Transdev Blazefield puts first of Keighley eCitaro fleet into services
Transdev Blazefield operation The Keighley Bus Company has started to place a batch of 15 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro battery-electric single-decks into service on route 662 between that town and Bradford.
The fleet of buses represents an investment of £6.6 million. Overall, the project including infrastructure has seen a spend of £4.5 million from Transdev Blazefield and £3 million via a successful bid by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.
Three of the buses are in service thus far. More will follow over coming weeks. The Shuttle eCitaro fleet follows an earlier delivery of the type to Transdev Blazefield business The Harrogate Bus Company, with the latest arrivals also to see route 67 between Keighley and Bradford move to zero-emission.
Transdev Blazefield Managing Director Henri Rohard notes how the new vehicles represent a major upgrade over existing Shuttle buses, “with many new design elements dramatically improving the customer experience.”
He adds that their internal specification has been developed based on customer feedback. Fast wi-fi is included along with USB charging, custom-designed seating in a part-leather, part-moquette trim, and hearing loops and twin full-colour audio-visual information screens to deliver PSV Accessible Information Regulations compliance.
The eCitaro fleet also has a full suite of safety features. Mr Rohard adds that rising installed energy capacity has allowed Transdev Blazefield to take further battery-electric buses. Selection of the eCitaro for Keighley followed evaluation of various types of battery-electric buses on the Shuttle route.
In addition to its two batches of Mercedes-Benz zero-emission buses, Transdev Blazefield has also taken the Citaro Hybrid for Flyer routes serving Leeds Bradford Airport. The operator’s Harrogate operation additionally has a fleet of Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV battery-electric double-deckers for trunk route 36 to Leeds.
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Eavesway Travel team-spec T17 Astron is its third Van Hool T
Eavesway Travel of Ashton-in-Makerfield has taken delivery of its third Van Hool T range coach in the form of a T17 Astron super-high tri-axle.
The new arrival is to full sports team and corporate specification and has been fitted out at AD Coach Systems. There are 40 Kiel 1020 seats finished in cream leather arranged around tables and with three-point belts, a centre sunken freshwater toilet, a dash fridge, a radio, DVD and CD player, and a PA system.
AD Coach Systems has added multiple LCD monitors, a large walk-in rear kitchen area with ovens, further fridges, cabinets and running hot and cold water, and much more to enable the coach to fulfil its brief.
Eavesway Managing Director Mike Eaves (pictured, second from left) says that following conversion by AD, the coach was put to work for three weeks as transport for the England Rugby League team during the recent Ashes series against Australia. The visitors were also conveyed by Eavesway, in a VIP-specification Van Hool Altano.
Mr Eaves adds that arrival of the Van Hool T17 Astron “has been well worth the long wait” and he describes it as “a beautiful vehicle for which VDL Bus Group and AD Coach Systems have done a fantastic job.”
For the remainder of the football season, it will be working alongside another operator on a Premier League team transport contract as well as performing VIP and corporate hires for Eavesway’s own client base.
Externally, the coach carries the operator's new distinctive livery and is set off by highly polished alloy wheels, a cherished 75-plate registration mark, and a camera mirror system in place of conventional mirrors. During its Ashes work, the T17 gained special window-mounted vinyls to mark the tournament.
Power comes from a DAF MX-13 engine developing 530bhp coupled to an Allison T525 six-speed fully automatic gearbox.
Joining Mr Eaves for handover of the coach were Eavesway Travel Commercial Manager Aiden Latham (pictured, right), AD Coach Systems Director Nick Weatherby (pictured, second from right) and VDL Bus UK Sales Representative Robert White (pictured, left).
Click on either of the following pictures to enlarge:
NewPower to debut electric-to-electric repower on Metrodecker EV
Wrightbus business NewPower will carry out its first electric-to-electric repower project with the fitment of new drivelines to 28 Optare Metrodecker EV battery-electric double-decks operated by Metroline.
That will see the buses processed at the NewPower plant in Bicester and replacement of existing axles, powertrains, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems.
OEM Kreisel batteries will be replaced by energy storage from CATL. The Vehicle Electrical Drive System from Driventic – formerly Voith – will be at the centre of the overhaul, while Grayson will provide the replacement HVAC fitment.
Optare – later Switch Mobility – built the Metrodecker EV with 300kWh of battery capacity, according to a Zero Emission Bus certificate issued by Zemo Partnership in 2023.
Those with Metroline have been plagued with reliability and range problems. 31 were originally supplied to the operator from 2019. It is understood that many have been out of use for several months.
Repower of existing battery-electric buses by NewPower represents a development of its existing efforts on converting mid-life diesel buses to zero-emission, work that so far has predominantly been carried out for First Bus. Another supplier has already repowered a batch of Optare Versa EV buses via the fitment of new drivelines.
Wrightbus Group Managing Director Sales John McLeister says that repower work with Metroline will see “gold standard equipment” installed into the Metrodecker EV fleet “to maximise performance and efficiency.”
Adds CEO Jean-Marc Gales: “This latest deal increases the orders for NewPower to 64 for next year, already above the 50-plus we will have delivered in 2025, and makes NewPower the largest repower specialist in Europe.”
Metroline is one of three London operators to use the Metrodecker EV. Two other customers outside the capital also purchased the model although none have been built since 2021. Closure of the Sherburn-in-Elmet plant that manufactured Optare and Switch Mobility products was announced by owner Ashok Leyland earlier in 2025.