Batch of new ‘deckers enter service and bring Liverpool City Region average fleet age to 3.9 years
On Monday (4 December), Stagecoach Merseyside, Cheshire and South Lancashire placed into service 11 Scania N 250 UDs with high-specification Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork as part of a further £4m round of investment driven by the Liverpool City Region Bus Alliance.
The new double-deckers have a raft of passenger-friendly items developed from the existing Gold model, including tables, coordinated decor, enhanced leg room and Lazzerini high-backed seats finished in silver E-Leather material that have individual passenger service units.
They are dedicated to route X2 between Liverpool and Preston via Southport, and are garaged in the Lancashire city.
The investment takes the average age of Stagecoach’s buses in the Liverpool City Region to just 3.9 years, says MD Rob Jones and the Scania Enviro400s arrive at the same time as a batch of Enviro400 integrals to Gold specification for Rock Ferry depot on the Wirral. More of the latter are planned for 2018.
“One of our commitments to the Alliance is that 90% of our fleet in the Liverpool City Region will have wi-fi and USB charging points by the end of 2017, and we are well on course to achieve that.
“The new buses for route X2 have other group standard items such as automatic vehicle location for app and stop real-time stop information and USB charging points, but to complement those we have created a bespoke specification that we hope will continue to increase passenger numbers.
“Car users are our chief target on the X2, but we are also competing with other operators between Liverpool and Southport. The service has grown steadily since it was introduced and the new buses will give it a further boost.”
The new Scania Enviro400s replace similar but Euro 4 buses that have been very reliable, adds Mr Jones. The Euro 4 vehicles will move onto Preston city services.
