Wednesday March 7, 2012 Issue 1026 | ÂŁ2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com
COACH:
Public debut for new Cheetah at Plaxton's 2012 Open Days p8
NEWS FOCUS:
MAN Truck & Bus to launch new midibus for UK market p22
BUS:
Oxfordshire County Council applies for city Euro 5 LEZ limit p6
INQUIRY:
The Transport Select Committee analyses local competition p34
for recru i
JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK
NEWS FLASH
Pelican Engineering takes over BMC imports p28
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THIS WEEK
Coach & Bus Week is published by Rouncy Media, First Floor, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX Switchboard 01733 293240 Fax 0845 280 2927 Web www.coachandbusweek.com Distributed by COMAG
EDITORIAL Publisher Jonathan Taylor 01733 293240 jonathan.taylor@rouncymedia.co.uk Editor Gareth Evans 01733 293243 gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk Industry Editor Meera Rambissoon 01733 293240 meera.rambissoon@rouncymedia.co.uk Technical & Minibus Editor Martin Cole 01733 293245, 07885 692144 martin.cole@rouncymedia.co.uk News Reporter James Day 01733 293244 james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk News Reporter Andrew Cream 01733 293240 andrew.cream@rouncymedia.co.uk Art Director Keith Simpson Contributors Richard Charnley, Gabriel Conway, Alan Payling
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Wanted: Foresight
H
MV is to scrap ALL work experience placements for the unemployed after bowing to pressure from Left-wing activists. These appear to be the same sort of people who attempt to justify and legitimise last summer’s rioters and talk at length about the problem of disaffected youths. I’m happy to admit publicly that I’ve recruited an enthusiastic team member via one such work experience scheme, which was managed by the Job Centre. After successfully completing a two-month placement, he was offered a full-time position. Frankly, he’s an invaluable member of the team and I would now be saddened to lose him. For employers, it’s something of a ‘try before you buy’. After all, I’m sure we’ve all met what amount to some tragic cases at interviews – never mind the CVs. As employers it’s easy for us to turn down applicants for their lack of relevant experience, yet the question of how individuals are supposed to gain
that experience is raised time and again. Placements allow potential employees to show their talents to an employer while at the same time giving them a vital notch on their CV. Put simply; it can be a win-win. Clearly, I don’t condone exploitation (I’ve experienced that working in a garden centre as a teenager) but as a society, we should be looking beyond the ends of our noses. We lack the ability to see that volunteering (read ‘working for free’, with all the negative connotations it carries today) can assist us in getting a career. While it’s not quite the same thing as the Coalition Government’s scheme, as someone who benefited from work experience placements with Arriva and Stratos Holidays as a teenager, it saddens me that our youths risk being denied the opportunity to gain such vital and invaluable insight into industry and hence their careers. This brings me on to recruiting the next generation – more in a future issue. Gareth Evans Editor
CONTENTS 4
28
41
The latest from across the coach and bus industry in the UK
18
The latest on BMC’s UK distribution and a look at the Nifty midi coach
32
Dunlop extends its tyre ranges and Xbrite wheels are unveiled
...From tourist attractions and events. Plus ideas for group visits
22
The first Sunsundegui Sideral 10-bodied Volvo at Logans Travel
34
Air conditioning and passenger comfort
20th anniversary celebration and a new bus to debut at ALBUM
26
Transport Select Committee inquiry hears evidence on bus competition
38
A lighthearted look at the industry. Plus Gareth’s Diary!
A snapshot of who’s going to be at the Best of Britian & Ireland show
Three cheers for drivers at Excelsior and HCT
All the latest people moves from across the industry
News
Tour News
News Focus: MAN BoBI Preview
Supplier Update The Big Picture Insight
Drivers
Products
42
Essential Guide
61
Last Stop
62
People
For all the latest industry news and information, register with us online at:
www.coachandbusweek.com www.coachandbusweek.com
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4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
news
“TCs are like the tooth fairy – They seem to bring good things the whole time but no one is quite sure they exist and what they do!” Paul Maymard MP
briefly Operators of Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs) gathered in Birmingham last Monday (February 27) to share their experiences and put forward ideas for improving the way testing can be carried out at non-VOSA sites. The forum was hosted by VOSA two years after the ATF launch. There are now 170 ATFs and more than 40% of testing is done at non-VOSA sites. The event’s aim was to provide an interactive platform for the ATF community to talk to each other and VOSA about their experiences. Over 80 representatives from ATFs across the UK attended to give presentations, take part in discussions and make suggestions for the future. Metro, West Yorkshire PTE, has submitted a bid to secure funding from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Better Bus Area Fund. Smart Journeys is a £4.35m bid, in partnership with local bus operators and five district councils, which proposes the expansion and acceleration of smartcard ticketing in West Yorkshire, building on existing investment by Metro and bus operators. It includes smartcard ticketing in York as an optional component, and a successful bid would be matched by £8.9m of funding from Metro, the West Yorkshire Local Transport Plan and the bus operators. The full bid document can be found at http:// tinyurl.com/88229hk Stagecoach Group has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for the second time running. The firm has shown significant improvement in carbon efficiency over the two-year period, since its initial certification was awarded. During this time, it has reduced carbon emissions relative to the turnover of the group’s UK businesses by 5.6% in the two years to April 30, 2011 as a result of measures designed to make the company more sustainable. Chief executive, Sir Brian Souter, said: “We believe in growing our business sustainably. Cutting carbon and using energy efficiently has been at the heart of our strategy for many years. It makes good business sense.” www.coachandbusweek.com
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Insight p34
Shipp: bus fuel tax rise must be avoided Respected operator warns if the 3p rise in fuel duty in August goes ahead, the increase will become an unprecedented 79% Peter Shipp, chairman of East Yorkshire Motor Services Group (EYMS), has written to the chancellor of the exchequer in a last ditch attempt to prevent a 58% increase in fuel tax faced by bus operators in April. The 20% cut to BSOG from April will mean a loss of £600,000 a year in the grant for EYMS. This comes on top of increased prices for fuel - at its highest ever for EYMS last week and a £700,000 a year reduction in the payment EYMS receives from local authorities for concessionary travel scheme. Shipp is asking the chancellor to use “just a tiny proportion of the government’s recently reported January tax windfall” to restore all or at least some of the planned BSOG cut to head off more reductions in bus services and steep rises in fares which he said are inevitable when the tax increase takes place. The 20% cut in April equals 8.6p per litre on the price bus operators pay for diesel – a massive 58% increase in fuel tax for buses, said Shipp. If the 3p rise in fuel duty in August goes ahead, the increase will become an unprecedented 79%. “Airlines pay no fuel duty, trains pay very little,” he said. “Car and truck drivers have had to suffer the big increases in fuel duty, but not
Scania converts to bioethanol
Scania is taking further steps to reduce impact on the climate from its own operations - using eight renewable bioethanol rather than diesel fuelled trucks. The manufacturer said the move will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from it’s own goods transport services at its production
the massive cut in the grant which bus operators have received which has been there for many years to help maintain bus services and keep fare rises as low as possible. “Using 1999 as a base, fuel tax included in the pump price for private cars and trucks has increased by about 60%. For buses the figures is an astonishing 175%. “A previous study for the government by the Commission for Integrated Transport found every £1 paid in BSOG provided between £3 and £5 of wider benefits to the community. BSOG is not a huge amount in the general scheme of things, but is simple and cheap to administer and delivers huge value for money for the government and for bus passengers, yet the Government still plans to cut it by about £90m a year.”
Since 1999, fuel tax included in the pump price for private cars and trucks has increased by about 60%, compared to 175% for buses, says EYMS chairman Peter Shipp facilities in Södertälje by 70%. “It’s important for us to take the lead in developing sustainable, alternative methods and demonstrate how they are linked in practice,” said Anders Nielsen, Scania’s head of production and logistics. Scania currently offers a series of energy-efficient products through its Ecolution package, which includes different biodiesel, biogas and ethanol fuel options. In Södertälje, Scania primarily runs trucks to move parts and packaging material between
Shipp said after allowing for the BSOG, the cost of fuel for EYMS has risen from about £1.2m in 1999 to almost £5m this year, “grossly unfair on bus passengers who inevitably bear the full brunt”. “The government keeps telling us it wants to see more people on buses, that buses are vital for the economy, jobs, climate change and social inclusion but these changes, together with the equally damaging financial effects of the Concessionary Travel Scheme are having exactly the opposite result.” While welcoming the Better Bus Area Fund and latest round of Green Bus Funding and support from transport minister Norman Baker, Shipp said these will only help in some limited areas and “will do almost nothing for rural bus services which are under the biggest threat”. “It’s all dictated by the Treasury and it almost seems central government is in denial about the inevitable consequences of its decisions for bus passengers,” he added. “The difficulties are particularly great for small independent firms like EYMS which between them provide about one-quarter of the country’s bus routes as they don’t have the benefits of scale and other commercial interests to help support the business as a whole,” concluded Shipp. “We’re using every means at our disposal to save fuel through training and telematics but the savings come nowhere near offsetting these huge increases.” its production and assembly workshops. These internal freight traffic operations were recently taken over by the Scania Transport Laboratory, a whollyowned subsidiary which tests and evaluates vehicle characteristics and performance in commercial haulage. To help increase the availability of renewable fuels for commercial vehicles, Scania will open a public filling station in Södertälje later this year with fuel dispensers for RME (rapeseed methyl ester), ED95 (ethanol) and biogas.
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March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5
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Coventry Centenary livery National Express Coventry is kicking off the centenary celebrations of the formation of Coventry Transport with the unveiling of one of its Coventry buses in the last Coventry Transport livery. The bus, which has been specially researched, painted and refurbished by the bus operator will look just as buses did in the 1970s before being replaced by the blue and cream buses from West Midlands PTE, Centro. The Transbus ALX400-bodied Dennis Trident 2 was unveiled by Coventry’s longest serving bus driver Abdul Khan who has worked on the city’s buses for 42 years and National Express Coventry director Mark Kipling. The bus has been refurbished to look similar to Coventry’s homebuilt Daimlers delivered to Coventry Transport in the early 1970s. It gives an impression of what today’s buses would look
West of England Authorities join pteg
Bristol is now part of the pteg (passenger transport executive group) network after the West of England Authorities joined the group together as an Associate Member. With Bristol and the West of England area on board, pteg’s professional network now serves all eight core cities as well as London, Leicester and Strathclyde. The four West of England Authorities are Bristol City Council; Bath & North East Somerset
like if Coventry Transport had continued. Mark Kipling, director National Express Coventry, said: “Coventry is a city which is famous for its history and culture from the Cathedral to Lady Godiva. We also have a rich history in the transport industry
and we are delighted to be doing our bit to celebrate 100 years of bus travel in Coventry. “The livery on this bus is very different to anything on the roads in Coventry at the minute and will definitely catch local resident’s eyes.”
The specially liveried Transbus ALX400-bodied Dennis Trident 2 Council; North Somerset Council; and South Gloucestershire Council. Geoff Inskip, pteg chairman, said: “We are delighted to welcome the West of England Authorities to our professional network. Although pteg policy and direction will continue to be set by the six PTEs and ITAs, we place great value on the contribution that our associate members make to the professional networks that pteg runs. “These networks also help save money for the public purse through the commissioning of joint consultancy and procurement projects. Having the West of England Authorities as part of the pteg network will also reinforce pteg’s role as the leading voice on urban transport issues for public sector transport authorities.”
Cllr Tim Kent, executive member for transport, Bristol City Council, said: “Associate membership of pteg gets our region to the top table for transport discussions. It’s important that we have been accepted as a sub-region rather than an individual local authority area. Joint working has already earned the partnership some considerable wins, including the Greater Bristol Bus Network and five major transport schemes including a Bus Rapid Transit for the Greater Bristol area. “Our place at this table can only ensure a more thorough understanding of the issues affecting our joint transport network and the further solutions we need to secure to move forward.”
Easy timetable system for Norfolk Norfolk County Council (NCC) claims to have simplified the laborious task of updating bus timetables and service information across 2,000 of its bus stops thanks to a new web-based system developed by ITO World automating the process. The system, called ITO Go, has been developed to help ensure the council keeps its bus passengers moving without the luxury of a large team of people to create and manage stop information displays. Jeremy Wiggin from NCC explained: “We found ourselves struggling to keep up when funding and personnel were reduced. We approached ITO World to help develop an automated system, which has made a dramatic difference to the way we create bus timetables.” Using the previous system, creating a bus service timetable display would have taken about 20 minutes, with the end result viewed by some as being unattractive and hard to read. Using ITO Go uses a selection of bus stop templates and takes around a minute thanks to a clear and simple web-based interface. The resulting posters are clear and attractive and can feature a map where no visual guide existed before. Extra details can also be easily added to the posters, including QR tags enabling passengers to download maps and real-time information to their smartphones. Peter Miller, CEO of ITO World, said: “Our background in data visualisation helped us approach bus timetables in a different way. The resulting product marries our mapping technology with excellent CGI to produce clear timetables.”
www.coachandbusweek.com
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6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
news › BUSeS
86
The number of vehicle operated by Hedingham Omnibuses
briefly It is understood First London’s Northumberland Park depot, together with all of its current services, vehicles and staff, has been sold to the GoAhead Group. Responding to the news, a Go-Ahead spokeswoman told CBW it was “too early to comment” as they were waiting for official confirmation. CBW understands the takeover is expected to be completed on or around March 28. There are 14 Transport for London (TfL) contracted routes which operate from the depot. These are: 67, 191, 231, 259, 299, 357, 389, 399, 476, 616, 692, 699, W4 and W10. Around 130 buses are required for these routes. ADL Dennis Trident/ Enviro400 double deckers and Volvo B7TL/Wright buses are used, along with a small number of Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall single deckers.
Oxford wants Euro 5 LEZ City Council is also looking at applying the same rules for taxis and licensed private hire vehicles. Oxfordshire County Council has applied to government to set a limit on nitrogen dioxide emissions as part of plans with Oxford City Council to make the city a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). The authority is the first in the country to propose setting the bar at the Euro 5 level, a restriction which would require buses to produce less than two grams of nitrogen oxide per kilowatt hour. The average UK bus currently
produces five grams. Since 2009 bus operators have invested in low-emission buses, including hybrids, leading to about a 60% reduction in emissions – but the council claims many older vehicles remain in use. If agreed, the LEZ would mean all local buses operating within the city will have to meet the highest ‘Euro 5’ standards. Buses which do not meet the standard would have to be replaced or refitted with an exhaust treatment device. Engines will also have to be switched off at bus stops when the vehicle is stationary for more than a minute. Rodney Rose, Oxfordshire
Aldridge-based Volant PVS (Passenger Vehicles Solutions) has supplied Black Country independent bus operator Banga with three Optare Solos. The vehicles, which it is understood were previously operated by National Express West Midlands, have been refurbished at the Aldridge site to include full exterior repaint into the new Banga livery. Stagecoach Manchester is set to invest £750,000 into its fleet in April. In order to celebrate the launch of their ADL single deckers, the company is inviting local primary schools to enter a competition to officially name the six new buses which will be brought into service. For further incentive, the schools which win the competition will receive £50 worth of high street vouchers. The new buses will join the 180 vehicles which are currently allocated to Stockport depot and will serve the Brinnington and Stockport areas on route 325. Managing director Christopher Bowles said: “Stagecoach Manchester is also committed to building relationships with the communities in which we operate and we look forward to seeing the names the children from local primary schools create for our brand new vehicles.” www.coachandbusweek.com
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Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach have invested in ADL E400 Hybrids. An example of the latter is seen here in Oxford city centre
Partnership set to improve West Midlands bus services National Express West Midlands (NXWM) has signed what it calls “an industry leading partnership” with Bus Users UK (BUUK). The new partnership will mean for the first time regular and structured mystery shopper activity will be held on NXWM buses. BUUK will covertly inspect buses which are in service, experiencing exactly the same level of service as everyday customers. NXWM has asked the passenger group to regularly mark their services based on customer service,
safety, cleanliness and punctuality so they can continually work to improve the services received by their customers. BUUK will also review one NXWM route each month to help the firm address reliability. The routes NXWM will put forward for review will be those on which customers have expressed concerns about punctuality. NXWM has also agreed to hold regular ‘Meet the Directors’ events across the region at which passengers can speak directly to the senior team about issues they have
County Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Oxford is a beautiful city and we want the centre to be as attractive as possible for people to enjoy. Huge steps have already been taken to improve the air quality but there is still more that can be done.” Oxford City Council is also looking at applying the same rules for taxis and licensed private hire vehicles. Reacting to the news, a Stagecoach spokesman told CBW: “We already have a modern fleet of cleaner engine buses, including one of the UK’s biggest fleets of electric hybrid double-decker vehicles, which have already made a major contribution to greener travel in the city. We have also worked with Oxford City and Oxfordshire County Councils to deliver a new integrated bus network for the city that requires fewer vehicles and offers passenger benefits such as smartcard ticketing. Next year, we will also be introducing on-bus eco-driving technology designed to improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions as part of a UK-wide investment by Stagecoach. “The real issue in Oxford is the increasing problem of traffic congestion and the environmental impact from cars. We believe the biggest difference to air quality in the city could be delivered by the councils looking closely at how road space is being used. Investing in additional traffic management measures to improve journey times and reliability for bus passengers would also encourage even more people to switch from the car to greener, smarter and better value bus travel.”
regarding bus travel. Bob Emery, area operations director Birmingham, NXWM, said: “This groundbreaking partnership will see our services regularly and independently checked with the results fed into the highest level of our business. We’ll discuss the results of the mystery shopper activities at board meetings as well as the best way of addressing any concerns quickly and effectively.” Stephen Morris, general manager, BUUK, said: “We know how strongly NXWM feel about the levels of customer service, safety and punctuality and that is why they are the first operator in the country we have agreed to work in partnership with.”
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50%
The amount of all crime on London transport which is theft
New StreetLites for Reading Buses Six new Wright StreetLite vehicles were launched by Reading Buses last week. The 34-seater StreetLites have replaced Optare Solos, which were over a decade old, on the 19 and 19a Woodley routes, 27/29 Lower Caversham and the 142 Reading, Purley, Pangbourne, Woodcote and Checkendon. Significantly, the entire municipally-owned operator’s fleet is now DDA compliant, with an average age of four years, making it one of the youngest and most modern in the UK. James Freeman, chief executive of Reading Transport, which owns Reading Buses, said: “The StreetLite is a revolutionary midi bus, which meets our criteria for a vehicle with a new approach to design. “It brings new thinking and a new level of technology and innovation to the small bus market, which is our requirement here in Reading.” Sam McLaren, commercial director of Wrightbus, said: “It is extremely gratifying to have completed our first delivery of StreetLite midi buses to Reading.”
£79k
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SHARE WATCH
The price of a BMC Nifty, depending on options chosen
Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, March 5. National Express saw the greatest proportional rise while Optare experienced the biggest proportional drop. Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk
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Hedingham Omnibuses celebrated its in 50th anniversary in 2010
Go-Ahead acquires Hedingham Omnibuses The Go-Ahead Group has announced its acquisition of Essexbased Hedingham Omnibuses. Founded in 1960, the company is based in Colchester and operates 86 buses in North Essex and Suffolk. The business has five depots at Clacton, Hedingham, Kelvedon, Sudbury and Tollesbury. It principally operates a mix of school and local bus contracts and commercial routes.
Positive results from Lothian customer survey The results from Lothian Buses’ independently conducted annual passenger satisfaction survey show improved customer satisfaction levels. Conducted by transport consultants SKM Colin Buchanan, the results of over 2,000 telephone interviews in autumn 2011 confirm an overall rise in passenger satisfaction to 88% (85% in 2010) and a 7% rise from last year to 93% in the number of respondents who describe bus punctuality as either ‘excellent’ (53%) or ‘very good’ (40%). 98% of respondents described driver behaviour and attitude as very good or excellent – an increase of 16%. Feedback from the survey also
March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7
Passenger satisfaction was up 7% compared to last year highlighted 91% of respondents perceive Lothian services as ‘accessible to all’. Lothian Buses MD Ian Craig, said: “As an award winning, responsible bus operator, we always aim to prioritise the needs of our customers and strive to
David Brown, Group CEO, said: “I am delighted that we have acquired Hedingham Omnibuses. Go-Ahead is committed to operating high quality bus businesses in areas of growth, so this acquisition fits extremely well with that approach. “The MacGregor family and their staff have done an excellent job building Hedingham into what it is today. We look forward to working with them and to continuing to deliver an excellent service to our customers.” The existing management team led by managing director Robert MacGregor will continue to run the business. The company name and brand will remain in place. Mr McGregor told CBW he could not comment further at this stage. offer the very best service in public transport. “Consequently, it is of immense pride and credit to all of the staff at Lothian Buses that the results of the latest independently assessed 2011 Passenger Satisfaction Survey clearly points to ever increasing passenger satisfaction levels in core areas like reliability and punctuality. As a company, we continue to work to satisfy the needs of Lothian Buses passengers with the aim of further improving on customer satisfaction levels in the year ahead.” Gavin Booth, Scottish senior officer for Bus Users UK, said: “I am delighted – and not really surprised – that Lothian Buses has been rated so well by passengers. I travel by Lothian Buses on a regular basis and can echo the findings of the passenger satisfaction survey. I only wish all bus companies could achieve similar results.”
