Optare Versa

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The Optare Versa is a midibus currently built as a prototype by Optare. It was officially launched in Britain at the Euro Bus Expo 2006 at the NEC, Birmingham, on 7 November 2006 and will generally be available in mid-2007, the first 25 going to Stagecoach.

Optare has designed the midibus to bridge a gap in its bus product range. That range includes the full size single deck Tempo and the smaller Solo minibus. Some operators of the longest of Optare's minibus-derived Solo models at 7.0m commented that the wheelbase was too long, reducing manoeuvrability. This resulted from the Solo's front axle ahead of the passenger entrance.

The Versa, with its entrance ahead of the front axle, considerably reduces the wheelbase, to either 5.13m or 5.82m (depending upon the overall length of Versa, respectively at 10.3m or 11m) Versa is designed to seat between 36 and 40 passengers.

Versa is typical of an Optare design, with its swooping roof line, large glazed area and swept-back front takes many of its styling cues from the Solo but is of an otherwise more modern appearance.

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Optare Buses
Current: Solo - Alero/Alero Plus - Tempo - Versa
Discontinued: Spectra - MetroRider - CityPacer - StarRider - Vecta - Delta - Sigma - Prisma - Excel - ColumboRider

[edit] External links