The Bristol RE was the most popular single deck rear-engined chassis
of its era, with around 3500 low frame buses built until 1982. Ten
UK coachbuilders bodied 3,375 of them.

Alexander's output on the low frame RE was to three different
styles. 91% were to a Potters design for Ulsterbus. The first twenty
were built under subcontract at Falkirk in 1968. The subsequent 600
for Ulsterbus and Citybus (the former Belfast Corporation) were
built at the former Potters works, by then Alexander (Belfast), from
1975-82. Forty-two RELL buses were built to the Y-type design. These
were thirty (RELL6G/DP49F) for North Western Road Car and twelve
(RELL6L/B49F) for Lincoln City Transport. The other four percent
were twenty Lancashire United Transport RESL6Gs with a version of
the W-type body to B42D layout. Alexander were the fourth most
successful coachbuilders on these eight chassis and the second most
popular on RE with roughly 19% of sales.

The most popular bus in the survey was the Eastern Coach Works
aluminium-framed body on the Bristol RE. None were sold to
independents but the SBG, with 12 RELL6G for Alexander (Fife) and
BET, with Forty RELL for Ribble, and twelve for East Midland, were
customers. Almost a tenth of production went to municipals and one
PTE in 1967-75 (table 2) Almost 60% of these were RELLs and 87%, to
either length, had Leyland engines. These and AEC Swifts for two
East Anglian corporations make ECW the most popular choice in the
municipal sector, with 14% of the market.

The most popular of the eight chassis for the East Lancashire steel
framed body was the RE, with sixty-eight bodies for seven municipal
fleets, all but Merthyr Tydfil were in North West England. This made
up 44% of ELC production on these chassis and meant they were the
fourth most popular choice on RE.

Marshall quickly became a favourite with the BET group of bus
companies. As a result Marshall-bodied Bristol REs sold from 1968-
71 to Aldershot & District, East Midland, North Western, Ribble,
Southdown, South Wales and Western Welsh. There was a mix of
lengths, engine types and number of doors. Southdown's included the
only UK market manual RE buses not bodied by ECW. The Bristol
Commercial Vehicle register website says `about ninety' were built,
but the total is in fact 245. This makes Marshall the third most
popular body choice on RE with a share of 7%.

MCW only built on one batch of Bristol RE, ten buses to Norman
Morton's design for Sunderland. This design was only otherwise
built by Strachans. After ten years' on Wearside most of these buses
left for further service with Burnley & Pendle. This was the least
numerous body on RE.

Only two customers chose Northern Counties bodies on their REs. SHMD
had six RESL6G and Burnley, Colne and Nelson five on RESL6L. Eleven
was the second smallest body total on RE.

Park Royal was a favoured supplier to the larger `corporation'
fleets, like MCW, whilst Northern Counties and East Lancs tended
(with exceptions) to supply the small to medium size fleets. Park
Royal's one batch of RE, twenty-five RELL6G for Liverpool, make its
body the seventh most numerous make on this chassis.

Pennine Coachcraft of Oldham was a subsidiary of commercial-vehicle
builder Seddon and at this time competed aggressively, targeting
municipal company and independent fleets. They were rewarded with
the fifth largest share on RE. Twenty-eight were RELL6G to the
distinctive Reading Corporation design, whilst ten for Burnley Colne
and Nelson and eight for Warrington, on RESL6L, had the standard
Pennine look, both were orders transferred in 1971 from East
Lancashire, who had suffered a fire.

Plaxton's thirty-five home market RE buses were all sold to
independents. West Riding took five B52F Derwents and Lancashire
United had thirty on RESL6G, twenty B42D buses in 1967/8 and ten
DP41F semi-coaches in 1974. These were all to the flat-screen
Highway style.

Strachans' fourteen REs were the balance of Reading's fleet of forty-
two and were to that operator's design. Besides Reading, Warrington
was the only other customer for the short-wheelbase RELL-6 type,
having two RELL6L with East Lancashire bodies in 1969. No MCW or
Plaxton examples survive, but examples of all the other types are
preserved.