Optare Sigma
| Optare Sigma | |
|---|---|
 Atbus Optare Sigma bodied Dennis Lance in 2009 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Optare |
| Production | 1994 - 1996 |
| Assembly | Cross Gates |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1-2 |
| Floor type | Step entrance |
| Chassis | Dennis Lance |
| Related | Optare Spectra |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Optare Excel |
The Optare Sigma was a step-entrance single-deck bus body manufactured by Optare between 1994 and 1996 on the Dennis Lance chassis. The body was constructed from Alusuisse aluminium alloy with fiberglass front and rear panels.[1][2] It was the single-deck version of the Optare Spectra.[3]
The Sigma was not a low-floor bus although its floor height of 40cm is considered low for a step-entrance design. The first built had two doors, the remainder only one.[2] It was also similar in design to the Optare Delta.[4] The Vecta had the same body styling as the Sigma but was designed for medium-length chassis, the Sigma was for full length chassis.[5][6]
Only 54 were produced, primarily being purchased by Brighton & Hove (20), Trent Barton (17) and Gateshead & District (14).[6][2][7]
Unlike the Spectra, it did not last long enough to be developed into a true low-floor bus and was replaced by the Optare Excel in 1995.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Merc underframed Prisma Commercial Motor 30 March 1995
- ^ a b c Daughters of Delta Buses issue 690 September 2012 page 40
- ^ Companion to Road Passenger Transport History. Walsall: Roads & Road Transport History Association. 2013. p. 360. ISBN 9780955287633.
- ^ "DAF - Life after United". Buses (March 1994 issue). United Kingdom: Ian Allan Publishing. February 1994. p. 9.
- ^ a b The Model Page Bus & Coach Preservation ISSN 1462-1886 February 2018 page 64
- ^ a b Jenkison, Keith (2020). The History of Optare. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445696942.
- ^ Optare Sigma Bus Lists on the Web
External links[edit]
Media related to Optare Sigma at Wikimedia Commons
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