Bus and coach specialist Optare is reporting orders worth more than £4 million in January, as well as unusually high sales enquiries.
Optare chief operating officer Glenn Saint believes these are positive signs of recovery in the UK bus market, including the independent sector and the major groups.
Among those coming back for more were Epsom Coaches, which has ordered three more Solos following good experience with eight back in 2009. Meanwhile, good reports on its Versas has led Anglian Coaches to order three more.
Half of the of Beccles, Suffolk-based company's 60-vehicle fleet are now Optare models with five Versas already in service plus 24 Solos and a pair of Tempos.
Optare also reports that "a leading operator in the South West" has ordered eight Solo SRs, while "several Scottish customers" have placed repeat orders, including Hendersons Travel and Wilsons of Rhu.
Another Solo is also going to long-standing customer, Yeomans Canyon of Hereford, which has ordered a 10.2 metre Solo for its Lugg Valley operation. And orders for 16 buses have been placed by one of the leading groups, the full details of which Saint says will be announced shortly.
"This is a solid endorsement of our products from a number of the country's most highly respected operators," he says.
"In the case of orders from the independent sector, this is all repeat business placed on the basis of good experience in terms of reliability, passenger appeal, fuel economy and after-sales back-up," adds Saint.
