The Wright Axcess was a series of two
low-entry single-decker bus bodies built on
Scania
Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
bus chassis by
Wrightbus. The Wright Axcess-Ultralow was manufactured
Scania L113CRL between 1995 and 1998, later succeeded by the Wright Axcess-Floline on
Scania L94UB chassis between 1998 and 2001.
Design
The Wright Axcess-Ultralow was introduced in 1995 as a low-cost replacement for
Wright Endurance
The Wright Endurance was a step-entrance single-decker bus body on Scania N113 and on Volvo B10B chassis by Wrightbus between 1992 and 1997.
Design
The Wright Endurance was unveiled in November 1991 as the company's first single-decker 'cit ...
and
Wright Pathfinder bodies based on the
step-entrance Scania N113 and low-entry N113CRL chassis respectively, developed to fit the recommendations of the
Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DiPTAC) on improving wheelchair and pushchair access. Like the Endurance and Pathfinder, the Axcess-Ultralow body was constructed using an
Alusuisse bolted aluminium frame and with bonded window glazing, and internally, featured a low single entrance step, capable of being lowered to at the kerbside via the 'kneeling' function of the chassis. This was followed by a central gangway between both front axles and three steps towards the rear seats of the bus.

The Axcess-Ultralow was succeeded by the ''Wright Axcess-Floline'' in 1997 on the
Scania L94UB chassis. Launched at the Coach & Bus 97 expo, most of the Floline's changes were found internally, most notably being the 'Floline' sloped floor system, originally launched on the
Renown
Renown may refer to:
* Celebrity, fame and broad public recognition
Companies
* Renown (company), a Japanese clothing brand
* Renown Health, a healthcare network in Nevada, US
* Renown Pictures, a British film company
Transport Ships
* Renown (1 ...
on
Volvo B10BLE, that removed the need for multiple steps towards the rear of the interior. Additional strength applied to the body's framework for implementing the Floline concept allowed the bus to be specified with bonded gasket windows.
The Floline was succeeded in 2000 by the
low-floor 'Millennium Design'
Wright Solar body on the same Scania L94UB chassis.
Operators
Axcess-Ultralow
An initial batch of 20 Wright Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
Rider York in June 1995 for service on the
York park and ride equipped with luggage ramps supplied from
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...
. These buses eventually became part of the
FirstBus fleet, who were popular customers of the Wright Axcess-Ultralow, especially for its Scottish operations. A majority of the group's Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
First Greater Glasgow from 1996 onwards, while twelve were delivered to
FifeFirst in June 1997, and eight were delivered to its
Midland Bluebird and
Lowland
Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland.
Definitions
Upland and lowland are portions of a ...
operations during 1997. Elsewhere, Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
Kingfisher Huddersfield,
First Crosville, and the group's
Eastern Counties,
Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
and
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
operations.
Twenty Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
MTL Trust Holdings for its
Merseybus operations in 1996, while ten Axcess-Ultralows were also delivered to
Kentish Bus in late 1994, part of a wider investment by
Kent County Council
Kent County Council is a county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Kent in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes the Unitary authorities of England, unitary auth ...
into improving bus stops and shelters as well as providing route information for service 480 between
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...
and
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...
. Six Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
Chester City Transport for park and ride services in late 1997, and five Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
Nottingham City Transport
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the major bus operator of the city of Nottingham, England. NCT operates extensively within Nottingham as well as beyond the city boundaries into Nottinghamshire county. Publicly owned, it is today the second ...
between 1995 and early 1996.
Five Axcess-Ultralows were delivered to
Bullocks Coaches of
Cheadle in 1995 for use on
route 42 between
Piccadilly Gardens and
Stockport bus station, followed by another five being delivered to
North Western's StarLine subsidiary for service between
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...
,
Sale,
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe () is an area of Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a large housing estate there in the 1920s. With an area of approximately , ...
and
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2024, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passengers (the busiest outside of London) ...
. The purchases of both batches of these buses were funded from low-floor grants provided by the
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority.
A further 29 Axcess-Ultralows were supplied to North Western and the StarLine subsidiary during 1996.
Axcess-Floline
All but 34 of the 276 Axcess-Flolines produced were delivered to FirstBus operators, with some early examples built concurrently alongside the group's orders for the Axcess-Ultralow. The first production Axcess-Floline was delivered to First Greater Glasgow following the Coach & Bus 97 expo.
References
External links
*
*
{{Wrightbus, state=collapsed
Low-entry buses
Vehicles introduced in 1995
Axcess