Mellor Strata

Last updated

Mellor Strata
Mellor Strata.jpg
A Mellor Strata LF,
operated by Arriva North West
Overview
Manufacturer Mellor Coachcraft
Production2016–Present
Body and chassis
Doors1
Floor type Low-floor (Strata LF)
Step entrance (Strata HF 16)
Chassis Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Powertrain
Engine Mercedes-Benz
Power output140 bhp (514 CDI)
163 bhp (516 CDI)
Transmission 7-speed automatic or manual
Dimensions
Length7.76 – 8.78 metres
Width2.3 metres
Height2.67 metres (Strata LF)
2.76 metres (Strata HF 16)
Curb weight 5500 kg
Chronology

The Mellor Strata is a minibus body manufactured by Mellor Coachcraft since 2016 on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. It is available as the Mellor Strata HF 16, a step-entrance version aimed at the access bus market, so named for its maximum seated passenger capacity of sixteen; [1] or as the Mellor Strata LF, a low-floor variant targeting the service bus market, with a capacity of up to 21 seated passengers. [2]

Contents

The light and economical van-based Strata was launched to compete with the more traditional, but heavier and less economical, bus-based short wheelbase Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC and Optare Solo SR, as well as other van-based minibus designs, as the United Kingdom bus market was starting to go through the 'second minibus revolution' of the mid to late 2010s.

The Strata LF is built on the long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516 CDI chassis, while the Strata HF 16 is available on both the 514 CDI (with a less powerful engine) and 516 CDI variants of the Sprinter. [1] [2]

Since 2018, Mellor have offered two longer versions of the Strata, [3] the 8.1m Strata Plus and the 8.7m Strata Ultra. [4] The first Strata Ultra was delivered in 2019. [5]

Operators

Strata HF 16

The first two Strata HF 16s were delivered to Melksham Community Transport in early 2017. [6] East Riding of Yorkshire Council have placed the largest order for Strata HF 16s to date, taking delivery of nine examples in July 2017. [7]

Strata LF

The first two Strata LFs entered service with McGill's Bus Services in late 2016 on their Inverclyde network. [8]

The Strata LF has seen strong sales with local councils for community transport operations, with deliveries going to Dumfries & Galloway Council's SWestrans operation (three examples, leased to Houston's Coaches of Lockerbie); [9] Nottinghamshire County Council (two examples); [10] and Redcar and Cleveland Council (three examples). [11] Additionally, a single Strata LF has been delivered to Cheshire West and Chester Council and leased to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire for operation on the Blacon Greyhound community bus service between Blacon and the Greyhound Retail Park in Chester. [12]

The first order from a major group came in 2017, with Arriva North West taking delivery of nine Stratas for services in Macclesfield and Winsford in Cheshire. [13] [14] [15] [16] Rotala Group operations Preston Bus and Diamond Bus have also ordered a number of these model for their Ribble Valley operations and Transport for West Midlands tendered contracts.

See also

Competitors:

Other contemporary Mellor products:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minibus</span> Passenger-carrying motor vehicle (12-30 seats)

A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger-carrying van or panel truck. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 12 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses. Minibuses are typically front engine step-in vehicles, although low floor minibuses are particularly common in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Switch Mobility</span> British bus manufacturer

Switch Mobility is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company is responsible for the EV operations of the group with Ashok Leyland focusing on its core business of diesel-powered vehicles as well as work on alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach North East</span> British bus operator

Stagecoach North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, which operates bus, coach, rail and tram services across the United Kingdom. It is made up of five sub-division brands: Hartlepool, Newcastle upon Tyne, South Shields, Sunderland and Teesside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington's Own Buses</span> Cheshire municipal bus operator

Warrington's Own Buses is a municipal bus company which operates a network of services within the Borough of Warrington and the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Earlestown, Wigan, Halton, Bolton and Northwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach South West</span>

Stagecoach South West is a bus operator providing services in Devon and East Cornwall along with coach services to Bristol. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MK Metro</span> Bus line based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

MK Metro was a bus company operating in Milton Keynes from 1997 until 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach South Wales</span> British bus operating company

Stagecoach in South Wales is a bus operator providing services in South East Wales. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva North West</span> Bus operator in North West England

Arriva North West is a major bus operator running services in North West England in the Merseyside area. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Team Pennine</span> Transdev-owned bus operator

Team Pennine operates both local and regional bus services in West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Greyhound</span>

