Bus Eireann introduced a new Naas / Newbridge local service, iniatially operated by Mercedes benz Eurocoach ML 108 & 110 borrowed from the Navan town service.
Two former Go- North East, England Optare Excels, part of the 34 batch received for mostly school bus replacements were allocated to the route. Here is a feature on the two Excels, OP 1 & 9
The original, OP 1 ( 97 D 67771 ) is seen at the 2nd last stop at Newbridge before Tesco. Complete with route branding & wayfarer, these low floor easy access & ramp are very popular with shoppers.
OP 1 seen having just left the terminus as Tesco at Newbridge.
The trip time is about 25 minutes & is integrated into the route 126
( Naas/ Newbridge/ Kildare/ Dublin ) timetable. The shuttle services by the OP's are designed to operate between the 126 carriage services to give maximum departures. The shuttle services were introduced due to the 126 's being full by the time they reached either Naas or Newbridge & being unable to cater for local traffic.
Rear view of OP 1 heading for Naas.
The rear dmd display is intact but no longer used. When new to Go- North, some were fitted with front dmd's also, but these were removed prior to delivery to Bus Eireann. All 34 OP's were resparyed into Bus Eireann livery in the UK to the standard Bus Scoile / School Bus colours.
The OP's are fitted with a Cummins B series engine.
The second OP operating the Naas/ Newbridge shuttle is OP 9, seen here in Newbridge town centre. The Optare Excel body design is quite different to the traditional Bus Eireann buses & coaches with this being the first Optare's for the company
Interior view of OP 9 complete with individual bucket type seating. OP 1 is fitted with dual purpose bench seating.
OP 1 has 38 seats while the rest of the batch have 41 seats.
The wheelchair area has been replaced by seats & this was unfortunate for buggies/ the enduring trollies which had to squeeze between the seats. These buses would have been reseated for school bus duties & probably not local town services, although appear to have been well received in Naas.
