Photographs of Metrobus DR101 are sorted into the following sub-entries:
Hong Kong
China Motor Bus
Metrobuses (1 page)
MC7 (1 page)
MC9 (2 pages)
Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation DR101s
(1 page)
New World First Bus
training buses (2 pages)
United States
City Sightseeing San Francisco
Metrobus DR101s (1 page)
United Kingdom
City Sightseeing Bristol DR101 (1 page)
City Sightseeing Stirling DR101 (1
page)
Metrobus DR101 School Bus (1 page)
Halifax Joint Committee DR101s (1 page)
Powells Bus Company DR101s (1 page)
Metrobus DR101 Export Fleetlist
Photographs of
Metrobus DR101 Export are sorted into the following sub-entries:
China Motor Bus and ex-China Motor Bus Metrobuses (3 pages)
Interior details of MB27 (1 page)
Photographs of
Metrobus DR102 are sorted into the following sub-entries:
Kowloon Motor Bus
Metrobuses (15 pages)
Kowloon Motor
Bus Metrobus training bus (1 page)
Interior details
of a Kowloon Motor Bus Metrobus (1 page)
Kowloon Canton
Railway Corporation Metrobuses (8 pages)
Interior details of
a Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation Metrobus (1 page)
Travel West Midlands Metrobus
DR102s (1 page)
Ex-Yorkshire Traction Metrobus
DR102s (1 page)
Reading Transport Limited Metrobus
DR102s (1 page)
Ex-Northern General Metrobus
DR102s (1 page)
J&B Travel Limited Metrobus
DR102s (1 page)
Ensignbus Metrobus
DR102s (1 page)
Photographs of
Metrobus DR115 are sorted into the following sub-entries:
China Motor Bus and ex-China Motor Bus Metrobuses (2 pages)
ML2 - The triple door Metrobus (1 page)
Interior details of ML2 (2 pages)
Interior details of an ex-China Motor Bus Metrobus (1 page)
Interior details
of an ex-China Motor Bus Metrobus with ventilation fans
(1 page)
Ex-NWFB Metrobuses in Sydney (1 page)
The Big Bus
Company DR115s (1 page)
Arriva DR115s (1 page)
Weavaway Travel DR115s (1 page)
Photographs of
Metrobus DR116 are sorted into the following sub-entries:
Kowloon Motor Bus Metrobuses
Photographs of
Metrobus DR137 and DR138 are sorted into the following sub-entries:
Interior details of
Kowloon Motor Bus Metrobuses (1 page)
Interior details
of Kowloon Motor Bus
Metrobus S3M145 (1 page)
Kowloon Motor
Bus Metrobuses (51 pages)
Quick guide: S3M1 S3M46 S3M101 S3M201
Metrobus Magic Castle in Macau (1 page)
Note: You are free to adopt any text or photograph for non-moneymaking activities. You may set the photographs as the wallpaper in your PC. However, you are not allowed to post the text or photographs on the net without prior permission from Anthony Lui.
General Information
The Metrobus was developed in 1970s. It was the first complete bus series designed and built by Metropolitan Cammell Weymann. Since the chassis and the body were manufactured together, the total production time was shortened so that they were beloved by many bus operators, including China Motor Bus Company of Hong Kong.
In 1978, CMB bought 12 single-doored Metrobuses. These 9.63m buses were fitted with MCW Apollo Mark I bodies. They also had high backed seats in coach configuration. They were allocated MC and used to run the holiday routes to the south of Hong Kong Island and the executive commuter route 13 to the Mid-levels. They were said to be the most comfortable non-airconditioned buses in Hong Kong. All of these buses have already retired from service by 11 August 1999 and three of them had their staircase removed and converted to training buses by New World First Bus. On 27 May 2000, MC9 was shipped to Australia.
