Stagecoach commences rollout of battery-electric buses in Hull
Stagecoach East Midlands has put the first battery-electric buses into service from its depot in Hull. Initially 42 are being deployed, a number that will rise to 55 within a year. Of the opening tranche, 32 are Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV double-decks and 10 are Yutong E10 single-decks.
The operator says that the electric buses will boost reliability through their reduced number of moving parts compared to a diesel. It notes how the new vehicles will need to be inspected every six weeks as a result, compared to every four weeks for diesel fleet members.
Battery-electric buses have come to Hull thanks to part-funding secured through a successful bid to the second round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) scheme.
That involved Stagecoach alongside fellow operator East Yorkshire Buses, and East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Hull City Council. An initial allocation was followed up by a further sum via a supplementary round of ZEBRA 2.
Dignitaries from both local authorities were present at an event at the MKM Stadium in Hull to launch the battery-electrics. They form what Stagecoach claims is “the biggest order of buses in the last 125 years for Hull.” Its Foster Street depot has gained 56 charging points to support the fleet.
Speaking about the arrivals, Stagecoach East Midlands Managing Director Matt Cranwell (pictured) says: “We are so proud to be bringing these wonderful new vehicles to our loyal customers in Hull. Investments like this aim to offer a more reliable and more comfortable service, as well as cleaner air for everyone.
“Our ongoing multi-million pound investment will continue to decarbonise our fleet while bringing state-of-the-art bus travel to our customers. As we invest in a new electric fleet to bring more sustainable public transport, we would encourage everyone to leave their cars at home and give our new buses a go.”
Hull City Council Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transport and Infrastructure Cllr Mark Ieronimo adds that the shift towards battery-electric buses for the city “shows real confidence in Hull’s future.”
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Volvo completes 72-strong BZL Electric delivery to Arriva Tottenham
Volvo Bus UK and Ireland has completed the delivery of 72 BZL Electric battery-electric double-decks to Arriva London at its Tottenham depot. They represent a further phase of work on fleet and facilities renewal by Arriva as part of a £340 million investment by the group.
Volvo will also supply 63 diesel B8RLE single-decks with MCV Evora bodywork to Arriva in Q4, with those to be allocated to operations in Bangor, Luton and Luton Airport, and Teesside. They will follow examples of the same combination already with Arriva UK Bus operating companies.
Managing Director Martijn Gilbert notes how Volvo vehicles “continue to perform strongly in urban and rural service areas, giving us confidence in their reliability and day-to-day operational efficiency.”
Mr Gilbert adds that drivers appreciate the handling qualities of the BZL electric chassis along with its quiet ride. The manufacturer’s dealership coverage “has also been a key factor in our continued investment in new Volvos across the country,” he says.
Each Volvo with Arriva is supported “by the full strength of our national Volvo Truck and Bus dealerpoint network, spanning more than 80 locations across the UK,” continues Volvo Bus UK and Ireland Service Market Director Daniel Tanner.
He notes how such a footprint ensures that customers have rapid access to expertise, routine maintenance, and responsive aftersales support. That includes a specialist parts facility at Volvo’s Loughborough body and paint shop. It holds an extensive inventory of bodywork components from glazing, mouldings and exterior panels to interior fittings and spare seats.
The BZL Electric platform uses a 200kW electric driveline made up of a motor coupled to a two-speed automated gearbox and a conventional rear axle. Such a configuration suits easy maintenance, the supplier says. Each bus has five batteries for a total energy storage of 470kWh.
Volvo Bus UK and Ireland Sales Director Richard Mann has thanked Arriva for its ongoing business on the BZL and B8RLE platforms, noting that it represents “a clear endorsement of the real-world operation of our vehicles.”
He continues: “We are proud of the success seen so far, and we attribute that to consistent performance and the strength of our aftersales support. I look forward to continuing to build on our longstanding partnership.”
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Microlise and Ferdia partner on coach operation management
Suppliers Microlise and Ferdia have partnered to bring together fleet management, telematics and compliance with coach booking and operational planning under a single system.
They say that the collaboration will help coach businesses to tackle one of the sector’s biggest challenges in disconnected operations. To that they add how manual processes, spreadsheets and standalone systems continue to be used to manage operations while the coach industry is concurrently under pressure from costs, margins, and customer expectations.
Bringing together the suppliers via the partnership will give what is termed a connected view of every stage of a coach operation, from booking and planning through to vehicle performance and driver safety.
The combined solution delivers a connected view of commercial, operational and fleet data, providing users with enhanced reporting capabilities and the actionable insights needed to optimise performance and support better business decisions.
It will also enable operators to digitise bookings, quotations and pricing; plan vehicles and drivers more efficiently; and track fleet activity in real time.
By bringing commercial planning together with live vehicle and driver data, Ferdia and Microlise believe that users will improve fleet utilisation, strengthen compliance, gain greater operational visibility, and deliver “a more seamless customer experience.”
Ferdia points to research showing that organisations adapting automated planning can reduce scheduling time by up to 70% and operating costs by up to 25%, as well as significantly improving their resource utilisation.
Connected fleet technology can also deliver measurable improvements in operational performance, helping operators to make smarter, faster decisions, the supplier adds.
Its cloud-based platform has been developed alongside UK operator partners. When combined with Microlise fleet technology, those parties gain “a single source of truth that connects commercial planning with real-time vehicle and driver data,” the two businesses say.
Adds Microlise CEO Nadeem Raza: “Coach operators are facing increasing pressure to do more with less, but many are still working with disconnected systems that limit visibility and efficiency.
“By partnering with Ferdia, we are bringing together two complementary technologies to help operators to make better decisions, improve fleet performance, and build more resilient businesses.”
Ferdia County Manager Daniel Morton notes how the partnership with Microlise “provides coach operators with a best-in-class solution on both systems.” He adds: “We already have several clients using both Ferdia and Microlise saving time in manual data entry and reaping the benefits of a connected platform.”