Arriva has made a substantial investment in its fleet, purchasing 174 new Volvo B5LH double deck hybrid buses.
The vehicles have recently been delivered, adding to the existing batch of 44 Volvo hybrid buses the company purchased in 2013 for its North West services. From the order, 123 will be incorporated into the company’s London operations and a further 51 will be used in Merseyside on local routes.
With exceptional environmental credentials, as well as high reliability, the parallel hybrid Volvo B5LH, with Wrightbus bodywork, delivers consistent fuel economy and CO2 emissions reductions of up to 39%, compared to a conventional diesel double deck bus. The vehicles provide complete integration of the engine and the hybrid systems, all of which are designed and manufactured by Volvo Bus.
Phil Cummins, Area Managing Director for Arriva North West, said: “Following delivery, 10% of our fleet in the North West consists of Volvo hybrid vehicles. In the past, we have experienced good reliability and build quality from Volvo, as well as substantial fuel savings, which meant we had no hesitation in selecting the company once again for this latest order.”
Fleet Sales Manager for Volvo Bus, Dan Barwick, said: “We are confident that Arriva will see the consistent fuel economy benefits these hybrid vehicles will deliver to their business nationwide. We are very pleased Arriva has chosen Volvo once again for this latest purchase and look forward to working with them again in the future.”
To purchase the buses, Arriva received a grant from the Government Office for Low Emission Vehicles, a team working across Government to support the early market for ultra-low emission vehicles.
Phil Cummins, added: “Upgrading our fleet to include hybrid buses such as these, really is a ‘win-win’ situation, because the government incentivises us to switch to hybrid vehicles, and once we switch we are then rewarded with the benefits of increased efficiency and lower fuel costs going into the future.”
