The 800th production version of the Volvo B9R coach has been delivered to Hampshire based Lucketts Travel as part of a larger order for four new vehicles.
Lucketts Travel’s four new Volvo B9Rs are specified with Caetano Levante bodywork and are liveried for National Express operations.
The vehicles are specified to National Express standards and feature 48 passenger seats and an onboard toilet. They will be operating on a variety of contracts, but mainly on London routes from Portsmouth and Brighton.
The Volvo B9R has a rear-mounted D9B engine, capable of 380hp and delivering generous torque across a wide rev range. Electronically controlled air suspension provides comfort.
Standard safety features include Volvo’s Electronic Braking System (EBS), which combines with all-round disc brakes and Volvo’s VR3250 compact retarder to give a rapid reaction time and shorter stopping distances, as well as Hill Start Aid, Emergency Braking Assistance and Brake Blending.
“It’s quite an honour for us to have the landmark 800th B9R as part of our recent Volvo deliveries,” explained Lucketts Travel’s Ian Luckett. “We’ve had B9R coaches before and they are good solid and reliable vehicles.”
“We had five year old coaches from another manufacturer which we wanted to take the opportunity to replace and in turn upgrade our fleet for our National Express contracts. We’re expecting improved performance and fuel economy results from Volvo. Our vehicles often travel 20 hours a day and up to 222,000km per year, so we need the best fuel results and reliability as standard, Volvo will give us that.
“Another key factor in our purchase was the excellent backup and support which we receive from the Volvo dealership MC Truck and Bus. We know if we have any issues they will resolve it for us quickly and without any hassle.
“By purchasing these new coaches we are once again demonstrating that we invest in our customers by buying vehicles that are top class in terms of safety features and comfort.”
Volvo Regional Coach Sales Manager, Richard Mann, said: “The fact that one of the vehicles is the 800th production B9R is a tremendous endorsement of that particular chassis.
“Lucketts Travel has also shown a real interest in the launch of our Euro 6 product range so once again that is extremely positive. We look forward to continuing our successful working relationship.”
