ADULT care clients travel in style, aboard Thurrock Council’s first Mercedes-Benz vehicles
Comfort, driveability, robust build quality and environmental friendliness topped the list of priorities when Thurrock Council set out to acquire five new wheelchair-accessible minibuses for use by its adult care services team.
The local authority followed an established competitive tendering process, and the chassis that came out tops was the 5.0-tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 513 BlueTEC with low-emission Euro VI engine technology and seven-speed 7G-Tronic automatic transmission.
Replacements for hired-in vehicles, all were supplied by the Mercedes-Benz Retail Group Fleet Sales team, who are based at the Mercedes-Benz East London Van Centre in Barking.
The minibuses have been adapted for the role by specialist bodybuilder and converter Treka Bus, of Brighouse, West Yorkshire. They run five days a week, transferring clients between their homes and day care centres, with attendants on board to assist passengers.
The new intake comprises two Long chassis cabs with coachbuilt T16 minibus bodies and three Extra-long panel vans which have undergone conversion. Both vehicle types can carry a combination of up to 16 passengers on conventional seating or a maximum of six in wheelchairs – Phoenix Blenheim M2 removable seats are fitted to in-floor tracking using NMI seat fixings for maximum layout flexibility.
They are also fitted with rear-mounted PLS Access Lite passenger lifts and Eberspächer Kiev climate control systems. The converted panel vans additionally have PLS Aqua side-steps, while the coachbuilt vehicles have been specified with Treka Bus Voiceover Information Systems, which provide operational information and warning messages in multiple languages as required.
The Sprinters are Thurrock Council’s first vehicles to wear three-pointed stars. Key to their appeal for its Fleet & Logistics Manager Matt Trott was the reputation of Mercedes-Benz and the high specification of its products.
“We wanted a durable, low-pollution and ‘future-proof’ vehicle, and the latest, Euro VI-engined Sprinter fitted the bill perfectly,” he reported. “These vehicles normally operate in heavy traffic so the smooth automatic transmission also provides greater comfort for passengers, as well as relieving stress for our drivers.”
Treka Bus Chairman Mark Clissett added: “The Sprinter is a quality product with fantastic after sales support, which is vital in this line of business. Unlike some other manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz offers consistency… you don’t get issues because a vehicle was built in a different plant or on the wrong day of the week.
“We have a fantastic relationship with Mercedes-Benz Retail Group, and are currently taking six chassis a week. Our forward order book extends to 130 coachbuilt and converted vehicles, all of which will be Mercedes-Benz-based.”
Thurrock Council expects to run its new vehicles for seven years, during which time they will be maintained in-house.
