The Metro-Scania was a step-entrance single-deck bus body manufactured by
Metro Cammell Weymann
Metro Cammell Weymann Ltd. (MCW) was once a major contributor in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe. It was established in 1932 by Metro-Cammell's bus bodybuilding division and Weymann Motor Bodies to produce bus bodies.
MC ...
and
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...
between 1970 and 1973.
History
In 1969,
Metro Cammell Weymann
Metro Cammell Weymann Ltd. (MCW) was once a major contributor in transportation manufacturing in the UK and Europe. It was established in 1932 by Metro-Cammell's bus bodybuilding division and Weymann Motor Bodies to produce bus bodies.
MC ...
and
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skå ...
formed a joint venture to build a single deck bus to compete with the
Leyland National
The Leyland National is an integrally-constructed British step-floor single-decker bus manufactured in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries – the National Bus C ...
. Built on the Scania BR110/BR111 chassis with Metro Cammell Weymann bodywork, the first was unveiled at the Commercial Motor Show at
Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Earls Court Exhibition Centre was a major international exhibition and events venue just west of central London. At its peak it is said to have generated a £2 billion turnover for the economy. It replaced exhibition and entertainment grounds, ...
in September 1970.
Like the double-deck Metropolitan, the Metro-Scania was noted for its performance from the turbocharged Scania engine and for a smoother and quiet ride through the use of air suspension. However, high fuel consumption plagued operators, particularly when the price of fuel rose during the
1973 oil crisis, and similar to the Metropolitan, issues with chassis corrosion lead to premature withdrawal of Metro-Scanias by most operators.
A total of 133 Metro-Scanias, including two demonstrators, were manufactured from 1970 to 1973.
A majority of these were purchased by
Newport Transport and
Leicester Citybus, who took 44 and 35 Metro-Scanias respectively.
Merseyside PTE purchased twenty Metro-Scanias, while
SELNEC PTE
SELNEC was an acronym for "South East Lancashire North East Cheshire". It may refer to:
*Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county of North West England
*SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive, from 1969 until renamed Greater Manchester Passenger Tr ...
would purchase thirteen and
London Transport six, the latter split between the main fleet and
London Country's 'Superbus' network.
Two were also purchased for a short-lived operation in
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Ty ...
.
References
External links
{{Scania AB timeline 1968–1999
Scania AB buses
Single-deck buses
Vehicles introduced in 1970