London’s largest operator of luxury coaches and chauffeur driven cars – Addison Lee plc – has added two Optare Soroco minicoaches to their corporate hire fleet.

The Sorocos are being operated by Redwing Coaches, which was acquired by Addison Lee in 2006, and are the first minicoaches to be run by them. Both are finished in a distinctive anthracite colour scheme with Addison Lee signage to match a pair of Setra coaches that entered service earlier this year and which they are working alongside.

The Sorocos have been acquired to bridge the gap between Addison Lee’s six-seat people carriers, of which they have 1,800, and the midi and full-size coaches in the 75-strong Redwing and Reliance Travel fleets.

Addison Lee chose Soroco in line with their policy of offering only the highest standard of travel comfort to their private and corporate clients, which include many leading blue chip companies.

The 19-seat minicoaches exude luxury with extensive use of soft trim throughout the saloon, including on the centre roof panel and full-length parcel rack. They have Kiel reclining seats and tinted side windows with full-draw curtains. Each is fitted with a DVD player and drop-down screen. And air conditioning ensures a pleasant travelling environment in all weather conditions.

“Along with its high quality fit and finish, the stylish appearance of Soroco was a key factor in our decision,” says John Fowler, general manager at Redwing Coaches. “It looks like a small coach and not simply a converted van and it’s quite spacious, with good headroom.

“The fact that it’s based on the Mercedes-Benz 515 CDi chassis also appealed to us. This fits well with the prestige image that our business wishes to project to clients as well as being a known and proven chassis. At 150 horsepower, it’s got plenty of power to perform well in traffic and cruise comfortably on longer runs, which could see it going anywhere in the UK or onto the Continent.

“We also opted for the five-speed automatic gearbox. Two pedal control really comes into its own in the congested traffic conditions of London and the South East, where these vehicles are mainly operating. It also offers an advantage in recruiting high calibre bus drivers who want to come into the coach industry and many of whom have been tested only to automatic licence standards.

For further information please contact:
Martin Hayes, Communications Advisor, +44 (0) 207 494 8050