Among the main attractions in the miniplus area at Coach & Bus UK was the Sprinter-based Nu-Track City Lift. But various other things are also going on at the Antrim-based firm, as we find out here
Accessible specialist Nu-Track has had a busy recent past, with a number of new vehicle launches bearing fruit, particularly in the local authority (LA) market.
At Coach & Bus UK (CBUK) it debuted another newcomer tilted at LA buyers. An extension of the existing coachbuilt accessible high-floor City Lift range, it is mounted on a 5,500kg GVW Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and it carries up to 22 seated passengers or six wheelchair users.
The newcomer sits alongside the established Volkswagen Crafter-based City Lift. It uses the same body, which was designed with efficient operation and maintenance in mind, says Product Support Manager Richard Bolton.
“As an example, the City Lift body is made from aluminium and the lower panels are individual, meaning that can be replaced quickly.”
Various options are offered internally, with seats from various suppliers available along with a tracking arrangement to suit the buyer.
The demonstrator shown at CBUK has a rear-mounted lift and double doors for wheelchair user access, but Richard says that a flush rear with an offside emergency door can be specified instead, should the customer desire.
Range addition
The City Lift comes with a three-year chassis warranty from Mercedes-Benz and Nu-Track matches that on the body. “The base vehicle is supplied as a chassis cowl and we fit a new windscreen along with widening the dashboard,” says Richard. To mitigate the noise intrusion that is sometimes encountered following dash widening, the additional box sections are stuffed with Rockwool; a simple and cost-effective step, but one that delivers results.
Why has Nu-Track expanded the City Lift to encompass the Sprinter chassis? Customer demand, says Regional Sales Manager Lindsay Bolton. “We go from 16 to 35 seats with 22 and 31 in between, and we wouldn’t rule out the introduction of other base vehicles in the 22-seat segment.”
The Sprinter-based City Lift is expected to be popular. “Pricing is competitive, the product is attractive and fuel efficient, and it is well packaged,” adds Lindsay. Although a Sprinter-based City Lift has a price premium over one with a Crafter base, Nu-Track expects the former to be more popular.
A Nu approach
A member of Nu-Track’s existing line-up that will shortly see its market appeal grow is the low-entry, rear-engined Nu-Vibe.
A PSVAR-certified variant will soon be added to the accessible variant, and the builder believes that it will have significant niche appeal, principally due to its 2.29m width. A maximum of 31 seated passengers is possible; the stage carriage variant has a total capacity of 43.
At the time that miniplus visited the Antrim plant, 22 Nu-Vibes were already in service, and the first PSVAR-certified demonstrator was well into the build process. It is expected to be available for evaluation by customers by the beginning of 2018.
No changes have been made to the Nu-Vibe’s dimensions or structure for PSVAR certification, and nor are any planned, but at those for service work gain a ‘cap’ above the windscreen to contain the destination display equipment.
“We have already seen a lot of interest in the PSVAR-certified Nu-Vibe, some of which is driven by its narrow width. It’s likely that we will certify those built under the Individual Vehicle Approval scheme,” says Richard.
As several LAs have already demonstrated, there is certainly a market for the Nu-Vibe and that can only grow with the PSVAR-certified version. The Nu-Vibe is powered by a 4.5-litre Cummins ISB engine coupled to the Allison 2100 series gearbox and thanks to Alusuisse construction it is very light, giving potential for excellent fuel economy.
Another of Nu-Track’s models in line for development is the Pulse. A 35-seat accessible midi based on the MAN TGL chassis, it is likely to receive a facelift that will considerably alter its frontal appearance, says Richard.
Bespoke builder
Although the focus is definitely on Nu-Track’s mainstream accessible range, the builder remains active in the bespoke market.
As an example, it builds an occasional Iveco Daily-based minibus with 14 side-facing bench seats and a huge boot for a car park operator at Belfast International Airport, and Richard says that the custom sector remain of interest to Nu-Track.
At the time that miniplus visited, Nu-Track was also building a mobile library on an Iveco Eurocargo base vehicle, a type of vehicle that it will also export. The Eurocargo may also form a chassis for future passenger-carrying vehicles, although nothing specific is yet planned.
As one further piece of the jigsaw, it also offers training to drivers after vehicles have been delivered, regardless of the number supplied.
“We are committed to helping our customers to get the best from the vehicles, both through aftersales service and by delivering training,” says Richard. “With drivers, we run through how the vehicle works and what the controls do, and then we go through a similar process with engineers.”
And with that, the busy period at Nu-Track shows scant sign of slowing down any time soon.
