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Origins
The U11DD of 2023 aimed Yutong at transit's most symbolic niche: the British double-decker, electric, built in Zhengzhou for the UK's accelerating zero-emission mandates. Operators in Scotland and England took early fleets, the type's arrival marking how completely bus procurement's geography had shifted — London's iconic format, supplied from Henan. Range, warranty and price made the case against domestic and European rivals. The U11DD's significance is emblematic: when even the double-decker — Britain's rolling self-image — electrifies on Chinese platforms, the industry's centre has moved, visibly, upper deck and all. The upper deck's view now includes the industry's new map. Scottish depots charging Chinese double-deckers overnight is the industry's new normal, arrived without ceremony.
Taunton Blackbrook - First · Geof Sheppard · CC BY-SA 4.0
