1.
First West Yorkshire
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First West Yorkshire is a bus operator in West Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup, to comply with the Transport Act 1985, in 1986 the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executives bus operations were transferred to a separate legal entity and rebranded as Yorkshire Rider. In October 1988 Yorkshire Rider was sold in a management buyout, in August 1989 West Yorkshire Road Car Co was purchased from AJS Holdings with services in Bradford, Leeds and Otley. In April 1994 Yorkshire Rider was sold to Badgerline who in June 1995 merged with GRT Group to form FirstBus, during the early 2000s, several were merged. In July 2005, First Leeds took over Morley based Black Prince Buses, on 18 May 2008 First Leeds Kirkstall Road depot was closed after 111 years of public use and operations moved to a new complex in Hunslet. During 2009, the management of the three First companies in West Yorkshire plus First York were centralised, the companies also runs services in North Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. In the last few years, First has introduced Overground services on services with a frequent daytime service, the Overground is now a prominent fixture on all First bus companies in the UK and is based on the London Underground network with each service having its own colour line. On 3 January 2007, a new concept of transport was introduced to Leeds. It is the scheme to be introduced by FirstGroup after the first scheme in York. However the scheme in York faced many troubles including underpowering of the engine, however the engine problems have been rectified and Customer Service Hosts have been employed who will issue tickets to passengers. Also unlike York where the 4 service was converted to ftr vehicle operation within a day, First decided to drip feed the ftr vehicles onto the service so passengers could get used to it and also minimise all other troubles that occurred in York. The ftr are based on Wright StreetCar body which is on a Volvo B7LA chassis, the livery is designed by Ray Stennings Best Impressions design agency. The Bradford FreeCityBus has since transferred to Ladies Only Travel. From 29 October 2006, buses running between Huddersfield and Holmfirth were re-branded as part of the HolmfirthCONNECTION and this was a service that was run in partnership with First Calderdale & Huddersfield and First TransPennine Express. Buses 309-316 had their timetables changed and their terminus in Huddersfield moved from the bus station to the railway station, the timetable changed to co-ordinate with the trains and included the introduction of a couple of late night journeys between Huddersfield and Holmfirth running after midnight. These service are currently the 314 and X10, passengers are able to buy tickets on the bus as normal when travelling between the Holme Valley and Huddersfield but were also able to buy tickets on the bus for their train journey as well. The tickets can be bought to be used on the day or for a week, the weekly ticket provides unlimited travel for that week on First buses in the Calderdale and Kirklees areas and on the trains from Huddersfield to Leeds, Dewsbury or Manchester. This offer is that travel is restricted to First TransPennine Express services and is not valid on any Northern Rail train running along the same routes
2.
Volvo Buses
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Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is the worlds largest bus manufacturer, with a range of heavy buses for passenger transportation. The product range includes complete buses and coaches as well as combined with a comprehensive range of services. The bus operation has a presence, with production in Europe, North and South America. In India it set up its production facility in Bangalore, former production facility was located in Irvine, Scotland. Codes in parentheses are VIN codes for the chassis models, b9M – low-budget version of the B10M 1988–1991 B10C – special Australian coach version of the B10M 1978-1991, B10R 1978-1987. B6F/B6FA198. -198. 8-litre engine 2011-, B11R –10, KG, Heilbronn, Germany Prevost Coaches, Quebec, Canada, now known as Prevost Car Merkavim, Israel, jointly owned by Volvo Bus Corporation & Mayer Cars & Trucks Ltd
3.