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05/03/2012 21:07
8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
news › coaches
“CNG isn’t a new thing without sufficient back-up. We have 10,000 already operating successfully around the world.” Roy Morton MAN Truck & Bus UK
briefly A series of overnight closures on both the M1 and M6 have been announced as part of the scheme to replace the Catthorpe Viaduct in Leicestershire. Closures will be in place on various dates from today (March 7) until Friday March 30. Closures will not be in place on every night during this period with exact dates to be confirmed. Initially there will be an overnight closure of the M6 southbound between the exit slip road for the A14 and the M1 tonight and tomorrow night between 2100 and 0600hrs. There will be a series of overnight closures required on various nights between March 12 and March 30 affecting junction 19 of the M1 north or southbound, or the M6 southbound link road to the M1. The scheme is due to be completed by spring 2012.
Plaxton Open Days The event will also be the first chance for customers to view the latest generation of Plaxton Cheetah Heralding the start of a new season, Plaxton Coach Sales is holding its annual Spring open days at the Anston Coach Sales Centre on the weekend of March 24-25. Customers looking to update their fleets will have an opportunity to see the full range of Plaxton coaches available for the new season, as well as the extensive range of used coaches and buses the Anston Centre has always been renowned for. The event will also be the first chance for customers to view the latest generation of Plaxton Cheetah, the first example of
which is due to return to Anston from its extensive test programme specifically for the event. Anston general manager, Mick McElhone, is confident business is moving forward as the new season approaches, “We’ve seen a definite upturn in trade over the last few weeks after a slow start to the year. Demand has been across all price brackets from new and late used down to older trade selection vehicles so this gives some encouraging signs indicating customers are now putting fleet investment higher up on their agenda.” LEZ 2012 compliant vehicles are very much top of the list for many operators, particularly those from around 2002 upwards and
Roadworks have started on the A38 at Glynn Valley. The work, due to be completed by June, will involve the use of temporary traffic lights 24 hours a day and full closures overnight. Diversions will be in place during the closures, which will be between 2000 and 0600hrs. A temporary 30mph limit will remain in place until the work has been completed. Further details of the overnight closures and diversion routes will be announced as the work progresses. Work on the A1 at Thornhaugh Gap, near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, will start on Friday March 9. It will involve the permanent closure of the gap in the central reservation to stop right-hand turn manoeuvres towards Thornhaugh from the A1 southbound. It will also include improved facilities for pedestrians. The work will be carried out over 18 nights, Mondays to Fridays only, between 2100 and 0500hrs. There will be lane closures on both north and southbound carriageways past the works area, and the nearby laybys will be closed; there will also be a 50mph speed limit in place. Drivers using roads around the NEC from Thursday 8 to Sunday March 11 are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys as the Crufts dog show, is being staged there later this week. www.coachandbusweek.com
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News Focus p22
Plaxton has initiated a programme to upgrade vehicles in this age range. “We’ve seen a big surge in demand for vehicles able to go to London/ and this can only increase as the season gets underway,” Mick explained. “We’ve upgraded a number of vehicles already, including Volvo, DAF and Mercedes models and we have capacity to carry out the work on other stock vehicles with minimal lead times. We believe this will prove attractive to operators seeking coaches for the season.” Customers looking at the options for funding can talk to experts from Landmark and ING who will be attending. The annual open days have traditionally been accompanied by some attractive deals and this one is no different, Mick was staying tight lipped on exactly what these will be but the hint is they will be even more attractive than ever, “We’ve always offered exceptionally special deals at our open days and we’ve a number of vehicles in mind which will offer very attractive deals” With stock changing on a daily basis, offers will be based on what’s available on the day so the only sure way to grab a bargain is to come along!
A selection of the used vehicles on display at last year’s Plaxton Spring
Call Plaxton’s Anston sales office on 01909 551166. Visit www.plaxtonlimited.co.uk
Eurolines’ Paris offers
Stagecoach Zoo link
Eurolines has introduced its lowest ever fare to Paris on it’s coach service, at £9. The change came into effect on Saturday (March 3) and includes booking fee, tax and a two suitcase baggage allowance. Eurolines operates up to five services per day between London Victoria and Paris city centre and all coaches include free wifi throughout the journey. The company saw a significant increase in passengers during 2011, with passenger journeys up 18% on 2010 and 76% of people stating price was the driving factor in
choosing the coach. John Gilbert, MD of Eurolines UK, said: “Over the last two years we’ve seen more and more people choose the coach as savvy passengers look for the best value deals. “To ensure last minute, budget breaks are accessible to everyone we’ve introduced Britain’s lowest fare to Paris. The £9 one way ticket includes tax, booking fee and a generous two suitcase baggage allowance and simply needs to be booked 48 hours before travel.” The £9 fare is available exclusively online at www. eurolines.co.uk and is valid for travel to Paris on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. For an additional £15 return customers can connect to any National Express service nationwide.
Stagecoach has launched a new coach link, the Panda Express, to help visitors heading to Edinburgh Zoo see its latest stars. Operated using branded Neoplan Skyliners, the service runs on two routes – Ayr to Edinburgh (calling at Prestwick, Kilmarnock, East Kilbride, Hamilton and Motherwell) and Aberdeen to Edinburgh (calling at Dubdee, Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy). There is one return service a day from each location. During the week there is an added bonus of a pre-arranged panda slot and discounted zoo entry included with the coach fare, saving £4.50 on the adult entry.
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Alpine celebrate anniversary with new delivery
The new two-axle Van Hool T915 Acron, known as ‘J2’ will effectively replace two coaches, both of which are now over 20 years old
Jumbulance launches its new Van Hool Jumbulance Trust has officially launched a new coach, or ‘jumbo ambulance,’ replacing two older vehicles. The new Jumbulance, known as ‘J2’, is a Van Hool T915 Acron 12.2m two-axle and is powered by a DAF PR265 365bhp 9.2 litre engine with ZF AS-Tronic gearbox. The vehicle features a large washroom and comprehensive kitchen, 16 seats and room for either four stretcher beds or five wheel chairs. It was officially launched on February 11 and is due to take its first group in the coming
week. It will be used for day trips and holidays all over the UK and Europe, travelling as far afield as Austria, Italy and Southern France. The vehicle was supplied by Arriva Bus and Coach in Cleckheaton, joining the Trust’s tri-axle T917 Acron supplied three years ago, and effectively replaces two older vehicles – a 1988 T812 Alizee ‘midi’ and 1990 T816 Altano. This means the Jumbulance Trust has flexible and adaptable modern vehicles capable of being deployed on a wide variety of work, with the highest standard of comfort and safety.
Llandudno-based Alpine Travel has taken delivery of a new 13m Plaxton B9R Panther 2. The new arrival helps commemorate the 40th anniversary of the business, as managing director Chris Owens’ father started trading as Alpine on March 1, 1972. The delivery is part of the operator’s fleet renewal and improvement and will be used for both British and European tour work. Speaking to CBW, Chris said: “The coach has joined our expanding fleet of Plaxtons. These coaches have a long and useful life, starting out as tour vehicles and then moving to different work as they get older. “We believe it is important to keep investing, despite the tough economic climate. If you do not
invest for three or four years, you’ll find too many vehicles are not up to the current standards. “The new B9R joins our 75-vehicle fleet and is part of 17 touring coaches.” Commenting on the new delivery, Chris concluded: “Let’s hope it’s a good omen as the industry hasn’t had the best start to 2012.”
Carrying the distinctive registration ‘AP12ALP’, the coach is seen at Anston on Thursday, when it was collected by Chris Owens
The Jumbulance Trust is registered charity number 1090731. It can be reached on 01582 831444 or via email at info@jumbulance.org.uk
Centro takes action against Polish coach firm Centro, the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive has expressed concerns in recent weeks about a Polish coach operator which it is running a regular service from Poland to Birmingham. Centro is concerned about the firm stopping on Moor Street Queensway in Birmingham City Centre, which is preventing scheduled local bus services from using their allocated bus stops. CBW understands the police have been involved to move the coaches on in recent weeks. Centro is keen to find a way of helping the operator to find a suitable location
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for them to use in the City Centre so as not to cause a problem to other transport operators. CPT West Midlands has suggested the IRU may be a way forward. A Centro spokesman told CBW: “We have now contacted the IRU in order to set up some discussions with the coach operator about finding a suitable stopping place in the city centre. “We’re certainly happy to see them continue arriving in the heart of Birmingham but it’s important a safe and convenient location for their coaches is identified and used.”
www.coachandbusweek.com
05/03/2012 20:33
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news › WALES
2 Travel Group amend claim against Cardiff Bus Tribunal grants the Claimant’s application to amend its Claim Form and the Defendant’s application for specific disclosure Former AIM-listed South Wales operator 2 Travel (in liquidation), which is currently engaged in a lawsuit against Cardiff City Transport Services Limited (trading as Cardiff Bus), has asked to amend its claim against the firm in order to include further heads of loss. 2 Travel is currently suing Cardiff City Transport Services (CCTS) for reputedly engaging in predatory behaviour to put 2 Travel out of business, which CCTS denies. Now, 2 Travel (the Claimant) is asking to include in its claim the loss of a commercial opportunity to develop a depot in Swansea, which would increase the sums claimed by approximately £2.65m. CCTS (the Defendant) is also seeking disclosure of certain documents in the control of third parties to this litigation. The further heads of loss are described in a witness statement of Mr Daniel Simon Conway of BDO LLP. The Claimant wants to amend the Claim Form reflecting Mr Conway’s findings. The Claimant states the
CPT Wales calls for BSOG cut alternative
CPT Wales is calling on the Welsh Government to find an alternative to the 25% cut in BSOG, which is due to take effect from April 1 – and which was imposed with less than 10 weeks’ notice. In a letter sent to Carl Sargeant AM, Welsh Government minister for local government communities and transport, CPT Wales’ director of government relations John Pockett writes: “I set out below our response to your invitation to suggest alternatives to the 25% reduction in BSOG. The cut of 25% www.coachandbusweek.com
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amendment was necessary to allow it to be properly compensated for the losses caused by the Defendant’s predatory behaviour. The Defendant stated it did not consent to the application, objecting to the very late stage at which the application was made, and pointing to the potential of the proposed amendment to cause the Defendant prejudice in light of the nature and quantum of the additional sums claimed. The Defendant submitted further that the proposed amendment was, in places, misconceived on its own terms, and reserved the right to serve a responsive amended Defence, amended written opening submissions and supplemental expert report to address the proposed amendments. The Defendant applied for an order that Mr David Huw Francis and Mr Nigel Vernon Short (both former directors and shareholders of the Claimant) provide copies of all documents relating to the Swansea depot in their possession. The QCs overseeing the case have ordered that: Claimant be granted a The permission to amend its Claim Form;
The witness statement of Mr Conway be admitted; Defendant be granted c The permission (if so advised) to amend its Defence and written opening submissions in light of the amendments to the Claim Form, and to adduce further evidence in relation to those amendments; Claimant pay the d The Defendant its costs of and occasioned by the Claimant’s application; Francis and Mr Short e Mr provide copies of all documents relating to the Swansea depot in their possession whi have not been previously been made available in these proceedings, specifically documents relating to the period of Mr Francis and Mr Short’s ownership of the property (from May 20, 2005 to the present); documents disclosed f The pursuant to (e) be used for the purposes of these proceedings only, and not for any other purpose; and Defendant pay Mr Francis g The and Mr Short’s reasonable printing and photocopying costs in relation to the disclosure ordered at (e) above. The hearing is due to start on Monday (March 12).
b
GHA Coaches has increased its as a result of the BSOG cut in BSOG is entirely deferred for 12 months. In that period CPT Cymru will actively and fully participate in the tripartite steering group whose aim will be to review the future
overall funding for the bus industry in Wales, as outlined by your officials at today’s meeting. “We believe this will enable the industry to remain in a stable
Anglesey Bus cut blitz Anglesey Council has announced plans to withdraw 30 local bus services from its supported network from April 1. This follows a substantial reduction in the Welsh Government’s Local Transport Services (LTSG) provided to all 22 local authorities for 2012/13 to support the operation of public transport (CBW1020). Operators affected by the changes to their contracts include Arriva Buses Wales, Eifion’s Coaches, Goodsir Coaches, Gwynfor’s Coaches, and Padarn Bus. Anglesey’s head of highways Dewi Williams said: “This unexpected reduction to the grant, which was used to supplement the council’s own funding, has left us with no option but to reduce the number of bus services we provide.” However, Mr Williams added: “After withdrawing the 30 journeys we’ll still continue to provide a total of 408 contracted journeys, out of a total number of bus journeys run in Anglesey of 555. To put it in context, we are withdrawing less than 8% of the current network.” Welsh Government minister Carl Sargeant said: “I would urge Anglesey not to make premature decisions on cuts but to engage in these discussions which are aimed at protecting services and, in the longer term, producing a more effective bus financing scheme.” position for the benefit of its passengers whilst the transition to a new funding regime is fully discussed and, hopefully, mutual agreement reached. “Because of the strict time constraints to which the industry is required to adhere by the authorities, particularly for service registrations/deregistrations, may I respectfully suggest a prompt reply is of the essence if any cuts to services are to be avoided as a result of the reduction in BSOG and would therefore ask that you give this matter your urgent attention.” Mr Pockett told CBW: “We want to continue a dialogue as far as possible but we’re of the view that any measure to help for 2012-13 must be tied in with discussions on the long-term replacement of BSOG and LTSG. We hope the minister will respond promptly.”
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changing face of tachographs and the expectations placed upon an operator. He outlined changes, to be expected later this year, about the way in which driving activity is recorded. He summarised forthcoming and rather complex EU guidance notes but also drew laughter from the audience when he described one client accepting, on oath, he had nine points on his licence but, in mitigation, “three of them weren’t his”.
As can be seen, the event was packed - additional seating had to be laid out to accommodate the delegates
Backhouse Jones seminar – “It’s Got Our Name On It” Ian Jones, solicitor and director at Backhouse Jones, writes in on the events at the successful Backhouse Jones-hosted compliance and transport law seminar On March 1, 2012, 200 operators attended a seminar on compliance and transport law hosted by Backhouse Jones at Haydock. The aim of the seminar was to explain how to avoid a Public Inquiry before the traffic commissioner. Ian Jones opened with a battle cry. At least, he explained the word “slogan” is derived from a Celtic battle cry and in a regulatory world of strategy and objectives the metaphor holds true. A slogan or brand strap line sums up the ethos of a company and industry favourites such as Arriva’s “sharing the journey” are commercial poetry. It was suggested VOSA could borrow the battle cry of Millwall Football Club whose supporters chant “no-one likes us and we don’t care”. Furthermore, experience tells us it would be useless to turn up before senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell trying to “say it with flowers”. The reality is 90% of Public Inquiries in which Backhouse Jones are involved in www.coachandbusweek.com
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have some element of maintenance going awry. The key to avoiding a Public Inquiry is having regular auditing and appropriate protocols in place. Every speaker was allocated a borrowed strap line to introduce their presentation. Andrew Woolfall (keep calm and carry on) provided a legislation update and outlined digital tachograph changes, alterations to the O-licence regime and summarised the senior traffic commissioner’s guidance and directions. There are a host of forthcoming EC regulations for O-licence holders and transport managers must understand changes to financial standing requirements, the question of repute and the new register applicable to all transport managers. Andrew provided an explanation of the senior traffic commissioner’s approach to compliance, including the principles of decision making and the concept of proportionality.
KEEPING THE RECORD STRAIGHT Recent changes to MOT testing and technical specifications regarding digital tachographs were summarised. Hot off the press, Andrew explained forthcoming
changes to the OCRS which operators must be aware of to avoid unwarranted interaction with VOSA. Jonathon Backhouse (it does exactly what it says on the tin) provided an overview of O-licence “undertakings” and explained that unlike marriage vows or a promise to a dying parent, they were actually really important. Jonathon explained that having been involved in Public Inquiries for 20 years, he has seen a change of approach from a “bucket full” of prohibitions issued in the late 1990s to single incident inquiries becoming more common. He explained the greater emphasis of specific undertakings required by the traffic commissioners and noted the impact of European legislation on the redefinition of roles occupied by a transport manager. He explained the “seven deadly sins” which can cause an operator to lose repute. Gordon Humphreys of Foster Tachographs was introduced with the borrowed strap line “vorsprung dorch technik” on the basis that noone actually knows what the phrase means and it would appear some operators at Public Inquiry do not understand their own tachograph analysis. Gordon explained the
AVOIDING A PUBLIC INQUIRY There was a final presentation on the specific requirements of a transport manager and the need to report convictions, material changes, PG9 reports and other issues to the traffic commissioner to avoid non-compliance. This was emphasised by a role play involving some spectacularly bad acting by the directors of Backhouse Jones but did articulate the difference between non-compliance and good compliance. Ian Jones concluded the day with reference to the marketing campaign of Fosters lager. Wielding an oversized boomerang with the words “Back to back” emblazoned across it, he explained that, like the Fosters strap line “good call,” a call to Backhouse Jones could avoid the stress and expense of a Public Inquiry. Running with the beer metaphor, operators may, with some justification, believe lawyers are as useful as an olive in a pint of Guinness, but taking on board practical advice provided at the seminar could avoid a call up to a Public Inquiry. In our experience a Public Inquiry is not like Marmite, “you either love it or hate it”. Nobody enjoys risking their livelihood and in a blatant and shameless endeavour to drum up business the Backhouse Jones team advised operators to sign up for their modest monthly subscription service which provides advice “on tap” and practical procedures to avoid a Public Inquiry. After all, the Backhouse Jones strap line is “we know transport law backwards”. Every little helps. The seminar will be repeated in Reading on March 16, 2012 and Belfast on March 21. Limited places are available and can be booked by contacting Julia Davies on julia. davies@backhouses.co.uk or 0845 575 111.
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news › international
Hybrid buses operating in Oslo Solaris Bus and Coach, in an attempt to further lower emissions, introduce ‘green’ buses into their Norwegian fleet NORWAY Five, 18-metre Solaris Urbino hybrid buses equipped with Allison’s H 50 EP system are now operating in Oslo, Norway. Solaris Bus & Coach and Allison Transmissions have been cooperating since 2006 to produce environmentally friendly buses. Solaris articulated buses are fitted with the Allison H 50 EP system, a patented two-mode parallel system, which features two 75 kW electrical motors. The electronics of the hybrid system integrate power from a 181 kW EEV-standard combustion engine with the energy recuperated during vehicle braking and stored in NiMH battery packs, achieving higher performance and reduced fuel consumption. “The reason for choosing the Allison hybrid system is its proven performance and reliability,” said Terje Bjørndalen, managing director of Solaris Norway. “Over 5,000 H 50 EP hybrid systems operate worldwide in the bus market. We know it performs, and
KMB creates green bus fleet
HONG KONG Since the introduction of the European Emission Standards in 1992, KMB (Kowloon Motor Bus) has successfully reduced the average particulate emission levels of its bus fleet by 92%, while the emission of nitrogen oxides has been reduced by 57.2% (as of the end of December 2011). Mr. Kane Shum, KMB’s principal engineer, said: “KMB has a total of around 3,800 buses. It is neither environmentally friendly nor economically feasible to replace the entire bus fleet with the latest Euro models at one time. Nonetheless, we fully understand the importance of good air quality. Therefore, we have spared no effort www.coachandbusweek.com
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the service support provided by Diesel Power, Allison’s Norwegian distributor, is excellent.” Solaris estimates its vehicle emissions contain 25% less CO2, 32% less hydride, 56% less carbon monoxide, and 78% less particle
emissions than traditional diesel power. “Depending on the duty cycle and driver’s skill, fuel consumption can be reduced by around 22 to 24%. The fleet’s operational cost can also be improved as the diesel engine works under optimal conditions and is less exposed to wear and tear. “The electrical motors operate as an auxiliary breaking system during the regeneration phase, reducing brake wear and improving safety,” Terje Bjørndalen added.
Solaris buses utilise the Allison H 50 EP system in continuously improving the environmental performance of our bus fleet while delivering quality bus services.” KMB has consistently introduced the latest Euro engines available. From the introduction of Euro I engines in 1992, followed by Euro II in 1996, Euro III in 2001, Euro IV in 2006 to the latest Euro V engines in 2009. At the end of 2011, KMB had 309 Euro V buses and 108 Euro IV buses in its fleet. As of 2001, catalytic converters were installed on buses with Euro I engines and pre-Euro engines. Coupled with the use of ultra-low sulphur diesel (0.005% sulphur content), their exhaust emissions were brought up to the standards of Euro II and Euro I engines respectively in terms of particulate matter. This environmental strategy was built upon in 2007, with the retrofitting of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs)
on its Euro II and Euro III buses, upgrading their exhaust emissions to Euro IV / V standards in terms of particulate matter. As of 2008 KMB has adopted “Euro V Diesel”, which has only 0.001% sulphur content. Besides directly improving the emissions of buses, this Near Zero Sulphur Diesel (NZSD) also enhances the effectiveness of catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters, thus indirectly improving the emission levels of buses of different ages. NZSD has now been adopted fleetwise. Mr. Shum added: “Looking to the future, we will continue to adopt new technologies and further enhance the environmental performance of our bus fleet on the one hand, while actively embarking on the study and trial of zeroemission technologies on the other to help bring about a cleaner and quieter Hong Kong.”