Western Greyhound was a bus operator based in Summercourt, near Newquay, which operated services in Cornwall and Devon from January 1998 until March 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tillingbourne Bus Company</span> Former Surrey bus operator

Tillingbourne Bus Company was a bus company based in Cranleigh, Surrey. The company operated bus and coach services in Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire from 1924 until 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wardle Transport</span>

Wardle Transport was a bus operator based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. Formed in 1963 as Jack's of Norton, it expanded from 2001 to operate a network of local bus routes using over 60 vehicles. Arriva purchased the company in December 2010 and placed under the control of its Arriva Midlands subsidiary. Arriva stated that Wardle's identity would be retained. At the time of the takeover, Wardle employed 105 staff and operated a fleet of 64 buses and ran 18 scheduled services. A new livery of two-tone red and white applied in Arriva's corporate style was introduced in June 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill's Bus Services</span> Bus operator based in Scotland

McGill's Bus Services is a bus operator based in Greenock, Scotland. The company has grown to operate a network of routes covering much of Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, Glasgow City, North Ayrshire, West Lothian, Falkirk and Dundee. McGill's have several depots based in Greenock, Inchinnan, Johnstone, Edinburgh, Bannockburn, Balfron, Livingston and Dundee. McGill's also formerly had depots in Dumbarton, Barrhead and Coatbridge.

TrawsCymru is the brand name for a network of regional bus services in Wales, sponsored by the Welsh Government. It was introduced as a replacement for the TrawsCambria network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kernow (bus company)</span> Bus company operating services in Cornwall, England

Kernow is a bus company operating services in Cornwall, England. It is part of First South West, a subsidiary of FirstGroup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Bus Services</span> English bus service

C.E. JEATT & SONS LIMITED, trading as White Bus Services, is a bus operator based in Berkshire and runs bus and coach hire services within Windsor and Ascot. It is part of the Rowgate Group.

Mellor Coachcraft, known simply as Mellor or Mellor Bus, is a British bus manufacturer based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Founded in the 1960s, Mellor has primarily produced bodywork for various different minibus chassis throughout its history. Mellor is owned by parent company, Woodall Nicholson Group, alongside Treka Bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mellor Sigma</span> Bus built by Mellor Coachcraft

The Mellor Sigma is a bus manufactured by Mellor Coachcraft since 2021. It is available in various lengths, from 6.99 – 11.97 metres, with the shortest being marketed as the Mellor Sigma 7, and the longest as the Mellor Sigma 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mellor Orion</span> Minibus bodywork on a Fiat chassis

The Mellor Orion is a minibus body manufactured on Fiat Ducato chassis since 2011, introduced by Bluebird Vehicles and subsequently built by Mellor Coachcraft since 2014. Several variants are produced, including the long-wheelbase Orion Plus and the fully electric Orion E. In 2021, Mellor launched an updated version known as the Orion Evolution.

The Mellor Maxima is a step-entrance minibus bodywork produced by Mellor Coachcraft on Iveco Daily chassis since 2016. With a capacity of up to 31 passenger seats, eight wheelchair bays or a combination of both, the Maxima is aimed at local authorities providing accessible transport and community transport.

References

  1. 1 2 "Strata HF 16". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Strata". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  3. "Two all-new versions of successful Strata bus released". mellor. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. "Mellor Strata Ultra: Watershed minibus moment?". Route One. 26 November 2018. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. "Stringers places first order for Strata Ultra". Buses. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  6. "Melksham Community Transport is on the move with Mellor thanks to Department for Transport funding boost". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  7. "Repeat order of 9 Mellor Sprinters for East Riding of Yorkshire Council". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  8. "Mellor deliver first Strata to McGill's". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  9. "SWestrans goes further with Mellor". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  10. "Nottingham County Council invest in Mellor Orion Plus and Strata fleet". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  11. "Redcar And Cleveland Council Keeps The Community Moving With Strata". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  12. Carmella de Lucia. "Council introduce new bus route from Blacon to Greyhound Park – but some residents aren't happy". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  13. "Mellor's Strata proves that 'less gives more' with Arriva North West". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  14. "Arriva North West gets the measure of Mellor's Strata". transportengineer.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  15. "Arriva North West purchases new low floor buses from Mellor". eurotransportmagazine.com. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  16. "Got something to say? Send us your news, views and comments". route-one.net. Retrieved 17 September 2017.