Coach & Bus Week : Issue 1085

Wednesday May 1, 2013 Issue 1085 | £2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

COACH:

Walton's successfully appeals against �leet size curtailment p8

YELLOW BUSES: BUS: Award-winning operator under the spotlight p28

Catch the Bus Week initiative makes the right headlines p6

BATH BUS CO:

A closer look at RATP's city sightseeing subsidiary p42

FOCUS ON

Steady growth through acquisition

for recruitm

JOB ADVE ent EVERY WERTS EK

RECRUIT N

OW

p18

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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.

New broom at Stagecoach

B

y the time you read this, Stagecoach will have a new CEO. As outlined in our Stagecoach super feature last year, Martin Griffiths has been Finance Director since 2001. The 47-year-old takes over from Sir Brian Souter today (Wednesday).

While Martin may as yet lack the profile of ‘Uncle Brian’, he has had responsibility for the UK rail division for the last three years – a business which, of course, includes South West Trains and a 49% stake in the Virgin Rail Group.

Of note to our industry, the ‘Sunday Telegraph’ carried an interesting little interview with Martin on April 27 penned by Andrew Cave, who writes on banking and business issues. Find the article at http://tinyurl.com/ctm9npn or look it up on www.telegraph.co.uk.

A couple of quotes stood out for me. “Buses are 85-90% of our profits. People think we’re making huge margins in UK rail, but we make operating profit margins of about 3% on UK rail and 17% in our UK regional bus companies.

“Railways are some kind of middle-

class thing. People want to talk about rail. We have to accept that, but we have to keep making the case for ‘bus’ in this country. Bus is still by far the most important way for people to travel and it’s a good story.”

Those of you who, like me, follow the wider transport industry will be only too aware of the problems of Government’s procurement screw up with the contentious issue of rail re-franchising. Martin makes some valid points – it’s easy for the so-called ‘middle classes’ to forget buses. Of course, it’s easy for cynics to dismiss his answers along the lines of ‘he would say that wouldn’t he’ when his company earns nine-tenths of its income from the bus and coach industry but those of us in the road passenger transport sector know he is right. I for one wish him the best of luck.

Reassuringly for some perhaps, he also told the Telegraph: “Brian will be there for me if I need advice, if I want him to go and look at something and if I need a second opinion. I know how his mind works.”

Gareth Evans Editor

CONTENTS 4

24

38

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

12

Epsom Coaches update and talk of potential acquisitions...

28

A look at RATP Dev’s regulated operation in West & Central London

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

16

MD Derek Lott talks about the turn around he oversaw at Yellow Buses

32

Experienced hands drive business forward with RATP support

Setting the scene for our in-depth look at RATP Dev

18

An insight into the day-to-day running of the Bournemouth firm

36

A lighthearted look at the industry.

Plus Office Diary column

Francois-Xavier Perin and Cyril Carniel share their thoughts & ideas

A London United Scania OmniCity double-decker plying its trade

All the latest people moves from across the industry

News

Regional News

RATP Dev Intro

View from the top

Steve Whiteway Face to Face

Yellow Buses Big Picture

London United

42

Bath Bus Company

69

Last Stop

70

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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news

“I’d be lying if I said we don’t have a list of target operators. We have made approaches to some and others have come to us.”

Steve Whiteway Epsom Coaches

briefly Cornish independent Western Greyhound has announced it has completed its CPC training for all staff in advance of the September deadline. MD Mark Howarth said: “At Western Greyhound, we have always embraced training so it was easy to adapt the formality of the CPC requirement into our ongoing training programme. We have put all staff with PCV entitlement through the CPC programme, including fitters and admin staff to ensure there are no grey areas in who can drive what.” Western Greyhound employs 270 staff and operates 100 buses in the county.

The top road safety priority for local councillors is improving road surfaces and reducing potholes, according to a survey conducted by road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM). 74% of councillors placed potholes in their top five road-safety priorities while 61% think the budgets for repairing them will decrease or stay the same. Almost half of councillors surveyed think road safety targets should have been met. 58% of councillors agree budget cuts are having a negative impact on roads and road safety, with one in four strongly agreeing. Although councillors agreed transport was a priority, half of them thought their transport budget would reduce in the next year.

Translink is increasing fares across all its services. Ticket prices will increase by an average 3% on Metro and local Ulsterbus routes and by 5% on NI Railways.

The increases come into effect on May 6, 2013. The Consumer Council and the Committee for Regional Development denounced the rises after Translink CEO Catherine Mason announced them at a meeting with the committee.

Ciaran Rogan, Translink’s Marketing Executive, said: “Our fares have not kept up with inflation and this is the first increase on some fares for five or six years. We know any increase is unwelcome but I would urge customers to start paying the lowest fare for their journey, taking advantage of Translink’s multijourney travel cards.” www.coachandbusweek.com

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Face to Face p24

Go-Ahead targets £100m bus profit The strong financial position gives the group room for organic growth, says CEO David Brown Go-Ahead Group is on target to meet its goal of £100m profit from buses – according its Interim Management Statement for the period from December 30 to April 24.

Deregulated bus has seen solid underlying growth in fare paying passengers of over 2%. This, the company said, has more than offset a decline in concessionary passenger volumes, largely due to adverse weather in the third quarter. The revenue impact of lower concessionary journeys was mitigated as the majority of concessionary revenue is fixed.

Including acquisitions, revenue has to date grown 9% and passengers journeys have risen 4%.

The regulated operations in London continue to perform strongly despite the expected slower growth in the third quarter as the firm laps the introduction of new contracts during the prior year.

David Brown, Group Chief Executive of Go-Ahead, said: “I am pleased to report a resilient performance across our operations,

Volvo: lower sales lead to Q1 losses

Lower sales volumes contributed to an operating loss of SEK 88 M in the first quarter 2013. Order intake in the first quarter totaled 2,109 buses, which was 6% higher than the same period last year. Strategic orders have been secured.

For 2013 the European bus market is expected to remain on the same low level as in 2012. Price pressure is severe across Europe as utilisation of production capacity in the industry remains very low.

In North America there are early indicators of a recovery in the transit market. The situation could however be affected by cuts in the US federal spending. Coach

with all of our companies seeing growth in commercial revenue in the year to date.

“Our bus division continues to perform well in a challenging economic environment and we remain on track to achieve our target to organically grow bus operating profit to £100m by 2015/16. Our growth trends are sector leading driven by our high quality, locally-focused operations and our London bus business

Go-Ahead said its regulated operations in London are continuing to show strong performance operators are still cautious due to pending tax rises.

In South America quoting activity has increased, driven by low financing rates, World Cup tenders and tenders for BRT systems.

The Asian market continues to grow, but on lower levels. Tender activity is healthy in China, while in India, the coach market has slowed down in the beginning of the year. In India, the government has announced a grant for the purchase of buses, JnNurm, valid 2013-2016. Deliveries during Q1 of 2013 amounted to 1,825 buses, compared to 2,565 units for 2012, a decrease of 29%. In a majority of the main markets deliveries were on a lower level compared to the same period in 2012.

Order intake in Q1 totalled 2,109 buses, which was 6% higher than the same period last year.

Volvo Buses further strengthened

remains best in class.

“We are delighted to have been shortlisted to bid for the Docklands Light Railway, partnering with Colas Rail Ltd. They are an ideal infrastructure partner for us and, combined with our experience of operating in London on busy commuter networks, I believe we are well placed to deliver a successful bid.

“At the end of March the DfT announced its long-term plans for rail franchising. I am pleased the Government intends to restart the Thameslink franchise bid process in September this year and I welcome the opportunity to agree extended contract terms for London Midland to June 2017 and Southeastern to June 2018.

“Overall, I am pleased with the Group’s performance and remain confident that we will deliver a full year result in line with our expectations.”

As for the outlook, the Group said it remains in a good financial position with strong cash generation and a robust balance sheet, underpinning the dividend policy and allowing flexibility to pursue value-adding opportunities. its position in sales of hybrid buses.

During Q1 the first hybrids were delivered to Luxembourg, along with 44 hybrids to the UK. Perth in Australia also received the first hybrid bus of its kind in the AsiaPacific region in January 2013. An order for 300 buses to Chicago was also signed.

Net sales in the first quarter decreased by 32% to SEK 3,482 M (5,086). Adjusted for currency fluctuations, sales decreased by 27%. Buses reported an operating loss of SEK 88 M compared to an operating income of SEK 46 M during Q1 of 2012. The main reasons for lower earnings are the decline in sales and price pressure.

Compared with Q1 of 2012, operating income was positively impacted by changes in currency exchange rates in an amount of SEK 29 M. Operating margin was a negative 2.5% (positive 0.9%).

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CPT workshop ‘a success’ Over 160 members gathered at Centurion Travel in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, last Wednesday (April 24) for CPT’s latest Practical Compliance Workshop.

The event, opened with a keynote address from Sarah Bell, Traffic Commissioner for the Western Traffic Area, included practical presentations on key compliance issues from Lloyd Morgan Group and VOSA. The workshop also provided visitors with networking opportunities and the chance to engage with CPT Supplier Members who hosted stands around the venue.

John Burch, CPT’s Manager for the South Western Region, said: “This is CPT’s second Compliance Workshop (the first was held in

MAN first quarter results

Lower order intake and squeezed margins have affected MAN’s Q1 performance with group figures 14% below last year and the commercial vehicle division down by 12%. The 2013 order intake stands at €2.963bn against last year’s €3.385bn. Economic growth in the German GD is expected to be no more than 0.6% while other Eurozone countries will see no growth or negative growth.

Worksop last autumn) and it has yet again proved to be a huge success.

“I would like to thank Martin and all of the team at Centurion Travel for working tirelessly to make their facilities available for the day, transforming their usually busy operating centre into a conference room, practical demonstration workshop and exhibition area.

Their efforts have certainly paid off.

“Due to our Practical Compliance Workshops being so popular – this one was fully booked weeks ago – they are going to be rolled out in each CPT region of the UK.”

Sarah Bell opened the workshop with a keynote address Other markets which had been successful, such as Latin America, shrank due to their reluctance to pay for Euro 5 technology and came under increased pressure from competition. The sector is expected to improve as creation of the infrastructure required for supporting major sporting events fuels demand for new vehicles.

Prospects remain good in China with predicted growth of 8%, in India – 6.5% and in Russia which is expected to achieve 3%.

MAN Truck & Bus reported an operating loss of €23m for the period against a profit of €68m in 2012. The return on sales fell from 3.3% in 2013 to -1.2%.

A Volvo 7900H at the company’s test track in Sweden

Volvo Buses launches range of new vehicles Volvo Buses unveiled a range of new vehicles at a press event in Borås, Sweden last Monday (April 22).

The vehicles on show included the 7900 Plug-in Hybrid, the 7900 Hybrid Articulated and an updated coach range, featuring the 9500, the 9700 and the 9900.

From 2014, all Volvo singledecker buses with low floors for Europe will be hybrids.

This month, Volvo Buses’ first three plug-in hybrids will be tested in traffic in Gothenburg. A demonstration project has also been planned for 2014 involving eight plug-in hybrids in Stockholm.

Håkan Karlsson, President of Volvo Buses, said: “Bus operators have a lot of challenges, including attracting passengers and improving driver performance but

they also need to support the cities’ demand on emissions.

“Our plug-in hybrids reduce energy consumption by up to 60%. Based on the 7900H, the buses enable recharging through pantographs on the bus roof and the electricity grid at bus terminuses.

“The buses take between six and 10 minutes to charge and they can function as normal hybrids too.”

Ulf Gustafsson, Senior Manager Public Affairs at Volvo Buses, said: “The purpose of the field test is to study and verify the anticipated reductions in energy consumption and emissions, as well as to compile information from drivers, passengers and surrounding residents about their views on the properties of the bus. In addition, we expect to be able to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 90% by using biodiesel instead of standard, fossil diesel oil in the combustion engine.”

A full write-up of Volvo Buses’ press event will feature in a future issue of CBW.

Specialist vehicle Inspection training with optional IRTEC accreditation

If you would like further information please call 01543 897505 or visit www.lloydmorgangroup.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

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The number of entries already confirmed for next year’s UK Coach Rally

briefly TfL has introduced a new Sunday service for route B12. The service will run every 30 minutes throughout the day, providing a brand new Sunday service to Joydens Wood, Coldblow and parts of Northumberland Heath with links to Bexleyheath and a number of railway stations. The route will run clockwise round the Joydens Wood loop before noon and anticlockwise thereafter.

Jersey operator LibertyBus is to trial a park-and-ride scheme this summer to encourage commuters to use buses. Services to Les Fontaines Car Park in St John are being extended in the morning and evening in the summer timetable, which starts from May 27. The summer timetable also includes four Sunday services to Bonne Nuit and Bouley Bay, and additional commuter journeys to and from St Ouen’s Village on services 8 and 9. The company has asked anyone with comments on the changes to contact it before May 3.

Reays Coaches of Wigton, has taken delivery of two Optare Solo SR hybrids. Reays received £174,000 from the Green Bus Fund to support the purchase of the £209,000 vehicles, with the operator covering the remaining sum of £250,000. A Siemens ELFA series hybrid drive system powers the buses alongside a Euro 5 compliant Mercedes-Benz OM904LA engine. Seating capacity is 31 on leather trimmed Esteban Civic V2 seats with room for a further 21 standees for a total passenger capacity of 52. The vehicles also feature wood effect flooring. The 9.2m buses are being used on the six-day-a-week hourly number 75 service between Dalston and Cotehill via Carlisle, which has been rebranded as the ‘Eco Hopper’.

Cardiff Bus has become the first Welsh bus firm and one of the first in the UK to attain three accreditations. It not only retained its OHSAS 18001 Health and Safety standard and its ISO 9001 accreditations but has also attained an ISO 14001 Environment Management standard. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Greener Journeys launches Catch the Bus Week Campaign focuses on convenience, value for money and environmental benefits to promote bus travel Greener Journeys is launching a major drive to get the public out of cars and onto the bus.

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive, will join Transport Minister Norman Baker to start Catch the Bus Week 2013, a national campaign which is running from April 29 to May 5. The campaign aims to increase awareness of the benefits of bus travel across the UK, and to encourage first time or infrequent users to give the bus a try.

The scheme promotes the benefits of bus travel, focusing on convenience, value for money and environmental benefits.

Participating operators include Arriva, Stagecoach, FirstGroup, GoAhead and many local companies.

Each firm is running its own initiatives and events to engage with bus users, with plans including ticket offers, initiatives with local charities and community events.

Claire Haigh explained: “Since 2010 Greener Journeys has been striving to take one billion car journeys off the road and Catch the Bus Week will help us reach this aim. Buses play a crucial role in our society from getting children to school, carrying people to work, the shops or to their local park or swimming pool day in day out.

Buses support the economy.

First is one of many bus operators involved in the campaign

Open top Volvo MCVs for Golden Tours

London sightseeing operator Golden Tours has taken delivery of the first two of six new MCV-bodied Volvo B9TL open top buses scheduled for delivery early this year.

“We wanted the reliability of the proven Volvo B9TL chassis, but with an open top body,” explained Golden Tours MD Nick Palan. “Volvo Bus and Regional Sales Manager, Phil Fletcher were really good.

They delivered to our exacting requirements and the first vehicle is already in operation.

“This is the first time we have used the open top Volvo Bus MCV

The MCV-bodied Volvo B9TLs combination and we’re delighted with the results. We look forward to receiving the rest of our new vehicles in due course and getting them on the road. I’m sure our customers will love them.”

Volvo’s low floor 10.3-metre B9TL is specified with a rigid low beam front axle. The bus is powered by a rear mounted Volvo D9B engine and is fitted with the

“Buses also help reduce congestion on the roads, promote social inclusion by providing a vital link to those without other means and reduce all our carbon footprints and travel’s effect on the environment.

“This campaign will be a springboard for greater public attention of the bus’s many benefits and I hope will encourage both car drivers and infrequent bus users to give the bus a try. I am delighted to be launching such an important campaign.”

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “Modern buses are clean, green and safe. They are a lifeline for many people, and an important cog in the engine of economic growth. Surveys show that the vast majority of people who use the bus are satisfied with their experience. The challenge is to get more of the population to give buses a go, which is why this campaign is so important.”

For more information visit www.catchthebusweek.co.uk

ZF Ecolife gearbox. The chassis were supplied from Volvo’s plant in Borås, Sweden and bodied at the MCV plant in Egypt, before being shipped to the UK. “This is a really exciting delivery for us,” explained Phil Fletcher. “It demonstrates the extended body options Volvo now has available, thanks to our partnership with MCV. Golden Tours is a valued Volvo customer and the operator adds these six new open top variants to the three closed top MCV-bodied double decks delivered earlier in the year and the B9TL Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini acquired last year.

“The operation of these new tour buses in London allows us to get some great exposure for our open top Volvo product. We look forward to concluding the delivery of the remaining buses and continuing our relationship with Golden Tours in the future.”

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2002 15m The year Bath Bus Company expanded into Cardiff

Number of passenger journeys made annually on the Yellow Buses network

Southend receives 16 new Optare Versas

which will be disposed of.

Arriva has also decided to name one of the new vehicles after wellknown local restaurateur Tony Tomassi who passed away last August.

Mr Tomassi had run the Tomassi’s restaurant business for many years and had developed it into what has become a Southend institution.

Arriva Southern Counties’ Regional Publicity Manager, Richard Lewis, said: “We are delighted to name one of our buses in memory of Tony Tomassi as a fitting tribute to a local businessman who contributed to the success of Southend’s local economy over a

Arriva Southern Counties has invested £2m in 16 Optare Versas to upgrade one of its routes running between Shoeburyness, Southend and Rayleigh.

The latest 11.7-metre 13-plate buses, fitted with Cummins ISB E5 engines, cost £128,000 each and bring a new look and higher standards of comfort to the newlybranded Service 1 that also links Shoeburyness and Rayleigh to Southchurch, central Southend, Westcliff, Leigh-on-Sea and Hadleigh.

The prominent graphics for the ONE coupled with pictorial local designs on the rears of the buses will help draw attention to the service which runs up to every 12 minutes during the main part of the day on Mondays to Saturdays.

Some of the new buses also carry names such as ‘Pride of Southend’ and ‘Pride of Hadleigh’ to reflect the places they will be serving and the vehicles have replaced Plaxton Pointer-bodied Dennis Dart SLFs

Edinburgh city centre changes consultation

Edinburgh City Council has developed a proposal for improving the city centre, particularly in the area around Princes Street and George Street, with a public consultation underway.

The Gehl study identified Princes Street as a high traffic area and proposed a substantial reduction in the number of buses using the street. The report claims bus operators, especially Lothian Buses, recognise this and are adapting services to provide cross city centre routes which do not use Princes Street.

Proposed changes to vehicle movement include: to split bus services so they are running eastbound on George Street and westbound on Princes Street;

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SHARE WATCH

very long period.”

Mrs June Tomassi said: “We would like to thank Arriva for this gesture which Tony would have much appreciated. His presence in Tomassi’s Restaurant has been much missed by our many customers who came to know him as a friend as well as a business man.”

The Versas were launched at a Civic event held at the company’s Southend-on-Sea Depot on Friday April 19 and went into service the following day.

Following recent investments elsewhere in its region, Arriva Southern Counties now runs a fleet of 53 Versas.

Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, April 29. Siemens saw the greatest proportional rise, while Optare saw the greatest proportional drop.

Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk

377.60p

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The 11.7-metre Versas cost £128,000 each in a total investment of £2m to close Princes Street to general traffic in both directions; to allow buses, cycles and taxis on Princes Street in a westbound direction only on the south carriageway; to operate trams on Princes Street in both directions; to allow general traffic on George Street in an eastbound direction only. This will include taxis; to develop George Street as the preferred location for the primary cycle route; and to minimise the overall net loss of parking spaces on George Street.

Other proposed changes to the George Street and Princes Street area include the creation of additional pedestrian space, more parking for cars and motorcycles, waiting/loading facilities & taxi stances, cycle provision and additional bus stops. The report said a balance needs to be struck between the current capacity and what is desirable in the context of the reconfigured streets.

Arriva launches Sapphire Arriva Buses Wales has unveiled Sapphire, a new premium service between Wrexham and Chester.

Nine Sapphire-branded ADL Enviro400s, representing a £650,000 investment, went into service on Route 1 on April 29.

The buses feature high back leather seats, additional leg room, free WiFi and power points, audio visual facilities and CCTV. Arriva Area MD Michael Morton said: “Route 1 is the first of our services across the UK to benefit from the new Sapphire service. It will offer our customers something different and we hope will tempt more people to try the bus.

“We’ve deliberately selected this route as it offers a longer journey time, so customers have more opportunity to take advantage of the free WiFi, or to simply enjoy sitting on comfy leather seats.”

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FTSE 100

6,432

Index: Year High: 6,529 Year Low: 5,260

+128 on last week

www.coachandbusweek.com

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news › coaches

briefly Due to bridge pier replacement work, narrow lanes and a 50mph speed limit are in place on the M27 near Park Gate until mid September. Also, carriageway closures at Junction 9 take place overnight, between 2200 and 0600hrs. Road users are being diverted off and back onto the M27 at Junction 9.

The northbound carriageway of the A34 has been fully closed from the A303 Bullington Cross interchange to the A343 Wash Water junction, overnight between 2200 and 0600, from April 29 for up to five nights. The northbound slip roads along this stretch of the A34 (Bullington Cross, Tufton, Firgo Gap, Whitchurch, Litchfield, Beacon Hill, Tothill and Wash Water) are closed to prevent local traffic entering the road closure. Clearly signed diversion routes are in place via the A303 and A343 between Andover and Wash Water. Also, the southbound carriageway is scheduled to be closed overnight between the same times, from May 7 for four nights.

Lane closures are in place on the M5 around J21 with a 40mph speed restriction during the day and occasional slip road closures overnight to provide a dedicated lane from Weston Super Mare. The work is due to last until April 2014.

Woods of Leicester has become the Official Travel Partner and Key Partnership Sponsor for the Leicester Riders basketball team. Kevin Brown, Managing Director and Owner of Woods said: “As a fan of basketball, it’s a great honour to work with the BBL Champions Leicester Riders.

