MidlandRed.net

So, looking at the Today in History section of the Home Page it looks like 15-years ago today the batch of 10 Optare Solo, fleet numbers 1703-1712, entered service at Worcester depot.

Unlike other new vehicles, these didn't just get sent out in the morning at the start of services... There was a normal allocation in the morning, then at lunch time the engineers and anyone else who they could find bought the whole batch down to Crowngate to be swapped for a Vario, one at a time.

History and Allocations

"Where did THAT 15 years go ??" --

I think the Solo was a brilliant "re-design" of the van derived minibuses of the 1980s and 1990s, and it has proven itself durable.

I wish that today's operators were buying a lot more of them (in a reliable, durable, low-emissions format), and I wish that various forms of Government financial help packages, could help in acquiring them, -- How about the Government itself buying and owning a large batch, and "renting" or leasing them to operators in a fair and sensible way, - at low cost to the operator ?

First Bath have currently about 8 new ones (on order)-- Slimline 8.5Ms, I believe.