As a leader in electric and hybrid bus technology, Optare is delighted to announce that Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has ordered 16 more buses, including hybrids and its first electric models, which will bring the total to 115 low carbon Optare buses operating in the conurbation.
The order, worth £3.5m, was supported by the Department for Transport’s Green Bus Fund, and consists Versa hybrid 12m-long school buses and Versa 9.7m-long electric buses – the first fully electric low access buses to be used in Manchester. The first vehicles are expected to be in operation in July.
The Versa hybrid buses will be used for the Yellow School Bus scheme introduced in Greater Manchester in 2003 to provide a safe, reliable and environmentally friendly alternative for the school run. To comply with specific safety regulations for this service, the Versa hybrids are fitted with lap and diagonal seat belts as well as interior and exterior CCTV video recorders. The Versa electric vehicles will operate on the Metroshuttle routes linking the main rail stations, car parks, shopping areas and businesses in Manchester city centre.
Howard Hartley, TfGM Head of Bus, said: “We are committed to investing in buses with low carbon emissions and strong environmental credentials as part of a collective effort with operators to make Greater Manchester’s bus network – which caters for 216 million journeys a year – as green as possible.
“We have been happy with the performance and reliability of our current buses, and the support we have received from Optare, so are pleased to be expanding the number of hybrid vehicles within our fleet.” He continued.
John Horn, Sales Director at Optare, said: “Optare has had a strong start to 2014, so we are particularly pleased to announce another high value order. Transport for Greater Manchester’s decision to invest in more of Optare’s advanced hybrid and electric powered buses is a great testament to the reliability and cost effectiveness of our vehicles.”
For further information please contact:
Rebecca Green, Marketing Co-ordinator
T: +44 (0) 7810 158 415
E: rebecca.green@optare.com
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Optare is delighted to announce that Translink, Northern Ireland’s public transport company has placed an order for buses, worth £4.9 million.
The order consists of Versa 11.7m and Solo SR 9.2m single deck buses, all fitted with Allison T270R gearboxes and the latest low emission Mercedes Euro 6 engines. Later this year the vehicles will be put in service on Translink’s MetroServices operating in the Belfast area and also on some Ulsterbus Town services.
Commenting on the order, Enrico Vassallo, Optare’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is fantastic news for everyone at Optare and the UK bus industry, plus a great testament to the technology, durability and cost effectiveness of our buses.”
Translink’s Ciaran Doherty, General Manager, Bus Services said: “This order is a substantial investment for Translink, so as you’d expect, before making our decision, we have thoroughly investigated the efficiency, environmental impact and savings in operating costs the new buses will deliver, and the aftersales support available, so we can provide the best service possible to our bus travellers and the communities we serve, plus the Government we are responsible to.”
For further information please contact:
Rebecca Green, Marketing Co-ordinator
T: +44 (0) 7810 158 415
E: rebecca.green@optare.com
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Optare Group Limited, the wholly owned trading company of Optare plc, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gopal Mahadevan to the Board as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 18 February 2014.
Yorkshire based Optare is one of Britain’s leading bus makers and is 75% per cent owned by Ashok Leyland, which is among the top five global bus producers.
Mr Mahadevan, 47, is currently CFO for Ashok Leyland Ltd.
Optare’s Chairman, John Fickling, said,” We are delighted to welcome Gopal to the Board, he brings a wealth of financial experience and will be a great asset to the Company.
Mr Mahadevan is a Chartered Accountant and a Company Secretary with 25 years’ experience in finance functions across a variety of industries. He started his career with the TTK Group and then moved to Sanmar Group where he progressed to head Finance for their PVC business. He later joined Sify Limited to head Mergers and Acquisitions, Legal and Nasdaq Compliances, following which he joined Amara Raja Batteries as Group CFO. Prior to his appointment to Ashok Leyland, Gopal was CFO of engineering company Thermax Limited.
