Coach & Bus Week : Issue 1021

Wednesday February 1, 2012 Issue 1021 | £2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

COACH:

CTC sets venue for Coach Holiday conference p8

BIG QUESTION:

BUS:

Welsh operators' views Cornwall proposes on the effect of 25% �lat 50p fare for BSOG reduction p34 concessions p6

Fearnley steers First towards localism

CONFERENCE:

CoachMarque: best practice and experience shared p38

for recru i

JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK

p28

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THIS WEEK

Coach & Bus Week is published by Rouncy Media, First Floor, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX Switchboard 01733 293240 Fax 0845 280 2927 Web www.coachandbusweek.com

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Draw no conclusion!

L

ast week’s announcement from the DfT saying the Transport Committee is now to hold an inquiry into the Competition Commission’s report on local buses has left most people dumbfounded. On the face of it we have two distinct official bodies which have both conducted lengthy investigations into local bus service operation.

After perusing them, the reader is left with the conclusion neither of the reports are able to reach a conclusion.

What the reports don’t provide is any sort of satisfactory solution. They are just as confused, perhaps more, than when they began the investigations and are unable to come concrete decisions which might provide guidelines or even a direction for operators to aim for. There is an insistence over the need for operators to be competing head to head for the business, but also an overwhelming requirement for service integration and multi-operator

ticketing. So what is it people actually want? Rampant head to head will be a short term benefit to passengers until operators with the least financial resource go out of business. High level integration of services would end unnecessary duplication and introduce higher levels of efficiency – in some areas. But we all know any conclusion the TC or CC comes up with will not suit all operating environments across the country.

Perhaps there should be an emergency session for both the TC and CC to see what they can do about about the reduction in funding for local services, fuel prices and cuts to BSOG – all of which will probably initiate the demise of many local bus operations, thereby removing the competitive element from whatever and whoever remains. When the Government is done with the industry it may be the TC and CC investigations were a total waste of taxpayer’s time and money.

Martin Cole Technical Editor

CONTENTS 4

32

42

The latest from across the coach and bus industry in the UK

22

An early ex-Scottish Bus Group ECW Olympian - now preserved

34

News and innovations from the industry’s suppliers

Mark Yexley is rolled out as new CPT President at the annual event

24

Welsh operators and stakeholders air their views on the BSOG cut

38

Comparing UK and Swedish approaches to transport provision

Uniforms and corporate workwear presenting a professional image

28

Adrian Thompson gives a run down on best practice in CoachMarque

40

A lighthearted look at the industry.

Plus Gareth’s Diary!

Barbie gets the boot as First refines its image and reviews its structure

First Scotland East warned over faulty steering repair

All the latest people moves from across the industry

News

CPT Dinner

Essential Guide

First Re-branding

The Big Picture

The Big Question

Conference report Legal News

Products

44

pteg Column

62

Last Stop

63

People

The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Coach & Bus Week are not necessarily those of the Editor or its publisher Rouncy Media Ltd.

For all the latest industry news and information, register with us online at:

www.coachandbusweek.com www.coachandbusweek.com

Contents.indd 3

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4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

news

briefly Leicestershire residents are being advised to have their say on proposed changes to school transport and concessionary travel in the county. The County Council is proposing to save more than £1.3m a year by making changes to the way home to school transport and the discretionary elements of concessionary travel are funded.

This includes free travel for elderly and disabled people before 0930hrs and after 2300 between Monday and Friday, vouchers for residents with disabilities who cannot use conventional bus services, and for residents who live over 800 metres from an hourly bus service, and half fare on community transport services. The consultation ends on April 2.

Cardiff City Council introduced an Early Bird Offer on their East P&R service from Pentwyn.

Anyone parking there before 0830hrs Monday to Friday can get all-day parking and a free bus ride for the driver plus passengers to and from the city centre for £1 (the normal charge is £3). The service, operated by First Cymru, stops at Dumfries Place, Park Place (Gorsedd Gardens) and Park Place (University) in the city centre.

Wokingham Borough Council is aiming to improve rural bus services, ensuring overall provision offers excellent value for money and is accessible to as many residents as possible. A document signed off by councillor Keith Baker earlier this month also provides scope for the improvement of park and ride services offered locally.

New sites will be considered at either end of the A329(M), at Coppid Beech Roundabout and Thames Valley Business Park, while others could be built to accommodate planned housing developments on land south of the M4 and at IQ Winnersh. Cllr Baker said: “The aspiration of getting people to move on to other forms of transport other than the car totally depends on adequate infrastructure.” Funding for some of the improvements could be paid for through grant funding from central Government, which includes the £560m through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. www.coachandbusweek.com

News4-5.indd 4

MPs call for more bus competition evidence TSC to investiagte Competition Commission’s report into bus industry The Transport Select Committee (TSC) is to undertake an inquiry into the Competition Commission’s (CC) report on the local bus services market.

The Competition Commission recently reported on its lengthy investigation into the local bus services market in the UK, excluding London and Northern Ireland. It concluded sustained head-to-head competition between bus operators was uncommon and bus operators avoided competing in other operators’ core territories. As a consequence there were “adverse effects on competition”. These led to a detriment to consumers – less frequent, poorer quality services and possibly higher fares – valued at £110m-£295m a year.

In addition, lack of competition may be costing local authorities £5m-£10m a year through higher contract prices for tendered services.

The CC recommends a series of measures intended to increase head-to-head competition. These include more multi-operator

ticketing, longer notice periods for service changes, closer monitoring by the OFT of bus company mergers and incentives through revisions to BSOG. It considered whether bus services should be awarded under franchises (as in London) but concluded enhanced competition was generally the better solution.

The CC’s findings have been criticised by the bus industry as unrealistic. The passenger transport executives have expressed disappointment because the CC did not recommend franchising (Quality Contracts).

The TSC is inviting evidence, particularly in relation to the following: Has the Competition Commission addressed the issues of most importance to the bus passenger?

How effective are the remedies proposed by the Competition Commission likely to prove?

Is sustained head-to head competition feasible or desirable?

What role should Quality Partnerships play?

Has the Competition Commission adequately considered the franchising option?

What action should local government and central government now take?

The Committee would be grateful to receive written submissions by Friday, February 17.

Commenting on the news, the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK said: “This came as quite a surprise. We will look at the terms and submit any evidence which may be of use to the inquiry although it may not differ from our original submission to the Competition Commitee.”

Speaking at a media event last week, Giles Fearnley, First UK Bus MD said the Competition Commision’s mantra was purely looking at competition for the passenger not on the wider economic scenario of the industry.

Now the TSC is looking at the findings, Giles said: “We will make the case that we are living in a world where you have to start with the economics of what we’re doing and how much the passenger can afford to pay and should be asked to pay before we introduce competition into that market.”

compliance with the EU Driving and Rest Times and Tachograph Regulations. It is widely acknowledged by control bodies and industry alike that these rules, their application and sanctioning can differ dramatically from country to country.

Acting ECR general delegate, Gerard Schipper, said: “We are genuinely concerned when we hear about unfair or damagingly inconsistent enforcement practices in Europe. Our goal is to understand what is really happening in roadside enforcement and remedy control practices which might need to be corrected. It’s only through

international co-operation both within ECR and with partners like IRU we can achieve this.”

While reporting this information to the complaints desk is not the same as making an appeal, the collection of data will enable the IRU, together with ECR control bodies across the EU, to better understand the state of enforcement, what is going wrong and where and how improvements can be made. They would then seek to use this information to effectively improve the consistency of regulatory controls and eliminate unfair practices where possible.

IRU general delegate, Michael Nielsen, concluded: “Our transport operators are working right across the European Union. Harmonised enforcement to complement the common EU regulatory framework

IRU seeks data on harsh fines and sanctions in the EU The IRU (Internationa Road transport Union) and ECR (Euro Control Route) have teamed up to host, on their respective websites, the Euro Control Route Disproportionate Fines & Sanctions online complaint desk, as a key part of the industry’s and EU Enforcement Community’s commitment to work together to further improve road safety, working conditions and fair competition through better enforcement at EU level.

The ECR complaint desk will allow operators and drivers to report controls or penalties they consider unfair with regards to

30/01/2012 23:40

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5

“The manifesto isn’t waffle – it has hard-meaning intentions over which we are very happy to be judged.”

Giles Fearnley

First Re-branding p28

Stagecoach comes out on top of national fares survey Further information from the TAS National Fares Survey has been revealed by Stagecoach, showing the operator offers Britain’s bestvalue bus fares. The research found weekly bus travel with Stagecoach is on average 17.5% cheaper than other operators.

Stagecoach’s average weekly ticket price of £13.27 - the lowest in the survey - was nearly £3 cheaper than the £16.09 average for other firms. TAS also found Stagecoach was up to 20% cheaper than other operators for weekly travel.

TAS analysed nearly 1,100 fares across different regions, area types and operators. The research covered Stagecoach, First, GoAhead, Veolia Transdev, National

Express, Arriva, independent operators, and municipals.

The last TAS National Fares Survey, published in 2009, also found Stagecoach was the best value major bus operator.

Stagecoach Group chief executive Sir Brian Souter said: “This independent survey proves what our own regular passengers have known for a long time – Stagecoach is Britain’s best value bus operator.

“At a time when motoring costs and rising household bills are squeezing living standards for many families, it makes more sense than ever to switch to the bus. We are leading the way in providing good-value, high-quality travel and ensuring the bus is affordable.”

The TAS survey found weekly travel with Stagecoach is on average 17.5% cheaper than other operators. A Stagecoach Peterborough Dart is seen in Hampton on the Citi 6 service is instrumental in enabling transport operators to do their job properly, efficiently and with certainty. Fines should be fair and proportionate, yet dissuasive to effectively improve regulatory compliance.

“We are therefore very pleased with this joint effort and commitment from our enforcement partners to meet our common goals of improving road safety, working conditions and fair competition through better enforcement.”

The IRU-ECR online complaint desk is currently available in English, French, German and Romanian, with Polish, Hungarian, Lithuanian and other languages to be added soon. A link to the complaint desk can be found at www.iru.org

News4-5.indd 5

New TCs appointed Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening has appointed Nick Denton as Traffic Commissioner (TC) for the South Eastern and Metropolitan Area and Kevin Rooney as commissioner for the North Eastern Area.

The appointments have been welcomed by the Road Haulage Association.

“This is great news for both the RHA and for the industry at large”, said RHA chief executive Geoff Dunning. “Both Nick Denton and Kevin Rooney are well known to the RHA and I am confident these appointments will build on the already strong relationships.”

First Minister Carwyn Jones has stood by his claim that Welsh bus operators will still be better off than those in England after the 25% BSOG cut from April 1, something which is widely disputed in the industry

Pressure mounts after Welsh cuts to BSOG & LTSG Public pressure has been mounting in the wake of last week’s sudden cut in Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and Local Transport Services Grant (LTSG) by Welsh Government Minister Carl Sargeant.

Key sections of the Welsh media, including the Daily Post, Western Mail and BBC Wales have carried stories highlighting the significance of the decision and its wide ranging effects on the country’s local bus networks. Indeed, BBC Wales TV News used Tanat Valley Coaches as a case study and interviewed a passenger and the managing director Mike Morris.

Now, political pressure is mounting too. CBW understands several Assembly Members (AMs) have commendably met with their local bus operators and taken an active interest in the matter.

In a debate about public transport on Tuesday (January 24) during First Minister’s Questions at the Welsh Government in Cardiff, Alun Ffred Jones (Arfon, Plaid Cymru AM), asked: “Your Government in Wales has just cut the grant for bus companies by 25%. That is higher than the figure in England. This is the grant which helps with fuel duty payments. This cut has been made with just 10 weeks’ notice, although contracts are in place with the county councils. Why is this cut so high in Wales and why

was so little warning given to the bus companies, which will suffer as a result and will have to cut services?”

The First Minister Carwyn Jones (Bridgend, Labour AM), replied: “The subsidy continues to be higher (35.28p) than it is in England (34.57p) per litre of fuel. Given the funding we have received from London, we have to consider how to cut some services. Unfortunately, this is an area in which we have to reduce the sum made available, but I once again emphasise that more money is available per litre of fuel in Wales than in England.”

In fairness, the First Minister highlighted a matter which has without doubt been hitherto underreported – the reduction in the Welsh Block Grant from Westminster. For the year 2010-11, that figure stood at £16.4bn, while it has been cut to £15.3bn for 2011-12.

There is however, a glimmer of hope. John Pockett, director of government relations at CPT Cymru told CBW: “The BSOG cut is to be examined by the Enterprise and Business Scrutiny Committee, which looks at transport priorities in Wales. We will be presenting evidence to the committee, which will hopefully highlight the devastating effect this cut in BSOG, coupled with that in LTSG, will have on bus passengers across Wales.

I will continue to lobby on behalf of the industry. Despite this body blow, it’s vital to maintain dialogue with the Welsh government.”

Read the reaction from operators and stakeholders in our ‘Big Question’ feature on p34-27. www.coachandbusweek.com

30/01/2012 23:41

6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

£600k

news › BUSeS

investment by Arriva into five StreetLite buses for Medway service

briefly Transdev is increasing its fares by 10 and 20 pence in the north of England, including the Yorkshire Coastliner network.

Nigel Eggleton, marketing director for Coastliner and Transdev York said: “We continue to face rising fuel and insurance costs, together with reductions in funding from local authorities. The Government’s reduction in BSOG from April 2012 means we will be facing a shortfall of almost £150,000 this year.” trent barton’s long established 90 route has been rebranded ‘the ninety’. Buses have also been upgraded with a brand new livery, and the route will now run via East Midlands Designer Outlet. Glen Pearson, brand manager for the ninety said: “Many of our customers said they wanted the route to run via the designer outlet when we researched the idea last year, and we are delighted we can now provide the ninety with a new destination we know is extremely popular.”

Connex, operator of Jersey’s bus service, is on course to reach its target of doubling the number of commuters by 2015.

In 2011, the number of commuter pass-holders rose by nearly 40%.

In June 2009 there were 861, but

by December last year it was up to more than 1,677, an increase of 48% in two years. The company said additional commuter services and new buses were persuading more people to use public transport. Connex’s managing director, Eric Le Roux, said: “Further investment in both the level of services, the provision of high capacity and comfortable buses... and innovations in technology such as smart card ticketing, will help us to meet these objectives by 2015.”

Go-Ahead recently expanded its smartcard ‘the key’, and Bus Users UK Chair Gillian Merron launched the latest roll-out at Go South Coast in Bournemouth last week. Smartcard ticket machines have been installed on all of Go-Ahead’s 2,000 buses outside London and ‘the key’ is up and running across most of its bus network. www.coachandbusweek.com

News6-7.indd 6

£2.4m funding for Cornwall and 50p flat fare proposal Council to seeks permission from government to pilot charging concessionary pass-holding passengers 50p flat rate Cornwall Council has backed plans to allocate £2.4m to rural bus routes under threat alongside proposals to get permission from government to pilot a new scheme to charge concessionary passengers a flat rate of 50p per journey.

The council said the move will protect 95 threatened subsidised bus services – but this will not necessarily protect commercial bus services, which are operated without a subsidy.

At a meeting of the council’s cabinet on January 25, councillor Graeme Hicks, portfolio holder for transportation and highways, stated the arrangements were “the best deal for Cornwall”.

However, he warned: “We can’t categorically say there will be no changes going forward. We have got a budget and there are some difficult choices and it’s not easy but we are doing the best we can.”

Arriva Southern invests in StreetLites

Arriva Southern Counties (ASC) has introduced five new Wright StreetLites onto its route 116, which are being branded as X-BUS 116.

Based at Gillingham depot, the new buses are the first Door Forward Wrightbus StreetLites to enter service and represent an investment by Arriva of £600,000, bringing the total spent on new and refurbished buses for the Medway Towns in the past eight years to nearly £14 m.

The 116 serves Chatham, the shopping centre at Hempstead

126,000 concessionary pass holders in Cornwall will be affected if the Department of Transport allows the county to pilot the scheme.

The government cut £2.3m from the money it gives to Cornwall Council to pay for concessionary bus journeys. Currently the council reimburses operators almost threequarters of the normal single adult fare on concessionary journeys but this figure will fall to just half in April.

Mark Howarth, MD of Western Greyhound, said the government was unlikely to back plans for the 50p charge Valley, Universities at Medway campus, Mid Kent College, Gillingham town centre, Medway Maritime Hospital and Rainham.

Arriva said the new StreetLites will have eye-catching vinyls to draw attention to the service which runs every 20 minutes for the main part of the day on Mondays to Fridays (half-hourly on Saturdays).

The 37-seat, 10.1 metre buses

The new buses are intended to have an ‘x-factor’ quality, hence the X-BUS branding

Mark Howarth, managing director of Western Greyhound, said the government was unlikely to back plans for the 50p charge and warned bus fares were likely to go up as costs spiralled.

Marc Reddy, regional commercial and business growth director for FirstGroup in South West and Wales said: “The situation in Cornwall remains extremely tough, with the local decision to reduce the concessionary fare reimbursement rate and the national decision to cut BSOG both conspiring to make operating buses even more difficult, but we welcome the progress has been made and we look forward to working with the Council to deliver tendered services on their behalf.

“We will watch, with interest, to see how the government responds to the Council’s proposal to trial a 50p charge for concessionary fare users.”

Meanwhile, Cornwall councillor Alex Folkes said: “The bus passes are for people who can’t, by and large, afford to pay. How can they now afford to pay for buses which had been free?” are also the first local buses in Kent and Medway to feature free Wi-Fi. “Delighted” to announce further investment in new buses for the Medway Towns, ASC’s managing director, Heath Williams, said: “These are the latest in an ongoing programme of upgrading our fleet and will offer new standards of comfort to our customers on the ‘X-BUS 116’ route. The free Wi-Fi on board will, I’m sure, be particularly useful to those with smart phones who will now be able to use the internet whilst on the way to school, college, work or shopping.”

Free Wi-Fi has also been introduced on route 101 between Maidstone and Medway, which is run by eight ADL Enviro 400s and it is hoped the new facility will be popular with Arriva’s customers, especially the students who use these two services.

30/01/2012 23:42

200 50p The number of hybrid buses now in London

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7

SHARE WATCH

The proposed flat fare charge to concessionary fare payers in Cornwall

First under �ire over ‘low emissions’ ad

FirstGroup has come under fire from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for claiming its buses are “low emission” on its TV advertisement, .

The ad claimed, “We [heart symbol] low emissions” and printed on the screen: “Our buses produce 4.97 per cent less carbon than conventional diesel buses.”

A complainant contacted the ASA on the grounds that, for a vehicle to be considered “low emission” under DfT guidelines, it has to produce 30% less carbon than conventional diesel buses.

The ASA noted the DfT’s definition was produced for their own purposes but considered “most viewers would expect the definition of ‘low emissions’ in a transport ad to be in line with the DfT’s definition”.

“We considered in stating ‘We love low emissions’ in the ads, some viewers might have been misled into believing First’s buses were comparable to those low emissions buses, when they only produced 4.97% CO2 reduction, not 30%. We, therefore, concluded the ads were misleading.”

Some viewers might have been misled into believing FirstGroup’s buses were comparable to low emission buses

Milestone hybrid arrives in London The capital has seen the delivery of its 200th hybrid bus, meaning London has more hybrids than anywhere else in the UK. Transport for London (TfL) said by the end of the year there will be more than 300 hybrids in the capital.

News6-7.indd 7

Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, January 30. Optare saw the greatest proportional rise while National Express experienced the biggest proportional drop. Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk

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61% of respondents wanted more powerful engines to speed up journeys.

One of the current Wright Volvos is pictured here by Steve Hodgson

GNE responds to X9/X10 consultation with new buses Go North East plans to introduce new double decker buses this summer in response to a customer consultation.

The new vehicles, part of a £1.1m investment, will run on the TyneTees Express X9/X10 routes, which run half-hourly between Tyneside and Teesside.

Customers were also asked what extra features they would like to see on the double deckers. The most popular (with 61% of respondents) was ‘more powerful engines to speed up journeys and improve reliability’. This was followed by ‘Wi-Fi’ (54%), ‘air-conditioning’ (51%) and ‘more legroom’ (48%).

Martin Harris, commercial director of Go North East, said: “We’ve been looking at ways to better meet customers’ needs and we’re pleased hundreds of people took the time to contact us. The results are reflected in the changes we will be making.

“It also goes to show we are not arguing with Nexus and the Integrated Transport Authority over so called ‘Quality Contracts’ (QCs) to protect the status quo.

We embrace change but it must be the right kind of change aimed at bringing real benefits to passengers.

The QC proposal, in our opinion, is totally inappropriate for passengers and, should it be sanctioned, will result in fewer bus services that are more expensive.”

Mr Harris said the group is working with customers, staff and other stakeholders to shape the Go North East Charter for Positive Change which will soon be published on its website.

“This charter will offer a credible alternative to QCs and include real measurable benefits for passengers.

The shaping of the charter will be an iterative process and will be evidenced by significant and ongoing customer consultation.”

The bus, a BAE Systems-powered ADL E400H was delivered to Metroline’s Cricklewood depot and will be used on Route 16 which Metroline operates between Victoria to Cricklewood.

“Investing in low emission buses is key part of my plan to deliver cleaner air for London,” commented London mayor Boris Johnson.

“We now have the UK’s largest fleet of smarter, hybrid-engined buses, a pioneering hydrogen bus fleet and my new bus for London which has been designed

to push the boundaries of green technology.”

Mike Weston, London Buses operations director, said: “We have reached a significant milestone at 200 hybrid buses and the benefits of these cleaner, greener and better buses only increases as we add more to our fleet. That’s great news for the health and wellbeing of Londoners.”

