Optare Buses

One of the best ways to get around New Zealand is by bus, whether a visitor or a commuter, and with the supply of a new fleet of vehicles that are more environmentally conscious, they aim to give passengers the very best service.

One of the UK’s leading bus manufacturers, Optare Group, has built 114 Metrocity buses, the company’s biggest Australasian export – worth £21 million. The innovative and environmentally efficient Metrocity buses are being supplied to Tranzit Group, one of New Zealand’s largest public transport operators. The buses will operate around Greater Wellington Regional Council routes in Wellington and the surrounding region.

Featuring a custom-made moquette by Camira, the buses have a passenger capacity of 55 and are the lightest in weight to operate in New Zealand with the same capacity.

The seating fabric design is inspired by the bright colours of the exterior and brand colours for New Zealand’s transport network. The fabric has a rich blue background and lime green pattern, with a reversed colour option to highlight the priority seating on each bus.

The new buses recognise Optare’s continued innovation to make lighter weight buses, which deliver annual savings in fuel consumption and operating costs. All buses are manufactured in the UK at Optare’s site in North Yorkshire and shipped in batches. It takes 28 days to make one vehicle and eight buses are shipped a week.

Camira has been working with Optare for over 20 years and make bespoke moquette fabrics for key UK operators, including Arriva, Go Ahead, First Group, Stagecoach and National Express. Optare also builds and holds several stocked vehicles, with sets of belted and non-belted seats, in a default fabric we design and make, giving choice to meet an operator’s specifications.