Speaking of his new role Mr Mahadevan said, “I look forward to using my wealth of financial experience to contribute to the future success of Optare”
Optare also announces that Mr Jorma Halonen has stepped down from the Board. John Fickling, Chairman, said, “On behalf of the board I would like to thank Jorma for his contributions to the Company, thank him for all his advice and efforts and wish him well for the future.”
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Optare is delighted to be partnering with Transport for London and The London Transport Museum as an official sponsor of Year of the Bus, recently launched by The Mayor of London.
Following last year’s successful celebration of 150 years of the London Underground, the Year of the Bus 2014 will celebrate a heritage of travelling by bus and the enormous contribution and central role buses, and their drivers and operators, make to keeping London’s population and the UK’s economy going every day.
Enrico Vassallo, Optare’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “As a leading UK bus manufacturer, I’m delighted Optare is supporting this special focus on bus travel through the high profile activities of the Year of the Bus.
“This also represents a unique opportunity to partner with Transport for London, and we look forward to working together to celebrate bus travel and demonstrating Optare’s latest technology to reduce the environmental impact of buses,” he continued.
Another highlight of Optare’s activities this year will be the launch of its double decker bus in May which will offer a new and efficient choice for operators in London and other cities across the UK.
Optare is proud to have a leading, proven range of electric and hybrid buses already in use in other UK cities and Europe, and has won several awards for this technology, including the ‘Excellence in Technology’ category at the National Transport Awards 2013, the prestigious Innovation Award from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and the Environmental Improvement Award from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
For further information please contact:
Rebecca Green, Marketing Co-ordinator
T: +44 (0) 7810 158 415
E: rebecca.green@optare.com
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Having seat belts, a tachograph and high backed seats fitted in its newest Optare Versa service bus has brought added flexibility to its use by Surrey independent operator Safeguard Coaches of Guildford.
The company, which next year celebrates its 90th anniversary, will normally use the Versa on its busy town circular routes 4 and 5, which take in the Royal Surrey County Hospital. But with seat belts and a tachograph fitted, the bus can also be made available for private hires by local schools where the journeys are short. Added comfort comes from the specification of high back Rescroft CT Lite seats with an integral head restraint.
Another feature of the Versa that will appeal to passengers is easy accessibility for people with disabilities. Wheelchair access is by a simple fold-out ramp with a gentle gradient resulting from the low access height of the vehicle, especially when ‘kneeling’, and which leads to a spacious wheelchair bay immediately to the rear of the right hand front wheelbox.
Managing Director Andrew Halliday says that this brings the added advantage that where a school party includes a person in a wheelchair, the entire party can travel together in one vehicle. He adds that the company strongly supports safer school bus transport through its membership and active support of the campaigning organisation BUSK.
“ This is now the fourth Versa in our fleet and these additional features allow us to use it alongside the other three on regular service work but we are also able to take it off that from time to time to use for private hires, particularly school parties on local trips,” he says.
“ Since Versa is a model that we already operate, it also helps to ensure that we have a greater degree of commonality across the fleet. From our experience we know that we have a tried and tested product that our drivers and passengers like and which delivers good fuel efficiency.”
The new Versa is an 11.1 metre model powered by the six-cylinder Cummins ISBe engine of 6.7 litre displacement and which is Euro 5 emissions compliant. With a power output of 201 bhp (150 kW) at 2,300 rpm, this can cope easily with the local hilly terrain without compromising on fuel economy. The engine is matched to a five speed Allison 2100 Series automatic gearbox that has an inbuilt lock-up torque converter which, along with a Klam electro-magnetic retarder, also aids fuel efficiency.
Seating is for 37 of which 34 are fixed and three are tip-ups in the wheelchair bay. Mobitec LED destination equipment has been specified.
Optare Sales Director, John Horn, comments: “We’re delighted that Safeguard has again chosen Versa based on their good experience of the model in service.
“ The flexibility of our assembly processes at our Sherburn facility meant that we were able to meet their specific requirements in respect of the seating and the tachograph. And this has given Safeguard the added flexibility to use the bus in different ways that could contribute to delivering a better and faster return on their investment.”
