New TfL specification Volvo buses for Tower Transit

Tower Transit has placed an order for 11 Volvo B5LH double deck buses

London operator Tower Transit has placed a significant order with Volvo Bus for 11 new B5LH double deck buses with Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini 3 bodywork, for delivery in late February 2015.

Tower Transit has placed an order for 11 Volvo B5LH double deck buses

The new 10.5 metre Euro 6 vehicles are built to TfL specification and are due to enter service on 7^th March 2015. The new buses will operate regularly on the busy London 212 route, running between Walthamstow and Chingford.

Featuring Wrightbus’ Eclipse Gemini 3 bodywork styling, the Volvo B5LH provides much needed capacity on a busy London route with each vehicle able to carry up to 95 passengers at peak operating times.

Delivering consistent fuel and CO2 reductions of around 39%, compared to a conventional diesel double deck bus, the parallel hybrid B5LH offers extremely high reliability. The vehicle provides complete integration of the engine and the hybrid systems, all of which are designed and manufactured by Volvo.

The new buses will also be maintained on a Volvo Gold Service Contract, ensuring they provide the very best uptime and performance for the operator.

The B5LH features the Volvo D5K 240 4 cylinder 5.1-litre Euro 6 engine rated at 240hp with a maximum torque of 918Nm at 1200-1600rpm. Vehicle emissions comply with Euro 6 legislation and are cleverly controlled using SCR and EGR technology. The bus also features the fully automated 12-speed I-Shift gearbox.

Phil Fletcher, Regional Sales Manager for Volvo Bus, said: “This is a significant 11 vehicle order from Tower Transit for TfL specification. These new hybrid buses will be operating daily on a busy London route and we’re looking forward to seeing the results, particularly with regards to fuel economy.”

Alan Coney, Engineering Director for Tower Transit, said: “These buses represent a considerable investment in Volvo hybrid technology integrated with the Wrightbus Gemini 3 body that Tower Transit look forward to delivering a real quality product to our customer, TfL, and the travelling public alike.

Tower Transit Group entered the UK market in June 2013. It was awarded its first TfL tendered routes in June last year and these 11 vehicles represent the company’s first double deck purchases since its arrival into the marketplace.