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Bus Manufacturer News & Discussion
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Mark L
Member
Yes and there was an auction last summer at which many of the fixtures and fittings were sold - see https://auctionnews.com/auction/all...t-vehicle-lifts-overhead-cranes-auction/11578
joieman
Member
Wrightbus appear to have dropped the GB Hawk from their website.
Meanwhile, the King Long-based Rightech RB9 appears to have been added to Wrightbus's range as the Wright WB9.
Meanwhile, the King Long-based Rightech RB9 appears to have been added to Wrightbus's range as the Wright WB9.
aswilliamsuk
Member
- Joined
- 10 Jul 2016
- Messages
- 527
I'm not especially surprised - the diesel GB Hawk was basically developed for Ulsterbus, and they are now leading with electric. I saw mention that they were developing an electric schoolbus for the same operator (to replace the Schoolrun fleet), so I suspect we'll hear about that in time.
TR673
Member
Lothian are gaining 60 more Enviro 400 XLB bodied Volvo B8Ls. Hopefully good news for ADL's Scottish plants?
Facebook post by ADL announcing order
Facebook post by ADL announcing order
Surprised they are still ordering diesels.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
These have been ordered for high mileage work and alongside 20 Evora’s for similar use are expected to be the final diesel buses bought by Lothian.
Route One reports that they are for East Coast and Lothian Country, rather than the main fleet, although the Airbus 100 buses will also be replaced.
Also announced is a potential order for 40 Volvo BZL with AD400EV bodies, a new combination
Lothian confirms 60-strong further B8L Enviro400XLB tri-axle order - routeone
Lothian Buses has confirmed an order for 60 further Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB tri-axle double-decks built on the Volvo B8L chassis.
www.route-one.net
More surprised that Volvo chassis with ADL bodies are still offered if I'm absolutely honest. I thought Volvo wanted to move more in house or to an integral product?
Leyland Bus
Member
Perhaps they're (both Volvo and ADL) realising that beggars can't be choosers and a sale is a sale..?
Fair point, outside of Lothian it's fairly rare I believe, other than EYMS's B9 E400s I can't think of much else.
Probably a fair amount of truth in that, especially with the competition from the Chinese.
Grahamk748
Member
Stagecoach had B5LH with Enviro 400MMC bodies for London and East Scotland although the Scottish ones are now with Metroline Manchester and Vision Bus I believe and Stagecoach East had the 400XLB MMC bodied B8Ls for the guided busway.
I think possibly the only ones are Go Ahead Londons 3 B9 Enviro 400s and the ex demo one that ended up at Bluestar and now preserved?
cnjb8
Established Member
Dublin Bus took a large number of B9 E400s and Ulsterbus had some B7 E300s.
Plus IIRC there was some inquiries into bodying the B8RLE with a E200MMC body for Lothian around the time the Evoras were ordered but this never happened
GusB
Established Member
And that some customers still value having some choice, especially those placing relatively large orders! It's all very well having a "take it or leave it" attitude if orders are pouring in from elsewhere but snubbing customers that have been loyal for many years (decades in Alexander's case) is never a good idea.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
This has been known for quite some time locally. 20 are for Lothian Country, 20 are for East Coast Buses and 20 are for Airlink - all of which are high mileage work.Route One reports that they are for East Coast and Lothian Country, rather than the main fleet, although the Airbus 100 buses will also be replaced.
Also announced is a potential order for 40 Volvo BZL with AD400EV bodies, a new combination
Lothian confirms 60-strong further B8L Enviro400XLB tri-axle order - routeone
Lothian Buses has confirmed an order for 60 further Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB tri-axle double-decks built on the Volvo B8L chassis.
There’s about 150 new vehicles due over the next 18 months. Starting with the Kites due imminently.
m79900
Member
The current Airlink buses are only 7 years old, what are the plans for them?
Route One says they will be 'displaced'. My impression, rightly or wrongly, was that they would also go to East Coast or Lothian Country.
Lothian confirms 60-strong further B8L Enviro400XLB tri-axle order - routeone
Lothian Buses has confirmed an order for 60 further Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB tri-axle double-decks built on the Volvo B8L chassis.
www.route-one.net
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I'd imagine they'll be refurbished, reseated and put into City fleet.
