Yutong U11DD battery-electric double-decker for First Bus debuts
The first Yutong U11DD battery-electric double-decker for First Bus arrived in the UK on 29 October. It is a precursor to 126 more as part of a 169-vehicle procurement that is part-funded by the second round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme in England.
That seed vehicle introduces several improvements to the U11DD driven by feedback to dealer Pelican Bus and Coach by operators that have evaluated a pair of demonstrators.
Notably, the arrangement at the rear of the lower saloon has been significantly changed. While all seats there remain forward-facing, position of the first step within the aisle has been moved back and the ceiling above the two rearmost rows has been lifted to improve headroom.
As a result of the change to the aisle step positioning, the gangway is now flat as far as the drive wheels. On the upper deck, a shallow step in the aisle is present at the rear to match the raised ceiling in the same area downstairs.
Head of Yutong UK Ian Downie says that multiple more minor changes have been made, including addition of a magnetic cab door lock. Feedback from First Bus representatives has seen amendments to the position of the next stop displays and use of a new stop request button that illuminates once pressed. A powered sunblind is also fitted.
Yutong’s own seats will be fitted to the First Bus vehicles, with synthetic leather headrest inserts. A window is within the lower staircase area.
Although the bus has been delivered to Pelican with conventional mirrors for transport purposes, it will gain a camera monitoring system as part of a wider final fit-out and livery application by the dealership at its Castleford premises.
Yutong’s standard saloon air-conditioning is included along with 422kWh of battery capacity using lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry. That energy storage has the Yutong Electric Safety System, as is the case across all the manufacturer’s battery-electric coach and bus models.
Mr Downie says that the first U11DD has been delivered ahead of the remainder as part of Pelican’s standard approach. It will permit operator readying for squadron service.
Depots at Basildon, Hengrove in Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and Yeovil are all scheduled to receive U11DD buses. 42 Yutong E10 and E12 battery-electric single-deckers also form part of the procurement.
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Coach Services adds its fifth Alexander Dennis Enviro400
Coach Services of Thetford has added a fifth Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker bus to its fleet.
The new vehicle is to a high specification and includes high-backed seats along with three-point belts, USB charging points, and wood-effect flooring. That approach means it can fulfil various uses as required by a coach and bus operator.
Speaking about the arrival, Finance Director Robert Crawford says: “We like to update our fleet to give it a modern look, but also to keep up with passenger requirements.
“The Enviro400 is ideal for us to assist with increased demand for our services, which is why we are proud to now add this fifth vehicle.” As with the four previous deliveries, the latest bus has a cherished registration mark.
Adds Alexander Dennis Regional Sales Manager Martin Dunleavy: “Coach Services has taken a further step forward in modernising its fleet with this new Enviro400 bus.
“Passengers will appreciate the new journey experience and feel comfortable on routes around the area, while drivers enjoy the familiarity and engineers benefit from easy maintenance and our AD24 support.”
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ShuttleID launches local authority package
| ShuttleID, the digital school bus pass platform, has launched a new package designed specifically for use with local authorities. The package includes a number of key features aimed at authorities and a no obligation 90-day free trial.
The system provides e-ticketing, payments, service alerts, reporting, live vehicle tracking and boarding notifications in a single platform. Passengers are issued with a unique QR code which can be used on a smartphone, “brick” phone or printed out. The pass is validated using a driver app and data becomes available to the local authority in real time. Whilst the platform is already used by individual transport operators on behalf of councils, the new package formalises that ShuttleID can also support local authorities directly across an entire school bus network. The decision to make a separate offer direct to local authorities follows an unprecedented level of interest from councils in the previous twelve months. ShuttleID have signed up a number of local authorities already and more are currently trialling the system. The States of Guernsey were one of the first authorities to sign up. The system was put in place primarily to tackle a recent surge in school bus demand on the island. Whilst the States of Guernsey acknowledge the reduction in car travel as being positive, it has in turn created issues with pupils being unable to board due to insufficient capacity. ShuttleID now provides the States of Guernsey a simple way to control capacity by issuing digital bus passes. Reporting helps identify dormant passes across their network, allowing the authority to reallocate capacity to users currently on a waiting list. Jonathan Guilbert, Senior Passenger Transport Officer, States of Guernsey said: “ShuttleID provides an effective way of managing seating capacity on services. It is simple to use, both from a driver as well as back-office point of view. We find the reporting features within ShuttleID are very useful. Technical support of the system is excellent with queries responded to quickly.” “Parents have benefited from the ability to be able to track a service in real time. If a pupil lives near a bus stop, they need only leave the house when they know that the service is near. This is particularly useful in bad weather. Parents also report that they like boarding notifications so that they can be informed when their child has safely boarded the bus.” Northumberland County Council also signed up following a successful trial earlier this year. The authority is in the process of scaling out the system across their school bus network. Thomas Bunting, Passenger Transport Officer, Northumberland County Council said: "ShuttleID is proving to be a real game changer in the way we manage the home-to-school transport network in Northumberland. The system has enabled us to transition from a point where we had little or no data on travel permit checks or usage, to a point where we now have access to extensive data streams which we can use to improve the delivery of the service and achieve cost savings. This has transformed how drivers manage access onto vehicles and has also had a positive impact on student behaviour.” “Whilst we have to date only a limited rollout of the ShuttleID product, it is clear that it is already offering us a fantastic solution in terms of the management and tracking of school transport. As a result we are intent on extending its use across the entire school transport network, not just on our contracted PCV vehicles but taxi and private hire vehicles as well." ShuttleID will exhibit the new package at Euro Bus Expo on Nov 12-14. |