Rotala Orders 20 Hybrid/Diesel Buses From Optare for £3.6Mln

March 7, 2011 - PRLog -- UK-based bus, coach and transport management group Rotala announced Monday that it had ordered 20 new hybrid and standard diesel buses from the Optare Group for £3.6 million.

The multi-million pound bus order is for 15 Versa hybrid buses and five standard diesel-powered buses. Rotala said the hybrid vehicles will be purchased by using a contribution of £1.7 million from the UK goverment's Green Bus Fund.

The transport group was awarded funding of up to £2.9 million and 23 vehicles when the Fund was unveiled in 2009.

All of the new buses will be powered by Mercedes-Benz diesel engines, but the hybrids' engines will be combined with the Siemens/Bluways hybrid system using ultra-capacitors which help reduce emissions and provide increased mileage.

Rotala also said that the new buses will be outfitted with leather seats, LED underseat lighting and have Wi-Fi connectivity among other design attributes which it said had been successful in attracting car users away from their cars on some of its services.

"The luxurious specification is aimed at making bus travel more attractive to the public by creating a pleasant and comfortable environment in which to travel," Rotala's chief executive Simon Dunn said in a statement.

Optare-manufactured buses operate in the UK, Europe and North America. The company is introducing "low-carbon buses" with reduced weight designs and optimised drive systems to its product range.

Author: Paul Chapman, analyst.

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