The Guy Wulfrunian was a British front-engined

double-decker bus A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are used primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sightseeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They app ...

chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...

produced by Guy Motors from 1959 to 1965.

Design

The Wulfrunian was introduced at the Commercial Motor Show in 1958 as a "concept" vehicle designed for one-person operation without the need for a bus conductor. However, it was unusual, compared to other developments at the time, such as the

Leyland Atlantean The Leyland Atlantean is a predominantly double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland Motors between 1958 and 1986. Only 17 Atlantean chassis were bodied as single deck from new. It pioneered the design of rear-engined, front entrance ...

and the

Daimler Fleetline The Daimler Fleetline (known as the Leyland Fleetline from circa 1975) is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis which was built between 1960 and 1983. It was the second of three bus models to have a marque name as well as an alphanumeric ...

, in that it combined a front entrance and a front engine (other operators were favouring rear-engined vehicles). Later, in 1974, the front-engined, front-entrance Volvo Ailsa B55 came onto the British bus market and was successful. This was the first bus to have air suspension, disc brakes and independent front suspension. The engine, a 10.45-litre Gardner 6LX, was located beside the driver, with the front axle moved back to create space for the entrance. However, the use of so many untested features led to reliability issues, particularly with the brakes and suspension. In most of the Wulfrunians built, the staircase was situated on the nearside of the vehicle, immediately behind the entrance. To accommodate this, the four-piece folding entrance doors were of different sizes. The nearside rearward ascending staircase gave the driver full view of the stairwell. In the lower saloon, after the area taken up for the staircase, the first twin-seat faced rearwards. Two demonstrators were built, 7800DA and 8072DA, both vehicles being painted in a yellow and black livery. 7800DA had six more seats than 8072DA, and the seating capacity of each vehicle was hidden in the registration number. The majority of vehicles were fitted with

Roe Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...

bodies, with the others being bodied by Northern Counties (1) and East Lancashire Coachbuilders (5). The cost of developing the vehicle, combined with the lack of sales, led to enormous losses for Guy, who first went into receivership in 1961, before finally ceasing production for the UK bus market in 1969.

Operators

The Wulfrunian was developed jointly by Guy and the West Riding Automobile Company, and, of 137 vehicles built, 126 went to West Riding. A further four were acquired second hand and put into service, two from County Motors of Lepton and one each from West Wales and Lancashire United. Two demonstrator vehicle were acquired from Guy but were cannibalised for spares. Single vehicles were tried by operators in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

and West Wales, but this did not lead to any further orders. After maintenance and reliability issues, West Riding cancelled an order for a further 25 vehicles.

Preservation

Only a small number of Wulfrunians were sold on for further service and one of these, WHL970, passed through several operators before being rescued for preservation. This has been the subject of a thorough restoration (into the original red ex-tramway route livery) at the Dewsbury Bus Museum and joined the only other survivor, UCX275, back on the road in 2022. UCX275 was new to County Motors of Lepton in 1961, staying with them only a year or so before passing to West Riding. Upon withdrawal in 1972, it passed straight into preservation with the West Riding Wulfrunian Preservation Society, which had been formed the previous year specifically to save a Wulfrunian.

References

* {{Portal, Buses Buses of the United Kingdom Double-decker buses Vehicles introduced in 1959