The number of coaches working on Leger Holidays’ high-end Luxuria programe will grow to 11 in early June with the entry into service of four further Scania Irizar i8 tri-axles. The increase reflects a rise in demand for the product, Leger Shearings Group CEO Liam Race says.
Operators of the pending coaches will be named in due course, but the vehicles’ arrival will closely follow three other Luxuria coaches that took to the road in April after being ordered prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the latter coaches, two are Scania Irizar i8s that are with Edinburgh Coach Lines and Galleon Travel respectively. The third is a VDL Futura FHD2 with Chiltern Travel.
The forthcoming Scania Irizars will be built to the existing Luxuria specification but they will come with slightly different entertainment systems for customers that include larger touch screens and a greater choice of films. Travellers may also use the screens to play games, listen to music or view a feed from the coach’s front view camera.
Luxuria utilises a 2+1 seating layout with what Leger refers to as “armchairs.” Four rows are mounted in a face-to-face layout with tables.
Mr Race describes Luxuria as “the equivalent of business class.” He adds: “Working with our partner operators, who have invested in these luxury vehicles to operate on our behalf, we will have seven new Luxuria coaches on the road by June and the whole fleet of 11 have full lines of work scheduled for this year.
“Demand has fuelled the increase in luxury coaches, and it is very encouraging and a positive sign that the travel industry is bouncing back. It seems out customers are also willing to spend more by upgrading their holidays – possibly to make up for the time they’ve missed out on during the pandemic.”
