New Bus Order
7 March 2011
Rotala plc
("Rotala" or "the Company" or "the Group")
New Bus Order
Rotala is pleased to announce an order for 20 new buses valued at £3.6 million. This has been placed with the Optare Group.
The order is for 15 Versa hybrids and five standard diesel vehicles (three Solo SR's and two Versas). The hybrids will be acquired by using a contribution of £1.7 million from the Government's Green Bus Fund. Rotala was awarded funding of up to £2.9m and 23 vehicles when the Fund was announced in 2009.
All the buses are to use Mercedes-Benz diesel engines and, in the hybrids, the engine is combined with the Siemens/Bluways hybrid system using ultra-capacitors.
All of the new buses are to the same high specification as the four Solo SRs delivered last year for the Company's "Signature" branded services operating in Solihull. The buses feature Esteban leather seats, blue LED underseat lighting, an ACIS Real Time Information system, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Hanover LED destination equipment is fitted along with a full CCTV camera system. The "Signature" brand, and the buses with which it is equipped, has been very successful in attracting new users of bus services away from their cars. Solihull is an area of Birmingham which is not naturally a high user of bus services because of the income distribution of its inhabitants.
Simon Dunn, the CEO of Rotala remarked: "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. Other features like Wi-Fi connectivity further improve the customer experience. Additionally the usage of hybrid power provides both an environmentally friendly option and also reduces fuel consumption."
Optare Commercial Director, Chris Wise, said: "This is a significant endorsement of our product from a very progressive and highly regarded independent operator. Rotala's desire to make bus travel more attractive to passengers makes Optare a natural choice".
For further information please contact:
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Rotala Plc |
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John Gunn, Chairman |
020 7602 7500 |
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Simon Dunn Chief Executive |
07825 808 525 |
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Kim Taylor, Group Finance Director |
07825 808 529 |
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This information is provided by RNS