Midibus causes a stir
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• Production of the distinctive Dormobile-bodied Iveco Ford Fare Stage midibus is now under way at Dormobile's Folkestone plant, with the first vehicle expected off the line at the end of June.
Dormobile sales and marketing director Roger Thompson reports "a tremendous amount of interest" in the new product, with a test vehicle going out to potential customers in the middle of this month. He expects production levels to rise to around 120 units per year, which will mean taking on extra staff. "Even though everyone says it's a hard market, we're still utilising our full workforce and have been all along," says Thompson.
The 25-seater midibus, previewed at last year's Birmingham Bus and Coach Show, is based on the lveco Ford 49.10 Turbo Daily bus chassis with a body styled by engineering services company KBD.
The design includes a deep windscreen incorporating a destination display, and glassreinforced plastic side skirts, easily removable for repair or replacement. The body, with curved side panels, is based on zinc-coated tubular steel framework with closed sections injected with sealant. Aluminium alloy is used for body panelling.