Travel Xpress adds MOBIpeople Premium pair on next-gen MAN
The first MOBIpeople Premium coaches built on the new-generation MAN RR8 chassis have been delivered to Travel Xpress as it continues a fleet investment programme. The Shipley operator has taken two such examples supplied by BASE Coach Sales.
Each of the 12.5m vehicles is to a PSVAR ready configuration to allow for straightforward conversion to achieve full compliance in the future. That includes silver LED destination displays and an additional door present behind the front axle.
A 74-seat layout in 3+2 configuration using Prime Buckingham products has been specified, while an offside rear emergency exit permits extensive underfloor luggage space. The high-floor Premium body layout is also beneficial there, the dealership adds.
USB charging points are at all passenger positions plus the crew seat. A Centrad CCTV system and wood-effect flooring have also been incorporated into the coaches, which represent the fourth and fifth MOBIpeople products delivered to family-owned Travel Xpress.
Its opening MOBIpeople, delivered in 2019, was the business's first new full-size coach. Power in the latest pair is from the nine-litre MAN D15 engine driving through a ZF EcoLife six-speed automatic gearbox.
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Wrightbus hydrogen coach project: further details forthcoming
Wrightbus has shared further details of its hydrogen fuel cell-electric coach project that is expected to debut an opening vehicle within the coming 18 months.
Scheduled services will be targeted first, with a high-capacity, maximum-dimension double-decker to launch the range. It will be 15m long and 4.2m high, with Head of Coach Sales Dave Porter noting how the manufacturer will then “build below” those parameters.
The double-decker as introduced will have 69 seats on its upper level and 15 downstairs. Two wheelchair users will be carried, with those passengers boarding via the front door and travelling in dedicated areas on each side behind the front axle.
Flexibility of the lower deck is key to the design brief. Potentially, more than two wheelchair users could be accommodated should a buyer require, Mr Porter adds.
A bulkhead partway along will give 10 cubic metres of floor-level luggage space ahead of the rear axles. From there, the fuel cell, hydrogen storage and CATL batteries will be mounted. Mr Porter says that the bulkhead position could be adjusted to reposition the split between passenger and luggage space.
He notes how Wrightbus has moved the hydrogen coach project ahead significantly in recent months. Computer-generated renderings of the double-deck concept have been prepared and indicate that a striking appearance is being pursued. Internally, a lot of focus has already gone into the cab area and the front staircase immediately behind it.
Work on the hydrogen coach is separate to the diesel-powered Contour model (pictured) that Wrightbus already sells. The former will be an entirely in-house designed product with no involvement from Contour builder King Long.
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales tells routeone that a diesel variant of the hydrogen coach is expected to follow during 2027, although hydrogen is the priority. Definition of the in-house diesel direction is not yet completed, and the size and layout of that vehicle could differ to the opening hydrogen double-deck.
Mr Gales points to a need for a 1,000km range on scheduled work, which will be delivered alongside a 10-minute fuelling time, as the reason for hydrogen rather than battery being pursued for zero-emission, but he notes how other business interests of Wrightbus owner Jo Bamford lean heavily on hydrogen production and distribution.
It is expected that chassis construction and body framing of the in-house Wrightbus coaches will be undertaken in Northern Ireland.
Mr Gales adds that with Wrightbus having assumed a strong position in the domestic bus market, the coach field represents scope for further growth. It is not yet decided whether battery-electric will follow in the company’s coach offering.
“This will be the first hydrogen coach in the UK market, and it will work,” continues Mr Gales. While Wrightbus has looked at using liquid hydrogen in the vehicle, its supply has led the builder back to a gaseous energy source. A decision on whether onboard storage will be at 350bar or 700bar is still to be taken.
Mr Porter underlines how the Wrightbus expansion into coaching “is a long-term project,” adding that early feedback from operators on the use of hydrogen to achieve zero-emission recognises that energy source’s benefits in high-utilisation applications.
First Cummins-engined Wrightbus StreetDeck delivery approaches
Wrightbus will soon deliver the first examples of its next-generation StreetDeck Ultroliner diesel double-decker with Cummins power to Isle of Man operator Bus Vannin, which has committed to six of the type.
They are the first new double-decks bought by the Isle of Man Government-owned operator since the pandemic. Each is powered by a six-cylinder Cummins B6.7 engine coupled to the latest Voith DIWA NXT seven-speed automatic gearbox in what the builder says will deliver a further reduction in fuel consumption.
Of the batch, two will carry heritage liveries to help mark the 50th anniversary of nationalised bus services on the Isle of Man in 2027. One carries Douglas Corporation yellow and the other in Isle of Man Road Services red.
Bus Vannin Director Ian Bates notes how the operator needs to replace vehicles “every year on a rolling basis” and that those displaced by new stock have typically worked for 12 to 14 years and covered 600,000 miles.
“As the buses age, they become unreliable, require additional maintenance, and are prone to gearbox or engine failures, which can cost over £35,000 to replace,” he notes.
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales has thanked Bus Vannin for its business and commitment to supporting UK manufacturing on the StreetDeck order.
“Cutting emissions from public transport has been a huge priority for us, and whether it is zero-emission technology or super-clean diesels, every vehicle we produce is having a positive impact on air quality,” Mr Gales says.
Wrightbus previously noted how use of the Cummins B6.7 engine in the StreetDeck Ultroliner would open the product to potential repowering to hydrogen combustion later in life.
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