New Solo 240 seen in the depot on the FTS works visitOptare has been Blackpool's Standard bus supplier since deregulation having supplied 80% of the new buses - the other 20% comprising 12 Olympian and 30 Trident double deckers. Optare supplied 32 City Pacers (plus three ex demonstrators), 28 Deltas, 17 Excels, 31 Metroriders and now 57 Solos.
The first Solo was S794XUG - a demonstrator used for a week in March 1999 on service 26 - the second complete vehicle built. This obviously impressed as an order for 15 was place later in the year and these emerged as 261-269, 271-276 (V261HEC etc) during November 1999 (or early December for 276). Type training took place using 261-263 and the first few entered service on route 33 (Cleveleys to Mereside) on 4 January - 261/3/7/8 having the honours - 261-8 were all used in the first week. 269, 271-6 entered service on 31 January to convert the 23-25 (Mereside to Hospital and Staining) to Solo operation - replacing the last City Pacers. This needed 9 buses with 4 on the 33 and two spare.
The Metro network removed these services, though Line 3 (Mereside-Cleveleys)replaced much of the 33 and Line 5 (Staining-Lindale Gardens) much of the 23-25. Both used Solos and between March and May 2002, 261-266 were painted into Line 3 blue and yellow. 267-9/71-4 were dedicated to Line 5 and had stickers attached but retained Handybus yellow and black. In Janauary 2003 they moved onto Line 4 (Cleveleys Park-Mereside) - with the Excels moving onto the 5 - and 271 was an immediate repaint into the route's Cadbury Blue and Yellow livery. 267-269 followed in December 2003/January 2004 and 272 in November 2004. 273-276 received pool livery between October 2004 and January 2005.
In 2002 Blackpool Transport won the contract for the new Lifestyle Line L1 service (Halfway House-Norcross) funded by an Urban Bus Challenge bid by Blackpool Council. The council acquired six Solos and as four were required for service, Blackpool Transport put 278-282 (YG02FVP/R/S/T/U) into service whilst 277 (YG02FWH) was stored pending an extension of the service. This duly occured in June 2003 and the revised route from Manchester Square to Fleetwood used two more Solos 283/4 (PN03UGG/H) owned by Lancashire County Council and 277 which ran for just one day with its 02 plate before - legitimately - receiving a newer plate - PL03BPZ.
A further Lancashire owned Solo - 285 (YN04XYZ) arrived in May 2004 for Kirkham Roamer service 70.
Line 5 returned to Solo operation in March 2004 when the Excels were cascaded onto Line 7. 12 new Solos were purchased - this time featuring Cummins engines instead of the Mercedes ones used before. All were 9.5m long with seating for 33, compared to the 8.5m long 27-29 seaters previously purchased. 249-57 were allocated to Line 5 in red/yellow and 258-260 increased capacity on Line 3, cascading 265/6 to Line 4. From November 2004 to May 2006 there was a spare bus for Line 5 as its PVR had dropped from 9 to 8 - this ended with a part repaint of 249 into Line 2 green . The Kirkham Roamer Solo, 285, followed suit in August 2006.
April 2007 saw changes to the Lifestyle Line which was adopted commercially after its dedicated funding ended. 8 new buses - similar to 249-260 were acquired and a new ice blue livery adopted as 'Line 16'. The original buses were then taken through the paint shop, 277/8/80 for pool livery and 279/81-4 for Line 2.
Further Solos arrived in May 2008 - 294-297 completing the conversion of Line 3 to longer vehicles, cascading 261-4 to pool livery. 248 provided an extra bus on Line 5 whiles 247 - the 50th Solo replaced a Metrorider in Line 2 livery. The 2009 delivery has been seven Solos - 240-246 all for Line 2.
Current allocations are:
240-246 of 2009 - Line 2 (from May)
247 of 2008 - Line 2
248 of 2008 - Line 5
249 of 2004 - Line 2
250-257 of 2004 - Line 5
258-260 of 2004 - Line 3
261-264 of 1999 - Pool
265-269, 271/2 of 1999 - Line 4
273-276 of 1999 - Pool
277/8/80 of 2002 - Pool
279/81/2 of 2002 - Line 2
283/4 of 2003 - Line 2
285 of 2004 - Line 2
286-293 of 2007 - Line 16
294-297 of 2008 - Line 3.