Their work within the Leicester community is outstanding and their culture is very much in-keeping with ours. There’s no doubt that basketball in the UK is growing fast and this is a great opportunity for a local business to work with another winning team.”

There are currently 10-minute delays on the M4 J19 (M32) to 20 (M5 Bristol) in both directions. Work is due to finish on May 25. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Walton’s Coaches PI appeal upheld Appeal focussed on the decision to curtail fleet after a number of maintenance prohibitions were discovered by VOSA Preston-based Walton’s Coaches has successfully appealed against a decision made by the Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) for the North West, Simon Evans, curtailing its fleet size following a Public Inquiry (PI) on December 4, 2012.

At the appeal hearing on March 15, the company was represented

by Mr T Sasse, Barrister. Mr P J Walton, a director of the company and Mrs M E Walton also a director of the company and its Transport Manager were also present.

The appeal was focussed on the reduction of fleet size. The firm did not dispute any of the additional undertakings or that some reduction of fleet size by the DTC was justified in all the circumstances.

The initial PI was called following a school bus check on June 11, 2012 and the results of an unsatisfactory VOSA investigation of the company’s maintenance arrangements, carried out between July 13, 2012 and July 19, 2012. The firm had accumulated a total of nine prohibitions, three marked ‘S’. The VOSA investigation also showed shortcomings in the administration of the operator’s preventive maintenance systems. Walton’s did not challenge VOSA’s evidence at the PI although it did not agree with

all the findings.

As part of his decision, the DTC reduced the firm’s fleet size from 20 vehicles to 15 vehicles for an indefinite period. In addition, he stated Mrs Jill Atherton be added as an additional Transport Manager and that the operator undertake a random audit of at least one driver per week to ensure they are undertaking their walkround checks correctly with the findings recorded and made available to staff from VOSA or the Office of the Traffic Commissioner. Furthermore, an audit of maintenance systems, maintenance documentation and vehicle inspections will be conducted by a Traffic Consultant of repute in December 2012 and June 2013.

Following the appeal, the tribunal found Mr Evans decision to restrict the permitted size of the appellant’s fleet to 15 vehicles for an indefinite

Deputy Traffic Commissioner for the North West Simon Evans

The initial PI was called following an unsatisfactory VOSA investigation

period was “disproportionate in all the circumstances”. The tribunal felt it failed to take account of the company’s previous satisfactory regulatory history since November 2003; the financial implications of a curtailment of this size; and the steps which had been put in place by the date of the PI to arrest the sudden and dramatic deterioration in its maintenance standards.

However, it was also concluded that it would be inappropriate for Walton’s to be allowed to operate more than its current daily average of some 17 vehicles until it has been able to show that the various alterations in its maintenance arrangements are operating satisfactorily. These alterations included the appointment of an additional Transport Manager, a new maintenance contractor to undertake preventive maintenance inspections, and an in-house vehicle fitter together with refresher training of drivers on the importance of their daily walkround checks and written defect reports.

The tribunal added: “A fleet of 17 PSVs is the fleet size required to underpin the profitability of the company. We thus consider that the appropriate course is for us to substitute our own decision for that of the DTC.” The condition recorded at the PI was therefore amended to read: “The condition on the licence that relates to fleet size varied by a reduction from 20 vehicles to 17 vehicles with effect from 2359hrs on May 9, 2013. This reduction will remain in force until March 15, 2014 at the earliest.”

Also, the additional undertaking that was recorded at the PI has been amended as follows: “Maintenance systems, maintenance documentation and vehicle inspections will be audited by a transport consultant of repute in June 2013 and December 2013.”

A further undertaking was also added stating: “In 12 months from March 15, 2013 an inspection of the company’s maintenance arrangements will be carried out

by VOSA.”

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“Women don’t automatically think of driving a bus as a career choice, but the modern bus can be driven with little physical effort.”

Jenni Wilkinson Yellow Buses

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Bakers Dolphin: Day trips on the increase

Macpherson’s Tourismo is its first full-size automatic Mercedes-Benz coach

Macpherson Coaches adds new Tourismo to fleet Macpherson Coaches has acquired a new Mercedes-Benz Tourismo from EvoBus UK. Director Neil Macpherson said: “This is our first full size, fully automatic, Mercedes-Benz coach after having a range of mini and midi-type Mercedes vehicles previously. Our new vehicle will be used for touring and private hire.”

The new Tourismo delivered to Macpherson Coaches has 49 seats with leather headrests. Power is delivered by a Mercedes-Benz OM 457 (h) LA 260kW Euro 5 engine,

ETOA asks for Rome coach dialogue The European Tours Operators Association (ETOA) is calling for dialogue with the Rome authorities over what it calls ‘draconian restrictions’ imposed on tourist coaches.

Last November the authorities restricted access to St Peter by closing the use of Via della Conciliazione. Any coach wishing to either pick up or drop off groups now had to use the enclosed parking terminal at the Janiculum Hill or a point 1.5 kms away. Another decision, taken last week, limits the number of permits issued to access central Rome to 300 per day. This, the authority claims, is to handle the many tens of thousands who arrive in groups as pilgrims or visitors.

ETOA said it has long been

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coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission. With regards to safety, a variety of systems including ASR, ABS and brake assist are all fitted as standard to provide support to drivers. Some options fitted to this vehicle in particular include alloy wheels and a rear view reversing camera with wash system.

Passengers can stretch out in comfort with Luxline upholstery, while being entertained by the Professional Line 3 Radio/CD/ DVD system, including two 19-inch monitors.

Bakers Dolphin has reported a 10% rise in the number of day trips being booked by people in the region, as the one-day holiday becomes a reality.

The operator said the rise in day trips over the last year is an unprecedented increase and is due to the internet generation’s style of enjoying themselves.

Amanda Harrington, Marketing Director, said: “In the last year we have seen an increasing trend for people to take a number of one-day trips throughout the year rather than go on a longer or extended holiday.

“We believe it is a combination of money being tight and the internet generation which has got used to instant fun and doing

things quickly.”

Trips to London theatres, stately homes and theme parks, where passengers leave the West Country in the morning and return the same evening, are selling increasingly fast on the Bakers Dolphin website.

Amanda added: “There is no particular change in the destinations, although theatre shows and the Harry Potter studio tour are top of the charts. Day trips seem to be popular with all ages but the feedback we are getting is they want instant fun and don’t have much time on their hands.

“Day trips by coach are proving particularly popular for groups of five or more as it means everyone can travel together in one vehicle and chatting and relaxing on the journey is all part of the day out.”

Bakers Dolphin is reacting to the trend by increasing their offering for day trips, including adding more shows in London, such as The Bodyguard and Viva Forever and trips to events such as the British Grand Prix.

concerned at the logistics involved in these restrictions. In an open letter to the authority, the ETOA said: “We recognise there are challenges faced by Rome. The solution must lie in consulting with the industry: coaches are an extension of public transport; they ease congestion by removing people from cars. However, up until now suggestions from the travel trade have fallen on deaf ears.

“ETOA remains disturbed at the abrupt introduction of draconian restrictions. The situation at the Janiculum terminal is already proving to be stressful, and this is before the main season arrives. The current arrangements do no service to Rome or its visitors.

“We would ask the Commune of Rome to meet again with the industry to seek a better outcome.”

With over 600 members, ETOA is a trade association for tour operators and suppliers with business in European

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news › international

Road Map for fuel cell development Map assesses progress of fuel cell electric buses and offers recommendations USA The California Fuel Cell Partnership has published ‘A Roadmap for Fuel Cell Electric Buses in California: A ZeroEmission Solution for Public Transit’. The Roadmap assesses the progress of fuel cell electric buses in California and globally, offering recommendations to state and federal policy makers in California regarding actions they can take to put fuel cell buses on the path to full commercial readiness.

California has gained considerable experience with the development and demonstration of Zero emission vehicle (ZEV) technologies through its zero-emission bus (ZBus) program. Fuel cell buses have consistently demonstrated superb operating performance in

Red Dot award for new Setra design

Germany The design of the new Setra ComfortClass 500, assessed by a jury of representatives from all over the world, prevailed against some tough competition to gain the Red Dot award for Product Design 2013. Some 4,600 entries from 54 countries, in 19 different categories, were evaluated. The jury of 37 experts explained its choice of winner as follows: “The design of this touring coach is absolutely trendsetting. It conveys a sense of innovation, safety and comfort and thus meets in full the expectations passengers have of a modern touring coach.” Professor Dr Peter Zec, the initiator of the competition, is quite certain of one thing: “Those creations passing critical review by the international Red Dot jury will never become submerged in the mass and will be sure to make their mark in the global competitive field.”. www.coachandbusweek.com

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their ability to maintain sustained power and acceleration in a wide spectrum of operating conditions, smooth and quiet operation and unmatched fuel efficiency.

Two fuel cell electric bus programs are active in California at AC Transit (San Francisco Bay area and SunLine Transit (Coachella Valley) using Ballard fuel cells.

The Roadmap proposes two Centres of Excellence for fuel cell buses within California. It is envisioned 40 buses would operate at each location, providing service over a 12-year period and with operating costs competitive with conventional buses. Each centre would cost approximately $50 million, including buses, fuelling infrastructure, and fuelling station operations and maintenance.

According to Roadmap the Centres of Excellence would incorporate: n Buses introduced in 2015-2016;

n Two production runs of 40 buses each, to ensure capital cost at or below $1m per bus; n 40 fuel cell electric buses at each location which meet transit agency requirements and are operated in normal revenue service; n A 12-year operating period; n Hydrogen fuel use sufficient to achieve a cost-per-mile comparable to diesel and CNG buses; n Regional training and education for transit staff and community stakeholders.

Highly innovative, zero-emission fuel cell buses are expected to play a critical role in the future of transit, preserving non-renewable energy sources and substantially reducing the environmental footprint.

Ballard’s FCvelocity–HD6 fuel cell module is designed as a ‘plugand-play’ product, enabling system integrators to readily build clean energy buses at reduced cost.

The Setra ComfortClass 500 has been described as trendsetting The Head of Design for Daimler Buses, Mathias Lenz, is delighted to find the positive reaction of customers to the innovative new model series is shared by respected design experts.

“The award is an acknowledgement of our daily efforts to make the design of our coaches a brand characteristic giving visual form to the values of the Setra brand within the coach industry, arousing emotions and meeting in full the high expectations of coach operators.”

The design of the front end and

of the redesigned exterior mirrors has been optimised in countless hours of testing in the wind tunnel.

Thanks to these measures, together with the new aerodynamic rear end and further specific measures, the ComfortClass 500 achieves a drag coefficient of 0.33, a figure which would previously have been considered unattainable.

A Setra S515HD ComfortClass just delivered to Italian operator Di Fonzo is the second of its type to join the 60 Setras in the fleet. It is the 80th Setra bought by the firm, which was established in 1934.

The 50-seat Euro 6 Citaro LE

First Euro 6 Citaro LEs delivered Germany Klaus Dieregsweiler of infra fürth verkehr gmbh (sic) recently took delivery of the first two Euro 6 Citaro LEs from Rüdiger Kappel, Brand Manager for Mercedes-Benz Buses and Coaches.

Both feature 50 City Star passenger seats supplemented with a wheelchair space with grab handle, stop request buttons and a lean-on area with integrated folding seat (mother/child seat), as well as two additional folding seats in the standing platform area opposite the centre door. The interior busstop name displays consist of two 48 cm (19-inch) TFT monitors in the front and rear of the vehicle.

Linked to an integrated on-board information system (IBIS), they display information on the vehicle’s progress along the route as well as the next stop. News items, event notices and adverts can also be displayed.

In addition to a CCTV system monitoring the centre door, infra fürth specified reversing cameras which can be used not only as a parking aid but also to monitor the area around the rear of the vehicle. The images are transferred to a video monitor in the driver’s cab. Additional safety equipment includes a fire alarm and extinguishing system in the engine compartment.

Operator infra fürth is responsible for the entire public transport system in Fürth, near Nuremberg. With eight routes covering around 1,147 km, it carried 18m passengers in 2012.

The company has 54 vehicles, 48 of which are Citaros. Among these 48 vehicles is also the milestone 25,000th Citaro, which was handed over to infra fürth verkehr gmbh in a special ceremony in Stuttgart in 2009. The two new Citaro LEs will be deployed on all routes in Fürth.

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SCOTLAND

As part of an initiative by First Aberdeen, 20,000 households across the city will receive a leaflet which contains a free £1 travel voucher for use on any First Aberdeen bus service.

First has promised that for every voucher redeemed, it will donate £1 to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Backing the initiative was bus driver Christine Stuart from Mastrick in Aberdeen, who has been driving for First for nine years.

She said: “Macmillan is a charity which is very close to my heart.

I know lots of people, including some of my colleagues, who have suffered from cancer and Macmillan have always been a great support.

This is a brilliant promotion and I hope the people of Aberdeen use the vouchers and get on my bus to support Macmillan.”

Meanwhile Duncan Cameron, First Aberdeen’s Director and General Manager, said: “We hope that by providing two extra incentives to travel by bus, a £1 travel voucher and a £1 donation to Macmillan, it will encourage more people to consider using the bus more often.”

Susan Sutherland, Development Manager for Macmillan in the North of Scotland, said: “This is a fantastic initiative which offers people the chance to raise money and provide much needed support to Macmillan.

We are very grateful to First Aberdeen for its continued support and for implementing such a unique promotion.”

NORTH

A new bus lane is being installed on one of the busiest roads in Hull. The eastbound bus lane will run between the railway bridge and Walton Street and between Chanterlands Avenue and Hymers Avenue. Local bus operators Stagecoach and East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) have been calling for the new lane after identifying the road as a traffic pinch point.

Welcoming the news, Peter Shipp, Chairman of EYMS, told the Hull Daily Mail: “Bus lanes help us and this new lane along Spring Bank West will aid us in tackling the problem of delays which is an issue along there.

“The point to remember is that about half the people who come into Hull to shop travel by bus.

Giving buses a clear passage during times of congestion helps a lot of people and keeps them on time.

There have been concerns about 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.

KEY

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

the rail bridge which is a pinch point but I don’t think it will be a problem. This has been doing the rounds for some time and it is something we very much welcome.”

However, Mr Shipp also urged the council to ensure it enforces the bus lanes. “We have been pressing the council for some time to enforce the bus lanes to keep cars out.”

Three new bus and travel apps have been launched in York with the aim of helping commuters, residents and visitors get around the city.

The YorkLIVE, BusYork and York Park&Ride applications can be downloaded free from all app stores, having been developed after City of York Council secured £4.6m from the Government in 2011 for wider improvements to public transport.

YorkLIVE provides live traffic and travel information, including details of roadworks and closures and the number of available spaces in council car parks, while BusYork helps passengers choose when and where to catch services.

York Park&Ride provides up-todate departure information, how many free spaces sites have and maps.

South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) has launched guides containing Braille text to help people with visual impairments make the most of local interchanges.

The portable guides, developed

by Sheffield-based company

TacMap, are produced on special raised-detail paper and are designed to help users understand the layout of a building before or during a visit.

They highlight essential facilities such as bus stands, entrances and exits, toilets and cash machines, as well as making users aware of the location of obstacles such as stairs and escalators.

SYPTE has worked with the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB) to develop the guides, which are available on a trial basis from the Customer Service Desk in Sheffield Pond Street and Meadowhall interchanges, as well as at SRSB. They can be borrowed free of charge at the interchanges or bought directly from TacMap. SYPTE Director of Customer Experience David Young said: “We want to make our interchanges a place that blind and visually impaired people can visit independently and with confidence.

We pride ourselves on listening carefully to what the customer wants and work closely with local partners to develop and deliver key strategic priorities to improve the transport network of the Sheffield City Region.”

WALES

Cardiff Bus has announced fare and ticket revisions starting this Sunday (May 5) in a bid to increase patronage. The municipally-owned operator is also introducing a revised youth

fare policy and a further roll out of the short hop initiative which allows passengers to travel within designated zones for £1.

Furthermore, following a trial in part with the UK bus industry initiative, Cardiff Bus is offering the long-term unemployed the opportunity to travel for young persons’ fares, upon production of a valid JobCentre Plus travel discount card.

By extending the age at which adult fares apply to 19 years old, Cardiff Bus has re-designed its child fares as young persons’ fares.

Peter Heath, Operations and Commercial Director, Cardiff Bus, said: “It is hoped that by encouraging 16 to 18 year olds to travel with us either during education or employment, they will continue as our customers as they become adults. Traditionally bus companies increase fares from 16, at a time when young people are thinking about their future lifestyle choices, and we feel that by introducing this change we will give them a credible alternative.”

Cynthia Ogbonna, Managing Director at Cardiff Bus, is hopeful these ticket revisions will increase passenger numbers. She said: “From research we have undertaken, it is evident that passengers aged 16 are turned off by bus use, in part because they have been expected to pay for an adult ticket even when still in education. By moving to the new young persons’ fare, we hope to start changing perceptions of bus use among this age group.

Additionally, we want to support our long term unemployed customers by reducing their travelling costs in order for them to successfully gain employment.”

A new tactile guidance path has been introduced in Swansea between the High Street Railway Station and ftr Metro bus stops to make public transport more accessible for the blind and partially-sighted. The tactile route uses a special type of paving which is slightly raised from the ground and thus enables the blind and partially sighted to navigate through the space by following the route with a tapping cane or simply feeling it under foot. The route was developed in partnership with Swansea Council, Welsh Government, Arriva Trains Wales and Guide Dogs Cymru and includes a range of measures which benefit users with disabilities

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14 | COACH & BUS WEEK | May 1, 2013

news › REGIONAL

which have been installed as part of the recent £7m renovation of High Street Station.

The scheme was funded by a Welsh Government grant and directly links with a tactile map. The map, which is available in Braille and large print, provides users with information on the services and facilities available from the station along with where they are located.

Andrea Gordon, Engagement Manager for Guide Dogs Cymru, said: “Guide Dogs Cymru and Vision Impaired West Glamorgan have been involved in the re-development of Swansea rail station from the start.

The tactile map is the first of its kind in Wales, and we hope that this will demonstrate the importance of involving blind and partially sighted people from the start of new projects.”

EAST

Arriva is making adjustments to the times of most of its services in the Southend, Rochford, Castle Point and Basildon areas

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY from Sunday (May 5).

The changes are designed to improve reliability by adding some additional time into the schedules to overcome regular delays at certain points along the routes of services 1, 4/4A, 5, 7/8, 9 and 29.

Coinciding with the start of the revised times is the introduction of an earlier Sunday morning journey on service 29 from Belfairs to Southend, the bus leaving Belgrave Road at 0903hrs to arrive in the Travel Centre at 0927.

Arriva’s Regional Publicity Manager, Richard Lewis, said: “We constantly monitor the timekeeping of our buses and we have taken the opportunity to review all our main services in the Southend area and adjust the running times between certain points to ensure we can run as close to time as possible.

“We hope this action will overcome some regular delays and ensure we get our passengers to their destinations on time whenever we can.”

The popular Llandudno Transport Festival, which is due to be held this Bank Holiday weekend (May 4-6) on the local seafront showground at Bodafon, is the largest in Wales

2013 n May 4–6 Llandudno Festival of Transport. Bodafon Fields, Llandudno. www.llantransfest.co.uk n May 5 Cardiff Transport Preservation Group ‘A Municipal Running Day’. Barry bus depot, Vale of Glamorgan. www.ctpg.co.uk n May 12 First in South Yorkshire Sheffield Centenary Bus Rally.

Olive Grove depot will be open to the public, with modern & heritage buses on display. www.firstgroup. com/ukbus/south_yorkshire/ 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

Stagecoach Manchester and ADL have launched the operator’s latest batch of hybrid buses for the high-profile route 192, which links the city centre with Stockport, with a different twist – by ceremonially planting trees. The 40 new E400Hs represent an investment of £11.3m into the route and is the largest ever single injection into buses on one route in Greater Manchester, the operator claims. ADL’s Frank McGhee joined local MPs Ann Coffey and Andrew Stunnell as well as Stagecoach Manchester MD Christopher Bowles, to plant eight trees on Langdale Road Green. Each tree represents five of the 40 buses which have been brought into service on the route over the past two months.

Christopher Bowles said: “The tree planting ceremony not only celebrates the commissioning of the new buses, it also highlights Stagecoach Manchester’s commitment to the local community. The 192 is one of the busiest services outside London.”

Frank McGhee, of ADL, said: “We’ve been driving forward the development of low carbon, low emission, product alternatives for several years. Together with Stagecoach Manchester, Stockport Council and Manchester City Council, among others, it is fair to say by planting these trees we are literally ‘branching out’ in our combined efforts to introduce new, cleaner air.”

n June 2 Clacton Bus Rally & Running Day, Clacton Factory Outlet, Essex. Classic and current vehicles. Entry forms & more details available at http://www. colneestuarypb.co.uk/

n June 30 Ringwood Bus Rally.

Scenic rides and memorabilia stall.

For details call the Wessex Transport Society on 01202 293245. www. wessextransportsociety.co.uk n July 14 The Annual Peterborough Bus & Commercial Vehicle Rally. Sacrewell Farm (A47/ A1 junction). Free entry. 07828 754412 or 01462 626750 n July 21 Alton Bus Rally. Anstey Park, Anstey Lane, Alton, Hants. www.altonbusrally.org.uk n September 7-8 Bus Driver of the Year Final. Blackpool. Call 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 8 Bus & Coach Wales 2013. Rhyd y Car Leisure Centre, Merthyr Tydfil n September 9-10 CPT Scotland Annual Conference. Crieff Hydro Hotel, Perthshire. Visit www.cpt-uk. org or call CPT Scotland on 0131 272 215 n September 10 Association of Trainers AGM. 1400hrs, Wembley.

For details call 01797 344251.

n June 11-13 ATCO Summer Conference. Merseytravel HQ, Liverpool. www.atco.org.uk

n September 22 Showbus 2013.

Long Marston Airfield, Warwickshire. www.showbus.com

n June 16 Peak Park Preserved Bus Gathering. Rowsley South Station, Peak Rail Heritage Railway, nr. Matlock, Derbyshire. www. chesterfield123.org.uk

n October 2-3 Coach & Bus Live 2013. NEC, Birmingham. www. coachandbuslive.com

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 October 20 Oxford Bus Museum Bus & Coach Vehicle Rally. 01993 883 617. www.oxfordbusmuseum. org.uk

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

www.coachandbusweek.com

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GROUP PROFILE › RATP DEV

The number of countries in which RATP Dev has a presence

What is RATP?

