Oxford Bus Company recently took delivery of nine Wrightbus StreetDecks. Richard Sharman took the first of the batch for a test drive to see how the StreetDeck has evolved since its introduction
The last 12 months have been extremely turbulent for Northern Ireland-based vehicle manufacturer WrightBus, but now its owner, the Bamford Bus Company – formed by Jo Bamford, the son of JCB chairman Lord Bamford – is looking to turn the company’s fortunes around.
Oxford Bus Company’s latest batch of nine StreetDecks was originally destined for Go North East, but the implications of COVID-19 meant that all OpCos of the Go-Ahead Group had to work jointly to spread resources at a period when new vehicle deliveries were slowing.
By subscribing you will benefit from:
- Operator & Supplier Profiles
- Face-to-Face Interviews
- Lastest News
- Test Drives and Reviews
- Legal Updates
- Route Focus
- Industry Insider Opinions
- Passenger Perspective
- Vehicle Launches
- and much more!
Familiar choice
Oxford Bus Company is no stranger to the WrightBus StreetDeck. It has been operating the type since 2015 and has 47 already in its fleet, varying in wheelbase and seating specifications. The largest order was for the Oxford Park & Ride service, which saw 20 entering service between December 2016 and January 2017.
The significant difference between Oxford Bus Company’s previous StreetDecks and the latest batch is that they are full height, something which had been avoided for many years due to the low railway bridge next to Oxford rail station, which many Oxford Bus Company services need to travel under.
As these new vehicles are part of a diverted order, Oxford Bus Company was able to accommodate them into the fleet by allocating them to routes which don’t operate near the rail station bridge and also number them into the 900 series. Historically, the Oxford Bus Company has always numbered full height vehicles in the 900 series, which tells the driver that they are unable to travel under the railway bridge in that vehicle. Perhaps the most well-known vehicle to operate in this number series was Alexander RH-bodied Leyland Olympian 999, PWL 999W. This vehicle had previously been a demonstrator and spent its early life with Singapore Bus Services before returning to the UK. That vehicle still survives in preservation.
Whilst Thames Travel already operates eight full-height double-deckers in the 900 series, this will be the first time in many years that Oxford Bus Company itself has. The new Wrightbus StreetDecks will be numbered 901-9, with 901-3 being allocated to Oxford Bus Company and 904-9 going to Thames Travel.
A memorable debut
The WrightBus StreetDeck was launched at the 2014 Euro Bus Expo (EBE), the first example being Arriva Derby’s 4600, FJ64 ETZ. This vehicle attracted a lot of attention at EBE as the frontal styling was fairly radical when compared to its predecessor, the Gemini. The model has gone on to attract a large number of orders from some of the ‘big five’ group companies, with FirstGroup taking the largest amount, followed by Go-Ahead Group and now Rotala, which is taking high numbers for Preston Bus and Diamond Bus North West.
It was hard to imagine, pre-2014, that a Daimler-engined integral double-decker would have found such favour in the UK market, but the StreetDeck’s four-cylinder, 5.1-litre OM934 Euro VI-compliant engine has a lot going for it. It is small, lightweight and offers good fuel economy.
Modern and practical design
Oxford Bus Company has introduced a striking new livery for its three StreetDecks 901-3; the red front merged with black sides blends nicely with the styling of the vehicle.
The vehicle that was used for our test drive was 901, the first of the batch and the initial vehicle to be delivered to Oxford Bus Company – at first in its original Go North East X-Lines livery – for inspection and route testing.
The frontal styling of the StreetDeck has divided opinion in the industry. Some say that it is too radical whilst others think it is a very modern-looking vehicle. While I agree that it was a radical departure from the Gemini 2, I like it – it has character to match its good aerodynamics.
If anything, it looks even better in full height form, featuring a larger oblong upper deck windscreen with the top corners cutting in at an angle. The glazed A-pillars on the upper deck also make a huge difference to the appearance of the vehicle, both externally and internally.
The flow of the recessed windscreen is also very clever; not only does it hide the wiper blades, but it also continues around the side of the vehicle to the narrow A-pillars. The windscreen is also very shallow. All of these features from one piece of glass not only provide the driver with excellent all-around vision, but also form an integral part of the styling that makes the StreetDeck look so futuristic.
The lower dash area of the StreetDeck is split into three panels, with a recessed styling line that runs through all of them and the WrightBus logo in the centre. The LED headlight units on the StreetDeck are particularly well thought out. Rather than blending in with the rest of the panels, they are mounted in separate units which brings them out of the bodywork to form a focal point for the styling.
As these are Go North East specification vehicles, they feature double Hanover destination displays at the front rather than the more standard single unit. This works very well, allowing a greater amount of journey information to be displayed. An offside Hanover unit is also mounted behind the staircase, a feature that has been part of Go South Coast’s standard specification for some years now. Other extras added from the Go North East specification are the LED roofline strip and the illuminated city fleet name underneath the windscreen.
