Many of you will be aware that earlier this week the UK Prime Minister briefed the nation on new measures to protect its citizens and combat the spread of the corona virus. These new measures limit the movement of individuals outside of their homes to essential purposes only. Whilst work is included in essential purposes, it is limited to key workers involved in providing essential services.
As a result of the implementation of new measures in the UK, changes in supply of key components, such as engines, and the suspension in UK of Government of vehicles for 3 months we have taken the difficult decision to:
- Temporarily suspend production
- Furlough or move to homeworking until further notice
- Temporarily limit & prioritise aftersales service
We have agreed an initial 4 week “lock down” period with a continual review of HM Government advice and the status of our employees, customers, vendors and the virus.
Parts supply and the Call Centre operation will continue until such time we don’t have the staff to carry out this function safely as a result of COVID-19 . We will make every effort to deliver on service and parts orders and will communicate proactively where issues do arise. We will keep you advised of any changes to this policy as it arises and our proposed return to normal operation.
We look forward to the end of the pandemic and a return to full production. We will you, your families and your teams all our best wishes at this challenging time.
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Optare, one of the UK’s largest bus manufacturers, is thrilled to celebrate the launch of its Solo into feeder service in Dubai with the Road & Traffic Authority (RTA).
The RTA Solo is a new derivative of Optare’s ground breaking midi-bus. This 8.5m variant has been developed in partnership with the RTA to provide a nimble fuel efficient feeder vehicle that can gain access to areas not open to larger buses. The first of its kind in the region. This innovative wheel forward vehicle can carry up to 32 passengers in a bespoke configuration on a compact low floor, fully accessible platform .
Optare have designed and built the RTA Solo at its facility in Sherburn, near Leeds in the UK. The RTA’s specification includes many new and state-of-the-art features such as Geo-fenced saloon air conditioning, colour destinations, real time passenger information and telematics. The Optare team subjected a specially built prototype vehicle to rigorous climate testing to ensure that passengers travel in air conditioned comfort and the bus delivers world class performance in ambient temperatures beyond those experienced in even the hottest Dubai summers.
“I am proud to see this exciting project reach a successful conclusion. The RTA Solo presented the business with many new technical challenges. We have bettered these challenges. I believe the Solo will provide the RTA with a powerful tool in growing patronage in Dubai and Optare an opportunity for further growth in the region.”
Richard Butler, Chief Executive Officer, Optare
“The delivery of the new batch of buses is part of RTA’s masterplan to improve public transport in Dubai and keep pace with the top international standards. Our objective is to deliver best-in-class services to public transport commuters and match the sustained growth in the number of riders.
HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority
The new buses will be deployed on 17 routes: 8 existing routes and 9 new routes highlighted by metro link buses routes, low-demand routes, and routes serving residential areas which do not require the operation of large buses. The new buses will serve new districts and widen the geographical coverage of public transport in Dubai, increase the occupancy rate, and enhance multi-modal integration.”
The step is also aligned with RTA’s efforts to make public transport the ideal choice of mobility in Dubai, and raise the percentage of public transport journeys to 26% by 2030, which requires providing public transport options characterised affordable, high performance and comprehensive coverage.
Swaidan Al Naboodah have partnered with Optare in Dubai to launch the Solo into service and provide 24/7 operational support. Al Naboodah is a long established partner of both the RTA and Ashok Leyland, Optare’s parent.
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This year’s ALBUM Conference theme is ‘The bus as a force for good’, and Optare will be exhibiting their Metrocity xFE which delivers up to a 7% fuel savings when compared to a standard Euro 6. The manufacturer famed for its innovation, efficiency and sustainability builds its vehicles using a space frame construction rather than a body on chassis design and incorporates the latest technologies to minimise weight and maximise fuel efficiency or electric vehicle range.
The interior of the Metrocity xFE is finished to a high standard with leather quilted seating, built in USB chargers, coordinated wood effect flooring, and hand poles and skylights to create a light and comfortable interior. This high specification interior is designed to aid operators in their campaign to encourage passengers to make the choice of bus rather than car or taxi and help improve air quality and congestion in our towns and cities.
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A flagship Sunderland bus route that links the city’s main visitor attractions is to get new buses and a new colour scheme that celebrates the city’s heritage.
The Sunderland Connect service, 700, has three new low emission buses – with the iconic Wearmouth Bridge on the side as part of a new look for the popular city centre service.
Go North East, the bus company which operates Sunderland Connect, has invested in new Optare Solo buses which are fitted with the very latest low emission engines.
Each bus is equipped with audio and visual announcements and is liveried to reflect the strong connection between the service and Sunderland’s heritage.
The Sunderland Connect service 700 is paid for and operated through a partnership between Sunderland City Council, Nexus and the University of Sunderland.
“Sunderland Connect provides a vital link across to all of the visitor destinations and attractions that the city has to offer, and passengers can now look forward to three brand new buses on the route.
“This investment will help us to build on the success of Sunderland Connect, which is an affordable and convenient bus service that is popular with shoppers, visitors and students.”