Alongside its large coach fleet, Safeguard operates nine buses on local services in and around Guildford of which eight are Optare products.
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Delivery by Optare of a second Solo SR to Ross Travel Group brings the Yorkshire company closer to achieving an all low-floor fleet ahead of the end 2015 deadline.
The Featherstone based family-run firm took its first Solo SR in 2010 and has ordered a third for delivery next year. It also has a number of earlier Solos in its 12-stong bus fleet and has operated the type since 2005.
The new 9.7 metre Solo SR has gone onto Ross Travel Group’s ‘Featherstone Rover’ local services that run between Featherstone, Pontefract, Castleford and Wakefield. With a seating capacity of 36 on 33 fixed Esteban Civic V2 seats plus three tip-ups in the wheelchair /buggy bay, the Solo SR is an ideal size for these high frequency services. To cope with higher peak time loadings the passenger capacity can rise to 54 with standees, yet the bus is economical to operate at quieter times of the day when numbers are low.
Wheelchair access is by means of a simple ‘book leaf’ manual fold-out ramp and is made easier by the Solo SR’s kneeling capability which takes the entrance height down to just 8 inches (200 mm).
Power is provided by a Mercedes-Benz OM904LA engine rated at 154 bhp (115 kW) and which has a torque output of 610 Nm. This performance enables the bus to cope well with all road and passenger load conditions without compromising on fuel efficiency.
The engine is matched to an Allison 2100 series five-speed automatic transmission with full CAN electronic interface with the engine for optimum performance. A lock-up torque converter in gears 3, 4 and 5 along with an electro-magnetic retarder activated automatically when the brakes are applied both contribute to better fuel economy.
The company maintains the buses and its coach fleet in a well-equipped workshop at its Featherstone base, with buses undergoing a full safety inspection every 14 days.
Founded by Peter Ross 45 years ago, Ross Travel Group operates a network of local bus services, school contracts, coach private hire including coaches with disabled access, and has its own holiday tours and excursions programme. More information is available at www.rosstravelgroup.co.uk.
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Keith Brown MSP, Minister for Transport and Veterans, was in Ayr this week to launch the first free-running, fully-electric bus to be used for a local bus service in Scotland.
The service, which links the ferry ports at Cairnryan to the railway station in Stranraer, is being operated six days a week with a 27 seat Optare Solo SR battery-powered bus. The bus was part-funded through the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund and is supported by the Regional Transport Partnership SWestrans.
Speaking at the event in Ayr on Tuesday 19th November, the Minister said: “I am delighted to launch this innovative new bus service which will connect the ferry terminals at Cairnryan with Stranraer’s railway station and form a vital link in Scotland’s transport network.
“This is the first all-electric bus to be purchased through the Scottish Green Bus Fund and I recently announced a further round of Green Bus funding in 2013/14 with a budget of around £2 million which reaffirms our support and commitment to the bus industry and is a good example of Scottish Government working in partnership with the industry to promote greener travel.
“The Scottish Government will continue to encourage organisations, businesses and individuals to make the switch to electric vehicles to help us achieve the 2050 vision of freeing Scotland’s towns cities and communities from the damaging effects of petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles, as set out in the recently launched Switched On Scotland: A Roadmap to Widespread Adoption of Plug-in Vehicles.”
Councillor Brian Collins, Chair of SWestrans, said “The Regional Transport Partnership and Scottish Government investment in this service will ensure that there is significantly improved connectivity between Stranraer, its station, its ferry ports, and Northern Ireland and the Republic. The new connection will hopefully encourage foot passengers back to Stranraer which has been a problem for the town since ferry operations moved to Cairnryan”.
With the entry into service of the Solo EV in Ayr and further vehicles going into service in Nottingham and York, the number of Optare electric buses in UK service is now approaching 50.