In 1979 and 1980, CMB placed an order for 40 11-metre long Metrobuses (allocated MB). They had only two axles and two doors. This configuration was very rare in British buses. Only Daimler Fleetline, Leyland Atlantean and Leyland Olympian had produced buses with similar configurations. No other operators in the world had this model of Metrobus. These buses, like the 9.63m model, adopted Apollo Mark I bodies. The were characterised by the two-step windscreens. The one at the offside was shallower and the one at the near side was deeper, allowing protection and a better view to the driver. The windscreen on the upper deck was relatively small and rectangular than the Apollo Mark II bodies. The 11 metre long buses had a very large passenger capacity and became the largest two axle buses in Hong Kong, but resulted in a mediocre performance when fully loaded owing to the 125kW Gardner 6LXB engine.
In April 1981, five 12-metre long Super Metrobuses were supplied to Hong Kong as demonstrators. Three came to Kowloon Motor Bus Company and 2 came to China Motor Bus Company. KMB designated them as 3M and CMB allocated them ML. ML2 (CR4882) had two single width exits amidships and had the staircases moved forward. The other buses had one double-width exit. The designed total capacity was 170. It was the highest passenger capacity of buses at that time. These buses, together with later batches in various lengths, were fitted with the improved MCW Apollo Mark II bodies. The material used in producing the Mark II bodies had been reduced by 60 percent to the Mark I bodies, thus resulting in lighter weight and lower cost. However, drivers criticise MCW buses are very heavy to manoevure and the driver's area was smaller than those in Dominators and Olympians.
After the promotion, China Motor Bus endorsed orders for 42 and 40 Super Metrobuses in 1983 and 1987. The first batch had one seat removed and the last batch had one more seat removed. Both seats were on the upper deck. Those in the latest batch were fitted with ventilation systems. Although all these buses have been withdrawn by NWFB, most of them have been exported! About 30 buses came to Australia. Some of them have been converted to open-top buses for sight-seeing buses in Olympic Games 2000. Some non-open-top buses are also sight-seeing buses. The roofs are retained because they have to serve routes with overhead trolley bus / tram cables. These buses will be fitted with headrest on the 2+2 seats. The ML2 was sold to Australia without painting in red. It's engine had been removed and has been sold to someone in Wollongong as a mobile home. Other buses, without being repainted, are shipped to Great Britain and are to be used as schoolbuses.
Although Kowloon Motor Bus did not place any further order for Super Metrobuses, but they bought 9.7m and 11m models later. The first batch of 30 9.7m buses (DR102) arrived in 1983. They were fitted with clear glass sliding windows. Then another 50 came in 1985. They had light blue tinted windows to reduce the solar heat gain factor. 3 of them (M58, M59 and M60) were fitted with Cummins LT10 engines so as to travel on the hilly roads on Tai Mo Shan, the highest hill in Hong Kong. The last 8 buses were manufactured just before the MCW factory was closed in October 1989. They were fitted with Gardner 6LXDT engines and moved on the hilly roads before the route was air-conditioned by Dennis Darts and Dennis Dragons. In 1999, some of them have the windscreens changed by KMB. The characteristic is that it has a frame dark in colour.
The 11 metre models (DR137 and DR138) came to Hong Kong in 1986-1989. The first batches were fitted with Gardner 6LXCT engines and did not have any ventilation system. The later batches were fitted with a ventilation system, and some of them were fitted with Cummins LT10 adn LT10A engines. One of them (S3M145, DP1932) was fitted with a Suetrak air-conditioner just above the engine. It was later removed owing to the poor performance in the test run. In the experiment, it carried an attractive livery with red strips in flat yellow background. Like the first air-conditioned Leyland Olympian, the bus was fitted with sliding windows and one piece single-width door in the front.
KCRC Metrobuses
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation also ordered 39 new DR102 and 20 second-hand DR101 buses in 1986. The new buses were shipped to Hong Kong in ckd and were built at the ground floor of Kowloon Station. The new buses had Apollo Mark II bodies and the old ones had Mark I bodies.
Photographs
Photographs of Metrobus DR101 Export
Photographs of Metrobus DR102 and DR132
Photographs of Metrobus DR137 and DR138
Specifications
Specifications of Metrobus DR101 and DR101 Export
Specifications of Metrobus DR102 and DR132
Specifications of Metrobus DR115
Specifications of Metrobus DR116
Specifications of Metrobus DR137 and DR138
Return to Metro-Cammell Weymann
Page created: 11 June 1999
Last updated: 11 April 2010