Volvo Olympian
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The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engined 2-axle and 3-axle double decker bus chassis manufactured by Volvo at its Irvine, Scotland factory. The first was built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, the early Volvo Olympians were offered with Cummins L10 or Volvo TD102KF engine, coupled to Voith DIWA or ZF Ecomat gearbox. From late 1996, only the Volvo D10A-245 Euro II engine with electronic control was offered. It was available with Alexander R-type, Northern Counties Palatine and East Lancs E Type/Pyoneer bodywork, the Volvo Olympian is likely to be built as either closed top or open top. The Volvo Olympian remained as popular as the Leyland Olympian in the United Kingdom, large number of Olympians were exported to Hong Kong and Singapore, most of them being air-conditioned. The buses were popular in the United Kingdom, most of the UK versions had two rather than three axles. London United, Metroline, Stagecoach London, London Central, London General, Capital Citybus, MTL London, Harris Bus, because of a low-floor rule that had to be complied with by 2006, these buses were not in service for long. Only two buses from London United survived for rail replacement services, many other operators outside London do receive Volvo Olympians. Dublin Bus had continued their orders with the RA batch being ordered first,150 buses in 1994, in January 1997, Dublin Bus ordered further 315 Volvo Olympians, which is RV. During the period, new liveries had been introduced, of which it is CitySwift, all buses were withdrawn in 2011. Kowloon Motor Bus had ordered 531 Volvo Olympian 11m,338 Volvo Olympian 12m and 30 Volvo Olympian non-aircon buses between 1994 and 1999, long Win sold 10 12-metre Volvo Olympians to KMB in 1999. Due to the modernisation of the fleet, all Volvo Olympians have been withdrawn, Citybus had ordered 10 Volvo Olympian 10. 4m,2 Volvo Olympian 12m,310 Volvo Olympian 12m and 142 Volvo Olympian 11m between 1994 and 1998. Due to the modernisation of the fleet, most of the buses were either withdrawn, china Motor Bus ordered 64 Volvo Olympians between 1996 and 1998. 62 were sold to New World First Bus in 1998 and 5 of them were converted to open-top for Rickshaw Sightseeing Bus, New World First Bus received 2 12-metre Volvo Olympians from HACTL in 1999 and 10 from Citybus in 2014. All buses were withdrawn as they aged 16 –17 years, Singapore Bus Services had ordered 100 Volvo Olympian 2-Axles and 201 Volvo Olympian 3-Axles in 1993. The Volvo Olympian 3-Axles has been delivered between June 1994 and June 1995 and these buses were extended to 2 years in 2011, and some to 6 months/permanent 1 year extension in 2013 -2014. About 7 buses were retired before June 2013,29 buses were extended to 1 year to facilitate retirement of Volvo Olympian 3-Axle as well as to facilitate deployment of Volvo B9TLs on Jurong Industrial services after all the buses were retired. It thus followed by 200 Volvo Olympian 3-Axles again in 1995, in July 2004, only 246 and 251 became non air-con until the Volvo Olympians were transferred over in 2009
4.
Volvo B9TL
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The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL, and was superseded by the Volvo B5TL in Europe, production of the 3-axle B9TL is currently built, the 2-axle version has ceased production in 2013/2014 and was superseded by the Volvo B5TL. The B9TL chassis shared the design of the B7TL. The key difference from both its predecessor, the B10TL Super Olympian and B7TL, is the new 9. 3-litre engine originally designed by Renault Trucks, the radiator is located at the rear offside, similar the smaller B7TL. The front module design is shared with other low-floor bus chassis built by Volvo, the B9TL was initially offered in three-axle format, and the two-axle variant was added in 2006 to replace the B7TL. The driveline comprises a Volvo D9A Euro III engine, which was replaced by the Volvo D9B Euro IV/V/EEV engine. Volvo also offer the Voith four-speed gearbox as an option, the front wheels of three-axle B9TL are usually supplied by ALCOA of the USA, but some buses have all their wheels supplied by ALCOA. A Volvo B9TL prototype was delivered to Hong Kong in July 2003 for Kowloon Motor Bus as a demonstrator for the Eco-Driveline concept, however, the Volgren CR223LD body had a width of only 2500mm instead of the usual 2550mm. After months of testing, the bus was registered as LJ7006 and it was put into service in April 2004. As a result of tests, Volvo Buses and ZF adopted the Eco-Driveline system as the primary driveline option on the B9TL. Later it was confirmed that AVD1 would leave Hong Kong after its evaluation, the bus was de-licensed on 15 December 2004 and left Hong Kong at noon on 21 December 2004. In August 2005, AVD1 was shipped back to Hong Kong after its D9A engine was replaced by a D9B unit, pre-October 2005, the bus was kept by Volvo in the Hong Kong United Dockyard. Later in 2005, the bus was transferred to KMB for installation of service equipment, the bus was re-licensed as MF5119 in February 2006, and re-entered service on 24 May 2006. The bus is one of the first two to meet the Euro IV emissions standards in Hong Kong, in early 2004, a Volvo B9TL prototype with a facelifted version of the TransBus Enviro500 body arrived in Hong Kong. It had a different front and rear design, and its rear route box was moved beneath the upper deck rear window. After TransBus International was renamed Alexander Dennis in May 2004, it became the only TransBus Enviro-series bus with a non-Dennis chassis, later in the same year, a Wright-bodied B9TL prototype was also delivered. The rear design of its Wright body was different from that of the Wright-bodied Volvo Super Olympian, on 12 January 2005, the TransBus Enviro 500-bodied B9TL was finally licensed as LU3721 with fleet number AVBE1, and the Wright-bodied B9TL was registered as LU3739 with fleet number AVBW1. Both of them entered service on the night of 8 February 2005, in early 2005 Kowloon Motor Bus ordered 25 B9TL chassis with Wrightbus bodywork, which entered service in 2005/2006
5.
Low-floor bus
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A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. Buses with partial low floor may also refer as low-entry bus in some locations, Low floor refers to a bus deck that is accessible from sidewalk with only a single step within a small height difference, caused solely by the difference between the bus deck and sidewalk. This is to distinguished from high-floor, a bus deck design that requires climbing one step or more steps to access the interior floor that is placed at a higher height. Being low-floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities, in North America, both types are commonly called low-floor, as the majority of the vehicle has a low floor, without steps at the doors. Some manufacturers use the initials LF or L in their model designations for fully low-floor models, in some countries, LE, short for Low Entry, is used by some manufacturers in their model designations for low-entry buses. Some full low-floor buses also have a rear axle, while the rear axle is not an issue on a low-entry bus. Many low-floor buses, including the Irisbus Citelis, has the engine in a cabinet at the rear of the bus. Van Hool have a series of side-engine mid-drive buses that puts the engine off to one side of the cabin longitudinally between the first and the axle, to maximize usable cabin space. The same concept was also utilized by Volvo on their B9S articulated chassis, for smaller buses, such as midibuses, the low-floor capability is achieved by placing the front wheels ahead of the entrance. Accessibility was previously achieved in paratransit type applications, which use small vehicles with the fitment of special lifts, the inception of small low-floor buses has allowed the development of several accessible demand-responsive transport schemes using standard off-the-shelf buses. A disadvantage of the low floor is accommodating the buss own wheels, with the low floor, the wheels protrude into the passenger cabin, and need to be contained in wheel pockets of waist height, and this occupies space which would otherwise be used for seating. Seating layout for a low-floor bus therefore requires careful design, Low-floor buses usually include an area without seating next to at least one of the doors, where wheelchairs, walkers, perambulators, and where allowed even bicycles, can be parked. This is sometimes not the purpose of this area, though. Despite the space existing, operators may also insist that one or two wheelchairs or pushchairs can be accommodated unfolded, due to space/safety concerns. Depending on how close to the curb the bus is parked and wheelchair design, many vehicles are also equipped with wheel-chair lifts, or ramps which, when combined with a low floor, can provide a nearly level entry. An interesting implementation of the low floor design exists in Australia and these buses combine a smaller low floor area with a small underfloor bin for some luggage. Whilst these buses do not provide an amount of luggage space. These buses also lack the ability to have a center door, many bus rapid transit systems employ a level boarding by using high-floor buses stopping at station style bus stops
6.
Double-decker bus
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A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-decker buses are used for transport in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and many former European possessions. Early double-deckers put the driver in a separate cab, passenger access was via an open platform at the rear, and a bus conductor would collect fares. Modern double-deckers have an entrance door at the front, and the driver takes fares, thus halving the number of bus workers aboard. The rear open platform, popular with passengers, was abandoned for safety reasons, double-deckers are primarily for commuter transport but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists. William Gladstone, speaking of Londons double-deck horse drawn omnibuses, once observed. the best way to see London is from the top of a bus, cities listed here have double-decker buses as part of their regular mass transit fleet. Cities with only tourist and sightseeing buses are excluded. Double-decker coaches in the UK have traditionally been 12.0 metres in length, articulated double-deckers are also allowed at a maximum length of 18.75 metres. In 1941, Miss Phyllis Thompson became the first woman licensed to drive a vehicle in the United Kingdom. She drove for the bus company Messrs, felix Motors Ltd, then at Hatfield near Doncaster. The red double-decker buses in London have become a symbol of England. The majority of buses in London are double-deckers, a particularly iconic example was the AEC Routemaster bus, which had been a staple of the public transport network in London for nearly half a century following its introduction in 1956. Because of cited difficulties accommodating disabled passengers, the last remaining Routemasters in use finally retired from service in 2005. In 2007, a hybrid-powered double-decker entered service on London Buses route 141, by late 2008, more hybrid double-deckers from three manufacturers entered service in London. A New Routemaster was developed that year, and entered service on 20 February 2012, in October 2015, London added five all-electric double-decker buses - the worlds first - made by Chinese firm BYD. Bus Vannin operate several double-deckers on routes all across the island, in the Republic of Ireland, nearly all of buses operated in and around Greater Dublin by Dublin Bus are double-deckers. There are 936 double-decker buses in the fleet of 942. The Bus Éireann company also utilises double-decker buses on some of its short-haul routes, double-deckers are also common on some of the companys suburban routes in Cork city
7.
