Four new seat belted Optare buses join the fleet of 30 buses at Lloyds Coaches. The award winning Welsh bus and coach operator, has purchased an 11.1m and 11.7m Versa and two 9m Solo SR models to serve bus routes between Bangor, Aberystwyth, Tywyn and Newtown in mid-Wales.

The Solo SR models are each expected to cover around 150,000 miles per annum, predominantly on rural routes, while the Versa models will be used on out of town routes covering 200,000 miles each per year. Optare is taking four buses in part exchange, including an Optare Tempo which the operator has had since 2005.

Lloyds Coaches chose a 115kW Mercedes Euro 5 engine with an Allison 2100 transmission and Rescroft CT Lite seating for both models. The Solo SR’s are slim line models and have a seating capacity of 30 people, while the longer and wider Versa seating 44 people. All front facing seats are fitted with lap and diagonal seat belts. The vehicles are fitted with the lastest Actia Telematics technology which tracks fuel consumption, driver performance, mileage, the number of stops the vehicle makes and its location. The Vehicles are also fitted with Actia CCTV.

Wyn Lloyd, who founded Lloyds Coaches in 2002, commented: “We looked at several buses, but we chose Optare because it offered the best variety of engines and a comprehensive product support and aftercare service. We were attracted to the stylish design of the Solo SR and Versa. The demonstrator Versa which we trialled was very economical and reliable. Overall we were very impressed with Optare’s customer service.

Enrico Vassallo, Optare’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “I know Lloyds Coaches has previously bought buses from rival manufactures, so I am delighted he’s chosen Optare buses again this time, and also received great customer service from our team.”