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
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.
The length of this double-decker – 13.4m or 43ft in old money – means that by any measure these are impressive buses and it seems unlikely that Lothian will be the only customer. Yes, there are longer three-axle double-deck coaches, but this is a first for city work.
It has been a busy time at Lothian Buses since Richard Hall moved from RATP London to take over as managing director in May 2016. Since then Lothian has added nearly 150 new buses to the 900-strong fleet and is well on its way to achieving its Bus2020 strategy of a fleet that meets or exceed…
