Volvo Buses has secured two orders for a total of 189 new electric buses from Stagecoach, including Volvo’s biggest electric bus order to date plus further buses for London
Stagecoach will take delivery of 170 Volvo BZL electric buses for operation in Stockport commencing summer 2024, made up of 150 double-deckers and 20 single-deckers. The buses will feature MCV bodywork and be built to Transport for Manchester specifications. The deal has been followed by an additional order for 19 Volvo BZL single-deckers for operation in London, which are expected to enter service between late 2023 and early 2024.
The latest orders take Stagecoach’s investment in the Volvo product up to 244 vehicles, making it Volvo’s largest electric bus customer so far, following the delivery of 25 single-deck BZLs to its fleets Scotland in March, and with 30 double-deckers entering service in Cambridge during May.
“Stagecoach was our first Volvo BZL Electric customer in the UK, so it’s an honour to now be supplying these buses at scale,” said Volvo Buses President Anna Westerberg. “The strengthening of this partnership illustrates how our product and expertise can support public transport networks to reduce emissions. We offer the world’s most responsible electric bus systems, and I’m pleased that Stagecoach’s passengers are amongst the first in the UK to experience Volvo electric buses first-hand.”
Stagecoach Engineering Director Sam Greer added: “We’re excited to be announcing our largest electric vehicle order to date, which will be a major step forward in improving air quality locally. This builds further on the investment being made by Stagecoach across the country to support the transition to a zero-emission bus fleet.”
Domenico Bondi, Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, commented: “Our industry is transforming to electromobility, and that’s why we’re focusing on making our processes, from material sourcing and manufacture to operation and recycling, as sustainable, safe and reliable as possible.”
In April, Volvo Buses signed a Letter of Intent with MCV with the intention to expand the relationship further, taking the formula adopted for the UK and expanding it to produce electric buses for the wider European market.
