AEC Swift

The AEC Swift is a bus model with a rear engine of the British manufacturer AEC in Southall, West London, England. The model was produced 1964-1974. The chassis had great similarity to the established in the same group Leyland Panther. It was available in lengths of 10 and 11 m. Equipped with diesel engines, it was the type AEC AH505 or AH691 under the floor in the rear.

The Swift was designed for use as a one-man car ( with driver only, without conductor ). For personnel costs should be saved. The bus turned out to be so as an alternative to the classic double-decker buses, such as the Routemaster or the Bristol Lodekka, as in Britain, the use of the attendants in double-decker buses was required by law until the end of the 1960s.

British Airways am using a special variant with an open entry platform. The vehicle was originally developed for the airport in Bangladesh to allow a dry transfer of passengers between the shuttle and the covered gangway during the monsoon, but was not extradited to Bangladesh and came instead to the Heathrow airport to use.

The numerically largest fleet was used from 1970 by the successor company London Transport Executive (LTE ) and London Country Bus Services ( LCBS ) from the London Transport Board (LTB ) or. At both operators together over 1,500 buses were delivered 1966-1972. The superstructure for the first, delivered from February 1966 11- m buses came from Strachan, later with some other bodies of Metro Cammell Weymann (MB, MBA, MBS, 1967-69 ), Marshall (SM, and in 1969 /70) and Park Royal Vehicles ( SMD, SMS, 1970-72 ). The 11- m variant was in London called Merlin and with the codes MB ( only a double door front), MBS ( double doors at the front and in the middle) and MBA ( two-door with a large standing area between the axles for the Red Arrow Express lines performed in London). Some initially appointed by the LTB in London's outdoor areas SM in green livery came on 1 January 1970 the divested, the state National Bus Company ( NBC) belonging, London Country Bus Services Ltd. ( LCBS ). The shorter 10 - m model was also known in London as the Swift. The remarks SM ( Vorortbus, single door ) and SMS ( two-door) were originally used in red or dark green color from the London Transport Board, ordered some initially from London Transport Board, however, SM came in green livery at the London Country Bus Services in the suburbs to deployment. The London Transport Board knew some SMS with more seats and put the middle door shut. This version was designated as SMD, but the buses retained the original fleet number at.

Neither London Transport (LTE ) or London Country Bus Services ( LCBS ) were satisfied with the " bus off the shelf". The supply of spare parts was extremely poor, so that numerous buses had to be parked inoperable. The first copies were in 1973, after only six years, the sales and purchase. The last Swifts were assigned to 1982 and sold, most for scrap. In the 2000s were still some buses of this type in public transport on the island of Malta in use.

AEC Swift (right) structure Marshal

AEC Swift (left ), Malta 2007

AEC Swift, building originally Park Royal, Malta 2006