Solaris posts record results for 2011 POLAND Polish manufacturer Solaris Bus and Coach recently announced the sale of over 1,200 buses. Combined with volume deliveries of its Tramino lowfloor trams the firm has maintained top position in the Polish bus market and strengthened its position in Germany as the largest importer. The increase in sales represents an 8% year-on-year increase. In total, 1,205 new buses were sold across Europe (2010: 1,120 buses). Turnover at Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. rose by 17% to a new record high of 370m EUR (2010: 316m EUR). Solaris sold 518 buses into its home market, increasing its sales by 27% (2010: 407 units) and taking a 42% share for buses above 8.0 tonnes gross vehicle weight. Sales in Germany rose to 248, an increase of 31% (2010: 190 buses), representing a 6% share of the total German bus market. Further significant markets included France with 149 buses (2010: 54 buses) and Scandinavia with 140 (2010: 304 buses). Of the vehicles sold in 2011, 63 were Urbino family hybrid buses, showing as 5% of all new Solaris buses.
BYD changes U.S strategy
USA The U.S media reported the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has changed its strategy for the American market. The North American organisation produces the K9 electric e-bus and the e6 car, and has shifted its focus from individual consumers to fleets. BYD recently bid for a two-bus contract with the Chicago Transit Authority. The firm is also offering a deal which includes 30 “zeroemission” buses to the Los Angeles Metro Transit Authority. BYD’s K9 bus has already seen some use in the U.S as one is run by vehicle rental firm Hertz, and is currently being used as a shuttle bus at a major Los Angeles airport. According to Hertz officials, the pilot test is “going well.”
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Traffic Light Priority scheme a reality.” Despite an overall decline in bus passenger levels across South Yorkshire for 2010/11, routes in Sheffield with shared ticketing and service arrangements between operators have seen strong growth. Figures released by South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) show the total journeys made in the 12 months to March 2011 was 109m, down 0.75% from 110m in 2009/10. However, SYPTE said during the last three months to January 2012, there has been significant passenger growth on Sheffield’s two routes covered by the Optio scheme, on which First and Stagecoach share operations and accept each other’s tickets. On the ‘red’ corridor – the 52 route between Woodhouse, Darnall, the city centre, Crookes and Hillsborough – there were 5.16% more journeys made than in the same period a year ago. The ‘orange’ routes, between Halfway and Fulwood, saw a 1.9% growth. David Young, SYPTE director of customer experience, said: “The overall slight fall in bus patronage is probably in part down to the continuing problems with the economy, but we are very encouraged by the amount of growth on the Optio red and orange corridors. “Although we recognise
GPS technology is being used in West Yorkshire to turn traffic lights green when buses approach, as part of a bus priority scheme. The system, developed by Leeds City Council engineers and passenger transport authority Metro, has been trialled at a number of sites in the city including the A660 Otley Road and bus route 4 between Whinmoor and Pudsey. Now it is being rolled out at 66 more traffic light spots in the city. Councillor Richard Lewis, the council’s executive member for development and economy, said: “If we are to get more people travelling by bus and reduce traffic congestion we have to make sure that their journeys are as punctual and reliable as possible. “Giving buses priority at traffic lights can help that process. Our engineers have done a fantastic job in working with Metro to develop this technology and to get it working effectively even at very complex junctions.” The scheme uses existing GPS technology called ‘yournextbus’, installed on buses by Metro, to link into a system called Spruce, originally developed for the Leeds Supertram project. Spruce adjusts the timing of the lights to allow buses priority when it detects they are approaching. Other West Yorkshire councils are now looking to use the technology; engineers are working with Bradford and Calderdale councils to introduce it at 82 sites, while Wakefield and Kirklees councils are introducing similar schemes. Metro chairman councillor James Lewis said: “The traffic light priority system being introduced by Leeds and the other district councils is a good example of how we can use existing technology to benefit bus passengers even further. “Instead of installing expensive detectors at busy junctions, we can use ‘yournextbus’ to determine when buses are approaching busy junctions and give buses priority, so they aren’t held up by congestion. “Using transport assets better and improving connectivity by making bus journeys more effective in shaping the local economy are key aims of the third Local Transport Plan for West Yorkshire, and I’m delighted that Metro and the District Councils have been able to work together to make this
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SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST
there were issues to begin with around the scheme, it shows the arrangements we have put in place are what passengers want.” He said between 2009/10 and 2010/11, there was also a 3% decline in car journeys around South Yorkshire. Discussions are ongoing with operators about expanding the Optio scheme across Sheffield in September this year. The first images of Wythenshawe’s proposed new interchange have been shared to coincide with the start of a public consultation. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) plans to relocate the current bus station to a new site off Poundswick Lane, next to Wythenshawe Forum, where it will link up with one of the town’s new Metrolink stops to create a new interchange. The public transport body claims the new £6.7m interchange will offer a range of improved services, including modern, fully covered waiting areas, better passenger facilities, improved information and ticketing facilities and a safer and a more secure waiting environment. It will also be fully accessible and will have a TfGM Travelshop, providing tickets and information, a visible centralised bus supervisor’s office and cycle parking facilities. Councillor Andrew Fender, chairman of the TfGM Committee, said: “The first impressions of how
the new interchange could look are really exciting and a sign of things to come for Wythenshawe. “It’s going to provide a modern, high quality gateway to the town centre for bus and Metrolink passengers. I’m looking forward to the consultation getting underway, which will give local people the chance to help shape the final designs.” Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, said: “The new interchange, if given the go-ahead, would help kick-start the regeneration of Wythenshawe and make it easier for people from the area to access jobs in the city centre and at the airport. “I’d like to encourage anyone from Wythenshawe to go to the public exhibitions and find out more about the plans.” It will release the land occupied by the current bus station on Rowlandsway, which may lead to extra development. Comments received during the consultation, which will run until March 26, will feed into the development of the proposals and designs. A planning application will then be submitted to Manchester City Council for formal approval. If approved, the designs will then be finalised and work could start on site in early 2013 with a view to the new interchange opening in early 2015. The existing bus station will continue to operate until the interchange is operational. The first images of the new interchange can be found at www. tfgm.com/wythenshawe/ Late night and Sunday buses axed due to council cutbacks in County Durham should resume services towards the end of March. Route 15 between Consett and Durham was withdrawn last year after Sunday services subsidies were cut in a bid to make more than £1m in savings, but intervention by health managers and local councillors means the service is due to be restored from Sunday, March 25. Durham County Council stressed the resumption of the service may only be temporary and must be financially self-supporting over the next two years. A council spokeswoman said: “We are working towards the buses resuming on March 25. “The services are being funded by the Area Action Partnerships through members’ neighbourhood
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budgets. The members contributing are Watts Stelling, Owen Temple, Alan Shield, Stephen Robinson, Duncan Barnett, Ossie Johnson and Richie Young.” A one-off grant of £2,500 from the NHS will help to restore a limited Sunday service on the 13mile journey between Consett and Durham via Lanchester and Witton Gilbert. Consett county councillor Owen Temple said: “The NHS has come on board in a three-way partnership with local councillors and Go North East to bring a return of Sunday buses between Consett and Durham. “The service will provide public transport access to their local hospital to the people of Consett and Lanchester each Sunday, as well as shopping opportunities and access to rail services on the East Coast Main Line at Durham. “We were simply delighted when the University Hospital of North Durham and Primary Care Trust agreed to throw their weight behind the scheme with a one-off grant.”
MIDLANDS
Concessionary pass holders in Bedford will keep the right to free travel before 0930hrs after negotiations between Bedford Borough Council and bus operators.
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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 would like us to cover, contact James Day at james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
With a requirement for £36m of savings over four years, the council’s Modernisation Programme had proposed cutting the early morning free travel. It has now agreed a new longterm deal with operators, which achieves savings for taxpayers while retaining the local extension to the concessionary travel scheme for journeys within the borough. There are currently just over 26,000 pass holders in Bedford borough. Mayor of Bedford Borough Dave Hodgson said: “I’m delighted we are able to maintain the council’s local top-up of the national concessionary pass scheme and can continue to enable pass holders in Bedford Borough to use peak time buses. The deal represents a fantastic result for both the older and vulnerable residents in the borough who benefit from the extended scheme and for local taxpayers. “We are committed to supporting public transport in the borough. This is why we are bucking the trend and continuing to support a strong network of rural bus routes at a time when other authorities are cutting back, and have introduced new Sunday and late-evening services in Bedford and Kempston.” Subject to a call in, the decision will come into effect on March 7.
2012 n March 14-15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n March 15 Volvo Bus social evening in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust’s Warwickshire Appeal. Century Court House, Warwick. Pam Matthews 01926 414 553 or e-mail pam.matthews@volvo.com n March 18 Leyland National 40th Anniversary. Organised by the Leyland National Group, Nationals on static display and working in service. The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland. www.leylandnational group.co.uk n March 21-22 Young Bus Managers Network conference. Lansdown Hotel, Brighton. For more details, email alex.hornby@ youngbusmanagers.org.uk. Visit www.youngbusmanagers.org.uk n March 31 ‘M&D and EK 60’. Kent Showground on the A249 near Maidstone. www.arrivabus.co.uk/ MDEK60, contact mdekbusclub@ gmail.com n April 14 Paul S Winson Coaches Running Day. Loughborough and local area. www.busrunningday. co.uk, contact info@busrunningday. co.uk n April 19, 2012 UK Coach Awards. Ramada Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester, 0870 900 1450. www.ukcoachawards.co.uk n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey. Istanbul Expo Center, Turkey. www.busworldturkey.com/en/ index.html
Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has upgraded four routes in the Arnold and Carlton areas with newer and more reliable buses. The original Dennis Tridents were some of NCT’s oldest vehicles, purchased in 1999 and 2000. Although the low floor double deckers were buggyfriendly, they didn’t comply with DDA accessibility requirements. “2012 will see the final withdrawal of 51 of our Tridents as we bring in more modern buses for our customers,” said NCT marketing manager Anthony Carver-Smith. “Most have already gone, with the last of the early Tridents leaving next month. The newer buses will be fitted with real-time technology this year, enabling customers to see exactly when their bus will arrive from our website, free mobile phone app or from displays at the bus stops.” Pictured here is Vernon Coaker MP.
The UK Coach Rally will be held on April 21-22. Pictured here at the 2011 event are the Bluebird Coaches of Weymouth crew, whose prizes include the Top Touring/Express Luxury Coach n June 22 CILT Wales National Transport Awards lunch. Cardiff City Hall. 01446 451227. www.ciltuk. org.uk/pages/regions/wales n August 3-5 Bedford OB GetTogether. South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester, GL7 5QB. Contact the organiser Tim Wootton by email on tim@tjcs.freeserve.co.uk. Visit http://www.bedfordob.com/ n August 27 The National Association of Road Transport Museums gala day. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n September 6 Association of Trainers AGM. Steele Road, Wembley Julia@asot.org.uk 01797 344251 n September 8-9 UK Bus Driver of the Year, Blackpool. Call competition secretary Bill Holmes on 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 16 Showbus. Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire. www.showbus.com n September 20-27 IAA Commercial Vehicles. Hannover. +(00)49 30897842. www.iaa.de
n April 21-22 UK Coach Rally. East of England Showground, Peterborough. 01753 631170.
www.coachdisplays.co.uk
n October 14 Midland Red Centenary of the Reintroduction of Motorbuses. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk
n April 24-26 CV Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01634 261262. www.cvshow.com
n October 18 CILT Annual Awards for Excellence Dinner. London. 01536 740104. www.ciltuk.org.uk
n May 22-23 ALBUM Conference. – Forest Pines Hotel, near Brigg, North Lincolnshire.
www.albumconference.co.uk
n June 10 Barry Festival of Transport. Organised by Cardiff Transport Preservation Group, Barry, South Wales. postmaster@-ctpg. co.uk. www.ctpg.co.uk
n November 6-8 Euro Bus Expo. NEC, Birmingham. 01926 834790. www.eurobusxpo.com n November 20 UK Bus Awards – provisional date. www.ukbusawards.org.uk
Do you have an event to promote? Send details to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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news › TOURISM
260
Acreage of Gatton Park owned by the Gatton Trust
brIEfly Old MacDonald’s Farm is a varied and fun day out for families, located off junction 28 of the M25, near Brentwood in Essex. As well as the more conventional farm animals, visitors can also get close to meerkats, chipmunks, llamas and a host of other creatures. There is also a wide range of other activities including a carousel, train, roller coaster and trampolines. Advance group rates are £9.50 adults, £8.50 children and £7.50 seniors. The farm is open 1000 to 1730hrs between April 1 and November 4, and 1000 to 1600hrs between November 5 and March 31, although it is closed weekdays in January. Visit www.omdfarm.co.uk for more information. Gatton Park in Surrey is a 600-acre park famous for work carried out by landscape designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. It is split into two sections; 260 acres owned by the Gatton Trust, which includes the core features and gardens and is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month between 1300 and 1700hrs; and 340 acres owned by the National Trust, open all year round. Group tours are available outside regular open days. Visitors can be guided round the Japanese Garden, the Rock & Water Garden, the Parterre, the Walled Gardens & Orchard and the Millennium Stones. Adults pay £4 each and children are free. For more information visit www. gattonpark.com Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex, is the perfect day out for families with children. Rated the number one attraction in the UK by The Times in 2010, the park includes a zoo, a large indoor adventure play area and a Thomas & Friends train ride. Groups between 15 and 69 are charged £11 per person while groups of 70 plus pay £10.50 per person. It is open all year round apart from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. There is free parking available on site. For group booking email angela.hale@drusillas.co.uk or ring 01323 874100. The website can be found at www.drusillas.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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The jewel of the Irish Sea offers beauty and culture Douglas is home to an array of attractions perfect for group visits At the heart of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a stunningly beautiful destination, perfect for groups looking for a relaxing break amid its tranquil shores. Douglas, the island’s capital, is a unique blend of holiday resort, finance centre and working harbour, offering visitors a wealth of things to do. The impressive two-mile sweep of Douglas Bay is home to a vibrant and charismatic town. The regeneration of the town’s inner harbour has seen the creation of a yacht marina and pleasant quayside area. There is plenty to do with regards to sightseeing and attractions. The Gaiety Theatre is one of the finest examples in the British Isles of the work of Victorian architect Frank Matcham. It is located next to the Villa Marina on Douglas Promenade and together the complex presents a year-round programme of film, art, music, comedy and theatre. The centre has its own coach parking and offers
concessions for drivers and the group organiser. In the heart of Douglas is the Manx Museum, the national museum and art gallery for the island. The award-winning exhibition, Story of Mann, is introduced at the museum and covers the island’s Viking, Celtic
The horse tramway runs the length of the promenade
and medieval heritage. The Douglas Horse Trams are the world’s oldest surviving horse trams, dating from 1876. The tramway runs the length of the promenade and links with the Electric Railway terminus at the north end and to the Sea Terminal at the south end. Other suggested attractions include Okells Brewery Tours, with on-site coach parking and driver/ guide concessions; tours of the Tynwald buildings, the Parliament of the Isle of Man; and the Groudle Glen Railway, two miles north of Douglas. Coach parking is available at various places along Douglas Promenade. There are length and weight restrictions for coaches on the island; these can be found by visiting the following link: http:// tinyurl.com/7fw3vmk For more information on tourism and travel trade on the Isle of Man, email traveltrade@gov.im or ring 01624 686888. For ferry enquiries, email iom. reservations@steam-packet.com
All things explosive in Gosport
Great views at the Tower Bridge
Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower is an award-winning attraction based in 18th century buildings at the Royal Navy’s former armaments depot of Priddy’s Hard in Gosport, Hampshire. It traces the development of naval armaments from gunpowder to the Exocet missile. There are rooms dedicated to modern explosives, mines, big guns, torpedoes and much more. The museum also houses a café, shop and educational centre. Group rates are £8 adults, £5.60 seniors and £4 children and disabled, while group leaders receive free entry. The museum is open daily
When planning an itinerary for a London visit, including the Tower Bridge Exhibition would be a popular choice with customers. Based inside the world-famous bridge, groups can witness the great views from the walkways and learn about the fascinating history. Group rates are £6.80 adults, £3 children and £5 seniors and students. Talks from an experienced guide are £22.50 per group of 20, and must be booked two weeks in advance. Coach parking is available at Tower Hill (0207626306).
There are rooms dedicated to all types of artillery between April and October and on weekends between November and March. There is coach parking on site. Visits can be combined with the nearby Royal Navy Submarine Museum with discounted joint entry of £12 adults and £9 children. For more information visit www.explosion.org.uk
Visit www.towerbridge.org. uk for more information.
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£8.75 1876 Group rate for an adult visiting Glamis Castle in Scotland
Founding year of Douglas Horse Trams, making them the world’s oldest surviving horse trams
Explore the home of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play
Scotland’s Glamis Castle is a great destination for those interested in architecture, history and myths. The castle, which is famed for being the childhood home of the Queen Mother and the setting for Macbeth, is situated in the valley of Strathmore, five miles from Forfar and 12 miles from Dundee. The grounds of the castle boast an Italian Garden, nature trail, pinetum and walled garden. Groups are able to visit the castle all year round, although when it is closed to the public in winter, visits must be pre-booked. Benefits for groups include free entry and meal vouchers for drivers and group leaders, coach parking and group menus in the restaurant. Group rates are £8.75 adults, £8 seniors and £6.25 children. A number of events are taking place at the castle this year, including The Glamis Gathering on May 20, the Strathmore Highland Games on June 10 and an open-air performance of Macbeth on August 25. Visit www.glamis-castle. co.uk for more details on the upcoming events.
diesel prices
The site boasts Ireland’s largest collection of native and exotic water birds
Get close to nature in Northern Ireland Castle Espie is a wetland reserve on the banks of Strangford Lough in County Down, Northern Ireland. Despite the name, there is no castle, instead an area of international importance and great beauty. What draws visitors to the site is the mix of estuary views, tidal lagoon, eel-grass mats, woodland walks, salt marshes and reed beds; Ireland’s largest collection of native and exotic water-birds; and the habitats for other wildlife.
There is a chance to go bird watching and feeding, stroll around the attractive woodland, discover the site’s history in the visitor centre and explore the Graffan Gallery. Groups can enjoy guided tours tailored to specific interests and discounts in the Loughshore Café. Group prices are £5.80 adults, £4.40 concession and £2.90 chilrdren. Other group benefits include free coach parking, free familiarisation visits and free entry and drink for coach drivers. Castle Espie is open every day except for December 24 and 25.
