OLYMPIAN (12m, 3 axle)

In the early 1980s, there was a demand from Hong Kong operators for high capacity buses. Leyland was the first to respond with a 12m long version of the Olympian and the first one was delivered to Hong Kong in 1981. Although it was not fitted with air-conditioning, Leyland had added an extra axle to distribute the stress on the rear wheels more evenly. These buses were powered by a Leyland TL11 engine and were thus given the model number ONTL11/3R. It proved to be popular but at 12m, it was too long for most Hong Kong roads. Hence, a shorter and more suitable 11m long version was also developed. In 1982, Leyland moved its assembly line from Bristol to Workington due to overwhelming demand from the Hong Kong market for the 2 models. 

The first air-conditioned Olympian was an 11m version, sent to Hong Kong as a demonstrator in 1988. Once again, it gained success and once again, there were huge orders for the air-conditioned Olympian, either the 11m or the 12m variants. This kept Leyland in full production from 1990 - 1993.

Having gained much success in Hong Kong in the early 1990s, Singapore Bus Service (SBS) placed an order for 200 units of the 12m long version. By this time, Leyland was already acquired by Volvo and there were plans to shut down the Workington factory. However, Volvo was obliged to continue production at Workington until mid-1993 to fulfill the outstanding orders. And so, the 200 units for SBS became the very last Leyland buses to be manufactured.

The buses received a re-worked model of the Alexander R type bodywork. The first fully-built prototype was taken shape at Falkirk in early 1993. It had tinted, bonded double glazed side windows and substantial body insulation. The rest of the buses were assembled in Singapore at SBS's Hougang/Defu plant. Air-conditioning was provided by Nippondenso, although later models had Sutrak units. Power comes from a Cummins LT10 turbo charged engine, with 252 horsepower, coupled to a ZF4HP500 gearbox. A power takeoff was mounted on top of the gearbox for the twin air-conditioning compressors.

Singapore's first air-conditioned double-decker buses, nicknamed the "Superbus", made its debut in late 1993. 10 buses were put for trial on service no. 7. It had an all new livery and was able to carry 131 passengers, the highest capacity at the time. The public loved the new "Superbuses" and it gave rise to more than 700 "Superbuses" in Singapore today.  

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A 'Superbus' spotted at Teban Gardens in its original livery. The extra rear axle, located just in front of the 3rd axle, was needed to support the added weight of the air-conditioning unit. There is no traction from this axle but it is able to turn in proportion with the front axle and keep the turning circle in check.

9000S, the very first 'Superbus'. This was the prototype which was fully built at Falkirk, Scotland. The 'Superbus' was the first to use single sheet, wrap-round windscreens and horizontal overlap wipers. Photo taken at Jurong East Interchange.

9197H parked at Clementi Interchange. With the use of contra-vision material, advertisers can fully exploit the space available on a 'Superbus'.

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