Coach & Bus Week : Issue 1023

Wednesday February 15, 2012 Issue 1023 | ÂŁ2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

BUS:

Reading Buses says MAN's gas bus is a viable proposition p6

PEOPLE:

Face to Face with Engineer of the Year John Bickerton p38

COACH:

Coventry crowned 'Coach Friendly' at Midlands dinner p8

Coliseum Coaches: Thriving through the recession

BUS LAUNCH:

Arriva unveils 43 new buses in spectacular style p20

for recru i

JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK

p34

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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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Slings and arrows

S

o 2012 has woken up, stretched its arms and had some strong coffee. Something stronger will no doubt be needed come April when the various cuts operators and local authorities have spent a long time cogitating, fearing, rallying against and preparing for (delete as appropriate) in varying measures come into play.

Scotland and Wales have no doubt needed several stiff brandies to recover from recent shocks on BSOG. CPT Scotland is taking a tough stance on the potential ramifications of BSOG changing to pence per kilometre, which it warns will hit urban operators particularly hard – perhaps even double the 20% reduction (p5).

Changes and cuts aside, pteg is looking at the various impacts on spending since the 2010 election and the Autumn 2010 Spending Review, with national rail victorious and overshadowing local transport outside London. I wonder how many of you gritted your teeth as big money for HS2 was announced?

Meanwhile, TAS has been looking at market share.

Chris Cheek predicts Stagecoach giving First a run for its money in leading the market when bus ownership monitoring for 2010/11 has been completed (p4).

TAS said network cutbacks and falls in revenue mean First’s market share is the lowest since 1996, based on accounts for 2009/10. Of course, First is setting sail on its wave of localism and First’s engineering aficionado, John Bickerton, explains how this is starting to filter down to the grass roots. It will be interesting to see what impact this has on patronage and customer service. “I do think our drivers are better than Arriva, Stagecoach or National Express,” says John, based on the effects of the DriveGreen initiative he took forward (p38).

And so it will be interesting to see how competition within the market (which the Commission has been so keen to push) interplays with the united industry front against the slings and arrows of reductions.

Meera Rambissoon Industry Editor

CONTENTS 4

24

42

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

18

Suppliers which can help you meet the Driver CPC 2013 deadline

32

Association of Trainers warns of the need to check licence validity

...From tourist attractions and events. Plus ideas for group visits

20

A Shearings Setra S41GT-HD at Porthmadog Harbour Station

34

European Courts of Justice restate holiday entitlement law

Arriva Yorkshire uses its renowned marketing flair to launch 43 buses

22

Coliseum Coaches talks endurance in the face of a tough climate

38

A lighthearted look at the industry.

Plus Gareth’s Diary!

First Volvo B13R in Lancashire, 15 ADL E200s for Glasgow Citybus

...With John Bickerton, Engineer of the Year at the UK Bus Awards 2011

All the latest people moves from across the industry

News

Tour News

News Focus Deliveries

Essential Guide The Big picture

Operator Update Face to Face

Drivers

45

Legal Update

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 | February 15, 2012

NEWS

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

BRIEFLY Irizar UK has announced John and Roger Dyson of Harding’s of Redditch, Worcestershire, have ordered a pair of DAF-powered Irizar i6 Integral coaches. The coaches will be delivered to Harding’s for the start of their 2012 season. John Dyson, managing director at Harding’s, commented: “We have had a long running relationship with the Irizar product, from our first enquiry we were impressed by the way Ian Hall professionally dealt with our enquiry and orders.”

Network Warrington has increased capacity on the morning peak departures from Leigh into Warrington with the acquisition of two ex London Wright Gemini-bodied Volvo double-deckers. David Squire, managing director, commented: “We have had a lot of feedback from customers using the morning peak services from Leigh into Warrington informing us our buses were becoming full. We are therefore delighted that from last month, we have been able to provide low-floor easy access double-decker buses on these services, having recently purchased two modern buses from a leasing company.”

The organisers of the 2012 Commercial Vehicle Show and Workshop 2012, which takes places at the NEC, Birmingham, between April 24 and 26, have announced www.cvshow.com and www. workshopshow.co.uk now feature links to the ticket application process. Prospective visitors can complete an online registration form by clicking on the ‘free tickets’ panel on the home page and will immediately receive their barcode by email. The process is entirely online this year, so visitors will simply print their ticket and bring it to the Show. By adopting this ‘green ticket’ process, the CV Show said it will considerably reduce its carbon footprint, in line with the road transport industry’s objectives.

For visitors without online access, a hotline telephone number is available. The websites also list more than 120 product categories where visitors can check exhibitors’ products. Call 01634 261 262. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Stagecoach expected to be market leaders Big Five bus market share of 70% grown by 14% on last year, shows new TAS report Stagecoach is fast approaching FirstGroup’s lead on market share of the UK bus industry, according to a report by the TAS Partnership published last week.

TAS’ new analysis of the structure and ownership is based on an analysis of the 2009/10 accounts of over 120 bus companies around the country.

The analysis showed just under 70% of the industry, as measured by turnover, is controlled by the five major groups - FirstGroup, Stagecoach, Arriva, Go-Ahead Group and National Express Group. This figure has risen from 64% in the last report, following Stagecoach’s re-entry into the London market with the purchase of East London Bus Group in the autumn of 2010 and means Stagecoach now has a market share of 19.2%, only a fraction behind FirstGroup, with share of 19.6%.

TAS said network cutbacks and falls in revenue mean First’s market share is the lowest since 1996, the year after the group was created by the merger of GRT Bus Group and

VOSA fee changes out

Revised fees for annual PCV and HGV testing and operator licensing will come into effect on April 1.

For the third year running, VOSA is not applying any general increase to most statutory fees.

Fees for HGV and PSV testing are being adjusted to apply a differential between tests conducted at non-VOSA test facilities (ATFs) and VOSA test facilities – with the “testing element” of most fees at ATFs reducing by 4% before rounding.

Those at VOSA sites will increase by 4% before rounding to charge more of the cost of providing VOSA facilities to users. The “enforcement element”

Badgerline in 1995.

“Given recent trends, we would expect Stagecoach to be Britain’s largest bus operator when we complete the 2010/11 analysis later this year,” said Chris Cheek, the report’s editor and non executive director of the TAS Partnership.

The report also shows almost a quarter of the industry - 24.4% - is now overseas owned. The increased

Stagecoach’s purchase of East London Bus Group in the autumn of 2010 means Stagecoach now has a market share of 19.2%, not far behind FirstGroup’s share of 19.6%. incorporated in annual test fees (but not retest fees) will not change.

O-licence application fees - and for varying and continuing such licences - will rise by 1.6%. This will pay for the creation of a National Register of licensed operators and their transport managers to comply with EU Regulations which came into effect at the beginning of 2012. The National Register is one element of a package of measures aimed at creating a more level playing field for international transport operations and reducing distortion of competition across the EU. VOSA is also equalising application fees for standard and restricted PSV operator licences since there is little difference in the cost of processing the applications.

VOSA estimates the overall effect of the changes to all statutory fees will, at worst, increase overall

overseas stake followed the acquisition of Arriva by the German state railway company, Deutsche Bahn in 2010. This added Arriva’s 15.2% of the share to the 9% already held by French operators RATP Dev and Veolia Transdev and the Singaporean group Comfort Delgro.

Other key findings included: the publicly owned sector’s market share fell to a new record low of 5% following further privatisation in Plymouth and Islwyn; Go-Ahead Group acquisitions in Plymouth and Norwich took their market share to a new high of 11.2%; and management-ownership of the industry now only accounts for 2% of turnover, compared with a peak of over 24% in the early 1990s.

To purchase a copy of the 85-page report, Bus Industry Structure and Ownership, priced £65 + VAT (electronic copy) or £80 (hard copy), visit www.taspublications. co.uk. The report and analysis also forms part of the online TAS Business Monitor subscription service.

running costs for operators using VOSA test facilities by less than one 0.01% – but many customers using ATFs will pay less.

“We understand the financial pressures operators are under. That’s why I’m delighted we’ve been able to avoid any general increase in fees for three years,” said VOSA’s Alastair Peoples.

“I’m also pleased to announce a fee differential for annual tests at non-VOSA sites which moves further towards charging the full cost of VOSA facilities to those who use those facilities. This will make non-VOSA sites such as ATF’s an even more attractive option for operators getting vehicles tested.”

Visit www.dft.gov.uk/ publications/fee-hgv-psvtesting-licensing for details of the new fees.

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February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5

“However strong our brand, when you’re stood in a windy bus stop at the back end of Basildon and the bus is running late, what are we delivering to our customers?”

John Bickerton FirstBus

Scottish minister ‘irresponsible’ over BSOG CPT Scotland has asked the Scottish Government to reconcile the sizeable reduction on BSOG for urban operators and its claim that a 1% fares increase would suffice, which it describes as “irresponsible”, and is awaiting a response.

Paul White, public affairs executive for CPT Scotland, told CBW that transport minister Keith Brown’s claim that the forthcoming changes to the BSOG scheme only justify an increase in fares of about 1% “demonstrates exactly the sort of lack of understanding of the bus industry which would have led the minister to propose the changes to the scheme in the first place”.

Paul said altering the basis of the scheme from a pence per litre to a pence per kilometre model creates winners and losers in rural and urban areas (CBW1022) and the new model fails to take account of the fuel used on congested, busy stop-start urban services, which carry the vast majority of Scotland’s passengers.

Volvo launches health check service Volvo Bus has launched a check-up service called TechTool to ensure operators’ vehicles remain healthy and is offering a 50% discount.

The health check is carried out by a master technician at Volvo’s dealerships, but it can also be done on site for operators with multiple vehicles, to help minimise any operational disruption.

Volvo says the new service not only avoids costly downtime, but also helps to ensure greater fuel efficiency and prolong the life span of both engine and vehicle.

The TAS National Fares Survey 2011 indicated an average operator can expect BSOG to account for approximately 10% of revenue, pointed out CPT Scotland. TAS also highlighted due to the constraints on concessionary scheme budgets and the set nature of contract payments, the only real method to recoup the loss of BSOG revenue is through the farebox.

“Mr Brown’s statement also

Scottish transport minister Keith Brown has shown a “lack of understanding of the bus industry”, says CPT Scotland The check-up includes: fault code analysis, cylinder compression tests, feed pressure inspection, evaluation injector, fuel volume, cylinder balancing test, intake and exhaust system check, clutch wear check test and brake pad testing.

“Ensuring coaches operate at the optimum efficiency and reliability level is more important than ever in today’s tough economic climate,” explained Volvo Bus customer services director, Andy Kunze.

“The TechTool check-up provides preventative maintenance and therefore saves money in the longterm.”

To organise a TechTool check-up, contact your local Volvo dealer. Visit www. volvobuses.com/bus/uk/en-gb

Face to Face p38

makes no allowance for RPI which is currently around 4.8%,” continued Paul. “It also comes as Edinburgh Council increase city parking charges by 8% and parking permits by 5%.

“Operators have to react to their constrained economic circumstances, just like the public sector has. This may mean some urban operators will have to consider making marked increases to their fares structures.”

CPT Scotland said it believes it is “irresponsible and misleading” for the minister to make claims regarding fares increases across the industry as a whole while clearly not having a proper grasp of the impact of the BSOG changes.

“Hopefully the newly formed Bus Stakeholder Group suggested by Mr Brown will give CPT Scotland the opportunity to highlight the many unintended consequences of the changes to the BSOG scheme and its budget,” urged Paul.

“The Scottish Government needs to understand why it is naïve to assume cutting BSOG for the operators who carry most passengers by about a third would not have repercussions for fares levels or service cuts.”

Volvo Bus’ TechTool health check will cost £49.94 for a limited time only

MAN open days in Manchester MAN Truck & Bus UK has planned its annual open days event for the weekend of March 3 and 4 at its Manchester facility.

John Hill, general manager, told CBW: “We would like very much to welcome operators to Manchester where we will have examples of our new coaches on display alongside a fantastic line-up of used vehicles we believe are attractively priced. The year has started well for us and we’ve already moved 20 used coaches so there are indications operators are keen to either upgrade their fleet profile or expand existing capacity.”

Refreshments will be provided on both days.

Man Truck & Bus Manchester is located at Bailey Road, Ashburton Road West, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1 SA. Call 0161 848 8331 or visit www.man-manchester.co.uk for more information.

Provincial transport losing out Local transport outside London is losing out in funding, pteg has concluded in its latest ‘transport number crunch’.

Analysis by pteg has looked at the 2011 Autumn Statement in the context of spending changes as a result of the immediate in-year reductions following the May 2010 election and the Autumn 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).

“There are some clear winners and losers so far,” said Jonathan Bray, director of pteg.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

£8m

nEWS › BUSeS

Investment by Arriva Yorkshire in 43 new Wright Gemini 2 buses

BriEfly Newport Transport has been awarded the contract to operate the Six Nations Rugby Championship park and ride service from Cardiff’s Leckwith Stadium.

The Cardiff City Council contract will see Newport Transport operate up to four double decker vehicles from the Leckwith Stadium to the rear of Cardiff Central Railway Station for all of Wales’ home matches, which kicked off on Sunday. Scott Pearson, Newport Transport’s MD, said: “We are delighted to be a part of one of the biggest events in the Welsh sporting calendar. We already run the Cardiff South park and ride service from County Hall and have been working hard with the City Council to help this grow.”

Gap, the clothing brand, has become the first advertiser to use a new illuminated bus format, as part of its Be Bright campaign promoting its “young, fresh and vibrant feel”. The 10 special illuminated bus T-side ads will run on the side of 10 buses which travel on routes through central London.

It is the second addition to CBS Outdoor’s bus offering in recent months. In December CBS Outdoor added Bluetooth connectivity to brands advertising on 100 London buses operating in central London following a successful trial. CBS Outdoor plans to expand the illuminated format across London over the next four weeks.

Metro, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, is trialling Quick Response (QR) codes to display real-time information. The timetable displays at 45 stops between Leeds city centre and Bodington Hall now show the codes. Anyone with a smartphone or similar device with a camera, and an app capable of interpreting the QR code, can use it to take a picture of the code which provides a link to the website displaying next buses from the stop. Codes are also being introduced in notices on stops affected by special events and road closures. Passengers will be able to use them to link to information about how services are affected by the closure on the Metro website. If successful, the codes will be rolled out across the Metro area. www.coachandbusweek.com

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MAN gas bus viable option, says Reading ”MAN really does seem to have cracked it,” says James Freeman, CEO of Reading Buses Reading Transport has said its CNG-powered MAN EcoCity demonstrator is a “perfectly feasible” option on its urbanintensive Reading Buses operation, four weeks into a five-week trial.

“Does it work? So far, yes it does,” said James Freeman, CEO of Reading Transport. “The gas bus goes out every morning, and we don’t see or hear of it until it returns

12 hours later – and that’s exactly how it should be. MAN really does seem to have cracked it with MAN EcoCity.”

Reading Transport has a 25-year history of trialling new engine technology, not all of it successfully, but, indications suggest MAN EcoCity is a viable system for a fleet acquisition.

“Emissions are very low indeed,” continued Freeman, “and that’s in tune with the philosophy of our local authority owners, Reading Borough Council. We’re due to

Reading is among a number of operators to have trialled MAN’s CNG bus

Bob Hind to retire as Arriva Midlands MD Bob Hind, managing director at Arriva Midlands, will step down at the end of July after 44 years in the bus industry, 28 of which were at managing director level.

Starting his career as a parcel boy with Crosville in 1968, he progressed to Midland Red in Leicester eight years later before moving into municipal operations with Leicester City Transport in 1981. He then led the employee

buy-out of Derby City Transport (DCT) in 1989.

Bob returned to the North West following the British Bus acquisition of DCT in 1994, and after Arriva’s acquisition of MTL in 2000, he merged the MTL bus business into Arriva North West and also took control of Merseyrail for two years.

In 2007 he returned to his home in the Midlands, leading Arriva’s operations across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Bob oversaw the acquisition of Wardle Transport in 2010 and its subsequent expansion taking in the Staffordshire operations of D&G Coach and Bus. Bob will open a new Telford depot this spring.

replace our single-deck fleet in 2013, and the EcoCity proposition appears to be perfectly feasible.

“We’ve tried everything,” added Freeman, “ethanol, LPG, electrichybrid, even cooking oil. The difference with MAN EcoCity, is that gas bus technology has come of age.

It’s a proven power system.”

The MAN EcoCity has been exclusively designed and constructed for the UK market and is also being trialled with other high-profile bus operators over the coming months. With operating cost savings of some 30% envisaged, and the ability to run on the UK’s fast-building supplies of Bio-gas – thus reducing emissions to zero – a full demonstration programme is building rapidly with fleets up and down the country.

A key part of the success of the gas bus programme’s development to date has been MAN’s partnership with the Gas Bus Alliance. The Alliance is a specialist organisation which can set up the hitherto ‘difficult’ gas infrastructure required for successful operation of the vehicles, offering operators a free initial set-up with the costs simply built in to ongoing gas prices. With these prices so much lower than conventional fossil fuels, the savings in operation can still be considerable.

Bob said: “The bus industry has been a big part of my life and it will be a wrench to leave it behind, but I always promised myself I would stop at 62 so my wife and I can enjoy a new phase of our life together, without timetables!”

Mike Cooper, Arriva UK Bus MD, said: “Bob has made an immense contribution to the passenger transport industry over many years, particularly to Arriva’s operations in both the North West and the Midlands. We will miss his straighttalking style and dry wit and wish him all the best for his retirement later this year.”

Arriva will make further announcements regarding the future leadership of Arriva Midlands in due course.

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12

Number of hydrogen buses to be introduced to Aberdeen

£20.5m earmarked for hydrogen buses in Aberdeen Aberdeen city councillors have unanimously agreed to support a multi-million pound European project to introduce hydrogen buses to the area.

The council expects the Strategic European Hydrogen Transport Projects will stimulate further innovative hydrogen technology projects and high-level investment in the area.

The project will see the first hydrogen bus running in Scotland, with up to a dozen buses operating.

The fleet, which will run on routes into central Aberdeen, will be the largest in any European city, it is claimed.

There will initially be 12 buses, which will be refuelled at Scotland’s first large hydrogen refuelling station. This will supply locally generated gas and will be able to refuel hydrogen-powered cars

30%

Approximate operating cost savings envisaged by CNG-powered MAN EcoCity

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SHARE WATCH

Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, February 13. Siemens saw the greatest proportional rise while Optare experienced the biggest proportional drop.

Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk

320.00p

Price: Year High: 574.37p Year Low: 257.70p

Hydrogen buses have been operating in London since 2010 but the Aberdeen project will see first use of them in Scotland as they become available. As this issue went to press, CBW was awaiting confirmation as to which manufacturer would supply the vehicles and which company would operate them.

The city council has secured £9.2m of EU funding towards the projects, and will contribute £2m over four years as well as secure a further £9.3m of funding from project partners.

Councillors approved the authority’s participation in the High V.Lo City, HyTransit, HyTrEc and

Miliband: Reduce bus fares to help unemployed youth A commission chaired by Labour MP David Miliband has claimed bus fares need to be reduced for youths in rural areas in order to tackle unemployment.

