File:First Volvo Olympian 1.jpg

English: First Chester and the Wirral bus 34236 (reg. P236 MPU), a 1997 Volvo Olympian double-decker with Alexander RH bodywork, pictured at Arrowe Park Hospital (Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust) in the Wirral, England.

It was one 16 such dual-door buses built by Alexander's Belfast plant for Capital Citybus for use on the London Buses route 91 running from Trafalgar Square to Crouch End Broadway, which the company had won from MTL London. Capital Citybus were a post-deregulation entrant to the London market, using a yellow livery. These buses however were delivered after it was decreed that buses operating London tendered routes must have an 80% red livery, so only a thin upper and thick lower yellow stripe was applied to the otherwise red livery. The batch was delivered as fleet no.s 223-238 (P223-236 MPU).

The batch remained in London on the 91 through the company's transition into First Group ownership, eventually gaining VA-class prefixes to their fleetnumbers, as was the standard in the traditional London companies.

As step-entrance buses the batch lasted longer than most in central London, as low-floor buses began to be specified, and weren't withdrawn until 2004. With the exception of 234/5/8, the entire batch were withdrawn between March and May 2004 and transferred to Rock Ferry depot in the Wirral, part of First's Potteries subsidiary. There they were all renumbered into First's national numbering scheme, losing the VA and gaining '34', so VA236 became 34236.

It's pictured here in First corporate livery, having remained as a dual door bus (conversion to single door is more common for most cascaded ex-London buses).