Houston’s Coaches of Lockerbie has taken delivery of the first of four new B8RLEs with MCV Evora bodywork, supplied by Volvo Bus UK and Ireland.
Three of the buses are 10.8m examples and one is a 12.1m variant. They will be utilised on long-distance services 101, 101A and 102 between Dumfries and Edinburgh. The smaller of the buses each seat 39 and the larger model, 47.
The vehicles’ usage case was prominent in choosing to go with the Volvo MCV combination, says Houston’s Coaches Owner William Houston. “The important thing for us when choosing our new buses is reliability,” he explains.
“When you consider the length of the route we are operating, and the varied terrain that it covers, the last thing we want to be managing is unexpected downtime. We selected the Volvo specifically because it has a great reputation for reliability.”
Mr Houston adds that some customers complete the full three-hour trip between Dumfries and Edinburgh, and hence passenger comfort was also a consideration. “Our drivers have been really impressed as well; the climate controlled cabs were a big bonus for them,” he continues.
Power is from the Volvo D8K engine driving through a six-speed ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox. Volvo says that such a combination makes the buses “an ultra-efficient choice for a business eager to minimise its environmental footprint.”
