London Hire shifts up a gear with the new Volkswagen Crafter

At this year’s Community Transport Show in Manchester, commercial vehicle self-drive hire operator, London Hire, officially took delivery of one of the UK’s first Volkswagen Crafter coach built minibuses. London Hire’s Account Development Manager, Peter Moxom, received the keys for the new minibus from Stephen Small, Group Fleet Sales Manager for the SMG Volkswagen Van Centre in Croydon.

The new minibus will operate as a demonstrator vehicle and be road-tested by local authorities across all the London Boroughs. London Hire decided on the Volkswagen Crafter because of the ease with which it can be adapted into a fully accessible passenger vehicle. Furthermore, the company feels the van’s superior design and construction is in keeping with its own commitment to providing a quality service.

Using the long wheelbase high roof Crafter as a starting point, the body builders, Standford Coach Works in Essex, constructed a high specification minibus with the capacity to carry 14 passengers in a pleasant and comfortable environment. The equipment fitted includes a Ratcliff tail lift; NMI quick release seating; front and rear climate control and an aroma diffuser in the passenger compartment.

The Crafter minibus is powered by a five-cylinder 2.5-litre TDI diesel engine producing 136 PS and fitted with Volkswagen’s lightweight Shiftmatic semi-automatic gearbox, which can be operated in either automatic or manual mode depending on the driving conditions. For town or city driving, the Shiftmatic transmission offers the advantage of clutch-free, efficient gear changes simply by pushing the dash-mounted gear lever forward to change down or backwards to change up.

The Shiftmatic gearbox was another factor in London Hire’s decision to buy the Crafter, as Peter Moxom explains: ‘A large number of our operators’ drivers only have an automatic driving licence, so the option of a Crafter with a semi-automatic gearbox will receive an enthusiastic welcome by many of our customers’ fleet managers.’

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has supplied London Hire with over 800 vans in 15 years and is currently in the process of fulfilling an order for 20 Volkswagen Crafters.

Established in 1988, London Hire has expanded steadily not only in terms of fleet size but also in relation to the range of services available to its public and private sector customers. The provision of contract hire and leasing vehicles to local authorities is one area where London Hire has achieved significant success, contributing to the company expanding nationally with depots opening in Kent and the Midlands.

For further information on the Crafter, visit volkswagen-vans.co.uk.