Scarborough DialARide goes low with first Tucana II25 August 2016

Scarborough DialARide has taken delivery of the first Tucana II low-floor minibus, from Mellor Coachcraft.

The Tucana II has been fully re-engineered for Volkswagen’s Transporter 6 base vehicle. It has a redesigned front, with new CAD-designed mouldings to complement the T6 styling and, added to this, new interior mouldings to modernise the driver and passenger areas.

Like its predecessor the Tucana, the saloon – which has a flat floor throughout – is capable of having 15 passenger seats, but can now carry up to four wheelchairs without the need for a passenger lift. Wheelchairs can be loaded through the front or rear doors via ramps, thanks to its low floor height of 270mm.

The vehicle also features a wide powered sliding door, enabling a much closer kerbside approach than the swing-out plug doors they replace. The vehicle can have rear doors and a bi-fold ramp or a coach back, and, says Mellor, it can have destination equipment and ticket platform for use in fare-stage work.

Scarborough DialARide’s manager Julie Banks says the Tucana II will be a boon for the fleet’s diverse operations, particularly as it could be run by a driver alone.

“It’s a very worthwhile investment for us,” she says. “We see it as ideal for group hire, which will allow us to bring more income in. It will give us the edge on tendered services, too.

“It really takes our fleet up another level. Ambulant people can get on and off unaided and with the rear access ramp, we have real flexibility.”

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
Mellor Coachcraft

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