Wrights streetlite

32212-19

To introduce further new vehicles to the Redditch operation Diamond acquired a further eight brand new Wrights Streetlites in February 2016. These vehicles were introduced into service from February 2015 and were initially deployed on the routes 57 and 58. Delivery of the vehicles was delayed following a decision to include more space for buggies as well as the required single wheelchair space. The vehicles were delivered to Redditch from the Wrights factory in Ireland via the ferry at Heysham in all over blue with the logos and branding being added before the vehicles entered service. 

32221-37 

To introduce  further new vehicles Euro VI vehicles into the Diamond Bus operation a further 17 brand new Wrights Streetlites entered the fleet in February 2018. The batch of vehicles were split across the three operating depots with the Redditch one for the service 50 in South Birmingham, the Kidderminster ones for the service 125 and the Tividale ones for the service 002.

32238 

In autumn 2019 Rotala acquired two further second hand Euro VI standard Streetlites. 32238 started life in May 2017 as a Wright's demonstrator and when there was a requirement for more vehicles at Bolton following them acquiring the operation from First Group 3238 joined the fleet in August 2019. When there was a need for more Euro VI vehicles in the West Midlands for the 31/2 bus partnership route in Walsall 32238 moved to the Tividale depot. 32240 was new with Arriva Kent & Surrey operation in July 2016 until it was acquired by Rotala in December 2019 when with 32238 there was a need for 2 extra vehicles for the 31/2 partnership routes in February 2020.

32239 

SK19EYL was new to Close Brothers as part of their contract vehicle hire fleet in April 2019. The vehicle initially went on contract hire to a number of operators. In the early part of 2024 the vehicles Close Brothers put this and a number of other vehicles of similar age up for sale and SK19EYL  joined the Diamond fleet in June 2024. The vehicle was allocated to the Redditch depot to help provide the extra vehicles required to operate the new service 540  Evesham to Tewkesbury service from 24th June 2024. The service had been operated for a number of years by Astons Coaches.

32240 

In autumn 2019 Rotala acquired two further second hand Euro VI standard Streetlites. 32238 started life in May 2017 as a Wright's demonstrator and when there was a requirement for more vehicles at Bolton following them acquiring the operation from First Group 3238 joined the fleet in August 2019. When there was a need for more Euro VI vehicles in the West Midlands for the 31/2 bus partnership route in Walsall 32238 moved to the Tividale depot. 32240 was new with Arriva Kent & Surrey operation in July 2016 until it was acquired by Rotala in December 2019 when with 32238 there was a need for 2 extra vehicles for the 31/2 partnership routes in February 2020.

32256-9 

With the demise of Bournemouth Yellow Buses in August 2022 the opportunity came about to acquire 19 mid life Wrights Streetlites that were built in 2013/14. They are similar to existing vehicles in the wider Rotala fleet so will fit in well. They have taken the fleet numbers 32241 - 32259. The first 11 are 14 plate with the remainder being 13 plate. Also 32241 - 32251 have 41 seats and  so are confirmed inside like existing vehicles in the fleet where as the remainder including the four allocated to the West Midlands are 45 seaters. The vast majority of the vehicles (the first 15)  are being allocated to Preston depot for the replacement of older Volvo single deck vehicles. The vehicles are being acquired from Ensign bus who purchased many of the former Bournemouth vehicles . As part of the deal Ensign have taken the four former Johnson's Scania single deckers  30121-4 in part exchange.

32260/1 

With the requirement for all bus services to be operated by Euro VI standard vehicles in the TfWM area by 1st May 2023 two further brand new Euro VI standard Wrights Streetlites similar to the 32221-37 batch joined the Diamond Bus West Midlands in March 2023. Both entered service in the March in all over white livery as they had entered from dealer stock. The standard Diamond bus Bus branding that would have been added to a two tone blue livered vehicle was however added. Over the weekend of the 9th and 10th July 2023 both vehicles moved to the Bolton depot of Diamond North West to act as spare vehicles to release other vehicles to be repainted in the Bee livery ready for the start of the first franchised bus services in Bolton from September 2023. As the new vehicles began to arrive for the TfGM franchise services both 32260 and 32261 moved back to the West Midlands and were allocated to Kidderminster garage for use mainly on TfWM contracted services which require Euro VI standard vehicles.

32262 

SK19EYO  was new to Close Brothers as part of their contract vehicle hire fleet in April 2019. The vehicle initially went on contract hire to Holmswood Coaches of Blackburn for use on a hospital shuttle contract . In the early part of 2024 the vehicles Close Brothers put this and a number of other vehicles of similar age up for sale and SK19EYO  joined the Diamond fleet in June 2024. The vehicle was allocated to the Redditch depot to help provide the extra vehicles required to operate the new service 540  Evesham to Tewkesbury service from 24th June 2024. The entered service on Saturday 22nd June 2024 on a service 11 journey but failed in service at Woodrow. The vehicle then spent a number of weeks out of service. On repair the vehicle was sent for a repaint into Diamond Bus livery before finally entering service on Wednesday 7th August 2024.

