Overview

Produced between 1960 and 1980 the Daimler Fleetline was the Coventry-based Daimler's design of rear-engined predominantly double-deck bus produced to compete with the slightly earlier Leyland Atlantean. During the 20 years that the model was produced, several thousand examples were constructed. The single biggest customer for the type was London Transport, which acquired some 2646 examples following on from the earlier XF order. Other major customers included Birmingham Corporation/West Midlands PTE, which acquired more than 1000 examples including the first of the type to be bodied as single-deckers, and Greater Manchester PTE, which acquired more than 500. Elsewhere, many municipal operators also acquired batches of the type, choosing to split their purchases between Leyland and Daimler as the number of domestic manufacturers shrank. Municipal operators of the type were widespread, from Aberdeen and Dundee through Bradford and Huddersfield in Yorkshire to Walsall in the Midlands and Cardiff in Wales, amongst numerous others. The type was also to see widespread use in BET Group companies and with subsidiaries of the Scottish Bus Group. As a result a large number were to pass to the National Bus Company when the remaining BET Group operators were nationalised. In addition, a number of major independent operators were also to acquire the type. A significant number of the type were also to be exported, with Hong Kong a particularly lucrative market both for new buses - China Motor Bus for example taking 336 between 1972 and 1980 - and later for second-hand ex-London Transport examples. Although it's now almost 30 years since the last of the type was built, a handful can still be found in service whilst other examples have entered preservation. This volume provides a complete history of the type, from inception to final retirement and beyond. Fully illustrated throughout with an attractive array of photographs and memorabilia, this is the perfect volume for road transport enthusiasts nationwide!

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9780711034563

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Gavin Booth has worked in and around the bus industry for nearly 50 years and is currently Chairman of Bus Users UK, the body that gives bus users a voice. He was Group Marketing Manager for the Scottish Bus Group until the group was privatised in 1988 and has subsequently concentrated on transport consultancy and journalism. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He was President of The Omnibus Society in 2008.

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