Further new buses will imminently enter service on the Bee Network in Greater Manchester as part of the 67 Alexander Dennis Enviro200s ordered for those duties by Rotala subsidiary Diamond Bus North West (DBNW).
When deliveries are complete, 60 of them will be used on DBNW’s work under tranche one of franchising in the conurbation. The other seven will be employed on tranche two services, which commence on 24 March.
Of the tranche one batch, 25 are 9.7m examples and already in use. The other 35 are 11.8m models. 12 of those have been delivered and will enter service imminently. The rest are to arrive “over the coming weeks,” says Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). For tranche two, seven 10.8m units will be supplied later this year.
All the buses will be finished to Bee Network specification. That includes space for two wheelchair users, audio-visual passenger information, and a new radio system to improve communication with drivers.
In a typical swipe at the deregulated market, TfGM says that the buses are for use on services “that were often not prioritised by operators before franchising,” although it adds that those “are just as important as the busier routes.”
Purchase of the Enviro200s by Rotala came after Alexander Dennis offered it what Chief Executive Simon Dunn says was “the right combination of versatile vehicles and production capabilities.”
Including the 67 Enviro200s for Rotala, a total of 450 Alexander Dennis buses have been delivered or ordered to date by TfGM and its franchised operators on the Bee Network, the manufacturer claims.
It has built 52 Enviro200s for Go North West (GNW) for services under tranche one. GNW additionally received 50 BYD ADL Enviro400EV battery-electric double-deckers. 50 more of the latter are under delivery for Stagecoach in Oldham under tranche two.
On 22 February, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority authorised draw-down of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement money for 94 further new battery-electrics for tranche one and tranche two operators.
Separately, 170 Volvo BZL battery-electric double- and single-deckers are on order for Stagecoach’s Stockport depot, which will be part of the third and final tranche of reregulation. Those are part-funded by the first round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme.
