Arriva bus has made an order for 69 buses from renowned coach builders Optare.
A range of buses and coaches have been requested as part of the extensive order, which is thought to be worth in the region of £7.6 million.
The 69 buses ordered by Arriva are a selection of both single and double-decker vehicles. 16 Visionaire open top double-decker coaches are in the process of being manufactured by Optare which will be used on The Original Tour which offers sightseeing tours of London. The 16 new 101-seater double-deckers will be complete by June, just in time to join in with the sightseeing tour’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
In addition to double-decker, Optare are also in the process of constructing 41 Versa 11.1 metre buses and 12 solo 8.8 and 9.5 metre models, all of which are equipped with Mercedes Benz engines. This order is expected to be completed by September.
The Optare boss says the large multi-million pound order from Arriva is yet another sign of “recovery in the UK bus market” which signals good news for the transport industry as a whole.
In other news, Arriva Yorkshire launched their Shhh! Campaign this week. The bus travel company wants to encourage those listening to personal stereos, iPods and MP3 players to keep the volume of their music down, so as not to disturb other passengers travelling on an Arriva bus service.