The Commission on Youth Unemployment is urging the government to do more to help young people find work, including subsidising transport costs.

Its report says government help is “unsatisfactory” after ministers last year axed the Education Maintenance Allowance grant, which gave students from lowincome families weekly payments of up to £30. It also asks if bus subsidies give value for money.

Speaking to Western Morning News, Miliband said: “Bus companies make big profits, local authorities have powers, national government has powers. We need to be in on this area. If you’re in a very competitive labour market, and you’re just trying to get to an interview, you’ve got a real issue.”

February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7

David Milliband MP The report calls for a deal to be “thrashed out” to let councils cut the cost of transport on condition they engage in education, work or are searching for work.

The report says: “Many submissions to the commission commented on the costs of transport for young people, particularly those in rural areas, which can be a disincentive for them to engage in education or employment.”

LOWCAP cluster projects, subject to securing 90% of additional funding from external partners.

Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure vice-convener John Corall said: “This will act as a catalyst for major new technology.

“London and Copenhagen have hydrogen buses and taxis, but we have the skills expertise in Aberdeen which neither of these cities have. That makes Aberdeen ideally placed to really grasp this exciting, evolving new side to the energy industry.”

Changes for GNE’s Diamond service

Go North East (GNE) has responded to a customer survey regarding it’s Diamond service 43/44 by implementing a series of changes.

From Sunday, March 25, 2012 changes will include: Newer Mercedes-Benz buses introduced, with a new livery and branding for the Diamond.

The Gold Standard charter will be extended to the X43, giving more certainty about what customers can expect in terms of service quality and customer care. This includes pre-defined vehicle quality standards, CCTV to ensure the safety of customers and staff, a dedicated team of drivers and refunds if the operator fails to achieve their targets for timekeeping and reliability.

Routes 43/44 will run hourly on Sunday daytimes.

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13/02/2012 22:15

8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

nEWS › coaches

“The idea was that people go to work on the current vehicles and come home on brand new buses – quite literally out with the old and in with the new.”

Colin Newbury Arriva Yorkshire

BriEfly Resurfacing works on the A46 between Winthorpe and Hykeham roundabouts were due to start on Monday (February 13) and are expected to finish on March 31.

All activity will take place overnight between 2000 and 0600hrs. The work will also include replacement of road markings and cats eyes.

During the works, sections of the A46 will be closed at night.

Diversion routes will be clearly signposted.

Overnight work to resurface parts of the dual carriageway along the A1033 Hedon Road docks route in Hull began on Monday.

Two schemes are coming into effect - resurfacing of the westbound carriageway between Marfleet Roundabout and Somerden Roundabout east of the city centre, and improvements to Marfleet Roundabout itself. Work on both should be finished by March 23.

Most work will be done between 1830 and 0600hrs for three weeks.

Marfleet Roundabout will be reduced to a single lane during offpeak periods. The overnight work also needs the complete closure of the westbound carriageway between the two roundabouts over six nights with clearly-signed and separate diversions in place for lorries and other vehicles.

The closures will take place from February 13 to February 17, and on February 20.

A project to repair the M6 bridge over Wyresdale Road, south east of Lancaster, will get underway on Sunday, February 26, and will be completed by Wednesday April 4, in time to remove traffic management for the Easter holiday travel period. During the work, the southbound lane one of the motorway will be closed for about half a mile each side of the bridge. Lane two will also be closed at times overnight between 2000 and 0600hrs. All of the work will be restricted to off-peak hours between 0800 and 1700 in the day and 2000 and 0600 overnight but all the traffic management will stay in place around the clock for safety reasons. A 50mph speed limit will also be in place through the works at all times along the southbound carriageway of the motorway. www.coachandbusweek.com

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News Focus p20

Coventry wins CPT Coach Friendly status Coventry is fourth local authority in West Midlands to be awarded the status Coventry was awarded Coach Friendly Status by the CPT at its West Midlands region’s annual dinner and awards ceremony on Friday (February 10).

Councillor Linda Bigham received the award on behalf of the city from Mark Yexley, national CPT president, and Mike de Courcey, CPT’s West Midlands region chairman, at the Drayton Manor Hotel in Tamworth.

Mike de Courcey said: “I am delighted to be awarding the city of Coventry our prestigious Coach Friendly City Award. This will be the fourth local authority to receive this award in West Midlands region.

“Stratford-Upon-Avon was the first of our towns to be awarded coach friendly status, followed in 2009 by Lichfield City, 2010 Ironbridge World Heritage site and now in 2011, Coventry City.

“It is clear towns and cities in the West Midlands believe this CPT Award is a hugely important product and they recognise that by investing and delivering good

quality support to the coach industry, great economic benefits will follow.”

Phil Bateman, CPT’s West Midlands regional manager said: “Coventry have committed themselves to become a world class destination of choice for tourism, business, shopping and entertainment. It is clearly a city

Left to Right: CPT national president Mark Yexley, Cllr Linda Bigham and West Midlands regional chairman Mike de Courcey

New Beulas Jewel for UK

Beulas S.A. is pleased to announce the development of the Jewel double deck model in right-hand drive format for the UK market.

The Beulas family commented: “Working closely with our UK dealer BASE Ltd we have developed specifications at 13.3m, 13.9m and 14.6m based on the popular MAN R37 chassis featuring the 480bhp engine. With seating capacity up to 89 seats and other designs featuring up to 13 cubic metres of luggage, we believe we are able to achieve all the needs of customers in this product.”

BASE plans to exhibit a Jewel coach at this year’s Euro Bus Expo in November, but will be marketing the product throughout 2012.

which excels in accommodating and attracting and welcoming coaches and their drivers and passengers. They have outlined their strategy to achieve their vision and demonstrated how they intend to provide a coach-friendly city based on the following objectives.

“They have agreed to ensure that their coach travel strategy links to the Local Transport Plan 3; provide comprehensive website information; produce information leaflets; market and communicate details of coach facilities; and improve direction signs for both coach drivers and passengers.

“They have also committed to providing good driver, passenger and coach parking facilities in appropriate and desirable locations, and ensuring accessibility for all passengers, particularly disabled users.

“In addition the city is to invest in a long stay coach park at White Street with space for 24 coaches and also providing drop off car parking provision along with taxi ranking space. All protected by CCTV cameras fitted to provide additional security for coaches parked.”

The new Jewel is based on the MAN R37 chassis Nick Dodgson, general sales manager at BASE, said: “We are delighted with the Jewel concept, which now completes our product offering from Beulas. BASE can now offer two axle executive or standard vehicles from 9.0m to 12.72m, with

Spica and Cygnus and our three axle offering of Aura, Glory and the new Jewel from 13.0m to 14.6m.”

BASE can be contacted on 01772 425355, web: www. basecoachsales.co.uk

13/02/2012 21:06

8, 2012 | CO February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEKFebruary |9

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Continental offers Winter advise on tyres

Finance and commercial director Helen Fowweather and engineer Andy Seeney checking the new display

Oxford Bus Company update coach displays for the airline Oxford Bus Company has updated its displays for ‘the airline’ coach service.

Instead of a route number, the airline coaches will use LHR for Heathrow and LGW for Gatwick.

Helen Fowweather, finance and commercial director of Oxford Bus Company, explained: “The airport codes LHR and LGW are known throughout the world and so it makes sense to switch to them as route indicators. On the return journeys from Heathrow and Gatwick the coaches will show OXF as the route indicator.”

The main part of the destination display will still show the route details. The new look came in on Sunday (February 12).

An extra stop is also being introduced on outward and return journeys to the airports.

Helen continued: “Market research shows many passengers to the airports travel from South Oxfordshire and so we are introducing a new interchange stop. the airline will pick up in Speedwell St, stop S2 and set down at stop H5.

“The new stops make it even easier to change from our services from the south and routes served by our sister company, Thames Travel. It‘s a stress free way to get to Heathrow and Gatwick.”

In December Oxford Bus Company introduced 18 brand new coaches on the airline, as featured in CBW1016. At £4.5m it was the single biggest investment in coaches in the Go-Ahead Groupowned company’s history. It also represented the first fleet order for the recently reintroduced Scania Plaxton combination.

Bakers Dolphin has been awarded a full 100% mark in quality and excellence from an audit carried out by the Guild of British Coach Operators.

The guild carries out an independent and rigorous 44-point audit on coach operators every two years.

Weston Super Mare-based Bakers Dolphin claims it is the only coach firm in the region to reach the

exacting standards of the Guild.

Bakers Dolphin MD Max Fletcher said: “The guild believes the customer should be at the centre of everything and we are keen to subject ourselves to their examination as they look at everything we do from that perspective. To receive 100% from their audit is a real credit to all our staff and is especially pleasing for our drivers who are the public face of the business meeting and transporting customers every day.”

The Guild represents some of the UK’s leading coach operators. In addition to benchmarking quality it also provides specialist training for coach operators and staff.

Bakers Dolphin gains 100% audit

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in London and we are pushing the boundaries of current technology to achieve this. Having secured millions of pounds of funding from Government, we are introducing this clever equipment to cut bus engine pollution on routes across the capital. This follows the arrival on our streets of hybrid and hydrogen buses asproduced well as the Continental Tyres has New Bus for which the an update to London, its Winter Tyre is Guide, greenest hybrid bus which highlights theyet.” different tyre requirements coach operators from Cleanest in the the UK and Ireland willUK encounter London’s bus fleet is already when operating in Europe thisthe winter. cleanest in the UK butcoach buses are still The guide advises aoperators major source of NOxto- aEurope harmful who travel pollutant - especially inseason Inner need throughout the winter London. new equipment will to ensureThe their tyres and vehicles cut NOxwith emissions from busesThese by comply local legislation. around 400 tonnes around in 10% of vary greatly in each-country all bus NOx emissions - making a Western Europe and drivers may substantial contribution suffer financial penaltiestoordelivering even be the Mayor’sfrom air quality ambitions. prevented travelling through Otherareas measures targeted certain if theyinclude don’t adhere to initiatives at pollution hot spots, the regulations. banning the most polluting taxis The guide also describes best with 2,600 to betyres affected practise forexpected fitting winter to this year alone. In addition, the ensure vehicles stay safe in wintry Mayor’s New Bus for London uses the latest generation of green technology and emits less than half the NOx and PM10 emissions of a current diesel bus. From January 3, the Mayor also introduced tighter Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards.

The initial results of TfL’s monitoring indicates the vast majority of the owners of vehicles affected by the changes to the Low Emission Zone have taken action to ensure their vehicles comply with the new emission standards.

In the first month almost 98% of vans, minibuses and other specialist vehicles, affected by the LEZ for the first time, were meeting the new standards.

Lorries, buses and coaches already affected by LEZ were required to meet more challenging emission standards and are showing compliance rates of almost 90%.

buses will be Euro 4 NOx compliant conditions. (through replacing older buses Continental recommends with newer, cleaner models or that due to the increased safety through retrofitting).

Additional requirements on coaches travelling funding is now being sought forand the to the Alps, or to Scandinavian replacement of an Baltic regionsorallretrofitting axles should be estimated remaining 1,000 Euro 3 equipped with specially developed buses to meet winterwhich tyres.would This isneed particularly this standard 2015.because steer important on by coaches TfLare hasoften takenfitted considerable steps tyres to all axles. in the last 10 yearswinter to reduce the Either a specialist steer tyre environmental impacttyre of its bus or a dedicated coach should fleet.

As aall result, emissions of PM10 be fitted round.

In addition, it from the fleet using have dropped from recommends snow chains more than one 200 drive tonnes in 1997 on at least axle whento 15 tonnes in 2011. required.

Gainsborough-based emission Tracey Hyem, commercial control specialist Eminox is one marketing manager at Continental, of the“The key suppliers exhaust said: nature of of many aftertreatment and filtration international coach operators systems busesthey operating in business,for means need winter London.

A statement Eminox tyres with good grip, from precise said: “Test results on the latest steering response and reliable development in retrofit emissions acceleration and braking. ” reduction technology have shown it can deliver outstanding results Download the information acrossfor a range of pollutants.

The free from the data from a Euro 3 busatretrofitted Continental website www. with Eminox SCRT technology has conti-online.co.uk/truck demonstrated emissions results not even today’s Euro 5 vehicles are expected to achieve. This new development of SCRT technology is now being applied to London’s buses as part of a pilot project run

by TfL. “SCRT technology from Eminox has already been used to reduce

“The use of a London test cycle confirms without doubt that SCR technology can be effective in urban environments.”

Kathye Henderson Eminox

emissions of Pa (PM) and Nitro as part of clean in Spain, Belgiu Oxford. The sys particulate filte catalytic reduc is designed for duty vehicles. T for the London new challenges specifically targ (NO2) as well a reductions. Thi in driving the d generation of S “Independen out on the MLT simulates Lond conditions. The was able to red 90% and NO2 with Euro 6 com emissions.”

Kathye Hend manager at Em “We are delight results which le retrofit emissio use of a London will be backed confirms witho technology can environments.”

The develop system require formulations a system calibrat stresses there i be done to ensu reductions can other vehicles, results show a in emissions te real hope that o be upgraded an the future, as th emissions, part transport, incre

Lowering emissions

The Mayor’s air quality strategy proposes, subject to funding, all London buses should meet Euro 4 (categories of vehicle approved by Europe to meet cleaner pollution levels) standards for NOx by 2015.

Currently, all 8,500 London buses meet the Euro 4 standard for PM10 and are compliant with the next stage of LEZ requirements. This new equipment will be fitted to older Euro 3 buses to bring them to Euro 4 NOx standards.

TfL estimates by 2015, 7,500

Eminox SCRT technology proved highly effective cuttin www.coachandbusweek.com

www.coa

13/02/2012 21:06

10 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

nEWS

London tour bus operator fined by HSE £10,500 fine and £10,000 costs after bus drops on mechanic The Original London Sightseeing Tour has been fined on grounds of health and safety, after a mechanical engineer suffered serious injuries while working underneath one of its double decker buses.

The Arriva-owned company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to prevent the incident, which happened on October 21, 2009, and was fined £10,500 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the 58-year-old employee was working underneath the vehicle at a bus depot at Ferry Lane, Rainham, Essex, while reseating an airbag on one of the firm’s open topped buses. The vehicle had been raised approximately two feet off the ground and was supported on its axles by wooden blocks and

Johnsons triumph at Business Awards

Johnsons Coaches has been named Service Provider of the Year in the 2012 Midlands Business Awards.

The operator won the title at a gala celebration event held on Friday, February 3, at the NEC Hilton Metropole Hotel. It beat off the challenge of four other finalists to scoop the award.

The Henley-in-Arden-based independent family business provides coach hire, holidays and excursions and local bus services in Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. It has an enviable reputation for high quality service and its distinctive orange, blue and white vehicles are a familiar sight in the region.

Director Pete Johnson received the award from sponsor Patrick Stapleton of the NEC Hilton Metropole. He said: “I am delighted www.coachandbusweek.com

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column vehicle lifts.

The court heard the engineer was being assisted by a colleague who was raising and lowering the bus using the vehicle lift control on his instruction. However, one of the wooden blocks broke and the axle dropped onto the mechanic breaking his pelvis and several ribs.

He was hospitalised for two weeks, off work for six months, and still suffers from pain.

The HSE investigation said it found risk assessments for the site had not been properly reviewed, nor were site engineers involved in the risk assessment process. Had this been done, the company could have used another set of vehicle lifts available at the time of the incident or taken the tri-axle buses to another depot where there were numerous vehicle pits available for use.

Following the hearing, HSE inspector Jane Wolfenden said:

“The use of wooden blocks in this way could easily have resulted in a fatality. It was foreseeable that the blocks were likely to give way, putting the lives of employees at risk.

“Had the company carried out an effective risk assessment which involved site engineers, this entirely preventable incident could have been avoided.”

A spokesman for the Original London Sightseeing Tour told CBW: “Immediately after this 2009 incident we carried out a full review of our processes as well as working alongside the HSE investigation team.

“We have reinforced and reiterated existing safety training, particularly in relation to improvised solutions or shortcuts being applied in our workshops where appropriate equipment is available, as part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring a safe working environment.”

Pete Johnson receives the award from Patrick Stapleton of the NEC Hilton Metropole with other members of the Johnsons Coaches team looking on and honoured that we have had our efforts recognised as a team.

Being able to combine small family business values with a larger business outlook allows us to give excellent levels of service – and the judges have agreed.

“It is all about people for us. We are a people business and if you believe in your people you can do great things.”

This is the sixth year that the awards, organised by Leamington

Spa-based UK Special Events, have taken place. Its MD Harj Sandher said: “We are delighted with the quality of the entrants this year and very pleased such a familiar name – and sight on our roads each day – has received the recognition it deserves.”

Visit Johnsons Coaches’ website at www. johnsonscoaches.co.uk. Call 01564 797000

European awareness of emergency 112 number The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the European Commission (EC) have joined forces to promote the Single European Emergency Number 112 among bus, coach, taxi and truck operators and their customers across Europe.

In a joint statement, EC vice presidents Neelie Kroes and Siim Kallas stressed: “This is the start of a year-long campaign to make people travelling around the European Union (EU) aware of the number which could save their lives - 112, Europe’s single emergency number. We are delighted the International Road Transport Union has joined the European Commission in this initiative.”

112 is a single European emergency number, which can be dialled from both fixed landline and mobile phones free of charge, throughout the EU. 112 calls are answered by an operator who handles the request either directly or by transferring it to the appropriate emergency service in the country concerned, be it police, ambulance or fire brigade.

IRU general delegate to the EU, Michael Nielsen, said: “For true road transport professionals, every road accident is one too many. Road safety has always been and will continue to remain at the core of the IRU and its members’ priorities.

Raising the awareness of company managers, their drivers and indeed their passengers and clients in the bus, coach, taxi and truck sector, is part of our industry culture.

“This is further enhanced by various industry own initiatives, such as training through the IRU Academy, campaigning and disseminating best practices, with the objective of reaching every single company and every single professional driver in Europe.”

Mr Nielsen concluded: “The Single European Emergency Number 112 constitutes a highly efficient tool to further improve road safety, security, and the efficiency of response in emergency cases.”

Visit the IRU’s informative website at www.iru.org

13/02/2012 21:43

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MICHELIN Q&A

Ask the Michelin Man How does the cost of fuel saved by using Energy Saver tyres over a tyre's lifetime compare with the purchase price of a set of tyres?

The savings as a consequence of using Michelin energy saving tyres vary according to your vehicle type and application. As an example, compared to the average of its competitors in independent testing, Michelin car tyres in popular dimensions have been found to save approximately the equivalent of the cost of one tyre in fuel during the life of a set of tyres. Internal Michelin calculations suggest that Michelin Energy Savergreen truck tyres 3itted in vehicle sets could return fuel savings of approximately 0.4 litres per 100km vs the previous Michelin Energy truck tyres. As tyres wear in service and their tread depth reduces, their rolling resistance reduces.

Therefore, Michelin tyres' longevity brings about even greater fuel savings. The potential fuel and CO2 savings available using Michelin low rolling resistance tyres are signi3icant, but for more information speci3ic to your tyres and vehicle type, please contact a Michelin Technical Manager.

