The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension. Optare announced the end of production for the original Solo design at the beginning of 2012, but a new 2012 Optare Solo SR will be unveiled in summer 2012.
The original innovative design, featuring a front axle ahead of the entrance, gained the bus a "Millennium Product" award, along with "The Queen's Award for Enterprise 2000".
Read more about Optare Solo: Construction, Hybrid, Solos Abroad, Retirement of Original Design
Famous quotes containing the word solo:
“All mothers need instruction, nurturing, and an understanding mentor after the birth of a baby, but in this age of fast foods, fast tracks, and fast lanes, it doesn’t always happen. While we live in a society that provides recognition for just about every life event—from baptisms to bar mitzvahs, from wedding vows to funeral rites—the entry into parenting seems to be a solo flight, with nothing and no one to mark formally the new mom’s entry into motherhood.”
—Sally Placksin (20th century)