The Cambridge operator says its Sigma 12 buses are achieving a 99% availability rate
Cambridgeshire operator Whippet has marked two years of zero-emission bus operation on its Universal service, serving the needs of students across the university city, with over ˜°˛ million miles now completed by its fleet of Sigma 12 buses.
The nine buses, initially supplied by Mellor but now supported directly through manufacturer Wisdom Motors, were launched in 2023, and have been followed by a series of initiatives to continually improve the customer experience, the operator says, adding that in a recent customer survey its overall customer satisfaction score had increased for the second year running.
In February, Whippet revamped the on-board announcements by teaming up with students from Cambridge University who recorded new bus stop announcements. The company also supports the University community, such as with on-board plaques celebrating this year’s success for the Cambridge teams in The Boat Race and running additional buses on university open days.
Whippet says its fleet of Sigma 12 buses continue to perform well, with over 99% vehicle availability, and the company is supported by the team at Wisdom. Director Ed Cameron said: “Whippet runs what we believe to be the largest privately funded network of electric buses in the UK, and the Sigma product continues to exceed our expectations. The buses are popular with our team of drivers and we regularly receive compliments from our passengers who like the bright, spacious interior and smooth ride quality. We’re proud to be playing our part in improving air quality in the historic city of Cambridgeshire.”
President at Wisdom Motors Tay Cheong Lip said: “Wisdom was proud to establish a partnership with Whippet for these vehicles which have now been operating successfully in Cambridge for two years now. Drivers are happy, and passengers like it. We believe that these buses confirmed yet again Wisdom’s strong commitment to each local market they operate in, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach,
by offering advanced new energy transport solutions. Establishment with strong after sales service support package will be our key focus from now to serve our customers. Congratulations to Whippet for this successful milestone.”
Whippet has also embarked on an upgrade to the on-board passenger information system, provided by NEC, with an improved driver interface scheduled to come online soon along with driver telematics.