I heard about a puncture-resistant Michelin tyre a few weeks ago. Can you say how that might help my business and when I can buy such things?

You are not speci3ic as to the exact tyre type you heard about. All Michelin tyres are designed to resist accidental damage of the nature experienced in their expected conditions of use. Michelin have developed concept tyres which are extremely resistant to damage for applications such as construction or military use, but these are not yet freely available. However, Michelin does have available Military Off Road tyres speci3ically designed for use in harsh conditions, Earth Mover tyres designed to deliver exceptional damage resistance and reliability in quarries and mines, truck tyres with a high resistance to accidental damages for use on sites and haul roads and durable 4x4 tyres for professional use. Tyre maintenance is also very important in terms of maximising tyre life in dif3icult operating conditions. Please contact the Michelin Technical helpline or a Michelin Technical Manager for information on tyres for your speci3ic operation.

Please, simply tell me why I should buy Michelin, than a less expensive brand/product? With other companies developing improved tyres, why are yours better?

Michelin tyre design and development considers many different performance criteria such as tread wear life, damage resistance, comfort, grip, and handling. In our opinion, tyre choice should be made mindful of the balance of those criteria. Michelin try to develop tyres that deliver excellent performance in all of the performance criteria, using high quality raw materials and the extensive research and development facilities and experience available to us.

For information on the winter tyre range and speci3ic tyre choice for your requirements, contact Michelin Technical Services on tel 0845 366 1535.

0845 366 1535 www.michelin.co.uk/atmm

12 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

NEWS

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EYMS adopts fuel-saving additive Envirox for �leet Additive follows SAFED training and ‘GreenRoad’ on-bus telematics system.

East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) has adopted Energenics’ fuel-saving additive Envirox across the whole of its operations in East and North Yorkshire following a successful trial at Driffield depot.

This is the latest in a series of measures to reduce fuel consumption in its fleet of 300 buses and coaches which consume about six million litres of diesel each year.

Previous measures include a specialised driver training programme for Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) and the introduction of the ‘GreenRoad’ on-bus telematics system, which features a ‘traffic light’ signal in the cab to indicate to the driver how efficiently the bus is being driven.

The diesel fuel storage tank in each of the company’s depots will now be fitted with dosing equipment, which injects Envirox into the diesel fuel flow on delivery from the road tanker.

The 12-month trial started in July 2010 on a mixed fleet of buses and

Touch and Go aboard Network Warrington

Municipally-owned operator Network Warrington has launched its new range of smartcards called Touch&Go! The new plastic cards have an in-built chip, meaning that on boarding the bus, customers just touch the target on the ticket machine, which instantly checks validity and then go to their seat.

The new system allows Network Warrington to introduce new products, tailored to specific needs, and the operator also plans to introduce a web top-up facility and direct debit payments in the coming months to make access to tickets www.coachandbusweek.com

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studied the effect of Envirox and the GreenRoad system both separately and in combination.

The results showed each measure provided a worthwhile improvement in fuel consumption on their own and the combination provided an extra benefit.

EYMS chairman Peter Shipp said: “In the present very difficult financial climate, we need to save money wherever we can and fuel is now such a big proportion of our total costs that this is a high priority area for us. Based on the successful trial we are confident Envirox will deliver a considerable fuel saving. However, this will only make a moderate dent in the extra £500,000 more we shall pay for diesel per year after the 20% reduction in BSOG from April 1.”

Envirox is based on an oxidation catalyst widely used in catalytic converters. The material has been re-engineered using nanotechnology to allow it to be delivered as a diesel fuel treatment.

This ensures a cleaner burn within the combustion chamber, resulting in improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions. It also facilitates the removal of carbon deposits

from the engine and diesel particulate filters.

Mike Attfield, CEO of Energenics Europe, said: “EYMS take a professional and thoughtful approach in pursuing their strategy for saving fuel. The Driffield trial was well managed and was a first in confirming our belief that Envirox adds further savings to those achieved by telematics-based driver information systems. As a regular user of EYMS service 76 to Withernsea, it pleases me to know that Envirox will also help to improve the air quality in the area.”

Adding Envirox should keep EYMS’s vehicles, such as this Wright Gemini-bodied Volvo in York, running for longer

Maureen Banner, chairman of Network Warrington, MD David Squire and Pete Pinnington, Home Run presenter on local radio station Wire FM easier and more affordable.

David Squire, managing director, said: “We’re pleased to be able to launch our new Touch&Go! smartcards, which will replace our current range of saver tickets.”

In what it believes is a unique deal in the UK, Network Warrington have teamed up with local radio station Wire FM, whose name and logo appears on the reverse of the cards, promoting their commentary

New £3m facility for Leon’s Coaches of Stafford Leon’s of Stafford has purchased a new three-acre site, which is currently being developed into a state of the art facility by builders Espleys of Stafford.

The £3m investment, which was announced as this issue went to press on Monday (February 13), is located at Paton Drive in the Beaconside area of Stafford.

Robert Douglas, director, said: “Leon’s Coaches have always planned to expand our services which include holidays, day trips, and contract services. We have all worked very hard for that aim, and now is the time to move forward as we have outgrown our current site.

We’re confident this new facility will launch our transport business to even greater success.”

The business currently operates with 29 vehicles, employing 40 staff. The firm claims the newly built administration block, work shops and testing plant have been built to the highest environmental standards and will give their customers and work force much better facilities than at present.

An update on the new site and opening date will be made soon. of local Rugby Super League side Warrington Wolves.

Mark Wheaton, sales director at UTV-owned Wire FM, said: “We’re pleased two winning brands in Warrington are teaming up for this unique partnership. Wire FM continues to enjoy its best ever audience figures growing more than 50% in the last 12 months and we are proud to support the local community. Teaming up with Network Warrington has allowed us to reach out to the 20,000 Touch&Go customers across the area.”

Network Warrington is running a promotion with Wire FM’s Home Run show with a daily competition, with the grand final taking place at the on Saturday, February 18.

For more information, visit Network Warrington’s dedicated website at www. touchandgo.org.uk

13/02/2012 21:44

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Commercial Garage Equipment Suppliers of a wide range of commercial vehicle equipment for the smaller, independent garages to the largest commercial vehicle fleet workshops.

Brake Testers

Inspection Pits

Commercial Lifts

Mobile Lifts

Delivery & Installation

Bradbury commercial brake testers approved

by Vosa for ATF lanes Steel fabricated commercial workshop pits

Scissor lifts 8 - 40 tonne lifting capacity

3.5 - 80 tonne lifting capacity

Refurbished commercial brake testers

Tel: 07538 218194 www.commercialgarageequipment.co.uk Email: sales@commercialgarageequipment.co.uk Commercial Garage Equipment (Midlands) Ltd, 5 Hanley Terrace, Malvern, Worcs WR14 4PF

14 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2011

nEWS › international

Vladivostok takes 50 MAN Lion’s City buses MAN Truck & Bus gains firm grasp on the Russian public transport market RUSSIA In the course of modernising Vladivostok’s local public transport service, the Russian city’s Administrative Council has ordered 50 MAN city buses. The first vehicles were delivered to the municipal transport company VPOPAT-1 in December 2011 and are already operating on the city’s regularservice routes. At the ceremonial handover in Vladivostok city centre, guests - including Russia’s Vice Premier Igor Schuvalov, Sergej Darkin, Governor of Primurye and Mayor Igor Puschkarjov - were able to appreciate the benefits of the new buses for themselves during an hour’s test drive.

The yellow-painted MAN Lion’s City lowfloor city buses are 12m long and comply with the highest safety, environmental and efficiency standards. They are powered by 280bhp MAN common-rail diesel engines meeting Euro 4 exhaust emission requirements. A powerful

Century of Volvo buses in Nordic countries

SWEDEn Volvo Buses is supplying 25 hybrid buses for Göteborgs Spårvägar (Gothenburg Tramways), bringing the number of hybrid buses Volvo has sold to Nordic countries to 100. They are expected the enter service in the company’s hometown later this year.

Leif Blomqvist, chairman of the board of Västtrafik, the agency responsible for public transport services in Gothenburg, said: “The hybrid buses are an important element of our programme of converting to fossil-free bus traffic while reducing fuel consumption.

Their combination of low emissions, lower noise level, high capacity and low energy utilisation www.coachandbusweek.com

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air-conditioning system maintains a pleasant temperature on board.

The Vladivostok buses are configured to accommodate up to one hundred passengers, and cater for people with mobility difficulties through the inclusion of wheelchair boarding ramps. They are also equipped with satellite navigation systems, free WiFi and automatic next-stop announcement. Drivers and technicians were given comprehensive training on the buses, which can be serviced as

required in the newly-opened service centre located in the Vladivostok bus depot itself.

Russia is an important sales market in the framework of the MAN Truck & Bus international growth strategy. The decision of Vladivostok’s Administrative Council to acquire MAN Lion’s City vehicles is a further significant step for MAN Truck & Bus on its way to establishing itself on the Russian market as a manufacturer of commercial vehicles.

The buses are powered by 280bhp MAN common-rail diesel engines meeting Euro 4 requirements is very attractive.”

Transport authorities and operators are increasingly discovering the benefits of hybrid technology, with Nobina, Nettbuss and, most recently, Göteborgs Spårvägar, as the biggest customers in the Nordic countries.

Bernt-Erik Johansson, Göteborgs Spårvägar’s director of operations, added: “We wanted environmentally favourable buses for a new application and we finally opted for Volvo hybrids, whose low fuel consumption makes a big difference to the quantity of emissions they release.”

Uri Peleg, area director north at Volvo Buses, said: “It’s very satisfying Gothenburg is committing to vehicles designed for environmentally efficient public transport. This order brings our total sales of hybrid buses in the Nordic countries to 100, and interest on the part of operators and transport authorities continues to grow rapidly.”

USDOT gains $826.5m funding USA The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has allocated $826.5m to repair and modernise public transport vehicles and facilities around the country.

US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stated America must have a solid foundation in order to last.

He said: “The President knows transportation projects we fund from today’s announcement will help provide businesses and families with the safest, fastest, most efficient way to connect with opportunity.”

The Bus and Bus Facilities and Clean Fuels grant programmes include a $650m funding for three years, 300 projects to rehabilitate and replace transport infrastructure and for transport asset management.

The program includes $125m to enhance the quality of life by means of new and enhanced intermodal connections, expanded transport choices and reduced congestion.

Funding worth $51.5m has been allocated to help communities reach the national air quality standards.

Li-nea orders more Allisonequipped Irisbus GX127s ITALY The Irisbus Iveco GX127 city bus was launched in the Italian market in March 2011.

The 9.45m bus is available with an Allison T280R fully-automatic transmission and a 264 hp TECTOR diesel engine.

The GX127’s first customer was Li-nea, which, in association with Ataf, is responsible for Florence’s public transportation. Not only did the company provide a market test bed for the GX127, it specified an Allison transmission for the first time in the fleet’s history. By the end of October, the first bus had run 67,000km under an intensive duty cycle. Pleased with outstanding performance, two new Allisonequipped GX127s were ordered and recently arrived.

The first GX127 was assigned to Route 27, which enters the town

of Scandicci, on the outskirts of Florence. This city route has stops every 300 to 400m, along narrow car-lined streets. For conditions where size and manoeuvrability are paramount, the Allison transmission and the GX127 are a perfect match. Thanks to the transmission’s adaptive controls, shifts are smooth and almost imperceptible to passengers. The output retarder in the transmission allows smooth progressive stopping. The seamless transition between the retarder and service brakes ensures greater control, easier maintenance and longer intervals between oil and filter changes.

“Allison fully-automatic transmissions have been a very nice discovery,” said Cappellini, one of Li-nea’s 208 bus drivers.

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16 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

nEWS › REGIONAL

REPUBliC Of iRElAnD

The pilot phase of a new realtime passenger information service is now live in Cork, with electronic bus stop signs operating at a number of locations around the city.

The first of the new signs was switched on at Grand Parade on Thursday (February 9). 14 of the 47 new signs were live tested, while the service will be rolled out at some of the busiest bus stops across the city and suburbs during 2012.

It follows the launch of the service in Dublin, and will also be extended to Limerick, Waterford and Galway by the end of the year.

KEY

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

nORTH

Arriva North West has applied for planning permission to expand its depot in Bootle, Merseyside.

The operator is vacating a second depot on the same street, Hawthorne Road, as it wants to create a larger single depot to reduce overheads. If permission is not granted, 100 jobs may be cut, Arriva has warned.

Campaigners protesting against the move claim more buses would lead to increased pollution and noise.

Phil Stone, Arriva North West’s MD, said: “In the current economic climate and government cuts, we’ve applied for this planning permission as part of numerous projects undertaken to reduce our overheads and protect local bus services.

“We would be disappointed if the planning application were to be refused. It is our duty to convey all the facts to the planning committee and if we were not able to expand our depot on Hawthorne Road it may unfortunately result in jobs and work being moved out of the Sefton area.”

The land Arriva wants to acquire was formerly occupied by the Parkside Century Social Club.

The company says its second depot, at the former Liverline site, is too far from its main depot and the “split site” is too difficult to manage.

Arriva wants to instead secure a 15-year lease for the social club site in order to maintain its operations in the area.

At a planning meeting on February 8, Cllr Linda Cluskey said: “You are putting us under pressure to agree this application, and you are pre-empting a decision by this committee.”

Peter Sass, general manager of www.coachandbusweek.com

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the Bootle site, replied it would be “extremely remiss” if the firm did not put forward those possibilities, but he gave no further information on how or where jobs would be lost if the proposals were rejected.

MiDlAnDS

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is planning to scrap nonstatutory concessionary travel for pre 0930hrs journeys.

The move may save the council around £100,000 a year, but it has been criticised by sight loss charities.

Rebecca Swift of the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) said the concession was a “must have” for many.

She said: “We have been urging the council to re-consider this proposal.

“At the moment disabled people and their family and friends are facing a raft of cuts to disability benefits and services.

“Concessionary bus travel is a disability-related benefit. It’s not a nice thing to have - it’s a must have for many people to help them live independently.”

According to Ms Swift, nationally only about 34% of blind and partially-sighted people were in work and this would be “another barrier” to them as well as those trying to find work or training.

Bus travel is considered to be the sole use of the transport for the majority of blind people.

The regional campaigns officer said Staffordshire County Council was not placing the same restrictions on the pass, so people in Stoke would be “at a disadvantage” to others in the county.

But Labour-run Stoke City Council said nationally the concessionary pass started at 0930hrs so its own subsidy was “over and beyond” that provided by other authorities.

Adrian Knapper, cabinet member for transport and planning, said: “We have been listening very carefully to the feedback we have received on all the budget proposals, and in this case, officers met with Action for Blind People Stoke-on-Trent on Tuesday to hear more about their point of view.”

The council is set decide on the final budget proposals which will be put before full council for approval on February 23.

EAST

Work on the Queensgate bus station in Peterborough entered its second phase four days ahead of schedule.

Buses once again ran from bays 1a through 10 as per usual on Thursday, February 9, with bays 10a through 20 closing. As with the first phase, buses which would have operated from the closed bays will depart instead from the nearby Acland Street coach park from Monday to Saturday until 1800hrs.

After 1800hrs buses will depart

from alternative bays instead.

Cathy Summers, passenger transport team manager for Peterborough City Council, said: “Our original schedule was for the bus station to be open fully from Monday, February 20. Phase one has been completed ahead of schedule so we are hopeful phase two will follow suit and the bus station will fully re-open before this date.

“We know the essential works to improve passenger facilities at the bus station are causing an inconvenience to some passengers for a relatively short period, but we are trying to reduce the disruption as much as possible.

“We appreciate the patience of passengers thus far and will continue to press for the swift completion of the works.”

The Fairfield Partnership, which plans to build 700 new homes in Godmanchester, has unveiled plans to increase bus services from the town, including four buses to Huntingdon every hour during peak times from 0700 to 0900hrs and 1630 to 1830hrs.

The new transport service would be reduced to once every 20 minutes during off-peak hours.

The developer revealed its plan for a mass development at Bearscroft Farm, Godmanchester, at a public exhibition last month.

It will also go to St Ives along the A14 and through Hemingford Grey, linking with the guided bus, running every 20 minutes peak times and every half hour off-peak.

Steve Biart of The Fairfield Partnership said: “Existing bus services in Godmanchester are very limited and hence there is little alternative than to drive everywhere.

“With a more regular and dependable service to Huntingdon and a direct, frequent and reliable service to the Guided Bus at St Ives, passengers would feel confident to leave the car at home more often.

“Both services would run throughout the year and we would subsidise them for a period of time, until patronage from residents and workers on the site, plus existing Godmanchester residents, makes them self-financing.”

The Highways Agency has stated the development would have minimal impact to congestion on the A14.

Currently, a bus runs between Huntingdon and Godmanchester every hour during peak times until 1700 during school terms. Buses to

13/02/2012 21:11

St Ives are currently once every two hours, with one additional journey during the morning peak.

SOUTH EAST

A councillor for North Deal, Bob Frost, has written a letter to Stagecoach asking it to consider implementing a bus service from Deal directly to Thanet hospital.

Cllr Frost requested services leave from Deal and arrive at Margate’s Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother (QEQM) hospital at 1000, 1300, 1500 and 1700hrs so patients can meet their appointment times.

Stagecoach responded by saying the request has been forwarded to senior management who will consider the new proposal, but added a new route would not be implemented unless it was clear enough passengers would use the service.

Cllr Frost said: “I think this is one worth going for. Since the cutback in services at Buckland Hospital in Dover, QEQM is now the main hospital used by residents of Deal.

“Deal has quite an aging population, many of which rely on public transport, and I have been approached by a number of constituents complaining about the lack of direct transport from the town to the QEQM.

February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 17

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

“The service could also call in to Westwood Cross so people can do a spot of shopping.”

He added that if the request is unsuccessful, he will continue to pursue it by starting a petition.

“There are so many people from Deal and Sandwich which could benefit from an improved service, it is definitely worthwhile doing,” he said. “I hope I get a positive response from Stagecoach, if not then this won’t be the end of it.”

2012

SOUTH WEST

First in Bristol, Somerset and Avon has reduced the price of its FirstDay Family South West ticket by 42% until Sunday (February 19).

The day ticket, which is normally priced at £17.30, has been cut to just £10 for the duration of half term, and is valid for up to five people (maximum of two adults).

It offers unlimited travel on First buses on more than 100 routes throughout Bristol, Bath, Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, as well as services that run into Dorset and Devon.

The FirstDay Family South West ticket is available to buy on the bus direct from the driver.

n March 4-5, 2012 Coach Holiday Conference, organised by the Coach Tourism Council. Best Western Premier Queen Hotel, Chester. 0870 850 2839. www.coachtourismcouncil. co.uk n March 14-15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n March 15 Volvo Bus social evening in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust’s Warwickshire Appeal.

