Excellence on the X1

First Bus has been quick to trial a Chinese-built Ensignbus Excellence on First Eastern Counties long X1 route. Andy Izatt travelled on the bus from Peterborough to King’s Lynn

First Eastern Counties marathon 110-mile X1 route between Peterborough and Lowestoft is not one for the fainthearted. For operational reasons it has now been divided into two sections, Peterborough to Norwich and Norwich to Lowestoft, but remains a gruelling test for any vehicle.

The incumbent X1 fleet comprises Enviro400s, 22 of which were bought new in 2013. They have 67 generously spaced leather-covered seats, air-conditioning and free WiFi, but such is the demanding nature of the service First has started exploring what might replace them. Historically it cascades X1 vehicles after five to six years frontline operation. An Enviro400 MMC-bodied Scania has been trialled in service for several months and the possible use of tri-axle Scania Touring coaches has also been evaluated.

First has also been keen to evaluate the Cummins-powered, Chinese-built BCI double-decker that Ensignbus is now importing as the 12.5m tri-axle Enterprise and 10.8m two-axle Excellence. Comfortably into the peak hiring season for schools, Ensignbus’ own four Enterprises are currently fully committed, but one is expected on the X1 in August. However, with the first two-axle Excellences now entering service, one of those is currently being trialled in the interim for two weeks. It’s one of the 10 buses that the Purfleet operator specified for daily operation on its own Thurrock route network, not its green painted demonstrator which is fitted with seatbelts. With CBW’s office in Peterborough, this was an ideal opportunity to see what a BCI ’decker had to offer principally from a passenger perspective.

First impressions
There was a warm welcome from the driver of the Ensignbus Excellence which was making the 1005hrs departure from Peterborough Queensgate Bus Station for Norwich. It was the vehicle’s second day in service with First Eastern Counties and we left on time with just seven passengers on-board including myself.

I elected to initially sit at the rear downstairs and was immediately impressed by the[wlm_nonmember][…]

[/wlm_nonmember][wlm_ismember] comfort of the seats, which were properly cushioned like the rest – 27 in the lower saloon including three tip-ups and 51 on the upper deck. Seating capacity can be 80, but Ensignbus had elected to have additional buggy bays. To my ears engine noise was noticeable as we reversed off the stand although I could still hear the indicator beeping that signified that the driver was signalling either left or right. One of my fellow passengers was only briefly onboard as he departed at Peterborough railway station four minutes later.

As we waited for time at the railway station there was an opportunity to have a word with the driver who had taken the bus over for the first time at King’s Lynn that morning. That’s where it’s based for its two-week stay with First Eastern Counties. He was very positive about the handling, particularly the good acceleration which made a difference when entering roundabouts, and the firm braking. Also praised was the single button for opening and closing the passenger doors. However, the temporary cash tray arrangement employed for X1 operation was not ideal.

An elderly couple wanted to board just as we were about to leave, but our driver made them feel welcome. As we proceeded along Bourges Boulevard to join the A47 Soke Parkway the noise of the engine became more melodic. Very apparent were the smoothness of the gear changes and the almost complete absence of rattles. There was a loud thump when a fellow passenger closed one of the hopper windows. There was no doubting it was firmly shut and there were no rattles from any of the opening windows at any stage of the journey despite decidedly varied road surfaces.

On the Soke Parkway out of Peterborough the bus had shown how well it could accelerate and perform at speed. Ride quality really was impressively smooth. By 1019hrs we were passing the A16 Spalding junction, making the turn off the A47 into Thorney six minutes later where we were joined by an older and younger woman in the centre of what always seems like a quiet village. The surface of the road that took us back to the A47 was not the best and our driver knew how to avoid the worst of the dips, but the bus still rode well over what he couldn’t miss.

On the main A47 road towards Guyhirn the Excellence continued to deliver a comfortable ride despite the frequently cracked and bumpy road surface. We passed the sign indicating the start of Guyhirn at 1039hrs and it wasn’t long before our driver was making careful progress through the several sets of traffic lights that mark the southern approach to Wisbech. The two women who had joined at Thorney disembarked outside The Light Cinema on Cromwell Road at 1047hrs and we were in the town’s bus station six minutes later, pausing only briefly for another set of traffic lights and a man using a zebra crossing at the entrance.

While only one of those onboard wanted to disembark there were another 13 joining, but it did not take long to load them and we were backing off the stand at 1055hrs. Four more boarded at a stop in Lynn Road on the outskirts of town at which point I took the opportunity to move to a seat upstairs. The one I chose was the double on the offside immediately behind the staircase, itself a compact design that curved at the top and bottom and felt easy and safe to use with well placed handrails.

Maximising seating capacity is very important to Ensignbus when it comes to its own operation and spacing upstairs was consequently tight although this was alleviated by seatback indenting that provided a little extra knee room. However, the floor where I was sitting was ramped to create additional headroom at the bottom of the staircase making it a little difficult for me to find a comfortable position for my feet. Once seated, it was apparent that there were no rattles on the upper deck.

We were joined by two more passengers in Walpole Highway at 1110hrs while there was one on and one off a little further along the route at the stops near The Woolpack pub in Terrington St John. The quality of the ride that was being delivered continued to impress despite the broad range of mediocre road surfaces encountered. There was very little suspension wallow and silky smooth gear changes combined with firm, but not overly sharp braking all added to the pleasant ride.

By 1125hrs our bus had passed through the South Gates that mark the entrance to the central area of King’s Lynn and we had green through the frequent sets of traffic lights that separate it from the bus station. Well almost. A final set where Blackfriars Road crosses Railway Road were at red, but it was not long before we were on our way.

There was a long queue of intending passengers at King’s Lynn bus station waiting to board our bus for its onward journey to Dereham and Norwich, but while people were disembarking there was another chance to have a quick word with the driver. Preferences he highlighted were moving the overhead CCTV monitor slightly to the left to make it easier to view the screen, having a larger speedometer and a beep tone that differentiated the bell push buttons from the indicators. However, he had additional praise for other features such as the quality of the reversing camera and for the ease in lowering and raising the suspension which righted itself automatically when the passenger doors closed.

Our friendly driver was on his way on schedule at 1131hrs. It had been a measured professional driving performance from someone who had been quick to offer passengers assistance if he thought they needed it. Thanks go to him and all at First for their help with this article.

Well received
Ensignbus Chairman Peter Newman has been delighted by the interested shown in what BCI can offer. However, when I related my Excellence riding experience to him, he again emphasised as he has in the past that there is no intent to offer a product that directly competes with what is already available. Rather one that by its bespoke nature is well suited to meeting niche opportunities. Working in partnership with London-based Vantage Power means a hybrid drive is one of the options available and the capacity to tailor specifications specifically to different operator’s requirements is underlined by a very wide variety of seat manufacturers’ products being accommodated. Ensignbus itself is planning to specify a Turkish seat in future for its own requirements.

Another of the big five groups has expressed interest in trialling one of the BCIs, as have several independents. Maghull, Liverpool-based Aintree Coachline, which already operates an Enterprise, will shortly be receiving its first Excellence, both vehicles having been incorporated as part of Ensignbus’ own fleet orders, but a high-profile customer that will undoubtedly help raise the new product’s profile is Reading Buses which is buying two 12.5m tri-axle Enterprises.[/wlm_ismember]