City Circle has taken delivery of its 100th Scania Irizar coach. The tri-axle K 410 EB with i6S bodywork was handed over last week at a ceremony at Scania Great Britain’s Milton Keynes headquarters. It is one of City Circle’s latest batch of 20 Scania Irizars.
MD Neil Pegg says the “flexible approach” taken by the two manufacturers for an extended period has led to the milestone.
“The relationship began seven years ago when we were looking to replace some 10.8m vehicles in our fleet. The problem was that nothing much was available in that length at the time. But Scania and Irizar were prepared to develop a bespoke solution for us,” he says.
“That can-do attitude impressed us. It was the catalyst for everything that has followed. We had never operated Scania Irizar coaches before, but we quickly began to appreciate the quality and reliability of the product.”
Once the current order has completed delivery to City Circle, 64 of the 69-strong 2020 fleet will carry Scania and Irizar badges. Mr Pegg also pays tribute to the backup City Circle receives.
Scania Bus and Coach Sales Director Martin West adds that the three parties have worked “long and hard to formulate mutually-beneficial vehicles packages,” and he says that the chassis manufacturer remains pleased to be associated with City Circle.
Itxaso Donamaria, Sales Manager – UK, Ireland and Sweden for Irizar, notes that City Circle represents one of Irizar’s largest customers in Europe. She adds that both Irizar and Scania are committed to making further improvements to the chassis and body combination to retain City Circle’s business.
18 tri-axle coaches are part of City Circle’s current order. They are 13.2m variants with 53 seats. The remaining two are 10.8m two-axle variants, each with 36 seats, a rear floor-mounted toilet and a servery.
