More Optare electric buses ordered for Go-Ahead London

Go-Ahead London has placed an order for 17 Optare Metrodecker EVs for route 200 in London. This route will operate out of the company’s Merton garage, the first electric route from this depot. This order marks the third order for the battery-electric bus in the capital, the fifth to date, and will bring the total number in service to 108 by May 2021.

Optare has worked closely with Go-Ahead London over a number of years in the development of its latest generation of battery electric buses. The Metrodecker EV prototype first saw service in the capital with the operator on a five-month trial at New Cross on route 36 and route 21 in January 2018. During this trial, a lot was learnt about the bus and the zero emission heating systems in particular as the trial took place during the Beast from the East cold spell. This test run played a key part in the final design of the production bus launched at the NEC in October 2018.

Richard Harrington, Engineering Director, Go-Ahead London, said: “As an EV leader in London we have built a good understanding of zero emission bus operation. We were pleased to provide feedback and guidance to Optare during their development process and we have been impressed with the production Metrodecker EV in recent service trials. The bus is a good fit for Route 200. We look forward to successful roll out and partnership with Optare.”

Robert Drewery, Commercial Director, Optare, said: “We are thrilled to be involved in the electrification of route 200. We see this order as another step in our cooperation with Go-Ahead London and the development of our ZEV solutions.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cookies

This site uses some unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer, these are in place to ensure that you receive the best possible experience when using the Bus & Coach Buyer website.