Ashok Leyland today announced a further commitment to the regeneration of the UK Bus manufacturer Optare. Branded as Optare’s “Customer focused business excellence program” the multi-million pound investment will address business capability and product portfolio to deliver manufacturing improvements and reinforce the aftermarket support network.
Driven by the new Optare leadership team our strategic 3 year customer service commitment plan will engage stakeholders and business partners in the facilitation of significant change delivering business excellence. This transformation programme has already started and is building a lean and efficient organisation which will deliver quality buses on time with the appropriate aftermarket support.
Commenting on the announcement Ashok Leyland Senior Vice President Global Bus Thyagarajan Venkataraman said, “We have listened to the voice of the loyal Optare customers and are delighted to support Optare’s evolution and long term commitment to the Bus industry. Ashok Leyland and Optare’s new management team have aspirations for Optare to become our Global Centre of Excellence for buses.”
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Bus-mad Peter, from Sunderland, wrote a passionate letter to Go North East asking for his “dream job” as a bus driver and, as a result, he landed himself a plum role.
Go North East chose Peter to be their ‘celebrity’ to officially launch 14 new Optare Solos for the indiGo bus service in Peterlee.
Peter told Go North East, Managing Director, Kevin Carr in his letter: “My dream job is to work for Go North East. I am saving up to take my car test at 17. I am route learning. I am customer focussed. I am very polite. I would always go the extra mile for customers and be a careful driver.”
Armed with a pair of scissors and dressed in his very own bus driver uniform, Peter cut the ribbon to declare the 14 brand new indiGo buses officially open for business.
The new buses will significantly upgrade the standard and quality of bus travel in East Durham.
Peter was thrilled with his new (albeit temporary) position, he said: “I can’t believe it, I am so happy. I love buses so much. I have been on buses a lot ever since I was a baby and I go on the bus to visit my nana.
“I have wanted to write to Go North East for ages to ask about becoming a driver but I never thought I’d get a reply. My dad said I should write to them because you never know.
“My bedroom is full of Go North East stuff; I’ve done drawings of all their buses and I have bus models as well. My favourite bus was the SimpliCity but now my favourite is the indiGo.”
Managing director at Go North East, Kevin Carr, was touched by the boy’s interest in his company: “This letter really made me smile when it landed on my desk. It’s fantastic to see such enthusiasm in someone so young. We thought it was only right to give Peter an important role in the bus company he loves so much. And, of course, we will keep his application for the bus driver job on file until he’s 18 and a suitable position becomes available.”
The new indigo Solos have leather seats, LED lighting and new, fresh, eye catching liveries.
The service’s slogan is indiGo to here, indiGo to there and the buses connect to Durham, Sunderland, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and beyond.
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Optare’s electric buses have been shortlisted for a further two awards this week. Earlier this week the UK Manufacturer announced it had been shortlisted for Transport Supplier of the Year by the National Transport Awards judging committee for making a significant contribution to improved air quality and reduced emissions in our towns and cities with Optare electric buses.
Optare has been shortlisted for LowCVP’s Low Carbon Heavy Duty Vehicle Manufacturer of the Year Award and First Group in partnership with the City of York Council operating Optare Electric buses has been shortlisted for the Low Carbon Vehicle Operator of the Year Award.
88 Optare electric vehicles are currently in successful operation in the UK and Europe, making Optare the market leaders in the UK for this technology. The electric buses have zero tailpipe emissions and are proven to reduce well to wheel carbon footprint by over 50% in comparison with equivalent diesels.
Enrico Vassallo, CEO, said, “I am delighted that our electric bus technology has been recognized and shortlisted for more prestigious industry awards. This is testament to our continued development and promotion of the uptake of electric vehicles. Optare is committed to working alongside the, DfT, SMMT, TfL, LowCVP, operators and local authorities to ensure sustained successful operation of these vehicles.”
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Optare has been shortlisted for Transport Supplier of the Year by the National Transport Awards judging committee for making a significant contribution to improved air quality and reduced emissions in our towns and cities with Optare electric buses.
