Routeone award winner, Reading-based Horseman Coaches has placed £3m order for 10 Panther Executive coaches to be delivered during November.
It comes as the family business took delivery of two Plaxton Leopards.
It also puts their 60-strong fleet in prime position to compete at the front of the pack as London moves towards the introduction of its ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone) in April 2019.
Director James Horseman and Mark Taylor, ADL Regional Sales Manager for London and the South of England shook hands on the extended deal when the first of the new Leopards was delivered to the company’s headquarters and administration centre in Reading, which sits alongside Horseman’s 56,000 sq ft modern warehouse and depot facility.
James comments: “These latest vehicles form part of our consistent, on-going programme of investment in fleet improvements and underpin our determination to stay at the forefront of the sector. We have a successful partnership with Plaxton that goes back many years, having bought well over 30 vehicles from them in the past six years alone, including Cheetah, Leopard, Elite and Panther models.
“Our new Leopards are 12.2m, 70-seat, B8R Euro6 models with Volvo DK8 engines and I-Shift transmission, while our Panthers will be 12.8m 53-seat luxury executive coaches, complete with parallel lift lockers, kitchenette/servery, fridge, toilets, sophisticated entertainment and eight-camera CCTV systems. They too will be powered by DK8 engines and I-Shift transmissions, and will benefit from real-time tracking and telematics.
“The Leopard-Panther combination is ideal for our business, enabling us to offer a wide variety of options for private hires, corporate work, school contracts, special events, day trips, tours, airport transfer services for Heathrow, Luton, Stanstead and Gatwick, and holiday packages in Continental Europe.”