Ring 028 9187 4146 or email groupbooking. castleespie@wwt.org.uk for more information. Follow them on Twitter @WWTcastleespie
DEALS OF THE WEEK Waddesdon Manor is a country house in Buckinghamshire, England. The house was built in the Neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889. Its Victorian garden is considered one of the finest in Britain with its parterre, seasonal displays, fountains and statuary. The estate is cheaper to visit on weekdays. Groups pay £12 per person for the house and gardens or £5 for just the gardens. Groups must be booked and paid for in advance. There is coach parking for 10 coaches, 300 yards from the house and a drop-off/pick-up point is located right outside the house. The gardens are open from 1000 to 1700hrs, Wednesdays to
Waddesdon’s Victorian garden is considered one of Britain’s finest Sundays between March 28 and December 30, and on selected days outside these dates. Two on-site restaurants are open for breakfast, lunch and tea and set menus are available. There is a new contemporary art gallery in the Coach House at the Stables and between April and
June the house is hosting the new Chardin exhibition, while there is also one of the finest collections of Sèvres porcelain on permanent display. n Visit www.waddesdon.org.uk for more information. For four days this summer, Waterperry House in
Cost per litre in pence: Great Britain Italy Sweden Greece Ireland Hungary Belgium France Netherlands Czech Republic Germany Portugal Austria Poland Spain Slovenia Luxembourg
142.80 142.21 140.93 133.35 130.31 127.58 126.51 125.83 123.72 123.67 121.52 121.52 117.98 116.74 112.32 111.81 104.21
holiday pound £1 will get you: Euro 1.20 Switzerland (Franc) 1.45 Norway (Kroner) 8.91 Hungary (Forint) 351.25 Czech Republic (Koruna) 29.75 Poland (Zloty) 4.96
Oxfordshire will be hosting Art In Action, an arts and crafts festival hosting 400 demonstrating artists, teachers, musicians and performers. The event takes place from Thursday July 19 to Sunday July 22 in Waterperry, near Wheatley. The site will be open from 1000 to 1730hrs each day. New for 2012 is The Tent Makers of Cairo, displaying skilled, handsewn, intricately decorated wall hangings, originally used to adorn the inside of tents. There is also a Commonwealth Art marquee to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. This will include artists from Australia, South Africa, India, Malta, Cyprus and Canada. Tickets are £14 adults, £11 seniors, £7 students and £4 children. Children under nine are free. n For more information email info@artinaction.org.uk or ring 0207 3813192. www.coachandbusweek.com
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3
NEWS › BUSINESS
Pence per litre rise in fuel duty due to come from the March Budget
BRIEFLY The UK will avoid a doubledip recession but growth this year will be slower than forecast, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said. In its quarterly economic forecast, the BCC predicted the UK economy will grow by 0.6%, down from its previous forecast of 0.8%. It warned unemployment would rise from the current 2.6m to 2.9m at the start of next year, with the jobless rate for 18 to 24-year-olds expected to be around 23%. Interest rates would remain at “very low levels” for longer than previously envisaged, staying at 0.5% until the final months of 2013, followed by modest increases. Director general John Longworth urged the chancellor to “pull out the stops” in the Budget to help drive growth. In a new report ‘Alt+ Finance: small firms and access to finance’, the FSB is calling on the government to promote alternative forms of finance, such as peer-topeer lending models, and to learn the lessons from other countries where routes to finance are varied, local, longer-term and reliable. The report draws on examples of best practice from German and US banks which highlight fundamental weaknesses in the UK banking model: a lack of transparency and diversity of financial institutions as well as a limited local focus and control of lending decisions. The comparisons are stark, said the FSB: between 2007 and 2010 there was a 24% fall in the number of successful loan applications for small firms in the UK, compared to a 9% decrease in Germany. Growth in Britain’s service industries slowed more than expected last month, but confidence has hit a one-year high. The Markit/Cips purchasing managers’ index for services has dropped to 53.8 from 56, which had been a 10-month peak, in January. It remained well above the 50 mark which separates growth from contraction, indicating the UK economy will return to growth this quarter. City economists had expected a smaller dip, to 54.9. At the same time, confidence about the year ahead climbed to the highest level in 12 months. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Facebook Timeline open for businesses Greys of Ely MD: a good opportunity for operators to showcase what they do Facebook has launched its ‘Timeline’ feature for business and brand-focused pages – a step welcomed by Richard Grey, managing director of Greys of Ely coach firm. Facebook’s Timeline was recently launched as a new way for people to curate and design their profiles, featuring a large picture across the screen as well as smaller profile picture. The new pages will be in preview mode for businesses over the next 30 days and the new designs will be rolled out by March 30. Facebook designer Sam Lessin, who led the Timeline design, said Facebook Pages will now embrace “the whole concept that organisations have identities they want to express. The key with cover photos is storytelling and expression. We want to create a good experience for everyone, and we think these guidelines really help brands… They’re encouraging people to create engaging content which people want to come back to and create an emotional connection with.” Product director Gokul Rajaram added: “We’ve seen most businesses have a core group of loyalists, but those loyalists also have friends. We’ve made it easier for people to connect with
CBI calls on Osborne to focus on growth goals
The CBI has called on the chancellor George Osborne to use his March 21 Budget to score the growth and investment policy goals he put forward in his Autumn Statement and give the UK economy and jobs a “real boost”. In its submission to the 2012
a business through the lens of their friends… It’s a much more personalised experience.” Next to highlighted friend activity, a new administrative panel will appear at the top of Pages managed, and will act as an activity snapshot for notifications, post performance and statistics, and messaging. Administrators will now have the ability to cherry pick “pinned posts,” which will appear at the top of the Page’s Timeline for up to seven days. “A pinned post is a way for the Page to indicate the ‘post of the week,’” said Rajaram. “Life events”, such as an award, a new product launch or a founding can also be added and can pre-date the creation of the page. However, Facebook isn’t allowing pages to include calls to action or overtly promotional text in cover photos. A business’ page can include a logo or an image of its location or staff in the cover photo, but can’t say, for example “Get
Greys of Ely’s facebook page with the new Timeline display Budget, the CBI also called for changes to the UK tax system, which it believes could help persuade businesses to invest in the UK and further stimulate growth. The CBI is urging government to deliver on its proposals in the Autumn Statement to attract more investment into UK infrastructure, boost investment for mid-sized businesses, and enable more credit flowing to companies. The CBI’s latest tax proposals include: a new capital allowance to attract investment into types of infrastructure which do not currently qualify; new forms of
40% off today” or “See more at our website.” Rajaram said: “Brands don’t want to be overly promotional; in the long term, they know it’s a turn-off to people.” Praising the new timeline feature, Richard Grey of Greys of Ely, for whom Facebook is an important part of the business, told CBW: “There has been a lot of talk about the timeline for some time. You now have a nice bit snapshot across the top, which allows any sort of business or branding. Everything is image-driven nowadays so this is a great opportunity for coach operators to showcase what they do – either with a picture of a vehicle or themselves. “It’s easier to look through, a lot more content-rich and a new ‘ask questions’ feature means you can now create customer feedback for example asking ‘would you like us to create a journey to a West End show’,” he continued and said videos can also be added, which is “more tactile”. “You’ve only got to google the Timeline and there are lots of ideas on how to use the top image and how you link in a profile picture to the overall snapshot. We might ask passengers to take a picture of our vehicle, which we will use for a week at a time. You’ve also now got Facebook URLs for businesses which displays www.facebook.com/ greysofely rather than a long line of text and numbers as before.” finance to help companies grow and take on staff; and ways to ensure environmental taxes help to encourage new growth. John Cridland, CBI directorgeneral, said: “We’re calling on the government to make some targeted changes to the UK tax system, which could make an impact on business decisions and create new opportunities for growth. “Delivering private sector investment in infrastructure, supporting mid-sized businesses, hammering out the details on credit easing, extending the Youth Contract to 16 and 17-year-olds,
05/03/2012 17:27
0.6%
Amount economy predicted to grow by next year, down from 0.8% (BCC)
30
Number of days Facebook Timeline for businesses will be in preview mode
Stagecoach has always believed in sustainable growth, developing new ideas and sharing success with local communities, says Brian Souter
Stagecoach scoops company of year award Stagecoach has been named Company of the Year at the 2012 Scottish Business Awards. The group took the headline award at the event last month at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Some 90 companies were shortlisted across 12 categories in what is Scotland’s biggest crossindustry awards programme. Awards recognised: entrepreneurship, innovation, business growth, new product development, marketing, social business, corporate social responsibility, green business and customer focus. The judges said Stagecoach had shown “outstanding overall strength” across all of the awards criteria. It was also shortlisted in and introducing the New Build Indemnity Scheme for mortgages at the earliest opportunity will all provide a real boost for UK growth and jobs. We also want to maximise the incentive for businesses to invest in Britain.” Ian McCafferty, CBI chief economic adviser, added: “We should ensure our tax system encourages rather than stifles private sector investment through better use of capital allowances. We also need to encourage innovation through our tax system, and design environmental taxes, which promote sustainable growth.”
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the Green Business of the Year category. “This is a tremendous achievement and a tribute to the commitment of our employees right across the business,” said Sir Brian Souter, Stagecoach chief executive. “Stagecoach was founded in Scotland more than 30 years ago and it continues to be the base for our international operations in the UK and North America. “We’ve always believed in growing our business sustainably, developing new ideas and sharing our success with local communities. More than 2.5m customers rely on our greener, smarter, and better value transport services every day and we have a strong track-record of delivering good returns for our investors.” Stagecoach co-founder and non-executive director Ann Gloag presented the Customer Focus award at the event, which was hosted by comedian and broadcaster Angus Deayton. Keynote speaker was Sir Bob Geldof, who talked about the concept of social businesses.
Targeted changes to the UK tax system are needed, says John Cridland, CBI director general
BLOG of the week
Fuel Duty – government shooting itself in the foot?
As government presses on with proposed fuel duty increases, where are all the fuel protests, asks Dave Roberts of Liverpool’s Caveau Restaurant on www. businesszone.co.uk People (and the FSB) tell us there are some 4.5m businesses like mine and yours in the UK and us small businesses account for 99% of all enterprise in the UK, plus nearly 60% of all private sector employment and 49% of all private sector turnover! Now I’m far from an economist, I don’t work for a think tank, political or otherwise, and I have no shares in Oil or Petrol companies but for the life of me, as someone who thinks he is fairly representative of 99% of all private business in the UK, I can’t see why the government is pressing ahead with the proposed fuel duty increases? With VAT at 20%, even without Fuel Duty increases, the government coffers gets an extra 2.5% of the increase to fuel prices since the VAT rise, and with diesel beating its previous all time high of May 2011, and petrol only 2.5p of its all time high, there isn’t any shortage of increases to tax revenues from fuel just through the price rises and current duty levels. What, no protests? So then, one question first of all, is where are all the fuel protests this time? Are we now so demoralised and apathetic we can’t muster a bloody good protest? Or are we so disenfranchised that we know deep down, any protest wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference to the views of our government? Sadly I suspect the latter. But whether I am right or wrong economically speaking, surely as with any product, its price does have a bearing on its attractiveness and subsequent sales levels, even with fuel? And considering fuel costs are not just about what we as consumers pay at the pumps but what our retailers and suppliers face in getting food, goods and other items to our homes, shops and businesses, what taxi drivers face and bus companies face in ferrying us round, and what the sales forces and employees of 99%
of all UK private business face, then surely there is a tipping point at which the price will become prohibitive to use? Now as I mentioned, I’m no economist BUT if fuel costs are so intertwined in all aspects of our economy, our own small businesses and what money (if any) we have left to take home each month, surely anything that doesn’t stimulate the economy is a cancer to our economic recovery? COUNTERPRODUCTIVE HIKES At my business, I order in lots of produce from a number of local suppliers and although they have in some instances put up their costs, times are tough for them and they are reluctant to just keep on passing the cost hikes onto their customers and for that I admire them. They have seen the relationship between price and popularity, so why hasn’t the government? That my suppliers
The government’s proposed fuel duty increases will stifle economic recovery, says Roberts have to lay off staff as part of their cost stabilising/cutting exercise is also going to be counterproductive to the economy as a whole, in that more and more people will become tax burdens not tax payers. There is an old saying and whilst fuel purchases won’t stop altogether they are declining (and have been for over 12 months) and as such you have to look at the governments anti-business sentiment and say: “Surely a smaller percentage of something, is better than a larger percentage of nothing.” www.coachandbusweek.com
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NEWS FOCUS › MAN
MAN Truck & Bus celebrates 20 years in the UK market The manufacturer celebrates 20 years in the UK market since taking over the former Volkswagen-MAN operation. Coach & Bus Week’s Martin Cole reports Celebrating 20 years in the UK, MAN held a special presentation in London last week to highlight its performance over the course of 2011 and outline its future prospects. Delighted by the improved performance of MAN’s commercial vehicle and power engineering divisions in 2011, Jeroen Lagarde, head of sales region northern & southern Europe for MAN Truck & Bus AG, said orders had increased by 17% during the period and the company’s operating profit had risen by 19% resulting revenue of Euro 12.6bn. The total number of trucks, buses and coaches sold reached 155,520 units. This, he said, marked the sixth successive year of increase in Europe for the over six tonne www.coachandbusweek.com
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market, raising MAN’s position to number two overall with an 18% share. In Austria, Poland, Romania and Croatia MAN holds the number one spot. In the UK, MAN has now risen to number three for the first time in its history. He predicted the European coach segment would grow strongly in 2011 but did not expect any notable overall market
growth. In 2011, 14% of newly registered buses and coaches were MAN or Neoplan. He believed the market would remain ‘difficult’ but relatively stable. Another area of considerable success for MAN, said Lagarde, had been South America where it had retained market leadership with an increase in sales of 10%
to 72,102 vehicles in the over five tonne sector. This equated to a 14% increase in revenue to Euro 3.6bn and generated Euro 400m operating profit. The major increase, explained Lagarde, was largely due to MAN taking over the Volkswagen commercial vehicle division, but based on this success, it was to begin pushing the MAN brand. Euro 5 engines are now being assembled in Brazil to meet the forthcoming changes in emission legislation there. Following successful recent trials with South American truck operators, the flagship MAN TGX series (400bhp+) will also be made available in this market.
UK MARKET Des Evans, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus UK, was in little doubt about the benefits brought to the group in terms of investment from Volkswagen. He claimed 2011 had been the ‘best year yet’ resulting in a 73% increase in UK registrations for MAN. He
Editors note. If using these illustrations, please be sure Illustration issouth for livery concept purposes only. Final ve Head of sales for north and Europe, Jeroen Lagarde
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MAN’s new Caetano-bodied CitySmart will be unveiled shortly pointed out the average truck market in the UK over the last 20 years had been for 44,000 units but the recent trend was much depressed by comparison as the last four years had seen this shrink to an average of 31,000. He said MAN’s performance was even more remarkable if the vehicles it supplies to the MoD were taken into account. They are not regsistered so don’t show up and well over 1,000 vehicles had been supplied. The main area of success for MAN, said Evans, had been its sales of 6x2 tractor units which took 19% of the market. He was also extremely enthusiastic about the prospects for CNG buses in the UK market. Recent trials with the major groups and leading independent operators had proven extremely positive and indicated there were significant savings to be made operating them against both conventional diesel buses and hybrid diesel-electric buses. Quoting figures based on results to date he said 10 diesel buses comparable to the MAN Ecocity would cost £6,117,878 in operating costs over 10 years – whereas 10 CNG buses would cost £4,733,633. The saving represented 23% and was £1,384,245. The figure was even better against hybrids with 10 units over 10 years said to cost £6,429,712 to operate. Against
Des Evans, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus UK hybrids, 10 CNG buses would save £1,696,079 – representing a 26% saving. He also announced two new products for the UK – one of which remains under embargo until 20 March. The other is a new midibus specifically designed for the market and to extend MAN’s product offering. The CitySmart will be given its first public airing at the ALBUM conference in May. It is 10.8m long, 2.5m wide and features a Caetano body. The wheelbase is 5.2m and seating capacity is for 37, including four tip-up seats, and space for one wheelchair. Standee capacity is 32. Steel box-section tubing is used
“The CitySmart will be given its first public airing at the ALBUM conference in May. It is 10.8m long, 2.5m wide and features a Caetano body.”
e sure to advise your readers of the following statement: nal vehicle and livery details may vary. February 2012.
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to construct the front and floor framing while extruded aluminium profiles are bolted together to form the rear and roof sections of the body frame. Aluminium is also used for roof and body side panels. CitySmart will feature a 250bhp Euro 5 EGR engine with PM-KAT exhaust filtration and have the option of either a ZF Ecolife gearbox with Topodyn plus integrated retarder, or a Voith D 854.5 with Sensotop and an integrated retarder. Tyre sizes are 265/70 R19.5. Front axle is a rigid unit and the rear is a hypoid unit. Fuel tank sizes are either 150 or 200 litres. Des Evans was in little doubt the significant success being achieved by MAN was due to the efficiency of the TGX trucks which were achieving average 14% savings for hauliers. This had seen many large fleets convert or revert back to buying TGX. He calculated most hauliers were working on such low margins, typically 3%, it meant they only operated their trucks nine days a year for a profit. Remove any days off for unscheduled VOR and it rapidly reduced an already narrow window. Therefore, high efficiency and reliability were the main drivers for operators seeking to remain profitable. The turnaround was, in no small part, aided by the introduction of MAN Finance
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news focus › MAN
Above: The way forward?- MAN’s EcoCity gas bus could turn the tide. Below: IKA & special products director Roy Morton which had provided a facility for those to source new vehicles at a time when traditional banks and finance houses had virtually closed the doors on lending to businesses. Such had been the uptake on the in-house facility it had assisted in funding 60% of new sales and 40% of used vehicles.
EURO 6 Although he didn’t wish to be seen to cast a shadow on the horizon, Des Evans was clear in stating there has been no significant interest in Euro 6. He said a survey of customers carried out by the company had found over 82% did not even know what it was. However, his concerns were to push Euro 5 to limit where he believed there would be immense demand ahead of Euro 6 legislation and used vehicle stocks of Euro 5 would undoubtedly fetch premium prices. Based on operating costs already mentioned, the additional costs to the basic product for introducing the technology combined with reduced payloads as a penalty for the additional weight Euro 6 will involve isn’t going to leave much leeway for those only achieving a 3% margin now. Des Evans said he sensed the resistance to Euro 6 was such that it could gain a year’s derogation. This may have been purely wishful thinking as he had already www.coachandbusweek.com
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pointed out industry attempts to engage the government in any form of support, such as tax write downs for capital purchases or scrappage schemes were going completely unheeded. Based on this premise, Euro 6 could well be the final straw for a great many in the haulage sector. If they go out of business, cease trading or find an alternative income, those who are left may then reap the benefits of reduced competition and raise their prices to a sensible level although the result will be higher prices for everything in the shops. After the event, Roy Morton, IKA & special products director, told CBW he was very confident over the future of Ecocity and CNG. He
“The feedback so far has been nothing but positive. I believe as soon as the Green Bus funding from the previous rounds has all been spent operators will see the clear advantage in operating costs they can achieve by using CNG instead of diesel.” Roy Morton IKA & special products director
said: “The feedback so far has been nothing but positive. I believe as soon as the Green Bus funding from the previous rounds has all been spent operators will see the clear advantage in operating costs they can achieve by using CNG instead of diesel. It isn’t a new thing without sufficient back-up. We have 10,000 already operating successfully around the world so the expertise from our side is already there. We have spare parts for them already on the shelves in the UK so operators can be extremely confident we are fully prepared and will provide all necessary support. “It’s a one-stop-shop product too – in as much as we will take on responsibility for the body. We had it built by Caetano because they are very experienced in building gas buses. They know what is necessary to reinforce the roof structure to support the gas storage tanks. “For the similar reasons, weve had Caetano body the new CitySmart. It means we can manage the whole product. If there is an issue, we will deal with it. There’s no backwards and forwards between one party and another. Customers want things to be simpler and this is a way of achieving it. We are also seeing increased interest in whole products from the truck market too. We are looking at it and it may well become the norm before very long.”
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show preview › bobi
Good business for the Best of Britain and Ireland With 2012 being touted as one of the busiest and most exciting years for tourism, BoBI 2012 is one of the ‘must attend’ trade fairs of the year for coach tour organisers, operators and service suppliers. Coach and Bus Week’s Alex Tyler provides a brief overview of what’s on offer
O
nce again, The Best of Britain and Ireland 2012 (BoBI) is set to promote the travel and tourism industries of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to domestic and international markets over the course of two days. The Exhibition, which is being held between March 14 to 15, 2012, at The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, allows trade visitors such as coach operators, group travel organisers and other travel product and service buyers the opportunity to meet and negotiate with hotels, venues, tourist attractions and tourism service suppliers. This concept of business to business interaction is bolstered by the BoBI online meeting planner, which encourages registered organisations to request meetings with their fellow exhibitors, contact participants most relevant to their interests and network prior to the opening, so they may fully utilise the opportunities provided by one of the most high profile annual industry gatherings. Organisers have also announced that John Penrose MP, minister for tourism and heritage, has accepted an invitation to attend the opening of the BoBI 2012, and will be participating in the annual ministers Q&A event along with other senior tourism representatives from around the country. Visitors and exhibitors from across the industry will be able to quiz the panellists on www.coachandbusweek.com
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BoBI is a prime opportunity to find out about tourism-related services tourism related topics prior to the official opening of the show at 1200hrs, Wednesday March 14. At the time of writing, the event has over 275 travel, transport and associated organisations booked to exhibit their products and services to over 2,600 projected visitors and some 140 domestic and international hosted buyers.
Distinctive Systems Ltd Stand E52 Established for nearly three decades, Distinctive Systems has supplied over 2,000 systems to operators
throughout the UK and abroad. At BoBI 2012, the York-based firm will be demonstrating its Microsoft SQL Server-based software, which includes: n Coach Manager, a start to finish solution for the management of private hire and contract work specially designed for coach, minibus and chauffeur operators. The software offers secure handling of bookings, easy and efficient allocation of vehicles and drivers, client confirmations, driver work tickets, invoicing and a built-in sales ledger.
n Tour Booking System (TBS), a complete management solution for individual passenger reservations on extended tours, day excursions and express services. In addition to being a powerful back office system, TBS incorporates a fully automated data driven website for handling online reservations from travel agents and direct clients. n Vehicle Maintenance System, a workshop management package specially designed for coach and bus operators. Approved by VOSA, the software provides defect reporting, statutory inspection planning, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities, job cards and history recording. As an alternative to outright purchase, Distinctive Systems makes its software available via annual rental with an initial minimum term of two years. Monthly payments are calculated at 2% of software list price, plus an additional 1.25% for software maintenance, making a total of 3.25%. Pricing starts at £97.50 per month for a level one capacity Express system, including in-depth training at the operator’s own premises, unlimited telephone support and free access to software updates. Roeville Stand E32 Over the past century, Roeville has evolved from a traditional coach firm into a supplier of reservation software for coach and tour operators. With the recent announcement of their integration with DontTravelEmpty, a job matching website for the coaching industry, the Doncaster-based company will certainly have a lot to discuss whilst demonstrating the following range of software packages at BoBI 2012: n t2, a tour, excursion and express booking system which offers easy operation and wide range of features and reports. However t2 has recently been superseded by t28 which makes use of direct client emailing, document archiving and improved management reporting. n t3, a reservation system designed for larger companies and uses a SAP SQL database for greater productivity. Alongside its booking system, t3 has other functions, which include contracting, interchange routing, marketing and sundry sales. n ph2 is a coach hire and contract bookings system, which integrates with the passenger booking
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systems to provide a complete solution for most operators. n WebRes which is described as a ‘Cloud solution’, offering a data driven website with an extensive content management system, which works in conjunction with the t2, t28 and t3 back office systems. Roeville also offers marketing and design delivery via its industry partners. This allows each tour operator the opportunity to have a custom-designed web site for a monthly fee with no capital costs. Furthermore, Roeville takes responsibility for customer card payments, data backups, internet security, search engine advice and on-going product support which includes technical support and product training free of charge at the company offices in South Yorkshire.
