LRT gets midi-bug
Page 20
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Optare City Pacer midibuses have been chosen for the first Central London high frequency small bus services to be introduced by London Regional Transport.
Proposals announced this week by LRT chairman Dr Keith Bright, accompanied by Transport Secretary John Moore envisage the first route linking Parliament Square with Kensington High Street later this summer. London Buses will operate 17 vehicles on the six minute frequency service.
The buses, which have been ordered by LRT will be leased for three years to London Buses and will be fined with Allison automatic transmission.
On the second route, between Parliament Hill Fields and Oxford Circus, LRT expects to provide about 20 City Pacers. This route will take over the northern section of a current long route (53) and will over a two-and-a-half minute frequency at peak hours.
Tenders are being invited from operators interested in running the service using vehicles owned and provided by LRT. This service will also be run on a three-year contract.
As with its other tendered services, LRT will keep farebox revenue and pay the operator a set fee. The successful tenderer will be fully responsible for all licensing and staff and safety responsibilities for the vehicles.
The LRT proposals follow the success of the Hampstead Hoppa service which started a month ago. This service uses London Country-owned Mercedes Benz L608D vehicles on a route operated previously by larger single-deck buses. Initial reactions from passengers have been favourable.
• LRT expects to put out several Central London conventional large bus routes to tender in the near future. It wants to buy buses for these routes and lease them back to the successful operators to ensure high standards of vehicles for the services.