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New, lighter, double-deckers. Filling the Vario void. These are among the key themes at this year’s Euro Bus Expo. Among full-size coaches there’s increased Chinese activity. New single-deck buses are coming from ADL and from Scania. Hybrids are no longer breaking news, but there is one on Volvo’s stand, a 7900 for Lothian Buses.
So there’s plenty to see among the vehicle exhibits.
The new double-deckers come from ADL, Optare and Wrightbus, with the first show appearance of models announced earlier this year. ADL has retained the Enviro400 name, but it’s a much-improved model which its maker says is 400kg lighter than its predecessor. The E400 is the UK’s best-selling double-decker, and in its revised form looks set to remain so, although it is facing increasing competition. ADL is also planning to show a fast-charge system for the E400. The new ADL Enviro200 to be launched at the show is expected to benefit from some of the developments of the E400, and to be lighter and more fuel-efficient than the current model.
Optare’s new model is the MetroDecker which weighs under 10 tonnes, and can carry 100 passengers. The MetroDecker uses a 230bhp 5.1-litre Mercedes engine coupled to a ZF Ecolife automatic gearbox. Optare’s integral has been a long time coming and it faces strong competition from ADL, Volvo and, in particular Wrightbus which uses the same engine and offers a choice of gearboxes, including the Ecolife, in its new StreetDeck. Wrightbus has a proven record in building integrated double-deckers, Optare is starting from scratch. Optare is a bit coy about its other exhibits, but expect to see examples of the Solo, Versa and MetroCity, with at least one battery-electric bus.
The StreetDeck is sure to be the centre of attention on the Wrightbus stand, being displayed for the first time. It is being shown alongside a Volvo with the Gemini 3 body which was unveiled last year and which the manufacturers claimed saved 1,000kg when compared with the previous model. There are also two examples of the company’s integral StreetLite, an 11.5-metre Max version for First, and a shorter WF model. WF indicates Wheel Forward, meaning the entrance door is behind the front wheels, as on an Optare Solo.
Scania, which no longer offers its OmniCity in the UK, has teamed up with Irizar to produce a new urban bus, showing a 45-seat 12m i3 on a K250 chassis, representative of a range available in lengths from 10.9 to 15 metres. Other heavy-duty urban buses on display include the Lothian 7900H mentioned above, and a Mercedes-Benz Citaro on the EvoBus stand. There should also be a Volvo B8RLE with a revised Wrightbus body. MAN is not showing any city buses this year.
Turning to coaches, market leader Plaxton has three vehicles at Euro Bus Expo. The star is a luxurious Elite i on a Volvo B11R. It is being shown alongside an example of the Leopard, which was launched at last year’s Coach & Bus Live, and a Panther. The new Atego-based Cheetah will not be at Euro Bus Expo. It is to be launched early next year.
There is a range of integrals on the stands of Arriva Bus & Coach and Van Hool which are located opposite each other. The star is surely a TDX29 sleeper-coach for megabus.com which is bound to attract attention if only to see how it is laid out. More conventional models are a high-specification TDX21 Altano for Eavesway, a TX15 Alicron for BM Coaches and a TX16 Astron for Shaws of Whitley.
Arriva is also showing a Euro 5 Temsa Safari, representing a batch of 12 being imported for next season. The Euro 6 Temsa will be unveiled at next year’s Coach & Bus Live. Arriva is not currently selling the long-lived SB4000 coach, nor any VDL bus models.
Among high-specification touring coaches look out for the 14m tri-axle Futura 2 on the VDL stand for Leger Holidays. This is in the company’s new Luxuria livery and features two-plus-one seating for 31 passengers. The seats have retractable calf rests and touch-screen TV offering a choice of music and films. There are plug sockets and USB ports at each seat. There is also a standard 12.9m Futura 2. For Euro 6 all Futuras use the DAF MX engine; the smaller PR is no longer offered.
MAN is exhibiting two Euro 6 Neoplan Tourliners, a 13.2m tri-axle and a standard 12m vehicle. The striking Starliner is not currently on offer in the UK. While MAN Truck & Bus no longer sells MAN-based coaches, there are two being shown by Spanish manufacturer Beulas which has its own stand and is expected to announce a new dealer. The coaches are from opposite ends of the Beulas range, a three-axle Jewel double-decker and a 9m Cygnus.