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

Go-Ahead Group-owned Plymouth Citybus has raised nearly £4,000 for three charities. The 24th annual Fancy Dress Fundraising Day was held by Citybus drivers and support personnel. Over 100 drivers took to the wheel in fancy dress, and collected generous donations totalling £3,999 from customers on the bus network on December 22, 2011. Pam Smith and Liz Hayball from Crohns and Colitis UK, Mo Bowman and Mel Swainsbury from the Centipede Trust, and Sian Harris, local fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support, were presented with cheques for £1333 by event organiser and driver Andy Gibbons, with operations manager Brian George.

“We are always impressed with the generosity of people in the city and we are glad that so many of our customers enjoy the surprise of being driven by a wide variety of characters for the day!” said Brian George.

Pictured here from left are: Pam Smith, Liz Hayball, Andy Gibbons, Mo Bowman, Mel Swainsbury, Sian Harris, and Brian George.

n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey.

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

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

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

The Young Bus Managers Network conference will be held in Brighton on Tuesday and Wednesday March 21-22 at the Lansdown Hotel. Pictured here is a group discussion exercise at last year’s popular event in Birmingham n June 10 Barry Festival of Transport. Organised by Cardiff Transport Preservation Group, Barry, South Wales. postmaster@-ctpg. co.uk. www.ctpg.co.uk n August 3-5 Bedford OB GetTogether. South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester, GL7 5QB. Contact the organiser Tim Wootton by email on tim@tjcs.freeserve.co.uk. Visit http://www.bedfordob.com/ n August 27 The National Association of Road Transport Museums gala day. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n September 8-9 UK Bus Driver of the Year, Blackpool. Call competition secretary Bill Holmes on 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 16 Showbus.

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

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

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

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

RegionalNews.indd 17

13/02/2012 21:11

18 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

£7

nEWS › TOURISM

Price for an adult group member to enter Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House

The Hop Farm Family Park is packed with over 30 rides and attractions, ensuring there is something for everyone.

Situated near Paddock Wood in Kent, visitors can explore the Pirate Cove, experience the Giant Jumping Pillows and glide around the beautifully restored Victorian Carousel. Group rates are £7 for adults and seniors and £8 for children. A visit can be combined with one of the special events taking place, including The War & Peace Show, the world’s largest military vehicle show, which takes place between July 18 and 22, 2012. There is free parking on site.

The park is fully open between March 31 and September 3, as well as selected days outside of these dates. For more information visit www.thehopfarm.co.uk or ring 01622 872068.

Lincoln Cathedral offers a number of tours for groups.

Parties can be guided round the cathedral floor, or for those with a head for heights, there are roof and tower tours available. The cathedral is free to enter, but for extensive exploring and tours, the following charges apply: £6 for adults, £4.75 concessions and £1 for children. It is located in the heart of Lincoln, and the nearest coach parking is at Great Northern Terrace (LN5 8HJ). Half day parking is £5.50 while a full day costs £10.

Serpentine Gallery is one of London’s best-loved galleries for modern and contemporary art. Its exhibition, architecture, education and public programmes attract up to 800,000 visitors in any one year and admission is free. It is open daily between 1000 and 1800hrs during exhibitions.

Upcoming events at the gallery include the Hans-Peter Feldmann Exhibition between April 11 and June 3 and the Yoko Ono SMILE project between June 19 and September 9. The gallery is located in Kensington Gardens. Bayswater Road Coach Park is located nearby (W2 4RT), with up to 12 hours parking for £25. Call Euro Carparks on 0207 5633000. Serpentine Gallery’s website can be viewed at www.serpentinegallery.org www.coachandbusweek.com

TourNews.indd 18

Enjoy a day out on Poole Harbour’s largest island Visit the birthplace of Scouts and Guides and encounter a host of different wildlife.

Brownsea Island is situated in a dramatic location in Poole Harbour, and is home to a thriving natural habitat, as well as a rich history and breathtaking coastal views.

The National Trust-owned island can only be reached by boat, and ferry services depart from Poole Quay and Sandbanks Jetty.

A coach drop-off point is located close to the ferry boarding point,

and free coach parking is available at Poole Stadium (BH15 2BP), a 15 minute walk away.

An array of animals can be seen on Brownsea. It is one of the few places in southern England where indigenous red squirrels survive. There is also a population of peacocks as well as sika deer.

The island was also the birthplace of the Scout and Guide movement.

The Baden-Powell Outdoor Centre invites visitors to follow in the footsteps of Lord Baden-Powell and the very first Scouts who camped

Brownsea Island is perfect for an educational family outing

Great views from Cumbrian castle Sizergh Castle and Garden is a great stop-off point when travelling to the Lake District, as it’s located near Kendal, five miles from junction 36 of the M6.

The imposing house is surrounded by an impressive garden which features a lake, a collection of hardy ferns and herbaceous borders and the National Trust’s largest limestone rock garden – all in a 1,600-acre estate.

Footpaths provide walks from the castle to dramatic viewpoints over Morecambe Bay and Lakeland hills.

Coach parking is 250 yards from the entrance, with closer drop-off

there in 1907.

There are free guided walks, at 1130 and 1400hrs, and food can be enjoyed in the Villano Café.

Group admission is £5.20 for adults and £2.60 for children.

There are also a number of paid special interest tours available.

These include ‘A Walk on the Wild Side’, where experts take groups around the woodland, heathland, wetland and shoreline areas, explaining how the island is managed; ‘The Birthplace of Scouting and Guiding’, a walk explaining how scouting developed from the island into a worldwide movement; and ‘Views of Poole Harbour’, a walk celebrating the natural beauty of the world’s second largest natural harbour.

Brownsea’s full season opening begins on March 24.

The average visit length is two hours. Nearby attractions include Poole town, Bournemouth Aquarium, Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy.

For more information email brownseaisland@ nationaltrust.org.uk or ring 01202 707744.

Insight into Scotland’s famous legend

A snowy scene at Sizergh Castle points available.

Visitors can grab a meal in the Strickland Arms pub and pop into the Low Sizergh farm shop.

Group admission is £7.65, or £5 for the garden only.

Email sizergh@national trust.org.uk or ring 015395 60951.

The Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition tells the story of Loch Ness, and gives an insight into its ecology.

The centre, graded five stars by VisitScotland, is in Drumnadrochit, a mile from the loch.

The exhibition paints a balanced picture, illustrating the eye-witness accounts as well as the hoaxes which have surrounded the area.

Contact the centre for discounted group pricing. As a guide, standard pricing is: £6.50 adults, £5.50 concessions and £4.50 children.

Email debbie@lochness. com to discuss group visits.

Visit www.lochness.com/lochness-monster-exhibition.htm

NTPL IAN SHAW

BriEfly

13/02/2012 21:15

1907 800,000 The year Scouts first camped on Brownsea Island

Number of visitors Serpentine Gallery in London attracts in any one year

Family trip to gardens and historic maze

Seaforde Gardens and Tropical Butterfly House is situated in the historic demesne of Seaforde in County Down, Northern Ireland.

The site offers the perfect family day out. Visitors can experience free-flying butterflies while walking through the steamy jungle of the butterfly house, explore Ireland’s oldest maze, climb the Moghul Tower and survey the walled garden from above or enjoy the collection of trees and plants within Seaforde’s renowned gardens.

There is also a tearoom, a shop and a playground.

Groups of 10 plus receive discounted entry of £7 per adult and £4.10 per child. A visit to the gardens only cost £4.10 per adult and £2.60 per child.

Opening times are between Easter and the end of September, 1000 to 1700hrs Monday to Saturday and 1300 to 1800hrs on Sundays.

Visits can be made between October and Easter, but only by prior appointment.

Coach parking is 150 yards from the main car park.

For more information visit www.seafordegardens.com or ring 028 44811225.

dEAlS OF THE WEEK

NIGEL HARNIMAN

NTPL IAN SHAW

February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 19

Beamish is home to The North of England Open Air Museum, and is located near Stanley in County Durham. The museum’s aim is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the height of industrialisation in the early 20th century.

Group benefits include discounted admission for prebooked parties of 15 plus, free admission for the coach driver and group organiser and a hospitality voucher for the driver.

Group rates are £11 adults, £6 children, and £10 seniors. However, there is a midweek winter discount of £6 adults and seniors and £5 children. Children under five receive free entry.

diESEl priCES

A view of the castle from the shores of its picturesque lake

Plenty to see and do at Eastnor Castle Eastnor Castle is located in the dramatic setting of the Malvern Hills in Herefordshire, and surrounded by a beautiful deer park, arboretum and lake.

Inside the castle, visitors will find lavish interiors containing medieval armour, fine art, tapestries and a gothic drawing room designed by AW Pugin.

Guided tours are available for groups on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the year, except between July 17 and August 31 when visitors can take a non-

The winter season ends on March 30 and starts again on November 5.

Publicity leaflets, posters and a promotional DVD or video can be sent free of charge to help promote the visit. n For more information email museum@beamish.org.uk or ring 0191 370 4000.

Longleat Safari & Adventure Park has opened for the 2012 season, and is now the home of Cheetah Kingdom.

The park also promises its Hunters of the Sky aerial birds of prey show is even bigger and better this year with more birds, new displays and additional opportunities for visitors to handle the birds.

Other new attractions set to open in the coming months include the multi-million pound lakeside gorilla enclosure and a brand new Lemur Walkthrough display.

guided tour of the castle. Groups of between 20 and 40 pay £10.50 per person and groups of 40 plus pay £10 per person. Non-guided visits cost £7.25 per person. A free admission ticket will be issued to the group organiser.

Visitors can also enjoy the Knight’s maze, the Eastnor tree trail, a lakeside and woodland walk and an assault course for children.

There are plenty of events taking place at the castle in 2012, including the Eastnor Chilli Festival on May 6 and 7, Birds of Prey Day on July 1, an open-air performance of Roald Dahl’s The Twits on August 12 and animal adventure days on August 26 and 27.

Visit www.eastnorcastle. com or call 01531 63316.

The Cheetah Kingdom is new to Longleat in 2012 Longleat will also be building on last year’s events programme which included Halloween, Fireworks Nights and a Christmas Spectacular with a series of exciting new events and activities throughout the year.

Groups of 12 plus pay £18.20 per adult, £12.95 per child and £14.70 per senior for a day ticket, while

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

141.10 138.09 133.35 123.79 122.79 120.62 119.67 118.78 118.36 117.14 117.11 116.27 114.85 109.50 106.74 104.72 100.47

HOlidAy pOUnd £1 will get you: Euro Switzerland (Franc) Norway (Kroner) Hungary (Forint) Czech Republic (Koruna) Poland (Zloty)

1.20 1.44 9.01 347.42 29.98 4.99

safari only / house and grounds tickets are cheaper.

Group benefits include free parking, a free familiarisation pass, free organiser ticket and free coach driver ticket and meal voucher. n For more information visit www.longleat.co.uk or call 01985 844400.

The Saatchi Gallery in London is hosting COLLECT: the international art fair for contemporary objects on May 11 - 14, 2012. This year’s exhibiting artists will be represented by 31 galleries from 11 countries including Japan, Germany, Sweden and China. The gallery is open daily, 1000 - 1800hrs, admission free, although admission prices for COLLECT are to be confirmed. It is located at Duke of York’s HQ on King’s Road. n For more information visit www. collect2012.org.uk and www. saatchi-gallery.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

TourNews.indd 19

13/02/2012 21:15

20 | coAcH & Bus weeK | February 15, 2012

news focus › ARRIVA YORKSHIRE

Arriva Yorkshire unveils 43 new buses All 43 new Wright Gemini2s make impressive sight at stately home as £8m fleet launched Arriva Yorkshire unveiled its £8m investment in 43 new Wright Gemini 2 buses in spectacular style on Wednesday (February 8).

They were launched at Temple Newsam House with the help of 60 excited school children who had applied to be a part of the great

celebration. The pupils, helped by lifting eight foot high letters which spelt the words ‘We are Yorkshire’.

With the aid of a specially chartered helicopter from Leeds Bradford Airport, the move led to some spectacular photographs.

Thankfully, the significance of the event was not lost on the wider mainstream media, with the photographs gracing the pages of several national newspapers and

hence generating good PR for the bus industry.

“What’s especially important for us is the scale of investment,” Nigel Featham, managing director for Arriva Yorkshire told Coach & Bus Week.

“More brand new buses are due to enter the fleet this summer and as a result the intake will be 85 this year. With a PVR (Peak Vehicle Requirement) of 289, that’s a big

proportion of our fleet. We’re trying to underline our commitment to West Yorkshire.

“All the new buses are fitted with CCTV, smartcard enabled ticket machines and form part of the real-time information project.

We’ve increased passengers in the recession and want to continue that.

It is the reason, we’re deliberately keeping the network stable as much as we can.”

It goes without saying that in an environment where the commitment of operators in being questioned through the Quality Contract debate this sends out a very strong message.

Some of the routes which will see new vehicles include the 229 Huddersfield – Heckmondwike

www.coachandbusweek.com

NewsFocus.indd 20

13/02/2012 21:08

February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21

Join the discussion on Twitter by following us at @cbwtweets and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coachandbusweek – Leeds, 126/127 Dewsbury – Wakefield and the 110 Wakefield – Leeds. Other routes will also benefit as newer vehicles are cascaded throughout the fleet.

Interestingly, the new buses for the firm’s premier route 110 have been fitted with E Leather, its first use at Arriva Yorkshire.

Colin Newbury, head of operations at Arriva Yorkshire told Coach & Bus Week: “We want to evaluate the durability of E Leather before we introduce it to our other routes. The existing buses (East Lancs Olympus Volvos) on the route used traditional leather but the material is starting to show its age.

I know it’s a natural process – it’s gone wrinkly and has stretched.

By contrast, the new buses for

routes 126/7 are being fitted with moquette.

“As a result of this investment, about a third of the Arriva Yorkshire fleet is being reshuffled or being withdrawn. The latter include Darts and DAF SB220s, which are mainly being put up for sale rather than transferring to other Arriva operating companies.”

Immediately after the launch, the buses were then driven straight into services across Wakefield, Dewsbury and Leeds.

Colin continued: “All 41 new buses entered service in the afternoon. The idea was for people go to work on the current vehicles and come home on brand new buses - quite literally out with the old and in with the new.”

No fewer than 26 of the 43 buses can be seen here as they snake around to Temple Newsam House

www.coachandbusweek.com

NewsFocus.indd 21

13/02/2012 21:09

22 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

DELIVERIES

Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors

GLASGOW CITYBUS Glasgow Citybus has ordered another 15 ADL E200s as it bids to standardise and modernise its fleet. Citybus is a subsidiary of West Coast Motors and operates a network of bus services in Glasgow’s north-west area.

The order follows a

previous delivery of five E200s in May 2010. Seven of the new vehicles went straight into service this week on route 17 between Duntocher and Glasgow city centre. The other eight are due in May. Colin Craig, MD of West Coast Motors, said: “In modernising our operation we looked carefully at the options. We have no doubt

the E200 meets all of our needs. We’re very happy with its versatility, low operating costs, stylish look and performance. It’s ideal for our Citybus services in Glasgow. Since our first order of Enviro200s in 2007 we’ve been impressed with the quality and the support we receive from ADL.” The seven new Enviro200s are all 10.8 metre models, with bonded glass, contoured bumpers, continuous cove saloon lighting and Mobitec LED destination equipment.

STAGECOACH YORKSHIRE One of Sheffield’s most popular bus services has been boosted by five new vehicles costing £600,000 to meet demand from its growing number of users.

The Supertram Link, which connects passengers in Stocksbridge, Deepcar and

FACT FILE

CHASSIS/BODy ADL Enviro200 EngInE Cummins ISBe four-

cylinder 160PS EEV TRAnSmISSIOn Allison S2100 SEATS 39 SpEC Mobitec LED destination gear SUppLIED By

ADL 01483 571271 www.alexander-dennis.com

Angela Smith MP and Paul Lynch, Stagecoach Yorkshire MD

ROBINSONS HOLIDAYS Robinsons Holidays of Great Harwood, Blackburn, have recently taken delivery of the very first B13R Volvo coach in Lancashire.

The tri-axle, 14 metre, high specification coach features Jonckheere bodywork and the powerful and fuel efficient Euro 5, Volvo D13C engine. The new vehicle has a fully integrated driveline, including the Volvo I-Shift and Volvo RS 1228C rear axle.

“I wasn’t initially aware that it was the first in the county, until Volvo Bus regional sales manager Duncan Crosby pointed it out and obviously we were absolutely delighted to have secured the first one,” explained Robinsons

Oughtibridge with the tram at Middlewood, from where they can travel into the city centre and onwards, is one of Stagecoach Sheffield’s biggest success stories.

The SL1 service, launched in June 2007 to create an integrated link with the tram, has recorded more than 600,000 passenger journeys in the last 12 months – a 10% increase. The service

seats in blue, with leather trim. The vehicle is specified with an onboard toilet, servery and fridge. It also features TV monitors, CD/ DVD player and sound system, whilst an integrated reversing camera provides an important aid for the driver when manoeuvring.

Externally the new coach is finished in the company’s traditional and highly recognisable dark blue livery.

FACT FILE

Holidays director, David Lord. “The coach met our requirements particularly because the three axle chassis allows for extra seating. It also provides increased leg room, which is important considering the vehicle will be doing a lot of

tour work down to the South Coast, where we have our holiday hotels.”

“We now have 16 coaches in our fleet, 10 of which are on a Volvo chassis,” he continued.

“Fuel efficiency and overall performance were

the other key considerations in our decision to choose Volvo again. Added to that is the tremendous backup and support we get from Thomas Hardie Commercials.”

Fitted to a high standard, the new Robinsons Holidays B13R features 59 passenger

CHASSIS/BODy Volvo B13R/VDL Jonckheere EngInE Volvo D13C TRAnSmISSIOn Volvo I-Shift SEATS 59 SpEC Touring SUppLIED By

Volvo Bus UK 02476 210250 www.volvobuses.com/bus/uk/ en-gb

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

www.coachandbusweek.com

www.coachandbusweek.com

Deliveries.indd 22

13/02/2012 20:43

February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23

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

Email all the details and pictures to cbwinbox@ rouncymedia.co.uk

operates every 10 minutes, Monday to Saturday.

The five new ADL E200s have 37 seats compared to the 27 on the Optare Solos used on this route, providing room for an extra 60 people every hour.

They were unveiled at the Middlewood Road Park and Ride, in Hillsborough,

by Angela Smith, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, who welcomed the investment made by Stagecoach Yorkshire to meet passenger demand.

FACT FilE

CHASSiS/BOdy ADL Enviro200 EnginE Cummins ISBe f4.5 litre

(185bhp)

TrAnSmiSSiOn Voith D823.3 SEATS 37 SpEC Stagecoach SUppliEd By

ADL 01483 571271 www.alexander-dennis.com

ARRIVA SOUTHERN COUNTIES Arriva Southern Counties (ASC) has taken delivery of its eighteenth Optare Versa, following the 12 which entered service at Southendon-Sea depot last November, and another five for the service between Tunbridge Wells and Bromley a few weeks later.

The latest bus is identical to the others, but owned

by Kent County Council as their contribution to a partnership which has seen an improvement in services between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, following last autumn’s opening of the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital. ASC increased the frequency of its services between the two towns from three an hour to four.

