The Castleford family firm is celebrating delivering the milestone vehicle as part of an order for First West of England
Castleford-based Pelican Bus & Caoch is celebrating its 2,000th Yutong. In May 2014, Cropley Coaches purchased the first ever Euro V Yutong TC12 coach from Pelican and now, 11 years later, Pelican is celebrating its the 2,000th Yutong vehicle sale, a GT12 coach which has been purchased by FirstGroup for its Flixbus operation.
Managing Director at Pelican Engineering Richard Crump commented: “Every registration is a celebration of our relationship with our customers but this 2,000th registration is a very special milestone for both Pelican and Yutong in the UK. It is fitting that the vehicle is the successor model to the TC12 which was our first vehicle.
“We continue to invest heavily in the UK product range, with diesel and electric two-and and three-axle coaches, electric single-deck and double-deck buses, and an electric airside bus. This is testament to the continuous investment that Pelican and Yutong provide for our UK customers, and we hope for many more milestones to come.”
First Bus COO Andrew Jarvis said: “I am delighted to be receiving the keys to this milestone Yutong GT12 that will join our West of England operation on Flixbus express coach work. In 2018 we placed the first ever fleet order for Yutong vehicles in the UK with an order for 43 TC12 coaches. We have always appreciated the positive attitude to suggestions, the excellent vehicle reliability and performance and the back-up provided by Pelican.”
Managing Director of Flixbus UK Andreas Schorling added: “As Flixbus continues its inevitable journey towards market leadership, the launch of our partnership with First is made all the more special with Yutong’s 2,000th vehicle in the UK. We will watch with pride as the vehicles begin operating Flixbus services across the UK, opening new routes to meet passenger demand ahead of the busy summer season.”