32276-80/3 

With Diamond North West winning a number of franchise services in TfGM's first and second tranche of tenders there is a requirement for 67 new Euro VI vehicles to operate these services. The first of the contracts started in September 2023 and as the first new vehicles were not due to arrive until January 2024  there was a need to back fill the requirement with a mixture of existing vehicles in the north west operation that were due to be cascaded elsewhere, vehicles transferred temporarily from the West Midlands and Preston and the use of 14 Dennis Streetlites purchased from Firstbus via their Ensign Bus  dealership. These Streetlites are all around 10 years old and had been on lease to First who decided to not cascaded them and allow the vehicles to leave the fleet. Ensign Bus has acted as a dealer on behalf of the leasing company to sell them on. As a result Rotala has taken a total of 24 vehicles. 14 will initially run from the Eccles depot on the new TfGM contracts until the new vehicles arrive and the last 10 32284-93 were allocated to the West Midlands operation at the Kidderminster depot. As the new vehicles were introduced in the North West six of their vehicles moved to the West Midlands to join the sister vehicles at Kidderminster. 

32284-93 

With Diamond North West winning a number of franchise services in TfGM's first and second tranche of tenders there is a requirement for 67 new Euro VI vehicles to operate these services. The first of the contracts started in September 2023 and as the first new vehicles were not due to arrive until January 2024  there was a need to back fill the requirement with a mixture of existing vehicles in the north west operation that were due to be cascaded elsewhere, vehicles transferred temporarily from the West Midlands and Preston and the use of 14 Dennis Streetlites purchased from Firstbus via their Ensign Bus  dealership. These Streetlites are all around 10 years old and had been on lease to First who decided to not cascaded them and allow the vehicles to leave the fleet. Ensign Bus has acted as a dealer on behalf of the leasing company to sell them on. As a result Rotala has taken a total of 24 vehicles. 14 will initially run from the Eccles depot on the new TfGM contracts until the new vehicles arrive. The original 10 allocated the the West Midlands  operation in September 2023 were all allocated to the Kidderminster Garage

32295

SN65OLW was built as a demonstrator vehicle by Wrights and entered service in November 2015. It was used for both that purpose and to cover warranty work on similar vehicles with various operators. The vehicle has remained in a white livery all of its life so far and and has been operated by all of the main bus groups at one or another.  In more recent years it has been owned by Close Brothers who both supply commercial vehicles on lease and for purchase as well as the finance for many aspects of the vehicle industry. After being used as a lease vehicle by Close Brothers it was put up for sale in 2024 and was purchased by Diamond bus with two similar vehicles 32294 and 32296. The former joining the Preston bus fleet and and latter joining the Diamond Bus fleet. 32295 was an early build of a Streetlite with a Euro VI engine. 

32296/7

SK68TXN  was built as a demonstrator vehicle by Wrights and entered service in December 2018. It was used for both that purpose and to cover warranty work on similar vehicles with various operators. The vehicle has remained in a white livery all of its life so far and and has been operated by all of the main bus groups at one or another.  The vehicle was initially operated by First South Yorkshire whilst warranty work was done on their vehicles. It subsequently was operated by Diamond bus in the early part of 2022 whilst warranty work was done on a number of their vehicles In more recent years it has been owned by Close Brothers who both supply commercial vehicles on lease and for purchase as well as the finance for many aspects of the vehicle industry. After being used as a lease vehicle by Close Brothers it was put up for sale in 2024 and was purchased by Diamond bus with two similar vehicles 32294 and 32295. The former joining the Preston bus fleet and and latter joining the Diamond Bus fleet. On the 11th June 2024 sister vehicle SK68TXM joined the fleet and took the fleet number 32297.

32307-10

Following the introduction of the 8 new Streetlites at Redditch (32212-9) In Rotala ordered a further 10 Streetlites 32301-10. The first 6 were allocated to the Preston operation with the last four being allocated to the West Midlands in April 2016. Significantly these were the first Rotala vehicles to be be built to Euro VI emission standards and were allocated to the Tividale deport for use on the service 4 from West Bromwich to Walsall. The vehicles soon moved to Redditch for use on the Signature bus services in Solihull which required the use of Euro VI standard vehicles. Once these contracts had ended the vehicles moved back to Tividale for  for use on the joint service 40 with National Express West Midlands. 32310 however soon moved to the Diamond South East fleet.