Three Optare Tempos have entered service with long-established operator Tanat Valley Coaches on a 46-mile route that connects Llanidloes in Powys with Shrewsbury in Shropshire. They are the first Optare products to enter service with the 60-vehicle family firm.

The hourly service operates six days a week and the route takes in the border towns of Newtown and Welshpool. It also links into the Trans-Mawr long-distance bus network operating down the centre of Wales from Newtown to Brecon – a distance of some 60 miles – and on which Tempos also run.

Michael Morris, who runs the 85 year old business with his brother Peter, says that Tempo was chosen following a careful evaluation that took account both of operating and of maintenance needs.

“We tried a Tempo belonging to another operator and liked the vehicle. It’s well built and it’s reasonably heavy, so offered a comfortable ride. The fact that it has an integral body appealed to us and the location of the cable trunking in the roof coving would, we felt, eliminate the problem of wiring corrosion from dirt and water that comes off the country roads on which these buses will operate.

“We also believe that it will be a relatively simple vehicle to maintain, even though it offers all the sophistication you’d expect in a modern design. We’ll be having the buses serviced under contract by a local commercial vehicle specialist, Grooms of Newtown, with additional support from Optare when required.”

Of the four lengths in which Tempo is offered (10.6, 11.3, 12.0 and 12.6 metres) Tanat Valley Coaches chose the 12 metre version as this offered the best compromise between passenger capacity and route compatibility. The buses can each carry 46 passengers on Esteban seats, of which six are tip-ups in the two-wheelchair bay. Standees take the total capacity to over 70.

A comfortable ride is assured by the use of all-round air suspension with a two-bag system on the front axle and a four-bag system on the rear. Tinted side windows will help to keep the saloon cooler aided by hoppers for ventilation. The extensive use of insulation also ensures a quieter ride with interior noise levels that at 40 mph are as much as 5dBa lower than similar-sized vehicles of other makes.

The six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz 906La engine rated at 180 kw (242 bhp) powers the Tempos and is matched to an Allison T310R automatic transmission with integral retarder. A 5.37:1 ratio rear axle completes the driveline, which has been designed to deliver optimum fuel economy. Tempo’s class-leading unladen weight of 9.6 tonnes will also contribute to lower fuel consumption.

Tanat Valley Coaches was set up soon after the first world war by the uncle of Michael and Peter Morris, whose father joined the business in the mid-1920s. Today it a fleet of some 60 vehicles from taxis to full-size buses and is licenced for 34 psvs – a figure it hopes will shortly increase to 38 to take account of expansion following the start of the new cross-border service. Along with stage carriage services, the company operates school contracts, private hire, day tours and a holiday programme.

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