Optare has launched the first of a batch of 94 custom-designed Solos that it has developed and built for Dubai’s Road and Traffic Authority (RTA).
The new derivative is an 8.5m model with a Euro 5 engine that can carry up to 32 passengers.
A prototype was subjected to rigorous climatic testing to ensure its reliability in temperatures beyond those experienced even in a Dubai summer. The RTA buses have a number of bespoke features, including geofenced air-conditioning.
Says Chief Executive Richard Butler: “The RTA Solo brief presented us with many new technical challenges. We have bettered them.
“I believe that the Solo will provide RTA with a powerful tool in growing patronage in Dubai, and Optare with an opportunity for further growth in the region.
Solos are already active in Bahrain and Qatar. The newly developed model will be marketed “across the Middle East,” adds Commercial Director Robert Drewery.
