The first Wrightbus StreetDeck Ultroliner double-decks for Nottingham City Transport (NCT) are due to enter service shortly, with those vehicles having recently been completed by the manufacturer.
Six will be deployed on the Pathfinder 26 route between Nottingham and Southwell in a two-tone purple scheme. Each will have space for two wheelchair users, high-quality seating, a table on the upper deck, and state-of-the-art passenger accessibility systems. They will replace vehicles dating from 2014 on that service.
NCT staff have visited the Wrightbus factory in Ballymena to sign off the vehicles. Head of Marketing and Projects Anthony-Carver Smith (pictured, third from right) notes the value in that trip.
“We were very pleased to be able to visit the Wrightbus factory and see the new Ultroliners for ourselves before they enter service soon. The new buses represent a significant upgrade to the vehicles currently used on the Pathfinder 26 route, which are more than a decade old.
“The new buses are cleaner and quieter and provide a much more pleasant experience for passengers on this long-distance route.”
Adds Wrightbus Managing Director of Sales for UK and Ireland John McLeister (pictured, right): “It was a pleasure to welcome the team from Nottingham City Transport to our factory in Northern Ireland and show them their new buses.
“We recognise that zero-emission buses are not suitable for every route, but through the combination of the latest technology both from our suppliers and from our teams in Ballymena, we are able to produce a bus that keeps noise and emissions to a minimum without compromising on passenger comfort.”
When the order for the vehicles was announced, it was confirmed that they will come with the latest-generation Ultroliner driveline of the six-cylinder Cummins B6.7 engine coupled to a seven-speed Voith DIWA.8 gearbox. When coupled to Micro Hybrid technology that will deliver what Wrightbus says is “optimal efficiency.”