ASC managing director Heath Williams, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to increase the frequency between the two towns whilst at the same time giving a half-hourly service to the new hospital.

“With the exception of a small number of evening journeys, our services 6, 6A and 7 between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells are provided without financial

support, and we are pleased to be able to offer them, in partnership with Kent County Council.”

Branded for the three services between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, the 6, 6A and 7, the new Versa is now running from Maidstone depot.

Bryan Sweetland, Kent County Council cabinet member for environment, highways and waste, said:

“I’m delighted to see that by working in partnership, KCC and Arriva have delivered a service improvement which will provide real benefits to Kent’s travelling public.

“Route 6 provides an important link between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and also serves the new Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury.

“Increasing the frequency has not only made it more convenient for exisiting users, but has made it an attractive option for car users.”

FACT FilE

CHASSiS/BOdy Optare Versa EnginE Mercedes-Benz 115kw

Euro 5

TrAnSmiSSiOn Allison 2100 SEATS 37 SpEC Standard SUppliEd By

Optare 08434 873 200 www.optare.com

www.coachandbusweek.com

Deliveries.indd 23

13/02/2012 20:43

24 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

eg

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

› TRAINING

The September 2013 deadline for Driver CPC training for exisiting PCV licence holders will soon be upon us

Are you ready for the Driver CPC deadline?

Although coach and bus drivers have widely taken the weather over the past couple of weeks in their stride, it has still strongly highlighted the need for drivers to be trained to deal with difficult conditions. With the Driver CPC training deadline looming, now could be a great time to invest in the skills of your staff. This week’s Essential Guide looks at a variety of training firms and operators which can help give staff the skills to succeed www.coachandbusweek.com

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E

xisting PCV drivers must have their periodic training for Driver CPC completed by September 2013.

With bookings mounting up from both PCV and LGV operators, this deadline is much closer than it appears.

The initial Driver CPC for new drivers is split into four parts: theory test (multiple choice 1 Aand hazard perception); Case studies presenting 2 relevant scenarios; practical examination of 3 Adriving ability; and Vehicle safety demonstration 4 and daily check procedures.

All four parts must be passed for an individual to drive professionally.

Offering Driver CPC training in this week’s Essential Guide are AA Drivetech, Newport Transport, Omnibus Training, EYMS, Western Training Services and Tanat Valley Coaches. Together, these firms provide coverage across much

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The Garage, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Nr Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 0AD The Garage, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Nr Oswestry, Shropshire SY10 0AD

Tel: 01691 780 212

Tel: 01691 780 212

Fax: 01691 780 634 Fax: 01691 780 634

Email: info@tanat.co.uk

Email: info@tanat.co.uk

Coach Hire • Day & Holiday Tours • Local Bus and School Services • Garage Services • MOTs • Driver Training Coach Hire • Day & Holiday Tours • Local Bus and School Services • Garage Services • MOTs • Driver Training

Tanat Valley Coaches have been serving the borderlands of Powys and Shropshire for almost 100 years as well as delivering driver training to the bus and coach industry for over 10 years. The last 3 years have seen the training department expand its services, to include:

· · · · · ·

PSV & LGV initial driver training CPC Initial & Periodic Training for PSV & LGV B+E car and trailer training In-house assessor training Driver assessments and training Fuel saving and compliance systems training & development And we can deliver the training to your doorstep with our mobile classroom and training unit, thus supplying fantastic training in the most convenient of ways!

Driver CPC is fast becoming a big issue, with many companies and drivers leaving it till the last minute in the hope that it might go away! Don’t be left behind, contact us today to arrange convenient and flexible training at very competitive rates.

We have recently become a member of RTITB’s Master Driver Consortium, a nationally recognised non-profit training organisation that is one of the largest In the UK, where every instructor is trained to a high standard in order to deliver their high quality courses.

We have a wide range of courses to choose from so, whether you’re an individual looking for a career change or a company looking to reduce overheads and raise standards, Tanat Valley can help you get results. If you have any questions or would like more information contact our Training Manager Daniel Stephenson, who will be happy to help.

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of Britain, with many of them able to travel to their client’s own premises to deliver the training.

Outside of the Driver CPC, Novadata provide systems training for staff to ensure they don’t fall foul of regulation. Though based in Essex, Novadata can visit premises anywhere in Europe.

QV Associates are offering route and timetabling scheduling courses in March, although you can catch the next round in November if you miss it.

Also featured in this week’s Essential Guide is DDE Plus, which provides practical training for staff on how to avoid drink driving. It uses a refreshing method which knows staff do not want to drink and drive and helps them avoid being caught out, instead of simply saying ‘do not drink and drive, or else.’

AA DRIVETECH

The AA is the largest provider of cradle to grave driver training in

Newport Transport offers both PCV and HGV training the country and claims to offer the most experience and a brand which drivers everywhere know and trust.

Drawing on its wide experience in delivering a range of engaging driver development workshops throughout the UK, The AA’s

commercial driver training division, AA DriveTech, has devised a range of Driver CPC courses which should provide something of value for even the most experienced professional driver: n Driver CPC Safe Culture

Workshop [Full Day]: The commercial and social benefits of everybody in an organisation being committed to driver safety n Driver CPC Speed Control Workshop [Full Day]: The facts surrounding, and benefits of proactive speed management n Driver CPC Urban Driving Workshop [Full Day]: Covers all the safety and regulatory concerns whilst operating in an urban environment n Customer Service Workshop [Full Day]: Developing customer carerelated skills specifically for the PCV driver n Driver CPC Tachograph and Driver’s Hours Workshop [Half Day]: An abbreviated review of legislative requirements, their raison d’etre and procedures for compliance n Driver CPC Economy Driving Workshop [Half Day]: Classroombased but still crammed full of hints and tips to help make every litre of fuel go further n Driver CPC Mobile Phone Workshop [Half Day]: The truth

Vital skills for success

A registered Drug & Alcohol Road Safety Charity (1120072) which aims to reduce the incidence of drink and drug driving through education not scare tactics.

Specialising in interactive avoidance courses for companies and colleges, workplace policies, ʻDonʼt Blow Your Licenceʼ training DVD and much more.

Call 0844 2511 363 today or visit www.drinkdrive.org.uk

C Courses on Network and Timetable Planning Bus and Crew Scheduling

Q QV Associates

New Alphabet House Carden Street Worcester WR1 2AT Phone 01905-613527 Fax 01905-767509 e-mail courses@qv-associates.co.uk

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behind the danger of using a mobile phone inappropriately n Driver CPC Vehicle Checks and Effective Loading Workshop [Half Day]: Everything you need to know to ensure your vehicle and passengers are always safe and secure n Driver CPC Good Samaritan Workshop [Half Day]: Equipping all drivers with the ability to react correctly when first on the scene at a road collision n Driver CPC Real World Training Course [Full Day]: Defensive driving techniques tailored to the everyday working environment n Driver CPC Economy Driving Course [Full Day]: A practical training course helping to make every litre count, without compromising journey times n Driver CPC Reversing and Manoeuvring Course [Half Day]: Improving technique in the most common collision scenario.

In response to growing demand, AA DriveTech has now created a specific course for drivers employed by local authorities. Consisting of five individual modules, the Local Authority Driver CPC Course delivers the full 35 hours of training required by the Driver CPC regulations and can be spread over time or completed in five days back to back if required.

AA DriveTech’s Driver CPC courses can be delivered at customers’ premises or through open sessions, where one can purchase individual places, at a number of regional centres.

T: 0845 345 9626 E: drivercpc@ AAdrivetech.com W: www.aadrivetech.com/ drivercpc/index.asp

QV ASSOCIATES QV Associates have updated their well-established courses on the planning of bus timetables, and the scheduling of buses and drivers so as to focus on the current financial issues.

The Worcester-based firm believes planning and scheduling are sometimes treated as mere technical skills – but they’re actually an essential part of bus operations and every serious professional ought to have a good understanding of them, irrespective of whether they work for an operator or a local authority.

The courses are residential,

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based at a hotel in Birmingham, and run from Tuesday lunchtime to Friday lunchtime to allow time for travelling to and fro. The next pair of courses this year will be: an introduction to bus and coach scheduling, taking place March 6-9 and route & timetable planning on March 20-23. After this, the next pair will run in November 2012.

T: 01905 613527 E: courses@ qv-associates.com

NT COMMERCIAL DRIVER TRAINING CENTRE The Newport Transport (NT) Commercial Driver Training Centre is a leading provider of HGV, PCV and Driver CPC training in South Wales, specialising in comprehensive, expert training tailored to an operator’s diary and budgetary needs.

The Centre is responsible for providing PCV and CPC driver training for municipallyowned Newport Bus, the city’s main operator, while also being the centre of choice for small businesses, large operators and individual drivers across South Wales and the West of England.

With its dedicated training school and expert team of training co-ordinators, the NT Commercial Driver Training Centre is approved

by JAUPT and offers specialised group and one-to-one training in: HGV, PCV, CPC, tachograph, drivers’ hours, minibus and forklift driving.

NT’s extensive range of accredited courses and assessments cover all aspects of commercial driver training and can be flexibly arranged to suit an operator’s requirements. The qualified instructors employed are Midas, CPC trained and DSA registered.

One-to-one training is offered either at an operator’s premises or NT’s offices, while courses can be tailored to fit around existing working hours, seven days a week, including evenings and weekends.

T: 01633 261886 W: www.nt-drivertraining.

co.uk

OMNIBUS TRAINING Omnibus successfully delivers CPC and NVQ training during the day, evening and at weekends for the transport industry.

It is an approved centre for

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the delivery of the CPC training programme for PCV and LGV drivers, and has been recognised as an example of best practice by awarding bodies, having won the Learning and Skills Council London West ‘Champions of Learning’ award.

Omnibus specialises in government funded training programmes, which means it can provide cost-effective training packages to meet the needs of small and large organisations. All Omnibus’ courses are bespoke and developed with the employer to ensure minimum disruption to their business’s activities.

Training can be delivered at one of Omnibus’ local training sites or at the employer’s workplace.

Omnibus has provided small and large organisations with training and support services throughout the UK, predominantly in the South East England area. 98% of learners and employers scored the training delivery as excellent.

Working with its network of

employers has enabled Omnibus to offer a range of qualifications leading to the continued professional development of drivers, driver trainers, support staff, and management in the road transport industry.

Individual one-day courses or five one-day courses of seven hours per day are available. Omnibus funding may be available, subject to contract terms and conditions.

The firm’s Driver CPC courses cover the following; n Health and Safety at work n Effective working relationships n Customer Care n Preparing the Vehicle n Special Needs Passengers (PCV only) n Sharing Information of Service n Deal with Difficult Passengers (PCV only) n Driving Safely and Efficiently n Operating passenger Systems (PCV only) n Dealing with Incidents and Emergencies n Monitoring the loading of the

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vehicle by others (LGV only) n Maintaining the safety and security of the load (LGV only) T: 020 3006 7259 E: enquiries@ omnibusltd.com W: www.omnibusltd.com

EYMS BUS & COACH TRAINING EYMS Bus & Coach Training, part of the EYMS (East Yorkshire Motor Services) Group, was created in 2008 to deliver approved Driver CPC courses both to EYMS staff and external customers. With training previously embedded within EYMS, EYMS Bus & Coach Training understands the importance of quality training.

EYMS has invested in dedicated training rooms in Bridlington and at the EYMS head office in Hull. The Hull room features a comfortable temperature-controlled environment.

The training is delivered by a

An EYMS Bus & Coach Training bus (above) and EYMS staff won the Mail News & Media Award in 2009 (left) team of nine, all of whom have extensive ‘hands-on’ experience from the industry. In addition to delivering Driver CPC-approved courses, EYMS Bus & Coach Training provides initial PCV licence acquisition and Module 4 Driver CPC Practical Demonstration instruction in addition to driving assessment courses.

The firm’s measure of success is the training division winning the Training Excellence Awards at its

local Mail News & Media Business Awards in 2009 and 2010 - in addition to being a finalist in 2011.

EYMS delivers four seven-hour Driver CPC courses: n Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) n Customer Care and Disability Equality (Awareness) n WTR, Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Regulations n Defensive Driving & Driver Development course In addition to modular (3.5 hour) courses which can be combined to make a seven-hour course covering: n Health and Safety n Manual Handling n Working Time, Drivers Hours & Tachograph regulations re-fresher n Driver Safety Checks & Basic Mechanical Principles n Driver Legal Awareness n Safe Banksman/Reversing Vehicle Operation Prices start at £65 (plus VAT & DSA fee) for individual course completions (subject to course topic) with discounts for group

JAUPT APPROVED CENTRE AC000416

Get your drivers qualified – NOW!

DRIVER CPC TRAINING PRICES FROM AS LOW AS

£30.000 + VAT* 1 or 5 Day Courses available during evenings and weekends Train at our location or at your depot Part Funding may be available to help reduce your costs further Our 5 day course covers the whole range of European Directive Syllabus Excellence rating of over 98% by all our learners and employers CALL OUR BOOKINGS TEAM NOW!!!

FREEPHONE 0800 158 3731 www.omnibusltd.com *Jaupt registration fees apply

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bookings starting for groups of two upwards.

£390 for 14 people.

Rachel Masters, project manager at DDE plus, said: “We’ve provided training for large firms in the past, such as Biffa and Tesco delivery drivers, as well as Tappins Coaches in Didcot, all of which we’ve had great feedback from. We look forward to working with more firms in the coach and bus industry.”

T: 01482 592935 E: kendrewd@eyms.co.uk W: www.eyms.co.uk

TANAT VALLEY COACHES Tanat Valley Coaches have almost 100 years’ of experience serving the borderlands of Powys and Shropshire, with 10 years’ experience delivering driver training.

It has introduced a fresh range of training in the last three years, including PSV and LGV initial driver training and in-house assessor training.

Tanat Valley also offers a mobile classroom and training unit, on board a dedicated training coach.

Daniel Stephenson, training manager at Tanat Valley Coaches, said: “The beauty of the mobile classroom is that it can visit operators and allow the training to be done there and then, whether it has the facilities or not. All that is needed is a power point.”

Tanat Valley has recently become a member of RTITB’s master driving consortium, meaning it can be relied upon to deliver high quality instruction with its courses.

T: 01691 780212 E: info@tanat.co.uk W: www.tanat.co.uk

NOVADATA Novadata is one of the country’s leading providers of transport training, resources, services and products.

Drivers of passenger vehicles with more than nine seats are responsible under the law in ways which go far beyond that of any other profession.

Employers also have legally enforceable responsibilities for the training and actions of their drivers.

This is stated in Article 10 of the new Driver’s Hour’s Regulations.

Understanding and implementing the law is a joint responsibility, and failure to do either could result in prosecution and even the restriction or loss of the company operating licence.

Novadata run numerous courses for both drivers and employers which outline what’s needed to avoid falling foul of the enforcement agencies, thereby protecting the livelihood of those in the industry. www.coachandbusweek.com

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T: 0844 2511 363 W: www.drinkdrive.org.uk

WESTERN TRAINING SERVICES

Tanat Valley offers a mobile classroom and training unit Training just doesn’t stop there.

Novadata can also provide followup checks with driver’s analysis of tachographs and companies ‘O’ licence audits.

All courses are held at Braintree in Essex, but can be held at an operator’s premises or other venues to suit its needs anywhere in Europe.

As well as offering courses, Novadata claims it is committed to sourcing quality transport related products at competitive prices.

As a result it is able to offer a comprehensive range of transport support items including digital tachograph products, charts, defect books and accessories.

Novadata says it is passionate about its customers and continually strives to meet the needs they have today as well as planning and innovating for the needs they will have tomorrow. Its mission has always been to bring together transport experts and unite them in a single purpose, to create the very best results for clients.

T: 01376 552999 E: enquiries@ novadata.co.uk W: www.novadata.co.uk

DDE PLUS DDE Plus is a registered Drug and Alcohol Road Safety Charity (1120072) which provides training and information especially designed to protect firms from the effects of drink and drug driving.

Everyone tells you ‘not’ to drink drive but DDE Plus tell you ‘how not’ to, when that large glass of red wine will be out of your system or if those four pints of beer will still

be in your system the next morning when you report for work.

The DDE Plus training DVD is ideal for everyone – particularly coach and bus drivers but also those who drive ‘to work’ as well as ‘for work’. It’s also suitable for drivers an operator can’t afford to have off the road, or need to train in small numbers at a time and place to suit them. Indeed, it fits well into any induction programme.

This 50 minute training session approaches the issue of drink and drug driving from the point of view of the morning after. It will ensure drivers know ‘how’ not to drink drive.

Learning outcomes are that staff will have clear knowledge of how to calculate when they can drive after drinking. The problem with the ‘DON’T DRINK DRIVE’ message is it doesn’t say when you can drive. The DVD shows how to calculate units so drivers will know when they are alcohol free and therefore fit for work or to drive. It even has a before and after knowledge quiz.

The DVD costs £49.00 and will help to protect a business from the loss of a valuable driver.

DDE Plus also provides half day interactive training courses which improve participants’ knowledge and understanding about the effects of drugs and alcohol on driving ability. It will ensure they know how to comply with the company’s drug and alcohol policy, report for, and remain alcohol free and not impaired through drugs at work and assist the company in complying with relevant H&S legislation. The course includes a pre and post questionnaire. It is usually ‘in-house’ at a time and place to suit. The course costs from

Western Training Services (WTS) is the second terminal-based ADR training centre in the UK. Based at the Matford Business Centre in Exeter, it is the only approved online training facility of its kind in the south of England; the other Scottish Qualifications Authority/Driving Standards Agency-approved facility is in Manchester.

WTS is owned by Del Haggerty, managing director of The Freelance Coach Drivers Team Ltd. He said: “Together the two companies complement each other very well and WTS has a very bright future.”

Daniel Lavery is the director of training and is a qualified Department of Transport dangerous goods safety advisor.

He also holds instructor and examiner registrations with both ITSSAR and ALLMI. Also among the team is Charlie Haggerty, finance director.

WTS can offer swift Driver CPC training and certification, as well as easy access to a range of courses and accreditations which are a legal necessity for the haulage/driving and construction industries. These include: n Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) & Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driver training n Independent Training Standards Scheme and Register (ITSSAR) n Transport Manager CPC for both national & international operators in the haulage & coach industries WTS can offer testing and immediate results at its Exeterbased training centre, with a capacity for 14 delegates per session. All courses must be prebooked and paid for in advance.

T: 0845 894 0844 E: info@wts.co.uk W: www.westerntrainingservices. co.uk

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THE BIG PICTURE

Snowdonia is a popular haunt for touring coaches at all times of the year. A prime example is this tri-axle Shearings Setra S416GT-HD ‘BK11COA’, one of a large number of the type in the fleet, pictured by editor Gareth Evans on Saturday, January 28. The coach is seen at the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s Porthmadog Harbour Station, a popular location to not only park coaches but also to ride on the heritage railways, which run from the town to Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon respectively.

Customers are seen boarding the coach prior to departure to Blaenau Ffestiniog for the Llechwedd Slate Caverns – a journey they might normally complete by rail, although the railways were not operating on this particular day due to being closed for winter maintenance.

