Yutong: Going strong

27/10/2020 WebSupport Buses, Features, Test Drives

With examples entering service with Newport Transport and First Leeds recently, and more due for Go North East, Jonathan Welch visited Pelican Engineering in Castleford to look at the latest version of Yutong’s E10 and E12

“The Yutong E12 has much to offer […] The bus rides well – it handles like a car. It’s a joy to drive, with plenty of power and highly manoeuvrable. However the indicator bleeper is intrusive and the interior layout may not be to everyone’s taste. […] Overall I cannot pretend I was not impressed by the Yutong E12.” These were the words with which our then Editor Gareth Evans concluded his test drive of Yutong’s E12 before that vehicle went into service with Arriva in 2017. In the time since Gareth drove that bus almost four years ago, Yutong and its UK importer, Castleford-based Pelican Engineering have developed the product and the latest version offers a number of improvements over the earlier model.

CBW was invited to have a look around the latest buses to arrive, which consisted of shorter 10.9-metre long E10s destined for First Leeds and the larger E12s, which are 12m vehicles. First’s nine vehicles were entered service on 16 October, bringing with them a new Leeds City Electric branding, and will be used on the operator’s Halton Moor Circular route 5. The total cost of £7.3m, including buses and charging infrastructure, was offset by funding of £1.7m from the DfT’s Ultra Low Emissions Bus scheme.

In South Wales, Newport Transport’s 14 new buses join a former demonstrator which has been in service with the operator since 2019. The new buses will operate on a number of routes across the city, including the 29 which serves the new Grange University Hospital. The purchase was assisted by £1.342m of funding from the ULEB.