John Horn, Optare Sales Director, comments: “In addition to the known environmental benefits, this is a large enough number from which to obtain a clear picture of the operating and commercial benefits of free-running electric buses. The evidence is steadily building that electric vehicles, the introduction of which Optare has pioneered in the UK, have a place in the public transport system when used selectively.
“The vehicles are proving reliable, resulting in lower maintenance costs, and running costs are significantly lower than an equivalent diesel engine bus. The savings in operating costs that this results in can deliver a payback on the additional cost of an EV that is well within the lifetime of the vehicle. Along with technological developments that have increased the range that an EV can achieve, this makes them commercially viable across a wider spread of operations.”
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Optare has won the ‘Excellence in Technology’ category at this year’s National Transport Awards with its Versa EV electric bus incorporating fast charging technology.
It was the only bus manufacturer amongst the winners and fought off tough competition in its category from five finalists amongst which was Transport for London and two large regional Integrated Transport Authorities.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer Glenn Saint received the award at a glittering ceremony in London on Thursday 17 October hosted by broadcaster Jeremy Vine and attended by Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, along with leading figures from the passenger transport industry.
Mr Saint said that he was delighted to receive the award on behalf of the team at Optare behind the company’s pioneering development of electric vehicle technology, which began in 2009. This is the third time that Optare has won an award for its EV technology. Last year it won the highly prestigious Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders Innovation Award and in 2010 its Solo EV model won a Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Environmental Improvement award.
“Optare is leading the way in the development of full-size battery-powered buses in the UK and is the only company whose products are currently in service,” he said. “I believe that our electric buses are now beginning to make a significant mark on the UK public transport scene and as their use grows they will make a major contribution to cleaner and more sustainable public transport in the future.”
Bus passengers in Durham, Nottingham, Coventry, Poundbury and at Heathrow Airport are already experiencing the quiet and smooth ride provided by Optare electric buses. At the same time their use on revenue-earning services is proving that this technology is commercially viable as well as setting new environmental standards in public transport.
The model put forward by Optare for a National Transport Award is their Versa EV vehicle equipped with fast-charging technology to extend its daily range. The Versa EV is a full-size, single deck bus capable of carrying around 50 passengers, depending on seating configuration and the model is in service in Coventry with ten soon to enter service in Nottingham.
The continuing rise in oil prices is making the operation of such battery-powered buses increasingly viable. On the Optare Versa EV a full overnight charge at today’s electricity pricing figures costs less than £10 and on this basis an annual saving in fuel in the region of £8,000 per bus is achievable when compared with a diesel bus of equivalent size.
In addition the maintenance costs of the Optare Versa EV are lower and there are significant Road Fund Licence reductions. Electric propulsion also brings a number of cost-saving benefits in terms of vehicle reliability and durability.
The operational range is between 75 and 95 miles on a single overnight charge which takes around six hours from zero to full capacity, however, the development of fast charge systems now enables batteries to be fully replenished in under two hours. This allows for ‘opportunity charging’ to take place during the working day and effectively double the range, making the Versa EV viable across a much wider spread of public transport operations.
Full details of Optare’s range of award-winning electric buses can be found on the company’s website www.optare.com.
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The last of ten of Optare’s Solo SR hybrid midibus has been handed over to Manchester Community Transport (MCT) following its display at the recent Coach & Bus Live show in Birmingham. All have now entered service under contracts awarded to MCT by TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester).
Following delivery of the last of the Solos, MCT Managing Director, Rob Marshall, said: “MCT is delighted to be putting these new hybrid Optare Solos into service in several areas within Greater Manchester. The fact that they are also carrying our new brand and livery adds to their kerb appeal and will help to raise the image of our business as a high quality bus operator right across the wider area in which we are now operating.
“Buying these Optare buses represents a major investment for MCT and we acknowledge the financial support received through the Government’s Green Bus Fund secured by TfGM,” he adds.
“It’s also the first time that we have introduced hybrid technology into our fleet and the reaction of our staff to this new technology has been very positive. Our drivers in particular have responded very well and have recognised that these buses require a different driving technique to which they are proving quick to adapt.”