88 Optare electric vehicles are currently in successful operation in the UK and Europe, making Optare the market leaders in the UK for this technology. The electric buses have zero tailpipe emissions and are proven to reduce well to wheel carbon footprint by over 50% in comparison with equivalent diesels.
Enrico Vassallo, CEO, said, “I am delighted that our electric bus technology has been recognized and shortlisted for this prestigious industry award. We continue to work with the LowCVP, DfT, SMMT, TfL, operators and local authorities to promote the uptake of electric vehicle technology and ensure sustained successful operation of these vehicles, whilst gaining
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Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has purchased 14 Optare Solos to be used on various subsidised local bus services across the area, including on its demand-responsive service MyBus.
The 7.9m, Euro 5, Slim line, Solos are all fitted with leather seats and seatbelts, the six MyBus Solos feature two wheelchair bays and 17 seats, making them ideal for use on MyBus, a bookable bus service offering door-to-door transport in urban and rural areas.
The latest vehicles will be used by operators First Glasgow on mainstream routes in Motherwell, Larkhall and Wishaw, joining other Solos already purchased by SPT, including four acquired recently as part of the fleet for the subsidised bus network on the isle of Arran (operated on SPT’s behalf by Stagecoach).
An SPT spokesperson said:
SPT appreciates just how vital bus travel is in the public transport mix. The purchase of these new buses is part of our commitment to keeping communities connected and making public transport accessible, attractive and easy to use. We currently have a number of Slimline Solos in operation and they have performed well on our MyBus service, meeting our requirements for seating capacity, while still being of a size that permits ease of operation in residential urban areas and more remote rural locations.
Tim Matthews, UK Sales & National Key Account Manager, Optare, said:
“SPT has been a customer of Optare for many years and we are thrilled to be supplying more of our popular Solos to help keep the communities of Strathclyde connected.”
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New Adventure Travel (N.A.T. Group) has placed an order for a further ten Optare MetroCity buses following excellent in service fuel economy results. N.A.T. Group is one of South Wales’ leading transport providers with over 75 buses and coaches in their fleet.
A further ten, 10.8m single door MetroCity buses, with seating for up to 40 have been ordered as fleet upgrades and to serve new routes.
Kevyn Jones (pictured), Managing Director, N.A.T. Group, said, “After several months of operating ten Optare MetroCity buses on city centre routes across Cardiff we are extremely impressed with their performance and fuel economy. We have also received great customer care and rapid service support from Optare. The styling of the vehicle is also helping us stand out from other operators in the area so this combined with the excellent fuel results and support we have received meant that ordering a further ten Optare MetroCity vehicles was an easy decision for us.”
Tim Matthews, Head of Sales at Optare, said,
“We are delighted that N.A.T group have placed a repeat order for a further 10 MetroCity buses and that they have achieved such excellent fuel economy figures in service. This demonstrates how this vehicle can help operators keep costs down and also provide that bit of extra kerb appeal to passengers. I am also pleased to see that the continual improvements we are making to our product support services are making a real difference to our customers.
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Manchester Airport Group has added 14 Euro 6 Optare Versas to its fleet. The buses are operating on car park routes around Manchester Airport and were purchased as part of an ongoing fleet replacement programme replacing existing vehicles with higher capacity vehicles to meet the demands of increasing passenger footfall.
The Euro 6, 11.7m Versas seat up to 25 and are fitted with luggage racks and Wi-Fi to enhance the customer experience.
Andy Willis, Manager of Passenger Transport Operations at Manchester Airport Group, said, “We already have a number of Optare Versas in our fleet and we find them to be extremely popular with our customers. We aspire to offer our customers the highest quality passenger experience and the latest in green engine technology, the purchase of these vehicles is part of our programme to reduce carbon by 80,000 tonnes by 2018.”
Tim Matthews, Head of Sales at Optare, said, “I am delighted to see these Versas with the latest Euro 6 engine technology in service so close to where they are manufactured.”