The sides of the StreetDeck are equally as well-styled. The offside is fitted with a glass staircase which matches the livery application, which will look impressive at night. Despite the full height of these new vehicles, Wrightbus has retained the smaller upper deck side windows throughout the range, with a curved roofline being preferred. The lower deck glazing is full size, and all windows are bonded. The full height of this batch and the glazed staircase does mean that they weigh in at 10927 kg unladen, compared with the low-height version which is 10709 kg.
Panel replacement for accident damage has been considered and as such the lower body panels are divided into three sections between the axles. Panels behind the rear axles are equally well thought out.
The rear of the StreetDeck shares many more styling cues with the single-decker StreetLite, although goes without a roof spoiler. The curved roofline is more apparent, whilst the top rear window looks quite narrow, but these vehicles are specified with full height and width rear Hanover displays. The black window masking around the lower rear windows nicely imitates the shape of the roofline. A cooling vent for the engine bay is built into the styling above the boot line. The rear bumper is split into three sections for easy accident replacement, while the number plate is recessed to keep it cleaner on wet days. The rear LED lights are effective, and a high-level, LED brake light is fitted in the roofline, but I think high-level indicator repeaters would also be beneficial.
High-specification interior
The interior of the new StreetDecks has been built to a high specification. The first thing you notice on boarding the vehicle is how good the flow is from the platform to the stairs or saloon of the vehicle. There is plenty of room for passengers to board and alight at the same time if need be. The wood-effect flooring looks high quality and is a mix of light and dark woodgrain effect. A manual Compak wheelchair ramp is fitted.
Due to the large lower deck windows, the interior feels and looks light and airy, with the dark red colour panels from the bottom of the window line upwards helping to produce that effect. The panels underneath the window level are, sensibly, dark red and match the colour of the high back Isri seating. The seats are very comfortable, with leather inserts and headrests along with plenty of padding on the base.
One of the great innovations of the Go North East specification is the tip-up seats in the rear saloon. Passengers wishing to put their feet up have a large steel bar they can use, but when the bus is busy the seats fold down to allow passengers to sit down. Passengers also benefit from Alfacharge wireless phone charging holders on the back of the seat headrests, along with a separate USB port. For the seats that do not have these units fitted there are USB charging points built into the sidewalls.
The lower deck also has 12 handrails, a passenger information screen, next stop information display, five opening windows, forced air ventilation through roof vents and a large bin over the nearside front wheel arch.
Moving to the upper deck using the well-designed, straight staircase, the high specification really becomes apparent. You are greeted by four tables with Alfacharge wireless charging points and two three-point plug sockets for laptop charging; I am sure these ‘social seating’ areas will be particularly popular.
The lack of handrails on the upper deck also gives the vehicle that higher specification feeling, with only three handrails fitted which are around the staircase. However, each seat headrest does have a bar to hold onto if the vehicle is still in motion whilst passengers are alighting. Three bins are also provided in the saloon where seats are mounted back to back to help keep the interior tidy whilst the vehicle is in service.
Ventilation is handled by five opening windows and forced air vents fitted in the roofline. An additional powerful fan heating unit is fitted underneath the rear seats.
The passenger information screen is mounted to the rear of the staircase surround, whilst the next stop announcement screen has been neatly mounted into the upper deck body moulds. The glazed A-pillars make a huge difference to the look of the interior and provide passengers a view of the next stop that is approaching.
Driver comfort taken care of
When designing new generation buses, it is very important to factor in the needs and comfort of the driver. The employee is responsible for delivering consistent customer service and is the face of the company whilst customers are on that vehicle, so giving them a good working environment is key.
I am happy to report that the StreetDeck delivers in that aspect. I am tall and do struggle with cab space in some vehicles but the StreetDeck’s cab has plenty of room. The only aspect that drivers may struggle with is finding somewhere to place their bag. Wrightbus has built in a small area where the left foot would rest, but this doesn’t seem to be quite as big as the space provided in the StreetLite. The only alternative is to put it to the left of the driver’s seat.
When seated in the comfortable Chapman driver’s seat, you find the cab is reminiscent of the early Geminis (which are well known for having the perfect driving and control positions), and the strengths of that vehicle have been clearly carried over and improved on the StreetDeck. A key strength of the cab layout is that all-around vision is perfect; the A-pillar is narrow and well set back thanks to the curved windscreen. The split view mirrors are also a welcome feature.
The cab door on the StreetDeck is quite substantial in terms of thickness, which allows for a built-in door lock and a driver protection screen to be mounted on the outer edge of the cab door, giving the driver more space in the cab. The materials used also give a clear feeling that they are more substantial than just painted metal.
The StreetDeck and single-deck StreetLite share the same dash binnacle, which is simple to use and has a touch of the early generation Citaro about it.
