London’s congestion is an opportunity taken up by Volvo Bus Ltd. “When the roads are congested, the double decker has one unbeatable advantage with its length of only 10.5 metres and a capacity for 85-90 passengers”, says Mike Ball, CEO of Volvo Bus Ltd.
People in the UK have always loved their double deckers and the traditional red bus has been in London for about 100 years.
The average speed of traffic in central London has barely changed in the last 100 years so the new Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, introduced a daily congestion charge in February 2003 of GBP 5 for vehicles entering central London. The revenue from this charge would then be used to develop public transport in London, especially bus services, as more people travel by bus in London than by tube and train combined.
The demand for new double deckers in the UK has risen from 500 in 1997 to over 1,300 last year, and even more this year, with London accounting for most of this increase.
Increasing demand
“During 2002 Volvo Bus Ltd supplied almost 600 buses and we have a good chance of supplying 650 this year. This is not just because of the big demand in London, as this year we have also won significant orders from Belfast, Birmingham, Sheffield, Bristol and Dublin”, says Mike Ball.
“The key to success has been solving the service problems in close cooperation with customers, and to succeed with this we have received support from Volvo Buses in Gothenburg”, continues Mike Ball.
“The Volvo B7TL stands up well to the London enviroment, which is a good testament to the chassis”, says Peter Simmonds, Fleet Technical Engineer for Metroline. Phil Margrave who is Engineering Director responsible for the operators London General and London Central adds: “We now have considerable operating experience of Volvo LE Double Decks and they continue to earn their keep in day-to-day operation, appreciated by passengers and drivers alike.”