U

Trading as Quality Line, Epsom Coaches runs a 90-strong bus fleet, which boasts an average age of 3.5 years

Introduction to RATP Dev

Coach & Bus Week’s Editor Gareth Evans gives an insight into what you can expect from this week’s super feature while also taking a brief look at RATP’s history and its coach and bus operations around the world

W

elcome to our super feature on RATP Dev. As previously, we have travelled the length and breadth of the UK to visit operating companies and we’ve been fortunate to gain interviews with members of the senior management team.

Andrew interviewed RATP Dev’s CEO and Vice President Europe and Asia, François-Xavier Perin and Cyril Carniel, to hear their thoughts on partnerships and how the company manages its UK subsidiaries.

Andrew was also warmly welcomed at the Bath Bus Company by MD Martin Curtis, Engineering Director Collin Brougham-Field and the Assistant Manger of the firm’s Cardiff operation, Maria Kemble. He enjoyed a City Sightseeing tour of Bath, a walk around the depot and learnt about the new Air Decker service.

James gained invaluable insight from career www.coachandbusweek.com

RATP_Intro2.indd 16

busman Derek Lott, who now heads up Yellow Buses.

James has also enjoyed a visit to the award-winning Bournemouth-based operator, where he met the team, including Operations Manager Mike Conroy and Head of Marketing Jenni Wilkinson.

London United welcomed our Alex to Fulwell Garage, which is also home to the firm’s headquarters. He talked to Richard Casling, LU’s Executive Chairman, and discussed the firm’s relationship with TfL, in addition to being RATP’s sole UK bus operation currently running in a regulated market. London United was keen to stress the importance and benefits of its use of driver monitoring technology from Synectics.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed a family-like welcome at Epsom Coaches when I visited there recently to interview Steve Whiteway. Of particular note to those who operators who may be considering selling up, I asked Steve what sort of business RATP Dev is in the market for. He also outlined the firm’s growth strategy.

ntil the beginning of March 2011, the acronym ‘RATP’ meant little if anything to the UK coach and bus industry. It was then that ‘Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens’, hitherto something of a silent partner (owning a 25% stake) in Transdev broke away, when the latter merged with fellow French multi-national conglomerate Veolia to form Veolia-Transdev. As part the deal, RATP acquired the UK’s Bournemouth Yellow Buses and London United. In the same week, it acquired the Bath Bus Company from Ensign.

Since then, it has grown piecemeal, with the acquisition of Epsom Coaches Group in April 2012 and Selwyns Travel in March this year. The management team readily admits lessons have been learnt from the previous adventures of a fellow French Governmentowned operator – Veolia. The firm, which also traded as Connex, hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after it expanded by making several questionable acquisitions.

Back to RATP, by January 2013, its revenue in the UK alone had grown to be in excess of £245m. In 2011 RATP Dev generated a €12m profit, with EBIT amounting to €13m despite the current climate.

RATP Group was established as a French state enterprise in 1949 and now claims to boast the largest multi-modal network in world run by single operator. In its native Paris the firm operates 350 routes using 4,500 buses, transporting 3.5 million bus passengers a day. It also runs 14 metro lines, two regional rail lines and three tram lines.

In 2002, the RATP Dev subsidiary was established to expand in France outside Paris and internationally.

Since its creation in 2002, RATP Dev has grown steadily. Today it has 50 subsidiaries in Europe, America, Africa or Asia. See opposite for an overview of its international bus and coach operations.

RATP DEV UK RATP Dev UK is an RATP Dev subsidiary which was established in early 2011 to develop the Group’s expansion by recognising opportunities within the UK transport industry. The company

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50

The number of subsidiaries in France and worldwide

oversees the operations of London United, Bournemouth Yellow Buses, Bath Bus Company, Metrolink RATP Dev Ltd in Manchester, Epsom Coaches Group and Selwyns.

Earlier this year a new structure was introduced for the UK. Richard Casling, previously MD of London United, took on a new role within RATP Dev UK as Group Chief Financial Officer. He has remained Executive Chairman of London United, however. To supplement the London team, a Chief Operating Officer is currently being recruited for London United.

While retaining her current responsibilities as HR Director of London United, Karen Fuller agreed to take on a wider role, as HR Director for RATP Dev UK. Similarly, Derek Lott, MD of Bournemouth Yellow Buses took on the additional role of Area Director South, which included responsibility for the direction of the Bath Bus Company.

Heading up the position of Area Director North was Steve Whiteway, who also retained his commitments as MD of Epsom Coaches Group. As outlined elsewhere is this issue, Steve’s remit includes responsibility for Selwyns.

Manchester Metrolink RATP Dev has continued to report through to the RATP Dev Vice President Europe and Asia, Cyril Carniel.

RATP’S WORLD-WIDE BUS OPERATIONS – A BRIEF OVERVIEW ASIA In January 2009, Veolia Transport and RATP Dev created a 50-50 joint venture called Veolia Transport RATP Asia (VTRA). The aim was to boost the two firms’ growth potential on the continent – the main targets being China, South Korea and India.

VTRA has won a 30-year concession with locally-owned Nanjing Zhongbei to operate the public transport networks of six Chinese cities in the Yangtze valley near Shanghai, in what is regarded as a booming area. The operation involves 2,000 buses, with 6,500 employees. VTRA owns 49% of the joint-venture.

Not to be forgotten is that VTRA also has an operation in the special Chinese administrative region of Macau. The contract, which started in 2007, is due to last for seven years. VTRA has a 65% holding in Reolian, a consortium formed with a local company HN Group, which has a 35% holding.

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The total fleet size of RATP Dev across the world FRANCE RATP Dev has almost 30 bus and coach operating company subsidiaries in its native France.

To discuss them all in detail would, of course, take us into ‘bookazine’ territory, but the information can be found at www.ratpdev.com.

However, for completeness it is enough to say RATP Dev operates a number of local and regional transport networks via concessions and joint-ventures. These include demand-responsive transport, school services, open top bus tours, private

hire, corporate charter coaches and inter-urban coach services. Of interest to UK readers considering selling their business to RATP Dev, it is perhaps worth noting the firm’s portfolio comprises former family-owned operators. Given the business mix, it is interesting to observe the parallels with the firm’s acquisitions in the UK to date.

The firm also offers public transport consultancy via its Entreprises et Mobilité Services business – in addition to running light rail tram networks.

RATP Dev runs the local network in La Roche-sur-Yon, Western France

Reolian, the Macau-based operation in which RATP Dev owns a stake

London United runs a fleet of over 800 buses in the UK capital

ITALY Autolinee Toscane has been a wholly-owned operating company of RATP Dev since 2007. It is located in Borgo San Lorenzo, 30 km from Florence. Autolinee Toscane owns 33% of Li-nea S.p.A, operator of part of the urban services in Florence, amounting to 5.6 million km per annum.

Another Italian operating company is Dolomiti Bus, which runs urban and interurban services in and around Belluno, Venitia.

RATP Dev manages and owns 39.5% of Dolomiti Bus, in partnership with the Belluno Province (49.9%) and the City of Belluno (10.6%).

Dolomiti Bus operates a fleet of 217 vehicles from 16 garages.

USA RATP’s North American portfolio, which comes under the banner of RATP Dev America, includes Texas-based McDonald Transit Association, which claims to be the fourth largest public transport operator in the USA. Managing over 3,000 employees, it operates 1,300 vehicles in 15 states from its headquarters in Fort Worth.

In September 2009, RATP Dev acquired 51% of the firm.

Also in USA is Fullington of Pennsylvania. The Fullington Auto Bus Company, to use its full title, provides intercity coach, private hire, tour and school bus services, mainly in the northeast USA. In September 2009, RATP Dev acquired a controlling interest in the company.

The business includes over 350 employees, 52 coaches, 138 school buses, and 11 limousines.

SWITZERLAND RATP Dev Suisse comprises two bus and coach operators of urban, interurban and tourist services.

RATP Dev Suisse TP operates urban routes in the state of Geneva, in Avenches (in state of Vaud) and in French borderland.

The other operation is Helvécie SA, which runs school routes in Avenches and interurban coach services between Geneva and the French Alps. The company also operates regional tourist services and coach tours in Switzerland and France around cultural and special events as well as private hire for corporate groups. The two companies maintain a fleet of 104 fully-owned vehicles, from minibuses to double deck buses and have 120 employees.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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INSIGHT โ บ RATP DEV

Left to right: Franรงois-Xavier Perin (RATP Dev CEO) and Cyril Carniel (RATP Dev Vice President Europe and Asia)

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The French connection Andrew Cream meets with RATP Dev’s CEO and Vice President Europe and Asia, François-Xavier Perin and Cyril Carniel respectively, to find out about the company’s thoughts on partnerships and how it manages its UK subsidiaries

I

met François-Xavier Perin and Cyril Carniel at the Park Lane Hotel in London. It was a fitting location, with London United’s frequent route 9 running right outside the venue.

The hour-long interview was interspersed with humour – and the duo didn’t mind me correcting their English, although it was near impeccable.

Both François-Xavier and Cyril appeared very knowledgeable about public transport, particularly the UK market. It is obvious the company has really done its homework on our ‘big five’, as well as government proposals and legislations.

François-Xavier and Cyril’s knowledge comes from a clear passion in public transport – plus the fact they have over 50 years of industry experience between them.

If it ain’t broke

In the grand scheme of things, both Cyril and François-Xavier are relatively new to their positions. So with their initial days fresh in their minds, I wondered what changes they looked to implement when taking up their new roles.

“I joined when RATP Dev’s UK division was in its infancy,” Cyril said. “It was a strong company and I didn’t have to implement anything – there was no need for a turnaround.

“My role was more about integrating the UK operations

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into their new structure. We gave the companies the freedom they needed but with the back up of Board support.”

François-Xavier said: “I joined a company which was profitable and dynamic so it was just a case of building on that, making the company even more successful, while always considering our figures and profits.

“I think when you have good management in place you don’t need to change anything. We are very much about looking at what works within a company and keeping as much of that as possible.

When you acquire a company, you buy the knowhow of other people – you do not want to get rid of these people.

“You just need to keep the great performance and quality of operations going. RATP Dev is here to bring additional skills and expertise to its UK subsidiaries. But we also will learn from them; it’s very much a two-way business in that sense.”

Cyril continued: “I have a task.

It’s not to be one of the biggest UK operators in five years; it’s to be seen as one of the top quality players. Three years ago we were not in the UK and now we carry more than 300m passengers a year.

But we are still a midget in this market in comparison to the ‘big five’. We have more potential targets to acquire than we have resources so we have to be very choosy.

“Our selling point is the www.coachandbusweek.com

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INSIGHT › RATP DEV

quality of the business – we are adding value to the market and for that we need a long-term, reliable business.”

Cyril Carniel: a brief history

Playing to your strengths

François-Xavier spent around 20 years with Transdev, so how does RATP Group compare?

“It’s a bit smaller,” he commented.

“But a massive difference, which is a key strength of ours, is our expertise and knowhow of urban and large city operations.

“Our Paris network is recognised as a great success and we have learnt a lot from it, which has helped us improve RATP Dev in turn. The busiest corridor on our light rail system carries 1.2m passengers per day.

“We have learnt about areas like technology, marketing and ticketing.”

RATP is state owned, but François-Xavier explained the firm is still subject to competition.

“RATP operates in open markets,” he said. “The liberalisation of the market has already happened with regards to bus routes in Paris – every new route from now is open to competition. The market is progressively opening to competition through tenders.

We have contracts with the Local Authority just like other operators.

“Competition is part of our daily bread, and it takes very different forms. In France, we have some contracts which last five years while other contracts last 30 years. At the end of 30 years we come back to compete through the tendering process.”

Being state owned isn’t as much of an issue as one might think, Cyril explained. “The lines are starting to blur,” he said. “For example, Arriva is state owned now. We are not stock listed, which has a big influence on our strategy. It means we can have more of long-term view instead of focusing on putting our shares up.”

Understanding cultural differences

RATP Dev’s bus work spans seven countries across three continents.

Of course, this creates a number of operational and cultural differences.

François-Xavier said: “We run a portfolio of businesses; it’s good to have different regimes and risks.

The variety of local governments with different political backgrounds increases the diversity. However, the basic need to have an efficient public transport network is very www.coachandbusweek.com

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Above: A London United bus on route 9 which runs outside the Park Lane Hotel. Below: RATP Dev has bus operations all over France

“Hybrids are A way forward but not THE way forward.

It’s a step in the right direction – at least something is happening.”

Cyril Carniel similar from one place to another.

It’s very much tailored solutions to different areas we want to bring.

As we want to be international, we have to be open minded.”

Cyril added: “At the end of the day, it’s customer satisfaction which brings in the revenue, so you need to have the quality in place.”

Cyril went on to explain further the cultural differences the company faces. “RATP Dev has public transport operations in 12 countries, but there are even differences between regions in the same country,” he said. “In Macau (a special administrative region of

the People’s Republic of China) we operate out of a large station and inevitably there are some accidents. A few months ago we had two accidents in the same week, so something obviously had to be done.

“We decided to install some speed bumps, but a union representative told us we also needed to hire a spiritual leader to speak with the ‘bad spirits’. In their culture that was the right thing to do in that situation. You have to adjust and not make snap judgements.”

François-Xavier was keen to emphasise however the stringent procedures it has in place: “The areas we don’t compromise on are safety and quality.”

Comfortable with QCs

Local Authorities seem to have been flirting with the idea of Quality Contracts (QCs) for years now. As a result of what many see as the threat of QCs, a number of partnerships have been set up between local governments

Cyril’s background is in economics, which he studied at Paris Dauphine University. He then went on to do an MBA at Henley Management College (now Henley Business School).

After a brief stint in the food industry, Cyril’s first role in public transport was working for VIA-GTI – which later became Keolis, after SNCF (France’s state-owned railway company) bought majority shares in the company.

“It was one of the leading operators in France at the time,” Cyril explained. “I spent 14 years there in a variety of positions – I was Managing Director for three different subsidiaries.”

In 2000, the operation he had been heading up at the time was sold to Veolia. He was based in Prague for four years, looking after operations in countries which included Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia and Poland. Cyril then became head of the Northern Europe businesses, based in Stockholm, where he oversaw eight countries, dealing with all types of public transport.

In 2008 he came back to France where he owned and managed two consultancies, specialising in transport.

Cyril continued: “While I was running my own business I had the opportunity to meet people who were working at RATP. They were interested in me joining the team and revealed the company had some really exciting proposals.”

He joined RATP Dev in 2010 as Director of the Northern Europe unit. He is now Vice President for Europe and Asia. This takes him to the UK and Italy in Europe and China, South Korea and India in Asia. “I travel a lot,” Cyril added.

“The markets we are in are all vastly different from each other.”

“I supervise the management teams across the European and Asian operations,” he added.

“We have some diverse cultural environments; for example, India is very different to the UK, and I look at the strategic issues which arise and determine what works best for each environment.”

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INSIGHT › RATP DEV

François-Xavier Perin: a brief history

François-Xavier Perin is an accountant by trade, having graduated from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and joining Banque Française du Commerce Extérieur in 1976.

François-Xavier says he “fell into the transport industry by chance”, when he moved to Progecar Group in 1985 as Director of Financial Studies and the Treasury.

In 1988 he became the Finance Director of Transdev, before moving into operations, spending five years managing the firm’s Grenoble operation – Semitag.

Between 1997 and 2006 FrançoisXavier was CEO of Transdev UK and Transdev Australia and was Executive Chairman of Eurailco, the regional rail operator in Germany which was a joint subsidiary of Transdev and RATP Dev at the time.

He came back to France in 2007 where he was appointed Chief Operating Officer and then MD of Transdev, although he left the company in 2009 when Veolia and Transdev were merged.

“I then worked in other industries for three years,” François-Xavier explained. “RATP Dev then asked me to join their board in 2012. I was then offered the CEO position in December 2012.”

François-Xavier says he has two main tasks within his job.

“One is to keep my shareholders happy,” he mused. “They have to understand what we are doing so they are happy with the direction the company is going in. I also need to get from them what I need for the company to progress.

“The other task is to make sure my management team is happy and is working in an environment which inspires development and growth.

I have to make the right decisions so that my team is working in a coordinated environment.”

“At the end of the day passengers want reliability. Our ultimate goal is to deliver a reliable and affordable service day in day out.”

François-Xavier Perin www.coachandbusweek.com

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and operators. Cyril and FrançoisXavier aren’t fazed by the potential introduction of QCs in this country.

“They are a bit like the Loch Ness monster – when will they appear?”

Cyril quipped. “In France we actually already have a lot of QCs, so we are very comfortable with the idea and we’re ready for it.

“For QCs to catch on, however, the first one or two have to be a success – we await a decision.”

“We are used to local authority interaction,” François-Xavier said.

“We understand the LA has to have its say on each network. This is within the genes of most of the countries we operate in. If anything, the UK is the odd one out as there is much less LA involvement.”

Cyril added: “Within the UK however, we still have many partnerships – London being a good example. We also have a very close relationship with TfGM regarding the Manchester Metrolink and Bournemouth Borough Council has a shareholding in Yellow Buses.

“Within public transport, you need to work with councils for everything you do – it can’t be

totally independent.

“We are really used to this kind of relationship; it is exactly the way it works across the world – it’s so common.”

Turning to technology

With passenger numbers falling across most parts of the UK, a lot of operators have been looking to technology like WiFi and RTI as a means of enticing potential customers onto buses.

Cyril and François-Xavier say RATP Group keeps a close eye on upcoming technology and regularly trials products to test their value.

“We are taking onboard everything which is happening within the industry and we are always testing products,” Cyril said. “We are extremely aware of what’s going on. We look for technology which will make services better for clients.

Smartcard ticketing is something we are very keen on as it means we can find out about our passengers’ habits and target them accordingly.”

“Passenger information is fascinating too,” François-Xavier added. “The speed of which

Above: An Irisbus Agora in Le Vib’ livery operating in Vierzon. Below: Apart from France, Switzerland and the UK, RATP also has subsidiaries in Italy

people expect information is astounding. There is a growing use of smartphone apps and of course social networking like Twitter.

Everybody is running to the minute and they are expecting up-to-date route information.”

Turning to engine technology, Cyril said: “Hybrids are A way forward but not THE way forward.

It’s a step in the right direction – at least something is happening.”

On gas buses, François-Xavier said: “They were in fashion in France 10 years ago but that’s not the case anymore. Operators in France are now thinking of getting rid of them.”

He made it clear he believed public transport companies in general are helping the environment.

“We are not polluters,” he said.

“We are driving people out of their cars. Plus, between 60 and 70% of our passengers travel using our electric vehicles. We are currently looking at the expense and reliability of electric buses – at the end of the day passengers want reliability. Our ultimate goal is to deliver a reliable and affordable service day in day out.”

Sharing best practice

Cyril summed up RATP Dev in the UK: “We have six companies so far and the MDs have all been able to carry on as they were doing – none of them changed to become part of RATP Dev, they have a lot of freedom. We need to keep the management teams in place, but we can bring in additional expertise.

We transfer our knowhow and best practice – and we share knowhow from them too! We can also share best practice around the subsidiaries.

“Of course, we have some rules for financial reporting – we tell them they have to deliver, in terms of money, quality and customer relations, but they always do.

“We are operating in a number of different local markets, with local PTAs, employees and passengers, so having local management is important.”

François-Xavier added: “You can’t deliver good local operations if you don’t trust your management team and don’t give them empowerment.”

“The situation is tough for operators at the moment,” Cyril concluded. “We have to adjust to changes like cuts in BSOG. But public transport has a bright future because it will always be needed.

There is definitely a future for buses.”

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FACE TO FACE › STEVE WHITEWAY

NAME: Steve Whiteway AGE: 55 POSITION: MD, Epsom Coaches Grp & RATP-Dev UK Area Director North CONTACT: 01372 731700 www.epsomcoaches.com

Still smiling under RATP Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans talks to the everfriendly Steve Whiteway about what life is like with RATP, Selwyn’s and an update on Epsom Coaches Group

I

t’s no exaggeration to say Steve Whiteway has been the face of Epsom Coaches for many years, thanks in no small part to his time as CPT President, which involved countless visits to operators, attractions – and industry dinners.

His personality means audiences at conferences are captivated. Put simply, he’s not the sort of speaker who sends delegates to sleep – he gets his thought-provoking messages across in a highly engaging manner. He has that air of authority but at the same time he’s very approachable. He likes to talk coach business but he’s also the first to laugh and bring a smile to the faces of others.

While some at 55 years of age are gearing up for retirement, Steve remains very much in the hot seat and is without doubt even more so now, thanks to his promotion to Area Director North, while still retaining his role as MD of Epsom Coaches Group.

Life under RATP

So what is life like under RATP? One thing’s for sure, Steve is still smiling – even if his diary makes a budget airline schedule look tame by comparison.

“As you can imagine, a business established in 1920, with a huge family ethos and viewed as a popular employer, we had lots of offers over the years but we remained steadfastly independent,” explained Steve.

“The problem is when people buy a company they often change what they actually bought. Epsom Coaches was the independent of the independents. A year down the line, I can safely say if we had not told the staff, they would not have noticed a difference. We’ve always been very open book here www.coachandbusweek.com

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Above: A somewhat ‘arty’ view of Epsom’s Optare Versas at the depot – we even present budgets to the staff. We’ve got four committees – engineering, coach drivers, bus drivers and administration staff.

They have management nominees who attend to answer queries. The aim is to get a list of actions, such as a vehicle having a persistent rattle.

Most things can seem minor on the face of it but to a driver, they’re very important. What I don’t like to see is a list which never moves, so I set deadlines. Each January I give our management team New Year’s resolutions. Periodically I attend team meetings. We’re very much in it together here – we don’t say ‘work for’, we say ‘work with’ Epsom Coaches. That’s not changed under RATP. “Apart from Andrew Richmond, the only people who knew about the deal were my PA Clare and Nilesh, who is now our Finance Director.

