Preston Bus puts double deckers up for public sale as it seeks to modernise its fleet

If you are looking for a spacious new set of wheels to get you and the family around town, we might just have the perfect deal for you.

Or maybe you are planning a quirky business venture, such as a party bus or a novelty food truck? Or it might be that your local sports team are in need of a new ride?

If so, these Volvo double deckers are hot off the Preston bus station forecourt and are on sale for the bargain price of £45,000 each, including tyres!

The double deckers are Volvo B5's and are hybrid-electric buses sporting the Wrights Gemini Eclipse bodywork, familiar to those who catch Preston Bus and Stagecoach services.

Preston Bus' parent company Rotala has five of its double deckers up for grabs as it seeks to modernise its fleet with the introduction of 140 new buses for Preston and Manchester.

Bob Dunn, Rotala's regional managing director, said the new buses will be more efficient and will reduce emissions to benefit the people of Preston.

He said: "With regards to the buses we are looking to dispose of, lets first consider our key priorities in our business, and I speak for Preston and Manchester

"The key priories which form the cornerstones of our decision making are 'Safety, Compliance, Reliability and Delivery of our services to an acceptable standard'.

"With this in mind, and my 50 years of experience operating these businesses we feel our fleet of vehicles requires investment and a move towards a more standardised approach.

"In addition we need to acknowledge the need to reduce emissions and be more efficient.

"Therefore we have chosen to place an order for more than 140 new buses [same type of bus] for Preston and Manchester and dispose of vehicles which don't fit our standardised approach.

"The new buses are all fit for purpose with regards to the latest 'green technology diesel buses'.

"These Hybrid buses which we are attempting to dispose of fit into that category of 'different vehicles' and not standard to our new strategy

"Another point which is important is that you understand we are trying other new technologies such as Electric Buses to enhance our progress and possibly reduce emissions further, but this is still in the early stages."

The buses are seven-years-old and are one of the most popular models of double deckers on British roads. Stagecoach, National Express, Arriva, and our very own Preston Bus are just a few of the public transport companies who rely on the B5 double decker to get passengers safely from A to B.

So if you are thinking about upgrading your car to a bigger model, just drop an email to Bob Dunn at Rotala.

He can be reached at [email protected]