Mercedes-Benz Sprinters join the KICC congregation

Worshippers at a thriving church that attracts some of the biggest congregations in Europe have seen their prayers answered in the shape of a new fleet of Mercedes-Benz minibuses.

Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) in north-east London has just taken delivery from Heathrow dealer Rygor Commercials of 30 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Traveliners, to help bring thousands of people to its services every Sunday.

All of the factory-built 15-seaters are fitted with the innovative ECO-Start system – this saves fuel and reduces emissions by automatically cutting the engine whenever the vehicle is stationary for more than three seconds and then re-starts it as soon as the clutch pedal is depressed.

The fleet is the subject of a four-year contract hire deal with Mercedes-Benz CharterWay, the manufacturer’s in-house commercial vehicle finance division.

KICC recently moved out of its former premises in Hackney, east London, to make way for the London 2012 Olympic development. Services are currently held in a temporary home at Hoe Street, Walthamstow, while the management committee searches for a suitable site to create a new, purpose-built church and conference centre complex.

The Sprinters are used primarily as ‘shuttle buses’ – as part of its green travel initiative, the church encourages its members to travel to services by public transport, thus minimising the impact on traffic congestion and exhaust emissions; the vehicles then collect them from a series of pick-up points near local underground stations and bus stops.

The church attracts so many worshippers that six services every Sunday are needed to accommodate them all, and the shuttle buses run continually from 7am until 7.30pm. The new Mercedes-Benz vehicles have replaced the church’s previous fleet, which was by another manufacturer.

KICC Property & Facilities Manager Kayode Falebita said: “We had several key criteria for our new fleet. Obviously affordability was important, but so were fuel efficiency, low emissions and the safety and comfort of our volunteer drivers and their passengers.

“We drew up a shortlist of three vehicles and although we expected the Sprinter to be more expensive, we were pleasantly surprised at the competitiveness of the contract rates quoted by Mercedes-Benz CharterWay. And when our senior managers took a close look at demonstrator units supplied by the three manufacturers, the Sprinter quickly emerged as a clear favourite

“The standard safety systems are highly impressive, the seating is very comfortable for both drivers and passengers, and the vehicles have a real quality feel. The ECO-Start system is another big plus – it helps to reduce our costs and our impact on the local and global environment.”