However, our staff had seen ‘men in suits’ on site. After completing the sale, we called our eight-strong management team in for a meeting.

I’m known here as ‘Young Mr Grace’.

We purposefully didn’t announce it on a Friday as people would have

been stewing over it all weekend.

The next day, people came in and still saw the same faces. It’s vital to maintain management continuity.

The same has happened at Selwyn’s. The only thing which did change here immediately was the promotion of Nilesh from Finance Controller to FD. For a groupowned company, financial reporting is the biggest change.

“The hardest thing was appointing another director from within the excellent team of managers here. I decided to appoint Hugh Barrington as our Commercial Director. A busman, he’s a brilliant scheduler and knows London intimately – I haven’t been disappointed in my choice.

“We all muck in here – the management team clean the site each month. In the past I was probably far more hands-on.

Because of my background in the building industry I designed the new depot in CAD. “A number of potential suitors (buyers) asked why spend money on the depot before a sale as it doesn’t add value. I replied it was because we’d talked about it for 10 years and decided it was worth it, to take the business forward long term, a premise we have always stuck by” “A year later, apart from the necessary reporting, RATP leaves us alone to get on with it.

I’m one of three UK directors of RATP-Dev. At 55 years of age, I’m busier now than ever. As CPT President, I had to delegate but now I’ve had to do it even more, which is hard for me sometimes.”

Steve Whiteway remains as committed and enthusiastic about the coach and bus industry as ever

RATP expansion?

Perhaps not surprisingly, Steve said: “Once we’d been bought by RATP, it triggered a load of calls from other operators who were interested in selling up.”

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Asked what would attract RATP to a business, Steve replied: “Especially in buses, you can look at a firm and think ‘nice network’ but you’ve always got to ask why are the owners selling?

“A company may not have invested in the fleet, so we always look at DDA compliance. We look at 10 years in terms of valuation of the business, based on accounts.

If you know 70% of the fleet is not DDA-compliant, you’ve got to import vehicles, which costs money of course. Clearly, as we approach the deadline, values for late used vehicles will rocket. Therefore, you have to put that investment in, so the price offered reflects it. Either way, their business ends up not being worth as much.”

Steve added: “Thanks to CPT I knew years ago about the impacts of the DDA and the Working Time Directive. If you increase wages steadily over five years, you’re hit less than through an immediate blow because the hours worked reduce and wages must rise. I get involved in things because it helps our business.”

Is RATP interested in coaches?

“The reality is we will look at any passenger transport company and tender opportunity – that means, light rail, tram, local bus services, coaches and specialised sectors.

There is no real criteria or strategy to be x size by a certain time in the UK.” Steve said the factors considered include: ■ Is the company profitable? If so, how?

■ Will the management stay on?

■ Can the business be expanded?

■ Does it provide a good base and can there be bolt-on acquisitions?

“The actual mix is likely to be contractual, but that doesn’t rule out private hire. For us at Epsom, these days private hire tends to remain the same in customer terms each year.

We don’t have a UK headquarters for RATP-Dev. I remember telling Selwyn, ‘who would have imagined we would work together’. We’re off to Paris together soon.

“You see it’s not about the assets you’re buying, it’s about the people.

This is reflected by the fact RATP doesn’t have a particular area. Boltons could mean disposal of a yard and integration of work.

“We’ve looked at NHS contracts too. Again, we would want to retain the current management team as we currently have no UK expertise in this field. People,

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FACE TO FACE › STEVE WHITEWAY

me more than anyone, fear socalled ‘group culture’. In reality it’s not been an issue at RATP.” Steve was keen to stress: “It’s not a case of letting Epsom Coaches go downhill while I go and buy companies.”

“People know me and that’s hard at times. Doing due diligence means exploring companies in great depth, good and bad. People like contacting me and I enjoy it. Notoriety can work against you – staff at companies know me so immediately conclude RATP is buying a company. Therefore, I send a spy along,” he jested.

“My contacts can help too though.

You get a feeling straight away. By that I mean little details like seeing weeds in the depot yard. It’s like selling a house. You don’t leave cracks in the walls – you fill and paint them and you put flowers in the tubs.

“The danger is when people sell, they can lose the motivation to earn money because they’ve got their payout. Selwyn is different because he’s as eager as ever to do deals – he’s in his element. Selwyn won’t retire anytime soon. He laughed during his first day at work under RATP ownership. According to the rumour mill, a dozen Setras were heading up there from Epsom – which was simply not true of course. After one of his team saw him suited and booted, he asked Selwyn ‘Off to court guvnor?’ This good natured banter demonstrates Selwyn’s rapport with his staff, something we share in Epsom.”

Asked whether RATP had any preferences in terms of geography for its acquisitions, he replied: “The northwest is obviously well placed for bolt-ons although Selwyns does not have extensive bus expertise.

However, we could give them expertise and they could operate it.

“If you were RATP and wanted a firm, you would target larger operators away from the northwest, with around 100 vehicles. The costs of acquisition are the same really, so we need a fleet to be worthwhile, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t look at smaller operations. It depends on the potential for expansion and the nature of their market sector.”

“If a business was in a core market but geographically remote, we can leave them alone. Managers are there to manage.

“Richard, Derek and I meet each month with Cyril. Before we sold the business, I went to Paris to meet Cyril and the team at head office. Coming from little Epsom Coaches, it was www.coachandbusweek.com

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Above: Training bus & an ADL E400 at the depot. Below: A London United ALX 400 in Epsom’s paintshop we have carried French politicians and Selwyn’s is well placed to cover the north of England for us.”

Philosophy

very surreal, but I was made very welcome. Everyone deals in English, so there are no language issues.

“We’re all learning with acquisitions. They’re very businesslike at RATP but at the same time, practical. Nobody from Paris went to Selwyns before my say-so. It’s a huge responsibility for me but they looked at the figures of what is a very good business. Prior to the deal, I knew Selwyn as a colleague in the industry but not as someone to work with.

“I would be lying if I said we don’t have a list of target operators. We have made approaches to some and others have come to us. It’s constantly moving. On the other hand, we won’t pay over the odds. Veolia has provided a very salutary lesson.”

Asked if any French coaches had been seen at Epsom’s depot yet, Steve replied: “Not yet, but recently

“I was very shy when I was younger.

When I was with a tour guide I would try to work it so I didn’t have to sit with her. I’d say I’d got a headache or the coach needed cleaning. I was too shy to chat, so avoided it at all costs. People can’t believe that now when they see me up on stage. I soon realised coach driving is about entertaining – driving is only half of it.

“I recall people would come to London from up north by train to King’s Cross. We would take them straight to Earl’s Court. Most drivers would go direct via the Westway, whereas I would take them via Embankment. I didn’t take much longer but there was so much more to see. That to me sums it up, giving added value. I would end up £10 better off than them too for being 10 minutes longer,” he mused.

“On a private hire, the key is to look after the group organiser. He or she will stick with a driver and by definition with an operator; the price then becomes less relevant.”

On that note, Steve said: “At Epsom Coaches we’re about to do some etiquette training, which lasts for two hours. The first half is a Powerpoint presentation about how to look after people. Just before the pick up, turn the interior lights on and when you pull up, stand outside by the door – little things

make such a difference and of course, first impressions count.

“All coaches are cleaned by professional cleaners. It’s cheaper these days to employ dedicated cleaners than it is to get drivers to do it. All our coaches are equipped with on-board vacuum cleaners for tour work, though.

“However, by employing dedicated cleaners, the risk is cleaning can be seen as being ‘below’ coach drivers. There are of course, distinct differences between bus and coach drivers. We tell our coach drivers they must look after their vehicles – and that means wiping the odd surface for example.

“Attention to detail is vital. I’m not asking for them to don overalls.

I felt recently we were beginning to fail on the details. I told our coach team they don’t have to be on the coaches – we can find vacancies on the buses for those who can’t deliver an Epsom Coach driver’s job description. Not that bus require any less of a standard, it is just different.

“I always say you can’t work in a mess. If your vehicle is clean, you won’t get annoying defects. For example, our chassis wash is used on each vehicle every month – as opposed to annually for the MOT. If our mechanics are not smart, the attitude is emulated by the drivers.

I don’t want us having big spanners covered in gunge.”

Steve continued: “My door is always open. I like working long hours in a way but I always say

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you’ve got to choose to do it.

“We could probably make more money if we didn’t do it so well but then we wouldn’t be Epsom Coaches.”

In something which perhaps further reinforces his amenable nature, Steve explained: “I had a new Range Rover recently. People here know that when I joined Epsom Coaches as a trainee coach driver, I rode a small motorbike to work. I’ve got no O-levels. While I have been fortunate to be presented with opportunities, I’ve got to where I am through hard work – and I never forget that. Therefore, rather than just turning up at work in a new vehicle, I encouraged people to take a seat in it if they were interested – it’s about sharing and I suppose it helps being so down to earth.”

Epsom Update

Epsom Coaches is fortunate to undertake a healthy cross-section of work, from stagecarriage to TfL bus work, National Express (NX) and private hire – in addition to operating its own tour programme.

The firm’s Fleetcare and Training divisions are also available to third party operators. Indeed, during CBW’s visit a London United ALX 400 double-decker bus was in the paintshop.

So how is Epsom performing as a business? In terms of contract coaching, Epsom’s relationship with Terravision ended on December 31, after the Italian-owned operator took the work in-house.

“We got on well with the Terravision,” explained Steve. “Indeed, we helped set it up. We were going to replace the 04-plate Setras in January but they gave us plenty of notice, so we’ve now sold them.”

Epsom is a trusted NX coach partner operator. “They had been chasing us for four years. Thanks to our experience of Terravision work, we learnt high-mileage doesn’t mean a proportional rise in costs.

It helps with guaranteed income for 364 days of the year, something which is otherwise unheard of.

“We go to Wolverhampton and Birmingham daily. We’re fortunate to enjoy a great rapport with NX.” Steve added: “Selwyn’s and Bournemouth operate diagrams – to the extent RATP runs almost 10% of the NX UK coach network.

Epsom only has four coaches allocated and a PVR of two, so it’s a very small part of the operation.”

Back to Epsom, Steve said the firm runs 24 coaches. “Of that, 80%

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is contract work or our own holiday products, so we’re looking for a small percentage in terms of private hire. We used to be the largest private hire coach operator in London but we can’t now find work at the right price. However, we’re still fortunate to have a number of very loyal customers in London.

“We only tend to work at the top end of the market because of our Setra fleet. Setras are great to look at and operate but they’re very much a premium coach – they cost £360,000 each if you include VAT. I always quote prices inclusive of VAT to customers as it’s what they understand. Round here you can buy a nice house for that, hence why I tell drivers they have to look after their vehicles.”

In something which will doubtless strike a chord with many, on private hire Steve said: “I’ve always told our rivals to undercut us by 20% but not 50%. It seems the bell has finally rung as the rates have risen locally. We always sell Epsom Coaches on quality. On the whole we have a good relationship with other operators.

“Some of our fleet is operated in customers’ own liveries – a prime example being Epsom NHS Hospital trust. They’ve saved a fortune on couriers after we installed a fridge for samples onboard the MercedesBenz Sprinter minibuses which link the sites. Our drivers take the samples direct to the laboratories.

They introduced the vehicles to help reduce their environmental impact, we said they could save even more. A similar staff travel service is operated for the Royal Marsden Hospital group. We also work with a corporate clients staff travel requirement, which involves 100 miles per day.

“We don’t do any home to school

work as it simply doesn’t pay.

However, we do a lot with the local private schools as they pay for a frontline coach.”

Asked about the firm’s own tours, Steve replied: “We’re ahead of budget this year. However, bookings are very weather dependent – when it’s fine, they increase, which is funny when customers are booking a trip for September in April.

“Our biggest success story is home pickups. Ours is very personal because you meet the driver and courier at our heritage centre. The advantage for us is the crew is refreshed.

“I do a great Prince Charles impression. We’ve recorded a tongue in cheek comment about not parking the coach on the lawn and play it on our Highgrove tours. The passengers love it.

“There are two profit centres here which provide work for five coaches and seven at peak times.

I charge roughly £650 per day but the reality is, I could probably get it done cheaper by someone else still operating a Setra and in our livery.”

Epsom’s bus division trades as Quality Line. “We’re heavily into TfL London Buses work. We operate 14 routes, one of which uses just a single bus, while another has a PVR of nine. I’ve always believed it’s better to have multiple contracts with a low PVR so that if you lose work, it’s not such a blow,”

“ I always say, don’t compare us against another operator – the test it to compare with another industry, like a top class hotel.”

Steve Whiteway

A Plaxton Cheetah pictured at Beddgelert coach park in Snowdonia

explained Steve.

“In the last 18 months, we’ve won the X26, which is the only orbital route and runs from Heathrow to Croydon. At just over 23 miles, it’s the longest bus route in the capital.

We’ve got an experienced team driving Mercedes-Benz Citaros, which we acquired brand new last year. I feel the Citaro is the best bus ever built. They’re excellent quality and don’t date.”

Steve added: “If you call yourself Quality Line, you’ve got to live up to it. When I started up on buses I wanted to run it like coaches but inevitably you get little knocks.

Most of our routes incur a lot of dead mileage so we use pool cars and Mercedes-Benz Vitos for crew shuttles.

“We enjoy a great relationship with TfL but operate only 1% of the network. We’ve worked with them for 18 years now. We still operate Surrey County Council local bus routes too. We’ve recently re-introduced a cream-based livery for our provincial buses. It’s not the most practical but it certainly looks distinctive. All our buses wore a red livery for years because they were interchangeable. The drivers have always remained separate though – London and provincial. At 10 years the Solos allocated to Surrey work are our oldest but they’ve got airconditioning and power ramps, so they’re a decent spec.”

Last but by no means least, it is perhaps worth noting that Epsom has computerised its staff notices and wages. “Payslips are sent out by email as they used to get lost. We have two PCs in the staff room connected to a printer,” explained Steve.

On a lighter note, Steve said: “We have lots of fun here – every two years we make a film for our staff.

We’ve had ‘Strictly Come Buses’ and ‘Batman Sorting Out the Antisocial Behaviour’. We’ve got a broadcast quality camera for our training unit.

This year we’re going to do ‘I’m a Coach Driver Get Me in Here’. The 15-minute film is packed with injokes. It shows we’re human. I don’t get funny providing all the work is done correctly outside – and it’s no different under RATP.” Steve concluded: “I want people to feel they want to come to work.

Friendly banter is vital. It works against us sometimes – those who’ve been here for years take it for granted. I always say, don’t compare us against a coach firm – the test it to compare with another industry, like a top class hotel.” www.coachandbusweek.com

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FACE TO FACE › DEREK LOTT

Top: ‘The Square’, part of a busy bus corridor in Bournemouth. Above: Yellow Buses has a long history stretching back to 1902 www.coachandbusweek.com

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Transforming Yellow Buses James Day speaks to Derek Lott, Managing Director of Bournemouth-based Yellow Buses, to discover how the company was transformed from one in decline into the solid, customer focused and award-winning operation it is today, with consistent patronage growth

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ellow Buses has existed since 1902, when it was a local authority-owned tram operation.

The company made the change to trolleybuses in the 1930s.

The operator became an arms length company from Bournemouth Borough Council in 1986, before it was sold to Transdev in December 2005 – although a stake was retained by the authority.

In 2011, Transdev wished to merge with Veolia, but RATP Group had a 25% stake in Transdev. To cover this, RATP Group wanted companies rather than cash and chose the companies which it deemed to match its quality ethos, including Yellow Buses. It became part of RATP Dev UK in March 2011.

Yellow Buses operates from a single purpose-built depot at Yeomans Way, which it moved into in March 2006. Its operating territory covers Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, with more recent expansion covering Wimborne, Ferndown, West Moors and Highcliffe.

Including its N6 night bus, Yellow Buses operates on 36 routes. It also runs two National Express contract coach services to London.

A growing and varied fleet

Excluding two training vehicles, the Yellow Buses fleet consists of 138 buses – 83 single and 55 double deckers – and 18 coaches. Its peak vehicle requirement is 116 buses.

The operator currently employs 430 staff, including 290 bus drivers

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Derek Lott took over at Yellow Buses when it was sold to Transdev and 58 coach drivers.

“We refresh part of the fleet each year, usually with brand new vehicles,” Derek said. “However, we acquired 15 used vehicles last year though, so we could move out a number of older vehicles.

“This year we’ve put in an order for eight WrightBus StreetLites, but we have no particular preference in vehicle manufacturer. We’ve had Wrights, ADLs and Optares.

“We buy the appropriate type for the service it will be used on, taking into account vehicle price and delivery. All must meet our quality specification requirements, including leather seats, plenty of legroom and so on.”

Yellow Buses very specific requirements for vehicles and varied fleet are products of the freedom it is allowed by RATP Dev Group. “RATP Dev is a great group to be a part of,” Derek stated. “ The group believes it is important for all of its subsidiaries to be customer focused. They saw this attribute in Yellow Buses which closely aligned with their own philosophy and

meant not much needed to change.

“RATP Group allows for individual Managing Directors to be responsible for their part of the business, which is great when you’re an MD. The group provides as much support as is required but MDs have significant autonomy and are empowered and trusted to make the decisions.

“You get the best of both worlds.

You have the strength of the group with the flexibility of an individual operator. Financial budgets and forecasts are agreed at group level, but MDs have full authority for everything else. We may be in a big group but we operate as a small local company.”

Derek explained the success Yellow buses has seen in recent years has come from establishing a solid network as a platform from which it can innovate.

“Our success has been having the ability to embrace change while maintaining stability. We’ve achieved this through having a great team.

“A strong foundation for a bus company is to build and maintain a robust, reliable network with excellent information, competitive fares and a great team behind it.

The foundation needs to be stable but flexible. You shouldn’t change for sake of change but mustn’t stand still either.

“You have to change and improve the customer experience without losing stability.

Turning the business around

When Yellow Buses was acquired

by Transdev the company was loss making and had seen a

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FACE TO FACE › DEREK LOTT

worrying decline in patronage. The firm needed complete overhaul to stop the decline. Every route the company operated was reviewed, examining punctuality, journey times and reliability.

“We recognised from a customer point of view the network was confusing,” Derek explained.

“Buses were not going where passengers wanted, few route changes had been made for years and information was almost nonexistent.

“We identified and numbered the core routes and changed it so that different services working on the same corridor had suffixes instead of completely different and incoherent route numbers. This made identifying bus routes easier for passengers, with most only needing to remember a number.

“We also reduced the amount of route numbers we operated to further simplify the network.”

Yellow Buses also completely changed its publicity. Colour coding was added to routes, bespoke timetables were introduced and each individual bus stop, over 1,000 in total, was named and given a bespoke display. Yellow Buses also introduced pocket maps & spider maps and added a journey planner to its website. Derek stated the journey planner also gives fare information, which was an industry first when it was introduced.

“It is important passengers feel comfortable and confident,” he added.

In the first year since the change in ownership, Yellow Buses saw a 25% increase in patronage. Up to end of 2012, the total increase has been 61%, taking annual passenger journeys from 9.3 million in 2005 to the 15 million+ Yellow Buses carries today.

Yellow Buses has also seen very positive passenger satisfaction results, using an independent marketing company to survey its passengers. The results have been confirmed by Passenger Focus, and gave an overall satisfaction rating in Autumn 2011 of 89%, higher than the average for the surrounding area.

Moving with technology While the operator may be over a century old, Yellow Buses has not been shy about embracing new technology, some of which really is top of the range.

“RATP Group is a very innovative group and we will continue to innovate,” Derek explained.

“You’ve got to constantly improve www.coachandbusweek.com

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event and helps the operator keep up to date on its customers thoughts and issues.

“It’s a mixture of everything you do which gives customers confidence,” Derek concluded.

An award-winning operator

The fleet includes ADLs, Volvo, Wrights and Optares, such as this Versa

“Buses are a bit of a political football and regrettably will remain so. I don’t think all politicians understand the massive contribution bus services make to their area.”

Derek Lott

Derek Lott:

a brief history

Derek has been in the coach and bus industry for 42 years, initially joining London Transport in 1971 as driver. “I fell into the industry really,” he mused. “I saw a job advert on the side of a London Transport bus saying I could earn £25 per week and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

During his time at London Transport Derek progressed through various operational roles before being made Operations Director at London United in 1997. From there, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and Deputy MD of London United & London Sovereign in 2003.

When Yellow Buses was acquired

by Transdev in 2005, Derek initially had responsibility to integrate it into the business, but due to concerns about performance of the business at that time he personally took charge of the company in 2006.

Last year, Derek became a UK board member for RATP Dev UK, with responsibility for South of England including RATP Dev owned Bath Bus Company.

the package you offer and one way you can do that is by embracing technology. It can help give passengers the confidence to travel by bus.

“Our Glocard and Glopurse, developed between us and Parkeon, are popular with many customers.

It’s not just a pass but also a virtual wallet for ad hoc purposes. The smartcard can be topped up online in under 24 hours. Any top-up is always ready for use the next day, as the data is downloaded to the ticket machines overnight.

“We don’t have mobile ticketing but we are looking at it and considering it. We’re also working with the local authority to provide the next generation of next stop announcements to build on the next stop displays we currently use. That will come in either later this year or early next year.”

Telematics is a route which the operator hasn’t fully travelled down just yet, but it is nearing completion of a trial using MiX Telematics which appears to have been quite successful.

“We are evaluating the benefits of telematics on half our fleet,” Derek stated. “We’re using MiX Telematics – they were being used by a sister company so we thought we would give them a try. It does seem to help improve standards and give some saving. It’s also useful for accident investigation. We’ll be making a decision in the near future whether to extend it to all our fleet.”

Yellow Buses has also embraced social media and makes extensive use of it. The operator holds real-time customer forums online where the Yellow Buses marketing department answer customer’s questions live. It is quite a regular

Yellow Buses has seen a great deal of success in recent years in terms of industry awards, winning Shire Operator of the Year two times running in 2009 and 2010 at the UK Bus Awards along with numerous other accolades for its operations and drivers. Recently, the company’s Glo card smartcard won the Best Smartcard Ticketing award at the Mastercard Transport Ticketing Awards 2013.

