The all-electric, fully low floor bus was commissioned by the East Riding of Yorkshire transport organisation, as a joint venture between utility supplier E.ON and Leader, a rural development project funded by the EU and UK government.
Caroline Wegrzyn, manager at HART (pictured, left, with Mellor’s Jane Dransfield), says: “This vehicle will be running on rural routes where electric vehicles are being tested and infrastructure is not as advanced as urban areas.
“This is our first Mellor bus in a varied fleet of 10 vehicles... and the opportunity of running an all-electric vehicle offered financial and environmental advantages.”
The Orion E was launched in 2016 and is said to be the world’s first fully low floor, all-electric small bus.
The vehicle has a 100-mile range and a 16-seat capacity, single step entry and a fully flat, low floor saloon, which offers flexible seating configurations and space for up to four wheelchairs. Passenger access is through either a rapid sliding side entry door or the double doors at the rear.