Arriva invests in 174 Volvo hybrids

With grant support from the Government Office for Low Emission Vehicles, Arriva has recently taken delivery of 174 new Volvo B5LH double deck hybrids. They join an existing batch of 44 Volvo hybrid buses that the company purchased in 2013 for its North West services. From the order, 123 are for company’s London operations and the remainder will be used in Merseyside on local routes. According to the manufacturer, the vehicles deliver CO2 emissions reductions of up to 39% compared to a conventional diesel double decker. They feature Wrightbus Gemini 3 bodies and Volvo parallel hybrid systems including a Volvo D5K 240 four-cylinder 5.1litre Euro6 engine rated at 240hp. They have Volvo AT2412E I-Shift fully automated 12-speed gearboxes.

Area MD for Arriva North West, Phil Cummins, said, ‘Following delivery, 10% of our fleet in the north west now consists of Volvo hybrid vehicles. In the past, we have experienced good reliability and build quality from Volvo, as well as substantial fuel savings, which meant we had no hesitation in selecting the company once again for this latest order. Upgrading our fleet to include hybrid buses such as these, really is a “win-win” situation, because the government incentivises us to switch to hybrid vehicles, and once we switch we are then rewarded with the benefits of increased efficiency and lower fuel costs going into the future.’

Fleet Sales Manager for Volvo Bus, Dan Barwick, said, ‘We are confident that Arriva will see the consistent fuel economy benefits these hybrid vehicles will deliver to their business nationwide. We are very pleased Arriva has chosen Volvo once again for this latest purchase and look forward to working with them again in the future.’