View source for Plaxton President

{{Short description|2-axle low-floor double-decker bus body}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2007}}
{{Infobox automobile
| name = Plaxton President
| image = Pvl233 (15052957585).jpg
| caption      = [[London Central]] Plaxton President bodied [[Volvo B7TL]] in July 2014
| manufacturer = [[Plaxton]]/[[Alexander Dennis|TransBus]]/[[Alexander Dennis]]
| production = 1999–2005
| assembly = [[Wigan]], England
| predecessor = [[Northern Counties Palatine]]
| capacity = 
| operator = Various around the UK
| length = {{convert|9.9–11.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|2.55|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| height = {{convert|4.2–4.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| floortype = [[Low-floor bus|Low floor]]
| doors = 1 or 2
| weight = 
| chassis = [[Dennis Trident 2]]<br />[[Volvo B7TL]]<br />[[VDL DB250]]
| engine = [[Cummins C Series engine|Cummins C Series/ISCe]] (Dennis Trident 2)<br />Volvo D7C (Volvo B7TL)<br />DAF (VDL DB250)
| powerout = 
| transmission = Voith DIWA/ZF Ecomat
}}

The '''Plaxton President''' is a [[Low-floor bus|low floor]] [[double-decker bus]] [[coachwork|body]] built by [[Plaxton]] at the former [[Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company|Northern Counties]] factory in [[Wigan]], England. It was first unveiled in 1997 on the longitudinal [[Volvo B7L]] chassis and later built between 1999 and 2005 following a body redesign.<ref name="B7L President">{{cite magazine |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=The First President |url=https://www.keybuses.com/article/first-president |magazine=[[Buses (magazine)|Buses]] |issue=791 |pages=38-39 |location=Stamford |publisher=Key Publishing |date=21 January 2021 |access-date=17 November 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> When it became part of [[TransBus International]], the body was sold under the TransBus name. The President was built on the [[Dennis Trident 2|Dennis/TransBus Trident]], the [[VDL DB250|DAF DB250]] and the [[Volvo B7TL]] chassis.

==Design==
Launched at the Coach & Bus '97 expo in [[Birmingham]] on the as-yet-unannounced Volvo B7L chassis, the Plaxton President was designed as the successor of the [[Northern Counties Palatine]] to compete with the low-floor [[Alexander ALX400]] body, being the first {{convert|2.55|m}} wide bus body produced in the United Kingdom following a 1995 amendment to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 that legalised their operation. The President was available with the option of a central interior staircase, though later models would see the staircase moved behind the air-conditioned driver's cab.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Morgan |first=Mike |url=https://archive.org/details/cbw-issue291/page/18/mode/1up |date=16 October 1997 |title=President takes buses into the next century... |magazine=[[Coach & Bus Week]] |issue=291 |page=18 |location=Peterborough |publisher=Emap |access-date=7 April 2024}}</ref> The President had rectangular front headlights below a large front windscreen, and from the side, could be recognised by the different depths of windows on the lower deck; this is less apparent with bonded-glazed models. Seating varied according to the chassis and specification; [[Transport for London|TfL]] models were typically built with 41 seats upstairs, and 23 downstairs with a centre exit door.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

Following the collapse of TransBus International and resultant formation of [[Alexander Dennis]], it was announced that the Plaxton's Wigan factory would close, with the Plaxton President discontinued in favour of the [[Falkirk]]-built [[Alexander ALX400]]. The final nine Presidents, all on Volvo B7TL chassis for London operator [[Metroline]], were built at the Wigan plant in January 2005.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |date=8 September 2006 |title=Bob's life on the buses |url=http://www.wigantoday.net/news/bob-s-life-on-the-buses-1-167308 |url-status=dead |work=Wigan Evening Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330131842/https://www.wigantoday.net/news/bob-s-life-on-the-buses-1-167308 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |access-date=9 December 2018}}</ref><ref name="WharmbyVolvo">{{cite book|last=Wharmby|first=Matthew|title=The London Volvo B7TL|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JyhCEAAAQBAJ|access-date=17 November 2021|date=30 December 2021|publisher=Pen and Sword Transport|isbn=978-1-5267-8698-2}}</ref>{{rp|138}}