There is currently one all hybrid bus route, the route 360 operated

by GoAhead which runs between Kensington and Elephant and Castle.

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31/01/2012 00:26

8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

news › coaches

briefly Major construction work on the £88.6m scheme to increase capacity, reduce congestion and improve safety on the M4 and M5 near Bristol officially started on January 25.

Due for completion in Spring 2014, the managed motorway scheme - the first of its kind in the South West - on the busy Almondsbury Interchange, will cover 3.4 miles of the M4 between junctions 19 and 20 and 3.1 miles of the M5 between Junction 15 and Junction 17.

Work to extend the paved central reserve crossover immediately north of the A1 Allerdene Bridge – part of the Gateshead Western Bypass – will be carried out overnight for eight weeks from February 6 with some carriageway closures and short diversions off the A1 while it takes place. Just over three miles of the A1 between 800 metres south of the Lobley Hill Interchange and 400 metres west of the Eighton Lodge Interchange will be affected by the work. Among the overnight closures will be: the A1 southbound carriageway between the exit and entry slip roads at Coal House/ Kingsway interchange; closure of lanes 1 and 2 at the south end of Kingsway Viaduct; closure of southbound on-slip road at the Kingsway Interchange combined with lane 1 closure on the main southbound carriageway; closure of southbound carriageway over Allerdene Bridge with diversion of traffic via Lamesley Lane and Newcastle Bank with traffic rejoining the A1 at Eighton Lodge.

Safety improvement work has started on the A34 at Winnall, near Winchester, Hampshire. The Highways Agency is permanently closing lay-by facilities on north and southbound carriageways of the A34 just north of the M3 Junction 9 interchange.

The work, weather permitting, will be complete within three weeks. There will be lane closures overnight, between 2200 and 0500hrs. Road users wishing to stop in this area once the lay-bys have been removed will still be able to use existing lay-bys located about two miles further along the A34 at Headbourne Worthy. www.coachandbusweek.com

News8-9.indd 8

CTC Coach Holiday Conference Event this year held at Queen Hotel in Chester, with fam visits to the surrounding area ‘How investing in people can help build partnerships to transform business’ is the theme for the 2012 Coach Holiday Conference at the Best Western Premier Queen Hotel in Chester on March 4 and 5, 2012.

The keynote speakers are David Fairhurst, chief people officer of McDonalds Europe, who is responsible for all people strategies and practices in more than 6,900 restaurants employing over 375,000 people in 39 countries; Brian Wisdom, CEO of People 1st, sector skills council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism; and John Taylor, CEO of Geoplan, which provides maps and directories, databases, mapping software and consultancy for

companies such as Yell, the Royal Mail and Google.

Aimed at involving and appealing to tour operators and suppliers, the conference will also include a panel discussion on how the coach tourism industry can outperform other holiday sectors by working more closely together. Panelists

Chris Wales hopes the event will be as successful as last year’s

will include Denis Wormwell of Shearings, Amanda Harrington of Bakers Dolphin, Vanessa Markey, GB Head of Tourism Ireland and Dana Lewis, Accor’s director of leisure sales.

The popular CTC Workshop will follow with an afternoon set aside for pre-booked appointments between operators and suppliers.

A gala dinner hosted by Best Western and The Queen Hotel will launch the event on the Sunday evening while Visit Chester and Visit Cheshire will be providing optional fam visits.

The event takes place at the fourstar, 218 bedroom Queen Hotel, situated in the centre of Chester.

In recent years it has become Chester’s largest premier hotel.

Chris Wales, CTC chief executive told CBW: “Last year’s conference in Durham enjoyed a record level of attendance and we hope this year’s in Chester will easily exceed it. It’s a great opportunity for both sides of the industry to get together and do business. We have an excellent lineup of speakers who we are sure will give some thought-provoking presentations.”

Call the Coach Tourism Council on 0870 850 2839.

Visit www.coachtourismcouncil. co.uk

Eagle visits Birmingham Coach Station

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle recently visited Birmingham’s £15m coach station.

Eagle caught the 37 bus route, with Peter Coates, MD of National Express Bus, from Corporation Street to Birmingham Coach Station – a journey which now costs just £1 as a result of the introduction of the new city centre hop.

She was given a tour of the station by Andrew Cleaves, MD of National Express Coach, and also saw and operated the new state of the art wheelchair lift fitted to 400 coaches across the National Express network.

The Minister also explored one of National Express West Midlands new greener hybrids buses which boast a distinctive green leaf livery.

The new hybrid buses are a £5.2m investment into the future

NX Coach MD Andrew Cleaves talks to Maria Eagle MP on a coach of low carbon and sustainable transport in the West Midlands, by National Express West Midlands, Centro and Department for Transport Green Bus Fund.

Maria Eagle said: “It was great to come to Birmingham Coach Station, the home of National Express, and see the first of Birmingham’s transport gateways

to be completed. The station gives a great first impression of the second city and the West Midlands region as well as providing national connectivity to local residents.

“I was also pleased to travel on a National Express West Midlands bus to see first hand the service which is being provided to passengers in Birmingham.”

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“Interesting developments in Sweden – a package of reforms to the way public transport is run has been tied to a doubling of public transport’s market share.”

Jonathan Bray

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Greys website goes mobile

Bakers Dolphin expands to Cornish customers

Renowned family-run Cambridgeshire coach operator Grey’s of Ely has launched a new website specifically built as a mobile site.

It will run alongside the award-winning full version, but enables users easier access to key information when accessing from a mobile device.

In August 2011, published data showed a 4,000% growth in the proportion of UK web traffic accounted for by mobile devices, the percentage having jumped from 0.02% in September 2009 to 8.09% (statistics taken from TecMark London).

In reaction to more site users visiting its web site from mobile devices, Grey’s of Ely released the mobile version, which contains basic company and vehicle information, quotation, contact forms and their unique live vehicletracking interface. The site also reminds users of the company’s presence on social media sites Twitter and Facebook.

Richard Grey, managing director of Grey’s of Ely, said: “Using Google Analytics, we could see that more

Weston-super-Mare-based Bakers Dolphin is expanding its coach holidays to include pickups from Cornwall.

The West Country coach operator is offering a door-to-door service with free home pick-ups for anyone who lives within 10 miles of Truro, Falmouth, Liskeard or St Austell.

Sales and marketing director Amanda Harrington said: “We have a well-established business serving people from Gloucester in the north to Plymouth in the south. It makes sense to offer the same service to people in Cornwall.

“Around 8,000 people a year in Cornwall go on coach tours, mostly to other parts of the UK but many to continental Europe and we want to provide them with a level of service they have not experienced in the county before.

Andrew Cleaves said: “We really enjoyed hosting Maria at Birmingham Coach Station, the first of Birmingham’s transport gateways to be delivered. The £15m site is a major hub of the National Express coach network, providing connections to around 1000 destinations across Britain and into Europe.

“Maria also toured our new, fully accessible coaches for passengers in wheelchairs. Technology such as this allows us to deliver the highest standard of service to more and more coach customers across the country.”

Peter Coates said: “Maria saw at first hand the service we provide across the West Midlands and made the kind of journey which now costs just a pound in Birmingham. “ “Maria also got to see the new greener hybrid buses. The hybrids will save 30% of emissions made by a regular bus. The vehicles will also have the latest audio/visual technology to help those with hearing and sight conditions to use our services.”

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Last year Grey’s full website won Google’s “Best of British Web” award out of 700 applicants clients were viewing our site from phones. We therefore decided it was time to evolve our website a stage further to make their experience easier.

“The key to a mobile version is to keep it nice and simple, so it will load quickly and be easy to navigate. We concentrated on the six key areas which people require the most from our main site and formed the rest of the mobile site around them. The initial feedback has been very positive with users of iPhone, Blackberry and Android.”

“Our branded Gold Coach travel is a luxury service providing passengers with 50% more legroom than in a conventional coach. The Home Link service picks people up from their homes to take them to coaches, which takes the hassle out of getting to the pick up point and avoids coaches going on long detours to pick extra passengers up.”

She added: “Because we have a loyal customer base who come back again and again we have been able to cope with the economic pressures of rising fuel bills and a tough economy.

“We had a good year last year as we found many people were re-discovering how cost-effective coach tour holidays can be.

“They are the best way of taking a well-earned break without breaking the bank.”

Visit Grey’s website at www.greysofely.co.uk

Centenary celebrations for Wallace Arnold To help celebrate the 100 years since Robert Barr founded the coach company which became Wallace Arnold, former employees got together in Leeds on Friday (January 27).

Over 30 ex office staff, fitters and paint shop employees from all over the North of England gathered at the Novotel to enjoy a buffet and discounted drinks.

The centenary will also be celebrated at the annual “Drivers and Hangers on” weekend in November. Ex drivers from around the world including San Francisco, Europe, Devon and Cornwall, Wales and the Outer Hebrides will convene at the Holiday Inn in Harrogate, ensuring it is a very special event.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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news › TECHNOLOGY

Tachodisc TV stars Documentary ‘Innovating UK Manufacturing’ showcases the organisations who are performing at their best and well placed for the future Tachodisc has taken part in a new television series, which analyses the significant role manufacturing has played over many years in the wealth creation of industries and its continued importance to the growth of the UK economy. The documentary was first broadcast on January 8, 2012 on BBC/ ITV freesat 402 and Sky digital channel 231. It will be repeated on Wednesday, February 8 at 2000hrs.

The programme ‘Innovating UK Manufacturing’ showcases the work of leading organisations who are performing at their best and are well placed to address these important manufacturing points.

Karen Crispe, Tachodisc’s managing director said: “We were delighted to be asked to be involved. As a specialist manufacturer of digital tachograph

Sustained benefits gain four-year extension

The fleet management partnership between Go-Ahead Group and MiX Telematics has seen fuel efficiency increase by 12% and accidents reduce by 17.6% since 2007/8.

This has resulted in the contract between the two companies being extended for a further four years.

Originally covering 3,500 buses nationwide, including 1,500 in London, the on-going and sustained success of the programme has seen the contract grow over the past three years. MiX now monitors the performance of 4,000 Go-Ahead buses.

“Ours was the first large-scale deployment of a fleet management solution within the bus industry and the long-term results generated by the system, which have been achieved in combination with our other efficiency-enhancing activities, have certainly been www.coachandbusweek.com

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printer rolls and still the UK’s only manufacturer of EC approved analogue charts, which serve the legislative requirements of the road transport industry in recording drivers’ hours law, we provide an alternative and positive insight into British manufacturing.”

Like many UK manufacturers, Tachodisc has had to innovate, invest and evolve its business in recent years because of the economy and the way in which the world now buys and sells products.

On top of this, the company has also had to handle the introduction of digital tachographs and several significant changes to legislation.

This completely changed Tachodisc’s business from its core being as a manufacturer of paper based products to a ‘manufacturer’ of software and associated technical products and services.

Despite all the changes, Tachodisc’s key differentiator remains at the core of the business, said Karen. “Everything we do starts and ends with the legislation,

whether it is paper based products, software, training or selecting the best digital products for our customers – this will never change.

Our knowledge and understanding of the legislation surrounding tachographs means customers get the very best service, high quality products and the right solution for their individual business needs.”

The main focus for the TV programme is Tachodisc’s success in paper manufacturing and why, when so many other British manufacturers are disappearing, it remains buoyant and at the forefront of the industry. Karen said: “The last few years have not been easy for any product manufacturer. With the recession and the need for us to develop the digital and software side of the business, we could have easily decided to outsource our charts and rolls. But instead, we continued to invest in our machinery. This enabled us to generate new production efficiencies and control costs and margins, as well as

Go-Ahead Group says installing the MiX system across its fleet, including konectbus, has led to improved fuel and accident rates impressive,” commented Go-Ahead Group engineering director Phil Margrave. “Since its introduction, the MiX Telematics team has proved itself to be the perfect partner. The members understand our business, deliver on their promises and have worked alongside us every step of the way to continuously improve and develop our use of the system. They have also proven themselves to be more than capable

of facilitating major change within a large organisation such as ours.

The results speak for themselves and today fleet management is very much an integral part of our operation.

“While fuel and other cost savings are key, the MiX Telematics solution helps us in many other ways too. Training is one example, where we use the system to both identify training needs and monitor

create new business opportunities both here in the UK and abroad.”

More importantly by keeping the facility in-house, we can control quality. This is imperative when you consider the charts and rolls we produce for the road transport industry are legal documents.

“This is crucial for our reputation. Plus, from a business point of view, there is still a huge market for analogue charts.”

Tune into BBC/ITV freesat 402 or Sky digital channel 231 on Wednesday February 8 at 2000hrs to see how Tachodisc, formed in 1979, successfully made the transition from analogue to digital.

Produced by Collaborative Media and Executive TV, “Innovating in UK Manufacturing” will also be promoted across the UK in national and regional media (both on and off line) as well as through business/ trade and industry specific media including CBI and IOD publications.

Contact Tachodisc on 01925 283328

individual driver’s progress. It has also enabled us to create the Go-Green Drivers Club, which drivers gain entry to by achieving an agreed level of fuel efficiency.

Alongside this we run the annual 500 Challenge, our incentive scheme which sees our top performing drivers – as determined by the system – compete to win a brand new Fiat 500.

“Passengers also benefit from the improved comfort and safety facilitated by the system – we have even heard of customers choosing to wait in the queue for one of our buses to arrive because the journey is so much more comfortable!”

For MiX Telematics, marketing & operations director Steve Coffin, said: “We are naturally delighted Go-Ahead Group has decided to extend its fleet management contract with us. The close working relationship we have developed over the years demonstrates what can be achieved when best practice is shared, promoted and supported by two organisations with a common goal.”

For more details, visit www.mixtelematics.co.uk

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news › WALES

Arriva takes on TrawsCambria commercially Fleet investment and service enhancements for West Wales Arriva Buses Wales (ABW) is to implement a package of improvements to the Aberystwyth – Carmarthen – Cardiff corridor, which has traditionally formed part of the TrawsCambria Welsh long distance bus and coach network.

From February 26, the corridor will no longer be branded ‘TrawsCambria’ as ABW will be operating it commercially.

Michael Morton, ABW managing director told CBW: “Historically, the service has been commercial with a de minimis element. The Welsh Government tendered it and ordered new single-deckers. We’ve found double-deckers are required due to the loadings. We’ve already trialled two types of double decker.

“The current Optare Tempos have accumulated high mileages.

The maintenance costs have now

started spiralling. I’m not criticizing Optare products – far from it. One of them has done a million kilometers, a phenomenal amount for a single decker these days. We plan to introduce new high quality doubledeckers for the Aberystwyth to Carmarthen section in early 2013.

They will be fitted with WiFi, a feature which will be standard on all frontline ABW vehicles. In the meantime we’re drafting in higher quality single-deckers in the shape of seven VDL Wright Pulsars.”

The service level is also being enhanced, as Mr Morton explained: “After lengthy discussions we found that by making more efficient use of the buses, we could operate new journeys. These include a 0500hrs departure from Aberystwyth, which reaches Carmarthen in time for a train to Cardiff for arrival by 0845hrs. We’re still operating through journeys to Cardiff with two 49-seater coaches. The 03 and 04-plate Vanhool T9 Daf SB4000s

Tempos currently used on the corridor have accumulated high mileages

are now being refurbished and repainted into Arriva livery.”

Mr Morton said the longer distance routes are also being renumbered. The X40 Aberystwyth to Carmarthen will become the 40, which with rail connections will offer journeys to Cardiff; the 550 Aberystwyth to New Quay via Synod Inn will become route 50; and the twice-daily Aberystwyth to Cardiff via Bridgend will be renumbered 20.

Journeys on Friday and Sunday evenings which currently have to be duplicated as far as Swansea, will be operated as a route in their own right as service 10.

“The routes will collectively be marketed as ‘Cymru Express’. As my staff have pointed out, if you stick Arriva in front of it, you get ‘ACE’,” concluded Mr Morton.

In a separate development, 10 high specification Wright Gemini2bodied VDL double-deckers will be launched for the Chester to Rhyl corridor on February 9.

Mr Morton explained the move is part of a wider initiative to upgrade the North Wales Coast routes. “All services on the Chester to Caernarfon corridor will be marketed as ‘Cymru Coastliner’, which was previously used in Crosville days. We at Arriva Buses Wales are proud of our past.”

Celtic Travel’s Wright Volvos hit the road

Padarn wins Snowdon contract

Celtic Travel’s three new Wright Eclipse 2 bodied- Volvo B7RLEs have entered service on the firm’s first ever bus route, the X75 which links Shrewsbury with Rhayader, via Welshpool, Newtown and Llanidloes.

The family-run firm, based in Llanidloes has run a fleet of coaches for many years. Celtic Travel took over the operation of the Powys County Council-contracted service from Tanat Valley late last summer and pending the arrival of the new buses, Wright-bodied Volvo B6s and an Enviro 300 have been used.

With 14 Volvo coaches in their fleet, Celtic Travel are no strangers to the Volvo chassis and the reliability of their current vehicles played an important part in their decision to also specify Volvo for their new bus requirement.

Gwynedd independent Padarn Bus has retained the contract to operate the Snowdon Sherpa service for the next five years.

“We’ve won the contract for a further five years. As well as running the buses, we have taken over the management of the car parks, which increases its sustainability,” Padarn Bus director Dave Hulme told CBW. “The council will now be paying for school journeys and little extras.

It’s a win-win for all. The authority has slashed its administration costs and for our customers, it means the service should remain unscathed from cuts.”

In a separate development, in the wake of the BSOG cut announcement, Padarn Bus has announced its intention to revise certain journeys on three services.

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One of the three new buses in the magnificent Mid Wales countryside “You can’t go wrong with the Volvo Wrightbus combination,” explained Celtic Travel’s transport manager, William Davies. “Added to that is the tremendous backup and support you get with Volvo and the endorsement of larger operators, such as National Express, also specifying Volvo Wrightbus.

“These new Volvo B7RLE buses will each end up covering around 70,000 miles per year,” continued

Mr Davies. “We can’t afford for them to be off the road and with Volvo, we know we are paying for the best.”

Fitted to the latest DDA specifications and featuring 44 E-Leather seats with three point belts, the new buses are built with passenger’s comfort and safety in mind. Other internal features include Hanover audio visual equipment and Synetics CCTV.

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news

Guide Dogs survey reveals ‘forgotten passengers’ Charity’s survey highlights difficulties faced by the visually impaired A survey by Guide Dogs for the Blind between April and August 2011 has found nearly nine out of ten passengers (87%) with sight loss who took part had at some point missed their stop because they didn’t know where they were on a bus journey. This figure rose to 94% for guide dog owners.

Furthermore, 87% of blind and partially sighted people had missed their stop because the driver had forgotten to tell them to get off.

This figure increased to 90% when looking solely at guide dog owners.

Guide Dogs said: “This should be a concern for bus firms who claim their drivers are well-trained to assist the visually impaired. Clearly, drivers struggle to remember to help passengers if audio-visual announcements are not in place.”

Previous research (Attitudes of Disabled People to Public Transport) revealed that although disabled people travel less often than non-disabled people, they are more likely to use bus services.

However, 40% of disabled people said they are fearful of travelling by public transport, as lack of information once they are on board acts as a deterrent.

Some 29% of all blind and partially sighted people report that at some point a driver has refused to tell them when they had reached their stop. This may explain why a number of many blind and partially sighted people lack confidence in their local bus services.

Many guide dog owners have some residual vision, and 70% say they would be happy with a lowtech Audio-Visual (AV) solution, such as the bus driver announcing the next stop on an existing microphone. This is an option for operators who claim implementing AV is too expensive.

According to Guide Dogs, the survey illustrates, despite claims to the contrary, bus firms are failing to make adequate provision for the

Reading Buses has already adopted audio-visual systems on its bus fleet

Quarterly review published on London’s transport London TravelWatch (LTW) has published its quarterly report on the performance of Transport for London (TfL) modes of transport from July to September 2011.

The report notes that London Buses is performing to a good or satisfactory level (equal to or better than target), but there are concerns about the performance of the TfL Road Network (TLRN).

The organisation notes TfL has been working to reduce the amount of planned and unplanned severe delays on the TLRN and to increase the throughput at traffic signals.

TfL is using the permitting system to keep the number of roadworks below target, which seems to be paying dividends. However, despite this and lower traffic volumes, there does not seem to be a sustained

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improvement in TfL’s new measure of Journey Time Reliability (JTR).

JTR, however, was improved upon for this quarter compared to the same quarter last year.

The condition of roads has deteriorated. TfL has missed its target for highway condition and will not be able to return the condition of the TLRN to pre2009/10 levels for some years.

London TravelWatch has identified London Buses’ good performance in this quarter.

For the overall network, the two most significant measures of performance which reflects passengers’ experience are Excess Waiting Time (EWT) and the percentage of scheduled kilometres operated. Between them they show if the planned frequency of bus

Performance has improved as operators make greater use of I-Bus, according to London TraveWatch services are being delivered. EWT, the measure which indicates the additional minutes wait time of passengers beyond the scheduled value on high frequency bus routes, was 0.9 minutes, which is a very good performance, and better than the TfL’s target - as is the

needs of the visually impaired who want to use their services.

A new pot of cash has been made available by the Government to help bus operators make on board passenger information more accessible, and Guide Dogs has urged them to use it. Transport minister Norman Baker announced a £50m Better Bus Areas fund for bus firms to improve passengers’ experiences in December 2011, and guidance issued suggests applications could be looked upon favourably if new ways of giving information to passengers are presented. On board AV systems would meet this requirement.

Other potential benefits of AV include allowing the driver to concentrate fully on driving, and helping many other groups of bus users, such as tourists.

David Cowdrey of Guide Dogs, said: “Some of the stories the respondents told us were awful, including one lady who was almost locked in a bus in a depot for the night because the driver forgot she was there. People are ending up lost or left in potentially dangerous situations because they can’t get the information they need.