The coach driver was most friendly and only too proud to have his coach photographed. His friendly yet professional manner with his customers was only too apparent.

Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to say he was an ambassador for Shearings and the industry as a whole.

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OpErAtOr UpdAtE › coliseum coaches

Coliseum’s silver and black livery compliments the high-quality fleet

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OPERATOR: Coliseum Coaches LOCATION: West End, Southampton fLEET SIzE: 12 CONTACT: 023 8047 2377 www.coliseumcoaches.co.uk

Coliseum Coaches enters its third generation

Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans talks to renowned Hampshire coach operator Coliseum Coaches about the firm’s developments, including its acquisition of the goodwill of Eassons Coaches and the next generation coming into the business

C

oliseum Coaches is without doubt a smart, well-run professional outfit.

Based at West End on the edge of Southampton, the family firm was established 63 years ago. It’s rightly proud of its history. Indeed, it’s a matter which visitors to the two-storey offices cannot fail to miss, the walls being adorned with photos of all the old vehicles operated over the years plus past achievements and magazine trade covers, several of which are from CBW and its predecessor Coachmart.

Brothers Kerry and David Pitter have been joined in more recent times by David’s son Mark, who is now the transport manager. Last week Coliseum formally took over the goodwill and diary of fellow local operator Eassons Coaches.

Father & son

“Quite uniquely, I’ve never worked for anyone else,” explained David.

“I started working for my dad at the age of 11 on Saturdays, taking excursion bookings. I left school aged 15 after learning book keeping and typing in preparation for the business. I remember my father telling me when I was 14 that our bookkeeper would be retiring in two years. Dad said I would spend a year learning his job

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OpErAtOr UpdAtE › coliseum coaches

and then take over – and that’s exactly what I did.

“I started here in 1963 and have been here ever since. My one regret is dad never put me in the workshop for experience. I’d been here a year when dad announced he was taking his first holiday. It wasn’t just a weekend away though – he took four weeks off. Unbeknown to me at the time, dad told the drivers to make a man of me or they would be left with no jobs!

“He left me a load of signed blank cheques. It was crazy really but he believed in me. I didn’t think I would ever get through it but I did and it made me grow up fast.

“As a person I feel I’ve done well in life – but I was never given a choice about what I wanted to do.

I’ve got two sons – one didn’t want to come into the business. Both of them went to university. My eldest decided he wanted to be a quantity surveyor and has a good job in Bournemouth. After leaving university, Mark decided he’d like to come into the business. I told him he would not have an easy ride as he was going to have to learn to drive a coach first and also do some time in the workshop. The best way is to learn from the ground up and take it from there.”

Mark, who is aged 30, gained his CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) in January 2011. “It cost us £1,200 to put Mark through the International Operators CPC. Not that we’ve got any intention of running local bus services but he now has the relevant qualification’s should we wish to further expand in the future,” added David.

Mark explained: “I started cleaning in the yard on Saturday mornings when I was at school and then joined the business full-time at the age of 22 after I obtained my degree in Business Management. I spent a year working in the office, then two winters in the workshop helping with the MOT preparation and then three summers driving and in the office. The most enjoyable part of my apprenticeship was the driving because frankly each day was different.”

David, aged 63, plans to retire in the Spring.

Fleet

“We purchased our first ‘corporate’ specification coach in 1990, a Setra S215HD which won Coach of the Year at both Brighton and Blackpool coach rallies, one of the few vehicles ever to win both. www.coachandbusweek.com

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This impressive Beulas-bodied MAN won Best Executive Coach at the Brighton Coach Rally in 2008 (above); and a friendly, professional service is assured from the management - Mark, David and Kerry Pitter (below)

“We learnt valuable lessons back in 1992 during the last recession as we were far too vulnerable to the banks,” explained Kerry. “That’s when I spent a whole weekend drawing up my first business plan. This was implemented in its entirety with cutting out all of the dead wood etc. Within three years we were back on schedule. It made us change from being old-fashioned coach operators to businessmen.

My brother David and I vowed never to let the business get in that position again. We now own all of our vehicles outright. After turning the business around we then purchased the garage and the land from the business in order to create

“We’re a small family firm. The largest our fleet has ever been is 17. What matters most to us is profit.

There’s no point in just turning over cash. Why run more vehicles and have headaches?”

David Pitter

an income for our retirement. As a result we’ve been able to ride this recession without any real problems. Come April the oldest vehicle in the general fleet will be three years old except for the one remaining Beulas Aura which will be four years old.”

Kerry continued: “Since changing our fleet to Neoplan Tourliners, all of our vehicles have four-year bumper to bumper warranties, which means we can keep our operating costs to a minimum and budget accurately.”

In 2008 Coliseum acquired three Beulas-bodied MANs, one of which won Best Executive Coach at Brighton Coach Rally. Then in 2009, the firm bought two Tourliners, followed by three more a year later and a pair in 2011.

A 19-seater was also acquired in late 2009, one of the last Taweconverted Mercedes-Benz Sprinters before Tawe went into liquidation.

“Apart from a couple of problems with window bonding, it’s been a great tool for us,” said Kerry.

“We don’t run any school contracts within our coach fleet and so decided to keep the 19-seater free from any contracts, enabling it to have much more flexibility for our corporate clients who originally requested us to purchase an ‘up market’ small vehicle. It’s a lovely smooth coach to drive being fully automatic and has a ‘wow’ factor

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work closely with them as they are the nearest operator with football spec coaches.”

In addition to private hire, Coliseum provide a wide range of day excursions throughout the UK and further afield.

Kerry was keen to stress the importance of keeping the firm at a

about it with its two-tone leather seats and ambient LED lighting as well as a drinks fridge, DVD player and air conditioning. We wanted something similar in specification to our full-size coaches whereby the customers would not feel short changed, especially when the coach is accompanying one of the bigger coaches.

Coliseum is due to take delivery of three new Neoplan tri-axle Tourliners this year, which will replace the two Beulas Cygnus touring coaches which are mostly used on Lochs & Glens Work touring Scotland.

closely with the parts department to keep the parts the operator expects on the shelves.

“We work with Southampton and Portsmouth Football Clubs who share the same Team Coach on alternative weekends. If they happen to clash, we hire a similar vehicle from Clarkes of London. We

Profit margins were down in 2010 but have risen again in 2011. While the firm is still not where it was four years ago, this year looks to be a bumper year with the Eassons work and the Olympic games.

“Coliseum has operated MAN vehicles since 1987. I think staying with MAN has helped our business because they’re the only manufacturer to offer a four-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. In an age of economic austerity, it takes the risk factor out of it – something which is vital for an operation like ours. Our local MAN dealer operates 24 hours a day. I’ve personally worked with MAN UK in developing the Tourliner and I’ve also worked

One of the Neoplan Tourliners (above); An interior view of a Tourliner (above right); and the Tawe-converted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (below)

Business Mix

Eassons Coaches: a brief history

After 92 years of operation, the long established Southampton coach operator Eassons Coaches is to cease the operation of coaches.

Founded in 1920 by Douglas J Easson, the business started by operating a bus service with a Model T Ford based vehicle from Sholing to the Itchen ferry in Southampton. This service was extended over the next few years to the village of Hedge End and continued to operate throughout World War II until being taken over

by Hants & Dorset in the early 1950s. Later in the 1920s, a twice-weekly express service was started to carry visitors from Southampton to Knowle Hospital near Fareham, and this service was continued through until 1979 without ever missing a run. In the early days these services were the mainstay of the business, while the private hire side was gradually built up around them.

Douglas Easson died very suddenly in 1924.

The business continued after it was taken over by his widow Ellen Louise Easson who brought up the family and ran the buses with the help of a close family friend, Bob Essex. As they reached the age of 17, the second generation, Ernie and

Alec Easson were drafted in to drive the buses and continue the business. This was before the days of the Road Traffic Act when the minimum age of 21 to drive a PSV was brought in. Ernie was well known locally, as after suffering from polio as a young boy, he grew up with a severe weakness in one leg and always used to drive ‘one footed.’ He continued until being forced to give up driving in the early 1960s due to continued ill health, after which he still kept an interest in the administrative side. Throughout this time, Alec continued to drive and maintain the vehicles and, following the death of Ernie in the early 1970s, he continued the running of the business on his own. After being joined by Doug and Ralph Easson, the third generation, in the mid and late 1970s respectively, Alec finally retired from the active side of the business in 1986, having held a PSV licence for 57 years.

Although the business is still profitable, now in their mid 60s, Doug and Ralph have decided the time has come to plan for their own retirement. The firm has remained small, building up from what was always a five-vehicle operation to a maximum of 10 in the late 1980s and then reducing down to seven vehicles in more recent times. To maintain quality standards and profitability, there has always been a policy of having the number of vehicles

manageable, profitable size: “We’re a small family firm. The largest our fleet has ever been is 17 coaches.

We are not in business to help keep the dole queue down and so we run an optimum number of vehicles for the work we have but at the same time maintaining a good profit margin in order to carry on with our vehicle replacement program and give ourselves a decent standard of living.”

Kerry added: “There’s always one of us here in charge of the office. We pride ourselves on our ability to give instant quotes and to sort out any problems as and when they happen.”

David said: “A lot of operators don’t respond to a quotation request for two or more days. We don’t believe in ‘call backs’. In this day and age everyone expects an instant answer, so that’s what we give.”

Kerry said the same approach is applied to internet-based communication as it is with the telephone. Therefore, the aim is to answer emails within an hour but always the same day.”

Coliseum Coaches is fortunate to have a member of the next generation at the forefront. The enthusiasm and drive of his father and uncle have clearly rubbed off on him - and long may it continue.

to suit the work rather than trying to find work to suit the number of vehicles.

For the last 50 years the mainstay has been the private hire business and the company has still retained a very good, long standing customer base even though, in recent times, this has been a diminishing market. The customer base has always been very important to Doug and Ralph and much thought went into who would be best placed to continue operating their private business. They are delighted that an agreement has been made with Coliseum Coaches, for the transfer of the private hire customer base and future bookings together with two very experienced drivers, Ian Stephens and Alan Dyke, who have had nearly 60 years service between them with Eassons. With many similarities between the two companies, in as much as Coliseum are also a very long established, three-generation family business, having operated coaches for more than 60 years from their base in West End, Southampton, Doug and Ralph are confident that their customers will continue to enjoy excellent service.

Although no longer operating coaches, in the short term, Doug and Ralph Easson will continue to administer the cruise ship crew transfers during the transition of this part of their business to an operator in the Heathrow area. www.coachandbusweek.com

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38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

FACE TO FACE › john bickerton

An engineer with people in mind John Bickerton found out early on in his engineering and industry career: everything boils down to people. The technical standards manager for First Bus and winner of Engineer of the Year talks to Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon about his career so far, including the roll out of DriveGreen, and the path ahead for FirstGroup

ohn Bickerton has been passionate about driving since he was a teenager – not only did it give him personal freedom when growing up in the Peak District but outside of work he will often be found with his head under the bonnet of his treasured LandRover Ninety.

From driving buses part-time at university, John, 30, is now technical standards manager for First Bus and experiencing both the driver and manager sides of the industry coin has served him well.

If driving and implementing the rollout of First’s DriveGreen initiative across some 8,500 buses has not in itself been achievement enough, John won the Engineer of the Year accolade at UK Bus Awards last November and he is a bright, quirky and determined young man who even drove guests to his wedding last September in a vintage Olympian, kindly loaned by his friends Tom Curtis and Dr Mike Walker.

Highly enthusiastic about the new wave of localism starting to flow through the veins of the group, he welcomes the greater sense of room for manoeuvre and ownership this is bringing to depots and workshops on the ground.

For John, the crux is having the right people in place and he is keen to encourage new recruits to the engineering profession.

Driver turned manager Turning burgers in McDonalds is something John, thankfully, didn’t www.coachandbusweek.com

F2FJohnBickerton.indd 38

Nick Jones of the IRTE (left), which sponsors the UK Bus Awards Engineer of the Year award, with John Bickerton last November stick at to supplement his five-year mathematical engineering course at Bath University otherwise he might never have joined the industry. “A bus on the University route went by and it said on the back ‘do you think you can drive this?’ Well, I thought it’s double the money and I get to sit down because McDonalds was a very,” he pauses and continues, “focused placed to work.”

Joining what was then called First Streamline, John spent four years driving buses part time, including the introduction of bendy buses in Bath, which despite the initial apprehension, was “unrivalled” for the passenger numbers they picked up.

He also kept his hand firmly in the automotive pie through summer placements at Cosworth and Lotus, which he found very interesting and enjoyable, and by the end of his course he was being offered work for “not very much money” as such jobs were in high demand. “At the

other end of the scale there were people like Deutsche Bank who were clamouring for engineers, offering extraordinary salaries and very good benefits because this was 2005 and the world hadn’t imploded yet.” Rejecting what would be a highly stressful environment, John decided he would much rather join First. “My boss at the time asked me why I hadn’t applied to First. To be honest my answer at that point was – because I’m an engineer and you run buses, which in hindsight perhaps wasn’t the brightest thing to have said.”

However, First’s graduate engineering scheme was sold to him and he got his foot on the first rung of the ladder in 2005 working as a trainee engineer with First Somerset and Avon, where he spent 12 months working in Bristol at Weston-super-Mare, Bath and Bridgwater. This suddenly turned his insight from a driver’s perspective to that of a manager.

“What was previously ‘why can’t I have double time for this piece of work because it’s overtime?’ was suddenly from the manager’s side ‘how am I going to control a budget when all the drivers are clamouring for higher pay, more hours and people wanting overtime?’ Seeing the world from the other side was a very steep learning curve.”

The people factor

John then joined the group’s engineering audit team for six months, which offered him a different insight. “Again it was very

13/02/2012 22:52

February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 39

NAME: John Bickerton AGE: 30 OCCUpAtiON: Technical Standards Manager, FirstGroup CONtACt: www.firstgroup.com

educational in how it shouldn’t be very hard to do what we do because the auditors are only looking for the things we should already be doing anyway.

“The gaps in the audit trail were usually nothing to do with our process but much more to do with our people at the sites where there were issues. It was invariably a people issue which means all you need to do is get everybody on board, thinking the same way.”

John’s next placement at First London’s Uxbridge depot working for Graham Belgum, then London’s engineering director, was also educational. “There were a number of issues – high lost mileage, high engineering spend – and again it was down to the people. After tackling a couple of individuals and talking to and communicating with the rest of them, we brought the lost mileage down to target within six months.” John adds: “It needed some investment to get there – expenditure, that is, which was paid back by eliminating the waste.”

“At the age of 19, I failed my first bus test which was quite a wake up call for me because at the age of 19 I thought was one of the best drivers in the world. ” John Bickerton

John attributes his success there to the amount of support he got from Graham, his workshop manager and the board. “I don’t think the previous manager had felt he could spend to save – I was empowered to.”

The experience gave John a foundation of “spend to save” and the ability to justify spend and understand, articulate and justify any risk. John says it comes down to “giving people the confidence you have an idea about what’s going on – rather than saying ‘I need more labour’ and throwing money at the problem without a defined end-point for a plan, you say ‘I want to put two men in for eight weeks which will get us to where we should be on our inspection plan, then we will be in a position where our spend will be under control. It seems like a plan, I think it’s going to work – it might not,

www.coachandbusweek.com

F2FJohnBickerton.indd 39

13/02/2012 22:54

40 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

FACE TO FACE › john bickerton

but I think it will’. Articulate that, get it on paper and people support it – or so I’ve found anyway.” And it’s an approach which has worked for him so far.

The birth of DriveGreen John entered the world of fuel saving when he joined First’s central team as project manager in 2007 – again finding people at the heart of the issue. “After playing with different engine settings and different gearbox settings and all the core engineering approaches to ask how we can make the bus better, it became quickly apparent the key to the problem was the people.”

John first experimented with changing the software in the engine of a bus in London to slow the rate of acceleration down to two miles an hour per second. After taking the bus round a route in West London and making stops as if on a route, he achieved about 12% better fuel consumption but when the bus was put out in service, fuel consumption proved worse.

“After driving it around again and getting 12% improvement, I sat in the canteen scratching my head and drinking a cup of tea and a driver said ‘have you just been driving that Dart? It’s terrible, worse than all the rest – it doesn’t accelerate at all, you have to keep your foot down all the time and when you get to traffic lights or at roundabouts you daren’t stop ’cos you’ll never get going again. You end up emergency stopping at traffic lights’. That’s when the penny really dropped – it doesn’t really matter what you do with the bus, it’s how the driver drives it.”

And so, First’s DriveGreen initiative (powered by GreenRoad) came into being, as a small ‘traffic light’ LED monitor fitted onto bus dashboards across First’s bus fleet, which reports back to the driver on how well he or she is doing – with a green light if driving correctly, and an amber or red light if a driver carries out an unnecessary manoeuvre.

“All it does is flash at the driver if he brakes, accelerates or steers too hard,” explains John. “The improvement we’ve seen is purely because the driver changes the way he drives in response to the LED.” While First spent “a fair amount of money” on DriveGreen, the result has been a 4.9% fuel saving and a three to one return, a “decent proportion” of which has www.coachandbusweek.com

F2FJohnBickerton.indd 40

The Bristol Olympian John drove his wedding guests in last September (left); First’s DriveGreen LED monitor (right) been a reduction in injuries and collisions. “Because the driver isn’t accelerating and braking hard, he can look down the road and plan ahead further,” explains John.

“I do think our drivers are better than Arriva, Stagecoach or National Express,” he adds. “I think we are in a very good commercial position because our buses are more efficient than other people’s so we can compete fairly against other operators because our buses are cheaper to run.”

Psychology over engineering

Getting drivers to embrace DriveGreen was not without difficulty. “There was a view we were putting something in drivers’ bus cabs which spies on them and watches how they drive”, John articulates. “I was doing that job for four years, of which I would say three years were psychology and one year was engineering.”

Drivers achieving the lowest scores were rewarded with prizes and those with higher risk scores are given the opportunity for training or to spend time with lower scorers in order to progress.

There are times when drivers don’t agree with the DriveGreen verdict, says John, which might be because the system is too sensitive in their opinion or because they have a different perception of the manoeuvre they have just made.

“It feels less different when you’re sitting behind a steering wheel and to be honest that’s probably why we injure people on buses. The driver has a sturdy square seat, a seat belt and is hanging onto a nice

John Bickerton: a brief history

John Bickerton, 30, studied automotive engineering at the University of Bath. Having taken a part time job driving First buses to fund his degree, he joined First’s two-year graduate engineering management trainee scheme including a nine-month spell as engineering manager at London’s Uxbridge depot. John went on to become a project manager for the group, when he took forward First’s DriveGreen programme. He has been working as First’s technical standards manager for six months now and is chairman of the IMechE Automotive’s Western division.

“We are on a massive drive to increase the effectiveness of our engineering, as part of the Blueprint for Growth programme which is happening within First Bus.” John Bickerton

big steering wheel and he knows what’s going to happen, while the passenger behind the cab can’t tell what’s coming, so they can’t always prepare for it. That’s what we’re trying to address and it does feel different driving in the cab. It’s just a case of turning that psychology around and making the driver understand what a passenger feels.”

