Mellor Strata

The Mellor Strata is a minibus body manufactured by Mellor Coachcraft since 2016 on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. It is available as the Mellor Strata HF 16, a step-entrance version aimed at the access bus market, so named for its maximum seated passenger capacity of sixteen;[1] or as the Mellor Strata LF, a low-floor variant targeting the service bus market, with a capacity of up to 21 seated passengers.[2]

Mellor Strata
A Mellor Strata LF,
operated by Arriva North West
Overview
ManufacturerMellor Coachcraft
Production2016–Present
Body and chassis
Doors1 door
Floor typeLow-floor (Strata LF)
Step entrance (Strata HF 16)
ChassisMercedes-Benz Sprinter
Powertrain
EngineMercedes-Benz
Power output140 bhp (514 CDI)
163 bhp (516 CDI)
Transmission7-speed automatic or manual
Dimensions
Length7.76 – 8.78 metres
Width2.3 metres
Height2.67 metres (Strata LF)
2.76 metres (Strata HF 16)
Curb weight5500 kg
Chronology

The light and economical van-based Strata was launched to compete with the more traditional, but heavier and less economical, bus-based short wheelbase Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC and Optare Solo SR, as well as other van-based minibus designs, as the United Kingdom bus market was starting to go through the 'second minibus revolution' of the mid to late 2010s.

The Strata LF is built on the long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516 CDI chassis, while the Strata HF 16 is available on both the 514 CDI (with a less powerful engine) and 516 CDI variants of the Sprinter.[1][2]

Since 2018, Mellor have offered two longer versions of the Strata,[3] the 8.1m Strata Plus and the 8.7m Strata Ultra.[4] The first Strata Ultra was delivered in 2019.[5]

Operators

Strata HF 16

The first two Strata HF 16s were delivered to Melksham Community Transport in early 2017.[6] East Riding of Yorkshire Council have placed the largest order for Strata HF 16s to date, taking delivery of nine examples in July 2017.[7]

Strata LF

The first two Strata LFs entered service with McGill's Bus Services in late 2016 on their Inverclyde network.[8]

The Strata LF has seen strong sales with local councils for community transport operations, with deliveries going to Dumfries & Galloway Council's SWestrans operation (three examples, leased to Houston's Coaches of Lockerbie);[9] Nottinghamshire County Council (two examples);[10] and Redcar and Cleveland Council (three examples).[11] Additionally, a single Strata LF has been delivered to Cheshire West and Chester Council and leased to Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire for operation on the Blacon Greyhound community bus service between Blacon and the Greyhound Retail Park in Chester.[12]

The first order from a major group came in 2017, with Arriva North West taking delivery of nine Stratas for services in Macclesfield and Winsford in Cheshire.[13][14][15][16] Rotala Group operations Preston Bus and Diamond Bus have also ordered a number of these model for their Ribble Valley operations and Transport for West Midlands tendered contracts.

See also

Competitors:

Other contemporary Mellor products:

References
  1. "Strata HF 16". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  2. "Strata". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  3. "Two all-new versions of successful Strata bus released". mellor. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. "Mellor Strata Ultra: Watershed minibus moment?". Route One. 26 November 2018. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. "Stringers places first order for Strata Ultra". Buses. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  6. "Melksham Community Transport is on the move with Mellor thanks to Department for Transport funding boost". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  7. "Repeat order of 9 Mellor Sprinters for East Riding of Yorkshire Council". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  8. "Mellor deliver first Strata to McGill's". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  9. "SWestrans goes further with Mellor". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  10. "Nottingham County Council invest in Mellor Orion Plus and Strata fleet". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  11. "Redcar And Cleveland Council Keeps The Community Moving With Strata". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  12. Carmella de Lucia. "Council introduce new bus route from Blacon to Greyhound Park – but some residents aren't happy". Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  13. "Mellor's Strata proves that 'less gives more' with Arriva North West". Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  14. "Arriva North West gets the measure of Mellor's Strata". transportengineer.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  15. "Arriva North West purchases new low floor buses from Mellor". eurotransportmagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  16. "Got something to say? Send us your news, views and comments". route-one.net. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
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