Mumbai: Hinduja Group’s electric vehicle arm SWITCH Mobility said it has secured an order for 70 buses from UK-based bus and coach operator, Stagecoach. The order comprises 10 Metrocity 9.5-meter electric buses, which will operate in London and 60 Slimline Solo 8.5m, Euro 6-certified buses sold under the Optare brand, presently integrated into SWITCH Mobility, the company said.
The Solo buses will support Stagecoach in replacing part of the company’s significant fleet of such buses across the UK while Metrocity buses will go into operations in early 2024 and the Solo’s during the first half of 2024, it said.
The 8.5m slimline variant will be manufactured to Stagecoach’s exacting specification and provide seating for 28 people, the company said. ”Stagecoach has repeated the order for the Metrocity electric bus, following the recent delivery of 20 buses in London,” said Mahesh Babu, SWITCH Mobility Ltd Chief Executive Officer. ”Operators such as Stagecoach are continuing to look for ways to reduce the environmental impact and improve the efficiency of their fleet.
For this reason, we have taken the decision to re-start production of our Solo product and support Stagecoach in replacing part of their existing Solo fleet,” Babu added. ”We are pleased to be welcoming a further 70 low-emission vehicles to our fleet, which will help us with our sustainability targets of reaching zero emissions by 2050 and a fully electric bus fleet by 2035,” Stagecoach Chief Operating Officer Sam Greer said.