METRO'S ADVERTISING BUSES

BUS 200

Bus 200 is a bit of a hybrid for Scania Orana mechanicals have been married to a special low floor body design that doesn't seem to suit anybody. Orignally designed for wheelchair access, the body fails to cater for most of the travelling public and I doubt that the bus has seen a wheelchair since its introduction. The driving position is also different and the bus is very unpopular with drivers who are vertically challenged.

Despite those problems the bus makes an ideal mobile billboard and was chosen to carry the ongoing promotional advertising for Hobart City Council. Through some very clever design work the advertising scheme on this bus lends itself to some seasonal variety.

	When bus 200 was taken out of service for repainting in late 1996 Metro was experiencing a shortage of buses. The situation was so bad that 200 was quickly returned to service in the base scheme seen here (in fact it was returned so quickly that for several days anyone passing the bus could smell paint fumes). In this photo 200 rests after the climb to the terminus at Mount Nelson.
	After the bus shortage passed 200 was returned to Signrite and emerged just before Christmas 1996 wearing this scheme advertising the benefits of shopping downtown in Hobart. The Christmas emphasis is obvious.
	Shortly after Christmas 1996 I spotted 200 looking like this. On closer inspection it became clear that the Christmas decorations were adhesive paper that when removed, allowed the advertising to suit the rest of the year. Christmas 1997 again saw the decorations applied and quickly removed at the end of the Christmas period.