Lothian Buses has broken with British convention by commissioning extra long tri-axle Volvo doubledeckers with dual-door Alexander Dennis bodies. As GAVIN BOOTH explains, these Enviro400XLBs have many of the operator’s bespoke features and will help reduce peak period duplication on Edinburgh’s busiest routes with benefits for passengers and drivers’ working conditions
One of the first Enviro400XLBbodied B8Ls for Lothian, 1066, posed by The Kelpies, 30m high horses’ head sculptures beside the Forth & Clyde Canal and M9 outside Falkirk. The launch photographs were all taken in the hours of darkness to help keep the buses out of public view.
There was an audible gasp from the assembled guests at the Alexander Dennis body plant at Falkirk on 8 November when they caught their first glimpse of the first of Lothian Buses’ new 100-seat Volvos as it was driven into view following a piper playing – what else? – Scotland the Brave.
