Stagecoach has become the biggest customer yet for Volvo battery-electric buses after an order was placed for 19 examples of the BZL in single-deck format for the group’s London operation. It takes to 244 the number of BZLs delivered to or on order for Stagecoach.
The London purchase quickly follows a deal for 170 BZLs for Stagecoach Manchester. That batch will be formed of 150 double-deckers and 20 single-deckers. The group already has 25 single-deck BZLs in its West Scotland operation and 30 double-deckers will soon enter service with Stagecoach East in Cambridge. All 244 will be bodied by MCV.
Volvo says that the volume of BZL orders from Stagecoach reinforces “the strong and growing collaboration between the two companies.” The 19 single-deckers for London will enter service in late 2023 and early 2024.
Speaking about the work between the two businesses, Volvo Buses President Anna Westerberg says: “Stagecoach was our first BZL electric customer in the UK, so it is an honour to now be supplying these buses at scale.
“The strengthening of this partnership illustrates how our product and expertise can support public transport networks to reduce emissions. We offer the world’s most responsible electric bus systems, and I am pleased that Stagecoach’s passengers are among the first in the UK to experience Volvo electric buses first hand.”
Adds Volvo Bus UK and Ireland Managing Director Domenico Bondi: “Our industry is transitioning to electromobility, and that is why we are focusing on making our processes, from material sourcing and manufacture to operation and recycling, as sustainable, safe and reliable as possible.”
