The Switch Metrodecker (formerly known as the Optare MetroDecker) is an integral twin-axle

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 ...

produced by British bus manufacturer

Switch Mobility Switch Mobility (Optare until 2020) is a British bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company is responsible for the EV operations of the group with Ashok Leyland ...

since 2014. The bus bears resemblance to the

Switch Metrocity The Switch Metrocity (formerly known as the Optare MetroCity) is an integral midibus manufactured by Switch Mobility since 2013. Originally aimed at the London market, the Metrocity is based on the Optare Versa which was introduced in 2009. In ...

, sharing similar interior and exterior features. The MetroDecker was designed as the successor to the

Optare Olympus The Optare Olympus (introduced in 2006 as the East Lancs Olympus) is a double-decker bus built by Optare, East Lancs and Darwen. It could be built as a body available on Alexander Dennis Enviro400, Volvo B9TL or Scania N230UD/N270UD chas ...

and Optare OmniDekka double-deckers, which were both discontinued in 2011, however unlike these, the MetroDecker is only available in integral form. Switch Mobility, then known as Optare, initially aimed to have MetroDeckers in service in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

by the end of 2014 and sales of over 100 MetroDeckers within eighteen months of launch; this did not occur, with no orders placed until June 2018.

Variants

Metrodecker

The Metrodecker was launched by Optare in 2014 initially with the 4 cylinder

Euro VI The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards that regulate pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and European Economic Area member states and the United Kingdom, and ships in European ...

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

OM934LA engine with a 6-speed ZF EcoLife transmission fitted. The bus is built on an integral Optare chassis, making the bus lighter than its body-on-chassis predecessors. In June 2018,

Reading Buses Reading Transport Limited, trading as Reading Buses, is an English Municipal bus company, municipal bus operator owned by Reading Borough Council, serving the towns of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Bracknell, Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury, Slough, ...

placed the first order for five diesel Metrodeckers with high specification interiors for use on Green Line route 702, following a period of demonstration. Due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reading Buses cancelled the order in July 2020. Three pre-production demonstrators were built by Optare for bus operators to trial around the United Kingdom. Two of these entered service with

First South Yorkshire First South Yorkshire is a major bus operator providing bus services within and across South Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. History In 1989, South Yorkshire Transport introduced the ''Mainline'' brand on certain bus routes aro ...

Go North East Go North East is a bus operator running both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It was previously known as the Northern General Transport Company and Go-Ahead No ...

and the

NAT Group Adventure Travel (stylised as Adventuretravel; formerly NAT Group and New Adventure Travel) is a bus and coach company in South Wales. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro. History Established in 2008 with four buses, Adventure Travel has now ...

, and a demonstrator built to

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

specification commenced trials with

Go-Ahead London Go-Ahead London is a major bus operator in Greater London. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently (as of April 2025) the largest bus operator in Greater Londo ...

in August 2016. None of these demonstration periods resulted in orders for the diesel Metrodecker.

Metrodecker EV

The Switch Metrodecker EV

battery electric bus A battery electric bus is an electric bus that is driven by an electric motor and obtains energy from on-board batteries. Many trolleybuses use batteries as an auxiliary or emergency power source. Battery electric buses offer the potential for z ...

was launched in late 2015, complementing Optare's single decker range which already had battery electric variants. The battery supports 250 kW of power with an electric ZF AxTrax AVE powertrain, resulting in an electric range of . A

hybrid electric A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that couples a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) with one or more electric engines into a combined propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain, which has i ...

variant was announced by Optare during the initial launch of the MetroDecker in 2015, however no orders materialised. The first Metrodecker order for a

operator came in 2019 when 31 Metrodecker EVs were delivered to

Metroline Metroline is a bus operator operating primarily in Greater London and partially in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro and operates bus services for London Buses under contract to Transport for Lon ...

for operation on route 134. 37 Metrodecker EVs were later delivered to

Tower Transit Tower Transit Operations Limited, which traded as Tower Transit, is a bus company who operated in East and West London. They are a subsidiary of the Kelsian Group and operated services under contract to Transport for London. Currently they op ...

in November 2020 for operation on routes 23 and C3, and

ordered 17 Metrodecker EVs for delivery in May 2021 for operation on route 200. In March 2019,

First York First York operates local bus services, with a network centring around the cathedral city of York, North Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup, which operates bus, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom and Ireland. His ...

ordered 21 Metrodecker EVs for the city's rebranded

York Park & Ride The York park and ride is a park and ride network in the cathedral city of York, England, with sites operated by the City of York Council and bus services operated by First York. It is the largest park and ride network in the United Kingdom, wi ...

operations. The first of these buses entered service from July 2020.

MetroDecker H2

The Optare MetroDecker H2

fuel cell bus A fuel cell bus is a bus that uses a hydrogen fuel cell as its power source for Electric motor, electrically driven wheels, sometimes augmented in a Hybrid power, hybrid fashion with batteries or a supercapacitor. The only emission from the bus is ...

was announced by Optare in partnership with Arcola Energy in April 2020. The MetroDecker H2 is based on existing EV platform, utilising Arcola's A-Drive hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain with a claimed range of up to . Optare aims to establish an export market aimed at countries within a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

requiring use of

air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

for the MetroDecker H2, however orders are yet to be placed by potential operators.

Incidents

A major fire in May 2022 that destroyed six buses at Metroline's

Potters Bar Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882.coolant A coolant is a substance, typically liquid, that is used to reduce or regulate the temperature of a system. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, chemically inert and neither causes nor promotes corr ...

had inadvertently been added to the battery system of a Metrodecker EV instead of a non-conductive one, and the buses returned to service later that month. A Metrodecker EV operated by

caught fire on 11 January 2024 while operating route 200 in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, with the cause for the fire under investigation by the operator.

References

External links

{{Optare timeline Double-decker buses Low-floor buses Metrodecker Vehicles introduced in 2014