Nottingham City Council is making optimum use of its newest pair of Optare Solo low-floor buses by operating them in a dual role. 

In the mornings and evenings they transport people with learning difficulties or disabilities between collection points near to their homes and a day centre. During the remainder of the day they are used to carry schoolchildren from ‘school to pool’ for their swimming lessons.

Caroline Smith, Transport Officer in Passenger Services at Nottingham Council, says that the Solo is ideally suited to both roles. “Its easy access with a low entry height makes it simple and safe to get onto and off both by people with reduced mobility and small children,” she says.

“Once on board, passengers can be safely secured on seats with seat belts. And we also have the option of reconfiguring the seating to carry wheelchairs, although for their present use we don’t need to do that.”

Nottingham City Council has operated a pair of Solos in its 52-strong mobility fleet for three years. Good acceptance by users and drivers along with their fuel efficiency, ease of maintenance and in-service reliability led directly to the decision to add another two to the fleet.

“Overall the Solo represents for us a vehicle that is good value and which serves us well in both the welfare and school transport roles,” comments Caroline Smith.

The two new Solos are 9.5 metre long ‘SlimLine’ models. The narrow width of this model, at just 2.33 metres, makes them more suitable for operating in heavy traffic and in the narrow residential streets where many pick-ups are made.

Each has 33 Rescroft Defender seats fitted with three-point seatbelts that meet M2 safety standards. Heavy-duty, slip-resistant flooring and well-positioned easy-grip handrails aid safer movement through the saloon. And if passengers in wheelchairs need to be carried, access is by means of a simple manually-operated ramp, which provides a low angle of entry particularly with the bus in its ‘kneeling’ position.

As with its earlier Solos, the Council has chosen the Cummins engine option for these new buses. This is the proven and durable six-cylinder ISBe unit, which delivers 150 kW (201 bhp) at 2500 rpm and meets the Euro 4 emissions standard through the use of SCR technology. The engine is matched to an Allison 2100 Series 5-speed fully-automatic transmission.

The council will maintain the Solos in its own well-equipped workshops.

For further information please contact:

David Rowlands, Automotive PR, 020 7494 8050, drowlands@automotivepr.com