A common interest

In fact, DriveGreen has even had an effect on the way John drives.

“This sounds like I’m drinking the company coolade but it’s changed the way I drive my car because it forces you to plan.” He even admits: “I’m now forced to acknowledge I’m not one of the world’s best drivers. At the age of 19, I failed my first bus test which was quite a wake up call for me because at the age of 19 I thought I was one of the best drivers in the world”.

Acknowledging he was probably driving “too fast and too arrogantly”, John surmises: “Failing that test was probably quite good news for me.”

Passing his bus test is one of John’s proudest achievements, as well as completing his degree. “I’ve met quite few engineering graduates who have come out of university – and I was one of them – thinking they know everything about everything. It takes a bit of time and experience to realise that might not be the case.

“I think driving buses has been a big part of that education for me and it makes such a difference when you can talk to somebody when you have a common interest, you have that common ground.”

This helped him massively at

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February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 41

times when the rollout of the DriveGreen project became quite “adversarial”. “Somebody would say ‘you don’t know what it’s like driving at 11 o’ clock at night, the cab window is rattling and the heating isn’t working.’ Well, yeah, I do. In the wrong way that can be very arrogant but tackled the right way it can build bridges very quickly because it shows the level of common ground.

Experience can be a great leveller and this was literally the case during one episode John recalls from his traineeship: “I spent a very educational morning gritting the yard of Weston-super-Mare depot with a wheel barrow and a shovel and I’d done the best part of three quarters of the yard before my colleague Pete came past me on the ride-on gritting machine – he’d let me work my way round manually with the wheel barrow and the shovel. I don’t think that did me any harm at all – that doesn’t mean I didn’t grit his lunch box later.”

Due processes

About six months ago, John stepped up in the central engineering team to become technical standards manager, which he said, is “a whole new ball game”. “I thought I was busy – now I really am”, he quips.

“The bread and butter of the role is managing our standard procedures – how do we fit a road wheel, how do we change a compressor - and revising our maintenance standards in light of issues we have on the field, changing legislation from VOSA and combining the company vision of where we’d like to be,” he explains.

Once the standards have been set, they are filtered through to staff via First’s training department and while paper manuals are used, work is being done to deliver information electronically – including online film clips – which has raised the issue of “up-skilling our guys in terms of computers”.

A big focus for John over the next 12 months will be to help the local managers get First’s workshops running more efficiently and effectively – improving processes at its 60 sites which “do engineering” – to meet next year’s budget.

“We are on a massive drive to increase the effectiveness of our engineering, as part of the Blueprint for Growth programme which is happening within First Bus,” says John. “Fundamentally, it’s about taking out waste and doing more

F2FJohnBickerton.indd 41

with the money we’ve got – which comes back to the people side of things.”

Part of this process is also about changing First’s paperwork and simplifying procedures, which John says are mostly “too long and too wordy”. While working with good people is what he likes most about the role, it’s the people which are the most challenging aspect too, particularly with changes he is making to First’s inspection engineering paperwork and the way people write things down.

“When I ask 10 people for their opinions, I get 12 back and half of them conflict. There comes a point when I’ve just got to have the right level of obstinacy to say thank you for your opinion, it’s very valid but this is the compromise we’re going for.”

John has also started up a monthly newsletter soon to go out to staff, which includes a good practice example at First’s cleaning operation in an Aberdeen depot.

Where before someone would get in and out of the cab numerous times and get diesel all over it, keeping one cleaner in the cab and sharing tasks across a wider number of people means 500 cab door movements each day have been cut down to about 160,

“You can’t decide to deliver a really effective service to the public from head office – it needs to come from the guys on the ground.”

John Bickerton

reducing the likelihood of tripping, and getting the buses out more quickly – and cleaner.

“Only those on the ground know how their operations work,” emphasises John, but he can offer his ideas, tools, help and support, alongside having the right people managing workshops. “They are in charge, not us,” he says.

Embracing localism and empowering depots Indeed, John is wholly supportive of the change of focus towards localism sweeping across First, much of which has been driven by First’s chief executive Tim O’ Toole, he says. “For me it’s really, really good news: I think it’s long overdue.

I think we’ve spent a lot of time taking power away from our depot teams and deciding things centrally and putting a single brand stamp on the world. It may have been a very laudable aim when we were going through steps to create a single, big company and we couldn’t have been where we are now without having done so.

“But now, you can’t decide to deliver a really effective service to the public from head office – it needs to come from the guys on the ground, who know the buses, know the drivers, know the routes and know the people who are travelling,” continues John.

“However strong our brand, when you’re stood in a windy bus stop at the back end of Basildon and the bus is running late, what are we delivering to our customers?

Now we’re going down to a much local brand identity, we can deliver to our customer in that area a) independently of other areas with managers free to manage their own routes and b) we can start to

John’s pride and joy – his LandRover Ninety which is an ongoing project

develop that brand individually and start to separate previous perceived problem areas to a really good service we are providing in a given location.”

John very much aspires to the example set by Roger French, Brighton & Hove’s MD, whose bus services John used when he lived in Brighton for a year.

Although such liberation makes John’s life more complicated because he can’t now say “this is the new example, this is what we’re going to do”, it provides wider scope. “It’s the latitude to play with ideas – you can’t go the whole hog and just pull everything away. The most common phrase I heard right throughout the DriveGreen project was ‘the way we’ve always done it’ and nine times out of ten there’s pretty good experience behind doing it that way.

“The remaining one in 10, the reason we do it might not be the same any more – things may have changed. The world continuously changes as we move sites around, we reorganise depots, we restructure our company, we rebrand our livery, the price of fuel goes up, the driver arrangements on overtime might change – and we’ve got to challenge some of those things.

“This process can reinforce why things are done and it forces people to think.”

Flying the engineering flag

Still keeping his foot in the wider world of engineering, John sits on the Automobile Board of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) through chairing its regional Western committee. This brings together academics from the universities of Bath and the West of England with professionals from VOSA, the Vehicle Certification Agency and other automotive businesses in the South West.

This role sees him delivering a programme of lectures each year, with “amazing speeches” from prestigious speakers from McLaren, Rolls Royce and Jaguar/Land Rover.

“It’s inspirational for engineers and graduates young and old,” says John.

Meanwhile, John keeps his foot firmly on the pedal and regularly takes part in LandRover off road competitions and his own vehicle remains an ongoing project, which he continually modifies to mostly improve its performance.

www.coachandbusweek.com

13/02/2012 23:01

42 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

DRIVERS

Send your driver news and stories to james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk or call 01733 293 244.

Driver licences and driver CPC periodic training Association of Trainers gives advice and warns of future requirements The Association of Trainers (AoT) has identified what it describes as a disturbing side effect of carrying out driver CPC periodic training. A large number of ‘invalid’ licences are coming to light, with both a lack of entitlement and out of date photo cards regularly being found.

At the start of any Driver CPC periodic training course, the trainer completes a roll call and carries out a visual check of the driver’s licence and photo card, but then sometimes has to inform the driver they don’t hold a valid licence. Operators should have their own system in place to monitor and check drivers are always in possession of a valid licence as they could be prosecuted for ‘causing and permitting’, whilst their insurance would also be technically invalid for such drivers.

Alec Horner, AoT chairman, told CBW: “Unfortunately, licence checks are often carried out by untrained personnel who simply

photocopy the licence without checking information contained on the licence. Periodically, operators should carry out thorough checks using the DVLA licence enquiry system. Forms for this can be found at www.asot.org.uk/Licence-CPCChecks. A number of ‘commercial’ agencies can also carry out these checks.”

He also advises that from January 19, 2013, when further sections

of the EU Third Driving Licence Directive are implemented, all new drivers will have to renew their PCV and LGV entitlements every five years, irrespective of their age, including those under 45 - although it will not be a retrospective requirement. While the photo card will still last for 10 years, the vocational licence will expire every five years. Drivers under 45 will have to simply complete a medical

Operators should have their own system in place to monitor and check drivers are always in possession of a valid licence

Stagecoach NE driver commended

A Stagecoach North East driver has won an award for outstanding service to the community following recognition from an appreciative member of the public.

Owen McGuire, who works at Walkergate depot, has received the firm’s Service to the Community award and commemorative badge after going above and beyond the call of duty.

Stagecoach North East has received numerous positive letters regarding Owen throughout his seven-year tenure at the company.

The decision to present him with the award followed the latest glowing commendation from member of the public, Di Teodoro.

He said: “I travel almost everyday by bus from Newcastle to Byker and it is undeniable a good mannered www.coachandbusweek.com

Drivers.indd 42

Driver Owen McGuire with Di Teodoro, who is full of praise for Owen driver can make the difference between a good journey and an excellent one. Mr McGuire is a kind, gentle and nice person, helpful with the elderly and at ease with students. It looks like he never has a bad day, and makes my journey easy and comfortable. I am thrilled he has been recognised for his hard

work and that my letter prompted the award.”

Owen commented: “I thoroughly enjoy my job and meeting the public every day, so to be awarded for doing something I love is a great honour and I’m really pleased.

Special thanks go to Di Teodoro and the other members of the public

To advertise on this page, contact client manager Harley Denham on 01733 293 249 or e-mail harley.denham@ rouncymedia.co.uk self-declaration, i.e. not have a full medical, by completing a D4 form. The requirement to have a mandatory eyesight check has not been included, although one large national chain has issued leaflets saying this is the case.

Operators might like to consider implementing a simple eyesight test (i.e. the ability to read a number plate at 20 metres) as part of their periodic licence check process and record this check as part of the licence check paperwork.

There is a general lax approach within many fleet operators and only a minority of PCV operators have implemented robust driver licence check procedures.

How many more drivers are going to attend a Driver CPC training course and get a nasty shock?

Many drivers have to stop driving temporarily until their licence is restored, therefore hitting them directly in the pocket. Whilst some might say it’s the driver’s own responsibility, the Police, VOSA and the Traffic Commissioners will clearly hold the operator to account for allowing a driver with an invalid licence to drive a PCV which is also technically uninsured.

Call the ASOT on 01797 344251. Visit www.asot. org.uk

who have taken the time to write such kind things about me over the years.”

Launched in 2011, Stagecoach NE’s incentive scheme is designed to recognise staff for their achievements and attitude at work.

The award is given to employees who make a real difference both at work and in the local community, such as raising money for a local charity or assisting someone in need both at work and in their spare time.

John Conroy, Stagecoach North East MD, said: “As a customerfocused organisation we always encourage our drivers to interact with the public to make their travel experience as enjoyable as possible. We have the ability to influence a passenger’s day, just by making their journey a pleasant and comfortable experience. As such we believe those employees who consistently achieve such high standards of customer service should be recognised and rewarded by us for their efforts.”

13/02/2012 20:44

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February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 45

LEGAL UpdAtE

In association with

EU right to four weeks’ paid annual leave has direct effect Claimant advised to make ‘Francovich’ claim due to incompatible law In Dominguez v Centre Informatique du Centre Ouest Atlantique, the European Courts of Justice (ECJ) has held that the right to four weeks’ paid annual leave in Article 7(1) of the EU Working Time Directive has direct effect.

Therefore, the claimant might be able to rely directly on Article 7(1), but only if the referring court is satisfied that her employer, which deals with social security, is an emanation of the state.

The claimant had an accident and was off sick between November 2005 and January 2007. The French industrial relations court rejected her claim for 22.5 days’ paid leave in respect of that period as, under the French Labour Code, a worker is only entitled to paid annual leave if he or she has worked for ten days or a month during the reference period. The Court of Cassation made a reference to the ECJ asking whether such a rule was compatible with the Directive and, if not, whether it should disregard the national provision.

The ECJ reiterated entitlement

Employment Law Reforms

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has confirmed the increase in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims to two years will only apply to those starting a new job on or after April 6, 2012.

Employees whose employment started before April 6 will remain subject to the one-year qualifying period. Thus, someone with 18 months’ continuous employment on April 6 will not lose their right to claim unfair dismissal, and an employee with 11 months’ service on that date will still only have to wait one month before being able to claim. The regulations to extend the qualifying period will be published shortly and will be

LegalUpdate.indd 45

to annual leave is a particularly important principle of EU social law from which there can be no derogations. Therefore, the Directive prevents member states from unilaterally applying a condition which prevents certain workers being entitled to annual leave. Although Member States may lay down conditions for the exercise of the right to annual leave, they may not make the very existence of the right subject to any preconditions whatsoever.

Accordingly, the relevant provisions of the Labour Code were incompatible with the directive.

The court then considered whether the national law should be disregarded. It noted the referring court should first consider whether domestic law can be interpreted in a way which is compatible with the Directive, using all the interpretative methods available to it in domestic law. If such an interpretation is not possible then the referring court would have to consider whether the Claimant could rely on Article 7 (1) against her employer. The ECJ considered that Article 7(1) does have direct effect as it imposes, in clear terms, a precise and unconditional

ECJ says entitlement to annual leave is an important principle of law subject to Parliamentary debate.

BIS also stated it will not implement the revised EU Directive on parental leave in March 2012.

Instead, due to the ongoing Modern Workplaces policy development, the government will use the additional year’s grace allowed by Article 2(3) of the directive and implement the changes in March 2013.

Consequently, the number of weeks of unpaid parental leave will increase to 18 per parent per child ahead of the other changes proposed in

the consultation for 2015, such as a new flexible system of shared parental leave and an extension of the right to request flexible working.

Further details on the intended dates for a number of reforms announced last year as part of the employment law review were given by the employment relations minister Edward Davey in a written answer to parliament on January 17. Subject to parliamentary approval, changes to be effected via secondary legislation witness

Backhouse Jones acts for clients in the private and public sector, both national and international operators from one to several thousand vehicles. Backhouse is absolutely “industry specific”. Whilst the company can trace its heritage to 1819 it only represented its first Road Transport Operator in 1930. The explanation for this is that the first transport act was only introduced in 1930 n The Independent Chambers Guide 2009 describes Backhouse Jones Limited as a specialist company with a national reputation for “first class strength, experience and understanding of the transport industry”. n Contact 01254 828300. Visit www.backhousejones.co.uk

obligation on Member States.

However, this still left the question of whether D’s employer is an ‘emanation of the state’, against whom directly effective rights could be enforced. The ECJ noted that D’s employer operates in the field of social security, but left it to the national court to decide whether it constitutes a body made responsible by the state for providing a public service. If so, the national court would have to disapply the parts of the Labour Code which conflict with Article 7.

If not, the Claimant’s only remedy would be to bring a ‘Francovich’ claim against the French State to compensate for her loss due to the Directive being incorrectly implemented.

It was noted the right to paid annual leave is not given sufficiently specific expression to enable it to apply in a private employment relationship. The ECJ, in giving its full judgment, simply restated the orthodox approach to enforcing Directive rights, namely that if the employer is a private individual, the Claimant’s only remedy in the face of incompatible national law is to take a ‘Francovich’ claim against the State. statements being taken as read, the removal of witness expenses, judges sitting alone in unfair dismissal cases and changes to limits for cost awards and deposit orders - will come into force on April 6, 2012. Measures requiring primary legislation, including early conciliation, financial penalties for employers, judges sitting alone in the EAT as a default arrangement and an amended formula for uprating tribunal awards and redundancy payments, will be implemented when parliamentary time allows.

The revised procedural code for employment tribunals expected as a result of Mr Justice Underhill’s fundamental review of the employment tribunal rules of procedure is expected to come into force in 2013, following public consultation and subject to parliamentary approval.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 47

BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell

To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 01733 293247 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

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

London United Busways Ltd CLEARANCE SALE – Don’t miss this opportunity to pick up a bargain Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.7m

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

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

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

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

2002 Dennis Dart SLFs

01293 518307

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

8.8m Marshall body, DDA compliant, power ramp, 25 seats/50 capacity, Euro 3 Cummins engine.

Choice available – £16,000 each

Single door 35 Seated 25 Standing T/V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system Manual ramp, Cab Air con, From £9,999.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.7m 31 Seated 27 Standing T/V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system, Power ramp, Cab Air con, Single door conversion available.

From £4,999.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.2m 27 Seated 30 Standing V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system Power ramp, Cab Air con, Single door conversion available From £4,500.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Contact Joseph Sage 0208 400 6680 Email Joseph.sage@lonutd.co.uk

AdvertiseyourCoachorBushereforaslittleas £20.00 aweek!

Phone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247

Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@rouncymedia.co.uk

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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.

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

1999/2000 T/V/X REG DENNIS TRIDENTS

44 seats, SLF, extremely clean, long MOT.

2003 ENVIRO 300

ZF 6 speed manual, Plaxton Premiere 320, 70 seats.

ZF automatic, Van Hool Alizee body, 53 seats, Trap fitted for Euro 4 LEZ compliance, MOT 11/12.

1999/2000 DENNIS TRIDENTS

1998 DENNIS JAVELIN

1995 M DAF SB3000

Cummins/Voith, East Lancs bodies, 87 seats.

1995 M REG DENNIS DRAGONS

2001 MERCEDES 814 VARIO

Cummins/Voith gearboxes, Duple Metsec bodies, recent floors and 92 coach seats.

Manual, 31 seats, belts fitted, MOT 04/12.

2001 DDA COMPLIANT DENNIS DARTS

Plaxton Pointer 2 dual door bodies, 31 seats, CCTV, particulate traps fitted, LEZ 2012 compliant, only £6,500 each plus tyres (£375)

2001 Y REG DART SLF’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 REG VOLVO OLYMPIAN

GREAT VALUE DENNIS DARTS!!!

Northern Counties low height body, Volvo engine, long MOT.

2001 Y REG DENNIS DART MPD’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 (£375).

Hanover LEDʼs, East Lancs Myllenium body, 39 seats.

2003 MAN 14220

Cummins / Allison World Series gearbox, Pointer 2 body, 41 seats.

6 speed ZF manual, Van Hool T8 body, 48 seats with centre sunken toilet, very tidy.

29 seats, Hanover LEDʼs, DDA, £22,000

£7000 just spend on recon engine, MCV Evolution body, 40 seats, DDA, Hanover LEDʼs.

1998 S REG DENNIS DART SPD

2006 PLAXTON PRIMO

1999/2000 DENNIS TRIDENTS

Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant with traps, Plaxton President bodies, 62 seats or 70 when converted to single door.

1999 V REG DENNIS DART MPD’S Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.

1996 VOLVO B10M

2007 MAN 14.220

Euro 4, Cummins/Allison, MCV body, 9m, 32 seats, special narrow version, only 2.4m wide.