==Operators==
===London===
[[File:Arriva London North bus DLP100 (LF52 URE), 20 September 2008.jpg|thumb|right|[[Arriva London]] Plaxton President bodied [[DAF DB250LF]] in [[New Barnet]] in September 2008]]
The Plaxton President on various chassis combinations proved very popular with some of [[London]]'s bus operators. The first production examples of the body were first delivered to [[Arriva London]] on the [[VDL DB250|DAF DB250]] chassis in 1999.<ref name="B7L President" /> Arriva London would go on to purchase 91 Plaxton Presidents on the DAF chassis until 2005, acquiring a further ten from [[Capital Logistics]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Fenton |first=Mike |title=Fenton File |url=https://www.keybuses.com/article/fenton-file-14 |magazine=Buses |issue=772 |page=59 |location=Stamford |publisher=Key Publishing |date=20 June 2019 |access-date=17 November 2021 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Metroline operated the most Plaxton Presidents in London, ordering 305 examples on the [[Volvo B7TL]] chassis and 260 on the [[Dennis Trident 2]] chassis from 1999 to 2005.<ref name="WharmbyTrident">{{cite book|last=Wharmby|first=Matthew|title=The London Dennis Trident|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vrs1EAAAQBAJ|access-date=17 November 2021|date=31 July 2021|publisher=Pen and Sword Transport|isbn=978-1-5267-8694-4}}</ref>{{rp|215}}<ref name="WharmbyVolvo" />{{rp|164}} [[First London]] also amassed large quantities of Plaxton Presidents, taking delivery of 403 Dennis Tridents and 73 Volvo B7TLs with Plaxton President bodies from 1999 to 2003,<ref name="WharmbyTrident" />{{rp|137}}<ref name="WharmbyVolvo" />{{rp|240}} while [[London General]] and [[London Central]], both part of the [[Go-Ahead Group]], purchased a total of 419 Presidents on the Volvo B7TL chassis as well as an additional 50 President-bodied Dennis Tridents.<ref name="WharmbyVolvo" />{{rp|91}}<ref name="WharmbyTrident" />{{rp|245}}

Other major London operators included [[London United Busways|London United]], who took delivery of 26 Plaxton President-bodied B7TLs in 1999,<ref name="WharmbyVolvo" />{{rp|96-98}} [[London Sovereign]], who took delivery of 27 President-bodied B7TLs in two batches between 2002 and 2003,<ref name="WharmbyVolvo" />{{rp|102-103}} and [[Blue Triangle]], who took delivery of two President-bodied Tridents in 2003 and also acquired two second-hand that year.<ref name="WharmbyTrident" />{{rp|256-257}}

===Outside London===
[[File:Stagecoach bus 18029 (MX53 FLJ), 29 December 2004.jpg|thumb|[[Stagecoach Manchester]] Plaxton President bodied [[Dennis Trident 2]] at [[Stockport bus station]] in December 2004]]
[[File:Go North East bus 3890 Dennis Trident Plaxton President NK51 UCT in DFDS Ferry contract livery in Newcastle 25 April 2009 pic 1.JPG|thumb|Rear of [[Go North East]] Plaxton President bodied Dennis Trident 2 in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] in April 2009]]
[[Lothian Buses]] were the largest operator of Presidents outside London, purchasing approximately 205 from 1999 to 2004. All but seven examples were built on the Dennis Tridents chassis; the remaining seven Presidents were purchased on the Volvo B7TL chassis.<ref name="B7L President" /> [[Travel West Midlands]] were the second largest operator of Presidents outside London, taking delivery of 102 examples on Volvo B7TL chassis between 1999 and 2000.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Morris |first=Stephen |url=https://archive.org/details/buses-issue541/page/n19/mode/2up |title=Road Test: Is this the new Olympian? |magazine=Buses |issue=541 |location=Hersham |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |pages=20–23 |date=April 2000 |access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref>

[[Go-Ahead Group]] companies outside [[London]] also bought Presidents in substantial numbers. [[Brighton & Hove (bus company)|Brighton & Hove]] took 36 Presidents on the [[Dennis Trident 2]] chassis between 2001 and 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://history.buses.co.uk/history/fleethist/26April2002.htm |title=Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company fleet history |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=26 April 2002 |website=Brighton & Hove |location=Brighton |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref> This was followed by [[Go North East]] who took 15 in 2001 on the Dennis Trident chassis. Prior to the company being taken over by the Go-Ahead Group, [[Southern Vectis]] took delivery seven Presidents on [[Volvo B7TL]] chassis for 'Island Explorer' services in 2002.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lyons|first=Mark|title=The Go-Ahead Group: The First 25 Years |chapter=Go South Coast |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_1zEAAAQBAJ |access-date=6 December 2023|date=30 June 2022|publisher=[[Key Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-80282-082-9|page=85}}</ref>

