BUS manufacturer Optare has completed its largest ever Australasian export order as a New Zealand transport operator takes delivery of its first batch of 114 Yorkshire-made vehicles.

Sherburn in Elmet-based Optare, which is part of the Indian headquartered Ashok Leyland group, marked the initial delivery of its Metrocity buses with a ceremony at the British High Commission in New Zealand’s capital Wellington.

Acting British High Commissioner, Helen Smith cut the ribbon on the first bus of the £21 million deal, representing Optare’s biggest ever Australasian order.

The Metrocity buses are being supplied to Tranzit Group, one of New Zealand’s largest public transport operators.

Graham Belgum, president of Optare, said: “This is a significant step for Optare in our international export strategy and signals the start of the exciting growth opportunities available to us in Australasia.

“Furthermore, it recognises our continued innovation in lightweight design, delivering significant annual savings in fuel consumption and operating costs.”

The first 12 of the buses will begin operation around Greater Wellington Regional Council routes in Wellington and the surrounding region in the next few weeks.

The Metrocity buses for Tranzit feature Euro 6 compliant engines, an innovative monocoque design, have a passenger capacity of up to 55 and will be the lightest with this capacity to operate in New Zealand.

Paul Snelgrove, managing director of Tranzit Group, said: “The Metrocity buses were purpose-built to meet the demands of the Wellington region’s commuter network.

“They’re top-of-the-line and exactly what we need to give the region’s commuters the very best service possible.

“We’ve ordered a combination of 10.1m and 10.8m Metrocity buses, which means we’ll have the right buses available to best service the mix of the city, suburban and semi-rural routes we’ll be operating. The shorter buses are much easier to manoeuvre.”

Jason Pecotic, general manager of Bus Corp Oceania, which is Optare’s dealer and partners in Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are delighted to be providing warranty and full after market support for the vehicles and are working closely with Optare to expand the product reach to operators in New Zealand and Australia.

“We are already seeing people sit up and take notice of Optare and this new fleet of Optare buses for Tranzit is just the beginning of resurgence of the brand down under.”