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NE goes Expressliner
Page 19
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• National Express has unveiled the Expressliner Plaxtons Volvo coach — its standard vehicle for the 1990s. All National Express contract operators will use the new coach, which is due to enter service in April at the rate of 100 per year.
Public transport Minister Michael Portillo was present at the coach's launch in Nuneaton last week, along with many of NE's 70 operators from independent and local authority sectors and former NBC subsidiaries.
The 12-metre coach is a 46seater based on the Plaxtons Paramount 3500 three star Volvo BlOM design. It has a rear toilet and servery plus several features unique to NE, such as a windowless back, driver's wardrobe, parallel liftup side and rear locker doors.
The Volvo chassis has an increased front axle capacity of 7.5 tonnes, modified steering gear to give a tighter turning circle and redesigned wheel suspension. A 193kW turbocharged engine drives through a Volvo G7 gearbox with EGS electro-pneumatic gearshift. The suspension has a 'kneeling' capability which lowers the steps for easier access.
Operators will lease the vehicles through a new company, National Expressliner, set up jointly by NE and Plaxtons, and administered by Plaxtons' financial subsidiary, Roadlease. The first eight vehicles are being delivered to NE's own base in Birmingham for use on Rapide services.
Maintenance will be the responsibility of contractors. In some cases, operators may use their own workshops. NE is looking for a seven-year life at high mileage. At the end of the lease each vehicle will be returned to Plaxtons, where some of the special features will be removed before sale on the secondhand market.
At present NE has a normal daily requirement of about 500 coaches, but sometimes uses over 700 during peak periods. Much of the fleet is made up of Leyland Tigers and Leopards, which will be phased out as the Expressliners are introduced.
Plaxtons has announced pre-tax profits of £4.75 million for the 15 months to endDecember 1988. This huge advance from the last return of £1.49 million comes from sharply increased turnover — up from 2100 million to £244 million. Coach activities contributed 22.5 million to operating profits on a turnover of £59 million.