PLAXTON PRIMO – FIRST IN SMALL BUSES.

Plaxton today announces an all-new rear-engined minibus, the Primo, designed to provide a truly cost-effective answer to the challenge of providing accessible buses on lightly-used routes, or on services to areas which bigger buses cannot penetrate.

The 28-seat Primo is just 7.9m long and with its short wheelbase offers unrivalled manoeuvrability. The entrance is in the front overhang, which improves passengers flow and for the driver makes fare collection as easy a job as it is on full-size buses.

“Having the entrance in the front overhang makes life easier for passengers and drivers,” says Kevin Wood, Plaxton’s sales director. “And the use of a short wheelbase in a bus measuring just 7.9m in length and 2.4m in width gives the Primo even better manoeuvrability than the front-engined minibuses which are the typically used on the services where we expect Primo to secure most sales.”

The Primo has a welded stainless steel structure, building on Plaxton’s considerable expertise in using stainless steel on its coach range. It is powered by the familiar Euro 3 version of Cummins’ ISBe engine, rated at 135bhp. This is mounted transversely at the rear, and drives a Raba axle via an Allison 2000 Series gearbox and a Z-driveline arrangement produced by Raba.

“We looked very carefully at the packaging of the drivetrain,” Kevin Wood continues, “and the layout selected makes for a compact installation while still preserving ease of access to all the main components. The really big benefit is that it maximises the step-free low-floor area, with 70% of the Primo’s 28 seats providing step-free accessibility.

“Primo revolutionises the small bus market in terms of space, manoeuvrability and passenger comfort.”

It brings new style to the small bus market too, with a bright and roomy interior and Esteban Urban 90 seats. The stylish exterior features aluminium panelling and GRP front and rear mouldings. The skirt and corner panels can be removed and replaced quickly, to minimise downtime in the event of minor accident damage.

The Primo is initially available with bonded glazing as standard, “The stylish lines of the vehicle are a definite feature and the glazing contributes significantly this, nevertheless we recognise that there may be customers who see benefits in using gasket glazing and we’ll respond according to the demand for this” Kevin Wood explains.

Passengers are assured of a smooth ride thanks to the use of independent front suspension. The Primo has disc brakes all round and a Frenelsa electric retarder is fitted as standard.

“There are still large numbers of step-entrance minibuses in service in Britain,” Kevin Wood continues, “and many operators are waiting for a viable replacement. The Primo is just what they need, with its ability to negotiate narrow roads and tight corners, while offering the same ease of access which is available on full-size buses, with the choice of a manual or power ramp directly opposite the driver.”

The Primo frame is assembled in Hungary by EBL, effectively a conventional chassis in most respects but one which extends up to cantrail level. The completed frames are then shipped to Scarborough as a driveable unit, there the traditional coach-building element takes over and the body is completed to the customer specification. This arrangement has allowed Plaxton to expedite testing and development work on the product, utilising the expertise of EBL who run the former Plaxton and TransBus design and production facilities in Hungary.

“The structure was developed and tested using computer-aided design programs and then finite element analysis, in much the same way as with our current coach range,” says Kevin Wood. “This was then followed by extensive track testing of prototypes. This proved the validity of our computer calculations.”

Prototypes have covered the equivalent of 40,000km miles in service in punishing test track conditions.

The Primo joins Plaxton’s new Centro, announced in June, as the company broadens its product range and re-establishes itself as a supplier of high-quality small buses.

“With Primo, as with Centro, we are offering bus operators the same high-quality production standards as we provide our coach customers,” Kevin Wood concludes.

ENDS

September 2005