Mike Scott, Head of Bus Services at Nexus
“This latest investment in the Sunderland Connect Service will help improve the service still further, and hopefully attract even more regular passengers in the future.
“The 700 provides people with an accessible, affordable and convenient way of travelling to and through the city centre, to some very popular destinations.
“The joint funding of the 700 with our partners at Nexus and the University of Sunderland is also another demonstration of this city’s commitment to promoting public transport, and working together to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions.”
Councillor Amy Wilson, Sunderland City Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport
“The Sunderland Connect 700 service provides a vital link for many of our students between The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s and the City Centre Campus. As a University we are committed to minimising our environmental impact, by adopting sustainable practices throughout our business. We are delighted that the low emission engines fitted in the new Optare Solo buses will help us achieve the objectives set out in our Environmental Strategy.”
Mike Foster, Estates Project Manager at the University of Sunderland
“We are delighted that Go North East have chosen to add more low carbon Euro 6 Optare buses to their fleet as part of their commitment to improve air quality across the North East.”
Allan Kennedy, Sales Director of UK bus manufacturer Optare
Sunderland Connect, which was launched in 2011, is the main route that links the attractions in Sunderland, including the Empire Theatre, the Stadium of Light, the Aquatic Centre, the National Glass Centre and the Museum and Winter Gardens.
As well as visiting the main University campuses the service visits several points of interest and utility on its journey around the City, including Sunderland Hospital, Park lane Interchange, the renowned Wearmouth twin bridges, the Stadium of Light,
Sunderland Aquatic Centre, the National Glass Centre, West Sunniside and the Winter gardens.
The 700 operates to all these locations every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, and during the summer months the service also operates to Roker Beach. Several other destinations including local shops, leisure facilities and hotels are also directly accessible on the 700 bus.
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First West of England has taken delivery of nine new slimline Optare Solos. The new look Euro 6 buses were purchased as part of an initiative to improve air quality, reduce congestion and encourage more people to ditch the car and travel by bus around Bath.
The 8.5m, Euro 6, slimline Optare Solos seat 23, feature seat back USB charging points and will operate on Bath’s city services, where their size and layout makes them ideal to access the UNESCO World Heritage city’s many narrow and difficult streets.
“Slimline Solos have operated on these routes for many years and the slimline Solo’s capacity and compact nature make it ideal for navigating routes around Bath. These new look vehicles feature the latest Euro 6 clean diesel engine as part of our commitment to improve air quality around Bath and the new branding, design and features such as USB charging are designed to encourage people out of their cars and onto the bus, reducing congestion and improving air quality in Bath.”
James Freeman, Managing Director of First West of England
“The compact but high capacity nature of the slimline Solo make it perfect for navigating busy and narrow streets and we are delighted that First Bath have chosen this proven Optare bus once again.”
Robert Drewery, Commercial Director, Optare
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In the second award win of 2018, Optare was recognised for its export success at the York Press Business Awards. This award follows the delivery of 114 Metrocity buses to Tranzit Group in New Zealand in a deal worth £21m and an order for 94 Solo buses to Dubai to the Roads and Transport Authority in a deal valued at circa £18m.
“I am delighted that Optare has been recognised for its export success. Having a strong export component to the business in 2018 has helped to mitigate UK market challenges and provide opportunities to grow the business. We continue to build on our export success in Australasia and the Middle East and explore other regions where our lightweight buses provide a unique and commercially attractive offering to government agencies and established operators.”
Richard Butler, Chief Executive, Optare
Further awards recognition for Optare this year included the Metrodecker EV winning the CILT (Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics) award for contribution to environment, the UK Bus Awards Silver Environment award and reaching the finals of the technology category for the UK transport awards in October.
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Yeomans of Hereford have recently taken delivery of three new Solos. The family run coach company has been serving Hereford & it’s County since the 1920’s.
9.2m Solos seat over 30 and two of the three are fitted with seatbelts. The new Solo purchases are part of a fleet upgrade programme and will serve routes around Hereford. Last year Yeomans also purchased four new Solos as part of this upgrade programme.
“We have always run Optare Solos on our routes around Hereford as their size, manoeuvrability and fuel efficiency make them perfect for our routes. We have run Optare Solos for a long time and have been very pleased with their performance and the aftermarket support Optare provide.”
Nigel Yeomans, Managing Director
“I am delighted Yeomans who are a longstanding customer of Optare have chosen the Solo once again.”
Steph Baker, Optare, Regional Sales Manager
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Australian and New Zealand distributor for Optare buses, Bus Corp Oceania (BCO) and Bus and Coach Sales Australasia (BCSA) have announced a link up that will deliver increased sales and service reach for Optare in Australia.
BCSA will provide sales leads and service on behalf of BCO for the Optare brand in Queensland and Northern NSW.
The announcement of the expansion of BCOs network follows the recent establishment of BCO’s New South Wales office at Smithfield in Sydney’s west and comes as the company opens its new sales and support office in the Auckland suburb of Wiri where Joe Crickett has joined the team to manage BCO operations for New Zealand.
According to Bus Corp Oceania general manager, Jason Pecotic, the announcement of BCSAs link up with BCO underlines the commitment to Optare as serious players in the bus market down under.
