depots to store 'non-standard' vehicles Merseybus did not take on. These included a batch of five relatively modern Willowbrook-bodied Dennis Dominators that had been based at the Speke depot. Four were purchased by Maidstone & District, the other by Citybus of Hong Kong. Other notable types not operated by the privatised Merseybus included the East Lancs bodied Bristol VRs, many of which ended up with Merseybus's first notable competitor, Fareway Passenger Services, Scania Metropolitans and some life-expired Leyland Atlanteans and Nationals. However a significant proportion of the vehicles taken on by Merseybus were considerably older than these vehicles and included some of the K and most of the L-registration Alexander bodied Leyland Atlanteans dating from 1971 to 1973 and the increasing age profile of the Merseybus/MTL fleet - including the companies MTL would eventually acquire - would become a major issue for Merseybus/MTL right up to its acquisition by Arriva in 2000. At the end of 1992, the Merseybus parent company Merseyside Transport Ltd was being prepared for sale by Merseyside PTA. Prior to this MerseyRider had been formed to operate Merseytravel contracts and compete with other operators at a lower cost structure - payscales in particular, than those within Merseybus. At the beginning of 1993 Merseybus was sold to its management and employees in a nearly £5.9 million Employee Share Ownership Plan, with all vehicles and property being transferred to a new company, MTL Trust Holdings. Prior to the formation of MTL, the Merseybus fleet had aged significantly with the oldest Atlanteans - the mainstays of Merseybus fleet, now approaching 20 years of age or more. MTL therefore made a major effort to update the fleet throughout the 1990s in the form of: A deal with London Buses to purchase approximately 250 mid-life Leyland Titans dating from 1978 to 1984 between 1992 and 1994 11 new Optare MetroRiders from 1992 to 1995 12 new Neoplan N4016 integral low-floor single deckers in 1994 - these vehicles were initially owned by Merseytravel and operated by Merseybus on SMART services in Liverpool 3 new Alexander Strider bodied Volvo B10Bs in 1994 120 new Wright Endurance bodied Volvo B10Bs from 1994 to 1996 36 new long-wheelbase Northern Counties Palatine II bodied Volvo Olympians in 1995/96 mainly for use on cross river services between Liverpool and Wirral 38 new Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart SLFs from 1995 to 1998 20 new Wright Axcess-Ultralow bodied