Firslty by suggesting that Bus Eireann get King Longs (Cheapest tat available), Plaxton Paramounts (Ceased manufacture in 1991 - probably you mean Panther/Paragon) and Setra (Most expensive coach in the market today) we're pretty much covering all bases!!!

I agree with KD191, what Bus Eireann will buy will not be based on what is desirable but simply the chepaest price submitted which complies with the tender spec issued.  Historically Volvo were the masters of satisfying these tenders, then Scania coped on how to play the game and most recently DAF have succeeded in winning tenders.  What Drivers/Inspectors/Passengers like or want has little or nothing to do with what is purchased nor will it be anytime soon.  This is, among other things, one of the main drawbacks of being a state company in that purchases must be through a tender process and fully transparent.

KingLong would be able to submit a cheap quote but probably don't have the required backup network and would find it hard to satisfy a Bus Eireaan delivery schedule as lead times on ordered vehicles, I believe, are quite long and unreliable.  VanHool have a similar problem, anyone who has them will freely tell you they're great vehicles but the company find it near impossible to deliver when promised and they alomost always arrive later than promised.  Private operators can deal with this but the likes of BE can't.  I can't see MAN, although good chassis, acheiving mush as at present they have no cohesive sales approach for buses/coaches in Ireland.  Noone's traditionally sold their vehicles but they have moved more into Irisbus (Iveco) and no-one else has filled the gap with MAN.  The Volvo 9700 is one of the most expensive options on Volvo chassis so most likely if Volvo were to win the bid it would be with cheaper Plaxton, Sunsundegui, Berkhoff etc bodywork.

In a like for like comparison on paper if an LC (DAF Berkhoff Axial) can tick the same boxes as an SP (Scania Irizar PB) for less money it's the LC that will be bought regardless of passenger preference or anything else.  BE can modify the tender schedule at the beginning to try and point it in the direction of certain combinations but if they're competitors can fulfill the spec there's nothing can be done.

If the likes of KingLong managed to sort a suitable delivery schedule, spec and price we may all stand back and watch the fallout as that crap would surely be a final nail in the coffin of BE.  The likes of Martin Leydon (2008) and Ballincollig Coaches (2010) are actively trying to offload these heaps after relatively short periods of time, how could we expect any form of reliable service form these in an intense enviroment like BE?