Optare Tempo
Encyclopedia
The Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus
manufactured by Optare
and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel
.
It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals.
Amongst the first operators in the UK were Trent Barton
of Nottingham
, Wilfreda Beehive
of Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster, and Sargeants Brothers
of Kington
. Arriva
is the only one of the big groups to have taken some on board, for services in West Yorkshire
.
Regal Busways
have bought three vehicles for use on their premier route 1 service between Chelmsford
and Canvey Island
in Essex
. All three buses are fitted with leather seats, power points, and tables.
The Welsh Assembly Government
purchased several for use on the TrawsCambria
bus network, despite protests about the unsuitability of a normal bus for the long distance journeys.
Four Optare Tempos were also purchased by Swansea City Council in South Wales for use on a new park and ride
service from the city centre to Fforestfach
.
In November 2008, it was announced that Transdev Yellow Buses
had ordered 11 Tempos for its fleet, following on from an order of 11 Optare Versa
s. Soon afterwards another order was announced, of 13 for Arriva Yorkshire
. This is the first order of the type from on of the main UK bus groups.
One left hand drive Optare Tempo was exported to Kiel
, Germany
in 2007, but it was taken out of service shortly afterwards.
At Euro Bus Expo 2008 a shorter hybrid version was exhibited, destined to be one of five for Metroline
route E8
. Five more were sold to East London
for use on route 276, as part of Transport for London
's plan to introduce hybrid buses
to its network.
Two Tempos delivered to Courtney Coaches
in 2010 were the first 12m single-deckers to be powered by 100% pure plant oil.
In February 2010, It was announced that Centrebus Calderdale (Centrebus Holdings
) had ordered 4 Optare Tempos for its fleet, to replace the various Dennis Dart
s on hire. These new Optare Tempos entered service in April 2010.
October 2011 saw the launch of the Tempo SR, a restyled version of the existing Tempo, the first of which will be going to Trent Barton
for their i4 service.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
manufactured 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....
and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel
Optare Excel
The Optare Excel is a low-floor full-size single-decker bus manufactured by Optare.Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear...
.
It is designed as a lightweight bus, to use less fuel than traditional heavy duty integrals.
Amongst the first operators in the UK were Trent Barton
Trent Barton
Trent Barton is one of the very small number of significant independent bus operators in the United Kingdom. It was formed as the result of merging Derbyshire's Trent Buses with Nottinghamshire's Barton Transport....
of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, Wilfreda Beehive
Wilfreda Beehive
Wilfreda Beehive is a coach and bus operator based in Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster.-History:It was formed in 1949 by Bill and Marie Scholey, and remains in family ownership. At first it operated coach services from a depot at Ranskill, near Bawtry...
of Adwick-le-Street, Doncaster, and Sargeants Brothers
Sargeants of Kington
Sargeants Bros Ltd is a limited company based in Kington, Herefordshire, UK.They are a bus operator whose main operations concentrate on stage service and schools contract work for Herefordshire County Council and Powys County Council....
of Kington
Kington, Herefordshire
Kington is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,597.-Location:Kington is near the Wales-England border and, despite being on the western side of Offa's Dyke, has been English for over a thousand years. The town is in the...
. Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
is the only one of the big groups to have taken some on board, for services in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
Regal Busways
Regal Busways
Regal Busways Ltd is a small bus operator established in 2001 and based in Essex. Their services operate through 30 local communities including Chelmsford, Epping, The Hanningfields, Canvey Island, Harlow, Ongar, Pleshey, Toot Hill, Upshire, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross and Wickford.-History:Regal...
have bought three vehicles for use on their premier route 1 service between Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
and Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. All three buses are fitted with leather seats, power points, and tables.
The Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
purchased several for use on the TrawsCambria
TrawsCambria
TrawsCambria is a brand name applied to a network of long and medium-distance express bus routes in Wales which are sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government.-History:...
bus network, despite protests about the unsuitability of a normal bus for the long distance journeys.
Four Optare Tempos were also purchased by Swansea City Council in South Wales for use on a new park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
service from the city centre to Fforestfach
Fforestfach
Fforestfach is a suburban district of Swansea, Wales. It lies within the Cockett ward. The area is residential combined with light industry and out of town shopping due to its proximity to the M4 motorway and several dual carriageways. Famous names like Marks and Spencer and Walkers Crisps had...
.
In November 2008, it was announced that Transdev Yellow Buses
Transdev Yellow Buses
Yellow Buses is a bus operator based in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, owned by the RATP Group, a company owned by the government of France. Although most routes are restricted to the Bournemouth local authority area, an increasing number are expanding into the adjacent areas of...
had ordered 11 Tempos for its fleet, following on from an order of 11 Optare Versa
Optare Versa
The Optare Versa is a midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006, with the first order of 25 buses being placed by Stagecoach on the same day....
s. Soon afterwards another order was announced, of 13 for Arriva Yorkshire
Arriva Yorkshire
Arriva Yorkshire is a division of Arriva which operates bus services around West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire and the southern areas of North Yorkshire in England.-History:Arriva Yorkshire was formed as a combination of mergers of previous...
. This is the first order of the type from on of the main UK bus groups.
One left hand drive Optare Tempo was exported to Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 2007, but it was taken out of service shortly afterwards.
At Euro Bus Expo 2008 a shorter hybrid version was exhibited, destined to be one of five for Metroline
Metroline
Metroline, owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation of Singapore, is one of many companies operating bus services in London under the management of London Buses.-Company history:...
route E8
London Buses route E8
London Buses route E8 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
. Five more were sold to East London
East London (bus company)
East London is one of many operators of bus services contracted to Transport for London, mainly in the east of the city. Its legal name is East London Bus & Coach Company Ltd, and it is currently owned largely by Stagecoach Group, as part of Stagecoach London.-History:East London was established in...
for use on route 276, as part of Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
's plan to introduce hybrid buses
Hybrid buses in London
Hybrid buses are operated on a small number of bus services in London. The first were introduced in March 2006, and 56 are now used. Transport for London has stated that it intends to make all new buses delivered for use in London hybrids from 2012....
to its network.
Two Tempos delivered to Courtney Coaches
Courtney Coaches
Courtney Coaches are a bus operator baseed in Bracknell, Berkshire, England. They operate a network of commercial and contracted local bus services and school buses in and around Bracknell and Maidenhead...
in 2010 were the first 12m single-deckers to be powered by 100% pure plant oil.
In February 2010, It was announced that Centrebus Calderdale (Centrebus Holdings
Centrebus Holdings
Centrebus Holdings is a bus company in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. It is a partnership between Arriva and Centrebus, created in May 2008 to purchase both K-Line Travel and Stagecoach Yorkshire's Huddersfield operations.-Stagecoach:...
) had ordered 4 Optare Tempos for its fleet, to replace the various 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 on hire. These new Optare Tempos entered service in April 2010.
October 2011 saw the launch of the Tempo SR, a restyled version of the existing Tempo, the first of which will be going to Trent Barton
Trent Barton
Trent Barton is one of the very small number of significant independent bus operators in the United Kingdom. It was formed as the result of merging Derbyshire's Trent Buses with Nottinghamshire's Barton Transport....
for their i4 service.