The Daimler Fleetline DMS was used by London Transport for 23 years from 1970 until 1993. In 1968 London Transport ordered 17 Daimler Fleetline's for delivery in 1969, these were to be used for test and comparison trials.
Over a 5 year period from 1969 to 1974 London Transport ordered a total of over 2600 Fleetline's. The first two to be completed were displayed at the 1970 Commercial Motor Show at Earl's Court.
The DMS was built on a Daimler Fleetline chassis with a Park Royal or MCW body. It was powered by a Gardner diesel engine. It's carrying capacity was 89 passengers, 44 seated on the upper deck, 24 seated and 21 standing on the lower deck. It came with a split front entrance that gave passengers the choice of entering on the left to pay the driver or the right to use the new automatic fare collection machine which had a turnstile.
The driver had a periscope to view the upper deck and two mirrors to view the exit doors. The buses were fitted with an internal and external public address system, automatic temperature-controlled heating on both up and lower decks, fluorescent lighting and warning bells if either emergency exit was opened.
The Daimler Fleetline DMS was just over 30 feet long and 8 feet wide. They were the most expensive bus in Britain at nearly £13,000.
By 1993 London Transport had replaced it's 23 year old Fleetline DMS's. Ensign Bus of Purfleet contracted to buy all London Transports DMS's and they rebuilt and sold them to many smaller bus operators throughout the UK who continued to used them for many years. Ensign also sold and exported over four hundred rebuilt DMS's to Hong Kong and Chinese bus companies.