Volvo Super Olympian
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The Volvo Super Olympian was a low-floor double-decker bus manufactured by Volvo. It replaced the 3-axle version of Volvo Olympian, the chassis had the designated manufacturer code B10TL. The Volvo Super Olympian was unveiled in 1998, with one chassis being sent to Hong Kong for a show held by International Union of Public Transport in the same year. The chassis was later returned to the United Kingdom, the Super Olympian chassis was based on the Volvo Olympian. The front radiator was moved behind the front axle on the 12 metre version, in order to lower the chassis further, the assisted steering function of the middle axle was cancelled. The suspension system has also been modified so that it is electronically controlled instead of moving passively. One special feature is that after turning, the unit does not return to normal, remaining tilted to either the left or right. An option for 11.3 metre length of Super Olympian was also available, the Super Olympian was powered by the Volvo D10A285, with a maximum power of 285 hp. Its somewhat insufficient engine power has earned some mildly derisive nicknames in Hong Kong, the most common are 豬, 扒 and 豬扒. Initially, the Super Olympian chassis were built in Volvos factory in Irvine, after the closure of the factory in mid-2000, production was moved to Wrocław, Poland. Kowloon Motor Bus ordered the first batch of 61 Alexander ALX500 bodied B10TL Super Olympians with ZF 4HP590 transmission, all except the prototype 3ASV3 had narrow 2+2 seats on the upper deck. A further 80 Super Olympians entered service in 2000/01 and these buses have electronic route displays and ZF 5HP590 transmission. 3ASV78 was the 3, 000th Alexander bodied bus supplied to KMB, the last 351 Super Olympians, including 21 which were fitted with Australian Volgren CR223LD bodywork, entered service in 2001/02. All of these buses had their chassis built in Poland and their D10A285 engines were built to meet Euro III emission standards and had aluminium alloy front wheels supplied by Alcoa. 3ASV297 was coated with metallic paint, which shows different colours. Kowloon Motor Bus was the buyer of 10.6 metre Super Olympians. The first 4910. 6m Alexander ALX500 bodied Super Olympians were introduced in 2001 and they are equipped with D10A285 Euro II engines and had Alcoa front wheels. ASV50, which was put into service in 2002, is a prototype short-wheelbase Super Olympian and it is equipped with a Euro III D10A285 engine and ZF 4HP590 transmission rather than the previous 5HP590 as fitted to older ASVs
8.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
9.
Glasgow
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Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and third largest in the United Kingdom. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is now one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and it is situated on the River Clyde in the countrys West Central Lowlands. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Glaswegians, Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Britain. From the 18th century the city grew as one of Great Britains main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America. Glasgow was the Second City of the British Empire for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew in population, reaching a peak of 1,128,473 in 1939. The entire region surrounding the conurbation covers about 2.3 million people, at the 2011 census, Glasgow had a population density of 8, 790/sq mi, the highest of any Scottish city. Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is well known in the sporting world for the football rivalry of the Old Firm between Celtic and Rangers. Glasgow is also known for Glasgow patter, a dialect that is noted for being difficult to understand by those from outside the city. Glasgow is the form of the ancient Cumbric name Glas Cau. Possibly referring to the area of Molendinar Burn where Glasgow Cathedral now stands, the later Gaelic name Baile Glas Chu, town of the grey dog, is purely a folk-etymology. The present site of Glasgow has been settled since prehistoric times, it is for settlement, being the furthest downstream fording point of the River Clyde, the origins of Glasgow as an established city derive ultimately from its medieval position as Scotlands second largest bishopric. Glasgow increased in importance during the 10th and 11th centuries as the site of this bishopric, reorganised by King David I of Scotland and John, there had been an earlier religious site established by Saint Mungo in the 6th century. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland, bringing wealth, sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives as the Glasgow Fair. Glasgow grew over the following centuries, the first bridge over the River Clyde at Glasgow was recorded from around 1285, giving its name to the Briggait area of the city, forming the main North-South route over the river via Glasgow Cross. The founding of the University of Glasgow in 1451 and elevation of the bishopric to become the Archdiocese of Glasgow in 1492 increased the towns religious and educational status and landed wealth. Its early trade was in agriculture, brewing and fishing, with cured salmon and herring being exported to Europe, Glasgow was subsequently raised to the status of Royal Burgh in 1611. The citys Tobacco Lords created a water port at Port Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde. By the late 18th century more than half of the British tobacco trade was concentrated on Glasgows River Clyde, at the time, Glasgow held a commercial importance as the city participated in the trade of sugar, tobacco and later cotton
10.