“It’s always good to be recognised by the industry,” Derek said. “It was really great for the staff to have their huge contribution recognised.

Having said that, despite the kudos, it doesn’t impact on our business, though of course the awards are good to get.

“Our proudest achievement was turning the business around, taking it from loss-making to profit.”

The trials ahead

Like many key figures in the industry, Derek thinks the challenges operators are facing are significant, but believes the work ethic and passion of its workforce will carry it through.

“Since I’ve been in the industry there have always been challenges and there always will be,” he stated. “Buses are a bit of a political football and regrettably will remain so. I don’t think all politicians understand the massive contribution bus services make to their area.

“Currently the main challenges we face are uncertainty over BSOG which could have tremendous negative effect and local authorities don’t have funds to support bus services these days. There are also many EU directives with impossible costs. There are some good intentions behind them but they are rarely well thought out.

“My experience is that in spite of the problems they face, people in our industry are passionate about providing a good service, very innovative and very professional.

“We will continue to rise to the challenge and I’m confident the ‘can do, will do, must do’ attitude of the industry will carry it through to the other side.”

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DEPOT VISIT › YELLOW BUSES

Bournemouth: busy buses by the sea James Day heads to the South Coast to visit Yellow Buses in Bournemouth and speaks with Operations Manager Mike Conroy and Head of Marketing Jenni Wilkinson, finding out more about the business at a ground level

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ravelling to the South Coast seems to suit me rather well, as I had yet another clear run to Dorset to visit Yellow Buses, with the only trial on the way being my patience with Nick Grimshaw at the helm on the Radio One breakfast show. I arrive at Yellow Buses’ conveniently-located depot, tucked away behind the Castlepoint Shopping Centre, earlier than I expected, but the site is still quite empty. The 24-hour service it provides is already in high gear.

The company has a second premises in the middle of the town where its control centre is based throughout the day, close to what it calls ‘The Square’, part of a large bus corridor which is the closest Bournemouth has to a bus station.

The control centre migrates to its depot for the night when the crew changes, keeping the night shift together.

After Jenni Wilkinson, Head of Marketing, gives me a tour of the depot for pictures while the town is still ‘Sunny Bournemouth’, I meet Mike Conroy, Operations Manager.

It’s immediately clear that Mike

and Jenni are both very passionate about the business and could happily talk about it for the entire day.

A Seasonal Business

Mike has been Operations Manager at Yellow Buses for three years, having previously been employed

by Arriva. He worked in the same area back in the 80s and was happy to return to it.

“It was nice to come back as a lot about the area hasn’t changed,” he explained. “It’s still a seasonal business with tremendous focus on the summer months and people accept they have to work hard

during that time. There are extra, shorter peaks in summer too, such as the Bournemouth Air Festival.

“Customers are happy to put up with the extra hassle and traffic delays as there is a positive ethos in the entire community – they know the level of service and amount of attractions they have are as a result of tourism. They have a better level of evening and winter service because of it.

“I like the way the local workforce gets stuck in and gets geared up for the summer. They deserve the credit they usually get.”

While Yellow Buses runs some school services and local authority contracted work, most of its services are high frequency and commercial. Mike said the competition in Bournemouth has added spice to the marketplace and given a good incentive to provide a better service. While summer remains the peak season, the heightened services are extending more into quieter times as a result.

Of course, it isn’t just local people which Yellow Buses provides a service for – a lot of effort goes in to ensuring the network is attractive to tourists.

“Our buses are part of the Bournemouth offer,” Jenni stated.

“It would take away part of the

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attraction without the public transport system we have. We even represent the transport sector on the Bournemouth tourism management board.

“It’s up to us to come up with reasons for visitors to use us. We have treasure trails on the 1A, where passengers have to get on and off the bus to fill it in. It turns using the bus into a game.

“You’ve got to make everyone feel comfortable when using the bus.”

Recently, Bournemouth has been establishing a high profile night-time economy, with the image of a gentle seaside resort just part of mix now. Mike said this is useful in the winter months, with social occasions like stag nights helping to fill hotel rooms when revellers choose to stay for the weekend.

“The work is coming through now and as a result we’ve been cursed by roadworks, with 90 initiatives since the start of the year to contend with, but we know it’s to put these priority measures in so it’s worth dealing with the disruption.

“Coordination with local authorities is important to minimise the impact. There have been cases where power or gas companies have been unaware of what a Traffic Commissioner is, let alone the notice period we need to give to divert a route, and have

just gone and dug up the road.

However we have developed new relationships and when you do explain it to them they’re happy to help.

“With projects like this, we work with other bus companies.

It benefits all of us in the long run.

We have to work together – we owe it to the community and have to ensure they get the best benefit.”

BBA funding will also provide an upgrade to Yellow Buses next-stop announcement system. Currently the system only supports visual announcements, but a competitive

Priority for the bus

Bournemouth has recently seen successful bids to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) and Better Bus Areas (BBA). The local authorities have also seen success in smaller scheme biddings, working together to secure the funds. This means much of the government capital support for buses in Bournemouth is taking the form of infrastructure projects rather than Green Bus Fund vehicles.

Above: Mike Conroy, Operations Manager at Yellow Buses. Below: Some of the few Yellow Buses vechicles not on active operation during the day

tender is out to find a supplier to upgrade the system to include audio as well.

All in the detail

A lot of vehicle decision making has been granted to Yellow Buses’ marketing department. This includes the vehicle interiors, which are bright with wood effect flooring.

This has been done because it is easy to see when the vehicle is clean, instead of with dark interiors which can hide dirt more easily, which both makes the vehicle look much more pleasant and forces the operator to keep it clean.

Jenni said: “It means buses are clean when they go out and we check how clean they are during service.

“In the marketplace we’re in it’s the small things which count.

Attention to detail and setting a quality bar is how we win over passengers. Cleanliness might not be the first thing businesses look at but you need to get into the psyche of customer. It’s good when they come out of their clean cars and travel on clean buses.”

Mike added: “While we have quite a varied fleet, a reflection of what we want to buy and what is available at the time, our interior specification is consistent.

“The colour is the same and

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DEPOT VISIT › YELLOW BUSES

the interior is the same. Customers are more concerned about this than the badge on the bus. Sometimes we have to tell manufacturers to change their spec to meet our requirements.

“Our primary concern after that is fuel efficiency.”

Jenni also spoke about the bespoke information which Yellow Buses has applied to all of its bus stops.

“From a passenger perspective it’s ‘all about me’,” she explained.

“We want information at our stops to be helpful by listing everything you would need to catch the bus at the stop a passenger is waiting at.

“We want passengers waiting there thinking ‘I’ll catch a Yellow Bus.’ The product starts at the bus stop.”

All of the Yellow Buses stops are named and colour-coded, with the information on the waysides broken down into timings for the various corridors and sub-corridors which pass through it. If multiple stops are close together the bespoke information allows for a ‘you are here’ arrow. The waysides also include a QR code, marketing messages and schematics where there is space.

“It’s all done in-house by the marketing department,” Jenni added. “We don’t make the physical infrastructure but do print and produce them and put them up on the stops.”

Yellow Buses has also changed its timetables, now providing individual leaflets for every single route, and specific area booklets.

“When you have high frequency services along main corridors, passengers only need to know which bus they have to get,” Jenni continued.

“We found there were a lot of occasions where passengers had a detailed timetable to hand and because of the service frequency and the route they were travelling on, they didn’t really need it. The individual route leaflets are much easier to carry. Many summer customers also come from areas where they are used to high frequency services – this is where the schematic is so useful.”

The Glo card

Yellow Buses’ smartcard, the Glo card, has proved to be very successful. The operator took a bit of a risk installing the technology, which replaced the known and loved bus passes with magnetic strips which it used previously.

“The technology is fantastic, far www.coachandbusweek.com

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A pair of Optare Versas parked-up outside the operator’s depot on Yeomans Way

The Yellow Buses depot has its own facilities for body building

Bournemouth Air Festival: A hectic highlight of the year

The Bournemouth Air Festival encourages a million visitors to come to the town over the course of four days. The free festival is regarded as the second best air show in the UK, the RAF provides the maximum amount of assets available to it, supplying the full range of aircraft without active commitments. The Royal Navy also perform exercises just offshore.

Such an influx of visitors places enormous pressure on Bournemouth’s roads and public transport. Mike explained the Yellow Buses staff know for the four days it really is all hands to the pump.

“We have everything geared up to run maximum number of buses,” he said.

“We hire extra drivers, have extra vehicles available and provide a slightly different service in order to cope. We even build ticket machines onto trolleys so we can sell more tickets before passengers board the bus.

“People who have migrated from driving to other departments come back to driving for the four days and our part-time and casual drivers come in, as well as some drivers from National Express. Because it’s a short space of time, people don’t mind greatly.

“For us it’s a great opportunity to get people to give the bus a try.”

better than the credit it has been given,” Mike said.

“The company has achieved a lot. It’s much easier to use this technology in railway stations where the ticket machines are connected to the mains all the time, but it’s more challenging with 24volt ticket machines on buses. It’s fair to say we’ve pushed boundaries with our smartcard system.”

A criticism which has been made against smartcard systems is the time it can take them to recognise top-up payments. Yellow Buses’ system is about as fast as it could be in this respect, with updates made overnight every single day.

“The next day is the maximum we could expect anyone to wait, although we don’t just assume it has worked every morning – we check and make sure,” Mike continued.

“This attention to detail has allowed us to offer next day top-up.”

“We’ve gone at it from a passenger perspective and ended up with a better product. The takeup has been very strong.

We still get 80 applications every weekend and there are no comments from drivers anymore on the volume of cash they’re carrying.

“We hear customers sayings its good, but from an awful lot of them you don’t hear anything at all, which is usually a good thing.”

Passengers have the ability to personalise their cards, using either stock images or pictures which they submit themselves. The cards also include a ‘Glo Purse’, which can

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Route N6:

a night bus with a difference

A National Express contract Caetano Levante under inspection store credit to be used for ad-hoc purchases. Jenni described it as an opportunity to create cash loyalty.

Training and recruitment

Yellow Buses provides a variety of accredited Driver CPC courses and the operator’s training has been audited twice. It has chosen to provide DCPC as a gradual ongoing process instead of a single large wave, but the most important aspect of the training is to make it interesting to do.

“It’s about bringing the training to life and engagement with the trainees. Anyone can do death by Powerpoint,” Mike stated. “Trainers will roleplay with real complaints, for example, and we’ve made drivers assume the role of a disabled passenger to establish a degree of empathy. People don’t realise it’s still quite a job to get a wheelchair on a bus even with the low floor vehicles, but we have a higher than average number of disabled passengers, which proves they have the confidence to use our service.

“It’s ongoing, as is recruitment.

We’re always expanding and there’s always some staff turnover. People moving away is the biggest single reason, although we have a good success rate at convincing people to stay.”

The confidence Yellow Buses has in its training team means driving ability is not the most important thing they look for in new recruits.

“We’re mostly looking for

RATP_YellowBuses.indd 35

customer service skills,” Mike explained. “Our instructors say they can train anybody to drive, so it’s more about the people skills which drivers bring to the business.

“We give them scenarios and ask them to talk us through what they would do. We’ve also sent drivers on customer service training courses from other industries. The skills are quite transferable and drivers realise how much they’ve learned when they talk about it.

“None of the drivers we hire are driving the bus on their own for the first eight weeks. They spend a lot of time with mentors, who then visit them once a month for the first three months after they start driving on their own.”

Jenni said some effort had been made over the last year to increase the number of female drivers.

“Women don’t automatically think

While Yellow Buses is a 24-hour operation, it doesn’t run many night buses. Aside from the National Express services which go out at night, it runs one night service, the N6, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, between the university and the town centre.

“The route has its own driver, which is great because all the passengers know him,” Mike said.

“He volunteered because it suited his lifestyle and he works evening shifts on other days. There’s always a small disorderly queue of drivers willing to cover his holidays.

“We have no trouble getting volunteers for late shifts – it can help cover childcare costs, as there is always one parent at home.

“He has been carefully and deliberately selected. The route had a slightly different criteria and we wanted more than just a driver.”

Although the service is intended to take students from the university to the Bournemouth nightlife, it often ends up taking students home from parties at the university to accommodation in the centre.

When the service was launched, Yellow Buses-branded torch keyrings were given out as gifts to its passengers. “Watching them try to get into the cellophane packaging after a few drinks was quite a sight,” Mike mused.

“This industry is about people not buses. We might as well make it fun.”

Mike Conroy

Left: Yellow Buses’ chassis wash in use. Right: A Wright Eclipse Gemini

of driving a bus as a career choice, but the modern bus can be driven with little physical effort,” she said.

“We’ve spoken to quite a lot of ladies and encouraged them to think about it.”

Keeping watch

Yellow Buses’ Synectics CCTV system, with an average of six cameras on each bus in Bournemouth and Poole, has proved to be a worthwhile investment and the firm regularly finds itself working with the police. This isn’t usually for incidents on the buses however – more often because a bus may happen to be in the right place at the right time. When combined with the Trapeze tracking system the operator uses, it is easy to identify whether the CCTV on a particular bus could be useful to the police. However, the system is coming to the end of its natural life and is currently out for tender.

“The system is an effective management tool. The customers benefit from it and know we use it too,” Mike explained. “They know assistance will be there quickly when it is needed, whether it’s maintenance or the police.

“We can proactively look at where buses are and see how it will affect other buses when there is a problem.”

Font of goodwill

Yellow Buses does provide some support to working groups in the community with Carbon Stoppers, where every week a small part of every trip passengers take is contributed via Thank You Thursday. The operator donates a minimum of £50 a week to causes such as play groups, youth clubs or charities for specific medical conditions. The funding is usually provided to places which are off the radar for bigger charities but can still be really life changing for those they support.

The drivers are also happy to organise their own fundraising.

“We’re proud of the effort our staff make to raise funds for charities – through company mufti days, and events they arrange themselves,” Mike said. “One of our drivers is organising a charity darts night, for example. They just get on and do it. It’s never difficult to dig the stories out – our staff really are a font of goodwill, more so than they’d like to admit.”

“This industry is about people not buses. We might as well make it fun.”

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THE BIG PICTURE

We’ve gone for something a little different this week – a street scene in London. As befitting this themed issue, we’ve chosen an RATP Dev-owned operating company in the shape of London United.

Registered ‘YT59PCF’, the Scania OmniCity double-decker, which carries London Buses fleet number SP 132, is based at Shepherd’s Bush Garage. The bus is seen working route 148 to Camberwell Green. The service runs from White City, via Marble Arch, Victoria, Westminster and Elephant & Castle.

This journey is heading eastbound along the A402 Notting Hill Gate.

A landmark in the foreground is Notting Hill Tube Station, which also serves as a means for pedestrians to cross the road via the subway. The bus is seen near the junction with Pembridge Gardens. An unidentified London United ADL Enviro 400 can just be glimpsed behind. The photo, which was kindly submitted by RATP Dev was taken by an unknown photographer on July 7, 2011.

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OPERATOR PROFILE › LONDON UNITED

London United transferred to RATP in March 2011

RATP’s regulated contingent Coach and Bus Week’s Alex Tyler talks to London United Busways Executive Chairman Richard Casling and Communications Manager Steve Harrison about operations under TfL, its relationship with RATP and the firm’s Drivewell system www.coachandbusweek.com

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B

usways House, the head office of RATP Dev subsidiary London United Busways, is based on the same site as its Fulwell depot.

Fulwell makes for an impressive sight on a sunny afternoon and has it’s origins as a tram depot at the turn of the last century. Given the fickle weather recently, I quietly hoped it would hold so I could photograph the array of distinctive red London buses in the sizeable main yard.

London United Busways was originally set up as a subsidiary of London Buses in 1989. Following privatisation in 1994, the company was purchased by a management buyout, retaining the name London United Busways, known more informally around the industry, and trading as, London United.

Three years later the company was acquired by French transport

group Transdev.

In 2009, initial negotiations began with a view to merging Transdev with Veolia Transport.

As part of the resulting agreement the RATP Group, which had a minority shareholding in Transdev, took over some of the Transdev operations in lieu of cash payment.

London United transferred to the RATP Group in March 2011 as a subsidiary of RATP Dev. On whether the business has changed under RATP Dev Richard Casling replied: “No, it hasn’t changed the operation, or the way London United runs or goes about its business. Indeed, RATP Dev did a lot to make sure that it didn’t. They were very keen right from day one to give us a level of autonomy to run the business in London because in their view, the local management know how to run the business as we had been doing it for so many years.”

“It’s very easy to liaise with them, it’s quite a slim operation,”

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and look at ways which help them to achieve their goal.”

Richard goes on to explain that initially, the concept of tendering was unfamiliar, given his background.

“Coming from the parcels industry, where you were chasing customers most of the time, into a regulated industry where you have a contract for a set period of time before its put out to tender again, took a bit of getting used to initially,” he explained. “But now it’s part of the day job. It’s the way the industry is managed. The rules are very well set out; we all understand the rules behind putting in the tenders, so all that’s left to do is to get on with it.”

Asked whether London United still shares best practice with the rest of the RATP Dev UK companies, given that it is largely deregulated, he said: “We certainly do, although there is a big difference in terms of what you have to do when the bus is on the road regarding the commercial side of it. I think in terms of engineering, particularly health and safety and customer care all those things are similar in public transport.”

“In terms of being able to share best practice across the group both within the UK and outside of it, it doesn’t really matter what mode of transport you are operating, let alone whether it’s regulated or deregulated” he added.

Vehicles he added. “There are not layers of management and bureaucracy to go through. They give you the authority to manage the work load that you’ve got. I find being able to work with RATP Dev helps me to achieve what I’d like to in London.

I am able to pick up on things that they are doing at large which I can then import into London United, if it works.”

As part of operating in the capital, London United has an established relationship with TfL and Richard described the relationship as a professional one.

“They are our only customer, if you look at it in terms of contractual obligation,” he said. “So, we have two sets of customers really when you include all our passengers which travel on the services we operate.” “TfL has a job within London to deliver continuous improvement,” he continued. “We have a responsibility to react to that, and where we can we will try

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London United’s 894-strong fleet consists predominantly of Dennis and ADL single and double-deckers.

However a few Volvo B7TLs and Mercedes-Benz Citaros have been thrown into the mix, not to mention an AEC Routemaster which is maintained for private hire work complete with conductor.

In regards to vehicle procurement, London United, though limited in part by both TfL specification and deadlines, is flexible when it comes to the choice of manufacturer. Richard said: “Since we have a deadline for when that route has to start, that puts a parameter in place which dictates our choice of supplier. In the deregulated market you may have some flexibility, we don’t. We know the deadline. And we have a bit of a technical problem if the buses don’t turn up on time. In general, we will go to those who produce a bus to the specification laid down by TfL.” Asked if the company had a preferred manufacturer Richard said: “At the moment we are buying more from ADL than the other manufacturers but that is simply because they can deliver the specification and deliver it when we need it at a price that suits us. It doesn’t mean we would just go to them, however, we would consider others if they had a suitable vehicle.

In the past we bought quite a lot of from Scania, but at the moment, they don’t appear to have a doubledeck suited to our current needs.”

In addition to the established diesel vehicles, London United operates several ADL Enviro400H hybrid double-deckers. However, like most aspects of operations in London, the introduction of greener vehicles is dictated by TfL. “Obviously, part of it is laid down by the TfL specification, but from an operator point of view, there are opportunities to discuss and suggest things to TfL through the tendering process,” said Richard.

“It would be the same if one of our routes was chosen for the New Bus for London.”

Asked if he would like to see a NBfL in the fleet

Route 94 runs between Piccadilly Circus and Acton Green 24 hours a day

Richard Casling:

a brief history

Richard joined the industry 10 years ago with a background in finance having worked as a chartered accountant. He spent 18 years in the profession which lead to him becoming a partner in the accountancy firm, Baker Tilly.

From there he moved to Securicor, now known as G4S, where he was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the distribution side of the business, which dealt with parcels primarily, with responsibility for some £750m.

After nine years with Securicor, Richard joined London United in October 2003 as CFO. He worked his way through senior management becoming deputy MD, then MD before taking up his current role as Executive Chairman for London United as well as being CFO for RATP Dev in the UK. “I don’t think the move from distribution to the bus industry was such a big leap,” commented Richard. “It’s still about moving vehicles around and getting people to where they need to be on time, so there are a lot of similarities, except you have to be a lot more careful with the people than you would the parcels.”

“Given the market we are working in, our focus has to be on continually striving to improve the quality of our offering.”

Richard Casling

London United’s Richard Casling www.coachandbusweek.com

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OPERATOR PROFILE › LONDON UNITED

Richard replied: “In general yes, the vehicle certainly looks the part and the technology in it looks very interesting.”

a disaster if I found out that some of the drivers aren’t allowed to drive.

We are very focussed on it.”

London United currently has telematics on all its vehicles in a bid to improve fuel efficiency and safety.

Communications Manager Steve Harrison took up the story: “Our telematics and CCTV are provided

by Look CCTV, now Synectics. Each garage has a touch screen service and it comes under the umbrella term Drivewell. We have recently updated the firmware on the buses and as a result have re-profiled the units on all our vehicle types. Our drivers each have a key which has to be plugged in when they are driving and each garage has a touch screen kiosk. Drivers can monitor their own performance by attaching the key to the kiosk to display their individual data on screen. It gives them their scores, and also shows a map of the route which highlights the specific areas where adjustments in their driving could be made, such as idling and braking.”

Richard Casling added: “In terms of CCTV itself we are constantly going through a process of updating the recorders in order to get a better screen refresh. It’s certainly becoming more and more of a tool, for tackling everything ranging from incidents on the buses to vehicle collisions and potential false

It’s no secret RATP Dev have very ambitious plans for their growth and the UK is one of the key countries in terms of expansion.

Though the capital doesn’t seem earmarked for any targeted growth it is not out of the question. “If the opportunity arose, either through tendering or acquisition in London then RATP Dev would look at those opportunities,” said Richard. “But from a UK perspective, it is only 12 months since the group acquired Epsom Coaches and it’s only a matter of weeks since they bought Selwyns Travel.”

As for the future of London United?

