Mellor scores another e-bus order from Sweden
British bus manufacturer Mellor has received an order from Sweden. Public transport operator Connect Bus orders 42 electric buses of the Sigma line, which Mellor debuted in 2021. The minibuses on order are headed for Gothenburg.
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and is on the west coast. Connect Bus will deploy the Mellor buses on the “Flex line”, a demand-responsive transport service (DRT) in Swedish terms and basically the option to order a bus by telephone. Unlike a taxi, the line includes virtual bus stops, so-called “meeting points”.
Mellor will start deliveries in the next quarter via BK Invest, Mellor’s Scandinavian distribution partner.
As for the Nordic connection, Mellor says it manufactures the Sigma 7 for Connect Bus “according to the latest Nordic bus building standards”. This includes low-energy driver and saloon climatic control systems, passenger and pedestrian safety features and flexible charging systems that utilise depot and publicly available charging systems.
Connect Bus is no stranger to Mellor; the company already has had a fleet of Mellor Orion electric minibuses since March 2020. The manufacturer says it worked closely with Connect Bus on the Sigma contract to understand the operator’s needs “and those of the Flex line user community”. These insights and experience with the Orion fleet were then used in the configuration of the Sigma buses.
“The Mellor Orion E has been instrumental in delivering the Västraffik Flex line service for several years,” said Gustavo Marqueta, Group Business Development Director at Mellor. “The new, Sigma 7 buses are the next step for Västraffik Flex line services, combining the flexibility of a minibus with the features expected from big bus design and technology.”
Christian Plyhm, CCO of Connect Bus, commented, “We are pleased to reinforce our partnership with Mellor, which has launched an innovative range of electric buses that suits our needs as a leading regional operator.”
Mellor presented the Sigma line in 2021 with six models measuring from seven to twelve metres and over 20 variants. The components for the Sigma buses come from CATL, Webasto, ZF, Dana and Ventura, among others.
The Rochdale-based company is a subsidiary of Woodall Nicholson and has made a name for itself over the decades primarily as a conversion and body specialist. Previous product lines included converted vans based on the Iveco Daily, the Fiat Ducato, the Mercedes Sprinter and the Volkswagen Transporter, marketed under the names Maxima, Orion, Strata and Tucana.
Mellor also recently delivered the first of four Sigma 7s to public transport operator Nobina, also used in Gothenburg.
Connect Bus is one transport provider among others, with public transit in the Gotland region being overseen by the Västraffik transport association.
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