“It’s quite an honour for us to have the landmark 800th B9R as part of our recent Volvo deliveries,” explained Lucketts Travel’s Ian Luckett. “We’ve had B9R coaches before and they are good solid and reliable vehicles.”
“We had five year old coaches from another manufacturer that we wanted to take the opportunity to replace and in turn upgrade our fleet for our National Express contract,” continued Ian Luckett. “We’re expecting improved performance and fuel economy results from Volvo. Our vehicles often travel 20 hours a day and up to 222,000 km per year, so we need the best fuel results and reliability as standard – Volvo will give us that.”
He continued, “Another key factor in our purchase was the excellent back-up and support that we receive from the Volvo dealership MC Truck and Bus. We know that if we had any issues that they would resolve it for us quickly and without hassle.
“By purchasing these new coaches we are once again demonstrating that we invest in our customers by buying vehicles that are top class in terms of safety features and comfort,” he concluded.
Lucketts Travel’s four new Volvo B9Rs are specified with Caetano Levante bodywork and are liveried for National Express operations. The vehicles are specified to National Express standards and feature 48 passenger seats and an onboard toilet. They will be operating on a variety of contracts, but mainly on London routes from Portsmouth and Brighton.
The Volvo B9R is an economic, adaptable and safe coach, designed with excellent driving properties. Its rear-mounted D9B engine, capable of 380hp, delivers generous torque across a wide rev range, whilst electronically controlled air suspension provides a high level of comfort.
Standard safety features include Volvo’s Electronic Braking System (EBS), which combines with all-round disc brakes and Volvo’s VR3250 compact retarder to give a rapid reaction time and shorter stopping distances, as well as Hill Start Aid, Emergency Braking Assistance and Brake Blending.
“We are delighted that Lucketts Travel have taken delivery of four new Volvo B9R coaches,” explained Regional Coach Sales Manager, Richard Mann. “The fact that one of the vehicles is the 800th production B9R is a tremendous endorsement of that particular chassis. Lucketts Travel have also shown a real interest in the launch of our Euro 6 product range so once again that is extremely positive. We look forward to continuing our successful working relationship.”
ENDS
13 January 2013
Caption for image:
Volvo Bus Regional Sales Manager, Richard Mann (left) hands the new landmark vehicle over to Lucketts Travel’s Steve Luckett (right).