Albatross Travel Stand F60 The Albatross Travel Group, which is due to be re-branded as Albatross Travel later in the year, will be launching its latest UK & Ireland
BoBI was previously held at London’s Alexandra Palace brochure (2013/14) at BoBI. The brochure includes some exciting new tours such as the Heart of Ireland, Wartime Kent, Period Dramas of the Peak District, Kings, Queens & Cairngorms, and Gardens of South Wales. The brochure will have new touring itineraries for Scotland, Wales and Ireland and
new packages for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to name but a few. Extra features for 2013/14 include guaranteed no single supplement of single bedded rooms for all hotels featured within the brochure and more attractions included with tours. Success Tours, part of the Albatross Group of Companies, will
be sharing the stand with Albatross Travel and their team are keen to meet with coach operators to discuss ideas on their Shared Air product for 2013/14. Steve Hornby said he welcomes everyone to pop by and give him feedback on this year as he prepares to create the new product for 2013. Leisure Breaks for London, a specialist group tour wholesaler offering a variety of hotel accommodation, theatres and attractions within London is also part of the Albatross Group of Companies. Leisure Breaks will be showcasing its new London Groups brochure at BoBI with some exciting new product including “The A to Z of Musicals” and London “Sports Themed” tours. Opening times: Wednesday March 14, 1000hrs – 1700hrs, Thursday March 15, 1000hrs – 1600hrs. n For more information visit: www.britainandirelandevent. co.uk
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SUPPLIER update › BMC
BMC’s 27-seat Midilux - a cost-effecive small coach with good luggage capacity
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New dawn for BMC
With a new importer for its vehicles and spare parts, the Turkish manufacturer now finds itself in a much more stable position, as Coach & Bus Week’s technical editor Martin Cole finds out
T
he importation and sales distribution for BMC buses, coaches and lowentry cab trucks has been taken over by Pelican Engineering, the Castleford-based commercial vehicle dealer which already supports MAN, DAF and Hino alongside Kubota and Deutz plus some specialist roadsweepers and snowplough equipment from Duvelo and Rasco. Pelican also builds Gensets to meet any customer requirement. Located in the Europort district at Normanton, just off J31 of the M62, the company is a familyowned business which has been trading for 95 years. At the helm is MD Richard Crump, grandson of the founder who carries on the traditions of the business into its third generation. In taking over the BMC importership, Pelican has inherited a great deal of spare parts stock which it has transferred to Normanton. It is already supplying BMC customers who now revel in immediate response to their queries, rapid delivery and back-up availability operating 24/7 for all but Christmas day and New Year’s day. Sales director Ken Grindrod said: “We’ve already had a lot of positive feedback from BMC customers. Some have actually rung to thank us for the prompt service. It was obviously not being handled well before. Aftermarket support comes as second nature to us. It’s an essential part of keeping trucks on the road. Operators can’t afford downtime and it’s our
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SUPPLIER update › bmc
Plug-type font entrance door
Compact dashboard with a practical switch layout
Courier seat folds away neatly
business to minimise any problems for them. “There may be some items we don’t have on the shelf, but we have made arrangements with Turkey for next day delivery of parts from the factory – as long as we receive the order before 1600hrs, parts are flown in and delivered immediately via DHL. “As for regional cover, we are retaining some of the existing BMC support network and talking to others. This will guarantee any customers who may have a breakdown can be attended to quickly and we will guarantee any payment for repair or recovery to the attending dealer. We’ll issue a single hotline number for support which comes directly here. We will then contact the nearest point of assistance. Having been in the haulage trade for so long, we already have extensive contacts with reputable histories all over the country.” Pelican has extensive facilities at its main site in the Europort. A large multi-bay workshop includes a VOSA-approved test lane which VOSA uses two days every week for testing. The stores for DAF parts and administration are adjacent and some vacant office space at the end of the building has been earmarked for the BMC division. Sales for BMC will be handled by Phil Hodgson. Ken Grindrod said: “We are quite excited about getting involved in the bus and coach market. It’s a completely new area for us. We are under no illusion we have an awful lot to learn, but having spoken with a number of BMC customers, we know the basic product is sound. They tell us it is generally
very reliable, cost-effective and represents exceptional value for money. However, they’ve been frustrated at the lack of support – but that’s changing now we are involved and we can assure people they will get the same levels of support we already provide to the truck market.” Vehicle stock acquired by Pelican includes the 27-seat small coach formerly known as Nifty. This has been renamed Midilux. It was originally tested by CBW in 2009 when it was equipped with a 160bhp Cummins ISBe4. It has since seen a power increase and is now offered with the 185bhp unit. Any new orders for Midilux will obviously move straight to the Euro 5 examples although the one evaluated here has a Euro 4+ specification.
to the tall windscreen. A drop-down video monitor is mounted above the central aisle at the front of the coach.
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underside of the racks. Sidewalls are trimmed in a combination of hard and soft grey trim with moulded cappings for sills and window pillars. Grey pleated curtains were also fitted. Skirting heating runs along both sidewalls. The front entrance has a pneumatically operated door and the steps are carpeted. They lead to a sunken gangway which provides lots of headroom for passenger walking along the aisle and the seats are mounted sufficiently high to give passengers an excellent view from the windows. Even the forward view is very good, thanks
On the road
Having a forward-mounted underfloor engine (not frontengined) the noise levels inside Midilux are quite low. They are at their highest under acceleration through the lower gears but this dies away considerably at cruising speed. The extra 25bhp increase in power also makes a difference to its driveabiliy. There is far less gear changing work for the driver to do thanks to much greater
Midilux
Midilux is based on a BMCproduced chassis powered by a 185bhp Cummins four cylinder diesel. It features a ZF six-speed manual gearbox and has a retarder function controlled by a dash-mounted stalk. It seats 27 passengers on Grammar reclining seats and has a folding courier seat in the front entrance. Unlike small coaches based on Vario or similar chassis it has a substantial amount of underfloor locker space. The rear boot is not particularly large but is reasonably useful. Parcel racks along both sides of the saloon provide additional space. The nearside unit is full length but the offside rack is split towards the rear to allow easier access to the emergency exit stairwell. Individual service outlets for lighting and ventilation are inset on the
Above: Reasonably generous underfloor luggage space. Below left: Drop down monitor screen. Right: Skirting heating on both sidewalls
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Join the discussion on Twitter by following us at @cbwtweets and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coachandbusweek
Leather trimmed Grammer seats
Spacious, light interior ensures excellent passenger views
Rear O/S emergency exit
flexibility and higher engine torque. There also appears to have been a modification to the steering as its handling seemed greatly improved. The early version felt a little jittery on some poorer road surfaces. This example behaved very well and it felt surefooted and stable on all surfaces. The ride quality is also excellent and has a ‘large coach’ feel to it with minimal jarring in response to potholed surfaces. Ride quality for the passengers seems to vary very little wherever you may choose to sit. I was able move around the vehicle while someone else drove for a spell and was very pleased by the
consistency. The seating layout offers generous legroom and virtually every seat place has a good view from the windows. Only a couple of saloon seats have vision impeded by window pillars – and not to the extent it would affect the passengers’ enjoyment of the view. The only seats which do suffer undue visual restriction are those on offside of the back row. The top of the emergency exit door, plus its surrounding framework, cuts right across the view of those passengers and means they can see very little at all. It may have little detriment on operators shuttling passengers a short distance, but I for one
would not pay to sit in one of those seats – especially on a journey of any length and particularly if on a tour. It should not be too difficult to cure the problem – a full height door would do the job and is hardly a feat of engineering beyond the manufacturer’s capability. Driver vision is very good and so are the general cab area ergonomics. Controls are all easy to access and the instrumentation uncomplicated and easy to see.
FACT FILE
Chassis/body BMC Midiliux Engine Cummins 185bhp Transmission ZF six-speed manual Seats 27 + courier price £79,000, depending on options available from
Pelican Engineering 01924 227722 www.pelican-eng.co.uk
With a Cummins engine and ZF gearbox the Midilux has a familiar drivetrain with an established back-up network
Summary
At just over 7.4m long the Midilux has a short, stubby appearance. It may lack elegance but it seems highly practical with a sensible amount of luggage space and a two-plus-two seat layout. It is priced around £79,000, depending on options and seems to offer exceptionally good value compared to the cost of most popular coachbuilt minicoaches or even high-spec conversions. What you get is a substantial vehicle with a heavy duty engine and gearbox, built for a long life. It seems simple and uncomplicated and would appear to be relatively cheap to maintain. Reliability and back-up are both extremely important factors for all operators. The familiarity of the drivetrain in the Midilux combined with the considerable expertise of Pelican Engineering should go some way towards allowing BMC to achieve a much improved market share. The power increase gives Midilux a lively performance and the short wheelbase means it is very easy to manoeuvre. It appears to be a very cost effective means of transporting smaller groups in spacious and airy saloon more akin to large coaches.
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THE BIG PICTURE
County Antrim-based Logans Travel have taken delivery of its first Sunsundegui Sideral 10-bodied Volvo B7R coach. The family-run firm is a long standing and loyal Volvo customer, which generally specifies the Volvo-Plaxton combination. In 2010 the firm bought its 100th Volvo chassis vehicle. This latest purchase marks the first time operator has selected a Volvo Sunsundegui Sideral 10. Established for over 40 years, Logans Travel now operates 22 Volvo coaches on private hire contracts and tour work throughout Northern Ireland and Europe. “We needed a new mid-range coach to sit between some of the others we already have,” explained Logans Travel operations manager, Allan Davidson. “Our managing director, Sean Logan went to look at the available Volvos and was delighted to purchase this new Sideral 10 Sunsundegui – which is the first time we’ve ever specified that particular combination. Here at Logans Travel, we’re really big fans of the Volvo Plaxton combination, in fact we’ve just ordered 12 more, so it will certainly be fascinating to see how the Sideral 10 compares.” Seating 40 passengers, the new Sideral features an on-board toilet, three-point seat belts, TV screens, DVD player and an integrated sound system.
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05/03/2012 16:36
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insight › tsc competition inquiry
Has the Competition Commission got it wrong? On the back of the Competition Commission’s final report, the Transport Select Committee commenced its inquiry into ‘Competition in the local bus market’ last week. Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon reports
T
he first session of the Transport Select Committee (TSC) inquiry into competition in the bus market, on the back of the Competition Commission’s (CC) final report, took place last Tuesday (February 28). Passenger and campaign organisations, local government and pteg representatives and academics were asked for their views on whether head-to-head competition is the right recommendation, whether the needs of the passenger have been properly taken into consideration, what should happen on Quality Contracts (QCs) and franchising and what action should now be taken. Views on whether competition has succeeded and, as ever, on franchising and QCs, were divided and a Conservative county councillor was even promoting the franchising cause. TSC chairman Louise Ellman opened the discussion by paying tribute to Peter Huntley, whom the committee was intending to consult.
Attendees:
Session One n Richard Hebditch – campaigns director, Campaign for Better Transport n Stephen Morris – general manager, Bus Users UK n David Sidebottom – bus passenger director, Passenger Focus Session two n David Brown – director general, South Yorkshire PTE (and chairman of pteg on bus issues) www.coachandbusweek.com
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n Cllr Shona Johnstone – Local Government Association (and Cambridgeshire councillor) n John Pope – head of passenger transport, Essex County Council Session three n Neil Anderson – associate director, Capital Traffic Management Limited n Dr Roger Sexton – Nottingham Trent University n Steve Warburton – operations director, TAS Partnership
The passenger’s needs
The debate opened by looking at priorities to passengers. “What areas matter to passengers?” asked Ellman. David Sidebottom used Passenger Focus (PF) research carried out in 2010 to indentify these areas: better punctuality, improved service frequency, getting a seat and multi-operator ticketing – demand for which was surprising. The right things need to be funded to improve punctuality and frequency, he said. Affordability, integration, good quality information and network stability were also highlighted as important priorities and it was generally agreed multi-operator ticketing was a positive outcome from the CC’s report. In fact, Sexton said the report was “largely a waste of time” apart from integrated ticketing but said it should include other modes of transport – namely tram, local trains and, where appropriate, local ferries. Multi-operator ticketing, longer periods for notifying changes to services and better information on bus services will benefit passengers,
said Hebditch, which, along with co-operation, is what will often deliver products like multi-operator ticketing and zonal tickets. Asked whether the CC has addressed areas of concern for passengers, Stephen Morris, David Brown and Shona Johnstone agreed it has not. “I don’t think it did,” said Morris. “By and large there are positive areas such as multi-operator ticketing but competition itself is quite a long way down on the bus passenger’s agenda,” he added. “At the beginning of the process, the CC was looking through a wider perspective at things which were important to passengers, but the remit grew narrower and narrower,” said Brown. Instead, the CC focused “on a very theoretical model”, nor did it look at competition between the bus and the car. Johnson agreed the limited remit of competition meant the CC “answered the wrong question”.
Drawbacks and benefits of competition
John Leech, MP for Manchester Withington, said as a result of bus services migrating to his local Wilmslow Road bus corridor in Manchester, many local bus services have disappeared. Asked if any work has been done on the benefits and drawbacks of competition, which dictates frequency, choice and product, Hebditch said best practice work CBT has done shows best practice happens both where there is competition and where there is not – there is no clear pattern. Measures which grow the overall market come down to
John Leech (above); Partnership in Nottingham doesn’t solve the problem of too many buses (top) improving overall information. “As well as smart ticketing, better information through smart phones has the potential to grow the market more,” said Hebditch. Leech commented in South Manchester, there are more bus services but fewer routes and gave the example of 46 and 47 routes disappearing as a direct result of other operators having the monopoly. Morris said there were probably many examples of this which have occurred in some shape or form, adding problems
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Asked about the case in rural areas, Brown said 40% of South Yorkshire is designated as rural. “We look at the network in totality,” he added. “Operators tend to look on the basis of route-by-route, profit-making or not profit-making.”
No more VOSA bus compliance
with traffic regulations can prevent operators from running on prime parts of a route. “Competition in some areas has delivered better services and grown the market and there has been quality competition,” said Pope. However, in other areas such as parts of Essex, there has been a degree of instability, or examples where there are “lots of buses chasing too small areas” and competing where the market is strong, meaning other places are losing out as a result. There is also a degree of instability in towns where there are no operators competing and where there is a lack of adequate return to operators. “Competition can work out for corridors but areas on either side can lose out,” said Johnstone, who proposed competition for routes either as a small corridor or over an area, which might address some of the rural issues. She cited Norfolk Green which has been growing “slowly and steadily by actually looking at what passengers want.” “The answer isn’t going down the route of the CC of trying to increase on road competition but actually
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competition around routes and accepting the operators will, by and large, stick to their own areas. It’s about how we work with a major operator to get better standards, better reliability and better information.” Hebditch said the CC has shown the difficulties of entering a free market and Brown said there is no stimulus in the market to encourage new entrants. “Tenders tend to be for weekends and evenings and it is very difficult to see how smaller operators can come in and provide these services on a profitable basis.” Commenting on the lack of competition, Brown said: “The CC said about three quarters of urban bus services are a monopoly or a duopoly, so there is actually very little competition in major areas and where it does exists it tends to be quite short term in nature and negative because of changes to services or fares.” This tends to lead to a reduced level of service in fringe areas, he added. “What the CC didn’t look at is the wider role of bus services, not just in making profit and responding to the market, but socially.”
What has been the impact of the disintegration of the VOSA bus compliance unit, asked Paul Maynard, Conservative MP for Blackpool and Cleveleys North. Morris said this is a “serious retrograde step” and regulators of the industry - traffic commissioners (TCs) - need better resources to do their job. Pope reiterated the problem comes down to a lack of resources, meaning the role “is not fulfilled to our satisfaction”. “One of the clear things about deregulation, the TCs were given an enforcement role and in my view it has not been fulfilled. This is why some of the worst excesses of competition have been allowed to continue,” said Pope. “There are at least two operators Essex which seem to have scant regard for the control of the TC.” Maynard commented: “TCs are rather like the tooth fairy – I keep hearing about them in these evidence sessions, they seem to bring good things the whole time but no one is quite sure they exist and what they do!”
“TCs are rather like the tooth fairy – I keep hearing about them A game changing in these evidence policy shift? you looking to government sessions, they seem to “Are for more white papers or are you bring good things the looking to outside bodies to come with a report?” asked Maynard, whole time but no one up who stressed the terms of reference is quite sure they exist of the CC report as competition. “This does seem to be an incredibly and what they do!” complex area of policy. Does there Paul Maynard MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys
Above: Paul Maynard described bus competition as an “incredibly complex area of policy”
not have to be a game-changing intervention from someone, somewhere?” “The government has been waiting on the CC report to decide what their policy is towards bus services and I’m not sure this report really gives you enough basis to making policies,” said Hebditch. For him the priority is on establishing the role of the transport authority to improve bus services and how bus operators can work on information and punctuality, not on bus operators in isolation. “Are they there to pick up services which would not otherwise be provided
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insight › tsc competition inquiry
– are they there to regulate or co-ordinate services? Government needs to be clear on their understanding of what they want transport authorities to do and on decentralising and devolving powers and multi-agency funding and funding such as BSOG.” Sidebottom said the importance was on delivering outputs for passengers, who recognise partnership can work very well. “It’s fair to say the picture is still patchy,” he added. Asked whether there is evidence poor bus services result from areas where partnerships haven’t worked as well, he said: “I’m sure the figures can illustrate that.” Commenting on QCs, he said there was no benchmark in place as no QCs yet exist. “I’m sure they could work but so could competition,” he added. Morris said the partnership approach has been stepped up and in areas where QCs have been raised, the issue is whether operators can work more effectively in partnership with local authorities. Commenting on the London model, he said strong political will and a substantial funding injection have enabled success. Last year this figure amounted to £560m, when 15 years ago there was nil subsidy and bus services in London were “pretty terrible”. “There wasn’t a lot of passengers when the rest of the country lost about 40% of their passengers – that’s the real comparison,” commented Graham Stringer MP for Blackley and Broughton. Morris responded there has been growth in some of the shire areas. Whether a regulated system would resolve passenger decline “is impossible to say”.
Transition and risks to QC
Brown said the Local Transport Act 2008 provides a toolkit of different partnerships, including statutory quality agreements, such as in Birmingham, which brings the stability of growth and there is a role for all tools provided by the Act. “We do believe there is a role for QCs or franchising in the overall mix,” said Brown. “The outputs QCs can give you – reliable services, affordable services - I think everyone agrees they would like, but the way the legislation is written, the tests and the transitional risks to where we are into a new system are quite www.coachandbusweek.com
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Shona Johnstone said Norfolk Green has been growing steadily by “actually looking at what passengers want”
Messages and asks: The needs and priorities of the passenger have not been properly addressed Multi-operator ticketing is welcome and should be legislated Use all the tools in the Local Transport Act 2008 toolkit The Act’s legislation for initiating a Quality Contract is too high risk – financial incentive and government intervention is needed to start the ball rolling Strong partnership working produces good bus services More clarity from government on the role of the local transport authority is needed Devolve all funding to local authorities within a franchising system Leave BSOG as it is Don’t be prescriptive – let the operators use their technical expertise
onerous.” Morris, Hebditch, Johnstone and Sexton also agreed the legislation as it stands is too onerous or high risk. Johnstone said: “I wouldn’t say QC is the answer – as things currently stand, the fact that no authority has set one up, which I think speaks volumes. If they were simplified and made easier with less risk, less cost then I think they might be better.” Sexton commented: “The danger of introducing a QC for the first time in one place is “operators in x-shire will all up sticks and go”. “It may be that government can do something to mitigate some of the risks involved,” said Brown, who said it was important to understanding those risks and put in place a process in which QCs can be secured. “One of the perceived risks by the bus companies is the question of judicial review,” commented Morris. “There are plenty of examples of very good bus services, which have been built up from virtually nothing. Understandably operators who have taken commercial risk to do so want serious recompense if their ability to run that service is taken away.” Brown said the antidote is not new legislation per se but pushing government to think about sharing some of the financial and legal risks and putting money into
areas where there is potential to encourage operators to try a QC “to see if it actually works in practice”. Hebditch suggested financial incentives to authorities to make the leap to QCs. Meanwhile, Brown expressed disappointment the CC looked only at the deregulated market in England, not at London and mainline Europe where a regulated, franchised or QC system “seems to have worked successfully”. He conceded the London model is not the solution everywhere “but does work in certain circumstances where you have a monopoly situation, where you don’t have innovation and where you have a bus services which do not meet people’s expectations”. “Our view is you can get a better service, for all the money which goes into the system, under a controlled, franchised or QC approach.”
