Catteralls owner Paul Catterall says he had been looking for a high-capacity, three-axle coach and spotted the i6 at last year's Euro Bus Expo Show. "We ran DAF-based coaches back in the 1980s, and were always happy with them, so we decided to take the plunge."
He went for the 13.9-metre, 61-seat variant with DAF;s Euro 5 MX340 engine and the ZF AS-Tronic auto-shift transmission. Following its first European run, says the i6 has proven itself. "Our drivers love it, and I've been very impressed."
As for Hollinshead Coaches, operations manger Steve Haydon, says: "We needed a new 53-seater and while we always purchase Volvo, we did look at a number of other vehicles, but found that none had the same 'wow' factor as the Volvo B11R."
Aside from passenger comfort, style and manoeuvrability, Haydon says that excellent fuel efficiency, Volvo's I-Shift transmission, automatic function check, trouble-free maintenance and "first class aftersales service and back-up from Volvo" were key factors in the decision to buy.
