New Lothian buses to be built by ADL in Yorkshire – Daily Business

Lothian Buses has seen a rise in demand

Alexander Dennis and Volvo Buses will build a further 60 double-deckers for Lothian Buses, though the bulk of the work will go to the company’s Scarborough facility following the recent decision to shut the Falkirk site.

Design and engineering work required on the low emission Enviro400XLB vehicles will be done from Larbert which is being converted to chassis manufacturing.

The order is in response to growing demand for services across the Lothians and Edinburgh. The Airlink 100 service between the airport and the city centre will also benefit from the fleet investment.

The vehicles will be extra-long to offer inclusive and accessible spaces for passengers on the lower deck, including two wheelchair and buggy spaces alongside priority seating. Passengers will board and alight at the front of the bus, allowing a high seating capacity to be maintained.

Dylan Dastey, engineering director at Lothian Buses, said: “Lothian is delighted to once again be working in partnership with Volvo and Alexander Dennis, building on our long‑standing relationships to deliver new double‑deck vehicles for our capital city.

“Since launching our Driving Towards Net Zero decarbonisation strategy in 2023, we have remained firmly focused on achieving our long‑term sustainability ambitions.  

“At the same time, we continue to invest in renewing and modernising our fleet to ensure we provide safe, reliable and high‑quality services for our customers, both now and in the years ahead.

“This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering the best possible customer experience, while supporting our wider ambition to fully decarbonise the fleet over the coming years.”

Paul Davies, president & managing director at Alexander Dennis, said: “We welcome Lothian’s support for British design, engineering and manufacturing and the impact that this project will have on jobs and supply chain.

“We’re looking forward to partnering with Volvo to expand our range across the UK market and working closely with them on future opportunities.

Domenico Bondi, managing director Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, said: “”We are building on the cooperation that we have had back in 2018 which has been a successful project.

“We have a flexible business model working together with different bodybuilders and this is one example. The new double deck will help to reduce road congestion and with it further improve air quality in Scotland’s capital city.”

The collaboration between Lothian Buses, Volvo and Alexander Dennis builds on successful earlier work between the three companies, under which 78 Alexander Dennis Enviro400XLB on Volvo B8L chassis – built to a different specification – were supplied to Lothian Buses in 2018 and 2019.

Lothian Buses also plans to order 40 zero-emission double-deckers from the two manufacturers, with Alexander Dennis placing its next-generation Enviro400EV body on the Volvo BZL electric chassis.

Procurement of these vehicles is subject to confirmation of grant funding allocation to Lothian Buses from the Scottish Government’s third-round Scottish Zero-Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB3).

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