Stagecoach Group has announced £70m worth of new vehicle orders. The order for the 2017-18 financial year includes primarily ADL and Plaxton vehicles, along with some vehicles from Wrightbus and Caetano.
Around 340 new vehicles, most equipped with free WiFi, will be introduced in the coming 2017-18 financial year. The latest announcement takes Stagecoach Group’s total orders of new buses and coaches to more than £1bn in the past 11 years, representing around 7,000 new vehicles.
The brand new coaches and buses will be introduced in Stagecoach’s regional networks in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on the company’s megabus.com network in the UK.
Almost half of the new vehicles meet the Government’s Low Carbon Emission Bus specification, while around two thirds feature stop-start technology. All of the new vehicles meet Euro 6 emissions standards and will be fitted with CCTV and USB charging points.
The latest orders follow an annual competitive tendering process, with the first of the new vehicles being delivered from Spring 2017.
Included in the latest order are the first purpose-build open top vehicles the company has ever ordered, plus new vehicles for the Cambridge Guided Busway and a fleet of 18 Wrightbus Micro Hybrid vehicles to go into operation in Sheffield, which have been partly funded by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV).
There are also 34 coaches for the Group’s UK Bus, Scottish Citylink and megabus.com operations.
Stagecoach Group Chief Executive, Martin Griffiths, said: “Our focus is on delivering practical improvements to make travel even better for our customers.
“We are continuing to re-invest money from fares in state-of-the-art, cleaner, greener vehicles, digital technology and smart ticketing to deliver an even higher standard of service. These latest vehicle orders are an important part of our strategy to encourage even more people to take the bus.
“Local bus services are the backbone of the country’s transport networks. However, the increasing problem of traffic congestion in our towns and cities is holding buses back and it is high time our politicians stepped up and took action to support bus passengers and free up road space to help bus networks flourish.”
Details of the new orders are as follows:
- 122 ADL Enviro400 MMC double-deckers;
- 59 ADL Enviro400 MMC-bodied Scania N250UD double-deckers;
- 62 ADL Enviro200 MMC single-deckers – 11.9m with six cylinder Cummins engine;
- 40 ADL Enviro200 MMC ‘midibuses’ – 10.8m with four cylinder Cummins engine;
- 18 Wrightbus StreetLite 11.5m Micro Hybrid single-deckers;
- Seven Wrightbus Gemini 3-bodied Volvo B5TL open-top double deckers;
- Two Wrightbus Eclipse-bodied Volvo B8RLE single-deckers;
- Nine Plaxton Elitei Volvo B11R 15m coaches;
- Eight Plaxton Elite Volvo B11R 6×2 15m coaches;
- 14 Plaxton Elite Volvo B11R 4×2 coaches; and
- Three Caetano Levante Volvo B11R 6×2 coaches.
A number of suppliers are benefitting from the order. Synectics Ltd (UK) is supplying the CCTV, while the WiFi is provided by Icomera. Bus passenger seating has been arranged through Lazzerini and coach passenger seating on the Plaxton Elites through Fainsa Spain, while driver seating is provided by Chapman. Hanover is providing destination equipment, PLS is providing wheelchair lifts and Shades Technics is handling coach toilets.