Scotland
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Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles, the Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, titles, the legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law. Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, was one of the worlds leading industrial cities. Other major urban areas are Aberdeen and Dundee, Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland, the title of Europes oil capital, following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is represented in the UK Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs, Scotland is also a member nation of the British–Irish Council, and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Scotland comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels, the Late Latin word Scotia was initially used to refer to Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to Scotland north of the River Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, the use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages. Repeated glaciations, which covered the land mass of modern Scotland. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, the groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period and it contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves, in the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, when the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses
11.
Sweden
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Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, at 450,295 square kilometres, Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area, with a total population of 10.0 million. Sweden consequently has a low density of 22 inhabitants per square kilometre. Approximately 85% of the lives in urban areas. Germanic peoples have inhabited Sweden since prehistoric times, emerging into history as the Geats/Götar and Swedes/Svear, Southern Sweden is predominantly agricultural, while the north is heavily forested. Sweden is part of the area of Fennoscandia. The climate is in very mild for its northerly latitude due to significant maritime influence. Today, Sweden is a monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a monarch as head of state. The capital city is Stockholm, which is also the most populous city in the country, legislative power is vested in the 349-member unicameral Riksdag. Executive power is exercised by the government chaired by the prime minister, Sweden is a unitary state, currently divided into 21 counties and 290 municipalities. Sweden emerged as an independent and unified country during the Middle Ages, in the 17th century, it expanded its territories to form the Swedish Empire, which became one of the great powers of Europe until the early 18th century. Swedish territories outside the Scandinavian Peninsula were gradually lost during the 18th and 19th centuries, the last war in which Sweden was directly involved was in 1814, when Norway was militarily forced into personal union. Since then, Sweden has been at peace, maintaining a policy of neutrality in foreign affairs. The union with Norway was peacefully dissolved in 1905, leading to Swedens current borders, though Sweden was formally neutral through both world wars, Sweden engaged in humanitarian efforts, such as taking in refugees from German-occupied Europe. After the end of the Cold War, Sweden joined the European Union on 1 January 1995 and it is also a member of the United Nations, the Nordic Council, Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Sweden maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides health care. The modern name Sweden is derived through back-formation from Old English Swēoþēod and this word is derived from Sweon/Sweonas. The Swedish name Sverige literally means Realm of the Swedes, excluding the Geats in Götaland, the etymology of Swedes, and thus Sweden, is generally not agreed upon but may derive from Proto-Germanic Swihoniz meaning ones own, referring to ones own Germanic tribe
12.
Alexander ALX400
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The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders. Released in 1997, it replaced the aging Alexander R-series bodies and was fitted to chassis, including the Dennis/TransBus Trident, the DAF/VDL DB250LF. It proved a big success with national operators, huge numbers serve London, from its introduction until 2006, it had been the favoured 2-axle double-decker bus model for the Stagecoach Group. The ALX400 was also a big hit with Dublin Bus of Ireland,648 of them were fitted on Volvo B7TL chassis, AV 1-448 were Volvo B7TL chassis, and AX 449-648 were on B7TL MKII chassis. During 2003 an order was placed for 10 TransBus Trident/ALX400 versions known as DT 1-10 to compare against the AV class with a view to splitting future orders. Most of these featured 76 seat single door bodies although there were various seating capacities for on a minority used. Summerhill based AV 116-130 were built with dual door bodies for use on the Airlink services, various seating configurations were available, with Transport for London specification models fitted with a central exit door. There are typically 45 seats on the deck, and between 17 and 22 seats on the lower deck. Longer models for use elsewhere have up to 47 seats on the upper deck, Stagecoach subsidiaries outside London have ALX400s on long-wheelbase Dennis Trident chassis, fitted with 51 seats upstairs and 28 downstairs. In late 2005 Alexander Dennis launched the Enviro400 model, intended as a replacement for the ALX400, but in 2006, new ALX400s were still entering service with Stagecoach and Arriva. Production of the ALX400 bodywork ceased after the delivery of these 100 ALX400-bodied Volvo B7TL in late 2006, list of buses ALX400 flickr gallery
