Major coach investment for Souter Investments

[wlm_nonmember]
News stories are free to read. Click here for full access to all the features, articles and archive from only £8.99.
[/wlm_nonmember]
The order is for 30 single deck Van Hool Altanos and 20 double Astromegas
The order is for 30 single deck Van Hool Altanos and 20 double Astromegas

Substantial expansion increases size of PolskiBus.com fleet to 68 vehicles

Souter Investments has announced a multi-million Euro investment in 50 new coaches for its successful Polish business PolskiBus.com.

The investment will expand PolskiBus.com’s coach fleet to 68 vehicles, all of which meet the latest Euro 5 emissions standards and offer passengers free Wi-Fi access, luxury leather seats and air-conditioning.

Sir Brian Souter said: “We have been delighted with the success of PolskiBus.com since its launch four months ago. This major new investment reflects our commitment to expanding the PolskiBus.com business and driving up the quality of travel for our customers by investing in new, high-specification vehicles.”

PolskiBus.com operates fast, cheap and comfortable inter-city express coach services across Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. Fares start at just 1 zloty plus a 1 zloty booking fee with no hidden luggage charges and free Wi-Fi access. Tickets can be booked online at www.polskibus.com.

Roger Bowker, CEO of Souter Holdings Poland, said: “PolskiBus.com has carried over 175,000 passengers in its first three months of trading and we know that our customers love our low fares, comfortable coaches, free Wi-Fi access and friendly drivers. This order is the first phase of a major new investment programme planned by Souter Holdings Poland as we look to develop the PolskiBus.com business.”

The 50 bus order will consist of 30 single deck Van Hool Altano and 20 double deck Astromega coaches. Each vehicle will be equipped with free Wi-Fi access and in-seat charging points for laptops and mobile phones. In addition, the coaches will offer reclining leather seats, air-conditioning, toilet facilities and disabled access.

Filip Van Hool, Executive Director of Van Hool, said: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with Souter Holdings Poland and PolskiBus.com. Our Van Hool TD921 Altano and TD927 Astromega coaches are ideal for high quality, extremely comfortable inter-city bus travel with their high capacity seating layouts, luxurious red leather seats, 240V power socket, Wi-Fi connectivity and disabled access. We are always proud that we have the flexibility to develop and adapt vehicles in close collaboration with our customers.”

The new vehicles are expected to go into service between December 2011 and April 2012.

Piotr Bezulski, managing director of Souter Holdings Poland, added: “As well as offering the best value inter-city fares in Poland, we want to play our part in reducing the environmental impact of travel while making it easy for people to travel quickly and cheaply from city centre to city centre. We believe there is a big opportunity to attract car users to the benefits of fast, cheap and comfortable inter-city coach travel whilst at the same time cutting their carbon footprint.”

For more information visit www.PolskiBus.com