“I think given the market we are working in, our focus has to be on continually striving to improve the quality of our offering. That’s ultimately what it is all about, in order to do that you have to have a safe base, and good drivers, good controllers and good engineers are essential.

“We have to continue to explore new initiatives in a bid to providing the safest and most reliable service we can to our passengers. Getting from A to B safely and on time is what we all want, regardless of if your are trying to run the business or not.”

Expansion and the future

Drivers and Telematics

A pair of Scania OmniCity deckers at London United’s Fulwell garage

“We have some exciting plans in place to help build upon the customer service we already provide and improving the business overall.”

Steve Harrison injury claims.”

None would dispute that driving a bus in London is a difficult and complicated job, but despite this, customer service is paramount to London United. “The drivers are out there representing London

Synectics Mobile Systems: a synopsis

Drivers can monitor their own performance using SMS’ system

United and TfL because they are the face which the customer sees, and therefore the customer training part is very important to us,” said Richard. “We have it as part of the CPC training and the induction training, which we conduct in house. We are also looking at trying something a little different next year in the way we can engage the drivers on the customer side of it.”

Steve added: “We have some exciting plans in place to help build upon the customer service we already provide and improving the business overall.”

On the looming DCPC Richard was confident they were on course to meet the deadline. “We can’t afford not too,” he said. “It would be

Based in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, Synectics Mobile Systems (SMS) boasts over 20 years experience in the development and installation of some 20,000 CCTV systems in the industry and has provided surveillance and telematics equipment to London United for the best part of a decade.

“Some of the operators we work with still call us Look CCTV,” mused Iain Stringer, SMS Sales and Marketing Director. “It’s been an uphill climb to get them to call us by our new name following the rebrand but it just goes to show how the relationship harks back through the years. London United have been good to work with, they are very open.”

In addition SMS provides a journey data management system, Genius, which aids fleet operators in reducing vehicle incidents through realtime fleet monitoring.

The system collects vehicle and driver data including excessive vehicle movement, acceleration and braking. An integrated GPRS module feeds data back to operations systems to give realtime feedback. In addition, Genius’ cab-mounted, LED indicators give instant feedback

on performance to the driver.

“It’s a collaborative effort in terms of getting the system right for the customer,” said Iain.

“Each operator has their own preferred ways of working and user preferences. Our approach is to work closely with them to ensure they get exactly what they need from our Genius solution.”

This data is accessible to drivers in the form of easy to read, real-time reports which show vehicle, route and a drivers’ individual performance over time.

The data is available on kiosks in garages which are accessed by a key system.

“The idea is that it becomes part of the driver’s routine,” explained Iain. “In showing a level of consistency it helps create positive competitive behaviour between peers.” In addition, Genius can be used to provide health-check data on the CCTV system, The healthcheck can be configured to provide data on the CCTV system every 15 minutes, so the operator is informed in real time if there is a problem with the system. “It allows operators to keep close eye on their vehicles,” said Iain. “Helping them to maximise their investment in CCTV.”

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OPERATOR PROFILE › BATH BUS

OPERATOR: Bath Bus Company ESTABLISHED: 1997 FLEET: 38 CONTACT: 01225 330444 www.bathbuscompany.com

A sight for sore eyes Coach & Bus Week’s Andrew Cream visits Bath Bus Company to find out about its history, its high engineering standards and the move back into commercial services

M

y trip down to Bath luckily coincided with a rare sunny day in early April.

The city is an impressive sight when draped in sunlight – you can see why Bath has the third largest amount of tourist traffic in the UK behind London and Edinburgh.

I met Bath Bus Company’s MD Martin Curtis in the operator’s humble office near the main coach drop-off point in the city. The team was friendly and welcoming – our Gareth would have felt at home here, with plenty of caffeinated drinks on offer.

Martin’s years of experience really shone through throughout the day as his knowledge of industry history really was second-to-none.

city tours when at Badgerline, so we had a lot of expertise and knew how lucrative it was,” Martin continued. “We were the fourth company in Bath to start running open top buses but we were the first to introduce multilingual commentaries.”

In the early days, BBC operated some local services. Three exSheffield articulated buses were used on some of these routes but problems with manoeuvrability presented issues.

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The next chapter began when the City Sightseeing brand was developed as a joint venture between Ensign Bus and Hispalense de Tranvías, a Spanish company which operated sightseeing tours in Seville.

“We were one of the original franchisees to join,” Martin explained. “In the UK, it was us, York, Bristol and Glasgow, with Dublin in Ireland – and then it just mushroomed.”

City Sightseeing then acquired its biggest rivals Guide Friday.

“When we had been trading for seven years, we were acquired by Ensign,” Martin recalled. “Under this ownership we took over the Cardiff, Windsor and Eastbourne sightseeing operations, which were all conveniently local.”

But Ensign then decided to remove BBC from the local bus market.

TRC changes everything

The early years

Bath Bus Company (BBC) was formed in 1997 by a group of individuals who all formerly worked for Badgerline. Martin explained that, when Badgerline was merged with Grampian Regional Transport to form First, a number of Badgerline managers left the company.

“The Badgerline team was particularly close,” Martin said. “The merger happened nearly 20 years ago but we still all meet regularly. It was five of us from Badgerline who created BBC. “I am the only survivor of the five; I have been Managing Director from the start.”

The operation was independent to start with and it initially looked to acquire other independent companies in the area but these deals fell through.

Instead, BBC started up its open-top tour operation. “We ran

BBC’s open-top buses feature the distinctive City Sightseeing livery seen all over the world

Above: Martin Curtis, BBC MD. Below: Bus stop information on the City Sightseeing services in Bath

With four tour operators in Bath in the late 90s and early 00s, local residents weren’t happy with the amount and age of vehicles traversing the picturesque city – air pollution being one of the main concerns. Also, competition was fierce between the bus companies, and the council was keen to do something about it.

In 2005 it persuaded the Traffic Commissioner (TC) at the time to hold a Public Inquiry, with the intention of introducing a Traffic Regulation Condition (TRC). The resulting decisions included a limit on the number of buses operating in the city at one time to 10, a minimum of Euro 3 engines and rules regarding on-board commentaries delivered through headphones.

BBC had recently introduced new Ayats vehicles, which met the emissions and on-board commentary rules set out by the TC. BBC ended

up being the only operator which met the criteria, giving the company a monopoly in the city.

Martin said: “We had headto-head competition with every operator, but the introduction of the Ayats buses changed everything.

The public saw that there was a modern version of a bus available and the other companies couldn’t compete.”

“The council and residents are now generally satisfied,” he continued. “We carefully manage the loads and there are not an excessive number of vehicles on the road.”

A new chapter

Jumping ahead a number of years, and now BBC is a subsidiary of RATP Dev. In fact, BBC was the

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first UK company to fall under the French operator’s ownership by about 12 hours – just before the London United and Yellow Buses deals were completed.

“The acquisition was a surprise development,” Martin said. “We met with Cyril [Carniel, RATP Dev Vice President Europe & Asia] several times before the deal took place so we had a good relationship established from the start. We also got to know the team at London United.

“There was a change of emphasis when RATP Dev took over. They are keen to see us get involved in running normal services alongside our sightseeing work – and we also had a desire to get into local bus work again.

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“The beauty of RATP is that it acquires companies but allows them to retain individuality. Of course however, there is more rigid budgetary control with a greater need to appreciate costs etc.

“There are many benefits – we have been given some stability, local authorities take us much more seriously, we have more resources behind us and we have group buying power, which includes a fuel hedging policy, oils, lubricants and the same insurance umbrella as London United.

“Overall, RATP was probably the best possible company which could have bought us.”

Being part of a group of operators, BBC is able to exchange expertise with its sister companies

in the UK, as well as getting advice from further afield – and the company regularly meets in Paris to trade information and advice.

“RATP chose us because we are profitable, lucrative and are part of a niche market, although there is scope for all sorts of things to develop,” Martin said. “They are very, very careful to understand UK operations, but the company is keen to get into different operating environments. Because of the TRC, BBC is in a London-type environment, so we are easier to understand.

A flying start

As mentioned above, RATP is keen to see BBC branch out. “We have become specialists in city

sightseeing, but now we are in the market for other bus work, in Cardiff as well as Bath,” Martin said. “We operate a service to St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff – it’s a normal service in City Sightseeing livery. But we are looking at other opportunities too; we have tendered for other work and in the middle of March we started operating our new airport route.”

And just as Martin said that, one of BBC’s new ‘Air Deckers’ in its distinctive green livery went past his office window.

When I visited, the service had only been running for 10 days, but there were already some promising signs. “The loadings are quite encouraging,” Martin said.

“We had people on the second

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OPERATOR PROFILE › BATH BUS

ever journey which ran in the early hours of the morning which was very surprising, but it shows there is demand.

“I think we have got it about right.

We are still very much learning but from a standing start we have started very very well. The buses themselves are an advert for it.

“The vehicles have green LED destination blinds and have received many compliments about the livery.

“We operate through the A4 corridor which is a Quality Corridor, so it has all the technology and measures associated with that.

There is RTI at some bus stops for example although this has still to engage with most operators. We use the Ticketer software which allows real-time tracking of the vehicles.

“Our drivers announce each stop – drivers received extensive training beforehand and we’ve received a lot of favourable comments.

“It’s serving quite dense conurbations. First and Abus already run on the corridor, but we turn via the ring road. We didn’t think there would be a lot of local demand but there is. For example, in Bishopsworth there are a lot of people who use the service to get to work in Bath. Plus we also have a number of airport staff using the service.

“Others have tried a direct service with minibuses but we feel our service is very fast as it incorporates bus lanes and dual carriageways. As Bath is a large centre for tourism there is a great potential for tourist traffic. The service has been warmly welcomed by the tourism industry.”

The female touch

Martin and I were joined for the day by Maria Kemble, Assistant Manager at BBC’s Cardiff depot.

Cardiff has a different feel to it compared to Bath as it is run by two women – Maria and Manager Tracey Trew.

Maria explained that Cardiff’s operations were originally run by Guide Friday, and started up 17 years ago. In 2002 the company was taken over by BBC. “We started off in a little car park,” Maria said. “Then we shared Cardiff Bus’ depot but now we have our own depot.”

“It’s the best depot as it’s run by women,” she quipped. “We have the depot carpeted, which works much better than people think it would.”

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for tourism, Maria said, which hit Cardiff’s performance, but this year the company is doing a lot better.

The operator runs a 30-minute service with seven buses. This makes it much smaller than Bath, which runs up to every six minutes in the summer, sometimes with duplicate buses running.

However, Martin explained the principals are the same and, despite the female influence, Cardiff & Bath are similar in the way they are run.

Catching train traffic

Above: BBC’s new service to Bristol Airport has had an encouraging start.

Below: The depot is situated about 15 minutes outside of Bath

Martin Curtis: a brief history

Martin has been in the bus industry ever since he left school at 16; his first role being at Bristol Omnibus’ Schedules Office.

“I knew I wanted to work for a bus company and the other offers I received were engineering-based outside the bus industry,” Martin said.

He was then placed on a management training scheme which gave him the chance to do everything over a two-year period.

After the training scheme he worked as a Traffic Assistant at Westonsuper-Mare. Overall, Martin spent 10 years with Bristol Omnibus.

He then moved to Western National where he held the role of Superintendent, running the Weymouth operations. In the run up to deregulation, Western National was split into four. Weymouth became part of Southern National and Martin was chosen to head up the Dorset division.

After this, Martin was asked to become Regional Director of Badgerline in Bath, a role which he held for 10 years.

Then, after First Bus was created, Badgerline’s management team slowly left the company over a 12-month period and the idea for Bath Bus Company was conceived.

Martin is also an author and is currently writing a couple of books. One is about the history of Badgerline while the other is about the NB4L. “Most of my books are about Bristol and building buses,” he said. “But I’m writing a book about the NB4L as I’m extremely enthusiastic about it.

It’s a really clever design which will allow colossally fast passenger flow on and off the bus.”

During my trip I was able to visit the Tourism Office at Bath Spa Railway Station, which is run by BBC Tourism Manager Lena Cook.

The office is full of ideas for things to do in Bath and, more importantly, information on BBC’s tours. It is on platform 1, ideally situated for day visitors taking the train from London. Bookings can be made over the counter and Martin estimated the office generates around 10% of the company’s trade.

“The office is very busy when the London train comes in, even at weekends,” Martin said. “In general we are very much dependent on the railway – especially if there are line failures or engineering works. Even price increases can affect us.”

As well as running the Tourism Office, BBC’s 45 live sightseeing guides report to Lena. She is responsible for guide recruitment and training too.

The live guides offer human interaction onboard and can be found on a selection of the buses each day. Every bus is equipped with a multi-lingual commentary system. Martin noted the most popular languages outside English are from Asia, as well as Polish and Russian.

The highest standards

I also had the privilege of visiting BBC’s depot and workshop, which is hidden away in the countryside, a 15-minute drive outside Bath.

Martin commented that residents often asked where his buses went when not in service, as they just seem to vanish.

The area coincidently has a history of buses, as Bristol Commercial Vehicles used to use one of the nearby roads as a test route for its products. The depot itself is situated on an old MOD site which has been developed somewhat since BBC and its neighbours moved in.

Engineering Director Collin

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Brougham-Field joined us at the workshop. He was dressed in overalls due to one of his team being ill – it was refreshing to see an ED getting his hands dirty!

On the subject of the upcoming DCPC deadline, Collin explained how driver training is nothing new to them.

“We started a safe driving course – Defensive Driving with trainer Dave Boulter – seven or eight years ago and the accidents dropped massively,” Collin said. “Drivers have since been completing a day a year for five years. It’s had a phenomenal effect on claims.”

As well as safe driving, BBC’s drivers have also taken courses in drivers’ hours and specialist modules on low bridges. The firm often sets up specific courses on what drivers have requested.

Collin and I spoke briefly about the Legal News pages which regularly feature in CBW, so I decided to ask him how BBC stays the right side of the law.

He said: “It’s really very simple.

We work within the tolerance laid down by VOSA and the manufacturers. Plus, we overservice the vehicles. Our buses get regular oil and filter changes etc.

Every single component which is recommended to be maintained, is maintained.

“We get parts straight from the suppliers (Volvo, for example) and we don’t have as many breakdowns as a result.

“We use Goodyear tyres which offer real value for money. I don’t take any chances. We can easily submit tyres for remoulding or recutting.

“It’s quite simply following procedures – it’s basic, ordinary stuff. Also, everything is kept upto-date; we keep all our records.

We had a surprise visit from VOSA recently and they were almost shocked at our efficiency. It was how it was done at the NBC. Southern Vectis was the best performing operation in those days and it spent the most money on engineering.”

As a result of BBC’s stringent procedures, the firm has never had to experience a Public Inquiry.

Collin believes VOSA should be utilised as much as possible. “I ring up VOSA and use them,” he said.

“We have a good relationship. If you want a good answer they are the best people to go to.”

“We also have a superb relationship with Volvo,” he added.

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“There are technicians nearby in two locations who are all hugely helpful.”

Back to BBC’s new airport service, and Collin explained how reliability is vital for the route.

“It has to be reliable,” he said. “We carry two spares for a three-vehicle service. It sounds a bit over the top but people need to be moved.

It’s imperative we keep it running smoothly.”

Testing the product

A visit to Bath wouldn’t have been complete without a trip around the city on one of BBC’s City Sightseeing buses.

We braved the windy weather and sat on the top deck of the opentopper which offered a great view of the area. A live guide was present, who relayed facts and stories in an amusing but informative manner.

Martin explained the benefits of

Maria Kemble: a brief history

Maria’s job background is relatively varied. While she was at school she helped out at a travel agent where her sister worked. Being quite a driven individual, Maria started answering the phone without the manager knowing. This however worked in her favour when she answered the phone to her boss, and at 16 she was given a Saturday job. This soon became her full-time job and after a couple of years she was promoted to Manager.

Maria realised this line of work wasn’t what she wanted to do as she recalled that most interaction with customers centred around complaints.

So at 21 she went to the US to work for a year as an au pair. When back in the UK, she was on the bus to collect her unemployment benefit and the vehicle was driven by a woman. Maria realised being a driver was something she could see herself doing, so she applied for a job at Cardiff Bus. Her application was successful, and she worked there for seven years before moving to Guide Friday.

“I had a few problems when I started driving,” Maria said. “For example, I remember when I was sat behind the wheel and the Inspector told me to get off the bus, thinking I was just a kid mucking about. I feel I was born to be a bus driver though.”

After moving to Guide Friday, Maria’s drive and ambition got her to where she is today – Assistant Manager of Cardiff’s City Sightseeing operations.

Imber Bus Service:

the uninhabited village tour Instructions on how to use the onboard multi-lingual commentary being part of the City Sightseeing franchise: “It’s a brand which is recognised. People know they are going to receive a tour of a certain standard.

“City Sightseeing does a lot of the publicity. There are standard liveries and leaflets and we give input into the maps.”

BBC has two tours – one for the city and one incorporating the ‘skyline’, with the city tour being slightly more popular than the skyline tour.

Regarding how they chose the route the city tour takes, Martin said: “People want a tour which is less than an hour long. We chose left turns to help manoeuvrability and made sure we took into account traffic flow and congestion.

“We also gained a number of benefits running in reverse order to the original competitors.”

“The commentary was written based on timings in the car,” he added, “With bits and pieces added and taken away over the years. We simply try and perfect it and make the tour as good as possible in all respects.”

As well as Bath Bus Company’s well-known Bath, Cardiff, Eastbourne and Windsor operations, it also runs an occasional service to the village of Imber.

In September 2009, after lengthy negotiations with the MOD at a senior level, BBC was permitted, with the cooperation of several other operators, TfL and the county’s Transport Department, to operate a bus service from Warminster to Imber. The village is no longer inhabited as the residents were evicted just before Christmas 1943 by the MOD, in order to step up army training in advance of D-Day. The villagers were promised their village would be returned to them after the war but this promise never materialised and 66 years on it is still uninhabited, much of it having been damaged or destroyed. It remains in use for army training purposes. However, the connecting road is open to the public on a limited number of occasions each year, one such occasion being selected for the one-day service.

Martin said: “We run Routemasters on the service and last year we also had a NB4L. We were the first operator other than Arriva to use the vehicle in service. There is always a massive amount of publicity. We donate the revenue to the British Legion and the church.

“The dates can vary enormously as it depends on what the MOD has planned on the site each year but the buses are always packed.

“Everyone is very hands on during the day, doing different jobs. We all drive and we all work together.”

Bath Bus Company’s busy Tourism Office at Bath Spa Railway Station www.coachandbusweek.com

29/04/2013 12:36

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2003 Mercedes Citaros 2002 VOLVO B7TL’s 2000 VOLVO B7TL’s VW Crafter

38 + 34 standees, LEZ complaint, full DDA, dual door, Hanover LEDs, CCTV, in good condition, very low mileage (240,000 – 260,000 km), 1 year’s MOT. Choice of 6 (5 x 53 plate and 1 x 03 plate). £45,000 each + VAT

DDA and LEZ, 70 seats, Euro 3, ÂŁ24,000 + VAT

yourbus – 01773 714013

EnsignBus 01708 865656

EnsignBus 01708 865656

2005 13m Bova Futura

2000 Plaxton Mini Pointer Dart 8.8m

1998 R REG OPTARE SOLO

Full executive, 53 reclining seats, good leg room, used on holiday programme, one owner from new, 430,000kms, 12 months MOT.

29 seat service bus, front, side & rear manual destination, front ramp, Euro 2, blue patterned moquette seats.

Mercedes engine, Allison, 30 seats, new MOT.

ÂŁ84,500+VAT - P/X considered

SPECIAL OFFER – £6,250

POA

Tel: Adrian on 07717 768315

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

EnsignBus 01708 865656

ÂŁ55,000 + VAT L.J. Edwards: 01323 440622 option 2 or John 07974 369570

Dennis Dart Mini Plaxton Pointer 8.8m

2003 Dennis Trident 2 SLF Alex 400 10.5m

(09) 2009 Ford Transit

2003 Setra 315 GTHD

MOT till Aug 2013, CCTV cameras, CCTV recorder, manual front, side & rear destination, front ramp, Euro 2, blue patterned moquette.

17 seat minibus 2.4 diesel, Six speed gearbox, Tachograph, 65,000 km ÂŁ12,995

49 seat with retractable belts, low mileage, seat back tables, footrests, centre toilet, power door, air con, webasto, cool box and boiler 2 x monitors and DVD, radio cassette, LEZ exhaust, great drive.

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

67 seats + 18 standees, Cummins Euro IV/ZF, conversion to single door available, very clean. £25,000 + VAT – CHOICE Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk

Pembridge Vehicle Management 01633 485858

Paul Watson Travel paul.watson9@btconnect.com

2006 Plaxton Pointer Plaxton/Transbus

2004 Volvo B12M VanHool T9 Exec

Mercedes 814D Euro Coach

2005 Bova Futura

29 + 17 seats, 323,719 miles.

49, 51 or 53 seats, air con, Webasto, Ishift or manual, TV, DVD or video, 3 point seat belts, rear saloon w/c, phone, reversing camera, MOTs till late 2013. ÂŁ57,000 + VAT (manual gearbox)

ÂŁ5,750

POA

Arriva Bus & Coach 01274 681144

Nigel McCree - 01509 502695

Voith gearboxes, Plaxton President bodies, LWB, converted to single door high capacity schoolbuses with 83 seats.

POA

16 leather seats + large boot, A/C, DVD, microphone, 125,000 miles, 9 months MOT. ÂŁ25,000 + VAT

Call 07823 770978 Email slickrideslondon@gmail.com

2002 Futura

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

ÂŁ53,500 + VAT ono

ÂŁ58,000

49 seat executive, excellent condition inside and out, used only for touring and excursions, 12 months MOT, 470K kms, owned since new, genuine reason for sale. ÂŁ75,000 + VAT o.n.o.

Contact William on 07733 914050

Call Paul – 07968 106891

PSV 12/5/13, taxed 30/4/13, full service history.

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

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48 | COACH & BUS WEEK | May 1, 2013

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2000 SCANIA T9

2005 Daf VanHool

2007 MAN Plaxton Panther 49/53 seats, LEZ compliant, toilet, DVD/CD, fridge, hot drinks, Webasto.

Only used on our own holidays and excursions.

