Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) – the world’s leading supplier of double deck buses – was in Berlin today for the formal hand-over of a new-look vehicle that is about to go into trials in the German capital.
The 12.9m, two-door, three-axle double deck is a variant of ADL’s hugely successful Enviro500 model, a vehicle that has transformed the transport landscape in locations such as Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Auckland, New York, Las Vegas, Seattle, Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto. In the last 18 months alone, over 2,000 Enviro500s have gone into service around the world, while others are now in the pipeline for new markets, such as Switzerland.
Accompanied by British Ambassador Sebastian Wood, ADL’s CEO, Colin Robertson, formally handed over the trial vehicle today to the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe). In doing so, he commented: “We are delighted to be involved in BVG’s extensive trial programme, which is designed to ensure the right transport resources are in place to meet the future needs of a fast-growing city. “As ever, the process forms part of our collaborative approach to engage with customers. Our aim will be to demonstrate the technical capability of our Enviro500 model, the comfort, quality and performance characteristics, while also examining occupancy levels and the flow of passengers between the lower and upper deck. We are also keen to have a more practical understanding of the waiting time between stops and the impact of peak passenger periods. “All of these factors, coupled with vital passenger and driver research will enable us to offer the optimum, custom-designed variant, just as we have done in other cities around the world.”
He added: “I am confident that all parties will learn a great deal from this six-week exercise and that our Enviro500 will perform well, albeit that our ultimate product offering will differ in terms of layout from the North American demonstrator vehicle participating in the actual trial. As I have said on other occasions, this is the start of a journey, not the destination.”