“It d­oesn’t matter to us whether the AV information comes through sound systems and LCD screens, or the driver simply announces the next stop and holds up a sign.

We believe it should be easy for everyone to know where they are.” percentage of kilometres operated.

The high performance will, LTW claim, in part, be due to the reduction in traffic volumes, but also the better control operators have, as more of them make effective use of the I-Bus system.

Customer satisfaction was higher than the target. The bus station score, which was poor last quarter and is generally lower than other scores, improved.

Of London’s 375 high frequency bus routes in Quarter 2 2011/12, only 31 were below the contracted minimum standard, and most of those were only marginally so; while 21 operated at the contracted standard, and 323 performed better than the contracted standard.

Poor performance on the bus network is often as a result of prolonged roadworks which are usually outside of the control of TfL. Where this occurs, TfL is actively trying to reduce the impact.

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news › international

NSW considers CT driver authorisation scheme With growth of community transport, second Australian state plans to improve safety AUSTRALIA The New South Wales (NSW) Government has released a discussion paper on the establishment of an authorisation system for community transport drivers, Australasian Bus & Coach reported.

NSW transport minister Gladys Berejiklian has urged stakeholders to provide feedback on options to improve the safety of Community Transport (CT) services.

Berejiklian says the forecast increase in the proportion of older people in NSW means there will be a greater demand for CT in the future. For a number of years, CT experts have argued CT drivers should be authorised.

Queensland is currently the only Australian state where legislation requires CT driver authorisation.

17 new Setra Top Class for Voyages Leonard

BELGIUM Belgian coach operator Voyages Léonard is introducing 17 new Setra TopClass touring coaches to its fleet. The coaches form part of an order for a total of 32 new vehicles through Sales-Lentz Group for Daimler branded vehicles.

Luxembourg’s largest bus company became the Belgian tour operator’s new owner in January 2011.

“We are proud to have been granted an opportunity to support this highly significant co-operation for the region of Luxembourg and Belgium with our vehicles,” said Setra’s Lothar Holder when the first 10 coaches were handed over at the Setra customer centre in Neu-Ulm. “This handover also highlights the true partnership and close collaboration which have existed between our brand and Voyages Léonard for over 40 years now.”

At the handover ceremony, which www.coachandbusweek.com

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CT operators may choose to use drivers who hold any category of Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) issued driver authorisation or may issue a Restricted Driver Authorisation (RDA) themselves.

Under the Queensland system, an applicant completes an RDA Notification form which is also signed by the issuing operator. In the form, the applicant makes a number of declarations. The DTMR then conducts criminal and driving record checks to confirm his/her eligibility to hold an RDA. Successful RDA applicants are subject to the following conditions: RDA holders are restricted to driving for the issuing operator. However, an applicant may hold RDA’s issued by different operators.

A driver must carry evidence of the RDA (issued by the operator) on them at all times while

providing the community transport service.

If checks by the DDTMR indicate the applicant has an unsuitable criminal, driving or medical history, before the RDA is issued, the operator is advised not to issue the RDA. If these checks indicate the applicant has an unsuitable criminal, driving or medical history after RDA has been issued by the operator, the DTMR will take action to amend, suspend or cancel the RDA. The DTMR may request the holder of an RDA to undertake a medical examination, if the department reasonably considers the medical fitness of the holder no longer meets the approved standard.

The NSW community transport discussion paper is at www.transport.nsw.gov.au

Lothar Holder, Setra, with Daniel and Pascal Léonard in front of two of five new S 431 DT double-decker coaches for Voyages Léonard was also attended by a large group of employees, tour guides and customers who had travelled to Neu-Ulm to witness the event, the two managers, Daniel and Pascal Léonard, took receipt of five S 431 DT double-decker coaches as well as the firm’s first high-deck coaches from the current Setra TopClass generation, namely four S 416 HDH coaches and one S 415 HD. With

features such as glass roofs and multi-channel sound systems, the HD and HDH coaches are built to very high specification. A further seven vehicles are to be delivered in the course of this year.

Founded in 1946, the operator is now run by the family’s third generation and operates a 30-strong fleet consisting exclusively of Setra coaches.

Marcos Ybarra of City Sightseeing Spain, two Panamanian representatives in national dress, Ernesto Orillac the deputy minister for tourism of Panama and Enrique Ybarra CEO of City Sightseeing Spain at the announcement in Madrid

New open top tour for Panama city panama CitySightseeing has announced a new city tour of Panama.

Starting on February 1, the tour will provide breathtaking views of Panama City and an exciting, new view of the Panama Canal, all courtesy of its open top buses.

In 2011, Panama received over two million international visitors.

Highlights of the capital of Panama include a city centre declared a Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, in addition to the famous canal.

Enrique Ybarra, CEO of City Sightseeing Worldwide, said: “We are thrilled to announce the city of Panama as our first new tour in 2012. This is a sensational destination and we are sure it will be an equally great success, as the rest of our tours around the world.”

Alfredo Motta, the president of City Sightseeing Panama, added: “We have been working on the development of a tour in Panama for some time and at last we can announce the launch of City Sightseeing Panama. With support, expertise and our international relationships, we are certain of yet another great success.”

This is the tenth capital on the City Sightseeing map in the Americas, which already operates in Washington DC, New York, Hollywood / Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and Hawaii (USA), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), Toronto (Canada) and Lima (Peru).

Visit the website at www.city-sightseeing.com

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18 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

news › REGIONAL

NORTH

Employees at Arriva in Darlington are getting behind a drive to save Darlington Football Club by providing a free bus service to and from the game.

Michelle Mcguire, marketing coordinator for Arriva North East, said: “The campaign was brought to our attention by our drivers at the local depot, many of whom are Darlington fans themselves and are volunteering to drive our supporter’s buses on their day off.

We understand how important the football club is to the local community and hope our efforts can go some way to help the cause.”

Buses will depart from Darlington Town Centre from Tubwell Row, Stand L and run every 15 minutes from 1300 till 1445hrs.

The free service will then resume after the game up until 1800 to take supporters back into the town centre.

MIDLANDS

West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority Centro has started a series of public exhibitions on the £14m Birmingham City Centre Interchange project.

The work will see the introduction this summer of six bus interchanges around the city centre and paves the way for when the Midland Metro tram extension from Snow Hill to New Street station opens in 2015.

Controversially, all bus services will be permanently removed from Corporation Street between the junctions of Bull Street and Stephenson Street by the end of the summer.

The scheme involves upgrading pedestrian crossing facilities and signage and the installation of cycle lanes.

The city’s streets will get newly designed shelters and bus totems.

For details of the changes, visit www.centro.org.uk/connectedcity/ maps.swf Free bus travel before 0930hrs in Leicestershire for the disabled is to be stopped.

Leicestershire County Council is consulting people over its proposal to withdraw the subsidy which pays for the scheme as it can no longer afford it.

The move has prompted concerns it could make it more difficult for disabled people to work.

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KEY

SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST

brought this in around 10 years ago we were fortunate enough to have the money to do so, but we no longer do. In an ideal world we could provide everything for everyone. In better financial times perhaps we can revisit the issue of free travel.”

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme entitles elderly and disabled residents in Leicestershire to free travel on local bus services between 0930 and 1100hrs Monday to Friday, and at any time on weekends and bank holidays.

The county council also offers, at its discretion, free travel before 0930hrs for disabled people, and free travel after 1100hrs for disabled and elderly people. The council plans to cut these additional provisions as part of moves to save £74m over four years.

In a separate development, passengers using subsidised bus routes in Leicester have been urged to take part in a survey about their future.

The city council is making £70m of budget cuts by 2014. It supports nine regular and eight school routes which are otherwise uneconomic.

It wants people to give feedback on how often they use a route and why. A spokesman said the authority needed to target resources at the “areas of greatest need”. The consultation ended on January 27.

No decisions have yet been made

about the future funding of any route, the council insisted.

A ground-breaking ceremony in Stoke-on-Trent on January 30, marked the start of work on the foundations of the new Hanley bus station.

The first phase of the £350m regeneration of the area includes a new shopping and leisure complex.

Councillor Ruth Rosenau, cabinet member for regeneration, said digging the 8m deep foundations was “no small feat.”

The John Street bus station is expected to open in the autumn.

Developers Vinci Construction said some 3,500 cubic metres of earth needed to be removed to prepare the site.

Construction on the bus drivers’ accommodation and main concourse building is due to start in the spring.

SOUTH EAST

Go-Ahead Group-owned Bluestar is trialing free WiFi on its popular Bluestar1 route Winchester to Southampton.

Eastleigh-based Bluestar has equipped a Scania Omnicity double decker with the technology, which will be dedicated to the 0730hrs journey from Winchester to Southampton each day.

Bluestar’s commercial manager Nikki Honer said: “We’re keeping it on the same time each day so our commuter customers can take advantage of this extra facility,

maybe catch up on a few emails and reports before they get to the office, allowing them to make better use of journey time. All they need to do is to connect to wireless network ‘bluestar1’ and start surfing.”

The company will assess the feedback from customers on Facebook and Twitter over the coming months before considering the option of installing the technology, at a cost of £1,500 per bus, across the Bluestar 1 fleet.

A Tunbridge Wells bus service has been reinstated between the Ramslye estate and the town centre.

The route has been without a service since May, when former operator Griffin Bus ceased trading but from April 2, Southdown PSV will be running a new 289 service four times a day.

The new service will be valuable to the large population of pensioners living on the estate, as they currently have a lengthy walk to the nearest stop.

Barbara Cobbold, Tunbridge Wells borough councillor for Broadwater ward, said: “I’ve spoken to some of the senior citizens and they’re very happy. Some of them haven’t been out at all since the bus went.

“Even younger people were saying their children couldn’t stand in Eridge Road to wait for a bus as it was dangerous.

“We really are very happy we’ve got it back. It has given elderly people their lives back again.”

The weekday bus will complete a loop of the estate, taking in Eastlands Road, Ramslye Road, Friezland Road and Summervale Road before following the A26 past the railway station to Tunbridge Wells War Memorial.

James Scholes, Kent county councillor for Tunbridge Wells South and a member of the Joint Transport Board, said: “This strikes me as being an extremely good move. It’s useful it goes to Sainsbury’s. I think it will be a welcome improvement.”

EAST

Cambridgeshire County Council is to consider investing £1.5m into targeted community and alternative transport services in place of bus subsidies.

The council reviewed its previous decision to drastically cut subsidies following public consultation.

Some 81% of respondents did

30/01/2012 23:28

not support withdrawal of all bus subsidies as this would impact on the elderly, women, people with disabilities and the young. Nearly 68% of respondents said they were likely or quite likely to use alternative travel links if they were available.

Following an analysis of the survey results, members of the cabinet are to consider bringing in phased reductions in bus subsidies over the next three years. An assessment of local needs will be made first and alternative local transport measures identified wherever possible.

These proposals will be developed as part of the forward looking Cambridgeshire Future Transport project which aims to develop targeted, effective and locally needed transport provision.

This could include community transport, shared services with other providers such as the

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 19

Coach & Bus Week takes a look at the big issues where you live in our round-up of the regions. If you’ve got a local issue you would like us to cover, contact James Day at james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

health sector or working with bus operators to commercialise existing subsidised services. The Council will work closely with communities to bring in alternative transport measures suited to local needs and save money at the same time.

Councillor Steve Criswell, cabinet member for community infrastructure, said: “It is clear people value their subsidised bus services - which is why we paid for them, even though commercially they were not viable. But with the large savings needed we have to look at whether these bus services can be provided without using large vehicles to carry a relatively small amount of people. This is why we are considering investing £1.5m into alternative transport and phasing reductions over three years. If agreed we would work closely with communities to make sure alternatives are in place which are tailored for local needs.”

2012 n February 4 Mid Anglia Coach Operators Association Dinner Dance. The Bedford Lodge Hotel, Newmarket. Contact Bridget Paterson on 01638 780066 or email sales@nealstravel.com n March 4-5, 2012 Coach Holiday Conference, organised by the Coach Tourism Council. Best Western Premier Queen Hotel, Chester. 0870 850 2839. www.coachtourismcouncil. co.uk n March 14-15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n March 15 Volvo Bus social evening in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust’s Warwickshire Appeal.

Century Court House, Warwick. Pam Matthews 01926 414 553 or e-mail pam.matthews@volvo.com n March 18 Leyland National 40th Anniversary. Organised by the Leyland National Group, Nationals on static display and working in service. The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland. www.leylandnational group.co.uk n March 31 ‘M&D and EK 60’.

Kent Showground on the A249 near Maidstone. www.arrivabus.co.uk/ MDEK60, contact mdekbusclub@ gmail.com n April 14 Paul S Winson Coaches Running Day. Loughborough and local area. www.busrunningday. co.uk, contact info@busrunningday. co.uk

Stagecoach West has invited passengers to look out for nine brand new buses in operation on Route 55. The company invested over £1.5m in the new vehicles, seven of which have been kitted out in striking new liveries. Each of the branded buses promotes a particular location or attraction along Route 55 including Swindon, Royal Wootton Bassett, Calne and Chippenham. Nathan Griffith-Williams, marketing manager for Stagecoach West said: “Route 55 is one of our flagship services and investment in these new vehicles was needed to create an even more comfortable passenger environment for our loyal customers.

“We decided to dedicate each one of the new buses to a specific town or attraction, encouraging new passengers to explore these places which are only a short bus ride away.”

Passengers may have already caught sight of the Royal Wootton Bassett bus which was unveiled early to commemorate the town gaining its ‘Royal’ title (CBW 1017). One side of the vehicle was donated to Help for Heroes due to the link between the town and the military. Stagecoach West held an official launch event for the other newly branded vehicles on Friday (January 27) at The Wiltshire Hotel & Golf Club, where Ian Manning, Stagecoach West managing director was joined by James Gray, MP for North Wiltshire and Ian White, head of service for passenger transport at Wiltshire Council.

n April 19, 2012 UK Coach Awards. Ramada Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester, 0870 900 1450. www.ukcoachawards.co.uk n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey.

Istanbul Expo Center, Turkey. www.busworldturkey.com/en/ index.html n April 21-22 UK Coach Rally.

East of England Showground, Peterborough. 01753 631170. www.coachdisplays.co.uk n April 24-26 CV Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01634 261262. www.cvshow.com n May 22-23 ALBUM Conference.

– Forest Pines Hotel, near Brigg, North Lincolnshire. www.albumconference.co.uk

Speakers at the Coach Tourism Council’s Coach Holiday Conference will include David Fairhurst, chief people officer, McDonald’s Europe. The event will be held at the Best Western Premier Queen Hotel in Chester on March 4-5 n June 10 Barry Festival of Transport. Organised by Cardiff Transport Preservation Group, Barry, South Wales. postmaster@-ctpg. co.uk. www.ctpg.co.uk n August 3-5 Bedford OB GetTogether. South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester, GL7 5QB. Contact the organiser Tim Wootton by email on tim@tjcs.freeserve.co.uk. Visit http://www.bedfordob.com/ n August 27 The National Association of Road Transport Museums gala day. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n September 8-9 UK Bus Driver of the Year, Blackpool. Call competition secretary Bill Holmes on 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 16 Showbus.

Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire. www.showbus.com n September 20-27 IAA Commercial Vehicles. Hannover. +(00)49 30897842. www.iaa.de n October 14 Midland Red Centenary of the Reintroduction of Motorbuses. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n October 18 CILT Annual Awards for Excellence Dinner. London.

01536 740104. www.ciltuk.org.uk n November 6-8 Euro Bus Expo.

NEC, Birmingham. 01926 834790. www.eurobusxpo.com n November 20 UK Bus Awards – provisional date. www.ukbusawards.org.uk

Do you have an event to promote? Send details to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

RegionalNews.indd 19

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20 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

news › TOURISM

2000

The year Dewstow Gardens and Grottos were rediscovered

Manchester’s Palace Theatre will host the world-famous musical The Phantom Of The Opera between April 5 and May 19, 2012. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic production features John Owen-Jones and Katie Hall taking the lead roles. Tickets are between £21 and £56, although groups of 10 plus benefit from discounts.

The theatre also allows group bookers to reserve now, pay later, and no deposits are required.

The Palace Theatre is located on Oxford Street, and the nearest coach station is a short drive away at Manchester Central (formerly Chorlton Street Coach Station).

For more information visit www. palaceandoperahouse.org.uk or call 0844 8713019.

The Oxford Official Guided Walking Tour Programme is now available, featuring an extensive list of themed tours, available morning and afternoon throughout the year. This year sees two new walking tours; Oxford’s Olympic History, highlighting the city and University’s long sporting traditions and achievements, and the Plaques of Oxford tours, offering a chance to view the many and varied plaques adorning buildings and monuments in Oxford. Oxford Official Guided Walking Tours have recently been awarded accreditation under VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS).

For walking tour enquiries email wtours@oxford.gov.uk or ring 01865 252037.

Kew Palace opens on April 1, and for the first time welcomes pre-booked groups wanting to visit out of season.

Groups pay £14.85 adults and £12.75 concessions for a joint gardens and palace ticket. Kew Palace was the favourite family home of King George III and Queen Charlotte. The royal kitchens are a fascinating insight into Georgian culinary life and open to groups from mid-summer. Costumed staff guide and greet guests and answer questions. Groups can also book a private guided tours. Details: 020 8332 5648. For private guided tours contact groupsandtraveltrade@hrp. org.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

TourNews.indd 20

Take a dip into the heritage of Cumbria’s Lake District Visit three of Cumbria’s top attractions for a discounted price this year The Lakeland Arts Trust offers a comprehensive package to groups of 10 or more visiting three of its venues; Blackwell, The Arts & Crafts House, Abbot Hall Art Gallery and the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry.

Group benefits include discounted admission of up to 30% (when visiting all three venues), free entry for the group organiser,

free introductory talks for groups of 15 or more and special group catering - with free catering for the organiser and free coach parking.

Coach drivers are given free admission and a free refreshment voucher.

Since visiting all three venues in a single day may be too much, groups can spread visits across a seven-day period. The deal is available year round.

Blackwell, based in Bownesson-Windermere, is one of Britain’s finest houses from the turn of the

Abbot Hall, Kendal, is situated on the banks of the River Kent

Step back in time to WWII war rooms Churchill War Rooms, located in the heart of Westminster, is the extensive underground site from which Churchill directed the war.

Step back in time and discover the secret underground headquarters which were the nerve centre of Britain’s war effort. Visitors can view this complex of historic rooms left exactly as they were in 1945. Also housed within the site is the award-winning Churchill Museum, which combines cuttingedge technology and multimedia displays with rare and significant historical items.

Group pricing is £12 for adults and £10.50 for seniors and students.

last century, retaining almost all of its original decorative features.

Visitors can sit and soak up the atmosphere by the fireplace, and are free to enjoy the house as it was originally intended, without ropedoff areas.

Abbot Hall in Kendal is a Grade I listed Georgian villa on the banks of the River Kent. Its galleries offer two floors of British painting and sculpture.

Next door is the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry, which takes visitors back through time to explore the story of the Lake District and its inhabitants.

Recreated period rooms and workshops reveal how rural people lived, worked and played, and how different life was before the introduction of machinery.

Admission for groups is £10.80, which gives access to all three attractions, between April and December 2012.

Driving time between Bownesson-Windermere and Kendal is approximately 25 minutes.

Visit www. lakelandartstrust.org.uk/ group-visits

Ideal trip out to the capital

The War Rooms have been left exactly as they were in 1945 There is on-street coach meter parking nearby on Tothill Street while the nearest coach park is on Nine Elms Lane.

For more information email cwr-groups@iwm. org.uk or visit www.iwm.org.uk/ visits/churchill-war-rooms

The Ideal Home Show is at London’s Earls Court between March 16 and April 1.

The event brings together more than 600 exhibitors.

Categories include interiors, home improvements, gardens, gadgets, food and shopping.

There is ample coach parking with discounted rates for advanced bookings. Groups receive discounts, as well as one free ticket per 20.

The show is open between 1000 and 1800hrs, apart from Thursdays when it is open until 2100hrs.

For more information email groups@seetickets.com or ring 0844 4124650. For details on coach parking ring 0207 5982515.

IWM

briefly

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IWM

9

Number of days Railfest 2012 is running for

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21

£10.80

Price per group member for admission into three of the Lakeland Arts Trust’s venues

Take a tour around the birthplace of Isaac Newton

Woolsthorpe Manor, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, was the birthplace of Isaac Newton and the site of the famous apple tree. Now a National Trust property, visitors can view the tree, and explore some of Newton’s ideas in the Science Discovery Centre.

A special interest tour, lasting two hours, is also available. It details Newton’s early life and includes a film about his ‘year of wonders’ at Woolsthorpe.

Group admission is £5.74 each person , plus £10 for the tour.

There is parking for one coach.

At busy times coaches are required to park at the village hall. Minibus parking is always available.

The site is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between March 2 and 11, and Wednesday to Sunday between March 14 and November 4.

Nearby attractions include Belton House near Grantham (featured in CBW1015), Burghley House in Stamford and Grimsthorpe Castle (featured in CBW1017).

For more information email woolsthorpemanor@ nationaltrust.org.uk or ring 01476 862820.

diesel prices

Railfest appeals to all members of the family, young and old

Book now for Britain’s biggest rail festival Group tickets are now on sale for Britain’s biggest rail celebration, Railfest 2012.

The festival, run by the National Railway Museum, spans nine days between June 2 and 10, and presents an awe-inspiring line up of locomotives from the museum’s collection and visiting locomotives from across the UK. Tickets are £8 children aged 2-15 years and £13 adults, with the group organiser receiving free

admission on bookings of 15 people or more.

