DT55ECT WELCOME ABOARD!

 

History

DT55ECT came to us under the plates N700PEG, a 70 seater tri-axel NEOPLAN Tourliner built in 2012. The coach was operated by Pegasus coaches in Southampton as a charter coach and spent a decade working to move British tourists, holiday makers and school trips across Europe. N700PEG has been papped on major international routes across France, Italy & Spain. N700PEG'S last MOT expired in November 2020, it was probably offloaded by PEGASUS coaches early in the Pandemic.

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Acquirement & Refurbishment

ITAE Group has operated tour buses since 2018 and they have played a huge role in the logistical aspect of the business which itself is a challenge. In December 2021 it was decided that the current BOVA Futura was reaching the end of its lifespan and maintenance costs were increasing in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  It was decided that we would this time purchase a coach and retrofit it out to our specification to optimise the internal space for our crew who spend long stints away from home.

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Our CEO Sam and maintenance engineer Graham began looking for coaches that we're suitable, after hours of internet searching they found N700PEG which was for sale in Leicestershire. Did you know not any bus can be a tour bus? There are  a number of factors that must be suitable including a flat floor, adequate ceiling height and chassis structure etc. 

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We found this NEOPLAN Tourliner for sale in tip-top condition within our budget. We took delivery of the coach in January 2022 and planned to begin the refit that same month. We had a budget of £35,000 to spend on the refit. Due to the Omicron variant, cost of living increases and war in Ukraine affecting parts and materials work was put on hold and didn't begin until August 2022.

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The design plan was simple. A portable home for the crew that is light and airy and comfortable to occupy. The coach was originally a 70 seater and had to undergo a DVSA COIF inspection to reduce its carrying capacity to 12 seated and 2 standing. This it to comply with our operators licence.

 

Work began in August 2022 and took 3 months to fully complete, the project was managed by Sam our CEO and executed by Graham who undertakes the ongoing maintenance. Overall the fit out ended up over budget, coming in at £75,000 factoring in MOT work and the advertising wrap, a hefty investment but very much needed to service the number of shows we deliver every year.

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Whats inside?

Stepping onto the coach you'll find a small front lounge area with Apple TV, four comfy sideways facing seats and storage for 4 suitcases, theres curtains to the main windscreen, side windows and across the bunk alley. Walking through the curtain you'll find the 6 crew bunk alley which has 6 spacious comfortable beds stacked 3 high on each side, each bunk has a dimmable light, USB port and 240V plug socket for the crew to charge their devices as well as privacy curtains.

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Leaving the bunk alley you arrive into the kitchen, this is a matt white and black gloss finish with copper tiles to the walls. Here we have a fridge and freezer for the crew food, two microwaves, an air fryer, a hot water urn and toaster. There is a full size sink too for the pots and dishes. The kitchen is the hub of the tour bus with plenty of cupboards for storage. Under the kitchen we have the emergency side exit as well as the sunken toilet. 

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Behind the kitchen and curtain divide is the main lounge, this has seating for 8 people and again has Apple TV, an X Box and Playstation as well as a Bluetooth sound bar. The lounge has curtains to all sides as well as under seat storage for 8 more suitcases, shoes and two 4 man tables which are removable for eating dinner. 

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At the very back of the bus is the master touring bedroom, this is designed for the main presenter Sam Piri and has a superking sized bed complete with Harrison Spinks mattress. There are 5 large cupboards for clothes, a full size mirror and under bed storage. This allows Sam to get a sound night sleep as he delivers 6 shows a week, manages the whole business remotely and is on tour full time most of the year.

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The tour bus has full 240V power, a cash deposit safe, two WEBASTO night heaters, unlimited 5G wifi, neon blue nightlights and even printing capability. When not plugged into a shore line the batteries can provide remote power for 24 hours meaning the tour bus provides a home from home for our crew.

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Attached to the back you'll find the show trailer, this houses equipment that's too big to fit in the lockers underneath. This is often detached from the bus and left on site at the venue.

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Wayne and Josh are qualified coach drivers and share the driving of the bus on tour.

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We'll let you guess why we selected DT55ECT as the most fitting registration plate!

 

The future

We're planning to be able to use DT55ECT for the next 7 years before shell need replacing again. With such an operationally busy schedule we need a large workhorse to keep the show moving that also complies with our operators and specimens licence. Our plans for 2023 see us begin operating in Europe as well as the UK.

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If you see us, take a picture and TAG us on INSTAGRAM to win tickets to a show near you.

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If you know anymore about this coach please email the email address in the footer and we'll update the story above!