Veolia Transdev has placed an order with Optare at Coach & Bus Live 2011 for

ten of its Versa midibuses.

The buses will be delivered in the first quarter of 2012 from Optare’s new plant at Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorkshire.

Transdev Blazefield Chief Executive Officer Martin Gilbert confirmed the order on the day of the show. He said that the new buses will be operated on local services in Harrogate.

Jim Sumner, Optare Chief Executive, commented: “This repeat order from Transdev Blazefield is a ringing endorsement of our Versa model, which has proved itself to be a reliable, fuel efficient vehicle with strong passenger appeal. I am delighted at this vote of confidence from this leading operator and look forward to building these buses at our new showcase plant at Sherburn-in-Elmet, which is now coming on stream.”

The 11 metre Versas will be to a high specification that includes seating for 37 on leather trimmed Esteban Civic V2 seats, of which three are tip-ups. Other features include air conditioning in the driving cab, a nine camera CCTV systems and a powered wheelchair ramp.

Power is from the Mercedes-Benz 904LA Euro 5 engine delivering 115 kW (154 bhp) and which is matched to an Allison 2100 Series, five-speed, fully-automatic transmission.