McGills buys 20 more Mellor Stratas

McGills Buses has placed a second repeat order for Mellor’s Strata, citing ‘Fantastic fuel economy, high quality build and a low stress environment for the driver.’

The company took the first two examples of the 21-seat Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based lowfloor vehicle in Autumn 2016 and the first repeat order for a second pair is currently being delivered. It will be followed closely by the first ten of the new order. A further ten will be delivered in 2018.

Managing Director Ralph Roberts sees the new investment as crucial to the company reducing its operating costs and maintaining its network across Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. Traffilog-monitored results for the first two vehicles show 19 to 24mpg being achieved dependant on traffic conditions giving around 60% lower fuel usage. Coupling the fuel economy with Euro 6 engines means the Stratas will bring a step change in emissions compared to the 29-seat Dennis Darts they will be replacing. They are to be deployed on a range of routes throughout Inverclyde and Renfrewshire.

One of the second pair of Stratas will be used on a new commercial DRT (demand responsive transport) service from 30 October. Introducing DRT will enable the company to maintain a service to Upper Skelmorlie where it is currently incurring a £5 subsidy for each passenger carried.

National Sales Manager for Mellor, Lorna Miller, said: “We’re thrilled to be announcing this significant order from McGill’s at this year’s CBUK for our Strata low floor bus. McGill’s is one of the first adopters of the Strata range and has found it not only meets but exceeds the company’s requirements and those of its passengers. It is a tried and tested product for them, which is why they have turned to us for this latest order.”

 

Ralph Roberts, Managing Director for McGill’s, added: “We have been evaluating two Mellor Stratas of the same specification since the vehicle’s launch last year and found it ticks all the right boxes for us in terms of its fuel economy, durability, build quality and the level of door-to-door support we receive – they don’t just sell it and then forget about it. In addition to the operational parameters, the passengers like the look and interior facilities, particularly the 2+2 seating, which gives a traditional feel to a small bus, along with the smooth ride provided by the Sprinter chassis. When we were looking for a larger quantity of small buses, we had no hesitation in turning to Mellor for more Stratas to add to our fleet.”

 

 

 

 

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