The East Lancs Nordic is a type of low-floor double-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was built on tri-axle double-decker Volvo B7L chassis, with a length of 12 metres and a seating capacity of up to 95 passengers. The Nordic body design is based on an elongated version of the East Lancs Vyking body, with the name "Nordic" being derived from the chassis being built by a company from Sweden. The bus was later superseded by its Myllennium counterpart in 2005.
| East Lancs Nordic | |
|---|---|
 First Glasgow Nordic bodied Volvo B7L in May 2009 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | East Lancashire Coachbuilders |
| Production | 2000–2006 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1/2/3 (depending on the order) |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Chassis | Volvo B7L |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Volvo D7C |
| Capacity | up to 95 seats |
| Transmission | ZF Ecomat |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Width | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | East Lancs Myllennium Nordic |
Operations
editUnited Kingdom
editFirst Glasgow were the only operator in the United Kingdom to purchase Nordics, taking delivery of ten examples in October and November 2002.[1] These Nordics were replaced in 2009 by a batch of Alexander Dennis Enviro500s, and all ten Nordics were sold by First Glasgow, one to Tyrers Coaches and nine to BrightBus of Rotherham; however, one Nordic was destroyed by fire shortly after its arrival at BrightBus and was stripped for spares.
Denmark
editThe body was also sold outside of the UK, predominantly to operators in Denmark. 22 East Lancs Nordic bodied Volvo B7Ls were delivered to City-Trafik between 2000 and 2001, with an additional 14 delivered to Arriva Danmark over the same period.[2][3] All would be withdrawn from service by 2018, with many being converted to open-toppers and exported worldwide for use as sightseeing buses; the final Nordic left in original condition was purchased from Movia by the Skjoldenæsholm Tram Museum and restored to original livery.[4]
Sri Lanka
editA total of 19 Nordics were delivered to operators in Sri Lanka, operating under contract to STLB.[citation needed]
Elsewhere
editThirteen of the former Arriva Denmark examples and fifteen of the Sri Lankan vehicles were later purchased by bus dealer Ensignbus and sold on to the Big Bus Company, who relocated the vehicles to their sightseeing operations in Sydney and Washington D.C.[4]
Myllennium Nordic
edit| East Lancs Myllennium Nordic | |
|---|---|
 Weavaway Travel Myllennium Nordic bodied Volvo B9TL in October 2009 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | East Lancashire Coachbuilders |
| Production | 2005–2006 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 door |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Chassis | Volvo B9TL |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Volvo D9A |
| Capacity | up to 102 seats |
| Transmission | ZF Ecomat |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Width | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | East Lancs Olympus |
The East Lancs Myllennium Nordic is a type of low-floor double-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was built on tri-axle double-decker Volvo B9TL chassis, with a length of 12 metres and a seating capacity of 102 passengers. The Myllennium Nordic body design is based on an elongated version of the East Lancs Myllennium Vyking body, with the name "Nordic" being derived from the chassis being built by a company from Sweden. The Myllennium Nordic was introduced in 2005 as the replacement for the East Lancs Nordic; following poor sales, the Myllennium Nordic was later replaced by the introduction of a tri-axle variant of the Olympus.
Operations
editUnited Kingdom
editWeavaway Travel of Newbury were the largest customer for the Myllennium Nordic, taking delivery of the first six examples to be built in April and May 2005.[citation needed] Further examples were later purchased Roadliner of Poole and Provence Private Hire of St Albans.
Although they did not purchase any Myllennium Nordics from new, Sanders Coaches of North Norfolk for a while operated the majority of Myllennium Nordics built for the UK, having acquired them second-hand. Lucketts Travel of Fareham now operates the majority in its 'Mortons' livery, including two bought from Sanders Coaches.[5]
Sri Lanka
editSix Myllennium Nordics were exported for operations in Sri Lanka under contract to STLB. A seventh Myllennium Nordic caught fire prior to being exported in 2010 and was scrapped.
References
edit- ^ "Launch of Glasgow mega deckers". Coach & Bus Week. No. 550. Peterborough: Emap. 7 November 2002. Archived from the original on 16 January 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ De Laine, Thomas (28 December 2000). "Første HT-dobbeltdækker præsenteret" [First HT double-decker presented]. myldretid (in Danish). Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ De Laine, Thomas (4 October 2001). "Alle dobbeltdækkere snart på gaden" [All double-deckers soon on the streets]. myldretid (in Danish). Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Last Copenhagen Nordic donated to Danish museum". Buses. No. 763. Stamford: Key Publishing. 20 September 2018. p. 21. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Lucketts acquires Mortons Travel". www.keybuses.com. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
