Pelican opens new Parts Distribution Centre with continued investment paying dividends

Pelican Bus & Coach is continuing to invest in expanding its facilities with the opening of a new national parts distribution centre, dedicated to its fast-growing bus and coach division. Located at Castleford, (near Leeds), adjacent to J31/M62, close to Pelican’s existing facilities, the new 12,000sq ft building has been purchased and fitted with two-level racking, enabling it to carry sufficient parts to support all types of Yutong buses and coaches in service, especially its electric bus fleet customers. Pelican has also reported a 70% uplift in turnover and has seen fast growing interest in its range of zero-emission electric coaches and buses from all sections of the industry. The diesel coach business is also recovering well after the devastating effects of Covid-19 on the coach industry.

Richard Crump, Managing Director of Pelican, commented on the developments: “After the disruption of the last two years, we are seeing all parts of the business recovering well and will be re-investing our increased revenues in plant, resources and people to better support our customers into the future. Despite being possibly the oldest commercial vehicle dealership in the country, we are at the forefront of introducing the very latest electric vehicle technology to the market. As well as the significant investment in our new showroom, we are also investing in our warehousing and parts distribution ahead of the 1,000th Yutong vehicle sale expected early next year.”

Head of Pelican Yutong Bus, Ian Downie added: “In addition to the bringing people to work, students to university, reuniting families, and bringing new visitors to our cities from all around the world. This new route is a major addition for connectivity as it will enhance the public transport offering for both locals and visitors alike. The progress on the completion of the A6 is improving travel time and increasing the viability of this route like never before. Aircoach is fully committed to ensuring that the North West is connected to major travel and economic hubs to improve the attractiveness of the region as a place in which to invest. It’s a very exciting time for Aircoach as we expand our presence to the North-West and we look forward to working with our new colleagues and customers for many years to come.” growth of our DAF and MAN truck dealerships, we’ve also seen sales of our zero-emission vehicle division gaining momentum as we partner with coach and bus operators and local authorities nationwide. Since 2020, when we delivered our first Yutong zero-emission vehicles, we have grown our share for all-electric passenger vehicles and become one of the largest suppliers nationally. By the end of 2022, we will have increased our supply of zero emission single deck buses further and will have a total of 240 vehicles in service, and we’re also focused on growing our range and services to coach operators who have shown that they are keen to adopt the latest technology, adding greener and more efficient alternatives to their fleets.”

The new 705X Derry service joins Aircoach’s existing routes between Cork, Galway, Belfast, Dublin City, Dublin Airport and its suburbs.