The new 10.8m long buses are fitted with ADL’s award-winning Smart Pack efficient diesel technology, developed in-house by the manufacturer. This saves fuel and reduces emissions by combining engine stop/start and electrically driven cooling fans with the smart management of alternator and air compressor to only charge during vehicle deceleration when they place no additional load on the engine. The Enviro200 with Smart Pack is certified as a Low Emission Bus by the UK’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership. 

With 41 fully seat belted ADL Smart Seats, the new buses provide additional room for social distancing on Prentice’s route 108 that connects the East Lothian county town of Haddington with the Fort Kinnaird shopping centre in Edinburgh. The buses have dedicated wheelchair and buggy bays along with free Wi Fi and USB charging points at every seat.

Managing Director Ross Prentice said: “We are delighted with these two new Enviro 200 buses. They join 10 Classic models in our fleet and are the perfect solution for our needs. They operate through the ‘East Lothian Air Quality Management Area’ so it was important that they had as low emissions as possible, which is why we opted for the Smart Pack technology.

“We have been a customer of Alexander Dennis and its predecessors for over twenty years and throughout that time the support provided has been second to none and we look forward to a continuing relationship for many years to come.”

Charlie Miller, ADL Sales Account Manager for Scotland & North West England, commented: “With these two new Enviro200 low emission buses, Prentice Coaches again show their commitment to providing the best buses for its customers, who will love the comfortable ADL Smart Seats. Working with Ross and his forward-thinking team continues to be a pleasure and privilege.”

Prentice Coaches was founded in 1991 and provides local bus services, school buses and coach hire. Regular investment in new vehicles – always built to the latest environmental standards as part of a programme to minimise the company’s environmental impact which also includes the exclusive use of rainwater to wash vehicles and a focus on customer care have seen the company win awards as one of the UK’s top independent bus operators.