Franchising and devolved funding
While not a fan of the QC approach, Johnstone called a system of franchising and for all subsidy and funding to be devolved to local authorities “to enable us to commission services across our patches, to be able to put in quality assurance standards to ensure what is provided is what people
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March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 37
Join the discussion on Twitter by following us at @cbwtweets and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coachandbusweek want. Then you might get better value for your money.” This can also enable easier links between other transport services provided locally such as school transport and community schemes, she added. Brown agreed with the idea of pooling of resources and bringing all funding together but said a more final structure such as QC or Quality Partnership would be needed. Morris, Pope and Warbuton all raised concerns about devolving BSOG. Morris said the idea behind it is to reward people for using buses. “We would prefer to see it remain as a separate, discrete stream of funding for local operators,” said Morris. Pope emphasised it is a tax policy, not a public transport policy. “For us it is about whether BSOG would be redressed for bus services or would they disappear into local authorities’ general budgets,” said Hebditch. “There is a case to look at the funding which goes to local authorities and whether they feel they truly have control over transport services put in place.” He said giving LAs real powers to deliver on public transport would enable them to make real choice. Sexton urged going the “whole hog” and introducing a franchising system for the whole of the UK or at least England, which is the “norm for European neighbours who do not have on-road competition but carefully integrated systems”. He gave examples from Switzerland and Sweden. Although there are good integrated bus services in his area of Nottingham, with a strong partnership approach, “this doesn’t solve the problem of having too many bus services”, he said, citing Parliament Street in the city centre. People also focus on 7-til-7 services during Monday to Saturday, he added, with Sunday and evening services “very poor”. For Anderson, competition has not grown the market. He said current bus users – the young, old and poor do not have a voice and urged countrywide franchising administered on a regional basis, with appropriate groupings of local authorities - which offers a stabilised regime and puts money from the public purse into operators to increase ridership. However authority boundaries were an issue for Warbuton. “The structure of local government is a mess,” he said. While PTEs may have the capabilities to deliver QCs or franchising, smaller,
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shire ones have less confidence. He took issue with having a QC in one area but not in another area, where there are adjoining authorities, given some of the local government boundaries are “perverse”. However, he welcomed the CC’s recommendation multioperator ticketing should follow travel patterns, not local authority boundaries. Pope on the other hand is wary of a regulated approach. “I think the problem is people assume franchising equals London which is a totally planned market,” he said. In one area of Essex, all services, with the exception of one commercial service, are supported by the council. “What the 1985 Act did not say is ‘you must compete’. If any operator chooses not to compete, it’s quite okay. Therefore, for us to stimulate competition, what we require is a large number of operators to compete for the work we put out to tender.” Pope said Essex is fortunate in that it will get a good response of five or six operators to a tender. He added: “But there are parts of the country where there is only one dominant operator and some of my colleagues will only get one response to a tender.” “When we went out to tender five years ago, rather than the traditional way of the local authority planning the network, we went to the operators and said ‘if I spent £200,000 but no more than £400,000, what network would you deliver for me?’” said Pope. “So we turned it on its head and said we’re not prescribing what
David Brown said the CC “focused on a very theoretical model”
“At the beginning of the process, the CC was looking through a wider perspective at things which were important to passengers, but the remit grew narrower and narrower.” David Brown South Yorkshire PTE
Stephen Morris: “There are many example of built up from nothing”
Comment:
The cud it seems is not only being been chewed, but regurgitated, or rather re-debated as round two of attempts to influence government thinking is in place. If it means a more informed process of decision-making, if minds haven’t already been made up, then surely, this is a good thing or are we going round the same circles? With views on competition and franchising ever strong, operators will no doubt come back, in Brown’s words “vociferously” on the pro-QC stance, although he is not saying QCs all the way but emphasises a toolkit of partnership – from voluntary down to statutory to QC if appropriate. Pope, nervous about QCs, presents a rosy view of leaving bus operators to do what they do best, on the other hand. A Conservative councillor, Shona Johnstone, pushing franchising is quite something, although in the mixed politics and the emphasis of localism of the coalition government, perhaps less so. Will DfT be amenable to encouraging and taking away risk for first movements into QC, given the advice of the CC, or will it steer well clear from any suggestion or form of franchising beyond, perhaps, a reminder the Local Transport Act provisions exist? We will find out at the end of March if this will be a case of closing the barn door after the horse has bolted.
we want – we want you to do your work as a bus operation and use your technical expertise to tell us what you can provide for various prices. I think because of that we got a good deal and the service which very closely matched what the public wanted. So it doesn’t have to be a carefully planned ‘these are the fares you charge, this is the timetable, this is the standard you have to meet’ approach.” Pope favours a looser association “to get the best out of the market rather than being so prescriptive”.
Some final asks
Brown said the DfT should act in three ways. Firstly, put legislation in place on multi-operator ticketing and information provision about deregistered services in the short term; re-emphasise the tools in the Local Transport Act are still appropriate; and thirdly, encourage areas in which QCs or franchising are being sought, possibly with additional funding and take away some of the risks. Pope focused on two areas which need addressing. Firstly he said extending the notice of registration period by 14 days notice is “quite useless”. On deregistration, an authority making the decision on whether to continue the service needs information on passenger use. “While the incumbent operator might send this out of good will, it’s not his priority and might take weeks to arrive.” Secondly, he expressed concern over the short period of notice TCs can apply to allow services to start in less than 56 days, where there has been a problem of one operator deregistering and another coming in and changing the service slightly, so not like-for-like. “There are a lot of things which can be tinkered about with, which would make life a lot easier for us.” The role of bus services and public transport in the Local Transport Plan process needs to be looked at, in Morris’ view, and a process which favours public transport and encourages councils to provide the means for public transport to be more successful. “Don’t cut BSOG would be a simple answer,” said Hebditch, who called for incentivising better co-operation around information and ticketing and looking at how funding such as Better Bus Areas can be used to incentivise partnerships and co-operation to deliver what passengers want.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
DRIVERS
In association with
DriveTech
Send your driver news and stories to james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk or call 01733 293 244.
Olympic site driver swims her route HCT driver swins 1,270 metres as part of arts project Semina (Sam) Yousef, one of a team of 30 Hackney Community Transport (HCT) drivers on the Olympic Park, swam the distance of her 1,270-metre route in the 17,500-capacity Aquatics Centre. The distance is equivalent to more than 25 lengths of the 50-metre competition pool. The feat was filmed as part of a series of commissioned works, which are being supported by the Arts Council England and the
Warrington launches search for its best drivers
Network Warrington has launched a competition for customers to vote for their favourite driver. Managing director David Squire said: “We have some excellent staff, many just get on with their job on a daily basis with no fuss, but have an excellent rapport with their passengers. Each year we have a Staff Awards night, where we have a driver of the year, this year to celebrate the company’s 110th birthday, we are launching a competition for our customers to vote for their favourite driver.” All customers who vote will be entered into a draw, with a top prize of a months’ free travel. The winning driver will be presented with a special peoples’ choice award at our awards night in April.
Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), to give a personal insight into the ordinary jobs which are as much a part of the Games as the athletes competing. Sam Yousef said: “I felt privileged to be able to swim in the Aquatics Centre. I have always wanted to be an athlete and this made me feel like one. It was really emotional and will be something I will always remember. I could have stayed in there forever.” Sam who originally came from northern Cyprus now lives in Leytonstone, East London, and
Semina Yousef in the Aquatics Centre became a bus driver after receiving funding from the ODA’s Apprentice Scheme, which enabled her to apply for a driving licence. She had previously worked as a swimming instructor and lifeguard. Simon Wright, ODA director of venues and infrastructure, said: “Since construction started in 2007,
Excelsior Coaches driver Paul Wheatley retired February 28 after two decades of service. During his employment Paul witnessed numerous changes at the Bournemouth-based firm, including a change in management, the introduction of different vehicles and new business strategies. Paul was well known at the company and many staff opted to wear his trademark black cardigan in honor of his retirement. The Excelsior team bid farewell to Paul at a presentation ceremony attended by managing director Kathy Tilbury, who presented him with a watch in recognition of his commitment to the firm. Kathy Tilbury said: “It’s a sad day at Excelsior having to say goodbye to Paul but hopefully it won’t be the last we see of him. He has been an exceptional member of the team and always works to the highest quality of service on all of the jobs that he carries out. We wish Paul all the very best for the future and a well-deserved relaxing retirement, he will be greatly missed.’’
the bus drivers on the Olympic Park and Village have been a constant and essential part of the workforce. Sam’s story captures the Games ethos of being ‘part of it’. It’s an amazing achievement for her to have swum over 25 lengths in the Aquatics Centre and highlights the role of local people in the Games.”
Bus driver robbed at gun point
A First Midlands bus driver was robbed at gunpoint in Northampton. His vehicle, which was operating on route 29, was parked at the bus stop on Avon Drive, Kings Heath at about 1830hrs last Monday (February 27) when the offender pushed the emergency stop button at the back of the bus The offender then approached the driver window and pointed a gun at the driver and demanded money. A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: “The offender handed the driver a orange carrier bag, in which the driver inserted money. The offender then punched the driver in the face and ran off.” The offender is described as male, approximately six foot tall, wearing a black hooded top.
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PRODUCTS
Dunlop Extends MultiTread Commercial Vehicle Retread Ranges All-position, drive and trailer tyres are Product added to the long and of the regional haul retread week range plus new tyres for municipal vehicles. The Dunlop’s MultiTread moldcure premium retreaded commercial vehicle tyre range is being extended. The new products, which offer similar benefits to new tyres, comprise six sizes covering long and regional haul as well as municipal applications. For long and regional haul applications, the MT SP344 allposition tyre and the MT SP244 trailer tyre are being added to the range, to complement the MT SP444 drive tyres - now supplemented with two 60-series sizes. For buses and other municipal vehicles, the MT SP372 City all-position tyre and the MT SP472 City drive tyre are being introduced. Dunlop MultiTread products utilise the same technology carcasses; the same generation tread compounds and the same tread features as the new tyres they replicate. This means they share the same premium tyre
Email martin.cole@rouncymedia. co.uk to get your new product or service in the spotlight
benefits as the latest new generation Dunlop tyres. The MT SP344 is a long and regional haul all-position tyre and will be available in size 315/80R22.5 later in the year. With the increasing popularity of 60-series tyres, the 315/60R22.5 and 295/60R22.5 MT SP444 drive tyres are important additions to the MultiTread range. Following soon after the introduction of the Dunlop SP244 trailer tyre, the 385/65R22.5 MT SP244 tyre will also be popular amongst operators. For municipal vehicles, the MT SP372 275/70R22.5 all position tyre and the 275/70R22.5 MT SP472 for drive axle fitment, cover the most popular sizes in this market sector. MultiTread MultiTread is the most recent member of the Goodyear Dunlop premium retread family and uses only carcasses from latest generation Dunlop tyres. The benefits of these retreaded tyres are similar to those of current Dunlop Tyres; high mileage performance, very good traction, excellent wet grip as well as precise handling and impressive comfort. Goodyear Dunlop Retreads Goodyear Dunlop has steadily expanded its retread product portfolio, which comprises Next Tread, Goodyear TreadMax and Dunlop
New Bus for London pushes the right buttons The ‘New Bus for London’, which has now enterered service (CBW1025). By the end of May, eight prototype buses built by Wrightbus, are due to be in service along Arriva’ route 38. The design of the bus makes use of lightweight materials with the interior styles to give a light and airy feel. As part of this internal styling the BMAC Wireless bell push is being used. Bell pushes are an essential part of everyday bus operations. However, due to their simple functionality can be easily overlooked when it comes to designing the next generation of buses. For the new London bus, BMAC utilised its innovative Wireless Bell Push system. Instead of metres and metres of cable to connect each bell push to the bus’s battery, the Wireless Bell Push uses no battery
A microchip radio transmitter is used in place of a battery or wires, but uses a microchip radio transmitter. When a passenger presses the bell push, this small action is converted into enough energy to transmit a signal to the receiver module, in-turn, this signals the stop sign and sounds the bell. The signal generated by the transmitter is unique to each individual
MultiTread products and covers all commercial vehicle applications. Most recently, in April 2011, a new moldcure facility was opened in Wittlich, Germany. This plant not only increases the production capacity of retreads but also its location is strategic. It serves Germany, neighboring countries and the Nordic region as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Goodyear Dunlop moldcure products are also produced in Riom France and Wolverhampton UK, to the same production standards as those applied to the production of new Goodyear Dunlop tyres. In the manufacture of Goodyear Dunlop moldcure retreaded tyres, every carcass is thoroughly examined to ensure its suitability for second life use. After the casings are checked and processed, new treads and sidewalls are applied. The materials used in MultiTread products are comparable to those used in the production of the original tyres. After building, the tyres are put into heated presses where the same tread pattern as that of the new tyre the retread replicates is applied. After curing and cooling, all tyres undergo the same quality controls as for new tyres. Contact your local tyre dealer for more information. Visit www.goodyear.eu/home_en/ homepage.jsp bell push, ensuring there is no cross over interference between the other bell pushes on the bus or for that matter other buses on the road. For the Wireless Bell Push, the receiver module is connected to the bus’s electrical system. The bell pushes are then fitted into place. Each bell push is then programmed to the receiver module to create, for example, four logical circuits downstairs, upstairs, wheelchair and priority sitting. Threading up to 100 metres of cable to individual bell pushes on a bus, including all the machining to fit the bell pushes can be a lengthy operation. BMAC’s wireless bell push removed a lot of this fitting time and the cost of all the cable helping to create a more efficient production line. Such a simple fitting also benefits the bus operator, speeding up the repair of faults and ensuring the bus is back on the road quickly. Contact Andy Overend at BMAC on 0161 3373070 or email andy.overend@bmac.ltd.uk
Grime can be removed using high pressure water and mild detergent
New generation Xbrite – more resilience, more shine Motor Wheel Service has launched the next generation Xbrite, a technically advanced single part, transparent finish offering the highest levels of corrosion resistance and unrivalled shine for xlite forged aluminium wheels. Specially developed for the firm, the Xbrite protective coating is non-chromate and environmentally friendly, has passed the most rigorous oxidation and salt spray tests and possesses excellent adhesion properties for a strong coat finish. Extra bright in appearance, it allows for the easy removal of soil, grime and dust by simply applying high pressure water and a mild detergent. John Ellis, managing director of Motor Wheel Service, said: “The product has been two years in development. The end result is nothing short of brilliant. I state confidently that both the corrosion resistance and the extra bright appearance are the best on the market.” xlite wheels, which are five times stronger and 40% lighter than the standard steel equivalent, are forged from a single aluminium billet using a computerised numeric control machine to produce a higher degree of production accuracy. They are available in 17.5, 19.5 and 22.5” sizes. The product is offered with three finishes – machined, polished and Xbrite. Other added benefits include unique safety features, reduced vibration and longer wear on surrounding parts. Call 0161 908 1023, email info@xlitewheels.com . Visit www.xlitewheels.co.uk or www. mwsdistribution.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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ESSENTIAL GUIDE
› passenger comfort
Creating the right atmopshere on board a coach is a vital element in securing repeat business
Creature comforts Prioritising passenger comfort and good climate control systems can make travelling by bus or coach far more appealing to potential customers, especially when compared to cars lacking air conditioning or overcrowded trains at the height of summer. This week’s Essential Guide looks at suppliers of air conditioning, entertainment and seating which can make a great upgrade for your fleet www.coachandbusweek.com
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T
he environment inside a vehicle is important. With the ever unpredictable English weather, getting caught without good climate control may result in the journey from hell for a passenger, but getting it right can be hugely beneficial. Taking passenger comfort seriously can help soften the blow when things go wrong on a journey. Road works, diversions and traffic jams are far more bearable for passengers who can keep entertained or are comfortable enough to sleep through them. With summer only a few months away, operators should be checking their air conditioning systems are up to scratch after the extreme temperature variation we’ve seen this winter. Airconco Ltd offers heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, combined with a huge catalogue of parts and a well regarded service department. Caldotherm has released its ‘Spotcool’ cab cooling and heating system, using solid state technology to reduce size and complexity, with just a single moving part.
Entertainment is also an important aspect of passenger comfort. Autosound are suppliers for both Blaupunkt/Bosch and Funtoro, offering standard entertainment and PA systems through to high tech server-based systems with touch screens and multiple audio channels to make a coach operator’s entertainment top of the line. Quality seating is also an important factor. While inexpensive seats may be suitable for short journeys or local bus routes, quality is needed for longer journeys. Holdsworth Fabrics has a large stock selection providing what it claims to be the original one stop shop for transport interiors. Abacus is a reputable company offering high quality long life seats. It is definitely around for the long haul after a large investment in solar panels on its UK based factory roof and boasts high customer satisfaction. .
AIRCONCO LTD
Airconco Ltd is the original ‘one stop shop’ for coach and bus heating, ventilation and air conditioning, removing the
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ESSENTIAL GUIDE
› PASSENGER COMFORT
hassle of dealing with multiple suppliers for different manufacturer parts & service needs. Airconco are official dealers for Eberspacher Sutrak (formerly Carrier Sutrak), Heavac and Webasto and offers after sales service and parts support from its Manchester HQ throughout the north of the UK. A dedicated parts warehouse also carries large quantities of parts stock for Bock, Hispacold, Linnig, Pedro Sanz, Spal, Thermo King & UWE. So whatever the system, whatever the part, Airconco can supply it, from service kit items such as filter driers, pollen filters and belts, to main climate control ECUs, water valves, water pumps, blowers, compressors and clutches, all next day or same day from the trade counter. Airconco will release its new 2012 parts catalogue soon. With another 50 items added since last year, there are now around 600 commonly used parts listed with detailed descriptions and images.
Airconco’s service department offers full back up Also, with over 9,000 items listed on its internal database, Airconco is sure to be able to assist. Operators already on the firms’s database will automatically receive one in the post and it will also be available to download on our website.
