Dorset County Council has taken delivery of eight new Mellor Orion buses taking their total order of Orions to 39 in two years.

The Orions have been specifically configured to provide optimum functionality and comfort for passengers on the Council’s accessible transport route, which is in place to help people in the community who find it difficult to use traditional transport services.
The Orion boasts an ultra-flat low floor and wide wheelchair accessible side and rear entrances with fold out ramp, for ease of access for passengers with all abilities. The bus has the capacity to carry up to 16 passengers at a time, which is ideal for local services such as those provided by the Council, including residential care homes and school routes.
Peter Colvin, Fleet Operations Manager at Dorset County Council, said:

“We have once again returned to Mellor for our latest order. We currently operate a fleet of 85 vehicles, 39 of which are Mellor.
“The vehicles met the specification of the tender requirements, fitted the needs of our passengers and came at a budget and delivery time that was ideal.
“We have had great success with the Orions in our fleet which offer the comfort and accessibility required by our passengers. We have also been impressed with the response to recall from Mellor where any faults are repaired quickly and efficiently to keep us on the road.
“Our services are extremely important to many local residents, some of which are less mobile or live in more remote rural areas.”

Area Sales Manager for Mellor (South of England and Wales), Stephen Haywood, added:

“We are delighted that Dorset CC has once again returned to us for a repeat order, you know you are doing something right when the customer returns time and time again.
“Each vehicle in the range has been designed to be robust, meeting the requirements of dial-a-ride or community transport bus operators across the UK. The exceptional fuel economy makes the Orion the logical choice for cost conscious customers.”