A new-look Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 will make its debut at Coach & Bus UK this year on stand A3, shared by leasing group Mistral and ADL.
The specific vehicle on show forms part of a £10m single-decker deal signed recently with Go South Coast. The contract involves a total of 54 buses, all of which are 11.8m Euro 6 Enviro200 models with a ‘friends and family’ seating area built into the rear section of the vehicle.
Andrew Wickham, Managing Director of Go South Coast, part of the Go-Ahead Group, explained: “We have for some time been pursuing a seating arrangement that provides a more sociable setting for our customers, creating a comfortable space for friends and family.
“We took the idea to ADL and they responded with this inventive, horse-shoe arrangement that creates a relaxed seating area or lounge-type environment at the back of the bus, which is complemented by the wrap-over skylight rear window. There are also USB charging points at all 35 passenger seats. I’m sure the whole concept will be a winner.
“The first 13 vehicles of this type will be delivered in the next few weeks and will go into service with our Thamesdown brand in Wiltshire. These will be followed by a further 41 in the first quarter of 2018 that will join our Morebus fleet in the Poole and Bournemouth area.
“Our aim is to encourage more people to make good use of sustainable transport and we can do this by enhancing our customers’ travel experience. This initiative endorses that strategy and our ability to fund it is a direct result of more people choosing to travel with us. This ambitious project has been made possible thanks to the ingenuity and forward-thinking adopted by our own team and the design engineers at ADL.”
Martin Brailey, Regional Sales Director at ADL, commented: “It has been a pleasure working with Go South Coast on this initiative. We have a long-standing relationship with them and it is fair to say they are a company that never stands still. Challenges like this enable us to rise to the occasion and stay at the forefront of the industry. I am sure this new design approach will usher in another era of inventiveness. Everything we can do to enrich the passenger experience and encourage people out of cars and onto buses is a step in the right direction.”
Alongside the Enviro200 on the ADL-Mistral stand will be a two-axle 53-seater 12.8m Euro 6 Plaxton Panther-bodied Volvo B11R coach, powered by a 430hp Volvo D11K430 six-cylinder engine with I-Shift automated AT2412F transmission.
In the outside display area next to Halls 17 and 18, Plaxton will have a 14m tri-axle 61-seater Panther demonstrator on show. The exterior display area with also provide show visitors with an opportunity to view a Euro 5 Enviro200, which is one of the few stock vehicles of this type still available and will form part of a show offer available exclusively during the two-day NEC exhibition.
Volvo stand (N4) will also show a Plaxton B11R Elitei finished in the livery of Acklams Coaches of Yorkshire.