The binnacle is fully adjustable via a button by your left foot. The dash binnacle provides all the basic information and features the driver needs, allowing them to concentrate on the road ahead. The speedo is ideally placed, although I do feel that the face could be redesigned. Currently, it shows up to 80mph and does not highlight 30 and 50mph – a redesign could fix that problem to aid drivers. The display next to the speedo shows the vehicle’s current state as a default, but you can scroll through to show the air tank pressures, engine temperature and AdBlue/fuel gauges. The two air vents either side of the steering wheel are linked to the demister unit and are a welcome feature.
Switchgear is mounted above the driver’s head, on the dash binnacle and a ledge under the cab window. Door and two-way radio buttons are placed next to the handbrake. The Heavac demister unit controls, Hanover DG3, Mix Telematics, CCTV screen and Timespace low bridge warning system are all mounted into the roof of the cab.
On test in West Oxfordshire
This was not the first time that I had driven a StreetDeck, having had experience with 2015 examples at First Bus. However, I was interested to see how the product has evolved in the last five years.
I was joined by Driving Standards Examiner Gwyn Smith on the road test. Departing the modern Cowley House depot to head for the Oxford ring road, I was reminded of the smooth acceleration the small four-cylinder Daimler engine produces which, combined with the electronic power-assisted steering, delivers a nice driving experience.
This particular vehicle had covered 578 miles, through initial delivery, trials around Oxford and then going for a repaint from Go North East’s X-lines livery into Oxford Bus Company livery. The rest of the batch would have been delivered with fewer miles.
Out on the road, one of the first things you notice is that there is zero noise coming from the interior trim and fittings of the StreetDeck – it is well put together. The Daimler engine is also quiet in operation, so the only real noise on the move is the forced air ventilation, the demister unit blowing cold air and the electric power-assisted steering at lower speeds.
On the flat, the StreetDeck progresses well and shifts into fourth gear quickly before hitting its 50mph top speed. However, it is worth noting that on delivery the Voith D854.6 four-speed gearbox is in economy mode. This means that the gearbox is changing up gears as early as possible and that the driver seemingly has no kick down. Whilst the engine is powerful thanks to its twin turbos, the gearbox changes gears so early that progress is slow when starting on hills or trying to build up speed to join a dual carriageway. This was noticeable when joining the Oxford ring road and later at Pear Tree roundabout. Both slip roads are on a gradient and there is a need to build up speed quickly, but the gearbox does not hold gears long enough to allow this or let you kick down. The same problem was encountered at First Bus when StreetDecks were purchased to operate on the hilly Great Malvern routes; Voith came out and programmed the gearboxes to suit the route, which made a huge difference. This may not be such an issue to operators which are solely using the StreetDeck in a city environment where they will only average a speed of 30mph.
The other thing worth mentioning is that braking on the StreetDeck takes a few minutes to get used to. Braking from 50mph to 30mph is extremely smooth, but at 30mph you need to press that little bit firmer to continue that smooth braking. It seems that it is a characteristic of the integral retarder to be more reliant on the disc brakes around that speed before it cuts back in again. This feature is apparent on other StreetDecks and is something that drivers can easily adapt to after a few minutes behind the wheel, which was the case for me.
Heading along the A44 towards Woodstock I found that the suspension was very smooth and that the driver doesn’t suffer from the normal problem of feeling every bump and pothole in the road. I am sure the lightweight Alcoa Dura-Bright alloy wheels assist with this when compared to the standard steel wheels. The electronic power-assisted steering is also direct and light in use, with a good steering lock, which was tested around Woodstock town and at the turning point on the outskirts of the town used by Oxford Bus Company’s 500 service, which is particularly tight. Tyres used are Michelin X Citys which grip well and offer low road noise.
Heading back towards the depot along the A44, A34 and the Oxford ring road I felt that the StreetDeck is a well-built vehicle that has been built with both drivers and engineers in mind, and works well as a package. Given these factors, it is easy to see why the Oxford Bus Company already has so many in its fleet.
Increasing its Euro VI fleet
Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel have further increased the volume of ultra-low emission buses in their fleets with a £2m investment in green technology.
The two companies have previously retrofitted 66 buses and five City Sightseeing buses with Euro VI technology. Oxford Bus Company also introduced the first electric bus to the city earlier this year via the City Sightseeing Oxford fleet and has committed to converting more.
The nine new buses will be used on services between Abingdon, Didcot and Oxford, as well as a newly awarded developer-funded contract to provide a fast service from Wantage and Grove to Milton Park and Didcot from early next year. They will also be used to help with busy shopping days for Bicester Village, primarily at weekends.
Phil Southall, Managing Director of Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel said: “This significant investment represents the next stage in our on-going strategy and commitment to introduce more sustainable modes of transport. We have always been committed to being at the forefront of the industry on environmental technology innovation and well over half of our buses are now powered by hybrid technology.”
