My15 with an Optare Versa

On Saturday 30th April Trent Barton launched the new buses on the My15. The buses were Optare Versas, smaller than the Scania/Volvo L94 buses that were previously running on the route. The reason the buses are smaller is because when Trent Barton were upgrading from the Optare Solos that now run on the Centrelink, discussions were had about extending the route to East Midlands Airport. The promised funding never materialised so instead of buying new buses for the Swift and Rapid One, Trent Barton bought smaller, cheaper and more fuel efficient buses for the My15 and transferred the Scanias to the Swift and Rapid1. On the way back from Derby after the Spondon Flyer launch we took a My15 from Ilkeston to Sandiacre.



Optare Versa 802 prepares to leave Ilkeston
(Wharncliffe Road) for the 15:20
departure on 30/04/2011.



We boarded Optare Versa 802 for the 15:20 departure from Ilkeston, Wharncliffe Road. There were about twelve or thirteen people on a bus that could seat thirty seven. The buses can also cope with a further twenty one standing. The seats were like seats on the Indigo and The Two and were very comfortable. The driver was very friendly and the bus was generally living up to "the really good bus company" slogan. As on the Spondon Flyer Versas, the bottom part of the tip up seat was standard fabric to avoid the seat sticking together. The bus was quite clean although there were a few scratches by the door, presumably from pishchairs and wheelchairs. The buses were generally well presented however, and there was full information at the bus stops. This is very important to the smooth running of a service. To see the rest of the pictures go to our My15 pictures page here.