Amongst the equipment on the 9.2 metre, 31 seater buses is a full telematics package from Actia. This includes an on-board diagnostics capability that can relay a wide range of information back to base using a GPRS link providing accurate information on how the bus is being driven, particularly in relation to fuel economy and passenger safety and comfort.
Operations Director Gary Young says that this is a major advance in fleet management. “The tracking element of the Actia system enables us to know exactly where these Solos are, which aids route adherence and timekeeping and helps us meet our contractual obligations to TfGM. We can also monitor our fuel consumption, driver behaviour and CCTV events much more accurately, which will help identify opportunities to improve the customer experience and make cost savings whilst reducing environmental impacts.
“And we benefit from the ability to get information in real-time direct into our office on any faults that may occur when the buses are out on the road. This will help ensure that we correctly diagnose faults, ensuring that repair time is minimised and that buses are back in service as quickly as possible.
“Throughout the process of specifying and building the buses I have been impressed by the improvements in Optare’s production performance,” adds Mr. Young. “They have responded quickly to any issues that have arisen during the build process and rectified them efficiently and effectively. As a result these new buses are of a high quality of fit and finish and are already impressing our drivers and our passengers.”
John Horn, Optare sales director, commented: “Optare is very pleased at the reception these new buses have received at MCT. With all ten now in service there will be in excess of 100 Optare hybrid buses operating in the Greater Manchester area, each delivering a great passenger experience, cleaner air for local people, and reduced costs for their operators.”
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Quality Line, the bus operating division of Epsom Coaches Group, has placed an order for 12 of Optare’s innovative MetroCity urban bus for delivery early in 2014.
The order, which is the first for MetroCity, was confirmed by Epsom’s Managing Director Steve Whiteway during a visit to the Coach & Bus Live show in Birmingham last week.
It is also the first order for Euro 6 emissions compliant vehicles to be won by Optare and meets TfL’s requirements for new buses entering service in London after the end of this year.
Epsom Coaches made the decision to introduce MetroCity into its fleet following a comprehensive evaluation of the model on some of its most demanding routes, which showed the vehicle to be ideally suited to intensive urban operations and to deliver exceptional fuel efficiency.
Steve Whiteway commented: “Our experience with Optare products over a number of years has been very positive and we are delighted to be first operator to order MetroCity, which has been designed with the unique operating conditions of London in mind. The modern styling also gives these buses great kerb appeal and along with easy access and a bright airy feel inside the saloon, I know that they will prove popular with our passengers.
“ The excellent fuel consumption during the evaluation backed by our experience of Optare products over more than ten years shows that whole life costs and durability are the best in their class. We look forward to more of the same when these impressive additions to our fleet go on the road in the first quarter of next year.”
John Horn, Optare Sales Director, adds: “I’m delighted that Epsom Coaches is the first operator to place an order for MetroCity, which has been designed with London operation in mind. Its low weight yet strong integral construction will result in good fuel efficiency throughout a long service life and both drivers and passengers will enjoy a comfortable travelling experience.”
MetroCity derives many of its design and structural features from the Versa model and uses the same fully integral stainless-steel structure to achieve low weight. It also shares the same distinctive styling that operators have come to expect from Optare.
The power unit in the Epsom MetroCitys, which are to be the 9.9m variant, will be the four-cylinder Mercedes-Benz OM934LA Euro 6 engine. This will be matched to the Allison 2100 Series automatic transmission, which has six gears because Metrocity has a 5.13:1 ratio drive axle. A Klam electromagnetic retarder activated through the brake pedal improves braking performance and reduces wear on the service brakes.
Optare’s Eco Drive™ instrument panel is standard and will provide direct feedback to the driver through an easy to read TFT screen, monitoring key driver performance indicators such as acceleration and braking as well as being an aid to better fuel efficiency and safer driving. The moulded driving compartment has been designed for easy cleaning and features a fully adjustable, air-suspended seat and a fixed protection screen.
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