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Lothian confirm a showstopping sixty vehicle order

Posted: 3 November 2010 | NC Creative Group | No comments yet

The Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham today provided a fitting backdrop for Lothian Buses to confirm a major 60 vehicle order for Wrightbus and Volvo Buses, worth in the region of £12m…

The Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham today provided a fitting backdrop for Lothian Buses to confirm a major 60 vehicle order for Wrightbus and Volvo Buses, worth in the region of £12m...

The Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham today provided a fitting backdrop for Lothian Buses to confirm a major 60 vehicle order for Wrightbus and Volvo Buses, worth in the region of £12m.

This latest and highly significant order for the acclaimed Wrightbus Gemini 2 Double Deck based on the Volvo B9TL chassis, further adds to the 75 vehicles that have been most recently delivered to Lothian Buses by the Ballymena-based company over the last two years. When completed, no less than 435 new Wrightbus/Volvo buses will have entered service with Lothian Buses in the Scottish capital since 2004.

All sixty of the new Eclipse Gemini 2 buses are 11.3m metre low-floor, easy access Double Deck buses specified with EEV 9.4 litre engines, coupled to a Voith gearbox. The 310 HP Volvo D9B rear-mounted, transverse, vertical 9-litre engine offers class-leading driveability and excellent fuel economy, with the Volvo B9TL chassis also featuring all round air suspension and electronically controlled disc brakes.

In addition to the now iconic exterior styling of the Wrightbus Gemini 2, onboard the comprehensive interior specification of the latest vehicles will feature 48 seats on the upper deck and 32 in the lower saloon, wheelchair access via a powered ramp, the latest electronic destination equipment, an 11 camera CCTV system and Lothian Buses’ much-acclaimed buggy space.

Managing Director of Lothian Buses, Ian Craig was on hand at the Euro Bus Expo show in Birmingham to confirm the order. “Last year we achieved our ambition of being able to operate a completely low floor accessible fleet serving the City of Edinburgh and the near Lothian’s. This latest vehicle order, with trusted long term partners Wrightbus and Volvo, demonstrates our commitment to continue investment, even in these challenging times, to ensure we maintain a high quality, low emission fleet with one of the lowest age profiles of any major city in Europe.”

Welcoming Ian Craig onto the stand at the show, Wrightbus Commercial Director Sam McLaren said; “In close alliance with Volvo, we have together strived to offer the very best whole life proposition for Lothian Buses, combining the latest in chassis and body design and technology, with the backing of our respective aftermarket support organisations. This hot-off-the-press news is therefore a welcome affirmation of this philosophy and we are delighted to receive this significant order today at the show.”

Deliveries of the new vehicles will commence in the spring of next year.

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