Whippet has marked two years of zero-emission operation on its Universal service in Cambridge, announcing it has amassed more than half a million miles via the Wisdom Sigma 12 buses.
The nine-strong fleet was launched in 2023 after the Ascendal Group subsidiary gained an eight-year extension of the contract to run the service on behalf of Cambridge University.
Whippet says it is pleased with the performance of the vehicles, which it believes to represent the largest privately funded network of electric buses in the UK.
Ed Cameron, Director at Whippet, says, “The Sigma product continues to exceed our expectations. The buses are popular with our team of drivers and we regularly receive compliments from our passengers who like the bright, spacious interior and smooth ride quality.
“We’re proud to be playing our part in improving air quality in the historic city of Cambridge.”
Over the two years, Whippet has employed a series of initiatives to try to boost the passenger experience on the service, which it has operated since 2016.
It relaunched the onboard announcements in February, using recordings from Cambridge University students. Onboard plaques celebrate the University’s achievements this year in The Boat Race. It also runs additional buses on University open days.
An upgrade to the onboard passenger information system, provided by NEC, is taking place, while an improved driver interface with telematic scoring is also on its way.
Tay Cheong Lip, President at Wisdom Motor says: “Wisdom was proud to establish a partnership with Whippet for these vehicles, which have now been operating successfully in Cambridge for two years. Drivers are happy, and passengers like it!
“We believe that these buses confirmed yet again Wisdom’s strong commitment to each local market they operate in, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach by offering advanced new-energy transport solutions.
“Establishment of a strong after-sales service support package will be our key focus from now to serve our customers. Congratulations to Whippet for this successful milestone!”