The [[Stagecoach Group]] ordered nearly 50 low-height Presidents on [[Dennis Trident 2]] chassis between 2000 and 2003. [[Stagecoach Cambridgeshire|Stagecoach Cambus]] took the first seven Presidents in 2000, with the company later ordering a majority of their Presidents in 2003. 30 of these were delivered to [[Stagecoach Manchester]], while six were delivered to [[Stagecoach Oxfordshire]] in 'Brookes Bus' livery.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jack |first=Doug |date=2005 |title=Twenty-five years of Stagecoach |url=https://archive.org/details/twentyfiveyearso0000jack/ |location=Hersham |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |page=88 |isbn=978-0-7110-3103-6 |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Beddall |first=David |date=19 August 2020 |title=United Counties Buses: A Fleet History, 1921–2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcPYDwAAQBAJ |location=Barnsley |publisher=Pen and Sword Transport |page=206 |isbn=978-1-5267-5557-5 |access-date=11 December 2021}}</ref> Stagecoach opted in 2003 for Plaxton to body these Dennis Tridents in order to support their Wigan factory, which was suffering from a lack of orders.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Millar |first=Alan |title=The TransBus Years |magazine=Britain's Buses |location=Stamford |publisher=Key Publishing |volume=6 |page=89 |year=2021}}</ref>

[[East Yorkshire Motor Services]] were another large operator of Presidents, ordering 36 lowheight examples on Volvo B7TL chassis ordered from 2000 to 2003. 30 were delivered to the main East Yorkshire fleet while six were ordered for their [[Finglands Coachways|Finglands]] subsidiary in Manchester, with two Presidents for each company being delivered for evaluation in 2000 before orders commenced.<ref>{{cite press release |last=Shipp |first=Peter |date=23 April 2001 |title=EYMS Group announces another big order for new buses |url= http://www.eyms.co.uk/pr240501b.htm |url-status=dead |location=Hull |publisher=EYMS Group |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20010707141308fw_/http://www.eyms.co.uk/pr240501b.htm |archive-date=7 July 2001 |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> East Yorkshire later purchased 27 mid-life Presidents from [[Go-Ahead London]] in 2012, some of which was converted for open top operation and driver training.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cbwmagazine.com/27-ex-london-deckers-for-eyms/ |title=27 ex London deckers for EYMS |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=14 March 2012 |website=Coach & Bus Week |location=Peterborough |access-date=20 July 2021}}</ref>

Smaller orders include [[Arriva]], which purchased 20 between 2000 and 2001 on the Volvo B7TL chassis for its [[Arriva Yorkshire]] subsidiary,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Day |first=James |date=12 September 2012 |issue=1053 |title=Arriva's uniform bus and coach fleet |url=https://issuu.com/rouncymedia/docs/binder1053_1/58 |page=58 |magazine=Coach & Bus Week |location=Peterborough |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref> the [[Transdev Blazefield|Blazefield Group]] who took 19, 16 in 2001 for [[Burnley Bus Company|Burnley & Pendle]]'s [[The Witch Way|X43 express service]]<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Barrow |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/cbw-issue485/page/26/mode/2up |date=2 August 2001 |issue=485 |pages=26-27 |title=Trail-blazing in the North West |magazine=Coach & Bus Week |location=Peterborough |publisher=Emap |access-date=14 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/6019454.2m-new-bus-fleet-hits-road/ |title=£2m new bus fleet hits road  |work=Lancashire Telegraph|date=16 July 2001 |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> as well as three for [[Yorkshire Coastliner]] in 2002, as well as independent based operators such as [[Probus Management|Pete's Travel]], [[Mayne Coaches]], [[Blue Bus & Coach Services]], [[Hedingham & Chambers|Hedingham Omnibuses]], [[Diamond West Midlands|North Birmingham Busways]] and Liverpool Motor Services.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==See also==
* [[List of buses]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Buses}}
{{commons category-inline}}

{{Alexander Dennis}}
{{Plaxton}}

[[Category:Alexander Dennis buses|President]]
[[Category:Plaxton buses|President]]
[[Category:Double-decker buses]]
[[Category:Low-floor buses]]
[[Category:Vehicles introduced in 1998]]