The standard Kinetec is a single-deck bus body based on East Lancs' existing Esteem body. Reviews from its launch at the 2006 Euro Bus Expo were very poor.[citation needed]
Kinetec+ double decker
The only East Lancs Kinetec+ produced, operated by Reading Buses in May 2008
The Kinetec+ is a low-floor double-decker bus body on the MAN ND283F (A48) chassis, marketed as a variant of East Lancs' existing Olympus double-deck body. The engine of the bus was fitted longitudinally at the rear left-hand corner of the body, wide single tyres were fitted at the rear to reduce wheel arch intrusion into the lower deck, and a portal axle allowed for the Kinetec+ to be built with a step-free floor.[1]
The first prototype Kinetec+ body was built to a 4 metres (13 ft) low-height design to fit European Union regulations, but which has been criticised.[specify] Another prototype built to Transport for London specification, with a roof height of 4.3 metres (14 ft), had been planned, however this never materialised.[citation needed]
Operators
Stagecoach West Scotland took delivery of ten Kinetec single-decks on MAN 18.240 chassis in 2006.[1] While new into service, some of these buses suffered from windows falling out of their frames.[2]
^Brown, Stewart (29 August 2007). "East Lancs rescue: winners and losers". Bus & Coach Professional. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2024. The company has also had problems with new Esteem-bodied MANs for Stagecoach in Scotland, on which windows were falling out.
