JG Travel Group and its operator partners Alpine Travel of Llandudno and Hunters Coaches of Leeds have taken delivery of the first vehicles for the JG Explorer concept.
Both are Scania K410NI models with Irizar i6S Efficient bodies. They will quickly be followed by three more for Crosskeys Coaches of Folkestone, Prospect Coaches from Stourbridge, and Taylors Coach Travel based in Sparkford. All five have arrived in the UK.
They are 13.2m tri-axles that seat 44 with enhanced legroom, and a rear servery and floor-level toilet. The first tours operated by the JG Explorer coaches will depart on 25 May. Two will head to Ireland while the other three will remain in the UK on those departures.
In a rear ski locker is a large water tank coupled to a filter, a rapid chiller, and a tap within the servery in what JG Travel Group believes is a first in a coach application. Passengers will receive complementary bottles to fill. Like the servery and toilet, the tank and associated equipment have been fitted by AD Coach Systems.
JG Travel Group Operations Director Paul Mason – who previously outlined the JG Explore concept in depth to routeone – says that the business began examining a premium coach product as far back as 2018, but that it was not until early 2023 when it began talking to partner operators about the idea.
All five that will run the first vehicles have established relationships with JG Travel Group, and Mr Mason adds that their geographic spread enables the business to maximise coverage of the new offering.
The JG Explorer coaches will generally be employed on higher-mileage tours in the UK and further afield, he continues, hence the decision to focus on comfort. Within the livery are the Just Go! and National Holidays brands. Trips from both of those programmes will utilise the Scania Irizars.
Mr Mason adds that customer focus groups held during development of the concept had highlighted legroom as a priority, along with toilet access, hence the latter’s floor-level specification. The business also heard that wi-fi and entertainment were of interest. As a result, the Azimut On Demand system is fitted.
It involves passengers downloading an app and accessing a wide range of content via the wi-fi from hard drives aboard the coaches using their own devices. Mr Mason says that Azimut “was very helpful” in getting the system aboard the Scania Irizars.
JG Travel Group initially spoke to various manufacturers about delivering the JG Explorer coaches, but project timescale and operator feedback led it to choose Scania and Irizar. Consultation with those partners also led to the withdrawal of an early plan to finish the front row of seats – which are always sold at a premium – in leather.
PSVAR readiness has been specified, with an additional nearside floor-level door already at the rear, but the vehicles will see up to eight years’ use on tours in the first place.
That will come via a five-year contract with operator partners to run them under the JG Explorer brand, and an optional three-year extension to move them to standard Just Go! work. To that end, additional seats have been supplied by Irizar to enable an increase in capacity to 53, with the rear servery able to be removed as part of that.
Further JG Explorer coaches are “quite likely,” but Mr Mason wants a full season’s experience of the initial five before committing to more. That will include seeking customer feedback and looking at whether any specification tweaks are necessary.
Sales of itineraries to be operated with the JG Explorer coaches have been strong since the concept was announced in 2023. “The first few months of tours operating with these new vehicles are sold out,” he continues.
Irish and longer duration European departure are particularly popular, although an important part of the JG Explorer approach is to ensure that clients travelling on UK holidays can also benefit.
“If first impressions are anything to go by, our customers looking for that extra level of comfort are going to love these vehicles,” Mr Mason sums up.
