Volvo Buses
UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND
GHA Coaches of Wrexham have taken five of them as part of a new initiative aimed at encouraging bus use in South Denbighshire.
The Kickstart Project is a joint effort funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, Denbighshire County Council and GHA Coaches. In addition to putting the five brand new buses on the road, the project sees the launch of an hourly daytime service to Wrexham, the addition of new evening and Sunday service buses and improvements to the Ruthin-Mold service.
The new vehicles are all specified with Volvo’s Euro 5 Incentive compliant D7E 7.1 litre engine rated at 290hp featuring common rail fuel injection and incorporating SCR exhaust after-treatment, coupled to the ZF six speed automatic gearbox. The 12.15m metre low-entry single deck vehicles have Wrightbus Eclipse 2 bodywork and are fitted with 45 seats, all with three-point seatbelts.
While the project called for full size single deck vehicles, it was GHA who specified Volvo. Director, Arwyn Lloyd Davies, explained:
“The majority of our fleet is Volvo and the reason we keep coming back is that the vehicles are reliable and the back-up is so good. We do all our own maintenance which means our mechanics are very familiar with Volvo and it also makes sense to standardise on parts. In addition we enjoy a great relationship with our local Volvo dealer, Thomas Hardie, who undertake all our warranty work and deliver a great service. All in all, staying with Volvo has always meant that we keep our vehicles moving and we’re confident that the latest additions will continue that tradition!”
Reliance Motor Services of York have also taken delivery of a Volvo B7RLE to operate on the Easingwold to York scheduled service.
Specified with the same engine/gearbox combination as the GHA coaches, the latest arrival at Reliance also features Wrightbus Eclipse 2 bodywork and is fitted with double glazing throughout, 45 Civic V3 Club seats plus KAB T4 driver’s seat, digital tachograph, Mobitec destination equipment and LOOK five camera CCTV system complete with colour monitor.
The third B7RLE to join the Reliance all-Volvo bus fleet, the new vehicle will operate six days a week throughout the year, including occasional appearances in Emmerdale!
“Our other two B7RLEs are great performers” commented Reliance Managing Partner, John Duff. “They’re reliable in service, popular with both drivers and passengers and we enjoy great back-up from Volvo. When it came to upgrading the fleet, it was an easy choice to make.”
ENDS
18th September 2009
Caption for photograph:
Image 1: Two of GHA Coaches’ new Volvo B7RLEs.