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On the 17 June 2015 Karlstadsbuss started to operate three environmentally friendly Optare Solo electric buses. The buses will operate on the centre lines 11, 12 and 13 in Karlstad, Sweden. The electric buses are emission-free and save about 80% energy when compared to an equivalent diesel or gas bus. The bus is powered by green electricity generated by Karlstad energy. The noise levels from the vehicle are very low, giving a comfortable ride and contributing to a pleasant urban environment.
Peter Kullgren (KD), chairman of City Planning, said, “Karlstad is one of the first cities in Sweden and Europe to focus on pure electric buses. The initiative is an important step towards a sustainable Karlstad.”
Mattias Bergh, head of Karlstadsbuss said, “As more people choose public transport, we saw a need to acquire more buses. As the larger gas-fuelled buses were needed on the heavier lines, we saw an opportunity to use smaller buses on the centre lines. Electric technology proved to be a viable and competitive alternative.”
The 9.2m Optare Solo EV, has 25 seats and a wheelchair bay. The wheelchair ramp is located at the wide front door. This means that all passengers board the bus through the front doors.
Although smaller in size, just like the large buses, there is space for strollers, walkers and wheelchairs. The Optare Solo EV is also equipped with air conditioning, free wifi and Bus TV.
Robert Sahlberg, business development manager at Karlstadsbuss, said, “We wanted to make environmentally friendly travel comfortable and fun.”
The buses will be charged overnight plus a 15 minute fast charge during driver breaks every two hours. The fast charging means the bus can meet the planned service and provide plenty of power for the Karlstadsbuss advanced information systems. The fast charging station is still under construction and is expected to be completed during July. The new electric buses will therefore, gradually be phased into the regular traffic during the summer.
Bengt Åström, President of Förenade buss AB said, “The electric buses are a little more expensive to buy, but this is offset by lower costs for operation, service and maintenance. The drivers’ experiences of the buses have been very positive and they have particularly highlighted how smooth and quiet the buses are.”
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Alastair Munro joined Optare on 18 May 2015 as Engineering Director. Alastair has over 30 years experience in the management of engineering design and product development in the bus, coach and commercial vehicle industry.
Alastair’s extensive new product development and engineering experience includes 15 years within Volvo Truck and Bus where he was responsible for product introduction, launch and market adaptation and 5 years within the Plaxton/Blue Bird organisation based in Georgia USA responsible for commercial, school, coach, and RV based products. Alastair’s experience also includes a number of bespoke engineering, manufacturing and process rationalisation roles within the bus, marine, emergency services and specialist vehicle sectors.
Enrico Vassallo, CEO, said, “I am pleased to welcome Alastair to Optare he brings with him a wealth of engineering and people development experience from many years working in senior roles within the automotive industry, including an extensive knowledge of bus and coach, gained while working for a number of well known brands within the sector.”
Commenting on his role at Optare, Alastair said “I am looking forward to leading our talented and dedicated engineering team at Optare in continuous improvement and development of new technologies in our product range to drive growth in our UK and International markets.”
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Family run E&M Horsburgh have added two Optare Solos to their fleet. The new Solos will operate on the PremiAir Parking shuttle service at Edinburgh Airport.
PremiAir Parking are located just a three-minute bus ride from the airport. The Euro 5, 9m Solos seat up to 21 and are fitted with luggage racks and Wi-Fi to enhance the customer experience during the short journey to the terminal.
Eric Horsburgh, Managing Director, E&M Horsburgh, said, “We aspire to offer our customers the highest quality and put our utmost into service, quality, new technology, comfort and style. We already have a number of Optare vehicles in our fleet and we find them to be very reliable and extremely popular with our customers, therefore they were the natural choice for us to operate on the PremiAir Parking shuttle service at Edinburgh Airport.”
Colin Blunt, Regional Sales Manager at Optare, said, “Horsburgh have been a long standing client of Optare and I am thrilled that they have chosen to purchase more Optare vehicles to add to their expanding fleet.”
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