Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) has received 10 MCV Evora-bodied Volvo B8RLE single-deckers for use on its car park shuttle services at Gatwick and Manchester airports.
The new buses form part of a brand refresh for APH and they carry an orange-based livery. Four are 11.3m examples that are in use at Manchester and six are 12.1m models at Gatwick. They are all specified with seatbelts, luggage racks, USB charging points and driver radios.
APH Operations Manager Mark Hannan says that the Volvo B8RLE fleet runs 24 hours a day and each member can be expected to cover around 250 miles over that period. “They are also remarkably efficient for their size,” he adds.
“The demanding nature of our operations means that we need to have vehicles we can rely on, but it also makes aftersales service vital for us because we outsource all our maintenance.”
Volvo dealership MC Truck and Bus looks after the Gatwick-based buses while Thomas Hardie Commercials takes responsibility for those in Manchester. “They have both been particularly impressive in terms of response times,” Mr Hannan notes.
He says that the Volvos are delivering a high-quality driver and customer experience. “When we sat down to compare what was available on the market for our new buses, feedback from other operators was really important to us. It quickly became clear that Volvo Buses offered a superior product and service.”
