(29 Mar 2014, 10:49 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Obviously GNE are going to need to Test a few Demonstrators on the X21 to see what copes with the Service Best, I'm in agreement with Davie that the likes of Wrightbus need to Build a Heavyweight Double Decker which can cope with this sort of Service, Perhaps a Bigger Sized Engine e.g. 12 Litre like some of the National Express/Megabus Coaches have which in turn will produce more Horsepower, and also improve Reliability of Services.
As the chassis makers, it's Volvo that need to be building the bus with the bigger engine. Wrights can only body what they make.
Volvo want to design more fuel efficient buses rather than purposefully built buses; this is universal across all manufacturers, not just Volvo. Kuyoyo said a few weeks ago that it was operators who requested Volvo built their Euro 6 compliant bus with a five litre engine.
Lothian's B5TL trial is currently underway, and I know their demonstrator was running late for the majority of yesterday. It could be argued that the B5TL isn't working quite as well as the B9TL, but operators have been given no choice... The B5TL will be unsuitable for a lot of operators for a number of their services - begs the question why some operators allegedly wanted the five litre engine...!