Coach parking is available at two sites in York city centre, at St George’s Field (YO10 4AB) and Union Terrace (YO31 7ES). Coaches can drop off at the turning circle (Leeman Road entrance) or the by York Memorial Gardens.

Attractions include the appearance over 30 recordbreaking locomotives like Mallard, the fastest steam locomotive, Tornado, the newest mainline steam locomotive in operation and the most powerful industrial steam locomotive built for use in the UK, Mardy Monster.

For group bookings email groupbookings@nrm.org. uk or ring 0870 870 4840.

DEALS OF THE WEEK Monmouthshire’s Dewstow Gardens and Grottos were built towards the end of the 19th century, but were buried under thousands of tons of soil in the 1950s, until they were rediscovered in 2000. Having since been restored to the original condition, once again visitors can enjoy the gardens’ ponds, rills, grottos, sunken ferneries and rock gardens.

Groups of 10 plus are charged £5.50 per person, while both driver and courier receive free entry, with free refreshments for the driver.

Visits can be combined with a meal at nearby Oakley’s Restaurant, with reasonable group rates. The gardens are open between March 17 and October 28, with last entry at 1630hrs.

Dewstow Gardens are famous for their grottos and sunken ferneries n For more information email gardens@dewstow.co.uk or ring 01291 430444.

Open Garden Squares Weekend is being held in London again on June 9 and 10.

Around 200 communal gardens, many of which are normally closed

to the public, will be taking part in the event which will cover everything up to roof gardens and allotments. Among the new gardens for 2012 is the Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden on the Southbank. One ticket allows entry to all venues over the

Cost per litre in pence: Great Britain Sweden Belgium Italy Germany Ireland Netherlands France Czech Republic Greece Portugal Austria Hungary Spain Slovenia Poland Luxembourg

140.90 136.28 129.02 127.65 125.52 123.55 123.55 123.47 118.94 118.77 117.83 116.38 114.63 109.30 108.36 104.40 104.26

holiday pound £1 will get you: Euro 1.20 Switzerland (Franc) 1.44 Norway (Kroner) 9.14 Hungary (Forint) 352.58 Czech Republic (Koruna) 30.19 Poland (Zloty) 5.08

entire weekend. Tickets bought in advance cost £9, although special group rates are available. n Visit www.opensquares.org for more information.

The Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens exhibits mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates from all around the world.

The park is set in 160 acres of landscaped parkland and gardens in Oxfordshire. From March 1, group prices will be £10 for adults and £7 for children between three and 16, seniors, disabled persons and carers. Groups are classed as parties of 20 plus.

The park is open every day throughout the year (except Christmas Day) from 1000hrs.

There is a restaurant on site which serves hot meals and snacks, and a number of refreshment kiosks. n For more information visit www. cotswoldwildlifepark.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

TourNews.indd 21

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22 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

CPT UK dinner

The bus and coach industry gathered for a sparkling evening at the annual CPT UK dinner and were addressed by transport minister Norman Baker

A night to remember Last week’s CPT UK dinner at the London Hilton hotel on Park Lane was as ever a vibrant celebration of the bus and coach industry. Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon reports on the speeches of the evening

M

ark Yexley made his first address as CPT UK president at CPT UK’s annual dinner last week – during an evening which will perhaps go down in the history books for its memorable (read ‘tumbleweed’) speech by Lord John Prescott which was kicked off by a lengthy pro-regulation rant.

Yexley, who is operations and commercial director for Arriva’s UK bus division and started his career in the industy in 1979 at London www.coachandbusweek.com

CPTdinner.indd 22

Transport, introduced himself: “I have done my share of driving buses and coaches, standing on wet street corners as an inspector and managing garages. I also ran Arriva’s London business for 11 years.”

“Having spent so much time in London makes one well qualified to talk about the merits of regulation,” he continued. “But Minister, fear not - I don’t want to dwell on the likes of Quality Contracts – everyone knows the strong views we hold on these and indeed the Competition Commission was far from convinced of their value. The

legislation is in place and we want to move the debate on to focus on the serious business of working with our local authority partners in improving services to our passengers.”

Having paid tribute to his predecessor, Steve Whiteway of Epsom Coaches and CPT chairman Ian Morgan, Yexley acknowledged the “genuine interest and commitment to public transport” from minister Norman Baker who spoke after him but went on to address areas where more help is needed.

Referring first to the Competition

Commission (CC), for which the industry “did not believe the case for referral was strong”, Yexley said reaction to the outcome was one of relief, surprise and realism.

Firstly, there was relief at no support for structural changes, pricing controls or increased regulation; surprise that some sections were heavily influenced by very local and specific incidents but also realism - over things the CC has recommended which need to be looked at. “Minister, you know we have concerns over some of the recommendations and we’ll be discussing those with you over the coming weeks,” said Yexley, addressing Baker. “But the industry is ready to work with you to help bring about any changes the government now proposes which will improve the services we provide for our passengers.”

BSOG rankles

“One of the major issues coming out of the CC’s work which rankles with the industry is the suggestion it is in receipt of significant subsidy,” said Yexley, bemoaning the recent changes to BSOG in Wales

30/01/2012 22:59

100

Day time coach parking spaces offered by London bus garages

and Scotland as “tremendously unwelcome”, “very difficult for our members to manage”, with the 20% cut in England which, when margins are slim, not “without consequences”.

“We recognise there is political will to change the way BSOG is paid, not necessarily to save money but as part of an assertion that there must be a better way of allocating it,” he continued, warning any alteration to the way BSOG works including transitional arrangements “must not be to the detriment of our existing customers – and indeed, needs to be developed in a way to make services better for them and attracts new customers”.

Coach industry shines on

Yexley said by contrast, one area of the industry which receives no subsidy in any form is the coach industry.

“CPT has made a determined effort to improve links with local and national government, with local authorities and businesses and with the GLA’s, BAA’s and TfL’s of this world to make sure the coach industry is properly supported, particularly over the vexed issue of parking facilities,” he said.

Yexley thanked cities such as Liverpool and Cardiff which both received CPT Coach Friendly Awards in 2011, “for recognising in a practical way how key coaches are to your cities” and to the citizens and businesses of York “for helping us to overturn a completely stupid move to close down the well used coach park.

“To the owners of London bus garages, a further thankyou for offering up 100 day time coach parking spaces.” 2012 offers a “brilliant opportunity for the coach industry to show what it does best” in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Yexley concluded by focusing on compliance. “Much of 2011 could be described as the Year of Compliance. Our free online Compliance Manual completed its first full year of operation and has been well received.

“Coupled to this was our launch in June, by the minister and Beverley Bell, then, I think in her role of acting senior traffic commissioner, of our Complianceplus scheme which we promoted at the time as being a compliance solution by our industry for our industry.

CPTdinner.indd 23

40m

The number of coach passenger trips made a year

“We’re planning to build on and develop this assistance to you all running compliant operations throughout 2012.”

Getting young people on board

Baker said he had taken several buses to reach the dinner but had not yet earnt the title of ‘two buses Baker’, making a light-hearted reference to John Prescott’s ‘two jags’ nickname but praised him for his contribution to transport.

Baker did not say much which was new, reiterating his priority to see more people on buses; listing the various funding streams he has announced of late; praising the value of partnership work; and making his usual plug for the smart card technology push by 2014, which he said is on target.

His main call was for the industry to do more to get young people using buses.

“I’m not satisfied enough is happening to get young people using buses but this is a win-win.

For young people, buses are a cheap and easy means of connecting to new opportunities in employment.

“For the industry, it’s about ensuring their future commitment to bus travel, so they become

2,400

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23

Centro buses equipped with smartcard ticket machines across 28 operators passengers for life. Yet what young people get is a mixed bag. Norfolk Green might offer discounts but inconsistency tends to be the rule rather than the exception.”

This confusion is putting young people off using services, he said, commenting: “If there are deals out there for young people, and there are, we need those young people to know what they are and we need to be better advertised.”

At the last Bus Partnership Forum, the DfT-led group on which operator and local authority representatives sit, Baker said a constructive collaboration between decision-makers and young people

John Prescott overwhelmed many with his pro-regulation tirade

Mark Yexley’s first address as CPT president bemoaned changes to BSOG

was the way forward and welcomed CPT and PTEG responding to his call for action. “But I believe the industry needs to do much more, on a more co-ordinated basis and I need to tell you that I receive too many complaints from young people about the way they feel they are treated by drivers. While many of course are excellent, there are clearly a few who need to remember they are the industry’s public face.

“I know young people who have been put off using the bus simply because an experience they have had with the driver. Once they step off, they don’t always come back.”

Commenting on the role of government in the future of the bus industry, he said: “Our job in Government is to put in place the conditions and incentives to help the industry grow. We’re not going to tell you how to do your job but we do want to create an environment where passengers, operators and local authorities can work together.

“We’ve also recognised the role of technology in putting passengers first, creating services adaptable to their needs,” said Baker. Shining the spotlight on green buses, he said: “Technology here is only part of the story. Green buses are popular.

They’ve dragged the old image of the bus - that staid seventies stereotype, into the 21st century.

“So that’s what Government is doing but we can only do so much; the bus stops with you,” Baker urged the industry. “We want you to open up your services. Make it as easy as possible for people to use them. Ensure the values which put the passenger first in days gone by remain relevant in tomorrow’s world.”

Not forgetting coaches, Baker said: “Forty million passenger trips a year tells its own story. The coach industry is continuing to find innovative ways to grow. Take for example, Stagecoach’s new sleeper service from Glasgow to London, the understated “megabus” and tomorrow, I shall be with National Express in Polegate in my constituency to name one of their coaches. National Express, along with other large and small operators, delivers a top-class service and has a vital transport role. I am particularly pleased to see the company has recognised the commercial case for maintaining a concessionary fare for older people.” www.coachandbusweek.com

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24 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

eg

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

› WORKWEAR

First impressions last – and you only get one chance to make one

Dress to Impress The coach and bus industry can require a variety of different work wear. Drivers need to be well presented, but also need to be comfortable enough to work lengthy shifts and drive long distances.

Maintenance staff need tough uniform suitable for their work, and many roles will require high-visibility to keep staff safe. This week’s Essential Guide features suppliers who are experienced in providing uniforms for a variety of roles www.coachandbusweek.com

EG.Workwear.indd 24

U

niform concerns for an operator start from the front lines. Drivers are ambassadors for the business and need to both look the part and be comfortable enough to perform. The uniform also needs to take passengers into account - a coach full of under 25s will generally require a less formal uniform than a coach of over 60s, which may justify flexible uniform options to suit the expectations of clients. Making the effort to get appearance right can give an operator the edge when customers decide whether to grant it return business – dress to impress.

Quality uniform for maintenance staff should result in more durability and more time before it needs replacing, while ensuring staff around a depot are visible in the dark can literally be life or death. Office staff can also benefit from quality uniform, as it can improve the mindset of staff, giving them higher expectations to live up to and making them more likely to take pride in their work.

Several quality companies are featured in this week’s Essential Guide. Workwear Express are a firm in solid financial standing, supplying over 8,000 clients with uniforms manufactured at its 20,000ft2 premisis in Durham.

Logo World also has experience in serving high profile clients, such as Hull City FC and Mercedes-Benz, and has an impressive CV and range considering the firm has only been around since 2007.

The Embroidered & Printed Clothing Company brings with it 12 years experience supplying uniforms to the transport industry, with dedicated stock ideal for large operators needing a fast turnaround, while First Corporate Clothing offer 20 years experience in corporate clothing, and an onsite measuring service for clients desiring a personal touch.

WORKWEAR EXPRESS

Even in a double dip recession with fuel costs and overheads soaring, companies are moving away from economy uniform and workwear ranges which look as generic as the next competitor’s. Instead, they are opting to differentiate their staff, recognising that uniforms and workwear actually do play an integral role in their marketing

strategy. Transport operators are no different. Not only do they want to ensure their vehicle livery stands out from competition and represent their company’s values, but their staff look the part too.

Staff and customers’ expectations are growing too. Staff want to wear a wardrobe of apparel fit for purpose but also something which looks and feels great. Customers on the other hand want to be able to find staff approachable and easy to identify.

Sadly, there are still those companies seeing uniforms and workwear as an unwelcome cost, especially those who have to cater for a number of roles. In the case of transport operators, there are many roles to consider such as drivers, customer service representatives, receptionists and engineers.

Workwear Express is a UK leading corporate clothing, workwear and promotional apparel manufacturer, servicing over 8,000 clients. The company has partnered with industry leading designer Claire Conley to deliver bespoke workwear and uniform solutions to many of its clients. Claire has designed corporate uniforms and workwear for many transport operators and here she gives her thoughts on why you should be paying more attention to your corporate wardrobe and seeing it as a marketing opportunity and not a cost: “I am finding more operators are placing greater emphasis on branding, quality, fabrics and designs when creating their staff wardrobe. Operators need to consider a number of factors when liaising with their workwear and uniform suppliers.

“Firstly, and most importantly, workwear and uniforms are a portable advertisement. If done correctly, the uniform can portray what type of company the customer is dealing with. It can host company branding and strap lines, and can potentially be promoting your business to 100’s of customers each day. A driver or customer service representative can be the first contact a customer receives with an operator; the first tangible part of the service offering.

“Consider the location of your customers and the role staff uniforms and workwear play. How easy are your staff to identify in a busy transport terminal or tourist destination? Do they stand out from competitors? What impression are

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February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 25

they creating to your customers?

Do they look approachable? Can they be easily seen in both dark and lit conditions?

“Operators also need to think about their staff and how they operate in their working environment. For example, take a driver who is sat down most of the day. In winter, the bus is heated, but the doors are opening and closing regularly. Temperatures are continuously changing.

Fortunately, there are some fantastic performance fabrics out there now, which can be utilised in designs. A driver can now be kept comfortable, cool and dry in hotter conditions, whilst for those colder days there are some highly stylish winter wear ranges.

Customers don’t want to be faced with an uncomfortable looking staff member when dealing with your company. Again, it’s all about impressions.

“Let’s not forget the engineers and mechanics. Even though they are the least seen members of your

company they are dealing with and the service they should expect to receive. Together with vehicle livery, brochures, timetables, adverts and websites, uniforms play an important role in any customer facing public relation and marketing strategy. Uniforms and workwear aren’t a cost. They’re an opportunity for you to show your customers and competitors you are worth shouting about!”

Workwear Express offer a free consultation regarding workwear or uniforms. Contact its corporate sales team for more information.

Workwear Express has the infrastructure to support clients of any size at its 20,000 square foot premises in Durham team, they are essentially keeping your business moving safely. These roles require a lot of consideration.

Workwear and uniforms need to be fit for purpose, highly durable, easy to clean, stain resistant and comfortable. Staff also need to know they will be protected in their

busy work environment. Protective clothing such as safety shoes or boots is a must as well as high visibility garments.

“Your customers, within seconds of coming face-to-face with a member of your staff, will have built an impression of the sort of

T: 0800 028 5867.

W: www.workwear express.com

LOGO WORLD Logo World is a dedicated team, offering professional and affordable, quality uniforms, work wear and logo application.

With a wide range of garments including t-shirts, polo shirts,

For all your branded uniform requirements

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eg

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

› WORKWEAR

sweatshirts, cotton shirts, jackets, trousers, coveralls, headwear and high-visibility items etc, Logo World has supplied to numerous local, national and international companies including Hull City FC, Mercedes-Benz and The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

Active since 2007, Logo World has carried out many jobs, from individual items to bulk orders consisting of thousands of items.

Throughout this time, the company has gained experience and knowledge and thus expanded, now offering products such as promotional goods.

Describing themselves as a perfectionist company, customer satisfaction is very important to Logo World, which is why it takes great pride in offering a quick turnaround on quality assured products at an affordable, competitive price.

Now based in Howden, East Yorkshire, Logo World offers services such as alterations, hi-vis strip application, tax tabbing and production/application of over

lock badges. All products are supplied in-house at a characteristic building situated central to the town and easily accessible for order collection. Alternatively, Logo World can deliver directly to its customers either personally or through its carrier.

If for any reason a client finds Logo World is unable to cater to its needs in any way, the client is advised to phone in. Logo World claim to have the client’s best interests at heart and an honest, reliable team which will ensure they do all they can to source products, providing the ultimate services it feels customers deserve and should receive.

So why not give Logo World a call today to ensure your workforce is wearing their uniform and company logo with pride and portraying the correct image to customers far and wide.

T: 01430 430090 E: info@logo-world.co.uk W: www.logo-world.co.uk

Logo world offer a wide range of uniform across many different industries

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EMBROIDERED & PRINTED CLOTHING COMPANY The Embroidered & Printed Clothing Company (EPCC) is one of the country’s leading suppliers and manufacturers of corporate clothing and uniforms. With over twelve years experience in supplying staff uniforms to companies in the travel industry it knows different businesses need a different approach. EPCC can supply to clients of all sizes, from a sole company to a workforce in the thousands.

With its in house embroidery, screen printing and transfer printing facilities, and access to Far East clothing manufacture, customers purchase uniforms directly from the manufacturer, saving money, time and mistakes.

EPCC supply a wide range of products including embroidered shirts, blazers, trousers, ties and high visibility clothing as well as uniforms made to the client’s own design.

EPCC can hold stock of a firm’s corporate clothing or uniforms

and distribute across the country or Europe as required. EPCC can set up online ordering systems for companies and enable them to log in and view sales reports.

Whether clients are looking to start from scratch or replace existing staff uniforms, EPCC offer a full cycle service from initial consultation through to online account management.

When firms have a larger amount of employees and need the fastest turnaround times EPCC’s dedicated stock service is just what is required. It will hold an agreed amount of pre-customised stock for the client, so when the orders are received they are fulfilled without delay. Clients can also log in and view sales reports and see which clothing different departments are purchasing.

Operators can contact EPCC to arrange a consultation. The firm can discuss individual needs, give expert advice and provide samples, allowing clients to ensure the project will be a success.

T: 0845 180 1008 E: sales@epcc.co.uk W: www.embroidered-printedclothing.co.uk

FIRST CORPORATE CLOTHING LTD Whether buying uniforms for the first time or seeking a new supplier for an established look, First Corporate Clothing LTD (FCC) has the answer. The firm holds 20 years experience in the corporate clothing industry, meaning it can be relied upon to give the best possible advice and support throughout the entire process.

FCC is a specialist in the design, manufacture and supply of corporate clothing, with the firm complying with ISO 9001-2000 quality standards for the design and supply of its products.

The firm possesses a wholly owned factory, warehouse and distribution unit in South Wales, complete with special measure and alteration facilities along with a

design and sample room. FCC offers a bespoke design service and has a dedicated department for emblem design, ensuring clients have their company name displayed as clearly and professionally as possible.

FCC claims to have a proven track record of exceptional logistics management and is therefore reliable when clients have specific deadlines to meet, while a dedicated account management service ensures swift and professional management of payments and invoices.

A personal touch is offered by FCC. Clients who choose to visit the site have access to an on site measuring service, while products are delivered in individual person packs with no minimum order quality, avoiding unnecessary administration and distribution for the client and allowing replacement of individual parts of a uniform with no difficulties.

T: 01639 899008 E: sales@firstcorporate uk.com

Clothing, Workwear, Leisurewear & Promotional Items Please call or email for enquiries: Tel: 01430 430090 Email: info@logo-world.co.uk Whether you are an individual wanting a personalised product or a business wishing to promote themselves in a professional manner – then you’re in the right place! www.coachandbusweek.com

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RE-BRANDING › FIRST UK

Giles turns new page of localism for First First UK bus managing director Giles Fearnley spoke last week for the first time on the group’s plans for the future, which he has been formulating over the last nine months.

Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon reports on First’s new rebrand, manifesto and wave of localism

F

irstGroup has announced it is taking a more devolved approach to running its bus services in a significant cultural shift towards localism, which will include a “refreshed” livery.

Speaking at a media event in London last week, Giles Fearnley, managing director of First’s UK bus division made his first announcement about his plans since joining the group a year ago, referring to “a very determined move away from corporate and national to local”, for which the formation of five regional divisions for its bus services was a precursor.

The group has produced a new manifesto which sets out First’s core mission statement in its title - ‘Better Journeys for Life’, its aims and intention to work more closely with all stakeholders including customers, staff and external partners, with safety and the environment identified as key strands.

“The manifesto isn’t waffle - it has hard-meaning intentions over which we are very happy to be judged,” said Giles. “The localism agenda is hugely important.” The best decision I’ve ever taken – apart from to join First,” quipped Giles, “was when I split West Yorkshire Road Car into five separate businesses all focusing on their local towns.

“There are group guidelines and strong financial control but it will be up for each of the regional managing directors how to maintain the manifesto goals, how

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to get the best out of their region and identify opportunities – they have senior authority.”

“Our Brand Promise shows we are committed to deliver ‘Better Journeys for Life’ by placing our stakeholders at the heart of everything we do,” continued Giles.

“We recognise that some long term changes are necessary and these will take time to deliver and embed.

However we know by working in close co-operation with all of our stakeholders, and providing the necessary investment, our business will develop and grow.”

Turning a new leaf?

Giles acknowledged the new approach contrasts to “the view of old” where little decision-making was made locally and “the buck stopped in Aberdeen” but also stressed the need to maintain “the

The new livery will appear in Yorkshire, Manchester and Southampton within months

massive strength in efficiency, innovation, investments and standards” at group level.

Asked about what he has sought to change since joining First, Giles told CBW: “FirstGroup had in the latter years a reputation for cutting, for fares increases and for pretty constant management upheaval. All these things are easy to exaggerate but that had been a feature for probably the last five years.”

Giles found commitment to First at depot level “stronger than he had feared”, however he acknowledged: “Whilst at all levels internally I found a really strong commitment to the cause and also very strong loyalty to the group, nevertheless there was a very real concern across the land, depot to depot and at all levels as to what did the future hold - was it more of the same?

