Stagecoach set industry tongues wagging last year when it ordered 30 minibuses from EvoBus (UK). They entered service on Sunday and the results are being watched very closely by management
Stagecoach South East began a brave new venture on Sunday (12 February) with the long-awaited launch of 30 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter City 45 minibuses in Ashford.
The Sprinters – which seat 17 and carry a further five standees, along with having room for one wheelchair user in a low-floor section – represent what the group calls a radical experiment.
They replace larger buses and bring with them a much higher frequency.
Their impact on passenger numbers is being watched closely at a national level, and should the minibus concept be successful, there is every chance that Stagecoach will roll it out to other areas.
Supplier of the Stagecoach Sprinters, EvoBus (UK), is already talking about potential for 150 City 45s in the medium term. It says that interest among other operators has been driven by Stagecoach’s purchase.
Simple reasoning
The Kent project is a radical departure, but the thinking behind it is simple, says Stagecoach South East Commercial Director Matthew Arnold. It’s about increasing passenger numbers.
The minibuses will, Stagecoach hopes, do this principally via a major boost to frequencies, to up to every five minutes, but other factors are in play.
“Passengers can pay with contactless cards, and they can also use Android Pay,” says Mr Arnold. “Contactless is coming to all of our buses by late March, and along with the frequency increase it vastly improves the convenience factor with minibuses.”
While the Sprinters represent an experiment for Stagecoach, it is an open-ended one, he adds.
“There is no fixed timescale to what we are doing. We accept that passenger numbers will not rocket overnight, but strong growth is required in the long term.
“I am confident that can be achieved. The minibuses return over 20mpg and replace double-deckers that do 6-7mpg, so there is a major efficiency benefit with the Sprinters.”
20mpg is easily achievable, says EvoBus. It already has a number of Sprinter City 45s on bus work elsewhere, and recent trials showed that up to 23mpg is possible.
EvoBus’s point of view
Supplying Sprinters to Stagecoach represents EvoBus (UK)’s first deal for a large number of City 45s for bus. While it is not the only manufacturer offering a vehicle of this type, the Coventry-based importer says it is in pole position for bigger orders.
Minibus operation has long been a feature of mainland Europe’s bus landscape, and Sales Director Marcus Watts believes that the Stagecoach experiment could herald its widespread return to the UK.
Making the City 45 as attractive as possible to passengers is important, he says. “We take the best from our van division and we combine it with the best of our coach and bus arm. We tried to give the City 45 as much in common with larger buses as possible, including seats and heaters.”
In a departure for Stagecoach, the Sprinters have been supplied with a five-year repair and maintenance package.
They will be looked after by local dealer Mercedes-Benz dealer Sparshatts. It has been furnished with impress stock, and technicians have received technical training from EvoBus.
Doing that, says Mr Watts, is an indication of how seriously the importer regards the Stagecoach deal. The same level of support could be rolled out to other areas in the future.
Why minibuses?
There are several strong arguments for minibus operation. One is the cost reduction that it delivers through lower energy consumption. Stagecoach runs almost four Sprinters for the same fuel burn as one double-decker.
Driver costs are different. Stagecoach’s Sprinter pilots earn the same as those who drive its bigger buses, and thus passenger numbers must increase significantly if the experiment is to be a success. The Sprinters’ useful lives are also likely to be shorter than larger buses’.
Mr Watts subscribes to the theory that minibuses have proved their worth in Europe, where the City range is well established.
“In one city in the Netherlands, Sprinters replaced big buses that were running below capacity for much of the day. When they did, routes facing withdrawal as uneconomic became profitable.”
Stagecoach’s experiment with Sprinters is interesting. There is no guarantee that it will be successful. But the product – both the vehicles and the convenience factor – is attractive, and it may yet herald the re-emergence of minibuses as a credible alternative to big buses.
routeone comment
Stagecoach eschewed the easy option of allocating its Sprinters to rural routes in ones and twos and instead went in at the deep end by putting all 30 into the intensive service that poses a much sterner test.
The theory behind its experiment is sound. Frequency enhancements are acknowledged to drive patronage gains. But more buses require more drivers, and in some areas drivers are not easy to find.
If that can be dealt with, and if minibuses are used where there is an opportunity for growth, they may soon make a return over three decades after they originally appeared.
Find out more:
