Alexander Dennis is full of optimism for its tri-axle Enviro400XLB, which is built on the Volvo B8L tri-axle chassis. It was launched last week with an order for 42 from Lothian Buses that will seat 100 passengers
Capacity is king for the Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro400XLB. The double-decker body, mounted on Volvo’s B8L tri-axle chassis, was launched last week with the first of a 42-unit order for Lothian Buses. It seats 100 passengers in dual-door form and carries a further 31 standees.
The Enviro400XLB is a significant addition to ADL’s domestic line-up. It will be available in single-door format and also with all of the high-specification fittings that have made the two-axle Enviro400 integral an attractive proposition for private hire duties.
Chief Executive Colin Robertson is already talking of significant demand for the newcomer, and with Volvo packing a 350bhp engine under the bonnet it’s likely that the Enviro400XLB will appeal to buyers in several market sectors.
But before that, the model forms a significant part of Lothian’s plans. While it is not yet decided which routes they will be used on, or whether further orders will be placed, the first tri-axles will enter service in January.
They are part of a wider scheme to improve what is already one of the best urban bus networks in the country. The overall project will no doubt be observed keenly by the rest of the industry.
The hardware
The Enviro400XLB is 13.4m long. The lower saloon has 39 seats, including three tip-ups within a nearside wheelchair bay; the rear row has four positions and there are four sets of back-to-back pairs over the rear bogie. A further 61 seats are upstairs.
ADL has fitted USB charging points and wood-effect flooring throughout both saloons and the specification also includes a glazed staircase – something previously only installed on the Enviro400 City. Three large skylights are within the roof. Underneath the body is the B8L chassis. It has an offset, in-line six-cylinder 7.7-litre D8K engine coupled to a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox.
Model on its own
The Enviro400XLB is not a development of the established tri-axle Enviro500, which has been built both on Volvo chassis and in integral form for global markets since 2003. Instead, it is specifically for UK and Irish demand. It is in effect an extended two-axle Enviro400 and it shares much with that body, including many panels. That, says ADL, was a key objective of the design process.
Export demand for tri-axle double-deckers will continue to be met by the Enviro500. Although a solitary batch was built for the UK, ADL does not currently view it as being suitable for use here owing to its integrated air-conditioning and the impact that has on fuel consumption.
Nothing more than an air-chill system is possible on the Enviro400XLB, which has hopper windows. The D8K has achieved an excellent reputation for economy in coaches, and combined with the lack of air-conditioning, that may hint at respectable returns in a double-decker bus.
Part of a plan
Edinburgh is good bus territory, but even Lothian – heralded for the quality of its service delivery – recognises that it needs to offer customers an ever-better product if the impact on usage of changing retail activity is to be mitigated.
“We are not going to preside over patronage decline,” says Managing Director Richard Hall bullishly.
“We have been lucky to have seen growth over a number of years, but more recently things have become challenging. We must innovate and deliver a first-class customer experience.”
Dual doors have been specified by to reduce dwell times at stops. Ticketing innovations are also in hand to help in that regard.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Enviro400XLBs will replace two-axle double-deckers on a one-for-one basis, but Mr Hall recognises that low average traffic speeds are an issue for all road users.
“We do not blame everyone else for congestion,” he says. Despite such issues, Lothian has found that when the service offered is of a high quality, patronage gains are there for the taking. Since the Lothian Country brand took over routes to the east of Edinburgh that were formerly operated by First Bus, usage there has increased by well over 30%.
New buses and improved service delivery are both major factors in that. Lothian hopes that the tri-axles will act as similar catalysts for growth on its urban services.
If they do, the Enviro400XLB will represent a further chapter in the success stories of more than one major Scottish player in the public transport industry.
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It is to Lothian Buses’ credit that it is spending heavily to maintain its position as the transport provider of choice for Edinburgh residents. The price of the Enviro400XLB has not been revealed, but 42 of them will not come cheap.
What is interesting among the remarks made by MD Richard Hall last week is his observation that the industry must continually improve its offering to customers. And he stresses that users are indeed customers. They are not just passengers.
The Enviro400XLBs form part of a wider project for Lothian. As a stand-alone development for the operator they would be highly significant, but there are clearly many other ideas behind the scenes that Lothian hopes will bear fruit in 2019.
And for ADL, the Enviro400XLB fills a niche in its domestic line-up. No further orders have been announced yet, but surely it’s just a matter of time until they are.
