Massive order for Van Hool
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THE Van Hool-McArdle project to build double-deckers, coaches and city buses with common mechanical units from General Motors took a firm step forward last week.
An order worth £34 million from CIE, the Irish state transport company was announced, and 1,200 buses will be delivered over the next eight years — 600 deckers, 140 city buses and 520 coaches.
First to be delivered will be 114 of the city buses, expected early next year.
Detroit
All the buses will be powered by rear mounted Detroit diesels driving through Allison V730 transmission to a Rockwell axle. They will have air suspension and be of fully integral construction.
The double-decker is widely seen as a potential competitor to Leyland's B15 decker, although Van Hool would now seem to have work for many years completing this Irish order.
Van Hool-McArdle chief executive Liam Dunne told CM that any orders from British operators would be a bonus for the company, after Irish orders were satisfied.