REPORT

Advancements in Bus & Coach Industry highlighted at ITT HUB

ITT Hub, a new British exhibition, held at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre on 30th June and 1st July 2021, may be best remembered, in hindsight, as the first event where people could meet face-to-face, have real conversations and hopefully sealed some deals (or have at least started them). Farnborough Airport is an ideal venue for a trade show, with lots of space, both inside and outside. In a somewhat relaxed and almost carnival like atmosphere, visitors and exhibitors could mingle freely, while obviously respecting the social distancing protocols in place.

Even though the Covid-19 crisis slowed down most activities, it did not stop product development. Visitors at the show may have been surprised at the advancement in buses and coaches. While the new normal for commuting and touring will have changed somewhat, it will always be a big sector in the overall economy. Most of the major manufacturers were present with a good selection of proposals and products to improve sustainability and air quality. Some highlights of the show included the launch of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro, a Hydrogen bus from the Wrightbus group, and a new e-Cityline from EVM. Due to the success of the inaugural event, next year’s event is happening a little earlier, on the 11th & 12th of May. Here are some of the main happenings from the stands.

ADL (ALExANDER DENNIS)

ADL displayed a selection of its British-built buses and coaches at the outdoor exhibition area at Farnborough, including several zero emission buses that highlight how the manufacturer is leading the ZEvolution. In addition, a zero emission capable Enviro400ER plug-in hybrid were on display. It operates for up to three miles at a time in electric mode and uses geofencing to cut out emissions in pollution hotspots. Two electric BYD ADL Enviro400EV double deckers were there for visitors to experience at the Ride & Drive area, as well as on the stand of ADL’s partner for electric buses in the UK and Ireland, BYD. The BYD ADL partnership is the leading supplier of zero emission buses in Britain, with over 1,000 delivered or currently on order.

SwITCH – METRoDECkER

Part of the Optare group, owned by Ashok-Leyland, Switch is the group’s brand for electric buses. Its top seller is the electric double decker, which it claims is the lightest in the market. Available in two variants, 10.5m & 11.14m, they come with seating for 63 and 84 passengers and can carry over 94 persons including standees, depending on the layout. Also available is the 8.74m single deck, which is recognisable as an Optare. Available in four variants, seating ranges from 35 to 58, depending on the chosen layout.

wRIgHTBuS

Celebrating 75 years in business, Ballymena company Wrightbus, now under new ownership, continues to be a world leader in bus building. Notable is the Hydroliner - a Hydrogen powered bus which can be seen on the streets of Dublin, Aberdeen, London and Belfast. In Aberdeen, city officials claim to have stopped 170 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. One of the major selling points of Hydrogen power is the re-fuelling time, just 8 minutes. A big saving over electric.

YuToNg - PELICAN BuS & CoACH

Represented in Ireland and the UK by Pelican Bus & Coach, Yutong is one of the world’s largest bus builders. The Chinese manufacturer assembles 430 buses per day. Although electric coaches are not the main focus for operators or manufacturers yet, Pelican is one of the few that can - and has - supplied a number of emission free units. Some of these TCe-12 models are operating between Edinburgh and Dundee. Also on the electric bus side, a recent order of 55 E-12’s to Scottish operator Mc Gills was achieved. In Ireland, Pelican and Yutong are represented by Central Bus & Coach, Longford.

BYD (BuILD YouR DREAMS)

BYD (Build Your Dreams), a major Chinese manufacturer, has been building electric buses for over ten years and is having a big impact on the market, especially in Europe. In the UK it has formed a powerful partnership with ADL, with combined orders giving them 60% of the electric bus market share in the UK and 80% of the market in London. The most popular model is referred to as BYD-ADL Enviro400EV, available in Transport for London (TfL) specification or operators’ spec. It has a range of 160 miles, depending on operating conditions.

CAETANo

The Portuguese bus builder recently finished a trial in Ireland with a 10 week test with its H2 City Gold hydrogen fuel cell powered bus with TFI (Transport for Ireland). Although no data has yet being released, the general opinion is that the trial operating to and from from Dublin Airport was successful. With a carrying capacity of up to 87 passengers, including standees, there is an option for two or three doors. One of the advantages of hydrogen over electric is the speed of fuelling, eight minutes approx., giving a range of 400 miles.

DAIMLER BuS – MERCEDES-BENz

Much anticipated, and arguably the star of the show was the launch of the eCitaro in right hand drive form. Already in service in Europe since 2018, it’s the electric version of the MercedesBenz Citaro of which there are over 55,000 diesel powered units on the roads worldwide. Parent company Daimler Bus always said it would prefer to be the best in the market rather than first. Although the Citaro has had some recent updates, the new eCitaro bears its own unique distinction. Also on the stand there were some Tourismo coaches, with 2 and 3 axle configurations and with wheel chair accessibility.

EvM

EVM, the Kilbeggan, County Westmeath-headquartered midi-bus and coach specialist converter and importer, with sales outlets in the UK, spent the lockdown period of COVID-19 wisely indeed. Following the re-emergence of the company from lockdown it has made some of its buses available in electric power. At the show two new buses were launched - the eCityline and an interesting composite bodied accessibility Sprinter. EVM has been in the industry since 2009 and has established a sizeable market share in the low floor accessible and touring ranges on both sides of the Irish Sea.

ILESBuS

Based in Wales, Ilesbus was pleased and surprised with the levels of enquiries and sales that carried on during the COVID-19 crisis. On stage was the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter based low floor iCity bus, which can be specced as a coach or bus. Ilesbus units are available on Iveco and MAN chassis and drivelines, and can be built to accommodate up to 29 seats. In Ireland, Ilesbus is represented by J.J. Kavanagh & Sons, Urlingford, County Kilkenny. They company is pleased with the growing interest in it buses in Ireland, and hopes that with the lifting of restrictions, this interest can be converted into sales.

TRAILAR

Solar technology is something that will be a big part of the future. Trailar has designed solar panels that can be placed on the roofs of vehicles to give additional power to the bus, particularly those powered by electricity. At the moment it is talking to some distributors in Ireland with a view to making its products available here.

IvECo

Two Daily mini-buses were displayed and demonstrated by IVECO UK, a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered variant and the latest diesel (Euro 6D). Iveco has decades of experience with CNG engines. Over the last 25 years there have been in excess of 25,000 gas engines manufactured and put in service. Iveco has also used this technology in the heavier end of the bus and truck market with great sales success. The IVECO Daily continues to be popular as a bus and van, seating up to 22 seats in the bus. Text & Photos: Sean Murtagh – sean@fleet.ie