Airconco’s service department is recognised as one of the most skilled in Europe and claims to offer the following: ■ Routine preventative maintenance ■ Warranty support for Sutrak,
Heavac and Webasto ■ 24/7 product support and repair ■ Unrivalled technical expertise ■ All makes of HVAC systems supported. Airconco’s computer diagnostic capabilities include: ■ Mercedes Evobus Star System ■ Plaxton Actia Coach 2000 ■ Thermo King Clima Aire and CAN Diag ■ Webasto Thermo Test All items in the parts catalogue and are available to buy online at www.airconcoltd.com, just use the links on the parts section to go to the ecommerce site. Existing customers are being added to this allowing them to log in and buy on their account. Any existing customers wishing to be added are advised to contact us Airconco. A request for a hard copy of the 2012 parts catalogue can be made via email. T: 0845 402 401 4 E: mail@airconcoltd.com W: www.airconcoltd.com
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CALDOTHERM Caldotherm has announced the launch of its new 24V all-electric cab cooling and heating system – ‘Spotcool’. ‘Spotcool’ uses revolutionary solid-state heat transfer technology, eliminating the requirement for any refrigerant gas. This means there’s no need for a compressor, receiver, condenser, pipework or hoses. In fact, the only moving part is the long-life brushless fan. An added benefit of the ‘Spotcool’ system is its ability to reverse the heat transfer at the flick of a switch, with the same hardware providing significant cab heat and screen demisting capability, giving all-year benefits. The ‘Spotcool’ system complements Caldotherm’s screen demisters and cab heaters. Both products, which are unique to Caldotherm, provide instant heat for those cold winter starts. The demister can be mounted between the dash and screen and
provides 800W of heat with a highairflow fan. Caldotherm’s 600W cab heater is easily fitted under the driver’s seat, to quietly provide a mass of warm air in the cab. No plumbing is required for either of the units, which are supplied as complete kits, including the harness, relays, fuses and switch. Also unique to the Caldotherm product range is a motorised dash control for demister water valve or flap operation. This is just the job for replacing jammed mechanical cables. For passenger comfort, Caldotherm’s existing range of automatic saloon heating and ventilation control systems improve on the operation and reliability of OE heating and ventilation electronics. These can also be configured to suit customers’ specifications. T: 02476 412336 E: info@caldotherm.co.uk W: www.caldotherm.co.uk
ABACUS TRANSPORT PRODUCTS Abacus has a reputation for offering not only high quality seating products for buses, coaches, minibuses and vans, but the company also manufactures
Abacus is the only manufacturer in the UK still making the AR200 bench style seat seen here
both handrails and other bespoke designed tube products. With less vehicles being purchased and lifespans being extended on those currently in operation, quality is the key for passenger comfort. Cheap seats may seem viable in the current economic climate, but could result in the vehicle needing a refit before its service life is over – perhaps even several. While inexpensive seating at a glance seems great for the vehicle builder, quality seating is best for the operator, which is the variable which truly controls the bottom line of the industry. The products Abacus have on offer are suitable for any purpose, whether old, new or up and coming. Abacus is the only company in the UK which still manufactures the AR200 bench type seat seen on the Routemaster, ideal for restoration projects. It also keeps a wide variety of moquettes in stock, suitable for vehicles of all ages and functions. Due to the versatility and expertise within the industry g n ry rs ci st ea vi u y er d 5 S in r 2 e th ove r
fo
●
Passenger seating
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Hand & grab rails
●
Refurbishment of vehicle interiors
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Full range of vehicle accessories
●
Extensive range of material/trim
For more information call today on: 01487 710700 Abacus House, Highlode Industrial Estate, Ramsey, Cambs PE26 2RB
Email: sales@abacus-tp.com Mobile: 07760 992607
www.abacus-tp.com www.coachandbusweek.com
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ESSENTIAL GUIDE
› passenger comfort
and its in house production facilities, Abacus regularly collaborates with customers on product prototypes ranging from seating to simple hand rails to complex luggage pens, to name but several. The Abacus premises is well equipped and allows for more than just seat construction. The company has its own powder coating facility and manufactures a number of accessories such as footrests and curtains, eliminating the hassle of using multiple suppliers. Abacus also branches out to vehicle exteriors, offering quality wheel trims to complement a revitalised vehicle interior. A supplier which can manufacture the majority of its own components under one roof is impressive but Abacus has taken it one stage further, with a huge investment into fitting solar panels on top of the factory roof. The company can now boast that it produces its own electricity as well as reducing its carbon footprint. T: 01487 710700 E: sales@abacus-tp.com W: www.abacus-tp.com
AUTOSOUND When passengers choose coach travel, how well-appointed the entertainment system is can have a large impact on their satisfaction. A well-known brand of in-coach entertainment is Blaupunkt, under the wing of Robert Bosch. With a wide range of equipment for everything from simple music playback to multiple-viewer TV screen-based entertainment and full courier Public Address facilities for commentary and announcements, Blaupunkt/Bosch has it all, right down to a selection of microphones to suit the leader of a coach trip. The UK and Ireland distributor of Blaupunkt/Bosch is Autosound, which they cite as a trusted
Service with a smile: Holdsworth’s Nigel Vickers and Richard Field company in the UK for many years. Autosound can see a purchase all the way through from selling the equipment to the fitting of it to the coach with a team of master automotive electricians. Autosound is also proud to announce its newest business relationship with Funtoro, who recently appointed it as UK and Ireland representatives. Funtoro supply some truly next-level server-based in-coach entertainment systems with touch screens, hub-based self-diagnosing technology and a choice of screen sizes for your passengers from seven to ten inches. Up to 54 ‘independent clients’ can be set up with full demand-led touchscreen multimedia entertainment. It’s high tech heaven with Media On Demand (MOD) offering songs, your location on the route map and much more. In addition to the full MOD video system, there’s also Funtoro MCA or multi channel audio. This can deliver up to 32 channels of audio and can be synchronised to GPS to deliver the ultimate in automated multi-language guide commentary for tour buses. Also very powerful for music delivery, the clever technology can be made a reality in your coach by Autosound, making
your vehicle the one folks will want to ride in most. T: 01274 688990 W: www.autosound.co.uk
HOLDSWORTH FABRICS Holdsworth Fabrics is the original ‘one-stop-shop’ for vehicle interiors, removing the hassle of dealing with multiple suppliers for different fabric needs. The company’s fabric collection includes traditional wool moquettes, flat weave products and leather for seating, as well as fabrics for wall sides, curtains and interior trims. All are fully compliant to UK and European FR standards. When designing and manufacturing textiles for mass passenger transport, Holdsworth has to take into account many criteria which can improve a passenger’s experience when travelling. The Holdsworth team consider pattern, design, colour, composition, flammability and technical specifications, making sure the interior has aesthetic appeal whilst fulfilling the practical needs in terms of technical standards, performance and durability. Holdsworth has a large selection of stock backed fabrics to choose
from in their standard product collection to buy with no minimums. However, a lot of their design work is client specific, creating custom fabric to fit with individual requirements, whether it’s a new colour in an existing fabric quality, an entirely new design to fit with individual operator branding, or post treatments to give added performance. The company’s in-house product development department offers a comprehensive custom-made design facility using the latest textile design software. They can send CAD print outs or real woven pieces of fabric samples for approval, with realistic minimum order quantities and lead times. These aren’t the only reasons Holdsworth has become a leading brand for transport interiors. The company aims to be at the forefront of environmental design and has been greening its products and processes for years. The Holdsworth design team constantly strives to improve the environmental advantage of fabrics using high wool content, renewable fibres and cotton backings. Vigor is its traditional classic range of woolrich fabrics for comfort, appearance and durability developed to meet the specific requirements of bus and coach transport system, manufactured from over 80% natural fibres. The company is also making lighter weight wool moquettes and flat woven fabrics to save both raw materials weight on the finished seat while maintaining technical performance. Manufacturing is supported by a raft of environmental initiatives including comprehensive waste streaming for re-use and recycling; energy management and intelligent lighting systems; and natural surface water for steam finishing. T: 01924 490591 E: info@camirafabrics.com
upcoming essential guides
Book early to qualify for special offers. To reserve your space now, please call 01733 293249. 1027 March 14 Glass & Mirrors 1028 March 21 Olympic Preparation 1029 March 28 Drivetrain 1030 April 4 Fuel Management 1032 April 18 Ticketing & Cash Handling 1033 April 25 Computer Systems Bus Time Tables 1036 May 16 Rental Leasing Finance 1038 May 30 Refurbishment 1039 June 6 Vehicle Presentation: Interior
1041 June 20 Tachographs 1042 June 27 Professional Bodies 1044 July 11 Vehicle Presentation: Exterior 1045 July 18 Health & Safety Products 1047 August 1 Insurance 1048 August 8 Legal Advice 1050 August 22 Training 1051 August 29 Drivetrain 1053 September 12 Glass & Mirrors
1054 September 19 Passenger Comfort & Heating 1056 October 3 Fuels Lubricants & Oils 1057 October 10 Winter Care 1059 October 24 Wheels Tyres & Snowchains 1060 October 31 Hybrid and Alternative Drives 1062 November 14 Tachographs 1063 November 21 Uniforms & Workwear 1065 December 5 Security 1066 December 12 Everything for Drivers
www.coachandbusweek.com
EG.PassComfort.indd 46
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March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 47
COACH&BUSMARKET – the place to buy and sell
To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 01733 293247
Bullseye.
Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale
Looking for a used Dennis Dart? Then you’ve just hit the jackpot. We have over 50 up for sale at amazing prices. Starting at £4,995 on plates ranging from P to V. Call us at the double on 01922 457003 to find out more and to book a viewing and to make sure you’re going home with more than just your bus fare home.
Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m
Volant PVS Ltd Beecham Business Park, Northgate, Aldridge WS9 8TZ T: +44 (0)1922 457003 volantpvs.co.uk
Plaxton Pointer 35 seats. Hanover LED. Choice £4,500 each
Contact Damian Graham (Engineering Director) Warrington Borough Transport Ltd Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington WA4 6PT. Tel 01925 634296
01293 518307
1998 R Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m
1999, Choice of 6, Cummins 6BT, Allison AT545 4 speed auto, Marshall body, 40 seats.
2002 Dennis Dart SLF 8.8m Marshall DDA compliant, power ramp, 25 seats/50 capacity Euro 3. Choice
Optare Toro
Mercedes-Benz 0815 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 28 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts, powered entry door, air conditioning, double glazed windows, luggage racks with individual passenger reading lights and adjustable air flow blowers, radio/CD & PA system.
£45,500 +VAT NOW £41,000 +VAT
BRAND NEW 2012 TRANSIT TOURNEO TREND 9-SEATER
Pre-reg, delivery miles, Stage 5 (Euro 5), latest model, silver, aircon, cruise, CD system, 3 year warranty. These Euro 5 models are extremely good on diesel. We run a number of these vehicles on holiday feeder.
Save over £7,000 on list price, offered at £16,500+VAT
Potters Bar Coach Hire • Tel 01707 652706 pottersbarcoach@btinternet.com
UNVI GT
Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts and leather headrest inserts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air con radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, grammer luxury heated driver seat, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers.
£69,950 +VAT NOW £66,950 +VAT
Call Dougie at Haggis Adventures on 0131 554 9192
Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@rouncymedia.co.uk
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48 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
COACH&BUSMARKET – the place to buy and sell
To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 01733 293247
SHELTON MOTORS – RAMSEY, CAMBS
WANTED ALL TYPES OF BUSES AND COACHES FULLY LICENSED ELV SITE # WANTED FOR BREAKING AND EXPORT ORDERS # IMMEDIATE PAY AND COLLECTION # SINGLE OR FLEET PURCHASES Tel: 01487 813156 (9 until 5 Mon - Fri only) Mobile: 07831 349760 Email: sales@shelton-motors.co.uk
WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED
WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED
# WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED #
# WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # Registration Number for sale:
PB11 BUS On retention document transfer paid.
£500 no VAT Potters Bar Coach Hire 01707 652706 anytime
Passenger and Commercial Vehicles Recovery Dismantlers Parts Sales
Dennis Pointer Dart Mk2 x 100 All spares available - includes engine, gearboxes, seats, etc.
Call: 01226 727769 Mobile: 07912 103497 Email: geoff-ripley@btconnect.com www.geoff-ripleysbuscoachsales.com
! R E F F O SPECIAL
t C o nt a c J ad e C a s s i d y
0173dy3@rou2nc9ym3ed2ia4.c7o.uk
jade.cassi
Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@rouncymedia.co.uk
553368-1026-Pembridge
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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS
New Ford Transit 17 seat 4.3ton 135ps minibus. From £20,595 + VAT
OTHER MAKES
FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES
(10) 2010 Ford Transit 17 seat M/R 140PS with air-con, tacho, COIF/PSV £17,995 (05) Ford Transit 17 seat 2.5 diesel 115ps, high back seats with three point belts 25,000 miles only £8,750 (53) 2003 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4 td minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, air-con, COIF/PSV £6,995 (04) 2004 Ford Transit 2.4tdi 15 seat, tacho, COIF/PSV £3,995 (03) Ford Transit 3.5 ton 15 seat minibus, 2.4 tdi, high back seats with three point belts £2,995 (52) 2003 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi, tacho, towbar, high back seats with three point belts, COIF/PSV £6,495
LDV MINIBUSES
(57) 2007 LDV Maxus 15 seat minibus, high back seats with three point belts £7,495
(03) 2003 LDV Convoy Maxi XLWB 17 seat mini-coach, 2.4 Tdi, front entry drop step, luggage racks, rear heating, wide aisle, rear row of seats removable, New PSV £6,995
OTHER MAKES
New Renault Master 17 seat LM35/ 2.2di 125ps, six speed, satnav, tacho, fully tracked floor with removable seats £21,995 (10) 2010 Renault Trafic 9 seat LL29, twin side loading doors, air-con, alloys, tail gate, 50,000 miles £11,995
Peugeot Boxer 17 seat wheelchair accessible 2.2 diesel 120ps with six speed gearbox, COIF/PSV. Choice of colours. £23,500 + VAT (09) 2009 Renault Master 16 seat minibus, tacho,high back seats with three point belts, 35,000km £15,650
(07) 2007 Peugeot Boxer 17 seat 3.5 ton minibus, 2.2 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, rear row of seats on tracking, 18,000 miles only £10,495
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
(08) Renault Master LWB 3.5 ton, 2.5 tdi, six seats, fully tracked floor, inboard Ricon Clearway lift, one owner from new, 40,000 miles £16,750 (07) 2007 Volkswagen Crafter 8 seat 2.2 diesel inboard lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, 48,000 miles £13,995
(57) LDV Maxus LWB 9 seats tracking to take two wheelchairs, inboard lift, 49,000 miles, £9,995
(54) 2005 Renault Master 13 seat wheelchair access minibus, inboard Ricon lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, electric side step, 56,000 miles £8,995
(04) 2004 Mercedes Sprinter 413cdi minibus 2.2 diesel, front entry drop step with power door, inboard Clearway lift, fully tracked floor to take 4 wheelchairs, rear heating, 77,000 miles £9,995 (53) 2003 Mercedes Vito 108 cdi 2.2 diesel, 6 seats, low floor with lightweight ramp, tracking for two wheelchairs £5,995 Y 2001 Renault Mascot 2.8 diesel, 16 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, front entry drop step, fully tracked floor to take five wheelchairs, under floor lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £7,750
Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk
Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304
Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales NP4 0AL – 10 minutes from M4 motorway. Viewing by appointment only Finance Contract Hire and Finance Lease Available. We deliver Nationwide. All vehicles prepared to VOSA standard COIF/PSV specialist
All above prices are subject to VAT @ 20%
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Ensig n
DOUBLE DECK E 1997/8 VOLVO OLYMPIANS Seatbe exampleslted no available w
LEZ
LEZ
COMPLIANT
COMPLIANT
Volvo engines, Euro 2, 78 seats, converted to single door, new COIF, tyres included, UK registered ready to work.
2 0 0 4 /5 S C A N I A K 1 1 4 A N D 12 4’ S
Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX400 bodies, DDA compliant or upseated to 80 seats.
1 99 9 / 2 00 0 T / V / X R E G D EN N I S T R I D EN T S
ZF 6 speed manual, Plaxton Premiere 320, 70 seats.
1998 D ENN IS JAV ELIN
ZF automatics, Irizar PB bodies, 49 leather seats, toilets, air-con, £53,500. (pic YN04GPX)
1998 R R EG VOLVO O LY MPIA N
Slimline, Mercedes engines, 23 seats, long MOTʼs.
ZF automatic, 74 seats, dual door, CONVERTIBLE open topper, so can still be used in the Winter! One only.
2006 OPTARE SOLO’S
1 9 9 5 M R E G D E N NI S DR AGO N S
1 99 8 D AF S B 300 0
ZF automatic, Plaxton Premiere 350, air-con, 57 seats.
Cummins/Voith gearboxes, Duple Metsec bodies, recent floors and 92 coach seats.
2 0 01 DDA CO MP LIA NT D E N N I S D A R TS
Plaxton Pointer 2 dual door bodies, 31 seats, CCTV, particulate traps fitted, LEZ 2012 compliant, only £6,500 each plus tyres (£375)
2 00 1 Y R E G D A RT SL F ’ S
Cummins/Allison, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX200 bodies with either 30 seats and 2 doors or 34 seats converted to single door, ramps, DDA certified and compliant. 10.8m 37 seaters now available.
OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY - B
Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Pa Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 864 Visit our website for current sto
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g nbus
K ER SPECIALIST 1993 L R EG VO LVO OLYMP IAN
GREAT VALUE DENNIS DARTS!!!
Northern Counties low height body, Volvo engine, long MOT.
2 001 Y REG DENNIS DART M P D ’S
Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies, 29 seats, LEZ compliant post 2012 with traps, DDA compliant, long MOTʼs.
1998-2000 S / V / W reg Darts with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies, 31 seats, dual door, DDA compliant, exhaust traps fitted so reduced tax, huge choice at an unbelievable £4,500 each plus VAT and tyres (£400).
Hanover LEDʼs, East Lancs Myllenium body, 39 seats.
2 0 0 3 M AN 1 4 2 2 0
Euro 3, ZF automatics, 35 seats, East Lancs Myllenium bodies.
6 speed ZF manual, Van Hool T8 body, 48 seats with centre sunken toilet, very tidy.
ZF auto, Wrights body, 18m, 53 seated and 53 standing, total capacity well over a hundred, UK registered and COIFʼd, one remaining to clear at £12,000.
£7000 just spend on recon engine, MCV Evolution body, 40 seats, DDA, Hanover LEDʼs.
2 0 0 3 MA N 1 1 . 2 2 2 0 ’ S
2000 VOLVO B7LA ARTIC
1999/2000 DENNIS TRIDENTS
Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant with traps, Plaxton President bodies, 62 seats or 70 when converted to single door.
Cummins/Allison, East Lancs body, 33 seats.
1998 DENNIS DART
1996 VOLVO B10M
2 0 0 7 M AN 1 4 . 2 2 0
Voith automatic, East Lancs body, 49 dual purpose seats just retrimmed, supplied with new MOT.
1 9 9 5 N R E G SC A N I A L 1 1 3
ZF automatic, SLF, Wrights bodies.
2006 VOLVO B6’S
- BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BUS DEALERS
rial Park, Purfleet, Essex, RM15 4YF 708 864340 e-mail: sales@ensignbus.com ent stock at www.ensignbus.com
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2001 (51) RENAULT MASTER 15 SEAT TRACKING FOR 2/3 WHEELCHAIRS 89,320MLS £5,995
2010 (10) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS 115PS COIF/PSV IN WHITE 16,116MLS £17,995
2006 (06) MERCEDES SPRINTER 311CDI MWB W/CHAIR ACCESS 14,000MLS COIF/PSV £17,495
2010 (60) RENAULT TRAFFIC 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE DELIVERY MILEAGE £24,995
VANFIT & LDV PARTS STOCKIST
(PONTYPOOL) LTD
NEW MERCEDES SPRINTER TOURLINE 516CDI ALTAS CONVERSION 17 SEAT MINICOACH £69,995 NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING
Tel: 01495 757111 Mob: 07850 739446 (Haydn) or visit our website www.minibussales.biz to view the above stock
2005 (55) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS 115PS COIF/PSV IN WHITE 77,500MLS £7,995
2006 (55) LDV CONVOY ELWB MINI COACH 17 SEATS 90PS EXCEL CONVERSION COIF/PSV TACHO £11,995
07 (07) MERCEDES SPRINTER 511 LWB 17 SEAT CONCEPT CONVERSION FRONT ENTRY DIGITAL TACHO COIF/PSV 52,000 MILES £20,495
19:04
07 (07) LDV MAXUS W/CHAIR ACCESSIBLE 4 SEAT INBOARD LIFT UNWIN TRACKING £12,495
5/3/12
08 (58) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS WHITE 115PS 56,000MLS DIGI TACHO COIF/PSV £14,995
p53_CBW_1026 Page 1
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IVECO SERVICE BUS
67 seats (moquet), new 2006, only 12,000 miles since new,Vihixel body, auto gearbox, air-con, MOT full year, LEZ, must be seen, superb condition.
PLAXTON PARAGON
48 reclining seats plus courier seat, air-con.
£49,500 + VAT
£65,000 + VAT
2003 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PROFILE Registered Dec 2003, double glazed tinted glass, Cummins 275 engine, 6 speed manual gearbox, 49 seats, toilet & washroom, ready for immediate use, MoT tested, 120,000 miles, choice of two. Straight from MOD.
£P.O.A
VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER Dec 07, low mileage, 7 seats, quick release tracking for wheelchair use.
£12,500 + VAT
MERCEDES VARIO 612
1998, 20 new seats, wheelchair lift on wheel tracking, 20 new seats. Choice of 6. TRADE SALE OR SEPARATE
06 MAN EVOLUTION
14/220, 37 seats, SLF automatic, wheelchair ramp, superb condition throughout, fully MoT’d.
£45,500
Part exchange considered
1995 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PREMIER HIGHLINER
53 recliner seats, 290 Cummins, automatic, continental door, toilet, full years MoT, must be seen.
£POA + VAT
BERKOF RADIAL 1998
53 seats, Cummins 300 engine, ex council, manual box, air cond, MoT, very low mileage, super condition.
£19,500
02 LDV
Minibus with 12 seats, long MOT, wheelchair lift and very clean.
£P.O.A.
1996 VOLVO PLAXTON PREMIER HIGH LINER
B10 engine, 14 months test, 70 seats, tinted double glazing, curtains, continental door, must be seen.
02 SETRA
Model S-315 GT HD, 6 cylinder MAN engine, manual 6 speed gearbox, 49 seater, full air conditioning, many extras, full year MOT
£45,000 + VAT
£POA
Part exchange considered
CAETANO (SALVADOR) 1998
BMC AIRPORT BUS
57 seats, in white, Cummins 245 engine, MoT Sept 2012, very clean vehicle.
£19,500 + VAT
1996 DENNIS JAVELIN
10 metre, new MoT, 41/47 seats, 220 Cummins, 6 speed box, new stretch panels, repainted. Choice of 2.
£POA + VAT
32 seats, 220 Cummins, new MoT this week. QUICK SALE WANTED.
£15,000
03 MERCEDES VARIO
With wheelchair lift, 13 seats, low mileage.
