cross-harbour services. Both batches of CMB Metrobuses had MkI bodies.
1980s
Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company Limited , a company of the Transport International Holdings Limited, is the largest franchised bus operators in Hong Kong, and one of the largest privately owned public bus operators in the world...
(KMB). Two prototypes (ML1 and ML2) entered CMB services [ML2 was the only 3-door Metrobus in CMB's fleet] and KMB acquired three (M1-M3, later renumbered 3M1-3M3), all were bodied with MCW MkII body. In return, CMB purchased 82 more Super-Metrobuses (ML3-84) between 1983 and 1988, while KMB purchased 80 2-axle Metrobuses (M1-M80, with MkII bodies) 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 (the CMB 11-metre version Metrobuses were 2-axle). 254 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses (S3M1-254) were purchased by KMB between 1986 and 1989. 50 of these buses were fitted with Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
engines, and another one (later numbered S3M145) was originally fitted with a Sütrak air-conditioner (as a prototype air-conditioned bus), but the air-conditioning unit proved unreliable and was subsequently removed.
Between 1987 and 1989, KCRC
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
The Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation was established in 1982 under the Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance for the purposes of operating the Kowloon–Canton Railway , and to construct and operate other new railways...
also purchased 59 2-axle Metrobuses for their feeder bus services. 39 of them (101-139) were brand new with MkII bodies, while another 20 (140-159) were second-hand buses bought from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(originally owned by South Yorkshire PTE
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for South Yorkshire in England. It is supervised by the South Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, which consists of representatives from the metropolitan boroughs of Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, and...
) 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 8 more 2-axle Metrobuses (M81-M88) in 1989. These buses were fitted with Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
LTA10-B282 (282hp) engines and Voith
Voith
The Voith GmbH, which is headquartered in Germany, is a family-run corporation in the mechanical engineering sector with worldwide operations....
D864G 4-speed gearbox, and were used on the hilly KMB Route 51
KMB Route 51
Route 51 is a bus service operated by Kowloon Motor Bus in Hong Kong's New Territories. It connects Nina Tower, in Tsuen Wan, with Kam Sheung Road Railway Station, running via the steep and tortuous Route Twisk.-History:...
(between Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR...
and Kam Tin
Kam Tin
Kam Tin , or Kam Tin Heung , is an area in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It is north of Tai Mo Shan and east of Yuen Long. It was formerly known as Sham Tin...
, climbing Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan has the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an altitude of 957 m. It is located approximately at the geographical centre of the New Territories....
along its way). Later KMB converted some of the older Metrobuses with Cummins engine replacements, in order to avoid excess damage to buses running the hilly route.
It is rumoured that CMB was still asking MCW for more Super-Metrobuses when MCW ceased bus production in 1989. After CMB had learnt about the closure, it decided to buy 12-metre 3-axle buses from Dennis
Dennis Specialist Vehicles
Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England...
.
Withdrawal
Citybus (Hong Kong)
Citybus Limited is one of the three major bus operators in Hong Kong. It provides both franchised and non-franchised bus service. The franchised route network serves mainly Hong Kong Island, cross-harbour routes , Ocean Park, North Lantau and Hong Kong International Airport...
for few years before final withdrawal.
CMB removed its MC-class Metrobuses from the luxury routes after introducing Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s for the service in 1991, preserving the seating layout. These Metrobuses were allocated to non-luxury routes in the Southern District, Hong Kong
Southern District, Hong Kong
The Southern District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the southern part of Hong Kong Island. It had a population of 290,240 in 2001. This district has the fourth lowest population of Hong Kong.-Geography:...
, as well as route 13
NWFB Route 13
NWFB Route 13 on Hong Kong Island is a bus service operated by New World First Bus , between City Hall, Central and Kotewall Road, Mid Levels.-History:...
serving the "Mid-levels
Mid-levels
Mid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...
". Although CMB was the first to introduce Metrobuses, it withdrew only 3 of them (all were accident victims) before the end of its franchise in August 1998. Its earliest Metrobuses were 20 years old at that time. New World First Bus
New World First Bus
New World First Bus Services Limited , abbreviated as First Bus and "NWFB", is the third largest public bus operator in Hong Kong.NWFB was established in 1998, taking over China Motor Bus's franchise on 1 September 1998 to provide bus services on Hong Kong Island together with Citybus...
(NWFB) 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. These Metrobuses were then swiftly scrapped or (for most Super-Metrobuses) exported. As of 2007, there are still around 10 Super-Metrobuses from CMB providing tour service in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Super Metrobuses in Australia had their Gardner 6LXCT engines replaced by Cummins ISC units with Euro III or Euro IV emission standards.
Sydney Bus Museum
Sydney Bus Museum is a not-for-profit transportation museum and education centre for public benefit located in the suburb of Leichhardt, in Sydney, Australia....
in Sydney, Australia. The restored bus went into its first service as an Australia Day 2007 shuttle in Sydney.
KMB allocated its 3 Super-Metrobuses to the New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
for many years. For example, they were serving on route 61A (which connected Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun is a town near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in Hong Kong which can be dated back to the Neolithic period. In the more recent past, it was home to many Tanka fishermen who gathered at the Castle...
and Yuen Long
Yuen Long
Yuen Long , formerly Un Long, is an area and town located in the northwest of Hong Kong, on the Yuen Long Plain. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin, and to the north Nam Sang Wai.-Name:The Cantonese name Yuen Long 元朗...
new towns) right before the KCR Light Rail took over the services. After that, they were seen on route 36A (which connected a public housing estate in Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
to a ferry pier) 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
Fatigue (material)
'In materials science, fatigue is the progressive and localized structural damage that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading. The nominal maximum stress values are less than the ultimate tensile stress limit, and may be below the yield stress limit of the material.Fatigue occurs...
caused during their service on the Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan has the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an altitude of 957 m. It is located approximately at the geographical centre of the New Territories....
KMB Route 51
KMB Route 51
Route 51 is a bus service operated by Kowloon Motor Bus in Hong Kong's New Territories. It connects Nina Tower, in Tsuen Wan, with Kam Sheung Road Railway Station, running via the steep and tortuous Route Twisk.-History:...
, which climbed to the highest altitude achievable by buses in Hong Kong. KCRC also started to withdraw their Mark II Metrobuses in the early 2000s. The last 2-axle Metrobus in Hong Kong (KCRC 134) was withdrawn in October 2005.
The 11-metre 3-axle Metrobuses in KMB were not withdrawn until summer 2002. 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
The Metrobus design was purchased by Optare
Optare
Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
in 1990, which had recently joined the United Bus
United Bus
United Bus was a bus manufacturing group created by DAF Bus and BOVA in 1989. It was later joined by Den Oudsten , Optare , and DAB .-Collaborations:...
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
VDL DB250
The VDL DB250 is a double-decker bus sold in the UK through VDL Bus International's UK dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. A small number of DB250s have also been exported to Istanbul, Turkey.-DB250:...
-based Optare Spectra
Optare Spectra
Launched in 1991, the Optare Spectra is a double-decker bus body built on the DAF DB250 chassis.The vehicle was developed as a joint project between Optare and DAF; based on the designs of the successful MCW Metrobus which Optare had purchased, but they are no means a restlyed Metrobus...
, which was launched in 1991 and ceased production in late 2005.