Alexander ALX300

Alexander ALX300
Stagecoach in Manchester ALX300 bodied MAN 18.220 in March 2013
Overview
Manufacturer	Alexander TransBus Alexander Dennis
Production	1997–2007
Body and chassis
Doors	1
Floor type	Low floor
Chassis	DAF SB220 MAN 18.220 Volvo B10BLE
Related	Alexander ALX200 Alexander ALX400 Alexander ALX500
Powertrain
Engine	MAN D0836 (18.220) DAF GS160M (SB220) Volvo DH10A (B10BLE)
Capacity	34 to 41 seated
Transmission	Voith ZF
Dimensions
Length	10.7–11.5 metres (35–38 ft)
Width	2.50 metres (8 ft 2 in)
Height	3.00 metres (9.84 ft)
Chronology
Predecessor	Alexander Strider Alexander PS type Alexander Ultra
Successor	Alexander Dennis Enviro300

The Alexander ALX300 (later known as the TransBus ALX300 and the Alexander Dennis ALX300) was a low-floor bus body manufactured by Alexander and later Alexander Dennis in Falkirk, Scotland. It was launched in 1997 as a replacement for the Strider and the PS type.

Sharing the same design cues of the smaller single-deck Alexander ALX200 and double-deck Alexander ALX400, the ALX300 has a rounded roof dome similar to the ALX200, a deep double-curvature windscreen with plastic mouldings under the windscreen to make it look deeper and a separate destination sign.

Operators

Stagecoach in Newcastle ALX300 bodied MAN 18.220 rear in Newcastle upon Tyne in April 2009

The first 23 Alexander ALX300s entered service with Stagecoach Busways from early 1998 onwards, all of which were built on the Volvo B10BLE chassis.[1] Stagecoach soon chose to standardise on ALX300s on the MAN 18.220 chassis by ordering 150 of the type following the Coach & Bus '97 expo,[2] taking delivery of its first 28 for its Thames Transit subsidiary's Oxford operations from November 1998 onwards,[3] followed by major batch orders for its Manchester, Busways, Transit, Cumberland, Fife Scottish and Bluebird subsidiaries.

Orders for ALX300s on the MAN chassis continued following the group's rebranding in November 2000, despite the arrival of the Alexander Dennis Enviro300 in 2001, which was aimed at the ALX300's market. The first ALX300s ordered following this rebrand were delivered to Stagecoach East in late 2001, with 40 ALX300s on MAN 18.220 chassis being used to relaunch its Cambridge bus network under the 'citi' brand.[4] Stagecoach North East, formed from the combination of the Busways and Transit operations, took delivery of an additional 71 ALX300s between 2003 and 2006, while further orders were delivered to the group's Bluebird, East Scotland, Lincolnshire, Manchester, and West Scotland operations up until 2006.[5] The final ALX300s for the group, as well as the final ALX300s produced, were delivered to Stagecoach Yorkshire in 2007, after which Stagecoach moved over to the Alexander Dennis Enviro300 on MAN 18.240 chassis as its standard single-deck bus.[6][7]

Compared to the large quantity purchased by the Stagecoach Group, Alexander ALX300s were sold in smaller numbers to independent operators and other bus operating groups. Arriva were the second-largest operator of ALX300s, with 51 delivered on DAF SB220 chassis for Arriva Yorkshire during 1998,[8] with smaller numbers on Volvo B10BLE chassis following for Arriva Fox County, Arriva Manchester, Arriva Northumbria and Arriva The Shires during 2000; First Glasgow also took delivery of 32 of the type that same year, these being the only ALX300s purchased by the FirstGroup.

Independent operators of Alexander ALX300s included East Yorkshire Motor Services, who took delivery of ten ALX300s on Volvo B10BLE chassis in May 2000, with ten more on MAN 18.220 chassis being delivered to the operator in July 2002.[9]

References

1. "Busways Quality Partnership move". Coach & Bus Week. No. 299. Peterborough: Emap. 11 December 1997. p. 6. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
2. "Stagecoach orders for 1998". Buses. No. 513. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. December 1997. p. 6. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
3. Morris, Stephen; Lamb, Philip (February 1999). "MAN for the job?". Buses. No. 527. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 26–28. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
4. Morgan, Mike (15 November 2001). "Stagecoach 'citi' may be a network model". Coach & Bus Week. No. 500. Peterborough: Emap. p. 6. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
5. "Stagecoach Group orders 340 new buses for UK" (Press release). Perth: Stagecoach Group. 14 March 2005. Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
6. "Stagecoach orders 444 new buses". Bus & Coach Professional. 28 February 2007. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
7. Potter, Bill (2009). 2009 Stagecoach Bus Handbook. Telford: British Bus Publishing. p. 8. ISBN 9781904875093.
8. Lidstone, John G. (February 1999). "Fleet News England & Wales". Buses. No. 527. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. p. 41. Retrieved 14 September 2024. Further DAF DEO2GSSB220/Alexander ALX300 B42F are 472-91 (S472-91 ANW), all for Yorkshire (West Riding) stock.
9. "What's new on the buses". Kingston upon Hull: East Yorkshire Motor Services. Archived from the original on 5 December 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

External links

Media related to Alexander ALX300 at Wikimedia Commons