Devon County Council has taken delivery of 20 new wheelchair-accessible Iveco Daily minibuses as it updates its community transport fleet.
Each M2 category minibus has been built to the council’s precise specification by Tiverton-based Courtside Conversions, part of the Iveco Busmaster advocate programme, which supplied six similar Daily minibuses in 2016, and will be used for school transport.
Each of the new 17-seat Daily 50C15 minibuses has a gross vehicle weight of 5.0-tonnes, and is fitted with tracking for up to six wheelchairs to be secured on board. Access is via a nearside passenger door featuring a cut-in triple step entrance with safety grab rails on both sides, or via an inboard tail-lift at the rear doors for wheelchair passengers.
Delivered by Hendy Van & Truck in Exeter, the 3.0-litre diesel minibuses also feature on-board LED lighting which can be controlled by the driver, a glass emergency lift-up roof vent in the centre of the saloon and a fuel-burning heater.
The order was secured following a competitive tender involving multiple manufacturers and run through the YPO framework agreement, which helps local authorities access best value for their taxpayers.
Daniela Pleiss, senior procurement officer at Devon County Council, said: “We evaluated the full range of suppliers that submitted a bid, and it was Iveco Bus and converters Courtside Conversions which ticked all of the right boxes and could offer the exact specification we wanted. Their proposal also offered the best value, and we had confidence in the product to meet our requirements over a long life in service.”
