Wright Pulsar Gemini
| Wright Pulsar Gemini | |
|---|---|
An Arriva London Wright Pulsar Gemini in Brixton, December 2013 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Wrightbus |
| Production | 2003–2006 |
| Assembly | Ballymena, Northern Ireland |
| Body and chassis | |
| Doors | 1 or 2 |
| Floor type | Low-entry |
| Chassis | VDL DB250LF |
| Related | Wright Pulsar |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | DAF ATi RS 8.6 litre DAF Paccar PS 9.2 litre Ford Puma 2.4l I4 diesel (HEV)[1] |
| Capacity | 56–70 seated |
| Transmission | Voith DIWA ZF Ecomat |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 9.6–10.5 m (31–34 ft) |
| Width | 2.55 m (8.4 ft) |
| Height | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Wright Gemini 2 |
The Wright Pulsar Gemini is a double-decker body of a bus. It has a low-floor. It was made from 2003 to 2006 by Wrightbus.
The Pulsar Gemini body was built on the VDL DB250LF chassis.[2]
189 Wright Pulsar Geminis were made.[3]
In 2007, the Pulsar Gemini was replaced with the Wright Gemini 2.
Operators
From 2003 to 2006, Arriva UK Bus ordered Pulsar Geminis for its bus companies:[4]
- Arriva London ordered 134 Pulsar Geminis
- Arriva Kent Thameside ordered 7 Pulsar Geminis
- Arriva The Shires ordered 11 Pulsar Geminis
- Arriva Midlands ordered 32 Pulsar Geminis
In 2005, Konectbus ordered 5 Pulsar Geminis
Pulsar Gemini HEV
From 2006 to 2007, Wrightbus made a hybrid-electric a double-decker body of a bus called the Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV (HEV means Hybrid-Electric Vehicle).
The Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV body was built on the VDL DB250 chassis.[5]
Only three Pulsar Gemini HEVs were built which are listed below.
In 2007, the Pulsar Gemini HEV was replaced with the Wright Gemini 2 HEV.
Production buses
Production bus 1
In October 2006, The first Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV was announced by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.[6]
In March 2007, It was shown at the Euro Bus Expo at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.[7]
In March 2007, It was sent to Arriva London for trials on route 141.[8][9][10]
In 2008, It was sent to East Thames Buses' Mandela Way garage for six months for use on route 1.
From August 2010 to February 2012, It was sent to First Somerset & Avon for use in Bath.[11][12]
Production bus 2
From 2008 to 2012, The second Pulsar Gemini HEV was used by Dublin Bus of Ireland.[13][14][15]
In 2012, It was sent to Ensignbus, On 9 June 2012, It had caught fire because of an electrical fault.
Production bus 3
From 2009 to 2012, The third and final Pulsar Gemini HEV was sent to London General for use on services in London.
From 2017 to 2019, It was sent to Magtec Buses of Rotherham for tests and trials.
Gallery
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An example of Arriva Midlands' Pulsar Geminis in original livery
-
An example of Arriva Midlands' Pulsar Geminis, this one with special vinyls advertising services 126 and 127 between Coalville, Shepshed and Leicester via Loughborough
-
An example of Arriva Midlands' Pulsar Geminis in Arriva's standard Journey Mark livery
-
Konectbus Wright Pulsar Gemini
-
Lineup of Wright Pulsar Geminis (the two blue buses are Wright Eclipse Geminis)
References
- ↑ "A hybrid bus that cuts fuel consumption in half".
- ↑ Devoy, David (15 February 2018). McGill's Buses. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-7453-7. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ↑ "Bus Lists on the Web". www.buslistsontheweb.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ↑ Show debut for Pulsar Gemini Wrightbus 29 October 2003
- ↑ Beddall, David (15 November 2020). London's Low-floor Buses. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-0120-3.
- ↑ Hybrid-double-decker bus unveiled BBC News 31 October 2006
- ↑ "(Image of the Pulsar Gemini)". Euro Bus Expo - Facebook. Archived from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ↑ Arriva trials world's first double decker hybrid bus Arriva 16 March 2007
- ↑ Hybrid double-decker bus launched BBC News 16 March 2007
- ↑ Competition hots up on hybrids Archived 2018-08-05 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach Professional 21 November 2008
- ↑ Wrightbus double deck hybrid makes a big impression in Bath Archived 2018-08-06 at the Wayback Machine Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership 10 November 2010
- ↑ Civitas case study: Hybrid bus is better for Bath Archived 2021-01-16 at the Wayback Machine Clean & Better Transport in Cities
- ↑ New direction as first hybrid bus works cross-city The Herald 1 October 2008
- ↑ Dublin Bus puts hybrid-electric vehicle into service for test period Irish Times 16 December 2008
- ↑ "Dublin to get hybrid double-decker". Bus & Coach Professional. 11 April 2007. Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
Other websites
Media related to Wright Pulsar Gemini at Wikimedia Commons