Excellent condition.

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.

Auto, 49/51 seat executive, purple, immaculate, Webasto, air conditioning, retarder, WC, DVD, reversing camera, hot water, fridge, leather headrests/piping, MOT May 2014, one driver from new, 486,000km. Must sell due to retirement.

ÂŁ24,750

ÂŁ85,000

Contact Eric on 0792 138920

Burns Coach Tours 01651 851279

2007 Setra S415HD

2009 Mercedes Tourino

2007 Unvi Riada

2008 MAN Auto Ayat

49 seats, blue and red interior with leather trim, drinks facilities, fridge, air conditioning, vacuum system, DVD and centre toilet.

Manual, 32-seat executive, purple, Webasto, air conditioning, retarder, WC, DVD McLaren colour seats with leather headrests, spare double seat, must be seen, 211,000km, MOT April 2014. Must sell due to retirement.

22 seats with 3 point belts, certified courier seat, DVD, P/A, air-conditioning, MOT 15/04/14, brand new engine with Mercedes warranty.

51 seat full executive, owned from new, choice of 2, real head turner, used on tour programme, low mileage @ 240,000kms, a lot of coach for the money, looks great and great value at just...

POA

ÂŁ90,000 + VAT

Please call Jamie 01730 267543 or 07956 029344

ÂŁ99,500

ÂŁ42,000

ÂŁ89,000+VAT - P/X considered

Arriva Bus & Coach 01274 681144

Burns Coach Tours 01651 851279

Burns Coach Tours 01651 851279

Tel: Adrian on 07717 768315

2003 Futura

1998 Volvo B10M Jonckheere Mistral

2007 Setra 415GTHD Comfort Class

VOLVO B12B

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

ÂŁ65,000 + VAT L.J. Edwards: 01323 440622 option 2 or John 07974 369570

2010 Temsa Avenue

42-48 seats, 60,667 miles.

POA

Arriva Bus & Coach 01274 681144

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.

49 seats, AS Tronic gearbox, Mercedes engine, Euroliners, Ambiente seats, serviced by Mercedes since new, one owner, 302,000kms, MOT Apr 2014. Must sell due to retirement.

375,604 miles, PSV 25/4/13, taxed 31/3/13, full service history.

ÂŁ35,000 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365

ÂŁ109,500

ÂŁ120,000

Burns Coach Tours 01651 851279

Contact William on 07733 914050

2002 Mercedes Vario 614

2006 Optare Solo M850

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer

13 seat front entry wheelchair accessible minibus, diesel, 160,000 miles.

PSV March 2014, taxed December 2013, DDA compliant, 27 seats + 12 standees.

39 seats in blue patterned moquette, front, side & rear LED destination, luggage racks, Euro 2, front manual ramp.

ÂŁ6,995

ÂŁ35,000 + VAT ono

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

For more information please call 01291 625449

SPECIAL OFFER – £8,500

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

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

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2005 Bova Futura

49 seat executive, excellent condition inside and out, used only for touring and excursions, 12 months MOT, 470K kms, owned since new, genuine reason for sale. ÂŁ75,000 + VAT o.n.o.

Iveco 17 seat wheelchair accessible minibus

Unwin Innotrax floor to take five wheelchairs, underfloor lift, rear heating, tachograph, front entry drop step with slam door, COIF, PSV.

ÂŁ15,495

2004 Ford Transit 85 T300 MWB Hi-Roof Wheelchair accessible, MOT 07/11/13, 4 seats + 2 x w/chairs or 5 seats + 1 w/chair, SLD, 93,000 miles, remote central locking, FSH, Ricon step through lift, full soft trim, tracking, radio/cassette, air-con, luggage area, very tidy throughout. £5,950.00 + VAT – PX considered

2004 Ford Transit Wheelchair accessible, MOT 07/11/13, 7 seats + 1 wheelchair, airbag, 51,000 miles, diesel, FSH, SLD + step and grab rails, remote central locking, electric windows and mirrors, full soft trim, 1 previous owner, Ricon step through lift, wheelchair restraints. £6,950.00 + VAT – PX considered

Call Paul – 07968 106891

Pembridge Vehicle Management 01633 485858

2002 IVECO DAILY 50C13 17 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS

2007 (07) Ford Transit 17 seat minibus

2005 Volvo B12B Plaxton Panther

IVECO DAILY 40C13 FRONT ENTRY 17 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS

2800cc turbo diesel, certificate of initial fitness, access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, 72000 miles, excellent condition, COIF, PSV, tacho, supplied with 12 months MOT or PSV, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months parts and labour warranty. ÂŁ6495 + VAT

2.4 diesel, six speed, one owner, 64,000 miles, FSH, COIF/PSV.

ÂŁ9,950 + VAT

49 seats with belts, I-Shift, MOT May, LEZ compliant, fixed toilet, courier seat, low driver’s position, radio/CD/PA system.

Pembridge Vehicle Management 01633 485858

2800cc turbo diesel, Ratcliffe Palfinger underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 4 wheelchairs, coach style interior, front entry, analogue tachograph, panoramic glass, 125000 kilometers/78000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good GarageScheme standards, 3 months parts and labour warranty. £8495 – NO VAT

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

2004 Optare Solo M850 SLF

2006 (56) Ford Transit 17 seat minibus

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

2003 Volvo Jonckheere B12M Mistral 50

53 passenger seats, 12 months MOT, 527,071kms, interior & exterior in excellent condition, vigorously maintained (records available).

ÂŁ49,950 + VAT ono Star Coaches Limited Martin 07831 265804 Adam 0121 350 5555

2012 Ford Transit

16 coach style seats with seatbelts, tacho, manual gearbox & Euro 5, ideal social club or schools vehicle, in plain white – ideal for putting on your own livery, still in warranty and LEZ compliant.

ÂŁ16,500

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

Marco Polo Iris

21 seat wheelchair accessible bus with room for 18 wheelchairs, Euro 4, coach style seats, destination equipment, 300kg capacity tail lift, automatic ZF gearbox.

ÂŁ40,000

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

1999 Volvo B10M Jonckheere

48 reclining seats with retractable belts, monitor, DVD, radio + cassette, rear toilet with rear door, fully sprayed and new stretch panels fitted, good coach, just been to Spain, lovely driver.

Tel Chris: 020 8960 8800 / 07971 000111

ÂŁ57,500

29 seats + 19 standees, fully DDA compliant, Hanover LED, Cummins engine, very clean. ÂŁ29,500 + VAT Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk

2.4 diesel, one owner, 40,000 miles.

ÂŁ9,995 + VAT

Pembridge Vehicle Management 01633 485858

Take the photos, write the ad and change it later if you want to, all from your online dashboard.

Selling a vehicle is simple on . . .

ÂŁ20,000 + VAT ono

Paul Watson Travel paul.watson9@btconnect.com

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

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Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale 7HO

All Vehicles Direct Fleet Many With COIF’s, PSV’s, Wheelchair

Access Lifts

& Ramps

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

2003 ALD Enviro 300

COIF and accessibility certificate, 40 seats and 27 standing, taxed until August and with a new MOT, this is a very clean and tidy bus which is ready to go straight to work.

POA

2007 07 FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS

2004 MAN 14.240 SLF MCV Evolution 11.3m

2005 MAN Noge

2400 turbo diesel 100ps engine, LEZ compliant, digital tachograph, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, 133000 miles with full service history, finished in white, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty. ÂŁ7495 + VAT

39 seats + 21 standees, DDA compliant, Mobitec LED. ÂŁ24,500 + VAT Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk

57 reclining seats, air conditioning, one owner from new, 320,000kms, dark moquette leather inset headrests, curtains.

Phone Nick on 01626 833664 or 07872 839530

Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076

1998 Volvo B10M Caetano Enigma

2002 ALD ALX200 Dennis Dart

49 seats with retractable belts, monitor, DVD, radio, cassette, taxed and tested, has air-con but needs re-gas + belts, needs t.l.c. but good motor.

ÂŁ15,500 + VAT ono

Paul Watson Travel paul.watson9@btconnect.com

COIF and DDA compliant, Euro 3 engine, 28 seats and 16 standing, taxed until end of June and MOT until July, well maintained and ready to work.

POA – choice of 3

Phone Nick on 01626 833664 or 07872 839530

1998 Tri-axle Scania Irizar

ÂŁ65,000+VAT - P/X considered

Tel: Adrian on 07717 768315

2001 Mercedes Autobus Nouvelle II

Comfort shift gearbox, alloy wheels, good tyres, 49 re-trimmed seats with belts, air con, fridge, servery, WC, video with 2 monitors, 12 months, MOT, LEZ renewed, well loved and looked after by owner-driver for last 8 years. ÂŁ24,995

33 seats with lap belts, dual purpose, destination gear, this bus has been refurbished in the chassis, to body parts and repainted.

Martins of Tysoe 01295 680642

Tel: Adrian on 07717 768315

ÂŁ10,000+VAT

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

681973-1083-Pembridge

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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS

New Ford Transit 17 seat 4.3ton 135ps minibus. From £19,495 + 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 (10) 2010 Ford Transit 17 seat 140ps minibus, tachograph, 33000 km,FSH, COIF/PSV £15,250 (09) 2009 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus 2.4 diesel, six speed gearbox, tachograph, 65,000 km £12,995

(07) 2007 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus 2.4 diesel, six speed, one owner, 64,000 miles, FSH, COIF/PSV £9,950 + VAT (56) 2006 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus, 2.4 diesel, one owner, 40,000 miles £9,995 +VAT

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

(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

OTHER MAKES

(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

D L O S

(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

LDV MINIBUSES

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

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 (57) 2008 Iveco 50c15 wheelchair accessible minibus, 17 seats or 4 seated + 5 wheelchairs, rear heating, underfloor tail lift, front entry drop step, COIF/PSV £15,495

(57) 2008 Iveco 50c15 wheelchair accessible minibus, 17 seats or 4 seated + 5 wheelchairs, rear heating, underfloor tail lift, front entry drop step, 90,000 km COIF/PSV £15,495

D L O S

(08) 2008 Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 2.2 diesel, wheelchair accessible minibus, 11 seats, tracking to take three wheelchairs, in board lift £13,995 + VAT (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%

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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).

2000 VOLVO B7TL’S

1986 LEYLAND OLYMPIAN TRI-AXLE

80 seats, Voith gearboxes, Euro 2 engines with traps, or full Euro 3 with traps, Plaxton President bodies, can be DDA with 78 seats.

Gardner engine, Voith gearbox, 100 seats with seatbelts.

1999 VOLVO B7TL’S

2002 DENNIS DARTS

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

Euro 3 engines with traps, 8.8M long, Marshall bodies, 25 seats, DDA.

2001 Y REG DENNIS DARTS

2002 52 PLATE VOLVO B7TL’S DDA and LEZ, 70 seats, Euro 3, £24000 plus VAT.

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

OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY -

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

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nbus

K ER SPECIALIST 2005 OPTAR SOLO SLIMLINE

1998 R REG VOLVO B10BLE’S

Mercedes engine, 8.5m, 25 seats with 3 point belts, DDA, Hanover LED’s, very low mileage.

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

2003 ENVIRO 300

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.

2002 DENNIS TRIDENT

2003 Enviro 300, Euro 3 Cummins ISC engine, ZF auto, 12m , DDA, 44 seats.

Cummins Euro 3 engines, ZF gearbox, Hanover LED’s, DDA, single door, 67 seats.

2007 VOLVO B12BT’s

2002 02 PLATE DENNIS TRIDENTS

Euro 4, Plaxton Panther bodies, 15m, 65 seats, toilet, DDA, front wheelchair lift, Hanover LED's all round.

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

1998 R REG OPTARE SOLO

2007 56 PLATE SCANIA OMNICITY

Mercedes engine, Allison, 30 seats, new MOT.

2004 SCANIA L94’S

41 seats, 12m, DDA compliant, long MOT.

2001Y REG VOLVO B7TL’S Euro 3 with traps, DDA, LWB, Plaxton bodies, 67 seats as 2 doors or 78 once converted to single door.

ZF automatics, Irizar Century bodies, 70 seats, CCTV, air-con, very low mileage.

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

696754-1085-Pickrell

H. W. PICKRELL

29/4/13

10:46

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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 For latest stock arrivals follow @h_w_pickrell

59 REG VAUXHALL MOVANO LM39 2.5TD

08 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUMBO 2.4 TDCI

2009 59 REG VAUXHALL VIVARO SL28 2.0 TD

08 REG F ORD TRANSIT 430 2.4TDCI

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 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.

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.

Manual gearbox, semi high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, side loading door, 17 high back seats including driver, electric windows, Bluetooth, COIF, PSV tested till September 2013, metallic silver, Euroliners, 84,407kms.

57 REG FORD TRANSIT 100, 350 2.4TDCI

06 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI

07 REG VOLKSWAGEN CRAFTER CR50 UVG TREKA

57 REG PEUGEOT BOXER 2.5TD

Manual, MWB, high mroof, PAS, SCW conversion, side loading door, side step, 8 high back seats, fully Unwin tracked floor, Dash ac, Eberspacher heater, Ratcliff underfloor tail lift, 11,092 miles only.

Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, O & H conversion, n/s full height manual door, 16 high back removable seats, Eberspacher heater, PLS underfloor t/lift, ex local authority, COIF'd,103,080 kms, PSV tested till March 2014.

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.

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, O&H conversion SLD, AVS side step, 8 rear high back seats plus 1 x wheelchair space, Unwin tracking, Eberspacher heater, Ricon tail lift, ex local authority, 20,286 miles.

NEW UN REG IVECO DAILY 50c17 IRIS BUS 3.0

2008 57 REG M ERCEDES SPRINTER 311 2.2CDI

60 REG FORD TRANSIT 330 2.4TDCI

59 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.45TD

Agile gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, power front entry door, 16 rear high back seats, Unwin Innotrax flat floor, underfloor Ratcliff t/lift, COIF/IVA to take up to 5 wheelchairs.

6 speed manual gearbox, semi high roof, PAS, MWB, side loading door, 14 high back seats including driver, electric widows, Bluetooth, electric side step, air con, satnav, electric windows & mirrors, 39,834miles.

6 speed manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, MWB, tacho, SL door, 12 rear standard factory high back seats, no tracking (can be fitted), underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, one owner local charity, 20,104kms.

Manual 6 speed, high roof, PAS, LWB, O & H conversion, side loading door, side step, 8-14 high back seats, fully tracked Unwin floor, Ricon tail lift, Eberspacher heater, ex NHS, only 12,695 miles.

07 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD

08 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUMBO 2.4TDCI

56 RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.5TD

06 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI UVK TREKA

Manual, PAS, LWB, O & H conversion PTS ambulance, SLD, fold out side step, 6-8 rear high back seats, wipe clean interior, lowering suspension, Unwin tracking, Eberspacher heater, choice of two, 72,000-79,000 miles.

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.

6 speed manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 rear high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 14,300 miles only.

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.

09 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5 TD

08 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.5TD

57 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.5TD

57 REG CITROEN RELAY 2.5TD

Manual, semi high roof factory bus conversion, side entry slam door with low entry step, 14 x high back seats plus driver, air con, ex lease, only 32,997 kms.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Atlas conversion, twin side loading door, AVS side step, 6 high back seats, Unwin Inotrac tested floor, Ricon tail lift, ex local authority, 30,383 miles.

Manual gearbox, high roof, Gleneagles conversion, PAS, SLD, electric side step, 8 removable rear high back seats (10 seats in total) plus driver, air con, Unwin tracking & Solo system fitted, Ricon tail lift, 22,487 miles.

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, O&H conversion, SLD, AVS side step, 9 seats plus driver plus 1 x wheelchair space, Unwin tracking, Eberspacher heater, Ricon tail lift, ex local authority, 21,647 miles.

58 REG IVECO DAILY 50c13 IRIS BUS 3.0

08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD

06 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUMBO 2.4TDCI

58 REG FORD TRANSIT TOURNEO CONNECT 1.8 HDI

Manual gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, power door, 16 rear high back seats, Unwin tracked floor, Eberspacher heater, destination board, Ratcliff tail lift, COIF’d, 63,371 miles, PSV till March 2014.

Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, AVS side step, 8 high back seats plus 2 x w/chairs & driver, Unwin tracked floor, ricon internal tail lift, 33,175 miles only.

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.

Manual gearbox, CD, electric windows & mirrors, a/c, twin side loading doors, high back seat in rear, single passenger seat, cut out floor, lowering air suspension, fold down ramp, Gowerings conversion, only 8,600 miles.

682251-1085-Ventura

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696813-1084-Stafford

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Call for details on our vehicle conversions, upseating, refurbishment, and change of use conversion. Also vehicles available for hire short and long term.

www.staffordbuscentre.com email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Telephone: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552 View our latest arrivals on www.staffordbuscentre.com

ADL ENVIRO 300 2008 08 REG 38/42 seats, wheelchair access and standing, choice of 5.

FROM £55,000

DENNIS DART PLAXTON SUPER POINTER 1999 V REG Undergoing total internal re-fit to include 45 seats with belts.

FROM £12,950

VOLVO OLYMPIAN, NORTHERN COUNTIES “LOW HEIGHT” BODY 1998 R REG Volvo engine/ZF gearbox, 76 seats plus 8, can be belted if required. £11,950

MERCEDES VITO 111D 2005 05 REG All ex Transport for London (TFL), currently 4 seats + wheelchair, good choice, all very low miles between 70 and 80k

DAF SB220 ALEXANDER 1998 R REG 42 seats + 26 standing, good quality replacements for those unreliable, expensive to run Darts.

PHONE FOR MORE DETAILS

ADL ENVIRO 200. B900 2008 08 Reg.29 Seats and 17 standing, Fully repainted POA ENVIRO 300 ALSO AVAILABLE

MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER 2 2002/3 52 REG 28 Removable H/B seats on tracking, tail lift, PSV tested, auto gearbox, choice of many, very presentable £14,950

DENNIS JAVELIN MARCO POLO BODY 1998 S REG Fitted with 70 Cogent seats. £17,950

MERCEDES 311D SPRINTER 2003 03 REG Fitted with 14 h/b seats with belts power door, tacho etc. £5,950

BLUEBIRD AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS 2000 W REG 60 high back coach seats with 3 point belts, Cummins engine and (reconditioned) Alison gearbox, very simple and rugged construction PHONE FOR MORE DETAILS

FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT FACTORY BUS 2011 11 REG C.O.I.F plus PSV MoT, very low miles, as new. £15,950

OPTARE SOLO M920 1999 V REG Currently being panelled/painted and belted to 31 seats plus wheelchair. £12,950

FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT FACTORY BUS 2007 (57) 80k miles, tacho, PSV, COIF etc. £10,950

FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT BUS 2007 07 REG Very low mileage, suitable for school use if required as its 3500 cwt, can be driven on any full car licence. £9,950

DENNIS DART PLAXTON MINI POINTER 2002 52 REG Cummins ISB 4 cyl engine and Allison gearbox, fully panelled and painted, recent test. £13,450

FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT FACTORY BUS 2010 59 REG Will have new COIF and PSV test, tachograph and only 60k miles. £14,950

WE ALSO HAVE AVAILABLE 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

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

MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER R 2004 04 with manual box, 33 removable seats, power door and destination, tail lift etc. £16,950

FORD TRANSITS x 10 2007 - 2008 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 Mostly PSV All 17 seats, tacho etc, all below 60k miles.

Vehicles available for short or long term lease

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

09 (09) VAUXHALL VIVARO CDTI 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 29,500 MILES £18,995

05 (55) MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDi TREKA BUS W/CHAIR ACCESS COIF/PSV 101,650KMS £16,495

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

04 (04) MERCEDES 413CDI 17 SEAT TREKA W/CHAIR ACCESS BUS COIF/PSV 145,463KMS £12,995

13:28

05 (05) VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER WHEELCHAIR ACESSIBLE £8,250

29/4/13

07 (07) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS LWB MEDIUM ROOF 82,500 MILES COIF/PSV £9,950

p00_CBW_1085_Autoservice Page 1

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696912-1085-Heatons

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60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | May 1, 2013

681297-1085-Connaught

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Mini Coach Sales

BRAND NEW COACH BUILT MERCEDES 516 FERQUI SOROCO 16 high back leather trimmed reclining seats, courier seat, A/C, D/G, power door, large boot, DVD, silver metallic. AVAILABLE NOW.

BRAND NEW MERCEDES FERQUI TORO 28/32 high back seats + courier, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

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

2011 MERCEDES 519 CDI SPRINTER X-CLUSIVE AUTO 16 high back full leather trimmed seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, power door, glass roof, large boot and DVD system.

2011 61 REG MERCEDES 513 CDI TRANSFER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, parking sensors, side entry with automatic step, luggage space.

2010 59 REG MERCEDES 515 CDI TRAVEL 45 16 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, forced air, reading lights, DVD, power door & power step, coach rear, auto.

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

2007 07 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 413 CDI SOROCO 16 high back seats, forced air, reading lights, A/C, power door and large boot.

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.

2001 51 REG MERCEDES BENZ 413 CDI SOROCO 16 high back seats, forced air, A/C, reading lights, power door and large boot.

2001 Y REG MERCEDES 814 VARIO OPTARE NOUVELLE 31/33 high back seats, forced air, reading lights, PA system, power door and boot.

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

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DAVIS COACHES AUCTION Saturday 11th May 2013, 10am prompt

TRAVELBILLITY

Viewing Friday 10th May 2013 Hilltop Garage, Minchinhampton, Stroud, Gloucester GL6 9HA

DUE TO THE DAVIS FAMILY DECISION TO CLOSE THE BUSINESS Volvo B10M MK4 Vanhool Alizee T9 53 Seat Coach Volvo B10M MK4 Vanhool Alizee T9 53 Seat Coach Volvo B10M MK4 Vanhool Alizee T8 55 Seat Coach Volvo B10M MK4 Vanhool Alizee T8 55 Seat Coach Volvo B10M MK3 Vanhool Alizee T8 53 Seat Coach Volvo B10M MK3 Vanhool Alizee T8 49 Seat Coach Volvo B10M MK2 Vanhool Alizee T8 55 Seat Coach Volvo B9M MK4 Vanhool Alizee T8 40 Seat Coach Toyota Caetano MK4 24 Seat Mini Coach Mercedes Sprinter 412D 16 Seat Mini Coach 10000ltr Bunded Fuel Tank, Somers Mobile Vehicle Lift, Bluepoint 20ton Hydraulic Press, Mobile Vehicle Wash, Pit Jack, Lubricant Dispensers, Kew Pressure Washer, Axle Stands, Grinders, Oxyacetylene Equipment, Headlight Aligner, Volvo Parts & Spares, General Tools, ETC

2000 (X) 413 CDI Sprinter

FREE ONLINE BIDDING AVAILABLE Click the link on our website to register

Contact Charlie Foyle or Graham Johnson on 01630 674326

www.malcolmharrison.co.uk auctions@malcolmharrison.co.uk All overseas and first time buyers not known to the auctioneer must lodge £1000 refundable deposit on registration by cash/credit/debit card.

