• Two Airline coaches to be emblazoned in liveries promoting the Ashmolean Museum
• One of the most luxurious coach services to Heathrow and Gatwick in the UK providing a First-Class travel standard passenger experience
• On-board sat-nav display monitors for passengers to track their journey
• First vehicle has arrived at Cowley House for staff training programme
The Oxford Bus Company is investing in a new range of luxury coaches for part of its Airline services to Gatwick and Heathrow.
The £3.5m upgrade will see 11 new Mercedes Tourismo coaches enter service next month. The significant investment is part of Oxford Bus Company’s commitment to introducing the latest technology to its fleet and providing a first-class service to passengers. The coaches are fitted with the latest green technology and are ultra-low Euro 6 rated for emissions. Most journeys between Oxford and Heathrow will operate using the 11 new coaches which will be part of an overall fleet of 16 Airline coaches.
As part of Oxford Bus Company’s partnership with Experience Oxfordshire it will display special liveries promoting the Ashmolean Museum on two of the new fleet. It forms part of Oxford Bus Company’s commitment to support Experience Oxfordshire in highlighting the excellent visitor attractions in the county.
The new vehicles will include luxurious seating and a tray table for each passenger to make their journeys as comfortable as possible. The trays are designed to accommodate laptops and tablets and each seat also includes a USB charging point and power-socket. There will also be monitors on-board, with sat-nav displays to enable passengers to check progress on their journey, just as they would when on an aeroplane. The new coaches also boast free Wi-Fi, wheel-chair access and much improved luggage capacity for passengers’ suitcases and bags.
Phil Southall, Managing Director of the Oxford Bus Company, said: “Our Airline luxury coach services between Oxford and Gatwick and Heathrow perform an important offering to our customers. They provide a reliable, comfortable and great value for money way for people to travel to and from Gatwick and Heathrow.
“Our investment in upgrading our Airline fleet underpins our commitment to the service and to providing our customers with a first-class service. The new coaches are fantastic and include a lot of the latest technology on the market and make them one of the most modern and luxurious coach service to Heathrow and Gatwick.
“We are proud to also be displaying the Ashmolean Museum livery on two of the coaches, as part of our commitment to helping showcase the wonderful visitor attractions in Oxfordshire.
“Our team are currently undergoing staff training with the new coach that has been delivered and we look forward to receiving delivery of the rest of the fleet, adding the liveries to them and introducing them into service.”
Susan McCormack, Director of Public Engagement, Ashmolean Museum, said: “We are enormously grateful to our friends at the Oxford Bus Company for giving us the opportunity to showcase some of our treasures outside the museum. Two coaches from the new fleet will be wrapped in pictures of our Egyptian mummies and a spectacular Dutch still life. We can’t wait to see them out on the road, and we hope they brighten up the journeys of passengers and drivers around town.”
