Lancashire County Council (LCC) has purchased eight Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based Strata high-floor coachbuilt minibuses from Mellor, maintaining a long-established relationship with the Rochdale-based accessible specialist that has seen it supply all of LCC’s 100-strong minibus fleet.
Mellor won the tender for the vehicles thanks to the Strata HF both being competitively priced and offering the specification required by LCC, including a fold-out step, double rear door and an inboard wheelchair lift.
Says LCC Fleet Manager Mark Wilkinson: “We needed buses with a flexible layout, as they have been earmarked for our adult social service transport, where a number of different configurations are needed to accommodate passengers with varying levels of mobility.”
The Strata HF is targeted primarily at the local authority and community transport sectors. Those delivered to LCC are on medium wheelbase Sprinters and they can accommodate 16 seated passengers or seven wheelchair users.