Six Solo low-floor midibuses entering service with Newport Bus are the first Optare products to be operated by the Company.

Two are being used on the Ebbw Valley Railway rail link service subsidised by the Welsh Assembly and which connects Rogerstone Railway Station with Newport Railway Station. These are in a specially designed rail link livery. The remainder will form part of the 86-strong bus fleet on local services in the Newport area.

 Trevor Roberts, Managing Director of Newport Bus, said the choice of Solo had followed an extensive evaluation of products on the market. “We looked at everything in this size range and trialled a number of models,” he said.

“Overall we concluded that the Optare Solo provided the best package. The product itself is well designed and well built and has a reputation for reliability. We were also impressed by the back-up service offered by Optare. During the trials it proved popular with our drivers and passengers found its bright and airy feel and easy access to be very appealing.

 “Apart from the Solo product itself, we liked Optare’s approached to business. They were prepared to be very flexible in meeting our needs in terms of the vehicle specification and layout. As a small operator it’s important to have that sort of relationship with a supplier.”

As the new buses are to be used on subsidised services, Newport Council laid down the general specification. The requirement was for a bus with a minimum of 25 seats, which was DDA compliant, had a CCTV system and would be equipped with the ACIS real-time passenger information system used on the bus and at bus stops.

The Solos are 8.8 metre full width models with 25 Esteban Civic fixed seats and two tip-ups in the wheelchair/buggy bay plus a luggage pen as required by the Council. Its low entry height of just 265 mm, reducing to just 200 mm when kneeling, along with a wide door and an easy-to-use ramp leading directly to the wheelchair bay, adequately met the criteria around DDA and passenger with reduced mobility.

Further features include Mobitec LED destination equipment and a CCL six-camera CCTV system for driver and passenger safety. The driver is further protected by an assault screen. The choice of LED rear light clusters also helps to improve safety by making the Solos more visible to other road users.

Newport Bus have opted for the MAN DO834 engine which meets the Euro 4 emissions standard through the use of EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) technology. This delivers 132 kW (177 bhp) at 2400 rpm and is matched to an Allison B2100 five-speed automatic transmission with lock-up torque converter. This feature, along with a KLAM integral electro-magnetic retarder, contributes to smoother stopping and improved fuel efficiency.

For further information please contact:

Martin Hayes or David Rowlands, Communications Advisors +44 (0)20 7494 8050