FlybeDash8Q400
Established Member
That’s actually quite old for an Airlink fleet, which are typically replaced at latest every 5 years.Route One says they will be 'displaced'. My impression, rightly or wrongly, was that they would also go to East Coast or Lothian Country.
Lothian confirms 60-strong further B8L Enviro400XLB tri-axle order - routeone
Lothian Buses has confirmed an order for 60 further Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB tri-axle double-decks built on the Volvo B8L chassis.
1126 and 1127 were converted to city spec previously when its allocation was reduced, so I anticipate the remaining 13 will match their spec.
PG
Established Member
Maybe they've learned a lesson from history? e.g. the Leyland/ECW mistake in the 80s which Lothian regretted and soured relations between Alexander and Leyland.
The school buses of the future, no doubt operators will be clamouring for them by the time they are withdrawn, so a shrewd investment maybe...
Mikey C
Established Member
- Joined
- 11 Feb 2013
- Messages
- 8,231
Going for tri axle buses seems a lot of additional weight and expense, for a bus only 1.3m longer than their 2 axle double deckers? It's not as if they have the additional weight of air conditioning either.
They want Volvo and there is no diesel 2 axle option available anymore.
Snow1964
Established Member
Don't forget there are axle weight limits, and the tag axle is undriven.
But it is a fairly old design lingering on, the spec sheet on Volvo website is dated 2017
Thats obviously another reason, Volvo moved to electric chassis for Europe. I wouldn't be surprised if the chassis for Lothian are coming from Asia
Great_Western
Member
- Joined
- 18 May 2016
- Messages
- 203
This might sound like a strange question, but what is behind Lothian's obsession with Volvo?
First was the ADL bodies on BZL electrics, and now essentially getting ADL to pretty much revive the 400XLB on a Volvo chassis just for them.
And obviously there's the MCV Evora's that were purchased after the deal to put a Volvo Chassis on an E200 body never happened.
I think it might have something to do with sales and after support from Volvo.
aswilliamsuk
Member
- Joined
- 10 Jul 2016
- Messages
- 527
Lothian and their predecessors has been Leyland and then Volvo buyers for decades - at least back to the fifties, I think. In more modern times, they've always preferred more heavyweight vehicles for the arduous, busy city work that their vehicles undertake, and Volvo have generally offered what they want.
They took Tridents for a while in the early days of low-floor deckers, but the failure of Transbus (and the loss of warranties on the vehicles being delivered at the time) clearly left a sour taste, and for chassis, they've barely returned to ADL since.
He is correct about BEV buses sacrificing the niceties of saloon layout. The best example is the Mercedes e-Citaro. The massive cubicle at the back left narrows the aisle so much, blocks the left-side view for the passengers in the right-side seats completely and makes the bus so dark and depressing.
Diesel buses have continuous light units running the whole length of the bus. The e-Citaro has a few narrow panels in the ceiling. The drivers seem to be told to only switch half of them on, presumably to save energy, so there are 3 illuminated for the whole bus. In some seats, such as the front two seats, you are sitting in complete darkness at night. Most seats are so poorly illuminated, that you could not read a book. For people with partial sight it is very discriminatory.
Diesel buses have continuous light units running the whole length of the bus. The e-Citaro has a few narrow panels in the ceiling. The drivers seem to be told to only switch half of them on, presumably to save energy, so there are 3 illuminated for the whole bus. In some seats, such as the front two seats, you are sitting in complete darkness at night. Most seats are so poorly illuminated, that you could not read a book. For people with partial sight it is very discriminatory.
ClydeCoaster
Member
- Joined
- 31 Jul 2019
- Messages
- 200
It's interesting they've not gone for the niche-but-popular EvoSeti B8L combination. Given they have Evoras (and have more coming) and MCV bodied BZLs it would make sense to go with something that is already off-the-shelf. It suggests they're not altogether impressed by MCV, and given there is literally no alternative to the Evora they're stuck with them for the single deck order.
I'm guessing Lothian are also not fond of Wright integral products and that's why the Hawk/Kite are off the cards?
Mark L
Member
It is currently taking delivery of a batch of GB Kite Electroliners.