Volvo Buses
UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND
Metroline Travel is the UK bus operating subsidiary of ComfortDelGro Corporation Ltd, the worlds second largest transport group.
This batch of vehicles for Metroline marks the first part of a larger order which is due to see a further 17 vehicles delivered later in the year, taking the total number of new Metroline vehicles to 39 in 2010
Incorporating all the quality, safety and environmental features of the proven B9TL chassis, combined with the stylish Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini 2 bodywork, the new vehicles are powered by the Volvo D9B 9.4 litre EEV compliant engine with ZF Eco Life gear box.
The vehicles join Metroline’s 1200 strong fleet, consisting of 800 double deckers, 326 of which are Volvo manufactured.
“We’ve used Volvo’s for a long time,” said Ian Foster, Metroline Travel Director of Engineering, “Their service and parts back up is excellent and the vehicles have proven to be reliable, especially on some of our longer routes. Just as importantly the drivers and engineers like them”.
Carrying an estimated 26 million passengers each year it was important that the vehicles met certain standards. “We like the Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini 2 bodywork and thought that option on the Volvo B9TL chassis provided good value for money,” continued Ian Foster.
“We will have three exclusively Volvo double deck garages by the end of the year, which fits in with our philosophy of buying tried and trusted chassis and body types, but at the same time not closing the door on a new entrant into our fleet such as the Eclipse Gemini 2.
Intended for use across a variety of London routes, each of the new buses has a passenger capacity of 89 and double doors, providing regulated wheel chair access.
The B9TL also has driver warning systems, light monitoring and 14 CCTV cameras installed, as standard. Video footage is available for quick and efficient wireless download when required.
“We continue to work with Volvo in a number of areas such as green initiatives”, explained Ian Foster, “We want to further reduce our fuel consumption, whilst retaining our reliability and performance”.
Phil Owen, Volvo Bus Sales Director commented, “Working in partnership with the Wright Group, we have been able to meet Metroline Travel’s requirements for an optimised specification to achieve the demanding requirements of London bus operations and Transport for London (TfL) specification”.
ENDS
17 May 2010
Caption Image: London bus operator Metroline Travel has taken delivery of a first batch of Volvo B9TL Eclipse Gemini 2 Double Deck buses.