A third Optare Solo acquired by North Wales operator D Jones & Son has been put to work on a largely rural route connecting Wrexham with Chester.

The hourly C56 service follows an indirect route that takes in several small villages. Narrow roads make the SlimLine Solo, at just 2.33 metres wide, very suitable for the route conditions. And, although compact in size, it has a good passenger capacity of 32 seats plus room for a further 17 standees at peak times.

Gary Jones, who runs the seven bus business with his father David, says that Solo has proved a good vehicle to operate. “We took our first in 2004 and another last year. It’s been a simple, straightforward and reliable bus to operate, which is important when you’re running a small fleet and can’t have spare capacity to cover off-road situations.

“We’ve had a Hanover LED destination system fitted with information on the front, side and rear. And a six camera CCTV system by Look has also been installed both for the safety of the driver and passengers on board and to assist reversing. One of the cameras is front facing and can provide pictures that could assist us in any future insurance claim.”

This is the first Euro 4 bus in the company’s fleet and is powered by the Mercedes-Benz 904LA engine. This uses SCR technology to achieve Euro 4 compliance. Gary Jones says that the addition of Adblue is not at all onerous. “It’s just another small task we have to do when carrying out the normal checks of fuel and other fluid levels,” he says.

The engine delivers 115 kW (154 bhp) and is matched to an Allison 2100 Series five-speed fully-automatic gearbox. A Klam electro-magnetic retarder activated automatically through the brake pedal ensures smooth retardation and contributes to lower power consumption.

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Martin Hayes, Communications Advisor, +44 (0) 207 494 8050