Launched by MCW in April 1983 ahead of the 1984 tourist season as the company attempted to diversify its manufacturing business away from orders by the passenger transport executives of the United Kingdom, the Metroliner was available as a standard single-deck coach or a tri-axle double-deck coach based on the tri-axle MCW Metrobus chassis, predominantly for service in the United Kingdom with nationalised bus operators National Bus Company (NBC) and Scottish Bus Group (SBG) for their long-distance coach National Express and Scottish Citylink express services.

[1] A total of 172 Metroliners were built across four different variants: Only 21 of the original style of single deck Metroliner were built between 1983 and 1984, with 15 delivered to NBC subsidiaries East Kent and Eastern National for the NBC's regional National Holidays package holiday divisions,[1] four being delivered to SBG subsidiaries Eastern Scottish and Northern Scottish, and the remaining two delivered to Strathclyde PTE, these being modified with wheelchair lifts for use on two twice-weekly accessible services between Glasgow city centre and Paisley as well as southwestern city suburbs until early 1985.

The DR130 was higher, allowing a much more spacious interior but making the design unsuitable for continental tours and limiting its appeal on the secondhand market.

[9] Marketed by MCW as the Metro Hi-Liner, the single deck HR131 was built on an integral high-floor chassis in comparison to the original body-on-frame CR126 model.

[citation needed] In an effort to broaden the appeal of the double-deck coach, a 4 metres (13 ft) high version was offered with sleeker styling.