| Optare Group Limited | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters |  Manston Lane, Leeds, England, UK |
| Industry | Bus building |
| Products | Buses |
| Website | www.optare.com |
Optare Group Ltd. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds, England. Bus manufacturing describes the Manufacturing of Buses and coaches. In Economics, an import is any good (eg a Commodity) or Service brought into one country from another country in a legitimate fashion Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The firm is based at the former Leyland Bus factory in Leeds and produces small and medium sized buses as well as coaches for the British and worldwide market. Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer It emerged from the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) as a Management buyout of the bus business The group also contains the Autobus firm which produces minibuses and converted Mercedes-Benz buses. Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the On 12 March 2008 Optare Group was purchased by Jamesstan Investments, an investment company controlled by the Darwen Group's parent company chairman Ron Stanley. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Darwen Group was a UK Bus manufacturer located in Blackburn. It is believed that Optare will remain an independent company. [1]
Contents |
History
In September 1984, Leyland announced that it was closing the Charles H. Roe vehicle bodywork building business in Leeds. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer It emerged from the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) as a Management buyout of the bus business Charles H Roe Ltd was a Yorkshire coachbuilding company It was reformed in 1923 (after the 1921 company failed based at Crossgates Carriage Works, in In response, Russell Richardson, a former plant director at Roe, backed by the West Yorkshire Enterprise Board and many redundant former employees, created Optare in February 1985. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)
The company was created at a very difficult time for the bus and coach industry, with the challenges of privatisation and deregulation meaning very few orders for new vehicles. The first orders came from West Yorkshire PTE and South Yorkshire PTE, keen to support local industry. West Yorkshire ordered fifteen Leyland Olympians with Optare built bodywork to the old Roe design. The Leyland Olympian was a Double-decker bus built by British Leyland / Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 The first bodies to Optare's own design were Dennis Dominos for South Yorkshire PTE. The Dennis Domino is a Midibus built by Hestair Dennis in Guildford, England between 1984 and 1985 However, the company had an ability to identify specific market needs and soon sought to expand its customer base by producing vehicles specifically designed for its core markets.
In 1986 Optare introduced is first true product, the CityPacer minibus. The Optare CityPacer was a minibus body typically seating 25 produced by Optare from 1985 to 1992 The Optare CityPacer was a minibus body typically seating 25 produced by Optare from 1985 to 1992 This was based on a heavier version of the MAN-VW LT55 van chassis, to which Optare made modifications. The engine was a six-cylinder 2. 4-litre. The body seated 25, with space for a further 5 standing passengers, a size that met the minibus vogue of the late 1980s. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. While its competitors looked like the modified vans they were, the CityPacer had attractive styling notable for its large one-piece raked windscreen. London Transport bought 52, and other major operators bought small batches.
Soon after the StarRider was introduced, based on the Mercedes 811D chassis. The Optare StarRider was a midibus/midicoach body produced by Optare between 1987 and 1994 This was a heavier chassis with a proven reliability record. The StarRider had seating for 33 passengers, although the body styling was less successful. London Transport took 123 StarRiders.
In 1988 the first full size Optare product appeared, known as the Delta. This was a single-deck bus based on the DAF SB220 chassis. The DAF SB220 is a city bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International (now VDL Bus International) in the 1980s and 1990s The Delta bodywork featured contemporary styling and was aluminium with a bolted frame licensed from Alusuisse. The Delta successfully found a niche in the full-size single deck bus market, which was very limited at that time.
Dennis had effectively created a new segment, known as a midibus, with the introduction of the Dennis Dart. Dennis Specialist Vehicles is a major British coachbuilder and manufacturer of specialised commercial vehicles based in Guildford, England. The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined Midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. Optare soon introduced a competitor, the Vecta. The Vecta was slightly bigger than the Dart at that time, seating 40 in a full width 2. 50m body. The chassis was based on the MAN 11. 190 and featured a ZF gearbox and air suspension. The body was a scaled down version of the Delta.
The Spectra double-decker set new standards in design, forcing a rethink of how a double-decker should be styled. A double-decker bus is a Bus that has two levels While double-decker long-distance coaches are in widespread use around the world double-decker city buses are
The Solo was launched and has been an overnight success for Optare. It currently competes in the same sector as the Dart and has won many orders due to its unique styling and street appeal. The Solo is currently available in four lengths with a 'Slimline' narrower option. Optare has also found some success in the US with a version of the Solo midibus where it has been mainly ordered for use at airports.
In 1990, Optare joined a group called the United Bus. United Bus was a Bus manufacturing group created in 1990 which consisted of Den Oudsten (Netherlands DAF Bus (Netherlands BOVA (Netherlands After the collapse of the group in 1993, Optare was again bought through management-buyout. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Optare acquired Autobus in 1996. Autobus Classique is a bus and coach body builder which has been an Optare subsidiary since 1996 In 2000, Optare was bought by North American Bus Industries for £21. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston Alabama. 5million. This gave Optare products exposure in the North American market.
On 1 August 2005, with North American Bus Industries in trouble, speculation about the future of Optare was ended with the announcement that Optare had, once again, been bought by its management, headed by managing director Bob Coombes, for £11. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 8million.
The March 2008 takeover by the Darwen Group's parent company chairman Ron Stanley[1] is thought to be down to the desire for the Darwen Group to reduce its reliance on chassis manufacturers, drawing on Optare's experience in integral bus manufacture, and to gain access to Optare's expertise in the emerging hybrid bus field. The Darwen Group was a UK Bus manufacturer located in Blackburn.
Preservation
As can be expected, a number of early Optare vehicles have already entered preservation. Of the very early vehicles, three Dominos are owned by a private owner in Sheffield, of the early WYPTE vehicles, an Olympian, Cub and Sherpa are preserved by Transport Yorkshire Preservation Group and a number of CityPacers (including Yorkshire Rider 1700 D901MWR) and MetroRiders have been saved including an ex-cardiff example N143PTG by the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group.
Products
Buses
- Current
- Solo
- Alero/Alero Plus
- Tempo
- Versa
- Discontinued
- Spectra
- Metrorider
- CityPacer
- StarRider
- Vecta
- Delta
- Sigma
- Prisma
- Excel
- ColumboRider
Coaches
- Current
- Toro
- Solero
- Soroco
- Discontinued
- Bonito
Current competitors
External links
- Optare's official website
- A useful listing of all bodies/complete buses built from 1985 to date
- Transport Yorkshire Preservation Group, owners of various preserved Optare vehicles
- Dennis Domino Buses, details of Optare's first design
- Buszone Optare page details of Optare and Reading Transport
References
- ^ a b Bus and Coach.com Roy Stanley company buys Optare, 12 March 2008
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