THE Isle of Man will soon have a dozen new state-of-the-art modern buses to replace some of the ageing fleet of single deckers.
The ultra modern buses have been supplied at cost of £1.4 million by the Irish manufacturer Wrightbus. The 12 Streetlite buses are the first fleet order won by the company.
Public Transport officials have specially selected these particular buses because of their operational efficiency - they are highly responsive and fuel efficient. They will offer increased passenger comfort through reduced noise and vibration with the interiors having a decidedly ‘big bus feel’. The interior layout provides a bright and open feel with a wide entrance door that includes a manual wheelchair ramp as standard.
The order comprises of six 9.5m Wheel Forward and an equal number of 10.8m Door Forward StreetLites, with vehicle deliveries programmed between November 2010 and March 2011. The single door StreetLites have an overall capacity of 70 passengers, with a maximum seated capacity of 33 on the 9.5m version, with a further 8 passengers seated on the longer 10.8m vehicles.
“These vehicles will look good and will, I am sure, be appreciated by passengers,” said David Cretney, Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure. “They will help to provide a better service whilst reducing costs so are ideal for public transport on the Isle of Man.”
Six 9.5m long buses, with 37 seats and a total capacity of 70, will be delivered by November for use on rural routes. Six 10.8m long buses, with 41 seats, will follow in March 2011 for use on routes in Douglas.
Ian Longworth, Director of Public Transport for the Department, said, “I first saw the Streetlite in development back in March this year and was hugely impressed by the overall concept. Following a thorough evaluation process, the new midi bus from Wrights came out on top and we were pleased to be able to place this order.”
Wright Group managing director Mark Nodder said, “I am delighted that Isle of Man Transport have underlined their confidence in our new small bus by placing an order at the official launch of StreetLite. It is highly significant as it is the first such order to be placed by a fleet operator.”
