Optare solo sr   

20014/5/6/27

These Solo SR vehicles are the only Solo type vehicles to be purchased new for the Diamond Bus fleet and were part of a batch of four vehicles purchased. The Diamond Bus vehicles are built to the Signature specification and are used on the Signature Transport for West Midlands contracted services in and around Solihull. The vehicles were initially allocated to the Central Connect operation at Long Acre in Birmingham. This was integrated into the main Diamond bus operation and when the Long Acre depot was closed in 2015 the vehicles were transferred to Redditch Garage from where the Signature routes are operated from. With the loss of the contracts for the Signature bus network in Solihull from Sunday 24th February 2019 vehicles 20014-6 were withdrawn.

Registration Number Fleet Number Vehicle Chassis Seating Capacity Allocation Vehicle Livery
YJ10MFY 20014 Optare M950 SABFW3AF0AL290062 B33F Withdrawn 24/2/2019 Reinstated to Redditch New Diamond blue livery
YJ10MFX 20015 Optare M950 SABFW3AF0AL290061 B33F Withdrawn 24/2/2019 reinstated 6/19 to Redditch New Diamond blue livery
YJ10MFV 20016 Optare M950 SABFW3AF0AL290060 B33F Withdrawn 24/2/2019 Reinstated to Preston Bus 10/19 - Transferred back to Diamond bus 3/24 allocated to Tividale New Diamond blue livery
YJ10MFZ 20027 Optare M950 SABFW3AF0AL290063 B33F Tividale New Diamond blue livery

20881-4/918/9/21, 30050/1

With the requirement for better quality vehicles to operate Transport for West Midlands contracted services Rotala acquired some nearly new Euro V standards Optare Solo SRs. When the Hanson's Local Bus business was acquired then there was a need to consolidate the 226 route from Merry Hill to Dudley where Diamond and Hanson's had operated in head to head competition. The timetable was revised and number of the Solo SRs that had been recently acquired were painted in the company's blue livery and were branded up for the 226 route.  During 2019 the route was further upgraded with brand new Wight's Streetlites and the Solos were de-branded and moved Redditch for use on TfWM contracts

Registration Number Fleet Number Vehicle Chassis Seating Capacity Allocation
YJ62FJK 20881 Optare Solo M900SR SABSW3AF0CS290552 B33F Withdrawn  sold to peters for scrap 1/21
YJ62FJY 20882 Optare Solo M900SR SABSW3AF0CS290553 B33F Kidderminster
YJ62FKK 20883 Optare Solo M900SR SABSW3AF0CS290554 B33F Moved to Preston Bus 10/19
YJ62FKT 20884 Optare Solo M900SR SABSW3AF0CS290555 B33F Redditch
YJ62FGF   20918 Optare Solo M9700SR SABTW3AC0CS290545  B35F Tividale
BU52RHU 20919 Optare Solo M9700SR SABTW3AC0CS290546 B35F Redditch
YJ62FHV   20921 Optare Solo M9700SR SABTW3AC0CS290548   B35F Tividale
YJ66APU 30050 Optare Solo M9950SR SABNDD2A2FS291229 B37F Kidderminster
YJ66APO 30051 Optare Solo M9950SR SABNDD2A0FS291228 B37F Withdrawn 1/24 due to an engine fire