“While fares have gone up, and there have been some service changes, what we’ve really tried to show in the last twelve months is we are really beginning to focus now on every network, looking at how we can most efficiently serve that business but make it clear how we can begin to grow our passenger base.” Giles said a host of schemes will be rolled out over the next 12 months, adding: “I knew I was going to find and I did find and something we are going to tackle, that certain parts of the business are being neglected and a lack of vehicle investment – there are visible signs.”

“We know some areas we serve are economically weak and others are stronger, but nevertheless there has got to be opportunity in every area we operate and every team

is charged. Part of this localism agenda is to ensure we really do focus on every single part of the business and we’re showing our focus – we’re showing our staff, we’re showing our customers, we’re showing our stakeholders. We will be accountable in every area for service,” he continued.

“It’s far, far too easy in the past - because of the way First was managed and perceived to be managed externally - to always blame the group.”

After nine months of focusing on the future, Giles said he has been very pleasantly surprised by how easy it has been to reach the right decisions and how much support there has been in those involved.

“Everyone is now beginning to feel

30/01/2012 23:12

2.5m

Passengers a day travelling on First buses in more than 40 towns and cities

much more empowered. It takes time – you can’t suddenly switch,” he said. “There are no go areas such as safety and you’ve got to have those absolutes but then there is local autonomy and the business is only as strong as its weakest links.”

A new livery

One of the first visible signs of the group’s rebranding will be a new, “refreshed” livery, with the name of the local area appearing on the side of vehicles and the size of the ‘F’ increased. There will be a core, standard template with flexibility for local teams to customise areas of the vehicle’s exterior to show town and city names or route specific identities, which the group said fits in with First’s desire to provide

FirstGroupRebrand.indd 29

local services for local communities.

“We are trying to engage depot staff – engagement is a key tool,” commented Giles who said staff response has been very positive.

A vehicle bearing the ‘First Leeds’ is being used to demonstrate the new, local livery. Some areas, which will more difficult to specify, are still under deliberation, such as in Bristol, which has strong connections with other areas such as Gloucester as well as Somerset and Bath. “It’s not one size fits all but there will be a very local feel,” said Giles. “While we are going local, the First ‘F’ roundel is much bigger because it is important we are part of something bigger and a greater whole.”

The new livery will be rolled

£4m

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 29

The amount First is investing in vehicle refurbishment over 2012/13

out progressively on First’s buses across the UK, excluding London, starting in the next few weeks, as part of First’s five-year ongoing paint programme.

Some ‘fast track’ painting will be used to highlight route developments on bus corridors around the UK. The first buses in the new livery will be seen in places including Yorkshire, Manchester and Southampton over the next few months.

“The new livery, which allows for local identity, is just the first step in our vehicle modernisation programme and is a sign we are changing,” commented Giles. “Over the next year, hundreds of new vehicles in the new livery will enter service to benefit new or existing

8,000 The number of buses in First’s fleet across the UK

customers and allow us to grow the bus network.”

However he stressed: “This is not all about livery. Livery is a consequence not a cause of where we’ve got to today. The livery is important although it is not a revolution from where we are today. We are targeting route corridors and won’t repaint sporadically. We will have a mixed fleet for many years – in Blazefield we repainted in two years and it confused customers.”

Consolidation and consistency

Giles acknowledged the need to improve service standards in some areas. He told CBW: “The one message we want to make

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RE-BRANDING › FIRST UK

is we want to be consistent in what we do in every respect.” This includes significant improvement in all staff, which is a key work stream for 2012, he said. Communication will play a “massive part”. Staff engagement in the whole process is vital in Giles’ mind and he said there is a depot-by-depot review taking place to ensure staff have the right skills, resources and priorities to move forward and make customer service consistent.

“Having a sustainable business model is all about providing excellent customer service consistently. I fully accept and my colleagues around here would accept in some locations we have some way to go,” he said.

“None of us are saying we are producing this manifesto today and tomorrow the world will be brilliant. A lot of the problems we have in those areas where standards are possibly not as they should be are down to the fleet, the age of the fleet.” He said the group’s fleet modernisation programme, planned over 2012/13 will help tackle this, as will its refurbishment of existing vehicles, in which First is investing £4m. A range of internal changes is being made, including leather seats on some vehicles

of articulated vehicles to double deckers.

The 200 vehicles being deployed for the Olympic Games will be the first to feature the new interiors and are arriving next month. New vehicles arriving this year will be split between Volvo, Wright Group and ADL. Giles emphasised all the work done on vehicles, whether to interiors or external livery is on the back of extensive consultation with customers and focus group research, “not just back at the ranch”.

A new blueprint Giles Fearnley says First wants to be consistent in everything it does and redesigned interiors aimed at improving accessibility and safety.

“We watch, review, look at every single passenger incident and injury we have and we have far too many, with an awful lot in the front area.” One problem identified is spring-loaded seats popping up before passengers have a chance to sit down, which is being tackled with more grab rails and space.

LED lighting has also been added to staircases. Giles said First has also noticed the number of incidents have gone up in the replacement

“It’s far, far too easy in the past – because of the way First was managed and perceived to be managed externally – to always blame the group.”

Giles Fearnley FirstGroup

Better Journeys for Life:

manifesto commitments at a glance Our Customers Ensure travelling with us is a relaxing experience Care about our customers Offer value for money journeys Provide a punctual and reliable service Listen to and act on customers’ feedback and suggestions

Our People Develop our people with the skills to provide a friendly, efficient and professional service Care for and respect each other, as colleagues and friends Empower and guide our people to achieve their full potential Provide an enjoyable, honest and safe working environment

Welcome, listen to and act on ideas and suggestions

Our communities Engage with the community on local transport issues Support local causes Be a responsible and caring business and employer Enable our communities to thrive Our partners Continually develop new and effective ways of making bus travel better Align our objectives with those of our key partners Be professional, honest and realistic when working with our partners Become the partner of choice

Our shareholders Develop and grow the business Provide return on investment Effectively manage risk Embrace new technologies and learn from best practice Promote good governance Safety We are passionate about safety; our ongoing injury prevention training helps us all to stay vigilant and look after each other.

Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our customers and the local communities we serve.

We’ll continue to work with our partners and local

First is also in the process of developing a new blueprint for the way the business operates, ‘Blueprint for Growth Programme,’ which will contain a number of workstreams aimed at improving efficiency and service quality. Local teams are designing new processes and are devising and implementing actions to bring the Blueprint to life.

“We have spent several months taking a long, hard look at the business, from KPIs to how we organise our depots and developed an internal blueprint to help the whole business,” explained Giles.

Asked if there are any parts of the business he doesn’t want,

communities to attract more people to use our buses as part of our aim to reduce emissions and congestion Environment We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint across all areas of our business.

We believe we have an important role to play in reducing emissions to improve the quality of the environment in both the urban and rural areas we serve.

We’ll continue to work with our partners and local communities to attract more people to use our buses as part of our aim to reduce emissions and congestion Developing the art of listening We understand the importance of listening to and working

with all our stakeholders.

We have a range of means of engaging with and seeking feedback from them, including: n A rolling programme of surveys to assess customer satisfaction on a range of key factors affecting their journey. n Focus Group sessions with customers on specific topic n Ongoing programmes of customer engagement including customer panels, Meet the Manager sessions and stakeholder panels. n Regular employee satisfaction surveys supported by focus groups where further information is required. n Regular meetings with Members of Parliament, local authorities, passenger transport executives and business enterprise partnerships to discuss transport ambitions and policy.

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Giles said: “I think any business in the world we are living in is continually reviewing, and it’s not just reviewing of what we might not want and what we might want that somebody else has, OFT willing, but it is a continuous churn.

“We have said - I think my chief executive let the cat out of the bag a few weeks ago - there is likely to be one disposal announced fairly shortly, it’s not a huge one and won’t surprise anybody when announced, but there will be no whole-scale disposal and our first objective will be to make good of what we’ve got.”

Giles said the OFT are revving up to take much greater, active control in the bus industry, as requested by the Competition Commission (CC). “It will be worrying if the OFT becomes too involved in trying to block pretty sensible deals when looked at for the customer and the local authority,” said Giles, commenting on the deal between McGills and Arriva “you would have thought wouldn’t have been touched a year ago”.

PTEs and QC agenda

Asked about First’s relationship with PTEs in South and West Yorkshire and the Quality Contract proposal in the latter, Giles said “things had moved on significantly” with Stagecoach, TM Travel and trent barton in South Yorkshire in the last eight months with Quality Partnership corridors under Optio branding. There are plans to develop Optio much further in the next 12 months. “We’re hugely supportive of that – it’s very, very sensible to get PTE-led investment into street furniture, priorities and corridors and ultimately provide a more comprehensive and sustainable service to the customer,” said Giles.

“Whilst it would be unlikely the PTE would move to say QCs are off the agenda, they are certainly much lower down their agenda.”

Commenting on West Yorkshire, Giles said First is a very active member of the Association of Local Bus Managers who are now meeting with the PTE and Metropolitan District Councils on a regular basis, as part of a partnership board, and has submitted a range of proposals operators would like to take forward. However, he added QC is still on the ITA agenda and to be discussed at its next meeting in March, when they will “debate and

FirstGroupRebrand.indd 31

Local names on buses will silhouette local landmarks as above in ‘LEEDS’

Comment: Giles’ announcement certainly reflects a highly significant step change for First, although there is a heavy marketing spin to the rebrand and the new manifesto, which Giles assures us “isn’t waffle”.

While the new livery is not a huge move away from the current one, it is fresher and the local name appearing on vehicles marks the change of approach. The Go-Ahead model springs strongly to mind but this is more of a stepping stone for First towards such approach.

“I’ve always admired the Go-Ahead model,” Giles told CBW. “It’s consistently proving to be hugely successful. From where we are starting to a Go-Ahead style shorter span of control is too big a leap but we’ve certainly gone some significant way with the regional structure and then the local businesses.

“We have businesses of all shapes and sizes – some which can’t support the Go-Ahead style. Below that, we’re not focusing on tiers of management, we’re focusing on local level. There is no middle layer which there was until the regional structure.”

While they have given us a hint of First’s new wave of localism, the regional divisions to operations, which tally well with the coalition government’s approach, still cover considerably large areas of the UK – fairly big societies, to coin the phrase but Giles is very much endorsing a grass roots approach to the new manifesto and cultural change – down from depot up to group level. Time will tell as to how the seeds which have been planted grow. marry up the partnership proposals against the QC aspirations”. “We firmly believe partnership is the way to save money in the long term for the rate payer and actually delivers benefits to the customer so much faster than if we all get embroiled in a QC scenario,” said Giles.

First has been introducing smartcards onto its vehicles and Giles said ticketing still remains an issue in West Yorkshire, commenting: “We’re not saying never do anything, we’re saying take it step by step.”. He acknowledged “it has always been a PTE bugbear” that a passenger comes out and buys a day ticket on a First bus in the morning and then wants to return on someone

else’s bus; passengers can now pay a supplement on a second or return journey to bridge the gap between the First fare and a multi-operator day ticket. “Ultimately everyone can have value for money on their journey so we see that as a huge step forward,” said Giles. First is also selling day Metro tickets on buses.

“We’re trying to get ahead of the ITA’s agenda here. We think if they persist in their one ticket scenario only, customers will actually pay more and it will actually delay and stop all the things operators are introducing themselves or wanting to introduce – and we have a whole host lined up when we get our new ticketing platform in place.”

Asked about the evenness of

the relationship between West Yorkshire ITA given its press statements suggest a deadline has been given for operators to respond and if they don’t meet it, they will proceed with QC, Giles said: “On a working level there is a good relationship but they can’t resist when it comes to political statement showing the hard hand. It doesn’t help but it is not putting us off – we still believe in what we’re doing.”

Having the Metropolitan Districts sitting on the partnership board is “so, so important”, added Giles.

“A lot of the plans we have in West Yorkshire we’ll talk about next time have accelerated forward as a direct result of the district being involved side by side with the PTE in working through plans with us.”

The near future

The biggest challenge for the next 12 months, Giles said, is “ensuring where we want to be” despite all the policy and funding interventions, most notably on BSOG. Commenting on the recent shock news of 25% Welsh BSOG cut, he said: “The notice period given for fundamental change is very disturbing: no good for customers, no good for our staff, jobs, stakeholders and local authorities and bad for the business model.”

Equally, in Scotland, the mechanism by which BSOG is paid has changed from metres to kilometres which shifts quite heavily from heavy urban services to heavy rural services, said Giles.

“We can plan to deal with bad news and deal with it, but the longer one has to prepare, the more you can mitigate the impact. When it’s short notice, it is harder and the reaction is far worse than need be.”

The impact of the BSOG cut in England is increasing the north/ south divide in terms of patronage, he said. “We have put fares up in January in a number of places, but we have to be sympathetic to people’s spending ability.”

Commenting on the potential removal of ftr vehicles in York, Giles said they are looking at a number of options best suited to the city or on other corridors. “They were welcomed when the Lib Dems first had control but Labour vowed it would rid the city of them, though they don’t have the power to do so” said Giles. No decision has been made but he said it would be sensible to keep the majority of ftrs in Yorkshire.

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THE BIG PICTURE

‘TSO16X’ is an early example of an ECW-bodied Leyland Olympian deliveried to the Scottish Bus Group (SBG). It was new in 1982 to SBG’s Northern Scottish subsidiary, where it was known as ‘NLO16‘. At the dawn of the new millennium, the bus was acquired from Stagecoach Bluebird and moved south to its new owners, Tanat Valley Coaches on the Shropshire-Welsh borderland. It is here that editor Gareth Evans drove the bus on local service and school contract work.

In 2005, ‘516’, as it was by then numbered, returned north of the border and is now in the care of the Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust at Bridgeton Bus Garage, where it is pictured here beneath a threatening sky. It has been preserved in the condition it would have been in at deregulation - the clean yellow/gold and cream Northern Scottish livery. It would appear the attractiveness of the livery was not lost on model makers - EFE released a model of it six years ago.

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the big question › welsh bsog cut reaction

What will the Welsh BSOG cut mean?

Arriva says frequencies on some services may be reduced

Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans talks to a range of operators and stakeholders to find out their reaction to the BSOG (Bus Service Operator Grant) cut and what effect it will have on their networks John Gould MD, Stagecoach in South Wales It’s disappointing on two accounts. Firstly the level – 25% is draconian. Secondly, the notice given. I’m conscious that England had 18 months but we’ve literally had just two to three months.

The minister said there would be a cut but we’re now faced with it immediately.

We’re currently reviewing our prices and service levels and getting a handle on the business. I know for my company alone there’s now a £1m hole! That’s the sort of cuts we’re dealing with.

Our detailed look has fallen right in the midst of our budgeting process, so perhaps it’s fortuitous. However, it’s no exaggeration to say the announcement has thrown a real spanner in the works.

The additional blow of local authorities having their Local Transport Services Grant (LTSG) cut will result in bus operators putting in reduced service registrations, which will lead to an even greater call on shrunk budgets.

We’re conscious Fuel Duty Rebate (FDR) was introduced by an erstwhile Labour government in 1965. There’s irony there as a it is a Labour government in Wales which has slashed it. FDR was introduced to keep fares down, which it undoubtedly has.

I understand this year’s (2011-12) outgoing for BSOG will be circa £21m. I appreciate the need for austerity measures but at the end of the day it’s a massive cut which didn’t need to be made.

I would call it an explosion of unintended consequences, which I assume have not been explained to the minister.

Michael Morton MD, Arriva Buses Wales As an operator we are extremely perturbed the minister and WAG left it so late, especially after our meeting in October. He said the 20% in England was rather draconian. However, he did say a cut was inevitable but he would attempt to keep it less than that in England. When we were budgeting this year, we assumed the cut would be

As a result of the BSOG cut, Stagecoach is facing a £1m hole in its Welsh business from April 1 www.coachandbusweek.com

BigQuestion.indd 34

10 to 20% - the latter being a worse case scenario.

We were astounded when we learned the figure was 25%. Inevitably, it’s the customer who will suffer and we will have to examine every route individually. It strikes me as a blow to public transport, particularly the bus industry.

At the end of the day, a lot of our passengers are at the lower end of the income spectrum.

Whilst we’ll do everything in our power to keep services, we’ve got to look at the network.

Inevitably, it will lead to services which currently enjoy 10-minute frequencies being reduced to quarter-hourly and so on. We may also double deck routes currently operated by single deckers to maintain the capacity.

Tendered services are where the main impact of the BSOG cut will be felt. Two of our local authorities, Conwy and Ynys Mon (Anglesey) have already told us that as a result of the LTSG cut, they’ve got to save £100,000 each.

If we feel any of our routes are close to

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February 1, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 35

being commercial, we will operate them on a commercial basis but inevitably fares will then increase.

The problem is if we lose evening and Sunday journeys, usually families who have children to take to events and activities will go out and buy a second car. Once they’ve bought that car, they will look at fuel as a marginal cost, and as a result they won’t use the bus at all. Therefore, a vicious cycle of decline kicks in, which leads to need for additional financial support.

We’ve recently identified the commercial potential of our evening and Sunday services in Aberystwyth. We stuck our necks out with a six-month trial and we found the operation paid instantly. However, that won’t necessarily be the case everywhere and we’ll have to make financial savings.

Ultimately fares are going to rise. The big worry now is not only BSOG but the price of fuel.

In some ways we’re protected because we hedge

BigQuestion.indd 35

“We were astounded when we learned the figure was 25%.

Inevitably, it’s the customer who will suffer and we will have to examine every route individually. It strikes me as a blow to public transport, particularly the bus industry.”

Michael Morton Arriva Buses Wales

“We don’t want to increase fares because we will lose customers for good.”

Dave Hulme Padarn Bus, Llanberis

ours but some of the smaller operators, who pay pump prices may not survive.

At Arriva Buses Wales we’ve got a real passion for running buses and we’ve worked hard in recent years to provide these extra services.

It would have been a great help if we could have been given 18 months to plan. It’s the difference between a controlled explosion and a nuclear blast!

The other people I feel sorry for is our schedules department – they’re having to cope with a vast number of service revisions.

Justin Davies First Cymru, South Wales We have already made some steps towards mitigating what was an expected reduction in BSOG but the higher than anticipated cut in Wales will, without a doubt, have a further serious impact on our business. BSOG which partially rebates the duty operators

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the big question › welsh bsog cut reaction

pay on fuel - has always existed as a subsidy for passengers, helping keep bus fares lower for them than they would otherwise be. The timing is bad - the reduction coincides with a cut of 27% in the Local Transport Subsidy Grant, and collectively the reductions in these two funding streams will have a significant impact on local bus operations. We have not yet had time to consider the full impact of these changes but we will be talking to our colleagues in the local authorities about this, and the implications for local services, in the coming weeks.

Dave Hulme Padarn Bus, Llanberis We’re waiting to hear from our local authorities.

They had made contingency plans but they’re now going to have to repair commercial routes at a time when their own budgets are being cut.

We don’t want to increase fares because we will lose customers for good. Our annual fare increase is due to take place in July, so we may bring that forward by a few weeks.

As for service levels, I feel its trimming rather than cuts for us. We’ve also got to analyse what tenders we’ve got. The problem is we tendered for some services five years ago and now our costs have shot up 25%. It’s people going to work who will suffer. It’s a massive blow all of a sudden.

In England, there are allowances for operators who have invested in lower emission vehicles, smartcard ticketing and vehicle tracking, with the result the 20% BSOG cut is reduced to 12% but there is currently no such incentive in Wales.

Having invested in all this technology, we’re not seeing a proper return.

The lack of notice is terrible. Because we hadn’t heard by Christmas we thought WAG may have postponed any cuts until 2013. We’ve now got less than 10 weeks until the BSOG cut is introduced and eight weeks to register any service changes.

Gareth Davies GHA, Wrexham The timescale has shocked us more than anything else – it’s hard to turn a tanker round in eight weeks. The cut should have been either like England, with more notice or it should have been implemented gradually in increments of 10 or five percent. We’re fortunate to have 30 buses worth of work in England, so we’re already prepared for that hit.

The question now is that of fare and service frequencies. Evening and Sunday buses will inevitably be cut. The minister’s decision will have an effect on the economy as a whole – namely, retailing and on the ability of people to reach their place of work. The effects will be widely felt – all for the sake of what I believe to be shaving £4m off the annual BSOG budget. It smacks of penny pinching, pound foolish.

Then there is the matter of concessionary travel. With fares rising, average fares will increase as a result, so does that mean the concessionary fares bill will increase? If so, it’s a further example of how shortsighted this decision is.

Operators should have had an incentive to invest in their fleets. Nobody in Wales is going to www.coachandbusweek.com

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order new vehicles now, so our hard-pressed UK bus building industry will also be affected.

The only incentive at the moment is to continue operating rather than invest. I feel it’s a retrograde step by WAG, which has previously invested in public transport.

Margaret Everson Senior officer for Wales, Bus Users UK Cymru It is particularly worrying that the Local Transport Service Grant is to be reduced at the same time as a major cut in Bus Service Operators Grant. The industry has to grapple with financial uncertainties and we know bus passengers do not like service cuts or changes to timetables, let alone real increases to bus fares.

We can only hope operators try to make changes in a sensitive way and minimise disruption to as few services as possible but in reality it is likely that many peripheral services are at risk.

Whilst we understand the financial constraints being experienced by central and local governments, it is very disappointing that at a time of ever increasing fuel prices and when efforts are being made to encourage potential passengers to leave their cars at home, there is a very real danger of their local bus service being curtailed or cut. It is also worrying for those people that rely on a bus to enhance their lifestyle or visit doctors or hospitals.

Newport Transport MD Scott Pearson (above); Express Motors’ Eric Jones is seen behind the wheel on a Saturday morning (above right)

Comment:

Coach & Bus Week @ Facebook

Readers comments to this question included: Paul Harley: It’s shocking when airlines flying in/out of Wales get tax-free fuel! For a start the Welsh Government should axe the subsidised air service between north and south Wales – there’s a perfectly adequate rail service, which is also funded by the tax payer.

Marty Balmforth: It will cause the pull out of First and Arriva and loads of really small operators to go bankrupt. Axe the freeloaders, that’s the only answer.

Eric Jones Express Motors, Penygroes, Caernarfon The short notice is what’s angering everyone, plus the councils being hit with the LTSG cut. I can’t say what we’re doing yet as we’re waiting to discuss the way ahead with our local authorities.

The uncertainty is the frustrating part.

Everyone has worked so hard to improve services in Wales. We have always understood the Welsh Assembly Government to be keen on promoting public transport, yet this decision flies in the face of that idea.

We’ve only got a small customer base so we’re limited to the extent we can increase our fares, so the BSOG cut is a severe blow to rural services.

Steve Jones Llew Jones, Llanrwst, Conwy It will stop the development of our local bus services in its tracks. A minimum fare increase of 10% will also be implemented from April 1.

We’ve already indicated to our local authority our intention to cut marginal journeys, while frequencies will be reduced on a number of routes.

We have a PVR (Peak Vehicle Requirement) of six buses per day, one of which will now be withdrawn as a result of the BSOG cut.

However, we’re fortunate to have a good spread of coach work and to that end, we have won a National Express contract. Local bus work represents a small part of our business but I would be seriously concerned if it was our core business.

Another effect will be on the residual values of buses, which in turn will hit manufacturers.

There will be a ripple affect right through this industry. It is perhaps fortunate the news has come now as were considering upgrading our two older Optare Solos, but clearly this will no

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to get to work, shops etc.

At this stage we are bracing ourselves to receive news of any commercial withdrawals as the only way that most of us could replace them would be to switch yet more resources from existing supported services.

We will however continue to work with bus operators and the Welsh Government to look at ways of making the best use of the resources that are available.

longer be the case.

I was talking to someone in our community the other day about the BSOG cut and they remarked that the bus industry is like farming with all the government subsidy. However, I pointed out we base out tenders on the value of BSOG to serve our communities.

Overall, I would say it’s a terrible decision by WAG. It really is a massive blow for local bus services in Wales.

Bob Saxby Conwy Council and ATCO (Association of Transport Coordinating Officers) Cymru chairman As transport professionals in local authorities we have been striving to carry out transport policies that emphasise the importance of buses in providing an alternative to the car to tackle social exclusion and achieve modal shift. Until now the Welsh Government has backed this policy with money - both capital and revenue although this has flat lined somewhat in recent years. The cut in BSOG would be a setback on its own as it is likely to mean higher fares and the withdrawal of some commercial services. It will also push up the cost of tendered services.

We might have been able to cope with this and replace withdrawn commercial services had LTSG gone up BUT this has had an even bigger cut and all with such short notice that we have only a few weeks to consider options and consult on them.

ATCO members are striving to minimise the effect of these cuts but BSOG affects the whole network and LTSG supports a substantial part of the network. It is not a question of withdrawing services that were ‘nice to have’ but many of us will have to withdraw services that people need

BigQuestion.indd 37

Kevin Jones New Adventure Travel, Cardiff All local bus services are now going to be under review. With the cost of fuel increasing all the time, a reduction in BSOG is going to hit the Welsh bus industry hard. Marginal services will be particularly badly affected.

It goes without saying fares will increase but the more expensive it is, public transport usage will reduce.

It’s a disproportionate cut. I think transport is seen as a soft target. It’s deemed to be less controversial than cutting back on schools or health spending.

It’s going to be very interesting in the short term, bearing in mind the local council elections take place in May. I’ve heard some interesting ideas from local authorities on the way ahead, but we’ll have to wait and see. The next six

“The timescale has shocked us more than anything else – it’s hard to turn a tanker round in eight weeks. The cut should have been either like England, with more notice or it should have been implemented gradually in increments of 10 or five percent.”

Gareth Davies GHA, Wrexham

months will certainly be interesting. After all, things have got to be pretty dire to throw in a longstanding commercial service.

Richard Jones General manager, Lloyds Coaches, Machynlleth WAG’s decision will without doubt jeopardise the Welsh bus network. Commercially-operated services have now become far more vulnerable.

In rural areas margins are tight as it is but they’ll be significantly worse now.

I feel BSOG should be linked to the quality of service, such as low floor buses, low emission vehicles, reliability, cleanliness etc. We operate a modern fleet, yet we get the same amount as someone who runs a clapped out old banger, so in effect we’re penalised for investing in our fleet and protecting the environment.

At the end of the day it’s the traveling public who will suffer. WAG claims it wants to stimulate economic growth. As I wrote in my letter in last week’s CBW, transport is the lifeblood of the economy. It’s absolutely disgraceful.

Scott Pearson MD, Newport Transport We are extremely disappointed with this significant and sudden cut in BSOG. The ramifications are wide reaching with the potential to place bus services in jeopardy across the whole of Wales. Such a catastrophic reduction in BSOG may place jobs at risk within the bus industry and the affordable fares many operators have in place could change.

It is early days. We’ll have to rethink our budgets and analyse exactly what the financial impact will be in the short and medium term.

Our aim is to continue encouraging growth regardless of the decision by the minister and to hopefully improve our network. Our ability to achieve this however has been dramatically impeded by this decision. Whereas before we could look forward with optimism to increasing investment in staff and services, we now face the greatest of challenges to ensure we are able to maintain stability within the business.

Gareth Davies of GHA feels the BSOG cut should have been implemented in smaller increments www.coachandbusweek.com

30/01/2012 22:56

38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

COnference report › coachmarque

Operators coached in best practice Adrian Thompson, vice chairman of CoachMarque and operations manager of Ulsterbus Tours, Belfast, reports on the recent annual CoachMarque Conference, which brought the scheme’s members and suppliers together to share best practice

S

tratford-Upon-Avon saw the fourth annual CoachMarque Best Practice Conference take place on the second weekend in January. The event was held at the MacDonald Alveston Manor Hotel with over 60 in attendance, representing at least 30 CoachMarque member companies along with many suppliers and guests.

This venue has become a favourite for its central location in the UK and its cosy traditional charm, excellent for this mid winter event. The best practice conference weekend in an otherwise quiet January has become an essential annual event in CoachMarque’s calendar and attendance has been rising year on year.

A Sunday evening of networking focusing on an excellent threecourse dinner with drinks sponsored by a supplier broke the ice for the main conference event on Monday. The Monday conference took the form of a series of guest speakers in the morning, then after lunch a more interactive afternoon session with a “break out” workshop type format to stimulate audience participation.

The format with guest speakers and audience participation topics was planned by CoachMarque’s

www.coachandbusweek.com

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Management Committee headed up by chairman Mark Anderson of Anderson Travel.

The day was introduced by Alf Scrimgour, who provides administrative assistance to CoachMarque as part of his job as CPT’s new operations and tourism executive.

The first speaker was Glen Davies of Transport for London who presented the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) with which coach operators who frequent London are familiar. FORS is a scheme designed to promote excellence in road transport operations, both freight and passenger, throughout London centring on safety, best practice,

keeping within the law, and environmental considerations. This scheme has a tiered membership starting with Bronze and progressing through Silver and Gold. CoachMarque members were delighted to hear that by way of their membership audit, they have all been granted automatic free FORS membership at Bronze level, bringing them a range of benefits and discounts in and around London.

Perhaps one of the most challenging presentations of the morning was given by Amanda Daniels, creative director of Koogar Digital Marketing with a talk entitled ‘Social Networking & Using the Web to Maximise Business Potential.’ Apart from one or two technology buffs within CoachMarque membership who are quite up to speed on this subject,

Rebecca Williams of Ten Alps Media presents to the conference

Vicki Ball, strategic director of Go Skills talked about the Driver CPC

A morning of helpful presentations

the majority were challenged to consider the potential benefits of using the big social networking applications such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc. Used in conjunction with a good interactive website, carefully used social networking can be an excellent business promotional tool for any company and indeed, as pointed out, is likely to start to take over from email. Koogar has also made a video of the full day event for future member/website use.

After a short coffee break, CoachMarque’s new re-styled website was revealed. Although the revamped site was not yet live, Richard Nash, sales director of CSI Media, presented screen shots and explained the benefits which will come with it. The key advantage of the new site will be a portal which will allow each member to create their own profile tailored to their individual coach business along with an improved membership geographical search and the already very useful member forum. The presentation of the site has been improved with better planned home page and easier searching / navigation. The site was due to go live shortly after the conference.

Underlining the business promotion and marketing theme, next up was a dual presentation by Rebecca Williams and Samantha

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Manor Restaurant, some time was given for members to meet and network with key CoachMarque suppliers and partners most of whom had display stands placed around the conference room with plenty of leaflets and other ‘goodies’ for members to take away. They included: Plaxton - a key coach supplier to CoachMarque operators, Oliver Legal – legal advice tailored to the coach industry, Ransome Engineering Services Ltd providing air conditioning support to the coach industry, Belmont International – specialists in coach industry insurance, Fleet Risk Control whose Sue Viney is the CoachMarque member standards auditor and also various key people from CPT. Friendly faces from each of these organisations have become well known throughout CoachMarque membership.

Interactive session

Allen from Ten Alps Media entitled ‘Effective PR and Promotion of the Coach Industry.’ All in attendance were challenged by the need to have a good PR company working alongside to promote your business.

With the best intentions of writing press releases and sending them to your local media, few coach operators have the time to do this effectively and this is where a good PR company with the right contacts in the media in your area really comes in to its own.

The final slot before lunch was taken up by Vicki Ball, strategic director of Go-Skills who is well known in the coach industry.

Vicki gave an account of where the industry stands with regard to the driver CPC and reminded members of the requirement for all PCV licensed staff to have completed 35 hours of approved training by 2013. The majority of CoachMarque members have their driver CPC training schemes well advanced. Vicki then introduced Simon Kitto of People First Training Company who presented the World Host customer service training programme, a world class scheme which originated in Canada and which is being promoted in the UK particularly in advance of the London 2012 Games.

Before, during and after the delicious buffet lunch served in the

CoachMarqueConf.indd 39

There was no likelihood of anyone losing their concentration after lunch. A panel of five coach drivers selected from a cross section of

CoachMarque member companies took their places in front of the audience for a bit of something different.

Hosted by the CPT’s director of coaching Stephen Barber, each driver was given the opportunity to speak to a room full of key CoachMarque members and other industry personalities. They were prompted to give their opinions on the UK coach industry from a coach driver perspective under five key topics: n Improving your lot as a coach driver; n Selling coach driving as a career; n Pet hates and likes; n The relationship between drivers – management – owners; n Technology and training to improve the work place for drivers.

The audience was then split into five groups, each containing one of the coach drivers mentioned and invited to discuss within their group one of the five topics. As you can imagine, no-one had any idea what to expect as this had not been done before. However, many interesting and very useful points came out. An afternoon tea/ coffee break was taken, after which a spokesperson from each group presented their group’s findings to the audience aided by a flip chart.

All agreed this had been a very useful exercise primarily designed to extract unique ideas and present them to the full audience ensuring each company would take away something new. The coach drivers in particular enjoyed the chance to put their thoughts and ideas to the wide coach industry representation.

Conclusion Above: Nina Howson & Adrian Pointon of Johnson’s Coaches, Jim Mooney of Alpine Travel, Ellis Padmore of Galloway European and Michael Jackson of Jones Login. Top: Richard Nash of CSI Media presents to a full room

CoachMarque: a synopsis

CoachMarque is the only universally recognised kite mark of quality in the UK coach industry. It is concerned with all aspects of the business and not just the the coach itself. All member companies operate to a strict set of criteria and are regularly assessed by an independent third party to ensure compliance with the highest standards of operation. CoachMarque members are all operators in their own right so by using this site you will deal directly with the supplier and not with a broker or other “middlemen”.

For more information about CoachMarque, contact Stephen Barber on 020 7240 3131 or email stephenb@cpt-uk.org . Visit www. coachmarque.co.uk

Chris Owens of Alpine Travel, Llandudno summed up quite aptly how all felt about the conference experience: “I thought the morning’s presentations were both informative and thought provoking, likewise the opportunity to network and ‘steal’ ideas from like minded people is most valuable. January is usually a dull and uninspiring month but after such a conference I’m filled with enthusiasm.”

Endaf Jones of Jones Login, Carmarthenshire added: “The content was very informative and the driver panel session was enlightening. I feel the event is as important for networking and getting to know fellow members as the conference programme. I was also very proud of Michael and the other drivers.” www.coachandbusweek.com

30/01/2012 22:58

40 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

LEGAL news › public inquiry

Lessons learnt after steering failure causes collision Joan Aitken, Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, issues a formal warning to First Scotland East after an incident involving a bus and a van On November 7, 2011, a Public Inquiry (PI) was held to deal with maintenance issues regarding First Scotland East.

The Traffic Commissioner received an adverse report from a VOSA vehicle examiner concerning issues leading to a collision with another vehicle on February 22, 2011.

Of particular importance was work carried out to repair a fault on the bus two weeks before the incident, the time it took for the operator to report the incident to VOSA, and the number of instances over the last five years where prohibition notices were issued to the operator.

BACKGROUND First Scotland East Ltd has held a standard international PSV operator licence since October 23, 1995. The company operates from Dalkeith, Livingston, North Berwick and Musselburgh. As at the date of the PI, the directors were Messrs Mark Savelli, Paul Thomas, John Lyall, Robert Graham, John Gordon and Fiona Kerr. Mark Savelli has since resigned. The transport managers are Messrs Robert Graham, Stephen Myers and Paul Thomas. Maintenance is in-house. The company has been at PI before the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, Joan Aitken, in 2004; 2005; 2008; April 12, 2010; and written decisions were issued.

The TC received an adverse report from a VOSA vehicle examiner regarding a steering failure which led to a collision with another vehicle on February 22, 2011. This was not intimated “timeously” to the Secretary of State (VOSA) in terms of section 20 of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981. Consequently, Aitken directed that First Scotland East be called again to PI.

PUBLIC INQUIRY The PI was held at Edinburgh on November 7, 2011. Present for the operator were Messrs Paul Thomas, www.coachandbusweek.com

LegalNews.indd 40

A sister vehicle to that pictured here prompted the PI managing director and Robert Graham, engineering director and they were represented by D Chant, solicitor. G Montgomery, vehicle examiner, appeared for VOSA. Other persons for the company were also in attendance and available to the Inquiry.

The operator’s agent lodged a bundle of productions. There were no preliminary issues and no great contentiousness in the case.

VOSA EVIDENCE The VOSA evidence concerned maintenance investigations into this operator and also the prohibition history in particular. A total of 20 prohibitions were issued between 17/8/2006 and 2/6/2011. Details of the immediate prohibitions were set out in the PI brief.

In relation to annual test history, the operator has a joint account for this licence and PM0000003 and in the period from January 1,

2009, to October 25, 2011, of 1049 vehicles tested, 1029 passed first time at annual test; 10 passed PRS i.e. rectification at the test station; and 10 failed.

On February 22, 2011, Scania Omnidekka bus SN05 HWP operating out of Livingston was involved in an incident which arose from a steering failure and a collision with another vehicle. VOSA was not notified until February 25, 2011. The vehicle examiner attended on February 28 to examine the failed component and also the vehicle’s inspection records. The examiner had the operator’s report with its findings for the incident. There was no diversion of opinion between the examiner and the operator as to what had caused the incident. The failure of the steering joint could be attributed to excessive wear caused by lack of lubricant and exacerbated by the ingress of abrasive road grit in to the joint through a

deteriorated ball joint dust cover (dust gaiter).

On February 8, 2011, the vehicle had been inspected and action had been taken to seal a torn dust cover on the steering joint which subsequently failed. The inspection record was endorsed with a comment “Rear drag link gaiter burst” and “Checked wear, okay, sealed gaiter”. The vehicle examiner had encountered such a defect before and did not view it as a “once in a blue moon” defect. The examiner regarded that as it is a sealed unit good engineering practice is to replace any damaged sealed unit.

The examiner learned from the depot manager that it had been previous practice to reseal torn or split steering joint gaiters where no other defect was detected. However, as a result of this incident an engineering instruction had been circulated advising that there must be an automatic replacement to steering joints where there is evidence of deteriorated or damaged dust gaiters.

OPERATOR EVIDENCE The operator’s evidence was contained in its bundle of productions supplemented by oral evidence from Messrs Graham and Thomas. The productions included an outline of the management of the engineering department. A skeleton argument was also produced.

ROBERT GRAHAM’S EVIDENCE Robert Graham is the engineering director and has worked at FirstGroup since 2004. He regarded the engineering department as a settled workforce with a commitment to bringing on others through apprenticeships. He gave details of engineering staff training, competency checks, FTA engagement and continuing training and development. He worked to FirstGroup’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

In respect of the February 22 incident, he was informed a collision had taken place between one of their buses and a van. The bus driver reported a steering

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failure as he approached the roundabout at 5/10 mph. Police attended and permitted the recovery of the vehicle to the Livingston depot. It was examined on February 23 by Andy Pearson, First Scotland East’s quality assurance manager, who also interviewed the driver. Pearson completed a written report which was produced in the PI bundle. Graham recommended an engineering instruction be issued that all steering components with torn gaiters be replaced, without attempting to reseal. It was in his view an uncommon defect, a once in a blue moon occurrence. On February 25, 2011, he emailed the VOSA senior vehicle examiner with a copy of Pearson’s report, photographs and the new engineering instruction. This was the first contact with VOSA and he now accepted he should have told VOSA on the day of the incident. He claimed he had not consciously delayed. In the past he had notified VOSA of incidents within a 24 hour window. He met the VOSA area manager on March 25, 2011, and it appeared VOSA was satisfied with the operator’s investigation.

The background to the matter was that on February 8, 2011, one of the mechanics took the decision to re-seal the gaiter rather than replace the drag link end. The mechanic was aged 22 and a skilled person who had served a four-year apprenticeship and had been with First since aged 16. The decision he took to re-seal the gaiter, rather than replace the drag link end, was not a decision which contravened any of First’s SOPs or other internal instruction, nor was it against any VOSA provision.

He checked the joint for wear and took the decision not to replace the component because the wear was okay. Graham’s view was that a more experienced mechanic would have replaced the drag link end on discovering the torn gaiter and not simply re-sealed it. That is because experience would have shown that the tear in the rubber was likely to have led to a loss of lubricant and the ingress of dirt. It was the wrong decision to re-seal and not replace, taken due to lack of experience. Experience would have taught that re-sealing could have been concealing other problems.

All engineering staff have since received a toolbox talk to update them and to confirm that torn dust covers must not be re-sealed but

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the drag link end must be replaced regardless of the extent of wear.

Graham considered there had been a great improvement in the repair work as reflected in the annual test pass rate. There is no longer any question of drivers having to report repeat defects.

He outlined the defect reporting system.

PAUL THOMAS’ EVIDENCE Thomas has been managing director of First Scotland East since 2008. He accepted there should have been initial notification to VOSA of the February 22, 2011, incident. The full investigation report had been passed to VOSA very quickly. He shared Graham’s view that no blame could be placed on the mechanic and a more experienced mechanic would have replaced the drag end and not resealed the torn gaiter.

In his view there had been significant progress from the 2005 PI which dealt with maintenance and where the company’s reputation was poor. He narrated the internal processes and

Aitken praised MD Paul Thomas for his commitment to safety

Key Points: Mechanic failed to take appropriate action in repairing damage to the vehicle two weeks before the incident.

VOSA was notified of the incident three days after it took place, outside of the mandatory 24-hour window.

Engineering staff have since been instructed to take appropriate action when dealing with similar faults.

TC believes the operator’s prohibition rate is higher than it should be and needs to be improved upon.

steps taken when there are any prohibitions or MOT failures. He wanted a 100% pass rate and zero prohibitions. In his ethos safety came first and no chances and staff were under no illusion that it was a safety culture.

CLOSING SUBMISSIONS Chant summed up with the following statements: The operator accepted unreservedly that there should have been earlier notification to VOSA in terms of section 20 of the 1991 Act. The failure to notify was not done in bad faith or to hide anything.

A full report was emailed to VOSA. The operator has an open and professional relationship with the VOSA area manager and his senior vehicle examiners.

The annual test pass rate is 98% and there had been a decrease in the number of maintenance ‘S’ marked prohibitions.

The operator’s systems have VOSA approval.

The improvement in this operator had been remarkable.

Aitken was asked to take no action or a formal warning. If any action was to be taken against services, he asked for a further opportunity to address the TC.

CONSIDERATION OF THE EVIDENCE AND THE TC’S DECISION First Scotland East has been at a PI in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010. Those of 2004 and 2005 were maintenance related.

That of 2008, whilst relating to punctuality and reliability, had a maintenance aspect to it in that the organisation and management of the engineering function and intervention therein led to the widespread disruption of services.

Thus, as recently as 2008, there has been significant concern about how this operator was managing its engineering function and fulfilling the licence undertakings in relation to roadworthiness. In respect of the PI in 2010, Aitken said: “I recorded at paragraph 42 of my written decision the serendipity in the Inquiry whereby I noted in the operator’s productions that the KPI of 100% for first time pass at annual test was being met. I was pleased there had been this progress. It would appear there has been some slight slippage from that

zenith of perfection without doubt in that the annual pass rate is far greater than ever in the past and is now down to tiny numbers.”

The operator rightly acknowledged there was a failure to meet the requirement of section 20. Aitken said: “I deal with many cases where VOSA has been denied the opportunity to inspect a vehicle or component and that does not serve either VOSA or the operator well as suspicion can linger that the failure has been a cover up. It does not help me either as it may force me to take a more adverse view of an incident than I would otherwise have to or alternatively I have to err on the side of giving an operator a doubt and that does not assist the regulatory purpose of road safety.”

Aitken viewed it was fortunate for the operator in this instance that there was a detailed report made available to VOSA within days and which included photographs, with a conclusion supported by VOSA. The incident came down to a decision having been taken to re-seal the gaiter rather than replace it and it was accepted by the TC that experience would have taught that replacement was the better course.

Aitken added: “There have been toolbox talks surrounding this incident and the lesson which must go from this prohibition is that the ingress of dirt is hazardous indeed.”

Summing up, the TC concluded: “This is an operator with a large authorisation and a significant mileage. I am satisfied there is commitment to the licence undertakings to ensure vehicles are roadworthy and to report defects. I did not detect the under current or culture of complacency which was my early experience of this operator. I have no doubt as to Thomas’ commitment to the safety of his drivers, passengers and other road users. I do not believe him to be one who would encourage the cutting of corners or deceit in relation to vehicles roadworthiness.

“Having had regard to all of the evidence I am satisfied I can conclude this particular PI with a formal warning to the operator. However, the prohibition rate is still higher than it should be and there must be no slippage in the annual pass rate. Indeed, Thomas must reach that 100%. Further, I expect section 20 to be complied with and VOSA notified as soon as is practicable – that can mean within hours and certainly not days.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

30/01/2012 23:15

42 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2011

PRODUCTS

Southwest Airlines selects E-Leather for sustainable upgrading E-Leather, the specialist provider of Product reconstituted leather of the seat upholstery, is week continuing to make an impact in bus and coach applications but more recently has won a major contract with an American airline.

Southwest Airlines launched a ‘green plane’ trial from Dallas Airport in 2009 to test the market’s latest sustainable products on board an aircraft and included E-Leather specifically to take advantage of the material’s significant weight savings – a highly crucial factor to the airline as lower weight means lower fuel consumption.

In addition to saving on costs of fuel, E-Leather’s durability, its long lasting quality ambience and its wipe clean ease of maintenance was proven throughout the extensive two year ‘green plane’ trial.

As a result, Southwest Airlines is now refurbishing its entire fleet of passenger aircraft at one per day.

Southwest’s customer marketing and experience manager, Angela Vargo, said: “E-Leather is a win-winwin for our passengers, our business, and the environment. By providing

us with a high-quality product which looks great, is comfortable and lighter weight, E-Leather is the perfect fit for Southwest’s ground-breaking interior redesign.”

Geoffrey Buschur, Southwest’s systems engineer, added: “Traditional hides are individually unique requiring them to be hand cut and hand sewn. This all-by-hand process leads to inconsistent yields, performance and final product making it impossible to properly manage and control a fleet of 75,000 passenger seats.

“By selecting E-Leather’s rolled stock we get a consistent raw material with predictable performance. When you add in the weight savings, durability and

Call 01733 843939. Visit www.eleatherltd.com

E-leather - saving weight and educing fuel consumption on aircraft

Abellio selects Omnibus planning software Abellio London & Surrey has installed planning and timetabling software by Omnibus which includes OmniTIMES, OmniBASE, OmniROTA, CrewPLAN and TransXChange modules.

Abellio operates bus services in Central, South & West London and across North Surrey. The Omnibus software is used for timetabling, scheduling its 1800 staff and operating 600 buses across 77 routes from six depots. Omnibus also provides bus stop timetable displays for Abellio’s routes in Surrey.

As well as improving the day to day efficiency of current operations, Abellio also uses Omnibus systems for preparing tenders for new routes.

It enables schedules to be quickly compiled for work such as rail replacement or short term emergency changes to core services.

Abellio adopted the main

environmental sustainment qualities, E-Leather really stands above the competition. All these efficiencies help us keep our cost down while maintaining an industry leading interior for our customer.”

Eric Simonis, manager of component supply chain for Southwest Airlines, said: “Southwest has been impressed with the durability of E-leather in such a light weight product, and we have faith it will meet the high expectations we have regarding our new seat covers.

Chris McBean and the whole team at E-Leather have truly been great to work with.”

Omnibus software now supports the Abellio UK bus operation software solutions of OmniTimes timetable design and management, OmniBASE vehicle scheduling and data management and OmniROTA crew rostering, then added CrewPLAN automatic crew scheduling and is now implementing Omnibus TransXChange modules which facilitate import, export and viewing of TransXChange files.

OmniTIMES is powerful yet

intuitive and drastically reduces the cost and time involved in creating and amending accurate and complex timetables. Abellio links OmniTIMES with OmniBASE, OmniROTA and CrewPLAN to conceive, plan and schedule complete operations, as well as monitor the efficiency of existing schedules and experiment with route, crew or time changes.

Alastair Willis, commercial manager for Abellio London & Surrey, commented: “We have been working with Omnibus over the last couple of years to fully implement the systems and have been impressed with their expertise and attention to detail.

The software is easy to use and has enabled us to accurately create and amend detailed schedules and improve efficiency. It has also allowed us to improve system integration by providing reliable export data for use with other software products.”

For more details, call 0161 683 3100. Visit www. omnibus.uk.com

Autosound launches Funtoro multi-channel AV entertainment Bus and coach AV specialist Autosound is now marketing the latest multichannel MCA Funtoro system. It is suitable for a wide range of passenger transport applications, serving up to 120 passengers, and can be configured for sightseeing tours, with an expansion including a telematics unit and GPS receiver allowing the system to provide location-specific commentary in up to 32 languages.

Designed to allow easy modular expansion, Funtoro can support four server units. Each of these will support 20 splitter units, which in turn support six individual passenger service outputs.

The system does not need to be connected to CD/DVD or MP3 units as its SD card can hold over 8,000 songs – although each server has four inputs for external sources if required.

It can also be expanded to provide access to radio channels.

Supporting software for the system allows the SD card to be configured as required, for music to be categorised.

For information provision, a mapping system allows pre-determined sections of recorded commentary to be broadcast and is triggered by the vehicle’s location, determined via GPS, in proximity to each marked point of

Bosch Navigation now available in the Apple App Store Bosch has announced the launch of its premium mobile sat nav app for Apple users in the UK. Drawing on extensive experience and infrastructure in the automotive sector, Bosch navigation 1.5 aims to take on leading mobile sat nav brands in the Apple App store with a range of unique and innovative features designed to make it the new mobile sat nav of choice for Apple iPhone and iPad users.

Key features in Bosch Navigation include ‘Intermediate Destinations’, which allows users to make a quick detour en-route, perhaps to stop at a service station or restaurant, without affecting the original destination when travel is resumed.

It also highlights the innovative ‘Plus Routes’ tool, which offers real time suggestions of alternative routes during navigation that may offer time

www.coachandbusweek.com

Products2.indd 42

30/01/2012 23:47

February 1, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 43

Email martin.cole@rouncymedia. co.uk to get your new product or service in the spotlight

READING BUSES NOW 100% SYNECTICS CCTV

Autosound has adopted a vesatile multi-channel system from Funtoro interest along the route.

If a driver or courier needs to make an important announcement, all broadcast is paused when the microphone is switched on and automatically resumes once it is switched off.

ADVANTAGES ■ Cost effective ■ Intelligent broadcasting ■ Highly extendable system - Up to 99 channels & 100 plus clients - Easily connect AV sources & monitors ■ Easy content management ■ Simple installation FEATURES ■ 8 audio channels, upgradable to or distance savings – all of which are easily viewable and selectable from the main map.

Bosch Navigation will have instant appeal due to its graphically rich maps which utilise a 3D artMap combining 3D landmarks, city models and landscapes to truly revolutionise the way you travel, making familiar locations instantly recognisable while omitting unimportant details so as not to slow down the device.

‘Driver Assistance’ calculates the severity of upcoming bends in the road and proposes an optimum speed to help drivers avoid unwanted surprises and increase road safety, and the built-in ‘Eco Navigation’ settings help plot a route which offers the best fuel efficiency for a particular type of vehicle.

In addition, true multi-touch helps iPhone users search and browse maps quickly, and there is full integration with Facebook and Twitter.

All the key features of modern sat navs are included as standard, such as an extensive POI database, real-

99 channels ■ more than 8,000 songs from SD Card ■ Auto channel detection ■ 4 external audio inputs per server, upgradable to 8 external channels ■ Integrate with FUNTORO 1-DIN HDD player & LCD monitors ■ Water-resistant & double earphone jacks ■ User-friendly PC tool The system is ideal for city tours and long distance travel vehicles and can be easily integrated for use on sightseeing vehicles which require up to 16 languages.

Contact Lee Fergus at Autosound on 01274-688990.

Mobile CCTV systems specialist, Synectics has supplied digital T1000 DVR systems to Reading Buses for its 31-strong fleet of ADL Enviro 400 Hybrids, which went into service recently. 100% of the Reading Buses fleet is now covered by Synectics T1000 and T800 DVR systems.

With a fleet of 140 vehicles, Reading Buses has the highest proportion of electric hybrid double deck buses in its fleet in the UK. The Enviro 400Hs, and the fleet’s other 64 double deckers, have 16 camera, T1000 DVR systems fitted, while the company’s 45 single deckers use T800, eight camera systems.

“We ran a trial with T1000 on two vehicles and were very impressed with the picture quality – far superior to our existing system – and very user friendly,” said Phil Herlingshaw, depot engineering manager, Reading Buses.

Reading Buses’ fleet is now 100% equipped with Synetics CCTV

Following the trial, Reading Buses has progressively introduced Synectics CCTV DVR systems across its entire bus fleet. New vehicles are supplied with the Synectics T1000 systems pre-installed during bodybuilding; for older vehicles the DVRs have been retrofitted as the older systems failed. “Retrofitting the Synectics DVRs couldn’t have been simpler. We’ve kept the existing cameras and simply replaced the older DVRs,” added Phil.

Reading Buses has used CCTV since the late 1990s. “CCTV is now an essential part of our business,” commented James Freeman, CEO. “It provides reassurance to our drivers and passengers, and allows us to handle insurance claims quickly and efficiently. Hence the quality of the images we have with the Synectics CCTV systems is critical.”

CCTV is also used by James Freeman’s team proactively to prevent incidents. “After every claim we conduct a post-incident analysis, using the CCTV images to answer the question, How can we prevent it happening again?” If the interior design is at fault we’ll look at having it changed; if it’s the road layout we’ll make sure our drivers take extra care.”

For more information on Synectics’ range of mobile CCTV systems for buses and coaches call +44(0)1253 881287, email: sales@synx.com on developing and updating its range of sat nav software.

Bosch sat nav app for Apple users time traffic reports and autozoom.

Product manager, Florian Knollman said: “Bosch Navigation offers an appealing alternative to modern mobile navigation, and combines all of the key features you’d expect to see in high-end sat nav suites with modern advancements such as Eco

Navigation, high resolution 3D maps and additional, unique tools to help drivers reach their destination safely, and in the shortest time possible.”

Bosch Navigation 1.5 is developed and maintained by Bosch SoftTec (www.bosch-softtec.com), which places one of its key focuses solely

KEY FEATURES: ■ Intermediate Destinations allows for quick detours without affecting the original route.ϖ ■ Plus Routes real-time re-routing. suggestions improve efficiency and reduce travel time ■ Graphically intensive 3D maps improve clarity without slowing down the device ■ Eco Navigation plots routes optimised for fuel efficiency ■ Driver Assistance offers suggested speeds for tight bends ■ Full multi-touch and iOS5 optimised support brings seamless operation ■ Integration with Facebook and Twitter For a limited time, the system can be downloaded at a promotion for £26.99 (regular price £44.99). It is available to download from the App Store from January 25 www.coachandbusweek.com

Products2.indd 43

30/01/2012 23:48

44 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

pteg column › jonathan bray

A tale of two countries While the Competition Commission’s report unfortunately argues on-street competition is what the passenger should want in the UK, says pteg director, Jonathan Bray, Sweden is taking an innovative approach to doubling the public transport market.

2012 could be a big year for bus policy. The Competition Commission (CC) staggered over the finish line in the dying days of 2011 with a final report which sharpened up both the CC’s central argument and its recommendations. Unfortunately the central argument remains that on-street competition is what the passenger should want (according to competition theory) and therefore this is what the CC will seek to give them. Partnerships based on stability and quality are, therefore, deeply suspect in the CC’s eyes – as is franchising – because these measures preclude the potential for low quality on-street competition (aka bus wars).

The fact is, nothing the competition authorities have done in the past has led to the perpetual bus wars they crave - and so there is no prospect of their modest set of recommendations doing so in the future. It is not something which overly troubles them unduly. The main thing for them is they have done their duty by their creed and can now move on with their heads held high amongst their peers.

It’s now down to the government (and to some extent the OFT) to make of the final report what they will. Key concerns will be the thorny issues around how you get closer to simpler, more competitive multi-operator ticketing in a deregulated environment, and what attitude the government will take to the use of the Local Transport Act (LTA) 2008 powers on voluntary and statutory partnerships, qualifying agreements and quality contracts. The use of the former of these LTA powers has been taking off recently with some interesting uses of qualifying agreements to put rocket boosters on the benefits of SQPs perhaps most notably in Merseyside.

The CC hints at putting the brakes on the use of these powers as they discriminate against the potential for low-end competition. However, to bow to the ideologies on this would hold back improvements for passengers that are happening in the here and now and would return us to the stasis which was bus policy prior to the enactment of the LTA 2008. On franchising the CC backed down on the draft remedies’ hints of additional tests for QCs and accepted there were legitimate reasons why LTAs would go down the QCs route. A government committed to localism and for accelerated devolution of transport powers in the largest cities (with the www.coachandbusweek.com

PtegColumn.indd 44

There is a collective push towards public transport in Sweden by national government, transport authorities and commercial companies. Pictured is a Volvo artic on Gothenburg’s BRT system deputy prime minister launching a high profile cities initiative in Leeds before Christmas) should keep those powers intact. Especially when the crunch point is approaching for QCs in several Metropolitan areas, and where transport minister Norman Baker made a strong case for the introduction of these powers when in opposition.

If a government review of bus policy wasn’t enough for 2012 we will also have the reform of BSOG, the outcome of Maria Eagle’s bus policy review, and the first stirrings on the next CSR. On the CSR a concerted effort is now underway with DfT, CPT and pteg all commissioning research which should interlock to provide a robust evidence base underpinning the benefits of investing in bus services - more comprehensive than was available at the time of the last one.

MEANWHILE IN SWEDEN… Interesting developments in Sweden where a package of reforms to the way public transport is run has been tied to a doubling of public transport’s market share. An ambitious goal by any standards. The plan (as I understand it) is to set up new PTE-style regional transport authorities, who will take responsibility for local public transport provision. Where services are not specified, private companies will be able to offer services on a commercial basis. In some ways this is the reverse of the approach in GB outside London, where the local transport authorities specify services where there is no commercial provision. It will be interesting to see how the Swedish approach works in practice as there’s clearly scope for a commercial operator to destabilise a specified network through

attacking the busiest routes. Although perhaps they don’t behave in such beastly ways in Sweden! Also it could be that the greatest scope for new services is new inter-urban routes.

The collective push by national government, transport authorities and commercial companies is assisted by some hefty infrastructure works in the largest urban areas, as well as some innovative marketing initiatives. For example in Gothenburg 50,000 committed car commuters were given a fortnight’s free travel on public transport as an alternative. And that mighty symbol of Sweden – IKEA – offers a reduction on home deliveries for those who turn up at their stores by public transport. The doubling concept also ties in with the UITP’s ‘PT x 2’ campaign giving that campaign a shot in the arm in the process. There’s more on the plan on this English language version of the Swedish Doubling Project’s website: www. svenskkollektivtrafik.se/ fordubbling/Engelska/. The short film is worth watching.

Jonathan is director of the pteg support unit. His background is in both transport campaigning and transport policy.

He was one of the founders of the campaign against the national road programme in the early nineties and later led the campaign against rail privatisation. He has also worked for the Campaign for Better Transport on a range of sustainable transport issues.

Jonathan was appointed as assistant director of pteg in 2003 and director in 2008.

30/01/2012 23:26

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February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 47

BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell

To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 01733 293240 Optare Toro

UNVI GT

Mercedes-Benz 0815 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 28 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts, powered entry door, air conditioning, double glazed windows, luggage racks with individual passenger reading lights and adjustable air flow blowers, radio/CD & PA system.

Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts and leather headrest inserts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air con radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, grammer luxury heated driver seat, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers.

£45,500 +VAT NOW £41,000 +VAT

£69,950 +VAT NOW £66,950 +VAT

Call Dougie at Haggis Adventures on 0131 554 9192 2005 Volvo B12B Jonckheere Mistral

Dennis Plaxton R Series Due to fleet replacement, we need to sell up to 5 of the following and don’t mind which 5!

2003: 2 x 49/53 seats with WC, 3 x 53 seats 2004: 5 x 53 seats 2005: 1 x 49/53 seats with WC, 2 x 53 seats All are well maintained, low mileage examples (approx 62,000km per annum) with long MoT, air conditioning and AStronic gearboxes.

Owned by us from new and used on our own holiday programme. All over cream. Can be sold with patterns of 2012 tour work if required. Viewing at Thos. Hardie Commercials, Red Scar, Preston.

Priced to sell at £47,000 (03 reg), £58,000 (04 reg) and £74,000 (05 reg) plus VAT (£3,000 premium for WC). Sorry no part exchange.

370,455 km, air conditioned, automatic I-shift gearbox, 53 seats plus courier, just serviced, in excellent condition and can be viewed by appointment (Ireland). £80,000

Donoghues Coaches : Niall 00353 87 2059145, Noel 00353 87 2654787 info@donoghuescoaches.com www.donoghuescoaches.com

Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale

To view contact Tom Smith, Operations Manager, Alfa Travel on 08451 305777

Get Results!

Advertiseyour CoachorBus hereforas littleas

Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m 1999, Choice of 6, Cummins 6BT, Allison AT545 4 speed auto, Marshall body, 40 seats.

Contact Damian Graham (Engineering Director) Warrington Borough Transport Ltd Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington WA4 6PT. Tel 01925 634296

£20.00 aweek!

Call the Sales Team on 01733 293240

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30/1/12

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Page 1

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For all your advertising needs contact the Sales Team on 01733 293240

553368-1021-Pembridge

23/1/12

18:37

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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS

New Ford Transit 17 seat 4.3ton 135ps minibus. From £20,595 + VAT

OTHER MAKES

FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES

(05) Ford Transit 17 seat 2.5 diesel 115ps, high back seats with three point belts 25,000 miles only £8,750 (53) 2003 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4 td minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, air-con, COIF/PSV £6,995 (02) Ford Transit 3.5 ton, 15 seat minibus, 2.4 tdi, high back seats with three point belts £2,995

LDV MINIBUSES

(57) 2007 LDV Maxus 15 seat minibus, high back seats with three point belts £7,495

(03) 2003 LDV Convoy Maxi XLWB 17 seat mini-coach, 2.4 Tdi, front entry drop step, luggage racks, rear heating, wide aisle, rear row of seats removable, New PSV £6,995

OTHER MAKES

New Renault Master 17 seat LM35/ 2.2di 125ps, six speed, satnav, tacho, fully tracked floor with removable seats £21,995 (10) 2010 Renault Trafic 9 seat LL29, twin side loading doors, air-con, alloys, tail gate, 50,000 miles £11,995 (09) 2009 Renault Master 16 seat minibus, tacho,high back seats with three point belts, 35,000km £15,650 (08) 2008 Renault Master 17 seat minibus 2.2 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, 61,000 miles £9,750 (07) 2007 Peugeot Boxer 17 seat 3.5 ton minibus, 2.2 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, rear row of seats on tracking, 18,000 miles only £10,495

Peugeot Boxer 17 seat wheelchair accessible 2.2 diesel 120ps with six speed gearbox, COIF/PSV. Choice of colours. £23,500 + VAT

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

(07) 2007 Volkswagen Crafter 8 seat 2.2 diesel inboard lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, 48,000 miles £13,995

(57) LDV Maxus LWB 9 seats tracking to take two wheelchairs, inboard lift, 49,000 miles, £9,995 (06) Fiat Ducato LWB, high roof, panoramic windows, inboard tail lift, 6 seats plus wheelchair tracking, 42,000 miles £10,995 (54) 2005 Renault Master 13 seat wheelchair access minibus, inboard Ricon lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, electric side step, 56,000 miles £8,995

(04) 2004 Mercedes Sprinter 413cdi minibus 2.2 diesel, front entry drop step with power door, inboard Clearway lift, fully tracked floor to take 4 wheelchairs, rear heating, 77,000 miles £9,995 (53) 2003 Mercedes Vito 108 cdi 2.2 diesel, 6 seats, low floor with lightweight ramp, tracking for two wheelchairs £5,995 (53) 2003 Iveco Daily 16 seat minibus, front entry drop step with power door, wheelchair tracking, under floor tail lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £9,995

Y 2001 Renault Mascot 2.8 diesel, 16 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, front entry drop step, fully tracked floor to take five wheelchairs, under floor lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £7,750

Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk

Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304

Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales NP4 0AL – 10 minutes from M4 motorway. Viewing by appointment only Finance Contract Hire and Finance Lease Available. We deliver Nationwide. All vehicles prepared to VOSA standard COIF/PSV specialist

All above prices are subject to VAT @ 20%

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DOUBLE DECK E 1997/8 VOLVO OLYMPIANS Seatbe exampleslted no available w

LEZ

LEZ

COMPLIANT

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Volvo engines, Euro 2, 78 seats, converted to single door, new COIF, tyres included, UK registered ready to work.

Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX400 bodies, DDA compliant or upseated to 80 seats.

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1 9 9 5 M DA F S B 3 0 0 0

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Plaxton Pointer 2 dual door bodies, 31 seats, CCTV, particulate traps fitted, LEZ 2012 compliant, only £6,500 each plus tyres (£375)

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Cummins/Allison, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX200 bodies with either 30 seats and 2 doors or 34 seats converted to single door, ramps, DDA certified and compliant. 10.8m 37 seaters now available.

OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY - B

Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Pa Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 864 Visit our website for current sto

553180-1022-Ensign:Layout 1

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K ER SPECIALIST 1994 K R EG VO LVO OLYMP IAN

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Northern Counties low height bodies, Volvo engines, good selection with long MOTs.

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1998-2000 S / V / W reg Darts with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies, 31 seats, dual door, DDA compliant, exhaust traps fitted so reduced tax, huge choice at an unbelievable £4,500 each plus VAT and tyres (£375).

1Automatic, Plaxton Premiere 350 body, 51 seats, LEZ compliant to Euro 4, supplied with new MOT.

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6 speed ZF manual, Van Hool T8 body, 48 seats with centre sunken toilet, very tidy.

ZF automatic, MCV Evolution body, Hanover LEDʼs, long MOT, Euro 3.

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1999 V REG DENNIS DART MPD’S Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.

1996 VOLVO B10M

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553992-1022-Pickrell

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H.W. PICKRELL MINIBUS AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES

Gardiners Lane North • Crays Hill • Billericay • Essex • CM11 2XE Tel: 01268 521033 • Mobile: 07860 894331 • Fax: 01268 284951

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Finance available on all vehicles (subject to status) Written details on request.

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08 REG MERCEDES VARIO 613D

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Euro 4, manual gearbox, tacho, Minibus Options conversion, electric power door, AVS manual step, 16 x high back removable seats, all age belts, Ebers-pacher, PLS underfloor t/lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, only 82,000 kms.

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08 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

06 REG RENAULT MASTER SM 33 2.2TD

07 REG FORD TRANSIT 350 2.4TD

08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD

Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 2 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 36,831 miles.

Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 21253.441 miles.

Long wheelbase, high roof, 6 seater crew van, PAS, SLD, rear partion for storage & tools in rear, Eberspacher heater, overhead storage, microwave, hot water box, wash facilties, 27,000 miles only.

Auto, high roof, PAS, LWB, Minibus Options conversion, electric full height low entry side loading door, 10 high back seats, Unwin tracking, climate control, air suspension, Ricon tail lift, ex local authority, only 46,019

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Manual gearbox, MWB, high roof, SCW conversion, side loading door, manual side step, 10 high back seats plus 2 x w/chair, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 45,531 miles.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 12 high back seats, amf m2 fully tracked floor, Ratcliff tail lift, only 35,755 miles.

Euro 4, manual gearbox, tacho, Mellor coach conversion, electric power door, AVS manual step, 16 x high back removable seats, all age belts, Eberspacher, Ricon inboard t/lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, 132,000 kms.

Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, air con, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 22,166 miles.

2005 54 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

56 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD

56 REG IVECO DAILY 40c12 IRIS BUS 2.3 TD

58 REG RENAULT MASTER SM33 2.2TD

Manual gearbox, high roof, Atlas conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 5 high back seats plus 2 x w/chair, air con, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 8,166 miles.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats, AMF m2 fully tracked floor, new Ricon tail lift, only 35,756 miles, choice of two.

Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, side loading door, AVS electric step, 12 high back removable seats, PLS underfloor t/ lift, ex local charity, tacho fitted, 47,827 kms only.

Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 8,630 miles only.

2004/05 54 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 416CDI AMBULANCE

06 REG MERCEDES VARIO 814

53 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 416 CDI

2004 54 REG IVECO 50c13 IRIS BUS 2.8 TURBO DIESEL

LWB, Macneillie van conversion, SLD, 2 rear high back seats, Ferno Falcon stretcher & locks, stretcher lift, blue light bars and siren, very high spec, low miles 65-85,000 miles only, choice of 8.

Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, tacho, Mellor coach conversion, electric power door, fold out low entry step, 32 high back removable seats, Eberspacher, PLS underfloort/ lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, only 84,000 kms.

4x4 ambulance, LWB, Wilker box body conversion, full air con/climate, side loading door, 3 high back seats, Falcon stretcher, PLS stretcher lift, very high spec, one owner ex Air Force, only 25,950 kms.

Manual, LWB, PAS, factory conversion, electric windows, cruise control, low front entry slam door, 16 high back seats with all age seat belts, full air con, exlocal authority, COIF, new PSV MOT, only 80,341 kms.

54 REG M ERCEDES SPRINT ER 411 CDI

07 REG RENAULT MASTER LH35 2.5TD

06 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

55 REG PEUGEOT BOXER 2.5 TD

Tiptronic gearbox, Euromotive PSC bus conversion, front entry slam door with low entry step, 16 x high back removable seats, Eeberspacher, ex local authority, COIF'd, tacho fitted, only 66,780 kms.

LWB, hi roof, multi purpose office/comms unit, PAS, SLD with AVS side step, awning, 3 x workstations, amber light, bars front and rear, overhead storage lockers, heating, generator, microwave, tv, only 1,500 miles.

Automatic gearbox, high roof, SCW conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 7 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 11,831 miles.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Kirkham conversion, side loading door, side step, 11 rear high back seats,double passenger seat + driver, Ricon tail lift, ex local school bus, only 54,756 miles.

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Mini Coach Sales

BRAND NEW MERCEDES OPTARE TORO 32 high back seats, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

BRAND NEW MERCEDES OPTARE SOROCO 19 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ 513CDI EVM CLASSIC 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks and A/C.

2010 10 REG IVECO 50c15 IRISBUS 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks, power door and under-floor wheelchair lift.

2009 09 REG MERCEDES BENZ 816 UNVI RIADA GT 29 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, A/C, D/G, power door, large boot.

2008 58 REG MERCEDES BENZ 1022L SITCAR MARLIN 33 high back reclining seats incorporating leather headrest inserts, armrests and seat back tables, A/C, double glazing, fridge and power door.

2007 07 REG FORD TRANSIT 14 seats, 3 point belts.

2006 06 MERCEDES 814D PLAXTON CHEETAH 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights D/G, power door.

2006 06 REG MERCEDES BENZ 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, large luggage boot.

2005 55 REG MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON CHEETAH 29 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, D/G, power door and large boot.

2003 03 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks.

2000 W REG MERCEDES 814 BEAVER 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, power door, 12 months test.

Steve Peach Tel: 01302 770863 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: steve@connaughtpsv.co.uk

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February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 55

Call Peter today on: Three Plaxton Beaver Mk 2’s For Sale

0131 554 5413 Three Other Coaches For Sale

2 x 2003 SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY’S with 49 reclining seats.

One vehicle is white with no markings and and is MOT’d till September 2012. The other has removable vinyls. MOT’d till May 2012. Toilet, PA system, air-con in both coaches and they are in very good condition. These vehicles can be sold Euro IV LEZ Compliant if required. Priced at £65,000 o.n.o.

2002 MAN MAGO 1 Charcoal gray with 33 reclining seats. Air-con and pa system. To be sold with new MOT. A rare vehicle possibly the only one in the UK. We have had this Midi coach since new and it has performed very well for us.

Priced at £30,000 o.n.o

Year 2006, Mileage 400,000 km, seating for 27 six standing, seating for 23 with one wheelchair plus six standing, or convertible to 33 seater, manual transmission, analogue tachograph, LED destination signs, luggage pen onboard, wheelchair lift, COIF, three point seatbelts all seats. Assistance with re-registration and new MoT’s (Irish registered at present), impeccable exterior presentation and ready to work.

Priced at £25,000 o.n.o.

2006 MERCEDES 16 SEAT SPRINTER 413CDI Excellent condition. MOT’d till June 2012.

Silver in colour with removable vinyls. No air-con. Priced at £15,000 o.n.o.

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56 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

London United Busways Ltd CLEARANCE SALE – Don’t miss this opportunity to pick up a bargain Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.7m Single door 35 Seated 25 Standing T/V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system Manual ramp, Cab Air con, From £9,999.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.7m 31 Seated 27 Standing T/V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system, Power ramp, Cab Air con, Single door conversion available.

From £4,999.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.2m 27 Seated 30 Standing V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system Power ramp, Cab Air con, Single door conversion available From £4,500.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Due to arrival of New vehicles, one of the following must be sold:

Irizar PB Scania K114 Auto Reg Date: 16/05/2008 Irizar PB Scania K114 Auto Reg Date: 01/09/2008 Both are 49 seater Executive Coaches

Sensible offers invited Hills of Wolverhampton

01902 753770

Contact Joseph Sage 0208 400 6680 Email Joseph.sage@lonutd.co.uk

BUS & COACH SALES

2010 2007 2007 2006 2006 2006 2005

MAN Panther DDA 49 seats A/C front w/chair lift Setra S416GTHD Tri axles 48 seats A/C Setra S415GTHD 48 seats A/C Mercedes Tourismo 49 seats A/C Setra S416GTHD Tri axle 49 seats A/C MAN Plaxton 49 seats A/C Dennis R Caetano Enigma 49 seats A/C

2004 2004 2004 2003 2003 1998

MAN Marco Polo 70 seats A/C Volvo B12B Caetano Enigma 49 seats A/C MAN Noge Catalan 51 seats A/C Volvo B12M Caetano Enigma 49 seats A/C Volvo B12B Caetano 48 seats A/C Volvo B10M Excalibur 49 seats

TO VIEW CALL 07979 295668

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58 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

Merc V8/AsTronic box, 75str, white ext/blue int, air con, drinks, fridge, ski box, 160,000 miles since factory engine, MoT Oct 2012, Eminox fitted to Euro 4, RPC for reduced road tax (ÂŁ190 P/A), very good condition, low mileage coach. Ideal people mover for the Olympics. ÂŁ109,000 + VAT ono

NEOPLAN SKYLINER 2003

1 - 7.8SE 23str with seat belts and semi coach seats, digi tacho, radio, approx 142,000 miles. MoT June 2012 ÂŁ49,500 + VAT ono 2 - 7.1SE 23str approx 195,000 miles, MoT May 2012 ÂŁ47,500 + VAT ono Both vehicles Euro 4 Mercedes engines, white exterior/blue interior, Hanover destination, vgc.

2 OPTARE SOLOS 2007

Tel: 01296 398300 Motts Travel, Buckinghamshire

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February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES BUILDINGS

CHECKPOINTS

HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

REGISTRATIONS G

Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available For further information phone

TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/DUSTITE loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:

BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime

www.checkpoint-safety.com

Tel: 01524 271200

£750 20 PXV 40 OXW 60 NJX 70 NNX 90 PXL PJZ 88 RJZ 66 RJZ 77 SJZ 22

SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’

£350 £99 £99 £50 AJZ 454 HIG 5651 MNZ 1195 AXZ 5618 JBZ 484 HIG 5652 ONZ 1637 AXZ 5619 JHZ 939 IIG 7228 REZ 3379 CRZ 4825 LLZ 949 IIG 7229 RUI 2117 CXZ 2215 MKZ 989 JIG 1636 SEZ 7608 CXZ 2216 PDZ 818 JIG 1638 SUI 8847 DRZ 5652 PXI 434 KIG 1901 SUI 8848 DRZ 5653 SCZ 797 KIG 1902 TJZ 1118 IFZ 2314 YIL 202 MJZ 6749 TJZ 1119 IFZ 2315 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange

£50 JIG 8031 JIG 8032 KIG 1321 KIG 1322 RNZ 1127 RNZ 1128 RNZ 1129 TUI 4724 TUI 4725

Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771

Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ

SEATING

ENGINES

Crewe Engines Ltd MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS

ERGONOMIC SEATING SPECIALISTS

WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES

Direct from the UK’s No.1 since 1975 Call now for a quote or more information

01270 526333

Federation of Engine Re-Manufacturers

www.creweengines.co.uk

VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES CRAIG TILSLEY

Suppliers of Reconditioned

DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS Tel: PUMPS Works: 01782 791524 Moorfields Ind. ETC 01782 791527 Est. Cotes Heath, Fax: 01782 791316

Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY

HEATING

Heaters • A/C Equipment Blowers • Motors • Radiators Silicone Hose • Ducting Wiper Equipment • Gas Struts

Tel: 01993 849522 Fax: 01993 706920 Email: sales@thhs.co.uk

www.thhs.co.uk

UNIT 9 NIMROD BUSINESS PARK DE HAVILLAND WAY, WITNEY OX29 0YG

Full range of Static, Mechanical and Air Suspension seats available for Coaches, Service Buses, Vans and Trucks

Prices from £150+VAT (No carriage charges)

12 Murray Place, Righead Ind Est, Bellshill ML4 3LP Tel: 01698 845352 • Fax: 01698 844325 Email: TScottco@aol.com

Getyourproducts noticed!

AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshere foraslittleas£30.00 aweek!

Phone the Sales Team NOW on 01733 293240

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60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES TRAINING

SEATING

BOVA FUTURA SEATS

55 Vogel Conturo luxury reclining seats. Red with Tan Leather headrests and leather piping to moquette seams. Adjustable arm & footrests. Retractor lap-belts. Good clean condition. New in 2005. More photos available.

Sensible offers. Situated Weymouth, Dorset.

CPC Nat / International Driver CPC Digital Tachograph Drivers’ Hours Tachograph Analysis

Martyn Hoare : 07771 561 060

TICKETING

G G G G G

Hand Rail Padding Next Day Delivery Seat Belt Installations Double Deckers Seat Belted Seat Belt Supplies Securon Amsafe/Safetex Fasching ISRI Reflex Schneeweis Orion plus many

MCF GWR Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban more

Parts Hotline - Graham White graham@bhiuk.com 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com www.bhiuk.com

Fax: 01522 689922

The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers

Getnoticed!

AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshere foraslittleas£30.00 aweek!

Phone the Sales Team NOW on 01733 293240

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February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 61

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES TYRE EQUIPMENT

TRIM

COACH TRIMMERS LTD

Supplying the Bus and Coach Industry with quality seat retrims and interior refurbishment.

Full floors re-laid and centre gangways.

Collection and delivery service anywhere in the UK, seven days a week.

Email: info@eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk Web: www.eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk

Tel/Fax: 01751 472229

Getyourproducts noticed!

AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshere foraslittleas£30.00 aweek!

Phone the Sales Team NOW on 01733 293240 VEHICLE SPARES

Passenger and Commercial Vehicles Recovery Dismantlers Parts Sales OUR SERVICES: •

Recovery

•

Testing

• • • • • • • •

Refurbishment Repairs

Engine/gearbox rebuilds Fault finding

Buying & selling vehicles

DISMANTLING/SPARES: • • • • • •

Reconditioned engines Reconditioned gearboxes Engine spares Windows

Windscreens Seats

Trevor Wigley & Son Bus Ltd

TW FULLY LICENSED END OF LIFE VEHICLE CENTRE

TW REDUNDANT AND SCRAP VEHICLES TAKEN TW PROFESSIONAL, EFFICIENT SERVICE TW ALL REQUIREMENTS CATERED FOR TW VARIOUS SPARES AVAILABLE TW CONTACT US FOR FULL AVAILABILITY

Export to foreign markets Repairs

Finance repossession and storage

CALL: 01226 727 769 Bus sales: www.geoff-ripleysbuscoachsales.com Geoff Ripley, Boulder Lane (off Shaw Lane), Carlton, Barnsley S71 3HJ

Mob: 07912 103 497 or 07711 750 434 Fax: 01226 727 607 Email: geoff-ripley@btconnect.com

Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com

www.twigley.com

62 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 1, 2012

Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk, fax 0845 2802927 or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX

Monday: Press day. Andrew is in the sick bay. His presence is certainly missed in the office, but the banter still flows. Finish much earlier than normal; so much so I get earache when I arrive home from the better half for bursting through the house door – she’s not expecting me home yet.

Bressingham Steam Museum (BSM) and the Saunders Collection (SC) have announced a partnership for the operation of bus-bodied 1932 Sentinel DG4 Steam Wagon. Under a three-year shared ownership deal, the steam bus will be operational at Bressingham throughout the coming tourist season. It will be used to provide a connection from Diss Station to Bressingham Steam Museum and provide an opportunity for the community to see and sample a piece of social history. The steam bus will be at various fairs and shows and exhibited by both SC and BSM. Chris Leah, chairman of Bressingham Trustees said: “This is exactly what we need to provide transport to and from the Museum. The connection was lacking, with Bressingham being dependent on the private car and coach charters. We are excited to work with the Saunders Bros. as our partners on this ground breaking venture.”

Roses are… yellow?

For the last five years Yellow Buses (YB) has celebrated Valentines Day by presenting red roses and cards to passengers. The cards carry a suitably corny poem thanking people for travelling on the ‘Yellows’ throughout the year.

Now YB has thrown down the gauntlet and invited passengers to ‘beat the bus bard’ and have their poem chosen for publication. The

Dilbert

winner will receive chocolates, roses and a free 30-day Glo card.

The company has started off the first two verses and is looking for at least one more to complete it.

The YB contribution begins: “If you hadn’t guessed it We want you for our own We’re hoping that our feelings With our rose and card are shown We love to have you travelling Around with us on the bus So when you have a travel choice We’d love you to choose us” Entrants can either add to this or come up with a completely new set

of verses if they wish.

YB asks entries to be emailed to valentine@yellowbuses. co.uk and the winning verse (if YB’s bard is beaten, of course) will be printed in the Valentine’s Day card ready for February 14.

Jenni Wilkinson, YB’s head of marketing, said: “Our Valentine’s Day celebrations are a fun way of thanking passengers for their loyalty.

“The ‘Beat the Bus Bard’ competition has been very popular in the past and we’re hoping this year will be no different.”

Tuesday: Spend the afternoon in the office working on this issue, but as is often the case, it’s the one day of the week when ‘Mr Happygoluckybubblysmiley’ is on rest day. Also tap away on an important feature for a forthcoming issue.

Wednesday: Andrew is back in the office but is not quite his usual energetic self. Make a number of phone calls to various friendly operators and contacts for the ‘Big Question’ feature. As always with such features, pick up interesting news stories along the way. I’m in high spirits – I get a real buzz from it.

Thursday: A hectic day in the office. Talk to several friends in the Welsh media in an effort to, shall we say, assist the bus industry – we have to fight our corner. Spend an enjoyable evening with my better half celebrating my mother in law’s birthday. She’s always good to me, so it’s only right I look after her.

Friday: A manic day in the office, when there are simply not enough hours in the day. I can also feel the beginnings of yet another cold coming on, but I can’t afford to loosen the pace. My fiancée debating with to accompany me this weekend. Based on Monday’s banter about the heating and my frugalness (see last week’s Office Diary column), Martin muses: “It’s better if she comes with you, so then you’ll save forking out for extra heating while you’re not there.” All good fun. In the evening, head ‘back home’ to my native Welsh borderland.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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RECRUITMENT

Deadlines Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm

February 1, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 63

Contact Ian Gillis 01733 293484

ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk

Carole is Oxford’s rising star

RBT’s new marketing manager

Carole Stevens has joined Stagecoach in Oxfordshire and will now take over the running of Oxford’s bus fleet, which includes the Oxford Tube coach service.

The 27-year old gained her licence at the age of 18, meaning she was once the youngest PCV driver in Oxford and in 2007 enrolled on the Stagecoach Graduate Trainee Program. She excelled through the scheme and was given the responsibility of working in one of the largest depots in the country, Hyde Road in Manchester, as assistant operations manager. Carole has since worked as assistant operations manager in Worthing, and as operations manager for Merthyr Tydfil/ Aberdare depots.

Buses are so deeply ingrained in

Reading Transport’s new marketing manager, Jake Osman, is beginning a fresh career in the transport industry.

A regular bus user, Osman, who doesn’t hold a driving licence and catches the firm’s Vitality 2 bus to work, has taken up his new position in transport after experience in retail and hospitality.

Aged 29, he joined Boots in 2008 as an assistant brand manager and became an assistant marketing manager helping develop and launch BootsWebMD.com, a health information website. After that he spent three months in store developing his leadership skills before returning to the support office as assistant marketing manager for the Digital Marketing team.

Carole Stevens was the youngest bus driver in Oxford at 18 and will now run Stagecoach’s Oxford bus and coach fleet her life that she even had two buses at her wedding last year and was chauffeured in a Stagecoach Gold bus to the reception.

Asked about her new role, Carole said: “I can’t wait to drive an Oxford Tube coach. Oxford is one of the most advanced bus companies I’ve worked at, and not many firms have buses as modern as Oxford with

smart card ticketing and cutting edge multi-operator ticketing. I’m delighted to be back in Oxford.”

Martin Sutton, Stagecoach Oxford MD, said: “It’s excellent to have Carole join the team. Her experience, together with her determination and passion for the bus industry makes her a credit to the company.”

Your First Choice for Recruitment

Coach and Bus Week’s well-established recruitment portfolio attracts candidates across sales, marketing and management, delivering not just quantity but quality candidates, providing exceptional value for money.

In addition to our unrivalled print-based product, at no extra cost recruitment adverts are also automatically placed online at www.coachandbusweek.com, where they remain on view until a position’s closing date.

Coach and Bus Week and www.coachandbusweek.com combine to create the ultimate recruitment solution, guaranteeing your vacancy is seen by every job seeker that matters from sales agents to board level. To get your vacancy seen by quality candidates, call Harley on 01733 293249 (email harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk) or Ian on 01733 293254 (email ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk) www.coachandbusweek.com

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