Anita's Coaches takes delivery of a Yutong TC9 midi
Anita’s Coaches of Stansted Airport has taken delivery of a Yutong TC9, supplied by Pelican Bus and Coach.
It is a 37-seater with half-red leather upholstery. PSVAR readiness has been specified to enable straightforward future conversion to full compliance, including an additional door ahead of the rear axle. The operator’s distinctive metallic orange livery was applied at the factory before shipping.
Power is from the Cummins B6.7 engine developing 320bhp coupled to a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox. A cherished registration mark and polished alloy wheels complete the midicoach.
Speaking about the further collaboration between the two parties, Pelican UK Coach Sales Manager Simon Collins says: “Anita’s Coaches is a third-generation family firm, and ideally suited to Pelican’s fourth-generation family firm way of doing business.
“We are very grateful for the support and faith from Anita’s. It is what we do at Pelican Bus and Coach, and we hope that this vehicle will be a great servant for many years to come.”
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Parrys' Van Hool T pair to be finished as Tourliners also ordered
A pair of part-built Van Hool T17 Astron coaches for Parrys International that have been marooned at the manufacturer's former plant in Belgium are shortly to move to the VDL Van Hool factory in North Macedonia for completion.
Those vehicles have been in limbo for around seven months. They have stood untouched since bankruptcy of Van Hool and the subsequent purchase of some of its coach and bus undertakings by VDL. Parrys Managing Director Dave Parry has now agreed with VDL that the Van Hool pair will move to North Macedonia for assembly to restart.
They are expected to be transported during week commencing 28 October and Mr Parry is hopeful that they will be delivered to the UK in early 2025. Some fittings will be installed by AD Coach Systems after arrival here.
Resolution for the matter follows VDL confirming that it will continue to manufacture some members of the Van Hool T range in North Macedonia. Further part-completed Van Hool coaches for one other UK operator are understood to also be in Belgium.
In addition, Mr Parry has ordered at least four more T17 Astrons for 2025 delivery. Parrys has also confirmed two Neoplan Tourliners in a return to that brand for the Cheslyn Hay operator after over a decade away. The Tourliners will be to a bespoke specification for Parrys “with the option for more,” says Mr Parry.
Arriving at a solution for the unfinished coaches has “been a bit more difficult than we thought with complications, but we got there in the end,” he adds.
Work on those vehicles in North Macedonia will see them completed on an assembly line rather than the individual basis previously utilised by Van Hool in Koningshooikt. “There are exciting times ahead,” continues Mr Parry.
Separately, VDL has underlined to customers that it will continue the Van Hool T15 Acron, T16 Astron and T17 Astron models in right-hand drive, along with the TDX21 Altano overdecker and the TDX27 Astromega double-decker.
In a letter to those parties, VDL Van Hool CEO Marc van Doorn says that the business is “proudly and passionately producing Van Hool coaches,” with approximately 250 former Van Hool employees on hand in Koningshookt – where an aftersales service point will be launched this year – and around 1,300 staff in North Macedonia.
A decision on the Van Hool models that will continue under VDL ownership came after “a careful evaluation of the coach range,” says Mr van Doorn. He adds that coaches that were in build in North Macedonia before the Van Hool bankruptcy will be finished in agreement with customers.
Transport UK London Bus Electroliners funded by Asset Alliance
Transport UK London Bus has seen the arrival of 12 Wrightbus GB Kite Electroliner battery-electric single-deckers that have been financed by Asset Alliance Group.
The 10.9m buses each have 454kWh of energy storage and are on seven-year operating leases. They are in use on Transport for London (TfL) route R70 between Hampton and Twickenham and can carry up to 60 passengers.
Almost one-third of the Transport UK London Bus fleet of 900 is now battery-electric. The latest arrivals continue the business's procurement of such vehicles manufactured by Wrightbus.
Commercial Director Alastair Willis notes that the seven-year operating lease duration benefits the company as it aligns with the TfL contract length. The deal is the operator’s first deal with Asset Alliance Group.
The supplier "has impressed us, with Martyn Bellis and Anthony Jones listening and understanding our specific needs, proposing a flexible, competitive option at an attractive rate that does not tie us in long term,” adds Mr Willis.
The buses are to a high specification and have high-backed seats with additional padding, wood-effect flooring, and USB charging points. High-resolution passenger information displays are fitted and the driver benefits from a seat that is heated and cooled.
Mr Bellis, who is Asset Alliance Group Commercial Director for Coach and Bus, says: “We were pleased to be able to assist Transport UK London Bus with its ongoing transformation. This latest deal underlines the key role that Asset Alliance Group is playing in facilitating the uptake of electric buses in the capital on behalf of the major bus operators and TfL.”
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