ukbus 4010 Alexander Royale-bodied Volvo Olympian
South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach
Since the operation of London Airbus routes ceased a couple years ago, the new lives of the ex-Airbus Volvo Olympian / Alexander Royales have been of interest to British enthusiasts. Creative Master Northcord Limited is releasing the fourth livery on the Airbus / ex-Airbus replica ukbus 4010, in South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach's University of the West of Englandcolours.
ukbus 4010 represents fleet number 139 (N114 UHP). 139 was delivered new to London United in the autumn of 1995 for London Airbus services. National Express purchased the Airbus operation from London United in 1999 along with the 19 Olympians which operated it. These vehicles were unusual in having Air Conditioning, only 9 seats in the lower saloon, luggage racks and a wheelchair space & lift.
Following the reduction of Airbus services, South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach acquired many Olympians from the dealer Ensignbus.
The University of the West of England in conjunction with South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach Company have been providing affordable transportation for its staff and students from September 2002. The bus route provides, term time only, a direct link to the University campus at Frenchay with its city centre student halls of residence. On average, during each academic year, approximately 80,000 passengers are transported.
The buses, an air-conditioned Alexander-bodied Volvo Olympian in this case, carry a livery designed by the University Central Graphic Design Studio, and feature students currently studying at the University.
Similar to those Airbus / ex-Airbus replicas, ukbus 4010 has a new combination of the ukbus 4000 series casting, with a single door, front staircase and bonded windows, as well as chair lift poles at the entrance, brand new additional seats in the lower saloon and ventilation windows on the roof.
ukbus 4010 is a one-piece casting whose clean lines accentuate the bonded windows and livery application on which all logos and lettering are clearly legible. The headlight and indicator units at the front are made of individual components to look more realistic.
The brand new single-door Alexander Royale Volvo Olympian double-deck bus models will be distributed by John Ayrey Die-Casts Limited (UK), Porte Publishing Company (Japan) and Concorde Hobby Shop (HK) respectively. The ukbus 4008 model is limited to 1400 pieces worldwide.
