April 13th 2017: Stagecoach UK Bus new vehicle orders 2017/18

Information posted on April 13th 2017 at 11:35
➨Stagecoach UK Bus
Stagecoach has today (13 April 2017) confirmed new vehicle orders worth £70million.
The order is for around 340 vehicles, most equipped with free WiFi, to be delivered in the coming 2017-18 financial year as the company continues to reinvest profits in improving services for customers in communities across the UK.
The latest announcement takes Stagecoach Group's total orders of new buses and coaches to more than £1billion in the past 11 years, with around 7,000 new vehicles ordered.
The brand new buses and coaches will be introduced in Stagecoach's regional networks in England, Scotland and Wales, as well as on the company’s megabus.com network in the UK. The order does not include new vehicles that will be leased for Stagecoach's London operations.
Almost half of the new vehicles meet the Government’s Low Carbon Emission Bus specification, while around two thirds feature innovative stop-start technology to help improve fuel consumption and reduce emissions.
Most of the new vehicles are set to be built in the UK, helping to support hundreds of British manufacturing jobs and smaller businesses in the supply chain who produce key components from drivers' seats and toilets to wheelchair lifts and destination displays. All of the new vehicles meet Euro 6 emissions standards.
Each of the new vehicles will also be fitted with CCTV, and USB charging points, while most will also have WiFi installed, giving customers free internet access during their journeys.
Highlights of this latest investment are around 180 low-floor double-decker vehicles to go into service across the UK, as well as around 60 single deck vehicles and 40 midibuses. Included in the latest order are the first purpose-build open top vehicles the company has ever ordered, plus two single deck Volvo B8RLEs and four Scania/Enviro 400 double decks for the Cambridge Guided Busway and a fleet of 18 Wright Streetlite micro hybrid vehicles, expected to be given fleet numbers 39101-18, to go into operation in Sheffield, which have been partly funded by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV).
There are also 34 coaches for the Group’s UK Bus, Scottish Citylink and megabus.com operations.
It is understood that the ADL E40D/Enviro 400 order includes the 22 vehicles recently delivered to Manchester and the 33 delivered to Merseyside
Stagecoach has already met its requirements under the UK Disability Discrimination Act deadline for double deck and single deck vehicles.
Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “Our focus is on delivering practical improvements to make travel even better for our customers. We are continuing to re-invest money from fares in state-of-the-art, cleaner, greener vehicles, digital technology and smart ticketing to deliver an even higher standard of service. These latest vehicle orders are an important part of our strategy to encourage even more people to take the bus.
“Local bus services are the backbone of the country’s transport networks. However, the increasing problem of traffic congestion in our towns and cities is holding buses back and it is high time our politicians stepped up and took action to support bus passengers and free up road space to help bus networks flourish.”
Details of the new orders are as follows:
122 ADL MMC E400 double-deckers
59 Scania ADL MMC E400 double-deckers
62 ADL MMC E200 single-deckers
40 ADL MMC E200 midibuses
18 Wrightbus StreetLite 11.5m Micro Hybrid single-deckers
7 Wrightbus Volvo open top double decker
2 Wrightbus Eclipse-Volvo single-deckers
9 Plaxton Elite i 15metre coaches
8 Plaxton Elite 6x2 15metre coaches
14 Plaxton Elite 4x2 coaches
3 Caetano Levante Volvo B11R 6x2 coaches