For the last two week an electric bus has been on demonstration within Flintshire. For a week it worked the Deeside Park and Ride and Wednesday and Friday last week together with Monday of this week (24th) it worked the Buckley Town service (LT4).
The vehicle was Optare Solo M890EV OP02ARE which was new in July 2013 as YJ13HKY and was a demonstrator for Optare. It has recently been given the livery of Switch Mobility which like Optare is a subsidiary companies of the Ashock Leyland group
This Optare Solo has previously been in the area and spent time with M and H Coaches, Trefnant and Stagecoach during 2017where it operated Denbighshire services with a view to the possible purchase of electric buses for those routes. The project did not proceed. The bus also went on demonstration with Lloyds of Machynlleth in 2017.
It is understood that two electric vehicles will shortly be purchased by Flintshire County Council for use on the Park and Ride and Buckley Town service which are operated by Dean's Travel and Dennis Hutchinson respectively.
The model under demonstration was 9.8m in length and full width (2.5m). It was found too large to be able to turn around at the Buckley Railway Station and therefore had to terminate at the end of the Station approach.