An Optare Alero minibus acquired by Staffordshire County Council is providing transport for up to 100,000 visitors who come to the 900 acre Shugborough Historic Estate near Stafford each year.

The Alero is being used to link all parts of the complete working historic estate of Shugborough to enable them to be seen in their original Georgian splendour.

It is being run in conjunction with an existing vehicle under the name ‘Shugborough Shuttle’. Both vehicles operate throughout the estate’s opening hours of 11.00 am to 5.00 pm, seven days a week until the end of October.

The council chose the Alero because of its suitability for people in wheelchairs or with mobility problems and the layout has been specially configured for them. There are just 13 seats, of which seven are detachable, three at the rear are fixed, and three are inward facing tip-ups. This leaves ample space for up to four wheelchairs or pushchairs and for people to stand on the short journey.

Alero’s exceptionally low entry step height of just 190 mm (7.54 inches), which can be further reduced by means of the driver actuated ECAS system on the air suspension, was also a key factor. And its generous internal headroom allows passengers to stand comfortably, whilst deep side windows provide a good view of the park during their journey.

Staff who drive the Alero went through familiarisation training prior to the estate opening to the public. They were shown how to operate the simple, manual, book-leaf wheelchair ramp as well as having the opportunity to get used to the size of the 7.25 metre vehicle, to its ZF automatic transmission and to the layout and operation of the controls.

Ron Mellor, Head of Built Property Care at Shugborough Historic Estate, said: "We chose the Alero in order to provide a quality service for those of our visitors who are disabled or have reduced mobility. It meets that requirement very well and I'm sure it will prove popular with our visitors. It’s already a winner with our staff who will drive the vehicle because of its comfortable driving position and the ease with which it can be driven."

As Shugborough’s new Alero is operating on private roads it does not require to be on an O licence or to be taxed. Servicing of the vehicle will be carried out by the County Council’s own workshop at nearby Stafford.

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