Low-Floor Single-Deckers

Written by an expert in buses. Fully illustrated with colour images. Part of Britain's Buses Series. For years, passengers with disabilities, wheelchair users and parents with children in buggies were unable to use single-deck buses with steep steps leading to a high floor. However, in the 1980s, a new breed of bus was being developed, with stepless entrances and flat floors.

These were first seen in the UK in 1992, and gradually, operators moved away from older single-deckers as new models became available. These were often adaptations of existing models from mainland Europe, but UK-based manufacturers like Dennis, Optare and Wright have developed simpler and cheaper models tailored for the home market, the most notable being the best-selling Dennis Dart, which developed into the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 range.

Where once every new low-floor single-decker was invariably diesel-engined, in the early 2000s, environmental concerns led engineers to rethink the concept, first with diesel-electric hybrids, then gas buses, battery electric buses and now hydrogen-powered buses. There are signs that diesel models are on the way out as new zero-emission models are becoming increasingly popular. With over 150 images, this book traces the development of low-floor single-deckers from the first tentative steps 30 years ago, up to the latest gas, electric and hydrogen models.

About the Author

Gavin Booth has written or edited more than 80 books since 1969. He has contributed extensively to the enthusiast and trade press, and created and has edited the magazine Classic Bus for 13 years. He has worked in and around the bus industry for more than 50 years, latterly as Chair of the passenger-focused body Bus Users UK. He is a past-President of The Omnibus Society.