A new name being introduced to the UK is Mobipeople, a Portuguese builder whose senior managers previously worked for Marcopolo. Given that link, it’s no surprise that sales are being handled by Base Coach Sales, which previously imported Marcopolos. Base is launching two vehicles on MAN chassis. The 8.6m Midi Explorer is based on the front-engined 10-tonne TGL and can carry up to 33 passengers. The full-size Explorer is 12.3m long and is on an MAN RR8 chassis with ZF Ecolife automatic gearbox. It can be fitted out with 57 seats, or with 70 seats for school work. Another coach based on an MAN chassis, the rear-engined A67, is on the Unvi stand, a 43-seat Touring GT-R.
EvoBus is exhibiting two- and three-axle Tourismos with new interior options, alongside a selection of the new Euro 6 Sprinters.
Chinese coaches have had a mixed reception in the UK. However the launch of the Scania Touring, bodied by Higer, might change operators’ perceptions of Chinese products. Scania stresses that the Touring is assembled on a dedicated production line in China, allowing it to maintain full control of manufacturing and quality. The obvious parallel with Scania and China are those German coaches sold in the UK which are built in factories in Turkey. The show Touring is a three-axle 13.7m 57-seater. Although new to the UK, the Touring has been available in mainland Europe since 2009.
Higer has a stand of its own, with a 9m coach on show. Yutong, imported by Pelican Bus & Coach, is showing a 12.3m TC12 with 400bhp DAF/Paccar engine and a 9.4m TC9 with a Cummins ISB6.7 engine. Both coaches have ZF automatic gearboxes.
The importer of the longest-established model, King Long, has pulled out of Euro Bus Expo. It is instead holding its own show at its Coventry premises.
The demise of the Vario, which Mercedes-Benz decided not to re-engineer for Euro 6, leaves a significant gap in the small coach market. The heavier Mercedes Atego is being offered as a successor by a number of bodybuilders, while an alternative which is closer to the Vario concept is the Iveco Daily. The Daily’s drawback is clear: it’s not a Mercedes.
Minis to Midis is exhibiting examples of both of these potential Vario successors with a 33-seat Turas 900 on a 9.5-tonne Atego, and a 27-seat Turas 700 on the Daily.
An Atego-based coach is also being exhibited by Indcar, with a left-hand-drive Next. This can seat up to 33 on 10-tonne chassis, and up to 37 on 12-tonne models. Indcar sales in the UK will be handled by Moseley.
There are two new products on the Sitcar stand. With the end of the Vario/Beluga combination, Sitcar is offering a new model, the Voyager, on a 7-tonne Iveco Daily chassis and initially with 25 seats, although a 27-seater may be possible. The show vehicle is a left-hand-drive model. The other Sitcar exhibit is being used to test operator reaction. It is the Trend XL, a coach-built 19-seater on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Connaught PSV is exhibiting a 38-seat Ferqui F5 coach on the 12-tonne Atego 1224L. It is also showing two examples of the smaller Sprinter-based Soroco. Connaught has been selling Ferqui coaches since 1997, and has been the sole UK distributor for the Spanish manufacturer since 2012. Another Sprinter coach manufacturer, EVM is showing its current range.
While the Atego is a new product for a number of coachbuilders, Unvi has been bodying the chassis for more than ten years, and is exhibiting two Atego-based Voyager GT models, one with 30 seats, the other with 34. Unvi’s display also features the established Touring GT finished to a high specification with just 31 instead of 41 seats, and a Sprinter Vega GT.
The Nu-Track Pulse is making its first appearance at Euro Bus Expo, and is another candidate in the Vario replacement stakes. Built in Northern Ireland, the Pulse is based on a 10-tonne MAN TGL truck chassis – an Atego competitor – and the show vehicle has 33 seats and a wheelchair lift. The Pulse has a 180bhp four-cylinder 4.6-litre Euro 6 engine and a TipMatic automated gearbox.
Mellor Coachcraft has two vehicles on the Rescroft stand, a Sprinter and a Fiat-based Orion Lite, the first showing by Mellor of the model formerly built by Bluebird. The Orion Lite is aimed at community transport groups. And the low-entry Plastisol minibus, which was briefly marketed by Optare as the Bonito, is also on the Rescroft stand. It is now known as the CM Mission, still based on a Fiat Ducato running unit.
Three lesser-known manufacturers are exhibiting vehicles, Otokar (Turkey), TAM (Slovenia) and Atlas Commercial Vehicles (Lithuania). The last-named is showing a 16-seat coach based on the Mercedes Sprinter 519CDI.
The Euro Bus Expo organisers claim there will be 100 vehicles at the show. There’s certainly a lot of variety, from low-floor minibuses to high-specification coaches – so, something for everybody.