“BCSA has a long history in the bus and coach industry with a strong reputation for customer service and is ideally situated at Yatala near Brisbane to service the major Brisbane and Gold Coast markets as well as the larger Queensland and Northern NSW markets”.
BCSA’s extensive industry knowledge and experience will deliver peace of mind to all our Optare customers while BCSA’s in house workshop is fitted with the most advanced equipment and staffed by industry’s leading technicians,
“Between them BCSA’s directors Rodd Hood and Athol McKinnon have over 80 years of experience in the bus and transport industry and they both have a passion for the bus and coach industry that is second to none and that will be invaluable as BCO grows the Optare product reach in Queensland and across Australia.” he added.
Since start up in mid-2017 BCO has grown from its base at its head office in Melbourne and has seen a surge of interest in the Optare product since its debut at the Bus and Coach Expo on the Gold Coast last September.
“It has quickly become apparent that there is strong interest across Australia in the Optare product and its lightweight, fuel-efficient qualities.Optare buses have shown that they can generate double digit savings in fuel consumption and operating costs and while we can publicise that fact we want operators to see for themselves and the best way to do that is to try an Optare demonstrator on a regular route or run.
Jason Pecotic
Just as BCO has expanded its operations in NSW, its clear that many Queensland fleets are also considering Optare purchases for their operations and the agreement with Rodd, Athol and the BCSA team will enable us to better service those customers,”
BCSA will have Optare demonstrator buses available from its Yatala operation for Queensland fleets to trial on their own routes enabling them to benchmark the Optare buses against their current vehicles to see the efficiency gains that can be made,” he added.
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for International Trade), Graham Stuart visited Yorkshire based bus manufacturer Optare today. The visit recognises the Company’s strong export growth.
Recent successes for Optare include a £21m order for 114 Metrocity buses for New Zealand and a £17m order for 94 Solo buses for Dubai. Two bespoke Solo buses serving hospital routes in Hong Kong in 2017 with orders expected to follow. These orders were won by Optare offering a range of unique and class leading solutions to its customers in each of these markets.
The Optare international team includes strong dealer partners in every territory. Bus Corp Oceania represents the company in Australia and New Zealand, with Swaidan Trading in Dubai and Confidence Motors joining in Hong Kong. Optare’s partners bring world class levels of service & commitment to compliment the company’s innovative products throughout their service lives.
“It’s fantastic to see the work of Optare as it looks to expand its presence abroad, after recently winning contracts in New Zealand and Dubai.
As an international economic department, DIT is able to provide sector specialist expertise and a global network across 108 countries which is ready to help UK companies to take advantage of the ever-growing global demand for high quality British products.”
Graham Stuart, Trade Minister
“This is a significant step for Optare in our international export strategy and signals the start of the exciting growth opportunities available to us in Australasia, the Middle East and Hong Kong. Our innovative lightweight design is delivering annual savings in fuel and operating costs, which over time are very significant benefits for businesses. With the support of the Department for International trade we look forward to continuing to expand the product reach into new international markets.”
Richard Butler, Chief Executive of Optare
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Optare have confirmed their first ever order for their Metrodecker Euro 6 double decker bus. The order from Reading Buses for five vehicles to operate on the Green Line 702 route between London and Windsor is due for delivery in June 2019 ahead of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) coming into operation. ULEZ will require all vehicles operating into Central London to meet the stringent Euro 6 engine emission standards.
Optare and Reading Buses have worked together to develop a bespoke high specification Metrodecker that will make these Green Line buses distinctive and attractive to passengers. The vehicles will feature over 70 coach style high backed seats with comfy headrests, use high quality interior fittings including wood laminate flooring, at seat USB charging points, mobile phone holders, seat back tables and 4G Wi-Fi. The vehicles will also be fitted with three-point seatbelts.
“We returned to buying Optare’s British built products, after a long break, at the end of 2016, purchasing four Optare Solo’s for the prestigious Vodafone contract at our Newbury depot. The operation of those vehicles has proved very successful.”
Martijn Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer, Reading Buses
“The Metrodecker order follows us first evaluating the vehicle with a pre-production demonstrator. Two years ago, we put the Metrodecker through its paces for its first ever in service ‘shakedown’ trial, but what is most impressive is that two years on the demonstrator vehicle currently in service with us is still giving great performance, class leading fuel economy, demonstrating a very robust build quality and is getting great feedback from drivers and customers alike.
With Optare’s recent further investment in after-sales support, and a can-do attitude in working to meet our bespoke specification, the Metrodecker is clearly the bus for us!”
John Bickerton, Head of Engineering and Innovation, Reading Buses
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to expand our partnership with such an innovative operator as Reading Buses. We relish the challenge & opportunity to work with the Reading team in stretching the boundaries of bus specification on our first ever Metrodecker Euro 6 order.”
Robert Drewery, Commercial Director at Optare
“This order is fantastic news for Optare and I am confident that after all the positive feedback we have had from operators, drivers and passengers alike about the Metrodecker Euro 6 and EV demonstrators performance that this order will be the first of many.”
Graham Belgum, Optare president
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