Volvo and ADL Together Again

I was delighted to receive two emails over the last week from North of the border, telling me about 18 new buses for Stagecoach Strathtay. They are Volvo B5LH hybrids with ADL E400 MMC bodies. This is the first collaboration between Volvo and ADL for Stageciach since the Alexander bodied Olympians in 1999. It will be very interested to see how the MMC body and B5 chasis go together. I have a feeling it could be the best combination yet for ADL.

My thanks go to Fife busnews and Paul Hawkins for sending in pics of these new buses. The one below has the interesting registration HY14 BUS

Stagecoach Strathtay 13043 Volvo B5LH E400MMC HY14 BUS   pic (c) Fife Busnews

The rear view of HY14 BUS      pic (c) Fife Busnews

 Now you may be wondering why these hybrids are not in the normal Stagecoach green livery normally applied to hybrids, with only the front giving an indication of its hybrid feature. Paul Hawkins tells me that is because National Express Dundee also have E400 hybrids, and as you can see below they also have a green livery.

National Express Dundee E400 hybrid SP13 BSZ    pic (c) Paul Hawkins

Now a bit about the route the B5 MMC's are on. They are allocated to the 73/A/B running between Dundee and Arbroath, which according to Stagecoach MD Andrew Jarvis has a bit of everything. He says in todays Bus and Coach Buyer "The route is an unusual mix of a dense urban service with steep hills, some city centre running where air quality is key and then on to suburban housing with some interurban running at the route’s very end" Not all services cover the whole route, but it is high frequency, with a 10 minute service on weekdays, 15 min on Saturdays and 20 min on Sundays. The full route takes 87 mins but there is one feature the 73 has that very, very few routes have these days - it is CONDUCTOR operated! I have to say not the first area I'd have thought of for crew operated services!

Stagecoach 13057 SA15 VTZ at the official launch.    pic (c) Paul Hawkins

Stagecoach Strathtay 13046 SJ15 PVF on first day in service heading for Carnoustie   pic (c) Paul Hawkins

Once again my thanks to Fife Busnews and Paul Hawkins for their pics, and darn it I can feel another trip to Scotland looming!
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