In its 50th anniversary year, Telford & Wrekin Council has taken delivery of five new Mellor Orion buses. This latest delivery is on the back of five vehicles of the same specification ordered last year.

As part of the town’s 50th year celebrations, one of the new buses has been liveried in a special gold wrap and carries the wording ‘Telford 50 – 1968 – 2018, Celebrating Telford’s 50th anniversary’. In addition, the remaining vehicles, which are liveried in standard red, feature the same wording.

Jane Dransfield, Area Sales Manager (Central England and North Wales) for Mellor explains:

“We’re thrilled to be part of Telford’s 50th anniversary celebrations and that they have chosen one of the new Orions to be operating around the area in the special gold livery.
“We are sure that people in the Telford and Wrekin area will enjoy seeing and riding on the special anniversary gold bus.
“The council has taken a further five Orions for its fleet so that they can keep providing the level of passenger comfort and operational performance that is so important in today’s community transport sector.”

The Mellor Orions are being used in numerous ways by the council transport department, including provision of specialist transport for children with disabilities for school and nursery runs.

In addition, the buses are providing skills trips for older children to the Forest School and outward bound activities, as well as to physiotherapy sessions at the hydro pool.

The vehicles will also be used for Dial-a-Ride and shopper routes which help the elderly and disabled members of the community get out to go shopping and attend various social activities.

Each of the Orions has been specifically configured to provide optimum functionality and comfort for passengers and feature wheelchair access with low floors, power doors and seat belts. All have the capacity to carry up to 16 passengers at a time, which is ideal for this type of local service provision.
Mellor says the Orion is robust in design and meets the requirements of a range of community transport needs. Exceptional fuel economy makes it the logical choice for cost conscious operators.

The bus features a number of practical elements to enhance passenger comfort and safety including, rapid slide electric door, front ramp with buzzer, fold out ramp to the rear, and additional storage boxes in the back.