The first Solo was S794XUG - a demonstrator used for a week in March 1999 on service 26 - the second complete vehicle built. This obviously impressed as an order for 15 was place later in the year and these emerged as 261-269, 271-276 (V261HEC etc) during November 1999 (or early December for 276). Type training took place using 261-263 and the first few entered service on route 33 (Cleveleys to Mereside) on 4 January - 261/3/7/8 having the honours - 261-8 were all used in the first week. 269, 271-6 entered service on 31 January to convert the 23-25 (Mereside to Hospital and Staining) to Solo operation - replacing the last City Pacers. This needed 9 buses with 4 on the 33 and two spare.
The Metro network removed these services, though Line 3 (Mereside-Cleveleys)replaced much of the 33 and Line 5 (Staining-Lindale Gardens) much of the 23-25. Both used Solos and between March and May 2002, 261-266 were painted into Line 3 blue and yellow. 267-9/71-4 were dedicated to Line 5 and had stickers attached but retained Handybus yellow and black. In Janauary 2003 they moved onto Line 4 (Cleveleys Park-Mereside) - with the Excels moving onto the 5 - and 271 was an immediate repaint into the route's Cadbury Blue and Yellow livery. 267-269 followed in December 2003/January 2004 and 272 in November 2004. 273-276 received pool livery between October 2004 and January 2005.
In 2002 Blackpool Transport won the contract for the new Lifestyle Line L1 service (Halfway House-Norcross) funded by an Urban Bus Challenge bid by Blackpool Council. The council acquired six Solos and as four were required for service, Blackpool Transport put 278-282 (YG02FVP/R/S/T/U) into service whilst 277 (YG02FWH) was stored pending an extension of the service. This duly occured in June 2003 and the revised route from Manchester Square to Fleetwood used two more Solos 283/4 (PN03UGG/H) owned by Lancashire County Council and 277 which ran for just one day with its 02 plate before - legitimately - receiving a newer plate - PL03BPZ.
A further Lancashire owned Solo - 285 (YN04XYZ) arrived in May 2004 for Kirkham Roamer service 70.
Line 5 returned to Solo operation in March 2004 when the Excels were cascaded onto Line 7. 12 new Solos were purchased - this time featuring Cummins engines instead of the Mercedes ones used before. All were 9.5m long with seating for 33, compared to the 8.5m long 27-29 seaters previously purchased. 249-57 were allocated to Line 5 in red/yellow and 258-260 increased capacity on Line 3, cascading 265/6 to Line 4. From November 2004 to May 2006 there was a spare bus for Line 5 as its PVR had dropped from 9 to 8 - this ended with a part repaint of 249 into Line 2 green . The Kirkham Roamer Solo, 285, followed suit in August 2006.
April 2007 saw changes to the Lifestyle Line which was adopted commercially after its dedicated funding ended. 8 new buses - similar to 249-260 were acquired and a new ice blue livery adopted as 'Line 16'. The original buses were then taken through the paint shop, 277/8/80 for pool livery and 279/81-4 for Line 2.
Further Solos arrived in May 2008 - 294-297 completing the conversion of Line 3 to longer vehicles, cascading 261-4 to pool livery. 248 provided an extra bus on Line 5 whiles 247 - the 50th Solo replaced a Metrorider in Line 2 livery. The 2009 delivery has been seven Solos - 240-246 all for Line 2.
Current allocations are:
240-246 of 2009 - Line 2 (from May)
247 of 2008 - Line 2
248 of 2008 - Line 5
249 of 2004 - Line 2
250-257 of 2004 - Line 5
258-260 of 2004 - Line 3
261-264 of 1999 - Pool
265-269, 271/2 of 1999 - Line 4
273-276 of 1999 - Pool
277/8/80 of 2002 - Pool
279/81/2 of 2002 - Line 2
283/4 of 2003 - Line 2
285 of 2004 - Line 2
286-293 of 2007 - Line 16
294-297 of 2008 - Line 3.