£12,000 + VAT
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March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 55
DENNIS DART PLAXTON POINTER 1996 P REG SUPER LOW FLOOR, FITTED WITH 39 SEATS WITH SEAT BELTS, RECENT RE-TRIM, NEW TACHOGRAPH AND FULLY REPAINTED £6950 OR £5950 UNPAINTED ALSO 1999 T REG POINTER II AS ABOVE (NO TACHO) £9950
View all stock online: www.staffordbuscentre.com Email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552
2010 MAN Plaxton Panther
For further details and viewing in Chertsey, please call Mark or Danny on 07979 295668
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56 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
COACHES & BUSES WANTED FOR AUCTION Merc V8/AsTronic box, 75str, white ext/blue int, air con, drinks, fridge, ski box, 160,000 miles since factory engine, MoT Oct 2012, Eminox fitted to Euro 4, RPC for reduced road tax (£190 P/A), very good condition, low mileage coach. Ideal people mover for the Olympics. £103,000 + VAT ono
NEOPLAN SKYLINER 2003
1 - 7.8SE 23str with seat belts and semi coach seats, digi tacho, radio, approx 142,000 miles. MoT June 2012 £46,500 + VAT ono 2 - 7.1SE 23str approx 195,000 miles, MoT May 2012 £44,500 + VAT ono Both vehicles Euro 4 Mercedes engines, white exterior/blue interior, Hanover destination, vgc.
2 OPTARE SOLOS 2007
Tel: 01296 398300
2006 Optare Solo M920
33 seats, Mercedes engine, Mobitec destination equipment, various price options: As seen = £32,500 Add £2,000 for safety inspection and new MOT. Add £2,000 for re-panel and repaint.
2002 Mercedes 814D Vario 4.2 litre turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, 31 bus seats fitted, Ready to work. £11,950
1996 Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer SLF 37 seats. In daily use. Vehicle has been recently repainted. (number plate and electronic destination not included). £6,000
Our main interest is equipment available due to Retirement or Fleet Reorganisation. All equipment would be marketed worldwide through our Special Auction Events Team.
For further information please call Malcolm Harrison on 01630 674326 or email malcolm@malcolmharrison.co.uk MALCOLM HARRISON AUCTIONS
Motts Travel, Buckinghamshire
LD O S
for our UK & Commonwealth buyers
2004 Optare Solo M920 33 seats, Mercedes engine, Allison automatic gearbox, MOT Nov 2012, direct local authority. Fitted with all new aluminium side panels repainted in Diamond white. Additional options include electronic destination and repaint into your livery if required £27,950
1997 (but you’d never know) Marshall Capital Dennis Dart One previous owner from new, well maintained example direct from municipal bus company. Retrimmed seats. Tinted glass. £9,950
1997 Mercedes 814D Plaxton Beaver 33 seat with belts, Allison automatic gearbox, both vehicles MOT to Sept 2012. Ageless plate fitted. Choice of 2. 1 with 'urban' bus seats and the other with retrimmed bus seats. £4,950
2004 Mercedes 814D Vario
2003 Mercedes 814D Vario 33 seat coach. 5 speed manual gearbox. Three point seatbelts, boot, luggage racks. £23,450
4.2 litre turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, 31 bus seats, extensively repanelled July 2011, including new stretch panels and new skirts. Ready to work. Price to include skirt in your choice of colour. £14,950
1997 Marshall Capital, Dennis Dart
1999 Mercedes 814D Vario 4.2 litre turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, 33 bus seats fitted with retractable lapbelts. Ready to work. In daily use. Photo shows typical bus. Choice available. £9,250
1997 Mercedes 814D Vario Plaxton Beaver II 4250cc turbo diesel intercooled engine, Allison automatic gearbox, 29 retrimmed bus seats. Retractable lapbelts. Part exchange to clear. £4,450
One owner from new, well maintained example direct from municipal bus company. Tinted glass. £7,950
DON’T FORGET OUR BUS RENTALS Short and long term hire available on any of these vehicles, ask about ‘Rent to Buy’ as well !
Nextbus Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire Tel - 01249 462462 - 24 Hr Mobile - 07590851477 www.next-bus.co.uk email - sales@next-bus.co.uk
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H.W. PICKRELL MINIBUS AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES
Gardiners Lane North • Crays Hill • Billericay • Essex • CM11 2XE Tel: 01268 521033 • Mobile: 07860 894331 • Fax: 01268 284951
Email: sales@hwpickrell.co.uk - www.hwpickrell.co.uk
Finance available on all vehicles (subject to status) Written details on request.
WH E E LCH AIR ACCE S S IBL E MI NI BUS E S
07 REG FORD TRANSIT 350 2.4TD
08 REG RENAULT MASTER MM 33 2.2TD
07 REG RENAULT MASTER SL 33 2.2TD
06 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD
Long wheelbase, high roof, 6 seater crew van, PAS, SLD, rear partion for storage & tools in rear, Eberspacher heater, overhead storage, microwave, hot water box, wash facilties, 27,000 miles only.
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 2 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 36,831 miles.
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, air con, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 22,166 miles.
Automatic gearbox, high roof, SCW conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 7 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 11,831 miles.
53 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 416 CDI
56 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD
08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD
59 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 515CDI 2.2
4x4 ambulance, LWB, Wilker box body conversion, full air con/climate, side loading door, 3 high back seats, Falcon stretcher, PLS stretcher lift, very high spec, one owner ex Air Force, only 25,950 kms.
Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats, AMF m2 fully tracked floor, new Ricon tail lift, only 35,756 miles, choice of two.
Auto, high roof, PAS, LWB, Minibus Options conversion, electric full height low entry side loading door, 10 high back seats, Unwin tracking, climate control, air suspension, Ricon tail lift, ex local authority, only 46,019
6 speed manual, tacho, A/C, O & H conversion, front entry side loading door with low entry step, 16 x high back removable seats, flat floor, fully automatic G Extra PLS underfloor t/ lift, COIF, 14,500 miles only.
2007 MERCEDES VARIO 613D
2004/05 54 REG M ERCEDES SPRINTER 416CDI AMBULANCE
06 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD
06 REG RENAULT MASTER LM 35 2.5TD
Euro 4, manual gearbox, tacho, Mellor coach conversion, electric power door, AVS manual step, 16 x high back removable seats, all age belts, Eberspacher, Ricon inboard t/lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, 132,000 kms.
LWB, Macneillie van conversion, SLD, 2 rear high back seats, Ferno Falcon stretcher & locks, stretcher lift, blue light bars and siren, very high spec, low miles 65-85,000 miles only, choice of 8.
Manual gearbox, high roof, Widnes conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Portaramp & winch, 8,947 miles.
Manual, PAS, LWB, Papworth ambulance conversion, SLD, 2 rear high back seats, Ferno stretcher locks, lowering suspension & electric cheese wedge ramp, blue light bars and siren, high spec, low miles, 35,000 only.
2008 57 REG PEUGEOT BOXER 2.4TD
09 PEUGEOT EXPERT TEPEE 1.9 HDI
54 REG M ERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI
08 REG MERCEDES VARIO 613D
Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, O & H conversion, side loading door, side step, 11 rear high back seats, double passenger seat + driver, Ricon tail lift, ex local authority, only 8,756 miles.
Manual 5 speed gearbox, PAS, CD player, air con, twin side loading doors, 2 high back seat in rear, double passenger seat front, cut out floor, fold down ramp, blue metallic silver, alloy wheels, 14,932 miles.
Tiptronic gearbox, Euromotive PSC bus conversion, front entry slam door with low entry step, 16 x high back removable seats, Eberspacher, ex local authority, COIF'd, tacho fitted, only 66,780 kms.
Euro 4, manual gearbox, tacho, Minibus Options conversion, electric power door, AVS manual step, 16 x high back removable seats, all age belts, Ebers-pacher, PLS underfloor t/lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, only 82,000 kms.
2004 54 REG IVECO 50c13 IRIS BUS 2.8 TURBO DIESEL
06 REG RENAULT MASTER SM 33 2.2TD
07 REG RENAULT MASTER LH35 2.5TD
2011 UN-REG RENAULT MASTER LM 35 2.5TD
Manual, LWB, PAS, factory conversion, electric windows, cruise control, low front entry slam door, 16 high back seats with all age seat belts, full air con, exlocal authority, COIF, new PSV MOT, only 80,341 kms.
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 21253.441 miles.
LWB, hi roof, multi purpose office/comms unit, PAS, SLD with AVS side step, awning, 3 x workstations, amber light, bars front and rear, overhead storage lockers, heating, generator, microwave, tv, only 1,500 miles.
Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, new conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 11 high back CT seats, M2 tested fully tracked floor, roof vent, new AMF tail lift.
2010 10 REG VAUXHALL MOVANO LM39 2.5TD
58 REG RENAULT MASTER SM 33 2.2TD
58 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD
56 REG IVECO DAILY 40c12 IRIS BUS 2.3 TD
Manual, high roof, LWB, factory conversion, side loading door, side step, 12 rear high back seats, double passenger seat + driver, tacho fitted, a/c fitted front and rear, ex-authority, only 89,711kms.
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 8,630 miles only.
Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 12 high back seats, amf m2 fully tracked floor, Ratcliff tail lift, only 35,755 miles.
Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, side loading door, AVS electric step, 12 high back removable seats, PLS underfloor t/lift, ex local charity, COIF'd tacho fitted, 47,827 kms only.
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58 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 7, 2012
ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES BUILDINGS
BUSINESS FOR SALE
HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS
CHECKPOINTS
SUBSTANTIAL FREEHOLD 7 BED DETACHED HOUSE
TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/ DUSTITE
2 minutes J23/M25 South Mimms/Potters Bar (London Olympics 25 minutes)
loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:
Specialists in Used Commercial Garage Equipment
www.checkpoint-safety.com Email: info@checkpoint-safety.com
email: bwsequip@hotmail.com
SMALL YARD AND PARKING FOR UP TO 10 MINIBUSES 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
CRAIG TILSLEY
ENGINES
Tel: 01782 791524 or 01782 791527
Fax: 01782 791316
Moorfields Industrial Estate Cotes Heath, Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY
Established 10 years £650,000 Freehold May sell just business £50,000
Also 1 BED LUXURY MAISONETTE Next to Potters Bar BR station £195,000 Principles only please, apply in first instance to pbch@ymail.com or call 07941 063540
Suppliers of Reconditioned DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS PUMPS ETC
Crewe Engines Ltd MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS
SPECIAL OFFERS
GARAGE EQUIPMENT
Tel: 01524 271200
BWS 0117 953 0381 www.bwsequip.co.uk
GLAZING Email: sales@reglaze.co.uk Tel: 01274 870919 www.reglaze.co.uk
For all your glass replacement needs • PLEASE CALL TODAY FOR A QUOTE OR EXPERT ADVICE • OUR PHONES ARE MANAGED 24 HOURS, 365 DAYS A YEAR • NO CALL CENTRES • • • • • • • • • •
24 hours, 265 days, fast & friendly service UK & European Quality workmanship Cover 24 hours access to large glass supply No call centres – straight through to experienced staff member e rvice first tim Competitive pricing Quality & Se e? is Customer accounts upon request om pr m – why co Repairs & filming ys! 24x7 - 365 da Insurance work covered Over 50 years combined experience Replacing glass on coaches, buses, trains, horse boxes, boats, trams, motorhomes, plant and agricultural equipment & much more
INSURANCE
WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES
Direct from the UK’s No.1 since 1975 Call now for a quote or more information
01270 526333
Federation of Engine Re-Manufacturers
www.creweengines.co.uk
VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES
REGISTRATIONS G £750 20 HXT 44 NXA BIG 177 ECR 767 IIG 62 IIL 36 JUI 808 MIW 808 RXI 85
SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’
£350 £99 £99 £50 AJZ 459 HIG 5651 MNZ 1195 AXZ 5648 JBZ 484 HIG 5652 ONZ 1180 AXZ 5649 JHZ 939 IIG 7764 REZ 3379 CRZ 6395 LLZ 949 IIG 7765 RUI 2119 CXZ 4470 MKZ 686 JIG 1575 SEZ 4324 CXZ 4471 PDZ 818 JIG 1576 SUI 2171 DRZ 7321 PXI 494 KIG 1902 SUI 2172 DRZ 7322 RBZ 131 KIG 1903 TJZ 1116 IFZ 4861 YIB 303 MJZ 6749 TJZ 1119 IFZ 4862 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange
Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771
Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ
£50 JIG 2903 JIG 2904 KIG 2285 KIG 2286 RNZ 1127 RNZ 1128 TUI 4748 TUI 4749 TUI 4750
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March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59
ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES SEATING
TICKETING
59 VAN HOOL ACRON COACH SEATS
Complete with seat belts, blue, recent retrim, sale includes all interior matching panels Very good condition – £1,250 + VAT o.n.o.
Call 07880 931388 or 07801 897663 CoachChoice Ltd, Hudley House, 22 Hickman Road, Bilston, Wolverhampton WV14 0QW
TRAINING
Driver CPC – Farrow Training UK Ltd
Driver CPC Training available in West Midlands, Worcestershire and Shropshire at a time and place to suit you.
Get Legal - Get Trained
www.trainingforcpc.com Tel: 07970 853663
WANTED
SHELTON MOTORS RAMSEY, CAMBS LICENSED ELV CENTRE
ALL BUSES & COACHES WANTED Tel: 01487 813156 (9 - 5, Mon - Fri) Mobile: 07831 349760 Email: sales@shelton-motors.co.uk
WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED
Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in
WANTED # WANTED # WANTED # WANTED
# WANTED # WANTED # WANTED #
# WANTED # WANTED # WANTED #
TYRE EQUIPMENT
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March 7, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 61
Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk, fax 0845 2802927 or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX
Kings Lynn Optare Fest Just for fun, how many buses can you see here? It seems ‘Optare Fest’ is in full swing in the layover area at Kings Lynn Bus Station – if this photo is
anything to go by, which was taken on Saturday (March 3). It was taken while our Gareth was having a quick ten-minute breather from ‘retail therapy’ with his fiancée – it was time for him to have his ‘bus fix’. With a year having passed since their engagement and three years since they got together, she’s become used to it by now. She
has our sympathies… On a serious note, more pics in the coming weeks, including at least two ‘Big Pictures’. Anyway, to answer the original question - five Optares can be seen if you look carefully. There are three Solos and a Versa run by Norfolk Green and an Excel, operated by GoAhead Group-owned konectbus.
Monday: Press day. The usual mad day. Designer Keith is working remotely – and thankfully the internet doesn’t play silly beggars. Our rapid rate of progress is jinxed, but we still finish at not too late an hour in the day. Tuesday: Respond to several emails in the morning, before starting in the office at midday. Forge on with a special project in the afternoon. Also enjoy a chat with a friendly coach operator. Wednesday: A busy day in the office. In truly last minute fashion, finalise the rest of my week. Work away on a project and on news.
How many Optare busess can you see here? Take a careful look
Passed away… Anyone who’s involved with bus and coach operation, will be only too familiar with their regular customers. This was sent to our
Dilbert
Gareth from a friendly operator who wishes to remain anonymous: “One of our local bus service drivers came into the traffic office. I thought he looked a little upset so asked if he was ok. The driver replied: ‘The old-ish guy in the village who caught our bus at least twice a day has just
passed away on the pavement.’ I said: ‘Sorry to hear that - I didn’t realise you knew him that well.’ The driver responded: ‘Oh I didn’t, but that’s four passes a day we will lose on the bus now.’” As the operator rightly pointed out: “And they say there is no compassion left in this world.”
Thursday: Accompanied by Andrew, spend an enjoyable day visiting two friendly Warwickshire firms minicoach operator CoachLinks and family-run Catteralls of Southam. The banter flows at both firms. Andrew seems in his element taking pics with the Canon EOS 450D camera – even in the fog, which makes for some atmospheric shots in the first half of the day. Elaine and Tom Dunn at CoachLinks are bemused when, trying to be polite, I turn down their offer for a second coffee. “And there’s us thinking you’re a coffee addict,” they muse. I duly take up their offer. All good fun. Paul Catterall treats us to lunch in a delightful pub alongside a canal. His love of local and industrial history is all too clear – a passion I share. Also enjoy chatting to his son Matt and daughter Isabel, who are heavily involved in running the firm. The engineers and drivers at the depot are similarly a friendly bunch and remember me from the last time I call in. A nice day all round. Friday: A manic day in the office. Manage to make excellent progress. The features are all designed and many pages have been subedited. Fingers crossed for an earlier finish on Monday.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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RECRUITMENT
Deadlines Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm
Contact Ian Gillis 01733 293484
ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk
Somerstotalkare MD New secretary general celebrates 20 years of service for CILT International Somerstotalkare managing director, Tim Jackson is celebrating his 20th anniversary with the heavy-duty lift supplier. Tim joined the West Midlandsbased company as a sales manager in 1992, and in 2004 he headed a buyout team for the business when the previous owner planned to sell. Somerstotalkare was launched and continued the supply and servicing of heavy duty mobile vehicle lifts across the UK. Tim said: “The business has seen many changes over the last 20 years. Our mission statement is to profitably help customers lift heavy duty vehicles in a safe and cost effective way, offering a market leading service and this reflects in everything we do. My hope is to continue to grow the business and the number of employees we have and to continue to supply our
Tim Jackson, managing director of Somerstotalkare customers with the best aftersales, service packages and lifting equipment available.”
Kraft Foods senior logistics director, Keith Newton, has been appointed secretary general of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) International. He takes up the position from May 1, 2012 in succession to interim secretary general, Colm Holmes. CILT has over 33,000 members working in over 100 countries, with the UK branch of the organisation based in Corby, Northamptonshire. Newton is currently logistics operations director, UK, Ireland and Nordics, for Kraft Foods Europe. Prior to the Kraft acquisition in 2010, he joined the Cadbury organisation in 1992 and held a number of supply chain appointments across logistics and manufacturing. These included leading logistics best practice globally between 2002 and 2005 and being the supply director for
Cadbury Ireland. At the time of the 2010 acquisition, he was Cadbury’s customer logistics director in the UK and Ireland, and has since worked towards integrating the two businesses. He has been an Institute member for 30 years and is an executive member of CILT’s Leaders in Supply Chain. Newton will be supported by the recent appointments of Jon Harris to the new role of international professional development coordinator and Ceri Williams as the new international administration co-ordinator. Alan Waller OBE, president, CILT International, said: “We are pleased Keith was available for the role. He will bring a wealth of supply chain knowledge and this will be balanced by the passenger and freight transport experience of Jon Harris.”
Your First Choice for Recruitment
Coach & Bus Week’s well-established recruitment portfolio attracts candidates across sales, marketing and management, delivering not just quantity but quality candidates, providing exceptional value for money. In addition to our unrivalled print-based product, at no extra cost recruitment adverts are also automatically placed online at www.coachandbusweek.com, where they remain on view until a position’s closing date. Coach & Bus Week and www.coachandbusweek.com combine to create the ultimate recruitment solution, guaranteeing your vacancy is seen by every jobseeker that matters from sales agents to board level. To get your vacancy seen by quality candidates, call Ian Gillis on 01733 293484 or email ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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British & Continental Coach Tours
Operations Manager Based in London - Attractive Salary & Benefits Package We currently have a vacancy for the position of Operations Manager based at our Beddington depot. The main responsibilities of the position are to effectively, plan and manage all aspects of the operational and administrative provision at the depot, in order to deliver a consistently reliable, safe, high quality and punctual service in line with specified targets, contractual obligations and commercial objectives. The Operations Manager will oversee all operational staff to ensure they work together in consistently providing the required level and quality of service to both internal and external customers. The successful applicant will be required to lead by example, and work as part of a team in monitoring staff performance and motivating staff to deliver an effective and efficient service. You will also ensure that all customer and Stakeholder feedback is promptly and professionally received, investigated and responded to, and that this information is used as a management tool to drive continuous improvement. A collaboration approach with colleagues in all departments is also required. You will deliver all aspects of the people strategy at local level; ensuring all employees receive appropriate training, induction, and personal development. You will ensure that action plans are implemented and followed up, that individuals with high potential are retained and that all parts of the workforce are engaged and high performing. Applications by way of a C.V. and covering letter clearly detailing your experience, knowledge and suitability for the role are to be forwarded by email to jackee.adamson@abellio.co.uk or post to: Jackee Adamson - HR Advisor, Silverthorne Road, Battersea, London, SW8 3HE
Tours’ Manager
We are a well-established, medium-sized coach operator, based in the North West of England, and have a vacancy for an experienced Toursʼ Manager.
You will be responsible for planning and marketing our successful coach holiday and day excursion programmes. It would be beneficial, though not essential, to hold a PCV licence and have coach-touring experience in both Britain and Europe. In addition to being reliable and flexible in your approach, you must have good people, interpersonal and IT skills. Apply in writing, enclosing your CV, to: Pamela Jenkinson, G-Line Holidays Ltd, 54 St David’s Road South, St Anne’s-on-Sea, Lancashire FY8 1TS.
Closing date for applications: Friday 30th March 2012.
Deadline for applications is 14th March 2012 Abellio is an equal opportunities employer
www.abellio.co.uk
Join the team where your skills and experience will be respected.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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