MALCOLM HARRISON AUCTIONS

2005 Mellor 33 seats with boot, forced air, analogue tacho, 260,000kms, MOT 10/2013 £39,995

Sprintronic g/box, COIF for 16 seats or 6 W/C, private plate, UVG Modular

£4995

2005 Plaxton Beaver 2006 Mellor 28 seats or 9 W/C, 29 seats, large boot, automative, climate air con, analogue control, 98,000kms, tacho, 287,000kms, MOT 09/2013 MOT 10/2013 £35,995 £35,995

2006 Mellor COIF for 20 seats, external tail lift, fully tracked flat floor £15,995

2005 (55) Fiat Ducato 2.0 diesel, 4 seats and 2 W/C, fully tracked floor, ramp £5,995

All prices + VAT FINANCE CAN BE ARRANGED

Please call 01934 515511 or email info@travelabillity.com Location 2 minutes from J21 M5

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

2003 (53) TRIDENT SLF ALX 400 67 seats – choice * ££ £731.50 per month

Very clean and tidy ex-lease vehicles. Cummins Euro 3 (DPF fitted to Euro 1V standard). ZF Ecomat gearbox. Fully DDA Compliant for 2017+. Synectics CCTV cameras fitted. £25,000 + VAT

*10% deposit required + total VAT, then 36 monthly payments of £731.50. This is a quotation only and does not constitute an offer of credit. Any finance offered is subject to status and for business users only.

Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN

696363-1084-BenWeaver

22/4/13

17:30

Page 1

BEN WEAVER commercials 2004 54 REG IVECO DAILY 45C13 11 SEAT FRONT ENTRY LWB WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800cc turbo diesel, white, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tachograph, 127000 kms, 80000 miles, 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £9495 NO VAT

2002 02 MERCEDES VARIO 614 11 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 4300 turbo diesel engine, 5 speed manual gearbox, Access underfloor rear tail lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, can be made upto 20 passenger seats, 232000 kms/145000 miles, white, 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £6995 + VAT Photos taken prior to valeting

2007 07 FORD TRANSIT 12 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2200cc 110ps turbo diesel engine, twin slide loading doors, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, white, excellent condition, 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £8495 + VAT

2002 02 REG IVECO DAILY 40C13 17 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE COACH STYLE MINIBUS 2300cc turbo diesel, finished in white, Ratcliffe Palfinger underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 4 wheelchairs, coach style interior, front entry, analogue tachograph, panoramic glass, 125000 kilometers/78000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good GarageScheme standards, 3 months parts and labour warranty £ 7995 NO VAT

2002 51 REG IVECO DAILY 50C13 17 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800cc turbo diesel, certificate of initial fitness, yellow, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, analogue tachograph, electric windows 115000 kilometers/72000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT or PSV, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months parts and labour warranty £ 6295 + VAT

2006 56 REG CITROEN RELAY MWB MEDIUM ROOF 7 SEAT MINIBUS 2000 HDI diesel,yellow, 56000 miles, more details to follow, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £5495 NO VAT

2007 57 REG FORD TRANSIT 9 SEAT MEDIUM WHEELBASE MEDIUM ROOF SHUTTLE BUS 2200cc 110ps turbo diesel, red , twin side loading doors, rear luggage area, 90000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £8495 + VAT

2008 08 FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2400 turbo diesel 100ps engine, LEZ compliant, COIF, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, 85000 miles with service records, finished in white, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £9995 + VAT

2004 04 REG CITROEN RELAY SWB MEDIUM ROOF 8 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2000cc HDI diesel, blue, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift, 44000 miles, excellent condition, more details to follow, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6495 NO VAT

2002 02 REG IVECO DAILY 50C13 13 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS WITH PANORAMIC GLASS 2800cc turbo diesel, white, panoramic glass, ex local authority vehicle, certificate of initial fitness, tachograph, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, electric windows, power door mirrors, 104000 kilometers/65000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £6495 + VAT

2005 05 FORD TRANSIT MWB MEDIUM ROOF 5 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2000 turbo diesel engine, internal Ricon wheelchair lift, tracking for 2 wheelchairs, AVS side access step, electric windows, lift up skylight, 85000 miles, finished in metallic silver blue, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £7495 + VAT

2006 56 FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2400cc 115ps turbo diesel, 6 speed gearbox, electric heated mirrors, electric windows, CD player, silver, 106000 miles, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months parts and labour warranty £7995 + VAT

2009 09 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 209CDI SWB LOW ROOF WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLE 2148cc cdi diesel, sprintshift auto gearbox, hand operated brake pedal, velvet red, electrically operated drivers, Ricon rear internal wheelchair lift, front & rear parking sensors, air conditioning, electic windows, mirrors, CD player, only covered 8000 miles with full service history, excellent condition, 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £14995 NO VAT

2006 56 FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2400cc 115ps turbo diesel engine, 6 speed gearbox, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, finished in white, excellent condition, 96000 miles with full service history, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £9495 + VAT

2005 05 FORD TRANSIT MWB MEDIUM ROOF 5 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2000 turbo diesel engine, internal Ricon wheelchair lift, tracking for 2 wheelchairs, AVS side access step, electric windows, lif up skylight, 88000 miles, finished in metallic college blue, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £7495 + VAT

2004 53 IVECO DIALY 17 SEAT FRONT ENTRY LWB WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800cc 6 speed turbo diesel, analogue tachograph, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 3 wheelchairs, 103000 kilometers/64000 miles,excellent condition, white, supplied with 12 months MOT,fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £8995 NO VAT

2001 Y REG MERCEDES VARIO 814 FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE 28 SEAT MINIBUS 4300cc automatic turbo diesel engine, Plaxton conversion, electric front doors, Access under floor rear tail lift, tracking for 8 wheelchairs, analogue tachograph, 227000 klms/141000 miles, finished in white, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £9995 + VAT

1999 T REG TOYOTA CAETANO OPTIMO 4 4166cc turbo diesel, 5 speed gearbox, 21 coach style seats with lapbelts and arm rests, passenger curtains, overhead luggage space, rear boot space, internal rear heater, reading lights, forced air, Euroliners, white, just had 12 months PSV put on, certificate of initial fitness, analogue tachograph, 412000 klms/257000 miles, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards £8995 + VAT

2005 FORD TRANSIT 13 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS Diesel, 21000 miles, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, electric side access step, tracking for upto 2 wheelchairs plus 8 passengers, electric windows, electric heated door mirrors, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, ex-NHS vehicle, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty. £9495 + VAT

2005 54 REG FORDTRANSIT 12 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2400cc turbo diesel, 23000 miles, white, Aaccess underfloor rear wheelchair lift, electric side access step, tracking for upto 2 wheelchairs plus 8 passengers, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, ex-NHS vehicle, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty. £8995 + VAT

All vehicles supplied with 12 months MOT/PSV, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards and 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty

Gower Street, Sheffield, S4 7JW Tel: 0114 275 7076 www.benweavercommercials.co.uk

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64 | COACH & BUS WEEK | May 1, 2013

BUILDINGS HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available For further information phone

BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime

CHECKPOINTS

BUS & COACH PARTS

The ABC of Rental Solutions

Under your control.

For the time you need it.

Bus and Coach

01274 681144

busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk

HEATING

Heaters • A/C Equipment Blowers • Motors • Radiators Silicone Hose • Ducting Wiper Equipment • Gas Struts

Wheel Nut Indicators and Retainers

++44(0)1524 44(0)1524 2271200 71200 checkpoint-safety.com

www.

Tel: 01993 849522 Fax: 01993 706920 Email: sales@thhs.co.uk

www.thhs.co.uk

FINANCE

Innovative funding solutions to fit every business. We specialise in raising funds for all types of companies from sole traders to PLCs. As a specialist business funder, Huxley Corporate Finance can provide your company with a wide range of finance facilities including the following:

• Equipment Finance • Vehicle Finance • Cash Flow • Mortgages • Company Acquisition • Capital Release Scheme • Vehicle Sourcing

Call the team to discuss your current financial requirements on 01829 730062

65A High Street, Tarporley, Cheshire, CW6 0DP T 01829 730062 F 01829 730063 E info@huxleycf.co.uk www.huxleycf.co.uk

UNIT 9 NIMROD BUSINESS PARK DE HAVILLAND WAY, WITNEY OX29 0YG

ENGINEERING SUPPORT LIVERY

7L PH L V PRQH\ 8SO RDG \RXU

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p65_CBW_1085

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May 1, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 65

PARTS

TACHOGRAPH ANALYSIS

• Full UK coverage • Same day local delivery

If you would like further information please call 01543 897505 or visit www.lloydmorgangroup.co.uk

• Next day national delivery • Official Irizar part distributor

Digital and analogue tachograph analysis

Take the photos, write the ad and change it later if you want to, all from your online dashboard.

• All manufacturer parts supplier

Selling a vehicle is simple on . . .

• Fast, efficient & 24/7

Tel: 01909 511349 www.master-part.co.uk TRAINING PARTS

The ABC of Parts Support Over 17,000 parts lines directly from stock.

Next day delivery as standard.

Bus and Coach

01274 681144

busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk

SEATING

BUCKINGHAM 3 & 2 • Ideal for 3 & 2 configurations • Ergonomic design for maximum support, comfort and legroom • Tried & tested: fitted into many new coaches as OEM • Full range of legs and fitting options make the Buckingham ideal for upseating to 70+ seats • Lighter weight makes easier for installation Prime Passenger Seating Limited 7 Canalwood Industrial Estate, Chirk, Wrexham LL14 5RL Telephone: 0870 757 1320 Fax: 01691 770 798 Email: johnm@primeps.com

www.primeps.com

SIGNWRITING

THE DRIVER CPC IS HERE

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

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

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TRAINING

TRIM

VEHICLE BADGES

BLACKPOOL TRIM SHOPS LTD BRUN GROVE BLACKPOOL FY1 6PG

01253 766762

PHOTOS AND FULL COLOUR AS STANDARD ON ALL VEHICLE FOR SALE ADVERTISEMENTS

Stock set of Esteban seats to fit Iriza Century coach £2200+VAT

Stock set of Plaxton Premiere seats, newly trimmed £2200+VAT

Stock set of Plaxton Premiere seats, newly trimmed. £1800+VAT.

Full set of 70 Cogent school bus seat covers, cut and sewn. £1000+VAT

Vogal service seats, brand new.

9 doubles, 3 singles. £75+VAT per double £35+VAT per single

Vogal India service seats in red moquette.

9 doubles, 3 singles. £75+VAT per double £35+VAT per single

FOR SALE

Large badges for Leyland Coaches 6 new – make an offer Also Tiger Head badge available

EASTWOODS COMMERCIAL MOTORS LTD Tel: 0121 328 5959 Fax: 0121 327 3800

We have full sets of pads for Esteban Civic V2, plus spares and other service seats in stock

/blackpooltrimshops sales@blackpooltrimshops.co.uk

5 I F

NB S L F U

G P S

7 F I J D M F T

1 S P E V D U T

B O E

4 F S W J D F T

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

01885 488 448 / 07896 191 672

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

www.twigley.com

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May 1, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 67

WINDSCREEN WIPERs

Manufacturers, Designers and Suppliers of windscreen wiper equipment and bus/coach products

FOR ALL YOUR WIPER EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR NEW ON-LINE CATALOGUE

Unit 3, Seaview Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 4DU

T: +44 (0) 151 922 5933 T: +44 (0) 151 933 4272 F: +44 (0) 151 922 5468 E: sales@transervex.co.uk W: www.transervex.com

A Clear Vision

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Wednesday February 13, 2013 Issue 1074 | £2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

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February 2013

Top ways to groups happykeep younger p22

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LOVE LONDON

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Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@coachandbusweek.com or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX

Setra coach on world’s longest coach tour?

Is a Setra heading for the Guiness Book of Records thanks to a German tour operator? One of the coaches is being used on a round the world tour with a difference.

Freiburg-based Avanti Reisen has embarked on a 52,000 km (32,311 miles) around the world trip.

Starting in the Baden-Württemberg city, the 215-day trip will head to Shanghai. From the Chinese capital, the coach is then shipped in midJune to Alaska.

After a 40 day break, which passengers can spend at home or on the freighter, the coach arrives in Alaska, and will make its way to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the world’s southernmost town. The S 515 HD is expected to arrive on December 22. The passengers will be home in time for Christmas, with Avanti’s General Manager Hans-Peter Christoph returning for the New Year after driving the empty coach to a cargo ship in Buenos Aires.

The 12.3-metre long two-axle

Meanwhile, at the longest bus route attempt…

Plans for a bus service between Birmingham and Pakistan have been delayed because of problems over transit permits.

Dilbert

Monday: I’m on a high after a weekend of organising a stag do for an industry friend, ably assisted by the two ushers and a healthy mix of real ales. Press day. Start in the office at 0730hrs after dropping my Sarah off at work. Finish at 1800hrs but of course, it’s late by our current standards – touch wood.

The S 515 HD is not expected to complete its 32,311 mile journey until December 22. The vehicle left Freiburg at the beginning of April coach with a five-star classification is equipped with 40 leather touring seats, giving the passengers generous legroom.

Christoph has already travelled from the Breisgau region in Germany to China twice without problems in touring coaches from the Setra TopClass 400.

The trip costs €64,400, approximately £54,000, for the entire 215 days. It is separated into five sections which can be booked

individually, ranging in price from €10,200 (£8,602) to €17,800 (£15,012).

As Heinz Friedrich, the brand spokesman for Setra Germany, rightly said: “There can be no better advertising for our new coach generation.”

The 4,000-mile (6,400km) route to Mirpur would run through Iran and Turkey, passing close to the Afghanistan border. The service is being set up by the Transport Minister for Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The route includes stopovers in Quetta, near the Afghan border, and in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

Tickets for the 12-day journey are expected to cost £130 each.

The Mirpur region’s head of

transport, Tahir Khokher, said details about when the service should be running will be announced in three to four weeks.

However there are security concerns in the region, with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advising British nationals against all travel to Iran and all but essential travel to Quetta, although Mr Khokher said the risks were exaggerated and insisted the service will go ahead.

You can follow the tour’s progress at http://blog. busweltreise.de/. You can read it in English using Google Translate.

Tuesday: Finish my Steve Whiteway Face to Face interview and email it to him for a fact check. Leave the office a little earlier for a mortgage meeting in town.

Wednesday: A hectic day in the office working on the RATP super feature and chasing news. The emphasis is on getting material ready for design.

Thursday: Forge on with RATP, both checking word copy before it’s designed and sub-editing designed pages. Catch up with a friendly coach operator who has some interesting news for a future issue. As always, I respect their embargo.

Friday: Another bus day cracking on with the RATP super feature.

At lunchtime, a PPI caller on James’ personal mobile does not understand the word ‘no’ so I set my alter ego on her, who talks with a decidedly quirky voice.

Much to colleagues amusement, I ask such rubbish as whether she likes Chinese food as I’m planning to have a takeway tonight. When she asks if I’ve got a loan, I purposefully mishear her and tell her I’m not alone – I’m with my friends. She gets angry and eventually says she can tell I’m clearly not interested. Hopefully James won’t get bothered by her mob again... Back to work, in something which would be unheard of in the past, we sit down for a team meeting in the final part of the day. We update our plans for forthcoming issues and share our ideas for features and columns. www.coachandbusweek.com

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

New FTA President Performance Improvement Manager Ash Grove, Hackney, circa £50k HCT Group is an award-winning social enterprise in the transport industry, operating from depots in London, West Yorkshire, Humberside, Bristol and the Channel Islands.

We deliver a range of high quality transport services – from London red buses to social services transport, from school transport to Park and Ride, from community transport to education and training. We reinvest the surplus from our commercial work back into further transport services or high-impact projects in the communities we serve.

HCT Group is seeking to recruit a Performance Improvement Manager who will manage all aspects of our operations function at our busiest bus garage, based in London.

The successful candidate will possess significant experience in managing front line bus operations and be able to demonstrate strong leadership qualities. In addition, the ability to deliver sustained improvements in both operational and safety performance is a central aspect of this role.

For the full job description and person specification, please visit www.hctgroup.org/jobs. No agencies please.

To apply for this position, please email your CV and a covering letter setting out your suitability for this role to Lawrence Wilson, Regional Manager, CT Plus on lawrencewilson@hctgroup.org.

Stewart Oades has handed over the presidency of the Freight Transport Association (FTA) to Ian Veitch, MD of Yusen Logistics UK, following FTA’s National Council meeting in London (April 23). Stewart Oades steps down after completing a four year term as FTA President.

After studying biology at university, Veitch spent 15 years at British Road Services, which became Exel Logistics, followed by two years as a director at Christian Salvesen Distribution before joining NYK in 1994 as MD of subsidiary company UCI Logistics. He became CEO of NYK’s merged UK logistics businesses in 2005 and in 2007 was appointed to the Board of Corporate Officers of NYK Group in Japan, the first European to do so. His responsibilities increased and diversified in 2011 with the merger of Yusen Air & Sea and

NYK Logistics, forming the new Yusen Logistics UK. He has been a member of the FTA Board since 2008 and is a Fellow of the CILT. Stewart said: “It has been an enormous privilege to have been President for the last four years.

My thanks to the FTA leadership and staff, fellow Board members and the enthusiastic regional committees who have made it a very enjoyable experience. My best wishes go to Ian, who I know has all the necessary skills to ensure FTA continues its excellent work on behalf of our membership.”

Ian Veitch

ENGAGEMENT EVENT

Hampshire County Council (HCC) Public Bus Supplier Engagement Morning HCC invite you to an engagement event on the benefits of operating Public Bus contracts for them.The event will take place on the 5th July 2013 10:00 – 13:00 in Elizabeth II Court, Sussex Street,Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UT. The format of the morning will be : Various stands offering information on topics such as: • • • • •

Public Bus legislation and Registration Confederation of Passenger Transport, how they can help you Concessionary Fares Publicity The role of the Passenger Transport Team

In addition two breakout sessions will take place: 10.30 – 11.30 “Barriers to entry - Myths and Facts” How can HCC help you to reduce barriers and help you move into the Public Bus Market.

11.45 – 12.45 “How we tender for Public Bus routes in Hampshire” How to gain entry to our tendering process, bid for routes and how we can support you.

If you would like to book a place on the event, and / or book a place on the breakout sessions, or further information please contact: passengertransportprojects@hants.gov.uk

Closing date for applications is 8 May 2013, interviews will be held during week commencing 27 May 2013.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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In association with

Giles Fearnley is new CILT B&C Forum ambassador CILT has announced that Giles Fearnley, Managing Director of First UK Bus, has been appointed as ‘Ambassador’ for its Bus and Coach Forum. As Ambassador, he will champion the work of the Forum within the CILT’s 18,000 strong professional and corporate membership and to external stakeholders.

Giles replaces Roger French OBE who is stepping down from the role as part of his retirement following thirty years service to the bus industry, notably as Managing Director of Brighton and Hove Bus Company.

Giles Fearnley Giles will play a leading role at some of the Forum’s events during the coming months and help promote the interests of the industry, the Institute and the Forum itself, supporting the work

M&D and East Kent Bus Club appoints new Chairman The M&D and East Kent Bus Club recently appointed Richard Mellor as its new Chairman following the departure of the long-serving Jerry Spillett.

Jerry decided to stand down just a few months before his 50th anniversary of his joining the club way back in 1963. He was elected to the management team in 1981 and has been Chairman since 1988.

During the long period he has served the club and its members, he also fulfilled the roles of Publications Officer and Secretary in the past.

As a mark of gratitude on

behalf of the membership past and present, a presentation was made at the club’s 61st Annual General Meeting in Canterbury at which Jerry was given an enlarged copy of his original membership application form, a photographic souvenir of his time with the club and honorary life membership.

Speaking at the event Richard Lewis, who has been on the management committee since 1976, said: “As the oldest of the regional bus clubs we have had to adapt many times over the years to embrace new technology or working practices. We now face

of the Bus and Coach Forum’s Chairman, Austin Birks.

Announcing his appointment, Austin Birks, said: “We’re very grateful for the effort and impetus that Roger French put in to

Richard Lewis with outgoing Chairman Jerry Spillett the same challenges that a lot of other organisations are addressing, not least the need to encourage younger people into a hobby

establishing and taking forward the role over the past two years.

“We are therefore pleased to welcome Giles Fearnley as the new Ambassador. He has been a strong supporter of the Institute over many years. His long-experience and excellent industry reputation in public transport will be a great help to us as we seek to increase our membership further and ensure that the views of bus and coach sector professionals are heard within the industry and beyond.”

Giles Fearnley said: “While these remain challenging times for the bus and coach industry, there are also many positive opportunities we can progress in the Forum as part of an industry that is dynamic and innovative. I look forward to supporting Austin and the wider Institute in promoting the interests of the Forum and bus and coach interest in general.” that has an ever-increasing age profile and the need for succession planning in the longer term.

“We are very lucky we have a strong base of more than 450 members and that this has actually increased year on year in recent times. We also have an enthusiastic committee which will ensure the club continues to grow and develop new ideas to sustain it in the future.

“There is no escaping, however, the fact that we are all growing older and one of the aspects that our new Chairman, long-standing club member Richard Mellor, is keen to investigate is how we can encourage the younger bus enthusiasts to join the M&D and East Kent Bus Club so that it continues to thrive well into the future.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

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