McGill’s Bus Service has placed a £2million repeat order for 20 Mellor Strata-bodied Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibuses, taking its fleet of the type up to 24 in a move it says will significantly reduce the cost of operating some commercially vulnerable routes.
News of the order — announced at Coach & Bus UK on 4 October — comes as Mellor is extending its factory in Rochdale to expand annual production capacity to 500 vehicles for sale in mainland Europe and the UK.
McGill’s was one of the launch customers for the 7.76m long Strata, which currently accommodates up to 21 seats in 2+2 format with a low-entry stainless steel body structure built on a Sprinter chassis cab. It took two in August last year and placed a second order for two earlier this year and expected in October. Ten of the latest order are due in December and January, the others later next year.
One of the second pair is being branded for McGill’s Connect & Go, a demand responsive service starting on 30 October to serve the small community of Upper Skelmorlie in North Ayrshire. This replaces a poorly used half-hourly conventional service on which the subsidy per passenger journey is £5.
McGill’s managing director Ralph Roberts says …
