SN18 CVT, one of the Plaxton Pantherbodied Volvo B11Rs, in Blackpool for the UK Coach Rally. KEITH McGILLIVRAY
Lothian Buses — the UK’s largest council-owned operator — has returned to the coach business with a new subsidiary operating an initial fleet of 18 quality specification vehicles.
Lothian Coaches, which trades as Lothian Motorcoaches, will start trading in earnest on 1 June. It has begun recruiting drivers and unveiled its first three vehicles — and company uniform — at the UK Coach Rally in Blackpool on 28/29 April.
The coaches at Blackpool — one entered in the rally, another displayed in the trade area and a third accompanying them — are part of a batch of five new 14m tri-axle Volvo B11Rs with 61-seat Plaxton Panther bodies incorporating the coachbuilder’s revised entrance arrangement that reduces step height at both the main entry door and into the gangway, making access and egress easier.
They introduce a livery of dark gunmetal grey, chrome trim and light grey and orange skirt stripes intended to convey the message that the business is positioning itself at the quality end of the coach market. Drivers will wear a suit-style grey uniform with tartaninfluenced patterned waistcoat, white shirt and orange tie.
