The
Optare Excel is a
low-floorA low-floor bus is a bus that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. Being low floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly or infirm, or those with push chairs, and increasingly, those in wheelchairs.In the modern...
full-size
single-decker busA single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single level. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard 2 axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a single decked bus with an extra deck and staircase...
manufactured by
OptareOptare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
.
Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear. At the front, a simple flat panel with the Optare name was set between two pairs of twin headlamps, below a very large front windscreen.
The
Optare Excel is a
low-floorA low-floor bus is a bus that has no steps between one or more entrances and part or all of the passenger cabin. Being low floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly or infirm, or those with push chairs, and increasingly, those in wheelchairs.In the modern...
full-size
single-decker busA single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single level. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard 2 axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a single decked bus with an extra deck and staircase...
manufactured by
OptareOptare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec....
.
Manufactured as an integral bus, the Excel was launched in 1995 as one of the first low-floor single-deck vehicles. The styling of the body was in keeping with existing Optare products, especially at the rear. At the front, a simple flat panel with the Optare name was set between two pairs of twin headlamps, below a very large front windscreen. Power came from a
CumminsCummins Inc. is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems...
6BT, a 6-cylinder turbo diesel engine. A
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG , after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz...
900 series engine was an option with the Excel 2. Both transmitted their power via an
AllisonAllison Transmission a manufacturer of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world’s leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, refuse, fire, construction, distribution, military...
"World Series" B300R gearbox.
The Excel was built in a range of lengths, and in Optare tradition, the chassis code reflected this. An L960 was 9.6m in length; an L1000 was 10.0m in length, and so on; with L1070 and L1150 variants built.
The Excel was updated in 1999, with the front similar to that of the
Optare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension...
and using round headlights, 2 less rear lights, and a repositioned fuel-filler cap. This was known as the
Excel 2, and was only built in L1070, L1150 and L1180 configurations. Examples of the 11.8 m long Excel 2 (the longest version) were purchased by
Wilts & DorsetWilts & Dorset Bus Company is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, east Dorset, south Wiltshire and west Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by The Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group.-History:...
, and Trent Buses, which still use them in service today.
Seating ranged from 27 in the L960, 35 in the L1070, 43 in the L1150 and 45 in the L1180, although these figures can vary.
The Excel did not have a great reputation for its reliability and many major operators were quick to dispose of their Excel's onto the second hand market.
The Excel was replaced by the
TempoThe Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004. It is marketed and sold as the replacement for the Optare Excel....
, but the design is used for the
NABINorth American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston, Alabama. NABI was founded in 1992 when the Hungarian firm Ikarus Bus, a key bus supplier to Eastern Europe, spun off a majority share of their American operations to...
700SE, which uses a
ScaniaScania Aktiebolag , commonly referred to as Scania AB, or just Scania, is a global automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles - specifically heavy trucks , buses, and diesel engines for motive power of heavy vehicles, marine, and general industrial applications.Founded in 1891 in...
powerplant.