The brand-new buses represent a major fleet upgrade for Rotala’s Diamond Bus operation in the West Midlands. The first seven buses entered service on 1st March, with the remaining 14 joining the fleet over the next few weeks. The buses will be operating on services 98/99 in the Solihull area and Rotala’s new service 27 between Solihull and Rubery, as well as other West Midlands-based routes.
The 21 new Enviro200 are each 10.8m long, with 40 Alexander Dennis SmartSeats provided. They are all fitted with Alexander Dennis’s SmartPack efficiency technology, qualifying as low-emission buses[1] and therefore allowing Diamond Bus to benefit from enhanced Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) payments as well as lower fuel costs.
Rotala has returned to Alexander Dennis on the back of several successful deliveries in the last two years. It took 21 Enviro200 buses for Preston and West Midlands routes in 2025, following 67 similar buses for Transport for Greater Manchester’s Bee Network in 2024.
Rotala CEO Simon Dunn said: “Once again Alexander Dennis has proven to be a great choice for our ongoing fleet upgrades. The buses delivered to our West Midlands and Preston networks last year have been very popular with customers and drivers alike, and are delivering on one of our key business strategies; to reduce our environmental impact by always buying cleaner, greener vehicles. The Enviro200 is a beautiful bus, and we’re all looking forward to customers enjoying these new additions.”
Simon Wood, Regional Sales Manager for Alexander Dennis, said: “We couldn’t be prouder that Rotala has chosen Alexander Dennis once again for new low-emission, passenger-pleasing buses. It’s a pleasure to work with Simon and the team once again on this significant fleet upgrade for the West Midlands.”
Diamond Bus runs more than 240 buses in the West Midlands from its three depots in Tividale, Kidderminster and Redditch.
It’s a subsidiary of Rotala, which celebrated its 20th anniversary at the end of 2025. Rotala has four other operations besides Diamond Bus in the West Midlands: Diamond Bus East Midlands, Diamond Bus North West, Hallmark Connections at Heathrow, and Preston Bus. Rotala’s ongoing investment in low-emission buses is a key part of its business strategy, which aims to limit its environmental impact by always buying cleaner, greener vehicles.
