The University and its partner, Unilink Bluestar, launched their brand new fleet of buses today (Wednesday 19 September). They will provide an even better, more comfortable service to both students and the local community, all enabled by the University’s continued commitment to the Unilink service.
The fleet of 32 new buses, launched at Boldrewood campus represent an investment of over £7 million. Featuring a brand new design, each uses the latest Euro 6 low emissions engine – the newest and cleanest standard for diesel. They also comply with the City’s Clean Air Zone targets set to be introduced in 2019.
Due to their eco-friendly start-stop Diesel engines, each bus will give the same emissions mile for mile as one new Diesel car, but can carry up to 70 people.
Speaking at the launch event Andrew Wickham, Managing Director of Bluestar, said:
“As well as being far kinder to the environment – complying with Southampton’s Clean Air Zone targets being introduced in 2019 – these impressive new Alexander Dennis E400 MMC double decker buses have a fresh new look. They include glass roofs, creating more light for passengers travelling upstairs, as well as on-board technology like free WiFi USB charging points and contactless payment facilities.
“We’re very proud to be operating this new fleet on behalf of the University of Southampton and we hope those who travel with us will agree that they offer a superior level of comfort. The aim is to make sustainable transport a more attractive proposition, in order to entice people out of their cars. One full double decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road – and this investment is a huge step in that direction, as there will now be 32 double deck vehicles in the Unilink fleet.”
This new fleet of buses also coincides with the latest two nominations for the Unilink service:
- The University of Southampton has been shortlisted for a prestigious Times Higher Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Local community.
- The service has also been rewarded with a shortlisting by the renowned Green Gown awards scheme for benefiting society, specifically for Unilink’s contribution to better air.
Find out more about how Unilink engages with the community and even how the Unilink service helps support research, by watching the video below:
