Coach & Bus Week : Issue 1071

Wednesday January 23, 2013 Issue 1071 | ÂŁ2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

COACH:

INSIGHT:

Coach fares rocket at First & ADL's strong Leeds Bradford airport supplier-operator after tax hike p8 relationship p18

Inside this week...

Minibus

BUS:

Ian Jones on Aviva's attempt to change insurance criteria p4

Carriageways: Keen on simplicity

FOCUS:

SMMT predicts bus and coach registration fallback in 2013 p16

for recruitm

JOB ADVE ent EVERY WERTS EK

RECRUIT N

OW

p38

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this week

Coach & Bus Week, 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 Distributed by COMAG

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www.coachandbusweek.com ISSN: 1351-3877 © 2013 Coach and Bus Week Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or system or in any means without the written permission of the directors. This is considered a breach of copyright and action will be taken where this occurs. This magazine must not be lent, sold, hired or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any authorised cover by way, or by trade, or annexed to any publication or advertising matter without first obtaining written permission from the directors.

Social media is a must

A

s we all know, social media comes into its own at times of weather disruption. I must say I’ve been impressed at the status updates I’ve been seeing from around UK from operators and transport authorities alike.

However, if I started praising individual operators for their coverage when I’ve only got 300 words to play with in this column, I’d quickly find myself in hot water for leaving someone out. I will however, praise one local authority I know of personally – Powys. What is Wales’ largest county in geographical terms, gave notice on Thursday afternoon that no school transport would operate on Friday due to the forecasted severe weather. That decision removed uncertainty and concern from users, operators and staff alike. Importantly, it also ensured everyone was kept safe.

Frankness can sometimes be the best way, so I particularly liked the very true words published by North Somerset Coaches on its Facebook page on Friday: “Our friends at ABus in Bristol have now

withdrawn services because of the dangerous road conditions in Bristol. Unfortunately the handling characteristics of modern buses (with very little control in icy conditions), the trend for ‘street furniture’ everywhere, and lots of traffic lights/pedestrian crossings means it is really difficult to run safely in these conditions. Constant steady progress is vital to ascend hills for example, and bollards, abandoned cars and traffic lights can destroy any chance of that happening!”

The independent operator’s words would certainly strike a chord in the eyes of the general public when footage of a Stagecoach South Alexander PS-bodied Volvo B10M was shown slipping on BBC News.

On a final note, as this issue went to press I was intrigued to hear from the North East Bus Operators Association that Nexus has delayed its decision on how “to introduce improvements to the region’s buses until late Spring or early Summer 2013.” Nexus claimed this is to allow “further engagement with adjacent local authorities.”

More in next week’s issue.

Gareth Evans Editor

CONTENTS 4

20

32

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

12

Midland and Sandwell Travel before West Midlands TC Nick Jones

24

Coatham Coaches’ first ever Volvo B9R pictured in the snow

What’s happening across the country’s regions. Plus Events Diary

16

Your letters, which include parking tickets in Bristol and VOSA test fees

26

A look at the First UK Bus fleet across all regions

SMMT explains its expectations for the 2013 bus & coach market

18

A look at some of the leading suppliers of telematics systems

30

A lighthearted look at the industry.

Plus Office Diary column

How ADL’s relationship with First has developed in recent years

All the latest vehicle deliveries in operators’ yards across the country

All the latest people moves from across the industry

News

Regional News News Focus Insight

Legal News Inbox

Industry Guide Deliveries

Big Picture

35

Minibus

60

Last Stop

61

People

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

For all your relief coach driver needs call us today 0845 2416 288 www.justcoachdrivers.com www.coachandbusweek.com

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4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

news

“I have drawn back from a finding that Sandwell set out to behave dangerously and illegally, although I came close.”

Nick Jones Traffic Commissioner

briefly The South East Bus Festival at Kent Showground on Saturday, April 6, features talks from Maidstone & District Operations Director Roger Davies, who will talk about his time in the industry, as well as Paul Southgate, Stagecoach in East Kent and East Sussex’s Managing Director, who is celebrating 40 years since joining the famous Southdown company. Those interested in heritage and the restoration of old vehicles are catered for by Richard Bourne of the Friends of Chatham Traction. Previous events have attracted around 5,000 visitors and this event once again runs alongside the annual Heritage Transport Show, which features 400 cars, commercials, tractors and motorbikes. Admission is £8, with free entry for those under the age of 12, and full details of the event are shown online at www.arrivabus.co.uk/ southeastbusfestival Rotala plc’s trading for the current year has begun satisfactorily and is in line with budget – according to its latest pre-close trading statement.

Operating results for the year ended November 30, 2012 are expected to be broadly in line with management expectations. The interest charge for the full year is expected to be marginally higher than market expectations. John Gunn, Chairman said: “Given the industry conditions created by central government policies, we believe the company produced an acceptable performance in 2012.

The current financial year has started on the right track and we look forward to releasing our final results for the 2012 financial year in March.”

Marketing, Sales & Services Director, Dr. Frank Hiller, has resigned from the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus AG, effective as of January 31, 2013.

The Supervisory Board will decide on his successor soon. Dr. Hiller’s contract was terminated by mutual agreement due to differences of opinion about the future development of MAN Truck & Bus AG. The company said it thanked Dr. Hiller for his work. www.coachandbusweek.com

News4,5.indd 4

Legal News p20

Operator wins fight over loss of use claim Ian Jones from Backhouse Jones discusses a recent attempt from Aviva Insurance to change the criteria used to calculate loss of use It’s my birthday next month and I have asked my colleagues at Backhouse Jones to help save the planet by buying me a Patek Philipe watch as a present. I calculate that by hour of pleasure delivered over its useful life, a luxury watch has a carbon footprint many times smaller than a carton of orange juice.

There is often a whiff of fallacy when challenging long held assumptions through the application of economic logic. This was never more apparent when Aviva Insurance recently tried to defeat the long standing CPT formula used to calculate damages for loss of use when a PCV is off the road due to the negligence of a third party driver.

Last week Manchester High Court rejected Aviva’s endeavours to curb this recovery and approved a claim by West Midlands Travel for loss of use of £3317 following a road accident in 2006.

The basis for the CPT’s formula has been lost in the mists of time but has been consistently approved by the courts since a claim brought by Birmingham Corporation in 1969.

Inquest finds coach death was accidental

An inquest was given the verdict of accidental death after a soldier was killed by a coach.

Matthew Cottrell, 24, was hit from behind by the Excelsior Coaches vehicle after being dropped off by a taxi driver on a dark road because he didn’t have enough money to pay his fare.

The taxi driver told the hearing police officers had asked him to drive Matthew home at about 0200hrs. He explained to the

The CPT standing charge is claimed as an efficient economical and largely mathematical basis for arriving at loss of use without the need to undertake individual calculations for each vehicle damaged.

It dispenses with the need to consider loss of profit – a process that can be fraught with difficulty.

Aviva argued the standing charge was excessively generous to operators because it excluded commercial overheads which they chose to incur to run their businesses.

The court asked itself whether the claim was for the value of the loss of use of the damaged bus or for the loss of use of a bus. After a

Ian Jones is a Solicitor and Director at Backhouse Jones officers Matthew did not have enough money for the fare. It was agreed the taxi driver would take him as far as he could before leaving the soldier to walk the rest of the distance.

The inquest in Bournemouth heard the busy stretch of road had no lighting or pavement.

Kenneth Baker, 55, who was driving the coach, said he moved slightly towards the kerb to avoid an oncoming lorry when he struck Matthew.

He said: “I saw what I think was an arm, as I saw this I hit something on the front passenger side of the coach. There was a bang and the windscreen on the same side broke.

I have never seen anybody walking along that road.”

Paul Byres was driving a Royal

thorough review which included consideration of early 19th century shipping cases, HHJ Armitage determined the answer to this question was that the loss of a bus = the bus.

The judge rejected the notion that there was no loss and fully accepted it was reasonable to take the average unit cost of the undifferentiated fleet. Hiring an alternative bus was not a practical or economical option and it was accepted to be more economical to consider the fleet as a whole than to calculate the particular costs of a particular vehicle involved in an accident.

Aviva suggested the appropriate daily rate should be between £23 and £28 per day rather than the claim by West Midlands for £106 per day. The judge asked whether intuitively it felt right to have a bus ready at short notice for £23 per day and he decided it did not.

So business as usual and we may thank the West Midlands for organising reimbursement for the industry 40 years ago and ensuring its continued application today.

I have applied my own intuition to my starting position and shall be expected a family size carton of Tropicana from my dear colleagues here at Backhouse Jones.

Mail delivery lorry. He told the inquest how he became aware of a large vehicle travelling towards him in the opposite direction.

“I saw the man but I didn’t have time to flash a warning, he said.”

PC John Heywood, a police accident investigator, said the coach was travelling between 47mph to 49mph and no blame was attached to the driver. Accident investigations concluded the coach driver had no time to react to the presence of Matthew. Mr Sheriff Payne, the Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said: “I cannot fault Mr Baker’s driving of the coach. He was behaving perfectly properly. He had never come across any hazard like that. This is a very sad accident.”

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January 23, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5

Join the discussion on Twitter by following us at @cbwtweets and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coachandbusweek

IRTE registration deadline looms The IRTE Skills Challenge 2013 has made a final call for operators to register, with the deadline set for January 31.

Technicians from Arriva, FirstGroup and Go-Ahead, among many others, will be competing in a series of technical challenges this summer in a bid to be named the best in the business.

Sponsored by Allison Transmission, BAE Systems, Bridgestone, Knorr-Bremse and Shell, 2013’s competition has nine awards up for grabs across the disciplines of mechanical, electrical

Space at CV Show 2013 filling-up fast

The Commercial Vehicle (CV) Show and Workshop 2013 is set to open it’s doors from April 9 to 11 and is quickly running out of space, organisers report.

“While 2012 proved to be a tough year for the UK CV industry, prospects are brighter for 2013 with growth forecast for light vans – building on this year’s stronger results for the heavy end of the market,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT CEO. “This positivity is reflected by the increase in exhibitors already signed-up and demonstrates the

Adam McGrath from Translink competing in IRTE Skills Challenge 2012 and bodywork, with a separate category in each discipline to award the best apprentice in the business.

Gary Crookes, Group Engineering Training Manager with FirstGroup, said: “As a passenger transport operator FirstGroup is committed

to the continuous development of its engineering workforce. I am confident in the skills of our technicians and welcome the opportunity to have them tested on a national stage. I would also at the same time like to promote

the outstanding work done by our engineers in keeping our vehicles reliable, legally compliant and safe on the UK’s roads.”

Nick Jones, Chief Executive of IRTE’s umbrella organisation, SOE (Society of Operations Engineers), said: “The IRTE Skills Challenge represents IRTE’s main aims of identifying, supporting and rewarding excellence in road transport. By engaging with the IRTE Skills Challenge operators display a confidence in their own standards and practices, and a commitment to excellence that is worthy of industry-wide recognition. We hope you’ll accept the challenge.”

The practical elements of the challenge are based on IRTE’s technician licensing scheme, irtec, and will take place at training facility S&B Automotive Academy in Bristol from May 29 to June 7, 2013.

sector’s commitment to drive through economic uncertainty, delivering more efficient and capable vehicles, products and services to the UK’s CV buyers.”

Geoff Dunning from show partner the RHA added: “Halls 4 and 5 are just about full to capacity and it looks as though the same will be said for Hall 3a.

“The 2013 Show displays one of the widest-ever ranges of exhibitors including the majority of the truck, trailer and van manufacturers, tyre specialists, telematics experts, hydraulic and lifting gear suppliers, tanker operators – the list is seemingly endless.”

Free tickets are available via www.cvshow.com/ webcontent/

Show organisers say two of the three halls it is using at the NEC are almost fully booked, with hall 3a quickly filling up with more exhibitors

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21/01/2013 15:54

6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

£6

news › BUSeS

The revised rate to pick up and drop off at the Leeds Bradford airport

briefly Arriva Midlands has extended its single fare promotion between Wellington and the Princess Royal Hospital from £1.70 to £1.50 – a saving of 11.5%. The firm said the offer will be available until “at least” March 31, 2013 on routes 44 and 55. Keith Myatt, Marketing and Communications Manager said: “Feedback from customers has highlighted some of our fares for short hop travellers were not priced at a level to make bus travel popular. We’ve listened to our customers and are pleased to extend the offer.”

First Aberdeen has reduced some of its fares to encourage more people to visit the city centre. It has halved the cost of its ‘First Family’ ticket at weekends until the end of February so up to two adults and three children can travel anywhere on the network for £4. First has also reduced its Annual Adult ticket by nearly 10% to £600 and a six month ticket has been reduced by £30 to £320 until February 24. Susan Bree, CEO of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “One of our aims is to drive footfall within the business improvement district and initiatives like this are integral to that. We want to make the city centre a vibrant and exciting place to be. The support of First Aberdeen by reducing fares is an example of the type of joined up thinking which can reinvigorate the heart of Aberdeen.”

After it recently added new vehicles to its fleet operating on the route, Arriva the Shires’ service 401 is offering a deal with The Cork restaurant in Welwyn Garden City. The number 401 operates from Panshanger to Welwyn Garden City with buses up to every half hour until 1925hrs. When passengers order two courses at the restaurant they can get the cheapest free when a 401 ticket is shown. Passengers are advised that they must inform waiting staff when they arrive if they intend to take advantage of the route 401 offer. Only original route 401 bus tickets are accepted, and must be used on day of purchase, or on a day in which the ticket is valid. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Bus driver pleads guilty to M5 crash …But Police tell CBW no investigation into as yet unknown vehicle operator A bus driver has pleaded guilty to two counts of death by dangerous driving following a collision on the M5 near Birmingham in March.

Jasminder Dhesi, aged 50 and from Great Barr, entered his plea at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday (January 15).

Following the incident at around 0630hrs on March 24, investigators said the bus had broken down in the inside lane of the southbound M5 between J3 & 4 near Frankley Services, in thick fog.

Wrongly described in other sections of the media as a coach rather than a bus, the Alexander PS-bodied Volvo B10M was run by an as yet unknown operator.

Birmingham Crown Court heard Dhesi, who was taking fruit pickers to a farm in the Evesham area, decided to continue with the journey even

though the bus had already broken down twice on the trip. A lorry then ploughed into the back of it when it conked out for the third time.

Neil Bannister, prosecuting, said Dhesi “knew his vehicle was in difficulty and the conditions were foggy but he took the decision to carry on with his journey”.

He continued: “The vehicle had only reached the speed of 25mph when it broke down again for the third and fateful time.”

Liaquat Ali, 35, was a passenger on the bus and died at the scene.

Lorry driver William Mapstone, 65, died in hospital later in the day.

Dhesi was released on bail until February 12, but Judge Peter Carr warned him to expect jail.

Asked by CBW to confirm the name of the operator, a spokesman for West Midlands Police (WMP) replied: “Our case was against the driver, so we are not sure whether we should be disclosing information about the operator in

The bus involved was similar to the one pictured here – an ex Stagecoach Alexander PS-bodied Volvo B10M. However, it must be stressed Stagecoach had no involvement in the incident

trent barton turns 100 in 2013 This year sees the 100th anniversary of the founding of Trent Motor Traction Company, which has since gone on to become trent barton, and the operator is looking for suggestions from

customers on how to celebrate the milestone. trent barton is already planning a Big Weekend charity event, which will take place over the Spring Bank Holiday and wants to organise a range of other activities in the leadup to its birthday on October 31.

Proceeds from the events will go to the operator’s chosen charity for 2013, the Lewis Mighty Fund. The fund raises money for research into neuroblastoma, one of the most

case it was not mentioned in court.”

The spokesman also confirmed there was no investigation into the operator. “While WMP led the investigation, VOSA was also involved,” he said.

Asked why the operator was not investigated into, the spokesman replied: “Our investigation centred on the driver as he had broken down, pulled onto the hard shoulder. He managed to get the bus re-started so chose to continue.”

Sergeant Chris Jones, from the regional Collision Investigation Unit, explained the matter further, when he said: “Mr Dhesi’s bus was not roadworthy on the day of the crash and he should not have been driving it.

“He had already broken down on two occasions before the collision happened and had managed to pull over onto the hard shoulder and get the vehicle moving again.

“Despite the fog and the unreliability of the bus he carried on with the journey, but came unstuck on the third breakdown, when there was no hard shoulder to pull over on to.

“The broken down bus came to a stop in a live lane of traffic, when it was hit by Mr Mapstone’s lorry.

The result was a catastrophic scene, with many people injured and the loss of two lives.

“This has been a complex and lengthy investigation and we’re pleased that Mr Dhesi has pleaded guilty to the charges.”

As this issue went to press, a spokeswoman for VOSA said the agency would look into the matter and get back to CBW. common forms of childhood cancer.

It was originally set up in 2009 to help fund treatment for Derby youngster Lewis Mighty, who sadly passed away in May last year.

Alex Hornby, trent barton Commercial Director, said: “We need the help of volunteers, our customers and community groups from right across trent barton land to book a free stand to raise money or promote their activities at our Big Weekend.”

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4,291 333 Number of converted buses registered in 2011

January 23, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7

Number of vehicles ADL is expected to deliver to First Bus over the course of the 2012-2013 financial year

UK Bus Awards geared up for conference

‘Delivering on Quality’ is the theme for the 2013 UK Bus Awards conference, to be held in Hampshire on March 20 and 21. Based at the Solent Hotel in Fareham, this year’s event will include a technical visit to the highly acclaimed Eclipse BRT project. Among the speakers featured are David Brown from Go-Ahead Group, Nicola Tidy from Nottingham City Transport and Alex Warner from Flash Forward Consulting.

The conference programme offers a mix of presentations and interactive sessions, as well as providing plenty of networking opportunities. It gets underway on Wednesday March 20 with a keynote address by David Brown, Chief Executive of the Go-Ahead Group, followed by the first of the interactive sessions, ‘Lessons from Robin Hood country’. This will provide an insight into the factors which have made this area a true leader in quality and innovation, reflected in a high number of awards. In the evening there will be a drinks reception and conference dinner, with guest speaker Allan Edmondson, Bus & Coach Services Manager at the Olympic Delivery Authority from 2008 until 2012.

Stagecoach gives OFT undertakings on Wigan Stagecoach has given undertakings to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on its recent acquisition of First’s Wigan operations. They stipulate the assets of the business are maintained and preserved, including facilities; none of the assets is disposed of; and no interest in the assets is created or disposed of.

Colin Brown, the Finance Director of Stagecoach UK Bus will provide a statement to the OFT on behalf of Stagecoach confirming compliance with these

News6,7.indd 7

SHARE WATCH

Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, January 21. Stagecoach saw the greatest proportional rise, while 21st Century saw the greatest proportional drop.

Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk

343.00p

Price: Year High: 367.50p Year Low: 268.52p

Above: The popular 2011 event was held in Nottingham and included visits to places of bus interest. Below: Speakers sharing best practice will include Nicola Tidy, Nottingham City Transport’s popular Marketing Director

On Thursday March 21 the conference will focus on the Eclipse BRT system in Fareham, with presentations from the two partners in this highly successful project – FirstGroup’s Marc Reddy and Keith Wilcox from Hampshire County Council, followed by a visit to see the scheme on the ground.

This in turn is followed by the undertakings every 10 working days from January 14.

At all times, Stagecoach has agreed to actively keep the OFT informed of any material developments relating to the business, which includes, but is not limited to details of key staff who leave or join the business and all substantial contracts won or lost by the business.

However, far from being aggrieved, Steven Stewart, Director of Communications at Stagecoach Group said the matter was procedural. He told CBW: “The OFT has also issued an announcement inviting comments on the acquisition. These are both standard developments on a transaction of this type. We have submitted our notification to the OFT and are engaged with them on that and any queries they may have.

second of the workshops, ‘Adding Value at the Sharp End’, looking into the fundamental importance of the key interface between front line staff and customers, and how the industry can drive improvements.

The final segment of the programme will be the formal launch of the 2013 UK Bus Awards competition, followed by lunch and the conference close. John Owen, UK Bus Awards Chairman, said; “Our 2013 conference programme is designed to educate, inspire and entertain delegates. The range of speakers, subjects and the technical visit means there really is something for everyone.”

Online booking is now open on www.ukbusawards.org. uk, or call 0870 900 1450.

We do not believe there are any significant competition issues and we are hopeful that the acquisition will be cleared.”

With more than a month having passed since the deal went through, asked by CBW why it had taken so long to investigate, an OFT spokesman replied: “Merging parties don’t have to notify us prior to a transaction but it can be done voluntarily – and the OFT can carry it out before or after completion.

We have four months from the point it reaches the public domain or when the transaction completes to reach a decision.”

The company name was changed from Greater Manchester Buses East Limited to Greater Manchester Buses West Limited on December 3. Stagecoach has complied with the undertakings given by it and accepted by the OFT on January 3.

191.70p

Price: Year High: 318.20p Year Low: 174.60p

1271.0p

Price: Year High: 1390.0p Year Low: 1074.0p

212.30p

Price: Year High: 256.20p Year Low: 162.90p

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Price: Year High: 321.500p Year Low: 227.90p

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Price: Year High: 0.93p Year Low: 0.21p

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Price: Year High: 85.26p Year Low: 62.29p

13.88p

Price: Year High: 20.00p Year Low: 8.50p

-5.40 on last week

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-1.12 on last week

FTSE 100

6,168

Index: Year High: 6,180 Year Low: 5,260

+61 on last week

www.coachandbusweek.com

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8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

news › coaches

briefly Drivers should expect delays on two stretches of the A55 between Chester and Holyhead for the next couple of months as two infrastructure upgrade projects get underway. Engineers are carrying out drainage work to try and alleviate the problems encountered last autumn when heavy rain caused flooding on this section of North Wales’ busiest road on a five-mile stretch between Llandegai near Bangor and Abergwyngregyn. The second project includes upgrading the lighting in the Conwy Tunnel, with one carriageway closed. This is expected to create more problems as peak hour traffic builds up. The first phase of the £2m investment at Conwy will see the westbound tunnel closed for a month while work to improve lighting takes place. Speed cameras have been erected at the tunnel entrances to enforce a 40mph limit.

Following the first phase of improvements, which commenced in June and was completed in November 2012, the second phase of the multi-million pound upgrade of the A74(M)/ M74 between Junction 22 (Gretna) and Junction 12 (Millbank) is due to get underway on February 23.

The programme of works is set to improve the condition of the road, which is over 20 years old in places, and extend its long-term life. Traffic will be limited to 40mph through the works in the interests of safety for the workforce and motorists. Transport Scotland has advised drivers to allow extra time for their journeys or consider using an alternative route while the works are carried out.

24-hour lane closures are in place on A303 at Stonehenge the on approaches to the Longbarrow roundabout. A 40mph speed restriction is also in force.

The work is due to last until June.

Bridge maintenance has started on the A2 in Dover, Kent. Existing bridge joints on Jubilee Way will be replaced during overnight and weekend closures.

The work will be completed, weather permitting, on Monday, March 11. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Leeds Bradford Airport taxes coaches New extortionate pick-up & drop-off fees introduced without any notice to operators Drop off and pick-up fees for coaches & minibuses at Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) have rocketed – in a move Daniel Donnor of York-based minicoach operator Tower Travel described as “Absolute scandal, daylight robbery.”

Minibus, coach and drivers of any other vehicle with eight or more

seats now have to pay £6 to drop off or collect passengers from LBIA. The fee more than doubles to £15 for stays of up to 60 minutes and again to £30 for two hours. Each subsequent hour costs £15.

The so called ‘kiss and fly’ tax caused outrage when it was first introduced at the airport in spring 2011, with a blanket charge of £2 per vehicle. Now larger vehicles will pay three times that figure.

Asked why these charges had been introduced at all, a

Daniel Donnor of York-based Tower Travel has warned operators and drivers to be aware when doing multiple visits

Bo’ness coach operator disqualified from industry The owner of A & A Executive Coach Hire has been disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence to run PSVs for three years, following a Public Inquiry (PI) before the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland.

Miss Joan Aitken made the ruling after finding Ann Mason was no longer in control of the 10-vehicle O-licence.

The business, which ran eight registered school services, was called to the hearing in Edinburgh following an investigation by VOSA. The TC heard Mrs Mason’s husband, Allan Mason, had taken over the firm from his wife yet continued to run under her O-licence. Licences are not transferable – Mr Mason should

have applied in his own name to operate those vehicles.

In addition, a VOSA Examiner reported to Miss Aitken that a licence disc issued under the Ann Mason licence was photocopied and provided to another operator, Ian Orr. Mr Orr did not hold his own licence and was therefore operating illegally. The copying of licence discs is also an offence.

After hearing all the evidence, the TC concluded Mr Mason had made a copy of an O-disc from his wife’s licence and provided it to Ian Orr. She said: “Both men knew this was Mr Orr operating on his own account and that cannot be done without an O-licence. By lending the licence Mr Mason allowed Mr Orr

spokeswoman for Leeds Airport said it was about safety. “Only larger minibus vehicles of over eight seats are subject to the higher charge and they now have a dedicated lane with the space they need to operate safely,” she added.

However, critics argue the tariff puts lives at risk as many are opting to be dropped off on the roadside to avoid the charges.

Mr Donnor was highly critical of the move. He told CBW: “This increase has been introduced without any notice. We’re having to pass it on to customers immediately. We’ve added ‘plus £12 LBIA rip-off fee’ to our invoices.

“The coin collection buckets also seem designed for cars – they’re just two and a half feet off the ground. The receipt button is also awkwardly placed. Furthermore, the coach operators’ pick up and drop-off area has been moved about 400 yards further away from the terminal entrance.”

Mr Donnor was keen to warn operators and drivers: “A little addition which easily goes unnoticed is a sign stating if your second visit is within six hours, you’re into the £15 tariff – no to get on and operate rather than working for someone else.”

Mr Orr subsequently applied for a licence with his wife, to run vehicles from Bo’ness.

Miss Aitken ruled the application could not grant authority to run because he was not a fit person to run PSVs. Mr and Mrs Orr had attempted to withdraw their application before the PI. On Ann Mason’s licence, the Traffic Commissioner made an order to revoke the authority immediately and ruled that she would be disqualified from the running public service vehicles for three years.

She concluded: “I cannot trust Mrs Mason with an O-licence. I consider a period of three years would reflect the seriousness with which I regard her in attention to the licence and her failure to challenge her husband’s activities and to hold the reins herself.”

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“This huge boost has made the overall bus and coach registration figures look much better than they are in reality...”

Martin Cole matter how short your visit. It’s not uncommon for us to have the same vehicle and driver do back to back runs to the airport. We typically go to LBIA 120 times per annum. In that context, the extra cash we’re being forced to pay would buy someone a very nice holiday.”

In a reply given to Mr Donnor, LBIA attempted to justify the new charges, which read: “If your vehicle fits under the 1.9m height restriction you are welcome to use the car lane which charges £2 and if it is higher than this the minibus and coach lane will be used.

“Minibuses/coaches carry many more passengers than a car which is charged £2, therefore whilst there is a £4 difference, this is justified by the amount of passengers and by the convenient and prime location to the terminal building.

“Alternatively you are welcome to use the free one hour stay which is now located closer to the terminal in the short stay 2 car park and can be accessed through the long stay 1 car park.”

However, as Mr Donnor observed: “LBIA has forgotten about the 6’ 6” height barrier on the long-term parking entrance. As operators, we’re supplying LBIA with large volumes of people to visit their shops – in addition to saving car and taxi journeys.”

CPT Regional Manager Keith McNally told CBW LBIA had not consulted him on the matter. “I will be contacting them to discuss the new arrangements,” he confirmed.

Buzzlines launches Eurostar package

Buzzlines has introduced a number of luxury continental touring holidays to its 2013 programme as part of a road/rail travel alliance with Eurostar.

Buzzlines’ new Eurostar Connection programme features destinations across France including Reims and the Champagne region, Auxerre, The Loire Valley, the Costa Brava and Eastern Pyrenees.

There is also a seven-day classical music-orientated tour of Germany, which culminates in a trip to the Waldbühne in Berlin.

Each European excursion includes return Eurostar journeys

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Minibus p35

HuntRevenue launches UK travel division

Left to right: Paula Hoskin – Williams Travel, Tours Manager, Sarah Newton – Community Fundraiser, Cornwall Hospice Care, Garry Williams – Williams Travel, Operations Manager

Cornish coach firm donates £2,000 to local hospice Cornish operator Williams Travel is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and has started 2013 with a substantial donation of £2,000 to Cornwall Hospice Care.

The firms’ popular ‘Coach Seats for Causes’ campaign introduced in summer 2012, nominates one local charity per bi-annual holiday brochure. Williams Travel then work with the charity throughout the duration of the brochure and donates £1 for every coach seat booked. Williams promotes and raises awareness in a variety of other ways from selling badges to wearing fancy dress.

Paula Hoskin, Tours Manager for Williams Travel told CBW: “As a rural community, Cornish people are by nature loyal and generous and the response we have had from our clients is nothing but positive.

We have always been keen to give something back to the wider community in Cornwall and as we were working closely with some of the charities in our area we were being made aware the economy was affecting their donations in a big way. We got our thinking caps on and ‘Coach Seats for Causes’ was the brainchild of Garry Williams our Operations Manager.”

Buzzlines seems to be right on track with its latest innovation between London and Paris, Lille or Brussels, as appropriate.

All tours (with the exception of the Reims long weekend) will be supported from St Pancras onwards by a Buzzlines ‘Tour Captain’.

Adrian Gilson, MD at Buzzlines said: “Connecting with Eurostar is part of our luxury theme. Crossing the Channel by train offers our

passengers an interesting and enjoyable “commute” and means their holiday starts as soon as they board the high-speed train at St Pancras. Our competitive holiday prices even include the Eurostar baggage service, so Buzzlines customers can fully enjoy their onboard experience without having to wrestle with their suitcases.”

International business agency HuntRevenue has launched a dedicated Travel Unit which aims to help UK companies through difficult trading conditions.

HuntRevenue, which has offices in London, Malaga, and Brussels, set up the new travel division because it believes the industry will be one of the first to benefit from an upturn in the economy.

The company’s travel division is aimed at helping all sectors of the industry with practical hands-on sales, marketing and business development.

Key services include: Sales and revenue building; E-commerce integration; International business development; Service and product packaging; and Licensing & Franchising.

The company also operates a money-back service guarantee.

Commenting on the new venure, CEO Ian Hunter said: “The UK travel industry has a history of high profile entrepreneurs who knew what sort of holidays and travel the public wanted and took advantage of business and technological developments to enable them to offer them. We are confident this spirit still exists and – as in the past – growth in the industry will come from small and mid-sized companies.

“The problem is many of these companies may have great ideas but can often find it very difficult to develop them, especially in a climate where money is hard to come by.

“Customers can be fussy and it is increasingly easy to get tangled up in red tape. We see the result in the number of failures each year.

“We can help Small and Medium Enteprises by putting robust structures in place aimed at boosting their bottom line and getting them fit and ready to take advantage of better conditions as soon as they appear on the horizon.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

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news › international

48 VDL Citeas join Veolia Transport Finland Operator chooses 10 two-axle Citea SLEs and 38 three-axle Citea XLEs FINLAND From the beginning of January 2013 Veolia Transport Finland has started running its new Helsinki scheduled operation and has put 48 new VDL Citeas into service. They are operating on the routes between the city centre and the northern parts of the city. In June 2012 VDL and Veolia signed the contract for 10 Citea SLEs-129/255 (two-axle) and 38 Citea XLEs-145/310. In 2012 VDL delivered 120 Citeas to Finland, making VDL the market leader in public transport vehicle supply to the country.

“Excellent support from the VDL organisation during the start-up phase has played an important role in the successful launch of our new operations. Based on the customer feedback, passengers are very satisfied with the high comfort level and stylish modern interior of the vehicles,” commented Sami Ojamo, Director Purchasing and Business

Development Veolia Transport Finland.

The customer opted for two different length variants. The two-axle Citea SLE-129 is 12.9m long and has 40+4+1 seats. The three-axle Citea XLE-145 is 14.5m in length and has 49+4+1 seats.

The harsh climate conditions in Finland, with temperatures ranging

Veolia Transport Finland’s 48 new VDL Citeas are operating on routes beween Helsinki city centre and northern parts of the city

ZF scoops major Beijing order

CHINA Beijing Public Transport Corporation (BPTC) has placed a major order for lowfloor axles with ZF. They will be used on 2,200 Chinese buses being delivered to Beijing in 2013.

For ZF, this means a large supply volume of more than 5,000 axle systems as several axle sets are installed in each bus – including components like shock absorbers and chassis modules. The order encompasses RL 85 EC front axle systems, providing a wide centre aisle in the passenger compartment and a floor height of only 350mm, AV132 drive axles and the AVN132 tag axles. Their low floor heights provide step-free and faster entry and exit at all doors. Similarly equipped buses already operating on Beijing’s BRT system have a www.coachandbusweek.com

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between -30 degrees Celsius and +30 degrees Celsius, and the large distances covered mean the vehicles have to meet a number of stringent requirements. Top-quality service for passengers is also one of Veolia Transport’s focal points.

This new VDL fleet will travel 3m km a year carrying over 250,000 passengers.

Veolia Transdev renegotiates Oz contracts The ZF-Servocom power steering system for commercial vehicles combines good maneuverability and easy running with comfort and safety proven high passenger flow rate giving typical dwell time of 16 seconds at each stop.

The ZF-Servocom ball-and-nut power steering systems are being supplied by ZF Lenksysteme, a 50:50 joint venture between ZF and Bosch, for all 2,200 buses.

It supports the precise steering behaviour of buses equipped with ZF’s low-floor technology. BPTC has also ordered this steering system for another 800 intercity buses.

AUSTRALIA Veolia Transdev has renegotiated two bus contracts for a further seven years.

Jonathan Metcalfe, CEO of Veolia Transdev Australasia, said: “This follows strong business performance to date and a fair negotiation with NSW Government.

“In 2005 contracts 10 and 13 were awarded to Veolia Transdev, which committed to provide access to assets including buses and depots at the end of the contract term, reducing the burden on taxpayers. Veolia Transdev was given the option to renegotiate the contracts, rather than them being competitively tendered like other Sydney metropolitan bus contracts.”

The contract started on January

Arriva begins phase two of Stockholm contract SWEDEN Arriva has begun operating the second phase of Sweden’s largest integrated multimodal public transport tender.

The 12-year E20 contract serving Stockholm was awarded by transport authority Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. It doubles Arriva’s size in Sweden. It now provides an extra 94m passenger journeys a year.

Following the launch of phase one in August, Arriva now operates 101 light trains on the Roslagsbanan tram line along with 229 buses in the northern district.

David Martin, Arriva CEO, said: “Our aim is the same as the first phase: to increase public transport use by improving customers’ journeys and travel experience.

“We have made a number of service, network and infrastructure commitments in our bid. We said we would deliver high quality services which meet or exceed passenger expectations and the requirements of client body, SL, and we are delivering on these commitments.”

1 for contract 10 and starts on May 1 for contract 13. Enhancements include improved timetable information and notification about delays to services; initiatives to improve punctuality and reliability including the introduction of prepay at key stops and additional hot spare buses in the peak period; and the inclusion of increased cleaning and bus presentation initiatives which will provide an improvement in the onboard experience.

Metcalfe added: “We have a proud history of being at the leading edge of bus reform in NSW. We were the first to sign the new era contracts in 2004 which gave us the right to negotiate these contracts rather than go to tender.”

Veolia Transdev in Australasia (VTDA) runs passenger transport in Auckland (rail), Brisbane (bus, coach, ferry), Perth (bus), SW Western Australia (bus, coach) and Sydney (bus, ferry, light rail, monorail).

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NORTH

Fares on York Park & Ride which FirstGroup operates jointly with City of York Council, have risen in line with inflation, the parties have said.

A return ticket for all services will go up by 10p to £2.60, though a single ticket will remain at £2.

Concessionary singles, available after 0900hrs on working days and all day on Bank Holidays and weekends to passengers with concessionary passes, will also remain unchanged at 60p.

Simon Pearson, First In York’s Commercial Director, said: “The York Park & Ride fares are directly linked to inflationary measures and therefore we have had to review our fares to meet the ongoing challenge of rising costs to our business.”

Minstercard tickets have risen by 40p from £10 to £10.40, monthly tickets will go up £1.60 from £40 to £41.60 and annual tickets have gone up by £16 from £400 to £416.

Preston’s buses are being targeted by a gang of youths throwing golf balls and pool balls on an estate in the city.

Buses on services operated

by Preston Bus and Stagecoach both had windows smashed on Ribbleton Avenue last Tuesday night (February 15).

It was the fifth attack around the Moor Nook estate in the past fortnight and led to services being temporarily suspended.

Police stepped up patrols in the area in a bid to catch those responsible.

Preston Bus Operations Manager John Asquith told the Lancashire Evening Post the attacks had caused more than £1,000 of damage to its fleet in a single night.

He said: “Our biggest concern is the safety of our passengers and drivers, but we cannot keep paying out to replace windows in our vehicles. It costs an awful lot of money and it causes a big problem.

“Not only are we having to pay for the damage but we have vehicles off the road, meaning we are not always able to operate services and therefore people think Preston Bus is not reliable any longer.”

The operator pulled services on the estate following incidents on Ribbleton Hall Drive and Grizedale Crescent the previous week, including one where a 42-year-old man suffered cuts to his face having been showered with glass.

Colin Nicholson, Assistant Operations Director for Stagecoach www.coachandbusweek.com

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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’d like us to cover, contact James Day on james. day@coachandbusweek.com. only serving Queens Square in Attleborough due to untreated roads elsewhere in the town, while Service 9 was not serving Hewitts Lane/Sheffield Road in Wymondham.

A video on The Telegraph’s Youtube channel shows the extent of the disruption along with the generosity of the public, with a clip of over a dozen pedestrians helping to push a First Norwich doubledecker bus up Rose Lane in the city centre. The video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/EnAbTekvWeA . First stated it would only serve main roads until further notice due to the dangerous road conditions.

One gritting lorry in Suffolk crashed at 0100hrs on Tuesday, January 15, although nobody was injured in the incident.

KEY

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

SOUTH WEST

in Preston, confirmed several of its vehicles on the 1, 1a, 9 services were targeted last Tuesday.

Insp Dave Brown of Preston Police said it was taking the incident “extremely seriously”.

He said: “We realise this is a huge inconvenience to people using the services and obviously causes a problem for the bus operators.

“We want people to feel safe using bus services in Preston and we are taking steps to ensure the people responsible for this damage are brought to justice.”

EAST

Giles Fearnley, Managing Director of First UK Bus, will visit Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex on February 1 to discuss local initiatives and respond to concerns regarding local services.

Ursula Benjafield, Vice Chairman of the Dengie Hundred Bus Users’ Group, who organised the talk, is pleased Giles accepted the invitation.

She said: “He’s not just another corporate man, he comes from a bus family going back generations so really knows what he’s talking about.

“There is real dissatisfaction in Burnham at the current performance of the 31X, the main bus leading into Chelmsford, with reports that it’s often late, or sometimes doesn’t show up at all, which is particularly difficult with the weather right now.”

Giles told CBW: “You cannot beat hearing from customers first hand.

I was delighted to be asked to speak to this user group and am looking forward to hearing what they have to say to me.”

Other initiatives have arisen as a result of a contract renewal last year and have proven successful, in particular the demand responsive buses managed by Arrow Taxis.

Giles will answer questions on the 31X and more at the public meeting, which will take place at the town council offices at 1245hrs.

Norfolk has been hit hard by the wintery weather, with heavy traffic preventing gritting lorries from reaching roads in Norwich city centre. This has resulted in long delays and dangerous driving conditions.

Norfolk was the only county in the country which had to close schools early last week due to adverse weather conditions.

The disruption was compounded for Anglian Bus by a digger going through the operator’s phone cables, completely disrupting phonelines and emails. Passengers were directed the firm’s Twitter or Facebook sites for service updates.

On January 17 Norfolk Green reported almost all its buses were running their full routes, although the Coasthopper couldn’t serve Burnham Overy Staithe and was running direct between Burnham Overy Town and Holkham in both directions. The X29 experienced delays in and out of Norwich.

Konectbus’ service 6A/X6 was

The Plymouth Citybus 45 service has seen a considerable increase in passengers since its launch in September, according to the Ivybridge & South Brent Gazette.

Weekly passenger numbers on the Ivybridge-to-Plymouth service have risen from 2,378 to 3,623 between September and December.

Marketing Co-ordinator for Plymouth Citybus Hayleigh Beck said: “Since launch, we have seen an increase of over 1,000 passengers which is incredibly impressive for a new service. We are continuing to see a definite increase on passenger numbers every week and are pleased the service is proving so popular.

“One of the reasons we think this is happening is because we recently changed our Plym zone boundaries to include Ivybridge. This change led to a fare decrease for Ivybridge residents across all ticket types.

It is rapidly becoming one of our most popular services and we have received, and continue to receive, incredibly positive feedback about it.”

County Councillor for Ivybridge Roger Croad said: “It really is an excellent service; I’ve travelled on it a couple of times and it’s very efficient and just what the town needed.”

The Mayor of Ivybridge, Cllr Frances Reeve, said: “I’ve heard nothing but positives about the 45 and am so pleased it’s doing well. I always see queues at the bus stop.

It’s a sign that the service is being well used.”

Commercial Manager Peter Oliver said: “Service 45 has gone from strength to strength. We still have a fair bit to go before

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news › REGIONAL

we reach our intended customer numbers and would welcome ideas and feedback from our customers on how improve our service.”

West Dorset District Council is to withdraw the non-statutory provision of ‘free’ travel for concessionary travel cardholders before 0930hrs when the passes are reissued in April. The authority has hitherto subsidised a pre-watershed add-on.

However, in a bid to mitigate the impact the council has agreed to make £10,000 available to support residents in accessing community transport solutions, with a particular focus on those needing to travel to medical appointments.

Adrian Stuart, the authority’s Director for Corporate Resources, said the council had been using government funding to offer free bus travel before 0930 but that was no longer available. He said the council now had to decide whether to continue subsidising the scheme itself out of its own funds, which would cost an estimated £46,000 a year, or to withdraw its support.

Mr Stuart said a consultation process had revealed the biggest area of concern in relation to the potential loss of 0930 travel was access to medical appointments.

He said it was hoped the proposed £10,000 of funding for alternative transport solutions would help ease this concern.

First Aberdeen Engineer, Denis Noble (67), has been praised with saving the operator thousands of pounds after inventing a new piece of kit which helps maintain First’s 32 bendy buses. First used to use a contractor outside Aberdeen to repair and maintain ‘turntable rams’, located in the middle of a bendy bus to help keep the vehicle aligned.

However, the cost of taking the buses out of service, transporting them off-site as well as paying the cost of the repairs was expensive.

The job can now be done in-house thanks to Denis’ design of a unique oil storage tank with pump.

“I was frustrated with the overall cost to the business,” said Denis. “There seemed to me to be a relatively simple alternative, so I sketched out some designs, approached a local engineering company and had it built. I was confident it would be successful but it proved to be even more effective than I had anticipated.”

Chippenham-based operator Faresaver has doubled the frequency of the X34 service between Chippenham and Frome to cope with rising demand.

The number of students and children using it has quadrupled in the past two years and adult passengers have increased by 40%.

Now, instead of every hour, one bus leaves Chippenham bus station at 20 minutes past and 50 minutes past the hour for most of the day.

The new timetable came into force on Sunday January 13.

Faresaver General Manager Daniel Pickford said: “These results are pleasing when many semi-rural buses services are suffering as a result of government cutbacks, increased fuel costs and spiralling overheads.”

He said investment in more accessible buses with lower floors had attracted more elderly passengers, while the rise in student usage was because of the ‘kids for a quid’ offer of the last year, which allowed anyone carrying student ID to travel anywhere on the X34 route for £1.

Pickford added: “I hope the combination of the increased frequency of the buses, ongoing fleet enhancements and the hard work of the loyal team of Faresaver drivers will justify this latest move and enhance bus usage in this part of North Wiltshire.”

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

The Cleaning Show comes to the NEC in Birmingham between March 19 and 21. Pictured is some Fluid Spill Kits on display at the 2011 show

2013 n January 24 CPT Annual Dinner 2013, Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, 45 Prescot Street, London E1 8GP. Call 020 7240 3131 or visit www. cpt-uk.org n January 28-30 Transport Ticketing 2013, Park Royal Plaza Riverbank Hotel, Albert Embankment, Lambeth, London SE1 7TJ. Call 0207 384 79201 or visit www.transport-ticketing.com n February 9 ‘Great Days Out’.

EventCity, Manchester, 0161 237 1010. www.greatdaysout.com n February 24-25 Coach Holiday Conference. Bristol Filton Holiday Inn. www.coachtourismcouncil.com n March 13-14 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum at the NEC in Birmingham. 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n March 19-21 The Cleaning Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01737 855 086 www.cleaningshow.co.uk

Duncan Cameron, First Aberdeen’s Director and General Manager, predicted that Denis’ invention will save the company more than £15k a year. “For the few weeks it has been in operation it has proved incredibly successful.

Denis’ attention to detail and flair for engineering has reaped rewards. In identifying efficiencies like this and saving the firm money, we are able to use those savings to re-invest in the business and improve services for customers.”

n March 20-21 UK Bus Awards Annual Conference. The conference is booked to take place in Fareham and will feature a visit to Hampshire’s Eclipse BRT project. www.ukbusawards.org.uk n April 6 South East Bus Festival 2013. Kent Showground, near Maidstone, Kent, brought to you by the organisers of ‘M&D 100’ and ‘M&D and EK 60’. www.facebook. com/southeastbusfestival n April 9-11 CV Show 2013. NEC, Birmingham. www.cvshow.com n April 20-21 UK Coach Awards & UK Coach Rally. Alton Towers, Staffordshire. 01753 631170

www.coachdisplays.co.uk or www. ukcoachawards.co.uk n April 21 London Bus Museum Spring Gathering. Cobham Hall, Weybridge, Surrey. 01932 837994. www.londonbusmuseum.com n May 14-15 ALBUM Conference.

Belton Woods Hotel near Grantham, Lincolnshire. www.albumconference. co.uk n May 26-30 UITP Congress & Exhibition. Palexpo, Geneva. www.uitp.org. +(00)32 2673 610 n June 11-13 ATCO Summer Conference. Merseytravel HQ, Liverpool. www.atco.org.uk n June 16 Swansea Festival of Transport. Free to enter & attend. Call organiser Ashley Lovering on 07814958379 or email swanseatransport@aol.com. Visit www.ntfwswansea.co.uk. n July 21 Alton Bus Rally. Anstey Park, Anstey Lane, Alton, Hants. www.altonbusrally.org.uk n July 28 The Annual Peterborough Bus & Commercial Vehicle Rally. Sacrewell Farm (A47/A1 junction). All buses and commercials welcome. Free entry.

07828 754412 or 01462 626750k n September 8 Bus & Coach Wales 2013. Rhyd y Car Leisure Centre, Merthyr Tydfil n September 10 Association of Trainers AGM. 1400hrs, Wembley.

For details call 01797 344251. n September 22 Showbus 2013.

Long Marston Airfield, Warwickshire. www.showbus.com

Send your event details to gareth.evans@ coachandbusweek.com

www.coachandbusweek.com

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news focus › smmt

Manufacturers predict 2013 fallback 2012 purpose-built bus & coach registrations reached 3,811 units; converted buses 4,291 With 2012 bus registrations ending up above the expected level, to some extent buoyed by demand for additional capacity surrounding the Olympic and Paralympic Games, manufacturers are predicting lower www.coachandbusweek.com

NewsFocus_SMMT.indd 16

demand and expect the market to fall back slightly in 2013. The coach market performed quite poorly and was shored up mainly by an upsurge of growth in the express coaching sector. Retail coach sales are expected to remain depressed.

This is the concerted opinion of the major players in the UK following the annual ‘state of the

nation’ meeting of members of the Bus and Coach Committee at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Overall registrations indicated a much stronger market although the figures included an unprecedented number of converted vehicles, largely thought to be minibuses catered for under Taxation Class 34,

although no details on specific sizes or split down of the registrations per manufacturer was available.

It was thought a high proportion were probably vehicles previously hijacked by the van manufacturers to boost registration figures of their all-important market share in the commercial van sector.

Bus & Coach Committee Chairman Adrian Wickens said the general feeling regarding 2013 was there would not be the previously predicted boost in sales from operators seeking to purchase Euro 5 compliant vehicles ahead of the impending change to Euro 6 emission regulations - along with the anticipated additional

21/01/2013 10:08

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Join the discussion on Twitter by following us at @cbwtweets and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coachandbusweek requirements or purely down to the loss of routes. The result of this being quite a number of buses are being parked up and are unlikely to be replaced.

As with previous implementations of new emissions legislation, a period of derogation for Euro 5 vehicles will apply. The implementation of Euro 6 is on January 1, 2014. All Euro 5 vehicles covered under single-stage build (integrals) built after September 2013 must be registered by the end of this year. Manufacturers with unsold Euro 5 stock which was built before September 2013 will have until October 2014 to get them sold and registered.

Adrian Wickens said while the committee expected operators to space out Euro 5 purchases to avoid moving to Euro 6 for as long as possible, it was almost certain Transport for London would look to implement Euro 6 as soon as it could in a bid to meet the capital’s air quality commitments.

One or two other large cities

capital costs and potential seating losses due to their increased weight. He said there remained much concern and uncertainty over Local Authority budgets and the ongoing level of support for services alongside issues over the implementation of BSOG payments and of reimbursement for concessionary fares. He said different approaches to the problems taken by individual LA areas meant there were regional differences leading to some areas faced with higher levels of service reduction than others. He claimed there was already some evidence of fleet reduction, some of which may be as a response to meeting DDA

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with air quality issues may also want operators to employ the new technology at the earliest convenience. He warned operators to be aware all model ranges affected by Euro 6 faced increased weight and space requirements.

On a positive note, it was revealed the EU is currently considering proposals for increasing the weight limit for buses or coaches on two axles.

Given the speed with which the EU

“Green Bus Fund allocations in England and Scotland had a positive impact on the registration of low-carbon buses.

The committee estimated there were close to 1,000 now in operation.”

Top: Stagecoach has embraced the Green Bus Fund which much enthusiasm. Above: Volvo’s highly successful parallel hybrid drive system

deliberates such matters it may yet be at least a couple of years away.

However, it shows the EU is aware the weight capacity of most buses and coaches has been negatively impacted by the continued introduction of requirements for safety or emissions including ABS, ESP, R66 rollover requirements, seat belts - among many others.

Plenty of new technology is currently optional but may well become a requirement – such as adaptive cruise control, automated anti-collision devices, telematics and increased fire prevention – which could mean an automatic fire extinguishing system, increased numbers of fire extinguishers on board and/or stronger bulkheads or confinement in an engine bay to delay or prevent fire spreading.

It has also been discovered the EU is keen to see retrofitting of digital tachographs on all vehicles with the on-board electrics capability to support them. There is also a programme to pursue tighter legislation over vehicle noise but with virtually all modern vehicles equipped with rear-engine drivetrains manufacturers believe there is little more they can do without a major breakthrough in tyre technology as tyre noise is seen as the largest contributor to driveby noise.

Registrations in the Irish Republic hit rock bottom in 2012. A solitary order for 80 double deckers had come from Dublin Bus and only late in the year did Bus Eireann manage to acquire some funding over a range of bus types which expanded the total figure to 240.

Very little change is expected for this year.

Green Bus Fund allocations in England and Scotland had a positive impact on the registration of low-carbon buses. The committee estimated there were close to 1,000 now in operation and in general very good results were being achieved. The UK remains the largest market for low carbon buses outside North America.

GBF round 4, which will report on awards to successful applicants in the near future, is now only applicable on up to 50% of the additional cost attached to the vehicle. The funding addresses not just hybrids but EVs, plugin hybrids and buses featuring inductive charging. The latter scheme, to be trialled in Milton Keynes, had even achieved Government support.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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inbox

LETTER of the week

Putting a stop to Bristol nonsense

Dear Sirs, I was interested to read Bristol City Council’s response in December 12 issue and since then have had the opportunity to speak to the Bristol City Council press officer.

She stated that the ticket for using the bus lane was a systems error. I suggested that as it was issued by a person, it was a human error and she responded that this was a systems error! I do not agree that a person who cannot identify a bus as a bus constitutes a systems error.

They also state in your response that there is a longer running issue of parking at bus stops stating our vehicles impede stopping for other services and prevents disabled people from accessing their bus. This would be correct if it was not for the fact the tickets are issued at marked bus stops in the road which are not currently used by any bus services at

all. They are used by us following discussions with Bristol’s public transport team in order that waiting buses do not inconvenience other bus services or their users.

We have an issue that the only location where there are public toilets available for use by our drivers are in the central area, the city council having closed all other public toilet facilities. They have suggested to us that we should stop at a bus stop in a bus lane before a busy junction and leave the bus with passengers on for the driver to use the toilets in the nearby Burger King! I am not sure anyone would find this acceptable.

The argument that they would treat any operator in the same way does seem to fall down when at any time you can see National Express coaches parked in bus stops near to the bus station. Indeed, before Christmas, I saw a coach from South Wales actually parked in the busiest section of a bus lane in Bristol apparently waiting to pick up passengers from a shopping trip ...or is my paranoia getting the better of me?!!!

Alan Peters, Abus, Bristol.

Badgerline, a municipal operation?

municipal, in that the operation belonged entirely to the Grampian Regional Authority and not the state-owned Scottish Bus Group.

John Hammond, by email

Dear Sirs, I was surprised to read in the FirstGroup article (CBW1069) that Badgerline was a former municipal operator! Badgerline Ltd was indeed formed by management employee buyout, but not of a municipal company. Its origins were the Bristol Country bus operations and it was purchased from the state owned National Bus Company. The once huge Bristol Omnibus had been split up for privatisation into three pieces, the City Line operation taking the Bristol urban network, Bristol Country Bus taking the areas of South Gloucestershire, Avon & Southern Wiltshire while Cheltenham & Gloucester took the operations in North Gloucestershire & Wiltshire. It is true that if we delve into history, some involvement of municipal authorities were a part of the history of the Bristol Omnibus company, but the last municipal involvement ended when Bristol City Council sold its interest in the Bristol Joint Services operations of the Bristol Omnibus Company in 1975, however it had already shared ownership of this with the NBC and prior to that the Tilling Group since its formation to jointly acquire the privately owned Bristol Tramways & Carriage Company.

I also point out that Grampian Regional Transport was a

Editor’s comment: Many thanks for the clarification John.

Please accept our apologies if any confusion was caused.

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VOSA test fees HAVE risen Dear Mr Peoples, After reading the recent article in Coach and Bus Week I feel there is an issue which has to be raised concerning the test fees for PCVs. While you say the test fee has not had to be raised for the coach and bus operator it has already risen quite considerably. If I book a test in my local VOSA station I will pay the usual fee of £136 but if I have to use an ATF I have to pay up to £70 extra which I feel should be subsidised

by VOSA. The other concern which I have is that if I do try to book a test in my local test station I will probably have to wait at least eight weeks for an appointment as they do not have the testing staff because they are seconded to the ATF stations. So as a coach and bus operator I am in a ‘catch-22’ situation – do I book well in advance or bite the bullet and pay the extra £70 which takes the test fee up to £206.

Do VOSA have a capping system

a bus! Sort of...

Drop us a line and if your letter is chosen as our Letter of the Week, you’ll receive a top-notch coach or bus model courtesy of our friends at Corgi. Please try to keep your letters concise. The editor’s decision is final.

Send your letters to james.day@ coachandbusweek.com, fax 0845 2802927 or write to: Inbox, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX

in place for the fees in ATF stations, because when VOSA finally shuts all the testing stations, will it become a free for all when having to pay for the use of their premises?

Clive Watts, Watts Coaches, Bonvilston, Vale of Glamorgan (not anonymous)

Manchester Cross-City Buses Dear Sirs, Most of us in the bus industry have become tolerant of the occasional historical inaccuracy in the trade press. However I was surprised to read that ‘on October 28, First introduced the first crosscity bus service in Manchester for many years’ (‘Forging a Beter Legacy’ January 9 page 31).

Fact: Stagecoach Manchester extended service 50 across to Salford on September 2, 2012.

As Dave Alexander is a muchrespected and authoritative figure in the industry in the North of England I cannot think that he would have got this wrong, so perhaps the fault lies with editorial research or maybe too loose a definition of the claim.

Anyway, I would be glad of some correction!

Christopher J Bowles, Managing Director, Stagecoach Manchester & Stagecoach Wigan.

Editor’s comment: Many thanks for your feedback Chris – much appreciated as always. As you rightly state, it depends on one’s definition of ‘cross-city’. One my team reproduced the information in good faith from a First press release entitled ‘Historic first cross city bus service to benefit bus passengers in Manchester’. The opening line read: “The first cross city bus service for many years linking parts of North Manchester with Universities and Hospitals situated south of the City Centre will begin next week (Sunday, October 28).” Apologies if any upset or confusion was caused.

Good luck Giles Dear Sirs, I enjoyed your recent FirstGroup special edition. The Giles Fearnley interview was insightful but as he said, he has got a huge job still to finish. If he succeeds, I think he should be awarded a gong.

Jack Smith, by email

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LEGAL news › PUBLIC INQUIRY

TC: No place for noncompliance in Midlands Sandwell Travel prohibited from using Bradford Place in Walsall & has vehicle authorisation curtailed after Midland reported several cases of non compliance The Traffic Commissioner (TC) for the West Midlands Nick Jones decided to convene a Public Inquiry (PI) after a Senior Manager in Liyell Ltd t/a Midland (“Midland”) sent a written complaint to the TC’s office.

The complaint was sent in July 2011 but no response was given.

The TC first learned there was any complaint at the beginning of 2012 when senior management at Midland wrote to the Senior TC to query why there had been no response to their complaints. The complaint from Midland was that Sandwell Travel Ltd (“Sandwell”): Blocked departure stands at Bradford Place in Walsall preventing Midland’s buses using them; Failed to comply with registered timetables; Contrary to registered timetables, ran vehicles immediately in front of Midland’s buses to take their passengers; Failed to operate scheduled services; Operated unscheduled services; and Operated one route prior to the 56 day notice period, before registering a service.

Preliminary meeting After learning of the complaint the TC invited both operators to attend a meeting in his office on April 2, 2012. Julian Peddle, Director; David Reeves, Managing Director; and Tim Jeffcoat, Bus Network Manager, attended from Midland while from Sandwell, the sole Director’s son, Satwinder Singh, attended with authority from his father, Sukhwinder Singh, along with Ranbeer Singh Danda, who was both Route Manager and drove buses, and Harjinder Singh, a driver.

At the meeting, Sandwell denied all the allegations put and made counter allegations as to the behaviour of Midland.

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within Midland had undertaken an analysis of the departure times of Sandwell’s buses, but the factual accuracy of this analysis was not accepted.

The TC explained that prior to taking any regulatory action against an operator he would need to give formal notice of a PI. Both operators indicated they would look to utilise third parties to undertake monitoring exercises.

Midland indicated it would forward details of any proposed monitor to Nick Jones so he could confirm or otherwise, the independence of the monitor, which Midland kept to.

Midland produced evidence of a survey undertaken by Pride Training UK Limited, an entity which provided similar services for transport authorities and for bus operators.

Sandwell produced a report from Bus Users UK which included a number of comments about other operators using Bradford Place in Walsall. The TC asked if a redacted version of the Bus Users UK document could be prepared so the PI was restricted to Midland and Sandwell. He stated: “It would not be appropriate for third parties to be the subject of adverse references at PI when they had no prior notice.”

The TC explained in his written decision he has local knowledge of transport issues and had been aware of concerns in relation to Bradford Place, Walsall. Complaints

and concerns about its safety had been expressed to the TC by a range of organisations, including operators. The TC asked if Centro could attend any PI to assist.

The Public Inquiry The PI was held on October 8, 2012 with a large number of other operators in attendance as well as members of the public and press. Sandwell was represented

by Mr Murray Oliver solicitor. In attendance were its sole Director Sukhwinder Singh, Transport Manager Tony Fegan and Satwinder Singh, son of the Director.

Phil Tonks, a volunteer with Bus Users UK, also attended to give evidence of monitoring he and fellow volunteers undertook at the request of Sandwell.

Directors David Reeves and Julian Peddle attended for Midland as well as Senior Manager Tim Jeffcoat, Operations Manager Kevin Crawford, Transport Manager David Wilde and Steve Morison from Pride Training UK Ltd (“Pride”). A former employee, Matthew Hidson, also attended to give evidence.

Chris Perry, Head of Integrated Services with Centro, attended to give evidence about Bradford Place, Walsall.

Prior to the PI the TC received confirmation that Liyell Ltd t/a Midland was being sold to Arriva Midlands.

Towards the end of the hearing Nick Jones invited Sandwell to

A third party report found a large number of Sandwell’s buses ran early

provide additional evidence in writing to corroborate a claim it made relating to dismissing a driver who deliberately ran early.

At the conclusion of the PI the TC indicated he would ask for a transcript to be produced to assist him in his preparation of a written decision.

Evidence Chris Perry is head of Integrated Services at Centro. He confirmed Bradford Place, Walsall is not technically a bus station, but is part of the public highway, so Centro has no responsibility formally. However, the area is known as a bus station and it is usually referred to as Bradford Place Bus Station.

Chris Perry detailed concerns expressed by a councillor three years ago which resulted in an investigation as to whether Centro should seek to take over the bus station to manage departures.

This would have necessitated the purchase of the land as a frontage with compulsory purchase orders and would be very expensive. A good practice guide was issued for bus operators using the facilities and asking for their co-operation.

Earlier in 2012 Walsall

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The report revealed a significant number of Sandwell’s buses running early, well in excess of the one-minute window of tolerance provided in guidance issued by TCs. He also confirmed some routes watched were not run at all.

Nick Jones probed Steve Morison as to evidence he gave in relation to apparent changes in driver behaviour after he had been observed by drivers. He said there were five occasions on May 24, 2012 when vehicles were identified as running earlier than published timetables. At the point he said he was observed, vehicles ran to time thereafter. This was an important point for the TC as if correct it would be tangible evidence of deliberate non adherence to registered timetables by drivers. It was because of the change in driver behaviour after Steve Morison had been spotted that he undertook another monitoring exercise on a later date; a similar pattern emerged on that date too.

Midland‘s complaints to the office of the TC were not acknowledged at first Metropolitan Borough Council asked the TC for a traffic regulation condition at Bradford Place which was granted. Buses are not allowed to stay at a stand for more than three minutes and there must be a five-minute gap between services using Bradford Place.

Observations have confirmed an improvement in behaviour although there are still instances of operators not complying with the traffic regulation condition, with evidence of operators using stands for more than three minutes and not adhering to timetables.

The TC said the evidence from Chris Perry is consistent with evidence given in the complaints from both Sandwell and Midland.

He said that in terms of references and complaints, Bradford Place is the site which is most mentioned by individuals and organisations complaining about dangerous practices and road safety concerns.

Organisations such as Bus Users UK and Passenger Focus had also expressed concerns to the TC in the past.

Steve Morison, a Director of Pride Training UK Ltd, undertook multiple monitoring exercises.

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Key Points: Midland complained to the TC that Sandwell was, amongst other things, blocking departure stands at Bradford Place, Walsall, and failing to comply with registered timetables An independent survey commissioned by Midland found Sandwell had failed to comply with timetables, while an independent survey commissioned

by Sandwell also found Sandwell to be particularly non compliant The TC found Sandwell to have “misbehaved” and caused “mischief” The TC has stopped Sandwell from using Bradford Place He also curtailed Sandwell’s authorisation to run five vehicles to three

Matthew Hidson said he now worked for Central Buses in Birmingham but had previously worked for Midland. He referred to receiving calls from a driver who was insistent Sandwell’s buses had been running five minutes in front of the Midland bus on a date prior to the Sandwell bus being authorised to run as the 56 day registration notice period had not expired at that time. He said the buses were running carrying passengers and were not merely taking new drivers to show them the newly registered route. A witness referred to a number of occasions when these journeys were made, prior to having legal authority to carry fare paying passengers.

Phil Tonks was called as a witness by Sandwell. Now employed as a train driver, he has previously worked as a full-time official for both Bus Users UK and for Passenger Focus.

He currently works as a volunteer in the West Midlands for Bus Users UK. He had expressed concerns over safety issues at Bradford Place for well over two years. On occasion there are too many vehicles there and ordinary road traffic often got in the way, including taxis.

People were walking across the bus station and this created safety concerns. The report from Bus

Users UK confirmed observations in relation to both Sandwell and Midland. Neither operator fully adhered to registered timetables but the evidence from Bus Users UK showed significantly higher levels of non-compliance from Sandwell.

It transpired during questioning Phil Tonks that Sandwell had changed some of its registered services during Bus Users UK’s monitoring exercise and this meant some of the observations, especially the later ones, needed to be treated with caution. The TC commented at the PI that to be fair to all parties it would be helpful to discount later observations.

Satwinder Singh said he was reducing the number of vehicles using Bradford Place, Walsall. The TC was told he had made observations as to timetable compliance and efforts had been made since April 2012, including using atomic clocks in every vehicle and a tracking system for the buses.

Satwinder Singh was pleased with the outcome of the checks he carried out.

The allegations made by Midland were not accepted by Sandwell.

Sukhwinder Singh claimed action had been taken against drivers and said the one who was subject to observations by Steve Morison had been dismissed. No proof of this was provided but the TC was promised a paper audit trail to demonstrate the dismissal process. Sukhwinder Singh suggested the driver concerned had been “intimidated by other drivers and other operators”. Although Nick Jones was told he would receive the written confirmation of the dismissal process within two days, none was forthcoming, despite the slight delay in producing the written decision.

The TC was told drivers were told to run to the timetable. No evidence of systems was given, other than assertions at the PI.

Finances were sought prior to the hearing and this demonstrated Sandwell has sufficient financial standing for four vehicles, not the five vehicles which it ran.

Representations on behalf of Midland Sandwell’s allegations against Midland which were raised at the preliminary hearing

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LEGAL news › PUBLIC INQUIRY

in April were not pursued at the PI. The TC indicated he would not make any adverse finding against Midland as a result. In view of this no formal representations were made by Midland.

Representations on behalf of Sandwell Mr Oliver made a number of representations on behalf of Sandwell, including a request that the TC give some credit for the fact allegations made by his client against Midland had not been pursued at the PI. Referring to the fact that Sandwell’s witness, Bus Users UK, monitored buses both before and after timetables were altered by his client, the TC was shown a table produced by Mr Oliver with apparent discrepancies. But the document produced by Mr Oliver had been prepared on a computer and the contents had been corrupted; it emerged it had no probative value.

It appeared Bus Users UK had been asked by Sandwell to carry out a monitoring exercise, but Sandwell did not tell Bus Users UK of its decision to alter its registered timetables.

Considerations, Submissions and Findings The TC decided the difference between the two operators was not primarily one of size, with Midland being a medium sized outfit, Sandwell being a small one. The TC said the clear impression was that Midland was a wholly professional and well run business, which contrasted with Sandwell which was, at best, amateurish.

Both operators produced independent evidence to support their respective cases. Sandwell’s evidence of support came from Bus Users UK. The TC noted that Sandwell appeared to fail to spot Bus Users UK’s evidence was of Midland being a more compliant operator than Sandwell itself.

He added: “This failure to acknowledge Phil Tonks’ analysis reflects on the poor judgement of Sandwell’s management. As for the monitor used by Midland, Steve Morison, his expertise and independence was not challenged by anyone.

“I regard him as a key witness as he was very clear Sandwell’s drivers were running early until he was ‘clocked’ and that they ran to time after they recognised he was www.coachandbusweek.com

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The TC said Sandwell did not prevent its drivers from dangerous practices undertaking a monitoring exercise.

His evidence was not challenged and I accept it in its entirety. It is also of corroborative value. Steve Morison’s evidence that Sandwell’s drivers ran to time after he had been ‘clocked’ demonstrates Sandwell was capable of running to timetable.”

It is significant the allegations from Midland of misbehaviour, including early running by Sandwell, commenced in July 2011. If Sandwell had been a competent operator it would have made better checks on its drivers and would have communicated with a rival company which had cause for complaint. The fact the misbehaviour continued, at the very least, until observed by Steve Morrison, further corroborates the TC’s adverse findings in relation to Sandwell.

The TC believed Sukhwinder Singh, sole Director of Sandwell, came across as a poor communicator. Although he was the titular boss, Nick Jones questioned the extent to which he was in control of Sandwell.

Satwinder Singh brought staff to the preliminary hearing who he said were managers. They made serious allegations against Midland which were not pursued at the PI, but there was no advance notice of the withdrawal of the allegations against Midland.

The TC said: “He supported his managers at the preliminary hearing and, if he had been diligent, he would have made more effective inquiries before casting unwarranted aspersions against Midland.

“I do not regard Satwinder Singh as a dishonest individual but he is of questionable competence. I also find he turned a blind eye to

bad practice because it suited his purpose at the time.

“Sandwell has either encouraged or condoned bad driver behaviour including running early; failing to run some services; not running services to timetable; stand blocking and deliberately running buses in front of Midland’s to take passengers from them.”

Sandwell claimed it sacked a driver after reading the report received from Mr Morison, but the call up letter was only issued in September 2012. The TC found the evidence given by Sandwell on this point was not correct.

The TC accepted an assertion by Mr Oliver that the allegations made

by Midland of Sandwell running services and taking passengers prior to the 56 notice period were based on hearsay evidence.

He drew back from making a specific finding that Sandwell operated service with fare paying passengers prior to the expiry of the 56 days notice period.

The TC found Sandwell knowingly allowed its drivers to run early and management either encouraged this or turned a blind eye. He also found Sandwell did block stands and prevented other operators, including Midland, from using them.

Nick Jones did not accept the evidence by Sandwell of timetable control and did not accept the explanations that a high ratio of buses has had compliance with timetables monitored.

The TC found the stand blocking and dangerous driver behaviour as alleged by Midland has been sustained and continued from July 2011 until at least just before the PI. Sandwell had been on notice that allegations against it would be looked at but it still condoned

early running of buses and failed to address problems in a timely manner, if at all.

Midland has been called to the PI as a result of allegations made by Sandwell at the preliminary hearing which amounted to potential issues of repute. The TC reflected that Midland had good cause for concern: It has suffered from the unprofessional and dangerous behaviour of Sandwell, a rival; It wrote to the TC’s office in Birmingham to complain but had no response; It sent reminders without any acknowledgement from the TC’s office; It eventually asked the Senior TC if she would ensure its complaints were addressed; It attend a preliminary hearing when it presented its evidence in good faith – only to find Sandwell made counter allegations which potentially went to Midland’s repute; It asked for an investigation but no-one in public office carried out any testing of the issues raised in the complaints; It had to pay for an independent expert used by other organisations; and It was only at the PI in October 2012 that it learned the allegations made by Sandwell were no longer pursued.

To compound matters, the TC was told prior to the PI and confirmed at the PI, that a third party had sought to purchase Midland. The false allegations by Sandwell could well have affected the potential purchase.

For the avoidance of doubt the TC made the following findings in respect of Midland: Midland made complaints which were not answered by his office; Midland’s complaints were justified; Midland’s directors and managers have all behaved in an entirely professional manner at all times. They have shown remarkable restraint in the face of inefficiency in answering the complaint; Midland has suffered the ignominy of being called to a PI relating to its repute when it has very much been the victim; Midland continued to suffer as a result of Sandwell’s bad behaviour continuing after the

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preliminary hearing; Midland has lost revenues as a result of Sandwell running early and stand blocking; and Midland has had to pay for its independent evidence with no financial compensation – the TC has no powers in relation to costs.

Decisions The TC said: “Having decided Midland is entirely innocent of any allegations made against it and having decided that most of Midland’s allegations against Sandwell are made out, I need to reflect on my approach to regulation.

“I have not made a finding that Sandwell operated prior to it being allowed to do so; however other serious failings are made out. I have accepted some of the failings relate to incompetence and inefficiency, but whatever the explanations, Sandwell did not prevent its drivers from dangerous practices which potentially put the public at risk and caused economic harm to Midland, a rival operator.

“Sandwell is a relatively small operator and in addressing it’s failure to comply with the timetables it chose to register, I could theoretically impose financial penalties under Section 155 of the Transport Act 1985. The sums involved are not significant in terms of the harm caused to Midland; on the other hand the sums might have greater significance when one reflects on the finances available to Sandwell. Moreover my decisions in this case are likely to render Sandwell less profitable, at least in the short and medium term.

“Mr Oliver pointed out Sandwell’s alterations to its timetable raised issues as to the accuracy of the monitoring carried out by its witness. Although this is entirely down to Sandwell not briefing its own witness efficiently, I would need to avoid taking into account the latter part of the monitoring conducted by Bus Users UK.” He continued: “I am not minded to impose a financial penalty as there are other more focussed alternatives which better achieve the statutory purpose. If I was minded to impose financial penalties I would be assisted if there was better monitoring as to timetable compliance, ideally with some from an entity which was publicly funded.

“In addressing the mischief which brought about this case, I

LegalNews.indd 23

Nick Jones, Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands Area

Nick Jones: additional comments

“I would be grateful if Centro communicated to operators using Bradford Place, Walsall, that I will take strong albeit proportionate action if there are failures to comply with the traffic regulation condition which applies there. If those that control the facilities had staff who recorded levels of compliance and non compliance, I would prioritise regulatory hearings in view of the safety concerns outlined below.

“I have concerns as to the fact Bus Users UK indicated Sandwell is not the only operator to cause problems by poor driver behaviour in Bradford Place, Walsall. The public safety issues were discussed at the PI; ultimately the question of resources for improving safety is one for the local authority, and in view of the financial constraints facing them it must be for Walsall Metropolitan Borough and for Centro to make any decisions on facilities. I merely comment that the scale and persistency of problems in Bradford Place, Walsall could ultimately result in a coroner becoming involved.”

“I have drawn back from a finding that Sandwell set out to behave dangerously and illegally, although I came close. Repute is retained, but only just.”

Nick Jones

consider it a priority to stop this operator from using Bradford Place, Walsall for any of its services. That will undoubtedly create financial difficulties for Sandwell. However, I balance the problems my decision will cause for Sandwell with the benefits it will create for the general public as Bradford Place, Walsall will be a safer place. It will also demonstrate to local operators if they cannot comply with the traffic regulation condition and also adhere to registered timetables when using Bradford Place, they will be prevented from using Bradford Place. It therefore very much suits the purposes of the legislation that I prevent Sandwell from using Bradford Place, Walsall for a period of time.

“Sandwell has monies to run four buses but not five, so I will need to curtail the authorisation by one, as a minimum. In view of other findings I feel it proportionate that if it is to continue that it be as a much smaller operator with a maximum of three vehicles at any one time.

“I have drawn back from a finding that Sandwell set out to behave dangerously and illegally, although I came close. Repute is retained, but only just.

“Section 17 (3) (aa) of the 1981 Act is made out in that undertakings made for the purpose of obtaining a licence have not been complied with. Fuller details are set out in the call up letter and include making proper arrangements for ensuring that the laws relating to the driving and operation of vehicles are observed, this includes compliance with the traffic regulation condition.

“Reverting to the operation of local bus services, Section 26 (1) (a); Section 26 (1) (b); and Section 26 (1) (d) (i) of the Transport Act 1985 are all made out. Failing to operate services as registered is serious, intentionally interfering with a service provided by another operator is more so.

“I attach a condition under Section 26 (3) of the Transport Act 1985 that all registered services operated by Sandwell which use Bradford Place, Walsall, will be cancelled with effect from February 1, 2013. The travelling public will not suffer and will be able to use services run by other operators which are of a far better quality.

Bradford Place, Walsall will also be safer.

“As a result of Sandwell’s failures

and the public safety issues referred above, I attach a condition that Sandwell be prohibited from using Bradford Place, Walsall for a period of three years from February 1, 2013. For the avoidance of doubt “using” includes travelling on Bradford Place or using it as a timing point or as a bus stop.

“Sandwell’s authorisation is curtailed to three from five vehicles.

The reduction in authorisation reflects the need to take into account the behaviour of Sandwell, the effects of its actions on other operators and the public safety issues that arise. If the director decides that he wishes to continue to run buses, he must be aware that he must do so in an entirely compliant manner. If he feels that he is not capable of running as I require, then I suggest that he retires from the industry.”

The decisions were made in accordance with the following two acts: Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 (as amended) (“the 1981 Act”) and the Transport Act 1985 (as amended) (“the 1985 Act”)

n Decisions made in respect of Sandwell Travel Ltd PD10095259 operator has 1 The demonstrated financial standing for four vehicles, but not for the five vehicles currently authorised. findings are made 2 Adverse under Section 17 (3) (aa) of the 1981 Act. findings are made 3 Adverse under Sections 26 (1) (a); 26 (1) (b); and 26 (1) (d) (i) of the 1985 Act. is curtailed 4 Authorisation from five to three vehicles with effect from February 1, 2013. condition is imposed on the 5 Alicence under Section 26 of the 1985 Act whereby all registered services which use Bradford Place, Walsall will be cancelled from February 1, 2013 condition is imposed on the 6 Alicence under Section 26 of the 1985 Act whereby the operator is prohibited from using Bradford Place, Walsall for a period of three years from February 1, 2013. n Decisions made in respect of Liyell Ltd t/a Midland PD0001157 this operator is entirely 7 As innocent of all allegations that were made by a rival operator, no adverse findings are made.

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insight › ADL & First

Improving through collaboration Coach and Bus Week’s James Day looks at the strengthening relationship between Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and First UK Bus and how it is benefiting both companies, with insight from ADL Director of Customer Development Keith Watson

W

hen considering the vehicles in the First UK Bus fleet, you’re most likely to think of the Wrightbus/ Volvo combination which represents a sizeable part of its fleet. However, First’s usage of ADL vehicles has been steadily growing as the operator and manufacturer reap the benefits of a long-range teamwork approach which has seen ADL emerge as the first “accredited quality green supplier” to the bus operator.

ADL’s Director of Customer Development, Keith Watson, joined the company four years ago and one of his key roles has been to “walk in customers’ shoes”, to know and understand their business, to improve relationships and, in the process, ensure improved product performance and back-up support.

He explained: “We’ve developed some key performance measures in relation to our business with First and we have weekly calls, monthly meetings, quarterly board executive reviews, all designed to monitor how the business is progressing.

From those meetings, we develop projects which we progress collectively.

“These can range from major issues to detailed, nitty-gritty aspects, all of which can make a huge difference when they are brought together over a period of months and years.”

willingness to share information, allowing ADL to make targeted improvements which meet First’s objectives.

“We have an excellent, collaborative relationship with First and share information on a daily basis,” Keith said. “We’re constantly reviewing all aspects of the business and I work closely with the First procurement and engineering teams, including Ian Barrett, UK Commodity Manager, Tony Gallifant, Fleet and Fixed Assets Manager, David Liston, Business Efficiency and Engineering Director, Ian Grindlay, Group Procurement and Supplier Management Director, and Mark Munday Business Improvement Manager.

“We meet quarterly for strategic reviews and are constantly in touch by e-mail.”

The First engineering and procurement teams know working more closely with ADL leads to

positive change and the rapid resolution of issues. “Teamwork, consistency and vigilance are the key to the progress and success we’ve enjoyed together.”

Both companies are constantly striving to reduce fuel consumption – First needs to keep running costs as low as possible, while ADL needs to build the best product it can.

Keith said access to new information and First’s willingness to trial new ideas is helping achieve this.

“Fuel economy and whole life costs are always on the radar and are constantly at the forefront of our minds,” he commented. “We get information which would normally be difficult to access, such as fuel economy and reliability statistics.

It allows us to see things from a different perspective and offer broader-based solutions.

“Between us, our supplier companies and First, we work together to improve fuel efficiency, knowing the full detail about routes

Accelerating Growth

Mutual benefits

Keith highlighted how frequent meetings and correspondence between the two companies have allowed both to improve their services and generated a greater www.coachandbusweek.com

ADL-one.indd 24

and operating conditions, all of which can make a tremendous difference to the way we address issues.”

With fuel efficiency such a major concern globally, ADL examines every aspect to explore just what can make a difference.

“We consider everything when we’re looking at fuel economy,” Keith said. “For instance, we’re currently trialling aluminium alloy wheels in Glasgow to see what difference it makes. That programme started in January and joins a long list of initiatives we will implement this year. Simple things can make a huge difference, particularly when pulled together and, as they say, it’s the sum of the parts that count.”

An ADL Enviro400 sporting the new First local branding

According to statistics supplied by FirstGroup for its fleet profile in CBW1069, it has approximately 750 ADL-bodied vehicles in the fleet.

The rate that ADL has supplied First with new vehicles has steadily increased year on year. Between

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engine-off times to 70% of the operating cycle. That is a huge advantage in terms of tackling clean air issues, the biggest single issue on the environmental agenda of towns and cities across the world.

“In saying this, we are also firing on all cylinders in terms of advancing the journey towards full electric, having recently received government backing to forge ahead with a major on-route recharging initiative. We will be ploughing over £3m into this over the next two years. It will represent another major step towards a total electric solution but, in reality, pure electric solutions which can meet the gruelling schedules of heavy-duty buses remain a long, long way off.”

On the subject of gas buses, Keith said ADL’s first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses will go into service in May this year. They can also be tuned to run on bio natural gas.

“The technology which is available has great potential for operators with funding secured from the Green Bus Fund,” Keith said. “The gas buses are based on our Enviro300CNG and Enivro350CNG bodies, on Scania K270 UB 4x2 chassis.”

An industry outlook Above: Bath’s new ADL Enviro400 Hybrids for the city’s Park & Ride. Below: An ADL Enviro300 in Glasgow 2007 and 2012, ADL has delivered a total of 562 vehicles to First with a further 333 to be delivered in the 2012-2013 financial year.

“It’s quite a level of growth,” Keith said. “A lot has come through working together, having a better understanding of each other’s businesses and various collaborative undertakings.”

Vehicle handovers form an important part of the relationship, ensuring things go well from the word go.

“We are particularly keen on handovers, especially when we deliver a batch of vehicles,” Keith explained. “We meet with the local management to discuss the specifications and to ensure they have a good understanding of any special requirements.

“We did this in Bath recently when we handed over eight hybrids, It’s important to make sure everything is spot-on and to remain in contact with those who will be managing and operating the buses on a daily basis.

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“I spend a lot of time in London, although my dealings with First take me and others in ADL – all over the country.

“In the case of First Glasgow, we’re in the process of delivering 62 Enviro300s. These are in addition to 10 already on the route from Glasgow Airport to the city centre.

“The fuel economy of the Enviro300s is clearly a crucial factor and we are delighted with their performance so far, achieving 10mpg.”

The road to electric buses

Keith remains positive about hybrid buses and the benefits they bring – and, equally important, their proven track record in service conditions.

He commented: “Across the UK we have 600 hybrids operating and we know they deliver what they say on the tin. They are the future for the next 10 years.

“Our latest stop-start hybrid technology is not only taking fuel savings to circa 40% but increasing

Keith outlined the increasing measures being applied to ADL vehicles to improve operator’s service delivery.

“We’ve installed tables in a number of vehicles and leather is almost standard in First’s new vehicles,” he explained. “They are among the first major operators to use real leather seat covers, made by Andrew Muirhead, which were on vehicles launched at the Olympics. The local branding being rolled out is also an interesting development.

“More and more vehicles are being fitted with WiFi too, such as the hybrids on route 66 in Glasgow.

This has had an impact reflected in the increasing number of young passengers who are using the buses.”

Keith seemed to feel the industry is in good standing at the moment, although operators could do more to target commuters using cars.

“I don’t think the industry is doing badly,” he assured. “A lot of money is being injected but there could be more. More people are looking to come out of the car and use the bus but we need to provide a service which is good enough to tempt executives too.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

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INDUSTRY

GUIDE

TO TELEMATICS

T

Telematics systems help to keep track of where your vehicles are and how they are performing, including showing where speed limits are breached

Keeping on track Sometimes, there are improvements which can be made to your service delivery and efficiency that are difficult to see without specialist systems in place. This week’s Industry Guide looks at suppliers of telematics systems which will keep your drivers driving at their best and help you maintain your vehicles in perfect condition www.coachandbusweek.com

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he snow this past week has really highlighted the importance of driving safely and to the conditions, with even the gritting lorries struggling to stay on the road. A telematics system gives drivers real time feedback, keeping staff and customers safe.

Telematics systems can often be seen in a negative light by drivers, who may see the systems as calling their professional integrity into question. However, a system doesn’t have to take the form of a stick – it’s easy to put a good reward system in place which promotes good driving instead of punishing bad driving.

Indeed, it’s common for telematics to show drivers areas where they can improve which they may have been simply and innocently unaware of.

There are many cases where telematics systems have had a

proven impact on driving standards and seen an increase in positive feedback from passengers who have really noticed the difference.

Evidence also suggests they do reduce accidents and lead to major improvements in fuel efficiency as driving standards improve, saving the operator money in the long run.

Vehicle tracking, often using established mapping software, is a feature which makes traffic problems easily identifiable and makes tracking breaks and driver’s hours easy, tying in well with the tachograph systems which telematics is often integrated with.

The other useful aspect of telematics is in diagnostics. With the right system in place, problems can be identified much more quickly and easily, before they become a major inconvenience.

By acting on the accurate data telematics provides, you know for sure your vehicles are operating at their best.

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CONTACT To advertise in future industry guides, call Victoria Schult for a features list or more details on 01733 293248, email victoria.schult@coachandbusweek. com. For more information on providing editorial, call James Day on 01733 293244 or email james.day@coachandbusweek.com

QUARTIX A growing number of bus and coach operators in the UK are turning to vehicle tracking to improve the management of their fleet and make vital cuts. With affordable flexible direct rental options and minimal initial investment, it is a great way of making significant savings and improving service, while keeping on top of administrative and legal duties.

CUTTING DOWN ON FUEL AND MAINTENANCE COSTS Installing tracking systems in a fleet of vehicles enables operators to gain more control over their fleet and particularly over growing fuel costs.

With the real-time tracking from Quartix, operators can tell at any time if one of their coaches or buses is idling and the daily and weekly reports will give all idling details and totals for each vehicle. It is widely recognised that a diesel engine left running idle will consume around one gallon of fuel per hour, so cutting down on this practice could mean valuable savings on the fuel front.

Idling also causes wear and tear - as the engine is not operating at optimum temperature, it can cause incomplete combustion and leave residue on cylinders and spark plugs. It can also cause water to condense in the exhaust, increasing corrosion, so being able to keep an eye on idling times will help reduce maintenance operating expenses as well as fuel costs.

The Quartix system also shows a replay of every trip taken by each vehicle, all displayed on Google Maps, and allows operators to

search for the closest vehicle to an address in real-time, which will help improve routing and dispatching. The Daily Route Maps can help analyse the routes taken and suggest how to cut down on mileage, while the Real-Time Address Search means operators can quickly send the closest or most appropriate vehicle to a last minute job, or advise a driver who is lost.

One of the main features to help operators reduce fuel consumption however is Quartix’s Driving-Style Monitoring suite.

The module monitors and reports on harsh acceleration, braking and speeding, giving the chance to act and make substantial fuel savings (typically up to 15%) while dramatically improving the safety of drivers and customers. Harsh braking not only wastes fuel and increases servicing costs (tyres, brakes etc) but is also known to be

Above: Quartix’s Weekly Route Chart. Right: A Weekly Driver Behaviour Report showing speed, deceleration and acceleration.

Below Right: Live vehicle tracking.

Below Left: The firm’s Daily Vehicle Log programme

a driving style which leads to an increased risk of accidents, which is why managers are now seeing monitoring good driving as a top priority. To encourage their drivers to adopt a more economical and safer driving style, managers have found that using carrots, not sticks, often works best: giving incentive to better drivers and rewarding top performers, who are easily identifiable thanks to league tables on the Quartix system, has shown to be one of the most effective ways.

Without singling any drivers out, another method is to look at the Driving scoring average across the fleet and working with the team to increase it.

IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY As well as directly saving money, using Quartix can help improve customer service, reliability and timekeeping. With the live data updated every minute, you can

advise a customer who calls in of the exact location of the coach and when it will reach them, or if a driver is running late. Having all the data at hand is also valuable when solving customer disputes – operators can prove whether a driver left a pickup point on time, for example.

Working with a team to improve their driving style will also guarantee an all-round better customer experience on the bus or coach, keeping passengers and drivers safe and sound.

HELPING WITH ADMINISTRATION AND LEGAL OBLIGATIONS The extended reports available on the Quartix system also help you keep on top of administrative duties, and be assured that you are complying with your duty of care obligations.

With bus and coach operators sometimes wrongly blamed for causing damage or accidents, they will have access to the exact data and be able to prove their case.

By checking the timesheets directly on the system, operators can also monitor their drivers’ hours and verify payroll.

Maintenance alerts are also configurable, to provide reminders of MOT dates, insurance renewals or tyre check-ups, for example.

Finally, knowing the location of a vehicle at any time means operators can locate and hope to recover a stolen vehicle much faster, as has shown countless times with Quartix customers.

T: 0870 013 6663 E: enquiries@ quartix.net W: www.quartix.net

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INDUSTRY

GUIDE

TO TELEMATICS Mix Telematics With the ability to help incentivised staff meet their targets as never before, the latest incarnation of MiX Telematics’ RIBAS display is sure to please drivers and fleet managers alike.

The company’s Marketing & Operations Director Steve Coffin said: “Marketing men often proudly refer to a new product as being ‘next generation’ – even though it already exists. While I’ve never quite got my head around that one, I am beginning to understand the sentiment in terms of our upgraded RIBAS display unit. For this newlylaunched product enables fleets to achieve benefits right now which many would currently consider to be beyond reach.”

RIBAS, an in-vehicle display which alerts drivers whenever any one of a pre-set range of economy and/or safety parameters is exceeded, has been proving its worth in fleets around the world since its launch in 2008.

The latest RIBAS unit, which uses icons in place of letters In its original form, the unit comprised of five LEDs positioned alongside the letters RIBAS, where R stood for over-revving, I for excessive idling, B for harsh braking, A for harsh acceleration and S for over-speeding. For the driver, the message was clear and easy to understand: If a warning light should appear against any of the letters, back off from doing whatever it was that is causing it. RIBAS is as simple as that. A

subsequent development of the system saw the RIBAS letters replaced with icons, although the functionality remained the same.

Since its introduction, there is no doubt the RIBAS display has helped save a lot of operators a lot of money. As such, the system quickly established itself as an essential driving aid.

Now, Mix Telematics has taken matters a stage further by introducing RAG (Red, Amber,

Green) functionality into RIBAS. This means in addition to the existing red light, a green status light informs drivers when they are driving correctly, and an amber status light warns them whenever they are near to exceeding one of their pre-set parameters.

In practice, when all is going well, the green light is all the driver sees. The amber light gives him or her ample warning that trouble is afoot and the opportunity to make the correction required to get back into the green, thereby avoiding any error being recorded and reported by the system. In this way, new RIBAS helps boost driveracceptance still further.

Early indications suggest the new RIBAS will be a success, with many operators saying they feel it will play an important role in maintaining high levels of driverperformance over the longer term.

T: 0121 7175360 E: info@mixtelematics.co.uk W: www.mixtelematics.com

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Actia As a major supplier of telematics systems to OEMs such as Volvo, Peugeot, Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo Trucks, Actia continues to invest its onboard electronics and diagnostics expertise into Eco-Fleet.

This process has seen the bus telematics system evolve into one of the most comprehensive and integrated telematics solutions available to operators today.

As the number of operators benefitting from Eco-Fleet’s unique features grows, 2013 will see the implementation of further enhancements available to existing and new users alike.

Telematics Empowering Drivers A new Driver Portal to be introduced this year will empower drivers to take control of their performance, delivering savings to the operator and improving service to passengers. Not only will drivers be able to login to a secure internet site to view their own weekly score,

driver MPG and event map, but they will also get a feel for where they sit in a driver league table and where they can improve. In addition the driver sees whether his/her performance is up or down compared with the previous week, and if they are at the top of the tree or holding the others up.

“Giving responsibility to drivers through an individual driver login to personal data is something our operators say is an essential part of their telematics requirements,” explained Fleets and Services Sales Manager, Mike Oliver. “We have

Actia’s telematics products include the driver-AID system

listened to our operator customers and are always responding to their needs, and those of the industry as a whole. Indeed our ability to grow and develop the product to customer requirements sets us apart from many other providers.”

Telematics for Maintenance Actia is also responding to engineering requirements in the industry in order to maintain fleets at optimum performance, and to maximise the effectiveness of what is sometimes a limited engineering resource.

Operators and maintenance staff who have used Actia’s Multi-AID diagnostics – used in hundreds of workshops in the UK and further afield – will recognise the benefit of being able to use the system through Actia’s telematics. This true remote diagnostics solution enables the user to ‘dial in’ to the vehicle and diagnose vehicle faults while the vehicle is out on the road, parked up away from the depot or broken down at the

roadside. Not only does this enable large operators to centralise their diagnostic expertise, supporting many vehicles from a single location, but also ensures the right man in a van is despatched to the vehicle with the right parts – first time. Few operators will not have experienced the frustration and costs incurred by incorrect diagnosis and unnecessary callouts.

Multi-AID Remote tackles this problem head on.

“We are working with two major operators who are seriously considering telematics as an engineering tool for remote diagnostics and maintenance,” continued Oliver. “Add to that the fact we measure vehicle fuel economy, it is often possible to pick up problem vehicles even before systems report a failure – prompt action here can save a lot of money in excess fuel usage.”

T: 01686 611150 E: mail@actia.co.uk W: www.actia.co.uk

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DELIVERIES

Passenger Plus Passenger Plus of Ashford, Kent has acquired its first i6 integral coach. The vehicle joins the firm’s executive coach range operating from its Surrey office and will be used on executive travel within the UK and Europe.

The coach is a 12.9m long and 3.5m high version equipped with a DAF PR265,

360bhp Euro 5 engine and ZF AS-Tronic 12 speed gearbox.

The vehicle has 53/57 seats with E-leather headrests and fitted with three-point seat belts. It comes with a range of extras including climate control, WC, fridge and power operated lockers. The interior includes a DVD system, Bosch audio equipment, two LCD monitors, reversing camera and horn, dark tinted double glazing and alloy wheels.

In common with the whole Passenger Plus fleet, the coach is also equipped with Tom Tom Eco Plus satellite tracking and vehicle telematics, which reports vehicle fuel consumption, driving style and C02 emissions in real time.

Commenting on the new coach, Kevin Hughes, Passenger Plus Director, said: “We’ve known Ian Hall and Steve O’Neil for many years.

It was great to be able to share in their passion and enthusiasm for the i6.”

Peter Carol Travel Bristol-based Peter Carol Travel has recently taken delivery of a 13.1m Van Hool TX16 Alicron coach.

The vehicle is powered by an MAN 400 bhp EEV engine with an AS-Tronic transmission – in addition to an integral retarder and ASR traction control.

The coach seats 53 and has ‘Grande Lux’ reclining

FACT FILE

Chassis/body Irizar (integral) Engine DAF PR265 Transmission ZF AS-Tronic Seats 53/57 Spec E-Leather headrests, Tom

Tom Eco Plus tracker Supplied by

Irizar UK 01909 500514 www.irizar.co.uk

North West Kerry Transport North West Kerry Transport Ltd of Tiduff, Ballyheigue, County Kerry, Ireland has recently taken delivery of a VDL Bova Futura FHD 127.365 PR 12.7m coach.

The coach is fitted with 55 reclining seats with sideways adjustment, headrest covers, seatbelts, magazine nets and adjustable, individual footrests and has dark tinted double glazed side and rear windows.

In addition, Futurair air conditioning with additional winter protection and a Webasto pre heater with digital timer have been installed.

There is an offside rear floor mounted WC.

passenger seats with contrasting leather trim to the headrest pad, seat back sides, cushion squab sides and moquette seam piping.

In addition, there are seat back tables, armrests and individual footrests as well as three-point seat belts.

The coach has doubleglazed and double tinted side windows with curtains to the side and rear.

The coach is also fitted with a centre sunken water flush WC, continental door,

Curtains are fitted to the side and rear windows and the entrance and exit steps, driver’s area and gangway are all carpeted.

The coach is fitted with Xenon headlamps and L.E.D rear lights and has a reverse camera.

The exterior has been finished in metallic silver with vinyl sign writing and the wheel trims are in the body colour.

FACT FILE

Chassis/body VDL Bova

Other features on the vehicle include ASR traction control, ZF Intarder with hand control, cruise control, suspension raise & lowering device, 160 gallon (nominal 725 ltr) fuel tanks, offside rear continental exit and

coach wash system.

There is also a wheelchair lift mounted forward of the nearside rear wheels incorporating anchorages and fixings for four wheelchair positions and central locking.

Radio, PA, CD and

DVD systems have been incorporated as well as a monitor.

Furthermore, security is provided by an interior CCTV system covering the areas of rear door, toilet and wheelchair positions.

Futura

Engine 365 bhp Daf PR Euro 5 Transmission ZF Automatic Seats 55 Spec Touring Supplied by

Moseley in the South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk

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Have you taken delivery of a new vehicle and want to tell the world about it?

Email all the details and pictures to james.day@ coachandbusweek.com

central locking to vertical lift luggage compartment doors and a radio, PA, CD system with bluetooth capability. A DVD system with two flat panel monitors has also been installed – together with a driver-operated electric roof vents and sun blinds. A colour reversing and interior CCTV system is also fitted, with a 5” monitor in the dash.

The exterior is finished in the operators’ prestige coaching livery with chrome Alcoa Alloy wheels.

FACT FILE

Chassis/body Van Hool TX16

Alicron

Engine MAN 400bhp Transmission AS Tronic Seats 53 Spec Touring Supplied by

Moseley in the South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk

Scotland & Bates RM & GA Bates, trading as Scotland & Bates of Heath Road, Appledore, Ashford, Kent, has recently taken delivery of a tri-axle Volvo B13BT Van Hool Acron 13.26m luxury coach.

Formed in the late 1940s, the firm has been a loyal supporter of the Volvo-Van Hool combination since 1995.

This coach represents its first tri-axle.

Mechanically, the vehicle is powered by a 420 bhp rear-mounted Euro 5 engine, coupled to an I-Shift gearbox with ASR traction control.

Internally, the coach is equipped with 53 Grand Luxe passenger seats with contrasting leather piping to the moquette seams, leather headrest inserts, adjustable footrests, armrests to aisle

is also fitted at the manual continental exit. The driver also has access to a reversing camera and pavement ‘flood’ lighting to the near side.

The double tint double glazed side windows have curtains on side and rear of the vehicle.

The exterior is painted in Scotland & Bates’ traditional but attractive three-colour livery and finished neatly with Alcoa aluminium wheels and a stainless steel exhaust. side, seat back tables and magazine nets. The drivers seat is also trimmed in leather. The courier seat, drivers signal windows and roof vents are all operated electronically.

The vehicle is also fitted with Sutrak roof-mounted air conditioning, a Webasto heater and a centre sunken toilet compartment with a

water boiler.

Luggage is stored in aircraft style rack locker doors and the coach also has vertical lift luggage locker doors with central locking.

A Radio, PA, CD, DVD system with two monitors is also installed with a drivers seat mounted Blaupunkt ‘boom’ microphone. An interior surveillance camera

FACT FILE

Chassis/body Volvo B13BT/ Van Hool Acron Engine 20 bhp rear mounted Euro 5 Transmission Volvo I-Shift Seats 53 Spec Touring Supplied by

Moseley in the South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk

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THE BIG PICTURE

North East of England familyowned Coatham Coaches has celebrated its 30th anniversary with the purchase of its first ever new full-sized Volvo B9R coach.

“This year marks 30 years since my father Michael Hodgson established Coatham Coaches,” explained General Manager, Mark Hodgson.

“It was important that we marked this milestone and what better way than to invest in our first new Volvo coach.” Mike is still in the business today, supported by his son Mark, daughter Nichola and son-in-law Andrew. While the coach has already entered front-line service, this fine scene was snapped prior to the application of the firm’s subtle but effective white-based black and grey livery. In the CBW office, we liked how the contrasting colours and snow encapsulated a winter scene in the photo, which was taken on behalf of Volvo Coach Sales. Based in Saltburn-bythe-Sea, Coatham Coaches’ work comprises its own day trip and short-break programme, in addition to private hire. The firm is rightly proud of the fact the average age of its fleet is under five years old.

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minibus The essential read for Minibus Operators

January 2013

p38 Carriageways has a very simple but highly distinctive livery which local customers quickly identify with

Hard to Figure?

E

yebrows were raised at last week’s annual meeting of the Bus & Coach Committee at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders when it emerged some 4,291 converted buses had been registered to 31 December. The figure represents a massive 62.2% rise over 2011 and leaves many people wondering where such a figure comes from, particularly as so many converters have been experiencing torrid times. It was felt the total had been boosted by a change in the way the registration data is now collected. Some felt the data now included manufacturer-built

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minibus conversions previously counted in with van registrations. Their sudden appearance in the latest round, showing up in the correct sector, puts an artificial face on the figures presented.

A great many of these additional registrations would be the basic 12/15/17-seat vehicles purchased by schools, organisations, clubs, charity organisations and as works transport.

This huge boost has made the overall bus and coach registration figures look much better than they are in reality.

For the commercially operated, local authority, community transport, dial-a-ride and demandresponsive sectors the market for new minibuses

generally been below traditional levels.

The full report on the Bus & Coach Committee’s market predictions for 2013 can be found in the main CBW section on page 16.

In next month’s edition Minibus hopes to road test a Euro 5 Plaxton Cheetah Mercedes-Benz Vario equipped with an automatic gearbox. Sadly it may be one of the last Vario tests we do!

Martin Cole Editor

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news

United Travel O-licence revoked Business breached licence condition & ran a vehicle without a valid tax disc Fife’s United Travel will be stopped from operating minibuses on February 1, after Scotland’s Traffic Commissioner (TC) ruled the partnership behind the business had breached the terms of its operator’s licence.

Miss Joan Aitken told Elizabeth Nicol, David McEwan and Jillian McEwan that their authority to operate two vehicles would be terminated at 2359hrs on January 31. The decision came after a Public Inquiry (PI) held in Edinburgh on December 17.

At the hearing, the TC examined reports from VOSA into driving and vehicle maintenance standards.

During an investigation into driver James Nicol, husband of

Trapeze helps SPT net usage

Trapeze Group’s PASS-Web system has helped produce some impressive results at Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), where online MyBus bookings have increased by more than 350% in under a year.

The PASS-Web integration enables users to book their own MyBus door-to-door bus services via the internet.

Since its introduction in January 2012, usage of the facility has increased almost month-on-month, with usage in November 2012 up to more than 1,600 booked trips – a 361% increase.

Explaining the benefits the system has brought, John Knox, Demand Response Transport Team Leader at SPT said: “We now have more people using the service regularly. Customers appreciate the freedom to manage their bookings, and for SPT it improves customer

partner Elizabeth Nicol, a Traffic Examiner found Mr Nicol was not allowed to drive minibuses with paying passengers due to a licence restriction. However, driving records revealed he had undertaken this type of work between April 2011 and January 2012.

A VOSA Vehicle Examiner presented evidence to the TC revealing the business had unsatisfactory maintenance standards during a visit in June 2012, including that minibuses had not been given routine safety inspections at the agreed times. In addition, there was evidence of a vehicle being used without a valid tax disc, which expired in March 2012 and had not been rectified by the time of the maintenance investigation.

Miss Aitken also heard evidence to suggest James Nicol was involved

in the running of the business, breaching a promise made by the partnership that he would not be.

The partnership challenged this during the hearing.

Mr Nicol had an O-licence and his own vocational driving licence

Scottish Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken heard how minibuses had not been given routine safety inspections at the agreed times

People Movers theft

Pictured at the web launch last March are: Keith Brown, then Scotland’s Minister for Housing and Transport, MyBus users Jacqueline Thomson & Hilda McCartney, and Jonathan Findlay, then SPT Chairman service because it takes some strain off the phone lines, enabling people to get through easier when they call.”

Trapeze Group supplies the PASS-Web system which powers SPT’s MyBus. Peter Bell, Managing Director of Trapeze in the UK, said: “SPT was one of the earliest adopters of our PASS software in the UK. I am delighted they are

revoked in 1998, leading to the condition he would not be involved in the United Travel licence.

After reserving her decision at the conclusion of the PI, Miss Aitken issued a written decision outlining her reasons for revoking the licence. She noted: “There has been a material change since this licence was granted. This material change is not curable in these PI proceedings and accordingly I will have to revoke the licence. This I do because I am in absolutely no doubt that the entity operating these two minibuses is Mrs E Nicol.”

She added that the licence holder had breached the condition preventing Mr Nicol’s involvement in the business, noting that in her view he was “very involved in the maintenance arrangements”.

The business also failed to satisfy licence undertakings.

gaining further efficiencies from the addition of PASS-Web. This helps reduce workload on call takers by giving users of the MyBus service users an alternative booking approach.”

Visit www.spt.co.uk/ bus/mybus/ and www. trapezegroup.com

A Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibus has been stolen from Norfolk coach operator People Movers.

Thieves stripped the seats, left them lying on the ground, before filling the inside with stolen items and then driving away. The theft took place between 0130 and 0500hrs on January 10.

Julie Harvey, part-owner, said: “I’m devastated. They have taken virtually everything inside and out. They must have stolen about £70,000-worth of heavy tools and the 15-seater minibus we handbuilt must be worth about £35,000.

“We have not got the money to replace all the items stolen, so it could practically cripple us.

“Please bring the van back. We are just trying to earn a living.”

People Movers was targeted last year when £7,000-worth of fuel was siphoned off, which kept its coach fleet off the road.

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operator profile › carriageways

Running on the right side of demand Cambridgeshire’s Carriageways has developed a comfortable niche based on little more than word of mouth

S

ecreted outside the quiet village of Landbeach, on the edge of the fen to the north of Cambridge, is the small but prominent and highly distinctive Carriageways operation. Owned and run by Davina Cooper, it serves a strong and loyal local clientelle dealing exclusively with the private hire sector offering high levels of service and comfort for small party travel.

The fleet is currently all Sitcarbodied Mercedes-Benz consisting of two 29-seat Belugas and a 33seat Marlin. According to Davina, these offer the best in terms of a spacious saloon with plenty of legroom and have reasonable luggage capacity. She is also very concerned about weight, which under the latest requirement meant the most recently acquired Beluga could not be supplied with a courier seat. She claims one of her biggest worries is never knowing what passenger will turn up with.

She said: “I’ve been amazed at what people take with them. We did an airport transfer for 16 passengers and struggled to get all the luggage in the boot. I couldn’t believe it. You would think we would have ample capacity for a party of just 16 in a 29-seater especially as the airlines put restrictions on passenger baggage weights. Yet people seem

to turn up with huge amounts and get away with it.”

Carriageways was formed in 2001 and started up with one vehicle, an Autobus Nouvelle.

Davina had become involved in coaching through her work as a Brownie and Girl Guide leader. She said: “We were always wanting to go on trips and felt the best way to keep costs down was to hire a bus and for me to get a licence. I was persuaded to go for a full coach licence rather than just a minibus and I really enjoyed it. I did some driving for Andrew Miller and later moved to Burtons. It was all good experience and I loved the social interaction with passengers but I was becoming less enamoured with the work as many of the trips were little more than half full.

“After my father died I received a small inheritance and decided to have a go on my own and have always stuck with smaller vehicles because I like to run with full loads.

“We still get a lot of requests for large vehicles but I’m not keen.

People are almost begging us to run contracts for them but I don’t want to be involved in regular scheduled work. I don’t like routine. I enjoy the variety of private hires and over the years we’ve gained some very loyal clients. We have had bookings where they’ve taken all three coaches at once. I’ve pointed

www.coachandbusweek.com

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January 23, 2013| COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | 39

operator: Carriageways location: Landbeach, Cambs ESTABLISHED: 2001 FLEET: 3 Contact: 01223 441100 www.carriageways.co.uk

Davina Cooper and her Beluga at Cambridge University, Madingly

out to them it would be cheaper hiring a large coach but they insist they want our smaller vehicles and would sooner stay with us.

“We have never really considered doing holidays – at least not through having a holiday programme. It would involve advertising and brochure production along with a great deal of planning and the need for someone to be on hand to do the booking. I much prefer being at the sharp end – driving and spending time with the customers. Most of our clients are regular and we get to know them personally. This year we are doing an eight-day tour in Scotland and another for a week in Cornwall but it isn’t our usual type of work. We’ll see how it goes.”

Although the initial Autobus Nouvelle carried a plain white finish, the second vehicle purchased was really selected because Davina liked its pale blue livery and Carriageways has stuck with blue ever since. “It’s very distinctive and passengers quickly identify with it,” said Davina. “Especially the Cambridge universities and we do quite a lot of work for them. Apart from field trips for students there are many outings to London which generally involve coming back quite late in the evening. It’s the main reason for avoiding schools and other contracts. You just wouldn’t have enough hours left in the week to do the work without employing more people and because we don’t have workshops or maintenance staff we need to have sufficient vehicle downtime to keep them clean and tidy.

“I don’t want to grow the business to a point where it gets out of hand. As long as we can keep running and earning a profit from what we do I’m happy. It’s not the end of the world if there’s a day when I’ve no job to do – because there’s still plenty around the house for me to get on with.”

Davina’s husband, Chris, now 71, is a retired policeman and lends a hand by driving whenever there is a need for all three coaches to be out at one time. There is also one full time driver who started out as a part-timer in the early

www.coachandbusweek.com

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40 | COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | January 23, 2013

operator profile › carriageways

Above: All vehicles have identical interior trim. Right: Distinctive styling and colourscheme. Below: Coach boot sometimes provides inadequate capacity days of the business and was given a permanent position as the work expanded.

Despite the overwhelming appearance of a business ignoring the opportunity to extract the maximum potential from its local market, Carriageways has plans to earn more than a reasonable living from its activities. Chris said: “In many ways it can be regarded as little more than a paying hobby for Davina, although we do pride ourselves on the level of service we give.”

Davina said: “We’ve never advertised since we started up – other than a listing on the Yell.com website. We just used our existing contacts and since then word of mouth alone has grown the client base very nicely. It also helps having good operators around us. We’ve worked with them and we help each other out. Greys of Ely and Andrew Miller in particular. I can’t speak highly enough of them.

“We also help other operators where we can. I’ve stopped where there’s been a broken down coach and taken the passengers aboard – either running them home or to a nearby safe location, while the vehicle can be recovered.

“Unlike some of the mercenary types who are only too eager to stop and then charge a lot of money for the rescue job, I don’t charge for it. If the coach is empty and on a return you are not really losing anything by helping and it creates a lot of goodwill.

“I came across a breakdown on the M25 where the vehicle

had caught fire. The driver had managed to get the passengers off safely but trying to keep control of them all on the hard shoulder was obviously not going to be easy. It wasn’t helped by the fact they were all children on a respite break from Chernobyl who spoke little or no English. The M25 is certainly not a safe place to have people wandering about at anytime.”

All three of the vehicles are equipped with DVD players but they are seldom used. Chris said: “We found the licensing system to be very confusing and quite expensive. The universities make use of them by showing their educational material to students on field trips but there isn’t so much call for them any more. Youngsters these days all seem to be happy enough with their earphones plugged into ipods or electronic games players.”

Asked about her vehicle preferences, Davina was quick to point out none of them come without their faults. She said: “I think the Autobus Nouvelle was probably the best we had for reliability, although it lacked the style and elegance of what you can get today. It’s the little things which keep failing which cause us problems. With no mechanic we have to get things fixed by local dealers which may end up causing problems over the warranty.

However, it is a real pain having to send it back to Moseley’s at Doncaster just for something relatively minor. I’ve not been happy with the driver’s seatbelt on the new model. It chafes across the driver’s neck – and there is no way to adjust it. Not only is it uncomfortable I don’t think it’s safe.

Because of the new Type Approval regulations I’m told it can’t be

altered. Short of changing the seat completely I don’t know what you can do – but if the vehicle isn’t approved for use with any other kind of seat – what do you do then?”

Looking ahead, there is some concern as to what the future will hold without a Mercedes-Benz Vario as the model is eventually withdrawn.

Davina said: “I really don’t know what we’ll do. Our bigger Marlin is terrific because it offers large coach space and comfort for 33 passengers but it is Atego-based and significantly more expensive than the Belugas which do the bulk of our work. So far I haven’t seen anything I’d consider attractive.”

While Carriageways may not seek to develop and exploit the considerable potential it has uncovered it does mean Davina can pick and choose her work and ensure each job pays for itself. It keeps the business on a secure footing.

Expanding the operation would not be terribly difficult but it would require a different management regime and taking on many more responsibilities along with the pressure of employing additional staff and then maintaining the income stream necessary to keep them employed. Based on traditional values, Carriageways may never win industry prizes for innovation or outstanding achievement – but the company is the essence of what forms the bedrock of the coaching industry and is certainly a credit to it.

www.coachandbusweek.com

MB.Carriageways.indd 40

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44 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

U P

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200 DAF SB120

2004 Setra S415 HD

Cummins/Allison, Wrights Cadet body ramp, wheelchair space, Hanover LED’s, CCTV, 39 retrimmed individual seats, from our own fleet and very tidy.

ASTronic, retarder, aircon, 2 x monitors, radio/cassette, crew seat, fridge.

Vehicle currently undergoing MOT preparation and test.

2003 Iveco Daily 45c13

20098 Scania K340 Irizar Century

13 seat front entry wheelchair accessible minibus, white, COIF, tacho, 129,000 miles.

ZF automatic, 49 seats, climate control, TV/DVD, Euro 4 EGR (no AdBlue required).

£6,495 + VAT

£145,000

Evobus - 02476 626046

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

Scania Bus and Coach 01909 553102

2002 Iveco Daily 50c13

Scania K360 Irizar Century

1993 Volvo B10M VanHool

13 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, white, diesel, 65,000 miles.

Back off contract hire. Euro 5 EGR (no AdBlue), 2-pedal Opticruise automated gearbox, 49 seats, climate control.

£16,495

£175,000

£33,000 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

Scania Bus and Coach 01909 553102

2002 Futura

2011 Ford Torneo

2004 (54) Neoplan Starliner Tri-Axle Corporate/Team Coach

2000 Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Pointer 10.1m

Full exec spec, Eminox euro 4 exhaust, 49 seats, green cloth, manual, 792K kms, new MOT on sale.

32 leather seats around 8 tables, full rear servery with fridges, ice machine, hot water, microwave and airline style food warmers, 3 extra fridges throughout coach, airline style overhead lockers, 240v inverter and onboard generator, Blaupunkt sound system with DVD & SKY TV (2 screens), extra mini screens on a separate channel on both front tables, ASTronic gearbox, A/C, WC, fully carpeted, removable ski box, spare seats.

£55,000 + VAT L.J. Edwards: 01323 440622 option 2 or John 07974 369570

Choice of 5, mileage between 60-100k, 60 plate. £9,100 + VAT For further information please contact: Nigel Busbridge on 01303 261870 or email nigel@buzzlines.co.uk

28 seats + 29 standees, Cummins/Allison, DDA compliant, very clean ex-lease vehicle, supplied with new MOT. £8,000 + VAT Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk

2006 Volvo B12B Enigma

2009 Renault

49 seat exec coach, centre toilet, DVD, drinks machine, 580,000kms from new, MOT until end May, Eminox LEZ exhaust to Euro 4, excellent condition, drives superb.

16 reclining seats, perfect for airports, takes 20 big suitcases, A/C, TV, DVD, hot drinks & fridge, 3 point belts, overhead racks, front entry, 166,000kms, great on fuel, sale due to fleet restructure.

£69,950 – PX considered

£19,500 + VAT

POA

Llew Jones 01492 640320

Florida Taxi Coaches 01787 477701

EnsignBus 01708 865656

POA

£79,500

EnsignBus 01708 865656

1997 Scania K113 VanHool Alizee

LD O S Eminox exhaust fitted to euro 4, comfort shift gearbox, converted this year to a 70-seater using Cogent seating, very clean and tidy.

£104,000 + VAT o.n.o.

For more details call Patrick on 01787 477701/ 07730 671064

T8 bodywork, 12 months MOT, toilet, DVD/ monitor, 49 seats with belts. £10,250 Maypole Coaches – Tel: 0151 547 2713 or 07802 235778

2000 W Reg MINI POINTER DART

Cummins/Allison, 8.8m, 29 seats.

Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com

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January 23, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 45

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Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale

2007 Daf SB4000 – Van Hool Alizee T9 48/9 seats, rear floor mounted toilet & servery, A/C, 368,000 kms, one owner, mainly used for tours and private hire.

Sold with 12 months MOT, excellent condition.

ÂŁ100,000 +VAT Phone Ernie 07932 734273 or office 01253 725999 ask for Pam G-Line Holidays Ltd www.g-linecoaches.co.uk

Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m 2000/2001 V & Y Plate, Cummins 6BT, Allison AT545 4 speed auto, Marshall body, 40 seats.

Contact Ian Parker (Engineering Manager) Warrington Borough Transport Ltd Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington WA4 6PT. Tel 01925 634296

2010 MAN Beulas

2 x 2005 Optare Solos

71 seats, LEZ, Glory Euro 5 + EEV, WC, climate control, hot drinks, amazing luggage capacity, fantastic condition, MOT 31/10/2013, fully DDA, only 149,000km, sale due to fleet restructure.

9.2m, 33 seats, Mercedes engine, approx.

220,000 miles, good order throughout, new MOTs – more pictures available.

ÂŁ230,000 + VAT

ÂŁ32,500+VAT (Discount for both)

Florida Taxi Coaches 01787 477701

Dartline 01392 872900

2008 Scania K340 Irizar PB <RXÂś UH L Q FRQW URO

UNVI RIADA GT -2008 Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air con, radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers. Full service history. ÂŁ56,900 + VAT Call Dougie at HAGGIS Adventures on 0131 554 9192

MAN Tourliner

ZF automatic, 49 seats, climate control, centre sunken toilet, Euro 4 EGR (no AdBlue required).

ÂŁ149,000

Scania Bus and Coach 01909 553102

2006 Vario 814D

460bhp Euro V engine, 12 speed AStronic gearbox, white with removable vinyls, no scrapes or scratches, Durabright alloys, many extras, MOT till September 2013.

24 seats with 3 point belts, power swing entry door, forced air, panoramic windows, coach back, drop boot, Euroliner wheel trims, 155,342 miles/250,000 km.

ÂŁ168,000 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365

EVM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 07749 103203

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Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com

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46 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

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New MAN 14.250 SLF CitySmart 10.8m

2007 Ford Transit

Neoplan Starliner

12 seats, twin slide loading doors, 61,000 miles, 2 months MOT, excellent condition.

£8,995 + VAT

32 leather seats, full rear servery, airline style overhead lockers, 240V inverter and onboard generator, Blaupunkt sound system with DVD & Sky TV, ASTronic gearbox, A/C, WC, fully carpeted, removable ski box.

Courtney Buses 0118 973 3486

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

Florida Taxi Coaches 01787 477701

37 seats, MAN Euro V engine, ZF auto gearbox, Mobitec destination, bonded glazing, Kiel high back cantilever seats . £16,000 – PA/Finance Available Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk

1998 Volvo B10M Jonckheere Mistral

54 plate Dennis Dart SLF Plaxton Pointer 2

2006 Setra 416 GTHD

2004 Iveco Daily 45c13

31 seater with one passenger door, 15 standees, automatic gearbox, manual destination and front ramp. In good condition, a good work bus.

6 x 2007 (57) Optare Solo M950 Slimlines

32 seats + 17 standees, Cummins engines, Alison gearboxes, full service history, all with current MOT, average mileages.

POA

£67,000 + VAT o.n.o.

£35,000 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

49 reclining seats with lap belts, toilet, fridge, hot water boiler, CD/DVD player, Euro 4 certified, owned by us from new, good condition. £92,500 + VAT For further information please contact: Nigel Busbridge on 01303 261870 or email nigel@buzzlines.co.uk

Mercedes Sitcar Beluga

2005 Mercedes Sprinter

Dennis Plaxton Coach

2008 (58 reg), 27 seats plus courier, double glazed, air-con, Euro 4 compliant, MOT September 2013, 157,000km, excellent condition.

16 seats with 3 point belts, panoramic windows, air-con, extended body, front spoiler with fog lights, Euroliner wheel trims, 223,693 miles/360,000 km.

£67,500 plus VAT

POA

Tel 07711 868976

EVM – 07749 103203

2008 DDA Iveco Beulas Cygnus

1988 Volvo B10M VanHool Alizee

Converted to 70 seater in September using Cogent 3+2 seating all fitted with 3 point belts, MOT till Oct 2013 and has no known defects.

£37,000

11 seat front entry wheelchair accessible minibus, white, diesel, 80,000 miles.

£10,000 - no VAT

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

2009 Scania K340 Irizar PB 12.2m

Cummins 420, Plaxton Paragon body, Asotronic gearbox, air con, long MOT, excellent MPG. Has been used exclusively on our tour programme. Regd March 2004.

49 seats, climate control, WC, TV/DVD, Euro 4 EGR (no AdBlue).

£48,000 – choice of 5 Contact Tom Smith or Peter Tetlow on 0845 130 5777 for more details

Scania Bus and Coach 01909 553102

£159,000

2000 SCANIA T9

2003 Futura

53 seats, excellent condition, PSV 26/5/13, Taxed 30/4/13, service records. Lovely bus all round and just had an interior re-trim.

Full exec spec, Eminox euro 4 exhaust, 49 seats, green cloth, manual, 695K kms, new MOT on sale.

SOLD 53 seats, centre wheelchair lift (PLS), Hanover destination equipment, Cursor 10 450bhp engine, ZF AS-Tronic gearbox, Euro 4.

£120,000 – PX accepted

Scania Bus & Coach 01909 553102

Manual gearbox, converted this year to 70 seater, MOT’d till March 2013, CCTV fitted.

£17,000 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365

£24,750

Contact Eric on 0792 138920

£65,000 + VAT L.J. Edwards: 01323 440622 option 2 or John 07974 369570

Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com

681973-1071-Pembridge

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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS

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

FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES

(12) 2012 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus 2.2tdci 135ps, tacho, 2300 miles only, ex-demo in silver, COIF/PSV £20,695 (12) 2012 Ford Transit Tourneo 9 seat Trend 2.2 125 PS, air-con, Bluetooth, in Midnight Sky Blue, 2,608 miles £14,900 + VAT (11) 2011 Ford Transit 9 seat Shuttle Bus, twin side loading doors, large rear luggage area, delivery miles only £16,995

D L O S D L O S

(11) 2011 Ford Transit 15 seat 3.5 ton, 2.4tdi engine 115ps, tacho, 10,000 km £17,500 (59) 2009 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi 115ps, tacho, air-con, 15,000km only £17,495 (07) 2007 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdci 115ps air-con, tachograph, 76,000kms, COIF/PSV £11,995 (57) 2007 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4TDi 100ps, six speed gearbox, tacho with 16,000 miles, COIF/PSV £11,995

LDV MINIBUSES

(57) 2007 LDV Maxus 17 seat, high back seats with three point belts, twin side doors, COIF/ PSV, silver £7,500

OTHER MAKES

New Peugeot Boxer 16 seat 3.5 ton and 17 seat w/chair accessible minibuses, 2.2 diesel 120ps, six speed gearbox LEZ COMPLIANT From £24,750 + VAT Volkswagen Crafter 2.5 diesel, 17 high back seats with three point belts, 30,000 miles, COIF/PSV £15,750 (56) 2006 Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat LWB minibus, 2.8 diesel, high back seats with three point seat belts, 19,000 miles only £9,450

(06) 2006 Volkswagen Transporter 9 seat minibus, 85PS, rear tail gate, twin side loading doors, 112,000 miles £7,995 (56) 2006 Peugeot Boxer 3.5t on 17 seat minibus 2.8 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, 33,000 miles £8,995 (55) 2005 Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat minibus 2.8 diesel, with three point seat belts, tow bar, removable seats to rear, 77,000 miles £6,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

(55) 2005 Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, tracking to take two wheelchairs, low side entrance step, easy clean floor £7,495

(07) 2007 LDV Maxus 13 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, under floor lift, space for two wheelchairs, electric side step £8,495 (06) 2006 Vauxhall Vivaro 1.9 cdti 9 seat, inboard lift, tracking for 2 wheelchairs, 45,000 miles £8,995 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 £6,495

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%

681335-1070-Ensign:Layout 1

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Ensig DOUBLE DECK 85

SEAT S

2000 DENNIS TRIDENTS Alexander ALX400 bodies, converted to high capacity 85 seat school buses.

LEZ

COMPLIANT

1999/2000/2001 V/X/51 PLATE DENNIS TRIDENTS Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX400 bodies, DDA compliant or upseated to 80 seats.

1999 T/V REG DENNIS TRIDENTS

1999 T/V REG DENNIS DART SLF’S

Caetano Compass bodies, 39 seats, ramps.

Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant with traps, Plaxton President bodies, 62 seats dual door (£13,000) or 70 when converted to single door (£16,000).

1995 M REG OPTARE SPECTRA’S

1997 P REG VOLVO B10M AUTOMATICS

DAF engines, Voith gearboxes, low height, 77 seats.

Plaxton Premiere 320 bodies, 53 seats.

1998 R/S REG OPTARE SOLO’S

1999 VOLVO B7TL’S

SWB, CCTV, particulate traps so LEZ compliant, Plaxton President bodies, dual door 62 seats or single door 71 seats.

Merc engines , 8.5m long, 30 seats. £4500 each plus tyres.

2001 Y REG DENNIS DARTS

Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies, 10.1m , Cummins Euro 2 engines, DDA, 31 seats, CCTV, particulate traps fitted, LEZ compliant, only £6000 each plus tyres.

2005 MINI POINTER DART Cummins Euro 3, Allison automatic, 8.8m, 29 seats, new MOT.

OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY -

Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 8 Visit our website for current s

681335-1070-Ensign:Layout 1

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nbus

K ER SPECIALIST 1998 R REG VOLVO B10BLE’S 1998 R REG DAF SB300

Manual, Ikarus body, 53 seats, air-con.

1998 R REG DENNIS JAVELIN ZF 6 speed manual, Plaxton Premiere 350, 53 seats.

Voith automatic gearboxes, SLF, Alexander ALX300 bodies, 44 seats and 27 standing, heavy duty low floor buses. They can also be converted to be DDA compliant.

2011 ENVIRO 200’S

Cummins / Allison, East Lancs bodies, 40 seats, Mobitech LED’s.

10.7m , Euro 5, 35 e-leather seats, very low mileage, Hanover destinations, DDA compliant.

1992 LEYLAND OLYMPIAN

2002 02 PLATE DENNIS TRIDENTS

1997 DENNIS DARTS

Cummins L10 / ZF, Alexander RH body, 78 seats with retractable belts, MOT Oct 2013, tacho.

2000 VOLVO B7TL’S

Euro 3 Cummins engines, DDA compliant , Plaxton President bodies, Hanover LED’s, 67 seats converted to single door or 62 seats as dual door.

2000/2001 VOLVO B7TL’S

LWB, CCTV, particulate traps so LEZ compliant, Plaxton President bodies, dual door 67 seats or single door 77 seats, DDAS compliant.

1995 M REG VOLVO B10M

ZF 6 speed manual, Caetano Algarve body, 49 seats, centre sunken toilet, very smart for age.

1995 M REG VOLVO B10M

Alexander ALX400 bodies, 74 seats.

ZF 6 speed manual, Plaxton Premiere 350, 53 seats.

- BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BUS DEALERS Park, Purfleet, Essex, RM15 4YF 8 864340 e-mail: sales@ensignbus.com t stock at www.ensignbus.com

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07 (57) VW CRAFTER LT35 16 SEAT INC DRIVER WHEELCHAIR ACCESS INBOARD LIFT 43,000 MILES SILVER METALLIC COIF/PSV £19,995

06 (55) MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDi TREKA BUS W/CHAIR ACC 97000KMS COIF/PSV £18,495 CHOICE

07 (07) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS 115PS COIF 47,000 MILES £11995

2006 (06) MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDI 17 SEAT MINICOACH 189,000 MILES COIF/PSV OLYMPUS CONVERSION. DROPWELL BOOT £20,500

MULTIPART & LDV/MAXUS PARTS STOCKISTS

(PONTYPOOL) LTD

P.O.A.

• ALTAS CONVERSION • 17 SEAT MINICOACH • DOUBLE GLAZED WINDOWS • FULL AIR CONDITIONING • POWER DOOR LOW ENTRY STEP

NEW MERCEDES SPRINTER TOURLINE 519CDI

Tel: 01495 757111 Mob: 07850 739446 (Haydn) or visit our website www.minibussales.biz to view the above stock

2005 (05) MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDI 17 SEAT MINICOACH OLYMPUS CONVERSION 220,000 MILES AIR CON LUGGAGE RACKS £ 18,495

2010 (10) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS 115PS HIGH ROOF SILVER METALLIC 60,000 MILES COIF/PSV DIGI TACHO £15995

03 (53) IVECO DAILY 50c13 17 SEAT MINIBUS COIF/PSV £7,495

17:24

05 (05) VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T30 104 TDi WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS £8,995

21/1/13

2011 (11) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS HIGH ROOF T430 115PS SILVER METALLIC 48000 MILES DIGI TACHO AIR CON CRUISE CONTROL. £16,995

p51_CBW_1071 Page 1

682310-1070-Pickrell

H. W. PICKRELL

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MINIBUS AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES

Gardiners Lane North • Crays Hill • Billericay • Essex • CM11 2XE Tel: 01268 521033 • Mobile: 07860 894331 • Fax: 01268 284951

Email: sales@hwpickrell.co.uk - www.hwpickrell.co.uk Finance available on all vehicles (subject to status) Written details on request.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINI BUSES

06 REG IVECO DAILY 50c13 IRIS BUS 3.0

For latest stock arrivals follow @h_w_pickrell 07 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD

Auto gearbox, coach built body, KFS conversion, PAS, side loading door, low side step, 15 high back seats plus driver, full air con, Webasto, Unwin tracked floor, lowering air suspension and ramp, 44,087 miles only.

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, power front entry door, 16 rear high back seats, Unwin tracked flat floor, Eberspacher climate control, underfloor PLS tail lift, COIF, 67,671 kms.

07 REG F ORD TRANSIT 100 350 2.4 TDCI

Manual, MWB, high roof, PAS, DL conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 8 high back seats, fully Unwin tracked floor, Eeberspacher heater, Ricon tail lift, 28,779 miles.

06 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI

59 REG VAUXHALL M OVANO LM39 2.5TD

09 REG PEUGEOT BOXER 330 2.5 TD

06 REG RENAULT MASTER SM33 2.2TD

Auto gearbox, LWB, PAS, Frank Guy conversion, n/s full height electric power door, 16 high back removable seats on NMI quick release, Eberspacher, PLS underfloor tail lift, ex local authority, COIF’d, 103,080 kms.

Manual 6 speed, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, new AVS side step, 14 high back seats, new AMF m2 fully tracked floor, AMF tail lift, tacho fitted only 35,749 kms. (22,214 miles).

Manual, LWB, semi high roof, Atlas Bus conversion, side loading door, step, 16 x high back seats plus driver, exlease, only 19,675 miles. s.

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.

06 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUMBO 2.4 TDCI

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, side loading door, side step, 11 rear high back seats, full Unwin tracking, Eberspacher heater, underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, 31,813 miles.

10 REG RENAULT MASTER LM 39 2.5TD

07 REG VW CRAFTER CR50 UVG TREKA

Auto gearbox, climate control, n/s/f electric power door, 16 high back removable seats on NMI quick release, Eberspacher, PLS underfloor tail lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, 81,280 kms.

2008 57 REG VAUXHALL VIVARO LH28 2.0 TD

Manual gearbox, hi roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 5 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 30,280 miles only.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, new conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats, AMF m2 fully tracked floor, full air con, Ricon tail lift, tacho fitted, only 46,750kms.

08 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUM BO 2.4 TDCI

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, side loading door, electric side step, 11 high back seats, Unwin tracked floor at rear, Eberspacher heater, underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, tacho, 34,955 miles.

2009 59 REG VAUXHALL VIVARO SL28 2.0 TD

Manual gearbox, low roof, O & H conversion, PAS, twin side loading door, side step, 4 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, modified low floor, electric winch & fold out ramp, 15,491 miles.

08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM 35 2.5 T D

58 REG IVECO DAILY 50c13 IRIS BUS 3.0

06 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI UVK TREKA

54 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI UVG TREKA

Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, AVS side step, 13 high back seats plus driver, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon internal tail lift, 33,175 miles only,choice of two.

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, power front entry door, 16 rear high back seats,Unwin tracked floor, Eberspacher heater, destination board, underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, COIF, 63,371 miles.

Auto gearbox, LWB, PAS, climate control, n/s/f electric power door, 16 high back removable seats on NMI quick release, Eberspacher, PLS underfloor tail lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, 82,180 kms.

Auto gearbox, LWB, PAS, climate control, n/s/f electric power door, 16 high back removable seats on NMI quick release, Eberspacher, PLS underfloor tail lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, 104,180 kms.

08 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUMBO 2.4TDCI

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, side loading door, AVS side step, 13 rear high back seats, Unwin tracked floor, Eberspacher heater, air con, underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, tacho, 53,946kms.

09 PEUGEOT EXPERT TEPEE 1.9 HDI

Manual 5 speed gearbox, PAS, CD player, air con, twin side loading doors, 2 high back seat in rear, double passenger seat front, cut out floor, fold down ramp, blue metallic silver, alloy wheels, 14,932 miles.

07 REG RENAULT MASTER LM 35 2.5TD

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, O & H conversion, SLD, AVS side step, fitted with rear air con, 4 high back seats, Falcon stretcher, lowering suspension, cheesewedge ramp, piped oxygen, Eberspacher heater, 67,433 miles.

682190-1070-Rotala

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54 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

RA RE O P P O RTUN ITY Single Deck, Double Deck & Hybrid

2005 28 st Pointer

2005 Scania E/Lancs

2007 Wrightbus Electrocity

For more details or to arrange a viewing call 07979 295668

681297-1071-Connaught

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Mini Coach Sales

BRAND NEW MERCEDES FERQUI SOROCO 16 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

Order now for March/April

BRAND NEW MERCEDES FERQUI TORO 32 high back seats + courier, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

Order now for March.

MORE PHOTOS AND DETAILS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE:

BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ FERQUI SOROCO 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights and boot.

Order now for March/April

BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ 516CDI EVM SHUTTLE 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks and A/C.

www.connaughtpsv.co.uk

BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ 513CDI EVM CLASSIC 16/19 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks and A/C.

2009 MERCEDES BENZ 816 UNVI RIADA GT 29 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, DVD, power door, boot, silver metallic, private plate.

2008 08 REG MERCEDES 515CDI SOROCO 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, boot in silver metallic.

2007 07 REG MERCEDES 515CDI SOROCO 19 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, A/C, power door and boot, silver metallic.

2006 56 REG MERCEDES 616 SOROCO PLUS 16 high back leather seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, fridge, DVD, power door and boot.

2005 05 REG MERCEDES 814 VARIO MELLOR 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, power door and boot.

2004 54 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SOROCO 16 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, A/C, power door and large boot.

Steve Peach Tel: 01302 770863 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: steve@connaughtpsv.co.uk www.connaughtpsv.co.uk

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56 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

Southdown PSV - 01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk

EX STOCK! New MAN 14.250 SLF CitySmart 10.8m 37 seats - choice

MAN Euro 5 engine • ZF 5 speed gearbox • Mobitec destination • Bonded glazing £116,000 + VAT Finance available – subject to status

01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk

Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN

AVAILABLE NOW 8QO L PL W HG RQO L QH Y H KL F O H

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TEMSA SAFARI HD Full Stainless Steel, 12.2 mtr 53 rec seats with 3 point belts, Full Exec

01274 681144

Gomersal, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 4BJ Email: busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk Web: www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk

Bus and Coach

take a test drive today

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682304-1070-Stafford

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Page 1

www.staffordbuscentre.com email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Telephone: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552

View our latest arrivals on www.staffordbuscentre.com

DENNIS TRIDENT EAST LANCS BODY EXLWB 1999 T/V REG

VOLVO OLYMPIAN, NORTHERN COUNTIES “LOW HEIGHT” BODY 1998 R REG

£17,950

£11,950

78 seats and wheelchair space, could be re-seated to 88/90 and belted.

DENNIS DART PLAXTON SUPER POINTER 1999 V REG

Undergoing total internal re-fit to include 45 seats with belts.

From £12,950

MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER II 2005 05 REG

29 HB seats plus belts, power door, destination, side mounted, wheelchair lift, making DDA.

£25,950

FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT FACTORY BUS 2008 (58)

27k miles, tacho, PSV COIF etc.

£12,450

DAF SB220 ALEXANDER 1998 R REG

Volvo engine/ZF gearbox, 76 seats plus 8, can be belted if required.

42 seats + 26 standing, good quality replacements for those unreliable, expensive to run Darts.

DENNIS DART MARSHALL BODY 2000 W REG

DENNIS DART WRIGHT BODY 1999 V REG

Phone For More Details

VOLVO OLYMPIAN NORTHERN COUNTIES (Low Height) 1998 R REG

Fitted with 76 high back seats with 3 point belts, fully repainted and new test.

£13,950

MERCEDES 814D MEDIO 2005 05 REG

Fitted with up-dated body panels, new MoT and paint, 35 seats plus wheelchair.

Fitted with 25 high back coach seats plus belts, super low floor, wheelchair accessible, only 9mtr long, choice of 2.

Mercedes built mini coach with 25 seats, large boot etc. Currently being repainted white.

BLUEBIRD AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS 2000 W REG

FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT FACTORY BUS 2011 11 REG

OPTARE SOLO M920 1999 V REG

£6,950

£5,950

60 high back coach seats with 3 point belts, Cummins engine and (reconditioned) Alison gearbox, very simple and rugged construction

C.O.I.F plus PSV MoT, very low miles, as new.

FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT BUS 2007 07 REG

MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 UVG BODY 2002/3/4

Phone for more details

Very low mileage, suitable for school use if required as its 3500 cwt, can be driven on any full car licence.

£9,950

OPTARE SOLO ALL MERCEDES ENGINE ALLISON BOX W Reg, 25 seater, very short with new belts plus new paint. £12,950 W Reg, 29 seater, 9.2mtr with new belts plus new paint (in build now). £12,950 52 Reg, 29 seater, 8.5 mtr with belts plus new paint. £16,950 MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER R 2004 04 with manual box, 33 removable seats, power door and destination, tail lift etc. £16,950

£15,950

16 seats plus wheelchair space, super clean condition, tacho, PSV test etc, choice of 3.

£8,450

£27,950

Currently being panelled/painted and belted to 31 seats plus wheelchair.

£12,950

FIAT DUCATO TRI AXLE PSV 16 SEAT BUS 2002 - 02 REG Power door etc.

£4,450

1999 V with auto box, 33 bus seats with belts (cert for 31), new paint and test. £8,950 1999 T with auto box, 29 coach seats but LWB, so plenty of room, destination and power door. £8,950 FORD TRANSITS x 10 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 Mostly PSV - all 17 seats, tacho etc, all below 60k miles.

WE ALSO HAVE AVAILABLE

Vehicles available for short or long term lease

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58 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

BUILDINGS

• Bus Workshops • Secure Storage

• Supplied any width,

any length • Building to BS5590 • Doors high enough for Double Deckers • Finance available Phone for further information

BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime CHECKPOINTS &KHFNSRLQW

HEATING ®

'XVWLWH/5

®

Wheel Nut Indicators and Retainers

+44(0)1524 271200 www.checkpoint-safety.com

ENGINES

THE CUMMINS ENGINE SPECIALISTS PARTS & SERVICE DIVISION

D.I.E.S.E.L. LIMITED OFFER A VAST RANGE OF SERVICES FOR ALL TYPES OF CUMMINS ENGINES FREE TECHNICAL ADVICE AND SUPPORT FULL OR 3/4 BUILT RECON ENGINES COMPETITIVE & COST EFFECTIVE SERVICE REPAIRS FIXED PRICE ENGINE REPAIRS/OVERHAULS COMPREHENSIVE PARTS STOCK – NEW AND USED ON SITE REPAIRS FULL ELECTRONIC DIAGNOSTICS CONTACT US TODAY FOR ALL YOUR CUMMINS REQUIREMENTS TELEPHONE UK: 01708 859625 FAX UK: 01708 857630 EMAIL: SALES@DIESEL.UK.COM

GARAGE EQUIPMENT 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

Mobile Column Lifts FREE

Set of Axle Stands when you purchase your Mobile Columns JHM Butt & Company Limited Sales: 01302 718226

www.buttsequipment.com equipment.com

8QO L PL W HG RQO L QH Y H KL F O H

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GARAGE EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS Experts in Commercial Garage Equipment

www.bwsequip.co.uk BWS (0117) 9530381

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January 23, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59

SIGN WRITING

REGISTRATIONS

SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G

G

Sign Writing Services • School bus sign sets with suction cups – £15 + VAT • Vehicle livery design & supply – fitting by arrangement if required • Legal lettering & graphics supplied by post

Tel: 01884 290818 Mobile: 07583 334455 www.kjsupport.co.uk

£750 DRZ 40 DRZ 60 LAZ 87 MHZ 24 MHZ 25 PEZ 66 RNZ 99 SNZ 55 UIB 69

‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’

£350 £99 £99 £50 ACZ 727 DXZ 1150 LIG 1238 CXZ 4470 AJZ 262 FRZ 1558 LIG 1239 DXZ 2267 CEZ 838 HIG 5338 MJZ 6749 DXZ 2268 KBZ 181 IIG 2278 MNZ 1195 ERZ 6181 RBZ 696 IIG 2279 REZ 9451 FRZ 1517 SCZ 878 JIG 9792 RUI 2117 FRZ 1518 VIW 979 JIG 9793 SUI 8836 JFZ 8625 WJI 848 KIG 6556 SUI 8837 JFZ 8626 XJI 474 KIG 6557 TJZ 1119 KIG 8781 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange

£50 KIG 8782 LIG 1762 LIG 1763 LIG 1764 RNZ 9198 SNZ 2274 SNZ 2275 TUI 7991 TUI 7992

Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771

Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ

SNOW CHAINS

TRAINING

VEHICLE SPARES

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

THE DRIVER CPC IS HERE SAME DAY J.A.U.P.T. REGISTRATION SAME DAY C.P.C. CERTIFICATES DELIVERED AT YOUR OWN DEPOTS

REMEMBER-REMEMBER 10th SEPTEMBER WE WILL HOLD OUR PRICES FOR 5 YEARS

PCV DRIVER HIRE 0800-731-5007 CORPORATE DEALS AVAILABLE

MERIDIAN PCV DRIVER LTD Rising above all others

www.meridianpcv.com

Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com

www.twigley.com

60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 23, 2013

Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@coachandbusweek.com, 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. We’re all present and correct, with the exception of Alex.

He is enjoying a week off with his better half who has returned from a three-month trip to India.

Tuesday: Martin is at the SMMT briefing in London. After my third coffee of the morning, Andrew, James & I sit down for a team meeting. We roughly plan the feature content for the next couple of months. I type it up and circulate it in writing to the relevant parties internally.

Also write up a chunk of my AA DriveTech D-CPC feature from my day’s training on Saturday.

The charming model is highly detailed both inside and out. All photos by Rob Hasker

Preston Bus Station lives on through Lego A fan of ‘brutalist’ architecture has created a Lego replica of Preston Bus Station.

Rob Hasker, from Northamptonshire, said he had “stumbled across Preston Bus Station” while looking for inspiration for a train station.

He described the structure as “particularly elegant with the curved balconies at the front”.

Rob told CBW: “I wanted to build a brutalist-style building for some time and after a lot of research I

Dilbert

came across Preston Bus Station.

I liked the curvature at the front of the building and found this translated well into Lego.

“As I started work on the building its design lent better to a train rather than bus station.

“My interest is primarily in architecture and it was PBS’s brutalist style rather than its purpose that led to me trying to replicate it. I’ve built other buildings in the past including New York’s twin towers but this was my first attempt at brutalism.”

Rob spent six weeks and used 3,000 bricks to make the model of the bus station, which is around 1m (3ft) wide and 40cm (16in) high.

Preston City Council voted in December to demolish the (actual) station because running costs were too high and refurbishing it could

cost up to £23m.

Rob added: “Being a fan of brutalism, I think it would be a huge loss to see it going, despite any economic arguments which have been put forward. I think it would be something looked back on as a regret if it went.”

On whether Rob has any plans to replicate other transport hubs, he said: “Not at the moment, although I am looking at the possibility of adding another level on to the top of the station and to wire it up with electric lighting.”

Brutalist architecture is typically very linear, fortresslike and blockish, often with a predominance of concrete construction. Other examples include the Birmingham Central Library and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

Wednesday: Andrew is visiting GMPTE in Manchester, leaving Martin, James & I in the office. I spend much of it writing and chasing up stories.

I get my teeth into the M5 smash story. I explain to the friendly West Midlands Police PR man how it would have been all too easy to reproduce the press release but that would frankly be rubbish – I like to ask questions I feel my readers would want to know. I may have gone up the tree in career terms, but I still get that buzz from chasing stories. Chat to several industry friends and gain several news stories in the process.

Thursday: Enjoy a test drive of a Wrightbodied Volvo hybrid courtesy of Ensign Bus. As always, they’re a friendly crew – coffee and laughter is not in short supply.

Friday: It starts to snow gently as I leave home for the office. I’m frank with my team – while I’m a country lad and don’t panic at the mere sight of snow, there are no points for being a martyr. ‘Safety first’ is the order of the day. The snow falls rapidly. However, such is his dedication, I practically have to force Martin out of the office as he lives over 35 miles up the A1. I decide to shut our office at around lunchtime as I don’t want my colleagues to end up in a ditch.

www.coachandbusweek.com

LastStop.indd 60

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RECRUITMENT & people

January 23, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 61

In association with

Deadlines Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm Contact Ian Gillis T: 01733 293484 E: ian.gillis@coachandbusweek.com

David Brown is new pteg Chairman SYPTE Director General, David Brown, is the new Chairman of pteg. He takes over following on from Centro DG Geoff Inskip’s two year term in the role.

David Brown said: “With HS2 on the horizon, the PTEs’ role is more important than ever in ensuring national strategic transport links properly fuse with better local transport networks to maximise the benefits for city region economies.

We are of the right geographical scale, and have the capacity to make this happen in a locally accountable and cost effective way.

In many ways this is an exciting time for PTEs, as a whole series of big schemes are being planned or delivered which will complement major national projects like HS2.

This includes innovations like the

David Brown is a good speaker – as seen here at the Northern Bus Summit NGT in Leeds. At the same time, we’re also working hard to make meaningful devolution of decision making from Whitehall work for the city regions including on local rail services, on bus subsidies like BSOG, and on major capital schemes.

“One of the biggest challenges we will face over the next couple of years is on revenue funding.

Although there is a consensus around the importance of capital spending on transport infrastructure as key to unlocking growth, we face an unprecedented revenue squeeze – compounded by the statutory requirement to fund the national concessionary fares scheme which makes up half our spending already. Capital spending on new bus, rail and tram schemes

is of course vital. However, we also need revenue funding to pay the staff to plan and implement new capital schemes, to support the services which will use the new infrastructure, and to ensure these schemes are more than the sum of their parts through system-wide smart and integrated ticketing provision. Making an effective case for adequate revenue funding will be one of the big challenges we face if we are to get the best from welcome infrastructure upgrades.”

“Under Geoff’s Chairmanship, pteg has continued to expand its remit beyond just public transport to include issues like freight, cycling and active travel,” continued David.

“We’re also working more closely with Core Cities than ever before on shared transport agendas with the Districts. With pteg’s professional network now covering most of the UK’s largest urban areas, I look forward to continuing to deepen the range and scope of what pteg does to save its members money through joint working.”

TfGM Vehicle Repair and Maintenance Contract ProContract Reference Number NWCE-8XD3YX Be er transport networks are essen al to the con nued economic and social regenera on of one of the country's greatest conurba ons. Transport for Greater Manchester will con nue its commitment to working in partnership with private sector opera ng companies, the ten local authori es in Greater Manchester and na onal and regional government to deliver an integrated, modern and a rac ve transport network.

For more informa on about Transport for Greater Manchester and its ac vi es please go to www. gm.com.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Greater Manchester Accessible Transport Ltd (GMATL), Independent Bus Operators and Community Based Transport Ini a ves operate a wide variety of vehicles, in which TfGM have an opera onal interest. They are distributed opera onally throughout the Greater Manchester region and are, in some cases, of a specialised nature, having been converted from a base vehicle for a specific purpose. Typical examples are Yellow School Bus, Demand Responsive Transport and Ring and Ride Vehicles.

TfGM are now looking for up to two suppliers to provide Repair and Maintenance services to its vehicle fleet.

TfGM Vehicle R+M 'Bidder Open Days' will be hosted at TfGM offices at 2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BG. These are provisionally scheduled for Thursday 24th January at 11am and Friday 1st February at 12.30pm and will include a brief presenta�on on the scope and �meframe of the procurement.

Bidders must contact paul.dean@�gm.com in order to register an inten�on to a�end.

The Closing date for Expressions of Interest and PQQ submissions is 12 noon on Friday 1st March 2013.

All Expressions of Interest, communica ons and tender ac vi es will be carried out on ProContract. For more details on how to register on this site, please visit www.the-chest.org.uk and enter the Suppliers area. The Contract reference is NWCE-8XD3YX, where further details on the procurement can be found.

WJF Technical Support require Mobile Mechanical PSV Bus and Coach Fitters and Technicians.

All applicants must be fully qualified, experienced and have an excellent working knowledge of bus and coach repairs.

Candidates will be expected to have good technical ability and be extremely competent, highly motivated and capable of delivering a quality service to our customers. You must have a minimum of 2 years experience and have completed a recognised apprenticeship or be qualified to NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent).

All fitters must have their own tools and a valid full UK driving licence.

WJF are looking for diesel mechanics, electrical technicians and coach builders both on a permanent and a self-employed basis.

References essential. Please submit you CV to simon.egan@wjftechnicalsupport.co.uk Further contact details available at www.wjftechnicalsupport.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

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Sales & Reservations Manager

Redwing Coaches, London’s leading private coach operator, is seeking an experienced Full Time Sales & Reservations Manager to join the team at our Herne Hill offices.

Duties will include preparing customer quotations and entering client bookings; liaising with tour operators, customers and suppliers; and other duties required by management.

We are looking for a team worker with excellent inter-personal and management skills. A logical thinker with good attention to detail as well as general telephone and computer skills with the ability to work in a highly stressful and pressurised environment. A good knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Outlook is required.

Advantageous Skills Previous experience in the coach industry particularly using ‘Coach Manager’ Allocation Software and knowledge of Drivers’ Hours Regulations (training can be provided); flexible approach to working conditions and working environment change; a self-motivated and enthusiastic attitude and good geographical knowledge of London, UK and Europe.

Some weekend working required.

If you think you are the right person for this post, please send your CV with a covering letter to Paul Hockley, MD at phockley@redwing-coaches.co.uk Closing date: 30 January 2013

Redwing Coaches 10 Dylan Road, London SE24 0HL Tel: 0207 733 1124

www.coachandbusweek.com

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RECRUITMENT & people

January 23, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 63

In association with

Deadlines Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm Contact Ian Gillis T: 01733 293484 E: ian.gillis@coachandbusweek.com

RATP DEV UK Structural Leadership Changes RATP Dev has grown rapidly in the last 18 months, with the turnover in the UK alone growing in excess of £230m in the last 12 months.

The French-owned multi-national operator said it continues to consider new opportunities in the UK and the ambitious plans have brought about the need for some

NX staff celebrate success

Three colleagues at NatEx West Midlands have secured £450 of funding towards the charities and community groups which they support. All three staff are based at Walsall garage and successfully scored the funding from the NatEx Employee Charity Panel to add to money that they had already raised.

Kerry Halfacre and driver Richard Harrison recently took part in fundraising events, and Craig Worrall is currently a manager and coach for a local kids football team.

Craig said: “The children we train come from broken or lowincome homes and this is the only activity which they do outside of school. The donation will help us to buy some new equipment to help make the kids feel like they belong as part of our team.”

structural changes within the RATP Dev UK leadership team.

Richard Casling, previously Managing Director for London United, has taken on a new role within RATP Dev UK. Richard becomes Group Chief Financial Officer for the UK whilst also retaining a key position at London United as Executive Chairman.

To supplement the London team, a Chief Operating Officer will be recruited to assist in the running of London United.

Karen Fuller, while retaining her current responsibilities as Human Resources Director of London United has agreed to take on a

Steve Whiteway

Veolia Transdev boosts its Corporate Board Veolia Transdev boosted its board with the recent appointment of two new Directors.

Thierry Elkaim has joined the French-owned multi-national operator as Worldwide Director of its Smarter Mobility business. He will be responsible for launching the company’s new offer developed through a technology partnership with IBM, working with teams in Europe, the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region.

Thierry has a strong background it IT, and was previously with Microsoft where he held the positions of Director of Partnerships and Public Sector Sales Director. Prior to Microsoft, he had held several management positions at Sun Microsystems.

He holds an engineering degree from ESME (Special school for mechanical and electrical) and an

MBA from HEC. The company has also appointed a new Human Resources Director.

Anne-Lise Voisin-Pelliet succeeds Jean-Pierre Gouteyron, who will become Advisor to the Secretary General until February.

Anne-Lise holds a Masters of Law from IEP university in Paris.

She previously held the positions of Deputy Director of Human Resources for Veolia Transdev and Director of Human Resources of Veolia Environnement Group’s Transportation branch.

Anne-Lise began her career as Manager for Human Resources studies as part of CGEA’s (Compagnie Générale Automotive companies) HR legal team. She progressed to the position of Assistant Director for Administration, Personnel Management and Labour Relations.

wider role, as HR Director for RATP Dev UK. Derek Lott while retaining his current role as Managing Director of Bournemouth Transport Ltd will now take on the additional role of Area Director South and will also take responsibility for the direction of Bath Bus Company.

Steve Whiteway will take on the role of Area Director North while retaining his commitments as Managing Director of Epsom Coaches.

Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd, will continue to report through to the RATP Dev Vice President Europe and Asia, Cyril Carniel.

Five new Apprentices at Stagecoach Manchester

Stagecoach Manchester has boosted its engineering department with the recruitment of five new apprentices, who will be based across the company’s depots in Greater Manchester.

Stagecoach Manchester’s Managing Director, Christopher Bowles, said: “Being able to provide this opportunity to talented young people is really important to us as a company, as we know it can be incredibly difficult for them to get on the career ladder. We now have 15 apprentices working at our depots across a variety of roles and over the last ten years 23 apprentices have gone on to secure permanent positions with the company.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

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