This vehicle was on show at Covent Garden on Wednesday 16th
March.
Dave Stewart writes:-
It has a 10.6m Volvo B5LH chassis with a Wrightbus ‘SRM’
H45/21D body, described as “inspired by the New Routemaster” but with
standard London layout of two doors and one staircase. Inside, the
side walls and stair panels are in bergundy (just like on the LT), the
seats are identical to the LT and with the same moquette; gold
handrails and with bell pushes like the LT; same ‘air cooling vents’ in the ceiling as on an LT.
However the front dome is a separate bolt-on and fibreglass – the dome
on the LT is all part of the overall structural integrity of the body .
It has a rear window upstairs (unlike the LT) but doesn’t have one
downstairs – and no opening windows (yet). The bus at Covent Garden
had London United fleetnames although the first order is for six (to
be VHR class) for sister RATP company London Sovereign route 13 by
September
A fuller report is available from the Transport Engineer website at the following link:-
http://www.transportengineer.org.uk/transport-engineer-news/wrightbus-and-volvo-launch-srm-hybrid-bus/116868/