Plaxton Elite
Encyclopedia
The Plaxton
Elite is a coach body unveiled at the Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre
, Birmingham
in November 2008. It went into production in late 2008. Each vehicle costs an estimated £780,000. The vehicles are easily identifiable due to their curved front end and low-level destination board, resulting in a larger front window than most comparable coaches.
The type began service with National Express
in early 2010 with 6 units operating between London
and Liverpool
. A further 16 vehicles are being procured to operate in Yorkshire, Oxford and Peterborough. In Yorkshire, Elites has replaced Caetano Levante
s on the long distance 560 service to London, with the latter having being assigned to the 007 & 022 routes between London and Kent
. Onboard features on National Express vehicles include a central TV screen and power sockets. Elites also have wheelchair lifts installed in their doorways, making them only the second type operated by National Express to be completely wheelchair friendly.
Plaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
Elite is a coach body unveiled at the Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
in November 2008. It went into production in late 2008. Each vehicle costs an estimated £780,000. The vehicles are easily identifiable due to their curved front end and low-level destination board, resulting in a larger front window than most comparable coaches.
The type began service with National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
in early 2010 with 6 units operating between London
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. A further 16 vehicles are being procured to operate in Yorkshire, Oxford and Peterborough. In Yorkshire, Elites has replaced Caetano Levante
Caetano Levante
The Caetano Levante is a coach body built on the Scania K-series 6x2 & 4x2, Volvo B12B 4x2 chassis and recently Volvo B9R 4x2 chassis, exclusively for National Express in the UK...
s on the long distance 560 service to London, with the latter having being assigned to the 007 & 022 routes between London and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Onboard features on National Express vehicles include a central TV screen and power sockets. Elites also have wheelchair lifts installed in their doorways, making them only the second type operated by National Express to be completely wheelchair friendly.