2007 DART MPD

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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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS

OTHER MAKES

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

FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES (05) Ford Transit 17 seat 2.5 diesel 115ps, high back seats with three point belts 25,000 miles only £8,750

(53) 2003 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4 td minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, air-con, COIF/PSV £6,995

(03) Ford Transit 3.5 ton 15 seat minibus, 2.4 tdi, high back seats with three point belts £2,995

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

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

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

(57) LDV Maxus LWB 9 seats tracking to take two wheelchairs, inboard lift, 49,000 miles, £9,995

(06) Fiat Ducato LWB, high roof, panoramic windows, inboard tail lift, 6 seats plus wheelchair tracking, 42,000 miles £10,995

New Renault Master 17 seat LM35/ 2.2di 125ps, six speed, satnav, tacho, fully tracked floor with removable seats £21,995

(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

(10) 2010 Renault Trafic 9 seat LL29, twin side loading doors, air-con, alloys, tail gate, 50,000 miles £11,995

(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

(09) 2009 Renault Master 16 seat minibus, tacho,high back seats with three point belts, 35,000km £15,650

(53) 2003 Mercedes Vito 108 cdi 2.2 diesel, 6 seats, low floor with lightweight ramp, tracking for two wheelchairs £5,995

(08) 2008 Renault Master 17 seat minibus 2.2 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, 61,000 miles £9,750

(53) 2003 Iveco Daily 16 seat minibus, front entry drop step with power door, wheelchair tracking, under floor tail lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £9,995

(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

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

SOLD

SOLD

Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304 Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk

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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52 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

BUS & COACH SALES

2010 2007 2007 2006 2006 2006 2005

MAN Panther DDA 49 seats A/C front w/chair lift Setra S416GTHD Tri axles 48 seats A/C Setra S415GTHD 48 seats A/C Mercedes Tourismo 49 seats A/C Setra S416GTHD Tri axle 49 seats A/C MAN Plaxton 49 seats A/C Dennis R Caetano Enigma 49 seats A/C

2004 2004 2004 2003 2003 1998

MAN Marco Polo 70 seats A/C Volvo B12B Caetano Enigma 49 seats A/C MAN Noge Catalan 51 seats A/C Volvo B12M Caetano Enigma 49 seats A/C Volvo B12B Caetano 48 seats A/C Volvo B10M Excalibur 49 seats

TO VIEW CALL 07979 295668

553329-1024-Connaught

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Mini Coach Sales

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

2010 10 REG IVECO 50c15 IRISBUS 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks, power door and under-floor wheelchair lift.

BRAND NEW MERCEDES OPTARE SOROCO 19 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE: www.connaughtpsv.co.uk

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

2008 58 REG MERCEDES BENZ 1022L SITCAR MARLIN 33 high back reclining seats incorporating leather headrest inserts, armrests and seat back tables, A/C, double glazing, fridge and power door.

2007 07 REG FORD TRANSIT 14 seats, 3 point belts.

2006 06 MERCEDES 814D PLAXTON CHEETAH 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights D/G, power door.

2006 06 REG MERCEDES BENZ 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, large luggage boot.

2005 55 REG MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON CHEETAH 29 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, D/G, power door and large boot.

2003 03 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks.

2000 W REG MERCEDES 814 BEAVER 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, power door, 12 months test.

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

554180-1024-Heatons

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HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN 01942 864222 THE NORTH WEST’S PREMIER MINIBUS SALES, SUPPLYING NATIONWIDE FOR OVER 40 YEARS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PSV’d

PSV’d 54 MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI Covered 57,000 miles, 16 highback passenger seats, one council owner, front low step entry, full carpetlined, analogue tacho, Triptronic transmission, 12 months PSV test, good value for a low mileage minibus. An excellent example of this popular minibus £10,995

02/03 MERCEDES VARIO 814 Mellor Coachcraft coachbuilt, covered 71,000 miles, one council owner, automatic transmission, 32 high back passenger seats all on Unwin tracking, 3 point belts, powerdoor front entry, external PLS cassette tailift, very very clean and original, PSV tested. Where do you find these ultra low mileage buses, choice of 7 from £12,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

04 MERCEDES VARIO 814 XLWB fitted with 10 highback seats would up seat to 28 or 2 seats plus 8 w/chairs, complete flatfloor, external PLS fully automatic tailift, powerdoor front entry, automatic transmission, an excellent example, COIF’d, tremendous value £12,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

READY TO WORK

PSV’d 08 FORD TRANSIT 110 URBAN BUS 9 seat wheelchair accessible, twin SLDs, air conditioning, alloy wheels, totally immaculate m1 minibus category, above average miles with full service history, a late minibus for £8,495

55 IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 16 highback passenger seats in moquette, 3 point belts, complete flat floor, powerdoor front entry, plant on glass, complete flat floor, external PLS fully automatic tailift, lots of Unwin tracking, showroom condition inside and out, excellent value £11,995

LEZ

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

COMPLIANT

PSV’d

READY TO WORK

06 IVECO 50C14 fitted with 12/16 highback passenger seats, covered only 40,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, full width power door, external PLS fully automatic cassette tailift, reversing camera, Eeberspacher heater, COIFed, very clean, these must give excellent value for money, choice of 3 £10,995

LEZ

LEZ

PSV’d

COMPLIANT

COMPLIANT

56 RENAULT MASTER MM33 covered 25,000 miles, Ricon fully automatic internal Clearway tailift, 6 high back passenger seats plus wheelchair spaces or would up seat, SLD with electric cassette step, totally showroom condition inside and out £12,995

PSV’d

READY TO WORK

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PSV’d 54 MERCEDES VARIO 614 with 15 highback passenger seats, complete flat floor, powerdoor front entry, external PLS tailift, analogue tacho, fully colour coded, totally immaculate in every way. low miles, excellent value £10,995

03 MERCEDES VARIO 814 Coachbuilt with 16 highback seats or would up-seat to 24, low miles, complete flatfloor, powerdoor front entry, external PLS fully automatic tailift, totally immaculate and excellent value for money £10,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PSV’d 52 MERCEDES SPRINTER411 CDI Koch low floor service bus fitted with 13 passenger seats plus 3 standees, powerdoor entrance with wheelchair ramp, digital destination, triptronic transmission, very clean, 10 months PSV test, good value £4,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

05 RENAULT MASTER MWB, covered 41,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal tailift, SLD with cassette step, totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value From £9,495

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

54 PLATE IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 16 highback passenger seats, 3 point belts, full air conditioning, panoramic tinted windows, front low step entry, one owner, looks excellent, excellent drive, excellent value, 12 months PSV test, ready to work, choice of 2 From £9,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PSV’d

LEZ

PSV’d

COMPLIANT

04 PLAXTON BEAVER 2 with 32 passenger seats, covered only 100,000 miles, fully repainted, powerdoor front entry, external PLS cassette tailift, analogue tacho, chrome Euroliners, will come with 12 months PSV test, these give fantastic value for money, choice of 5 £17,995

08 IVECO 40C12 good quality Iris Bus conversion, covered 60,000 miles, one local authority plant on, panoramic windows, 16 highback passenger seats, 3 point belts, full air conditioning, Euroliners, totally showroom condition inside and out £15,995

06 IVECO 50C14 Covered 40,000 miles, 16 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, full length Cant rail, full width side powerdoor entry with electric step, external fully auto PLS cassette tailift, reversing camera, Eberspacher heater, totally immaculate inside and out, excellent value choice of 3 £10,995

WERE DO YOU FIND THESE 07 MERCEDES VARIO 616 Mellor Coachcraft coachbuilt, 15 high back seats all on Unwin tracking, complete flat floor, Ricon fully automatic internal tailift, powerdoor front low step entry, a good quality bus, LEZ compliant, will come with 12 months PSV test, excellent value £14,995

Let us take the stress out of the purchase of your next minibus, leaving you to concentrate on running your business.

1, PSV tested. 2, Tacho fitted. 3, Finance options if required – 36, 48, 60 months low deposits, etc. Details on request. 4, Delivered to your premises. 5, Tail lift certificates.

Where can you find one of the largest stock of wheelchair accessible/conventional minibuses? Ready to work, combining this with over 50 years of experience in the industry. Just one friendly phone call to Wayne or Philip will simplify your job.

HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN

ALL PRICES PLUS VAT We guarantee quality vehicles, right prices, no pressure sales. Come and have a coffee while you browse at your leisure. Junction 23, M6 or 20 miles from Manchester/Liverpool airport.

52 Bickershaw Lane, Abram, Wigan, Lancashire WN2 5PL

Tel: 01942 864222

SEE ALL OUR STOCK ON OUR WEBSITE www.heatonsmotorco.co.uk

554105-1024-Pickrell

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H.W. PICKRELL

MINIBUS AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES

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

Email: sales@hwpickrell.co.uk - www.hwpickrell.co.uk

Finance available on all vehicles (subject to status) Written details on request.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINI BUSES

54 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI

06 REG RENAULT MASTER SM33 2.2TD

56 REG IVECO DAILY 40c12 IRIS BUS 2.3 TD

06 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

Tiptronic gearbox, Euromotive PSC bus conversion, front entry slam door with low entry step, 16 x high back removable seats, Eeberspacher, ex local authority, COIF'd, tacho fitted, only 66,780 kms.

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.

Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, side loading door, AVS electric step, 12 high back removable seats, PLS underfloor t/ lift, ex local charity, tacho fitted, 47,827 kms only.

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.

58 REG RENAULT MASTER SM33 2.2TD

08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD

09 PEUGEOT EXPERT TEPEE 1.9 HDI

2004 54 REG IVECO 50c13 IRIS BUS 2.8 TURBO DIESEL

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.

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

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.

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.

56 REG RENAULT MASTER SL28 2.2TD

2004/05 54 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 416CDI AMBULANCE

08 REG MERCEDES VARIO 613D

07 REG RENAULT MASTER LH35 2.5TD

Automatic gearbox, low roof, Widnes conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 4 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 36,891 miles.

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.

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.

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.

08 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

07 REG RENAULT MASTER SL33 2.2TD

06 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

55 REG PEUGEOT BOXER 2.5 TD

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.

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, high roof, PAS, LWB, Kirkham conversion, side loading door, side step, 11 rear high back seats,double passenger seat + driver, Ricon tail lift, ex local school bus, only 54,756 miles.

53 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 416 CDI

07 REG FORD TRANSIT 350 2.4TD

06 REG MERCEDES VARIO 814

2007 MERCEDES VARIO 613D

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.

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, LWB, PAS, tacho, Mellor coach conversion, electric power door, fold out low entry step, 32 high back removable seats, Eberspacher, PLS underfloort/ lift, ex local authority, COIF'd, only 84,000 kms.

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.

06 REG VOLKSWAGEN LT35 2.5 TD

56 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD

2005 54 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD

58 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD

Manual gearbox, MWB, high roof, SCW conversion, side loading door, manual side step, 10 high back seats plus 2 x w/chair, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 45,531 miles.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats, AMF m2 fully tracked floor, new Ricon tail lift, only 35,756 miles, choice of two.

Manual gearbox, high roof, Atlas conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 5 high back seats plus 2 x w/chair, air con, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 8,166 miles.

Manual, high roof, PAS, LWB, Mellor conversion, side loading door, AVS side step, 12 high back seats, amf m2 fully tracked floor, Ratcliff tail lift, only 35,755 miles.

554095-1023-BenWeaver

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BEN WEAVER WEAVER C BEN PSV

2006 56 NEW SHAPE FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT MINIBUS 2400 100ps turbo diesel engine, LEZ compliant, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, 75000 miles, finished in white £9995 NO VAT

PSV

2002 52 IVECO DAILY 13 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2800 turbo diesel engine, analogue tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, access underfloor rear tail lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, front entryelectric plug door, only 37000 miles, finished inwhite, excellent condition, supplied with 11 monthsPSV test and already serviced by ourselves just inDecember, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £6795 + VAT

2005 55 IVECO DAILY 50C13 13 SEAT MINIBUS 2800 turbo diesel engine, Euromotive conversion, certificate of initial fitness, electric windows, analogue tachograph, tracking for 4 wheelchairs, Ricon underfloor tail lift, AVS side step, air con, finished in white, only 48000 miles £10995 + VAT

2004 04 IVECO DAILY 50C11 FRONT ENTRY 11 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800 6 speed turbo diesel engine, certificate of initial fitness, analogue tachograph, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, access underfloor rear tail lift, electric front plug door, air con, only 37000 miles, finished in white, excellent condition, supplied with 11 months PSV test and already serviced by ourselves just in December

PSV

2005 05 IVECO DAILY 50C13 13 SEAT MINIBUS 2800 turbo diesel engine, Euromotive conversion, electric windows, analogue tachograph tracking for 4 wheelchairs, Ricon underfloor tail lift, AVS side step, air con, finished in white, only 53000 miles £10495 + VAT

2005 05 IVECO DAILY 50C13 13 SEAT MINIBUS 2800 turbo diesel engine, Euromotive conversion, certificate of initial fitness, electric windows, analogue tachograph, tracking for 4 wheelchairs, Ricon underfloor tail lift, AVS side step, air con, finished in white, only 45000 miles, arriving soon £10795 + VAT

2004 04 MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 8 SEAT COACH SPEC MINIBUS WITH BOOT AND LUGGAGE SPACE 2200 turbo diesel engine, internal luggage racks, electric front windows, electric mirrors, coach style recline seats, boot lid with luggage space, twin slide loading doors, reverse parking camera, finished in silver, 141000 miles £9995 + VAT

NOVEMBER 2011 61 MERCEDES SPRINTER 516CDI EXTRA LONG 16 SEAT COACH BUILT MINIBUS 2300 turbo diesel euro 5 manual engine, 16 non reclining luxary coach seats with piping, luggage racks with forced air and reading lights, large panoramic windows, large illuminated luggage area, show curtains, walnut dash, drivers locker, radio and CD player system with 6 spakers, GRP lowered entrance step, GRP body skirts, COIF

PSV

PSV

2006 56 FORD TRANSIT NEW SHAPE 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2.4 140ps turbo diesel engine, LEZ compliant, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, digital tachograph, 78000 miles, finished in white £11495 + VAT

PSV

PSV

PSV

2002 02 IVECO DAILY 65C15 23 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2800 6 speed turbo diesel engine, Frank Guy conversion, Ricon internal wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, analogue tachograph, 145000 klms, 90000 miles, excellent condition, finished in white £6795 + VAT

2002 02 IVECO DAILY 50C13 17 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2800 6 speed turbo diesel engine, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, Mellor coachcraft conversion, access underfloor rear tail lift, tracking for up to 8 wheelchairs, lift up sky light, carpeted roof, analogue tachogragh, 115000 klms, 72000 miles, finished in white

2000 W REG VOLKSWAGEN LT46 LWB HIGH ROOF 13 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2500 cc tdi, blue, air conditioning, tachograph, electric folding side entry door, access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 2 wheelchairs, 101000 klms £5495 NO VAT

2007 57 FORD TRANSIT NEW SHAPE 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2.4 5 speed 100ps turbo diesel engine, LEZ compliant, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, digital tachograph, 198000 klms, 123000 miles with full maintenance/service history records, finished in white £10995 + VAT

2001 Y RENAULT MASCOT FRONT ENTRY 17 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.8 turbo diesel, analogue tachograph, access rear underfloor electric lift, only 58000 miles £6995 NO VAT

PSV

2004 54 MERCEDES SPRINTER 411CDI 17 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel engine, Oughton & Harrison conversion, access underfloor rear lift, tracking for 4 wheelchairs, fold out side step, ex council, tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, only 31000 miles, finished in white, excellent condition, arriving shortly £12995 + VAT

PSV

2002 02 MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDI FRONT ENTRY 11 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2200 turbo diesel automatic, Mellor coachcraft conversion, Ricon internal lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, air conditioning, certificate of initial fitness, electric front entry door, 136000 miles, excellent condition, finished in white £7795 + VAT

2008 08 FORD TRANSIT NEW SHAPE 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2.4 6 speed 115ps turbo diesel engine, LEZ compliant, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, digital tachograph, 125000 klms, 78000 miles, finished in white £12995 + VAT

PSV

2004 54 IVECO DAILY 65C15 23 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS Can be altered to 25 seats with a VTP5 application on the next PSV test, this can be carried out at the point of sale, 2800 turbo diesel engine, tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, velour seats and matching roof lining, Mellor Coachcraft conversion, automatic plug entry door, access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, this bus is extemely tidy both inside and out, 119000klms, 73000 miles, finished in

PSV

2001 Y REG VOLKSWAGEN LT35 TDI 10 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5tdi turbo diesel engine, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, finished in blue, 76000 miles £6495 + VAT

2001 51 IVECO DAILY 35C11 MWB 13 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800 turbo diesel, tracking for 4 wheelchairs, internal wheelchair lift, only 56000 miles, finished in white, supplied with 12 months MoT £5995 NO VAT

2002 02 MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDI FRONT ENTRY 17 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel automatic, certificate of initial fitness, tachograph, PSV, UV module conversions, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, underfloor rear lift, 96000 miles £7995 + VAT

2007 07 FORD TRANSIT NEW SHAPE 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS 2.4 6 speed 115ps turbo diesel engine, electric windows, electric mirrors, CD player, digital tachograph, 30000 klms, only 19000 miles, finished in white £12995 + VAT

2001 Y REG VOLKSWAGEN LT35 TDI 10 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5tdi turbo diesel engine, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, finished in blue, 122000 miles £5995 + VAT

PSV

2003 53 MERCEDES SPRINTER 313 CDI LWB HIGH ROOF 15 SEAT MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel engine, certificate of initial fitness, 4 seats across the rear with luggage space, twin side loading doors, electric windows, electric mirrors, air con, climate control, automatic side step, lift up sky lights, carpeted roof, finished in white, 46000 miles £10995 + VAT

Gower Street, Sheffield, S4 7JW Tel: 0114 275 7076 www.benweavercommercials.co.uk

2005 05 VOLKSWAGEN LT35 16 SEAT MINIBUS 2.5 turbo diesel engine, ex council vehicle, all seats have double belt harnesses, finshed in green, 116000 miles £8495 + VAT

554095-1023-BenWeaver

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COMMERCIALS COMMERCIALS PSV

2004 04 IVECO DAILY 50C13 15 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2.8 turbo diesel engine, Mellor conversion, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, underfloor rear electric lift, analogue tachograph, 65000 miles, finished in blue £8495 + VAT

PSV

2001 51 MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDI FRONT ENTRY 10 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel automatic, certificate of initial fitness, analogue tachograph, underfloor rear tail lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, 244000 klms, 153000 miles £6495 + VAT

PSV

2004 53 IVECO DAILY 50C13 15 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE WELFARE MINIBUS 2.8 turbo diesel engine, Mellor conversion, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, underfloor rear electric lift, analogue tachograph, 162000 miles, finished in blue, photos taken as it arrived, more to follow after valeting £7495 + VAT

PSV

2003 53 MERCEDES 413CDI SPRINTER FRONT ENTRY 9 SEAT WELFARE MINIBUS WITH WHEELCHAIR ACCESS 2.2 turbo diesel automatic, analogue tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, underfloor rear tail lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, 192000 kms, 120000 miles £11295 + VAT

1999 V REG VOLKSWAGEN LT46 LWB 16 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2500 cc tdi, white, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tachograph, 152000 kilometres 95000 miles, NO VAT to pay £4995 NO VAT

PSV

2003 53 MERCEDES SPRINTER 313 CDI LWB HIGH ROOF 15 SEAT MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel engine, certificate of initial fitness, 4 seats across the rear with luggage space, twin side loading doors, electric windows, electric mirrors, air con, climate control, automatic side step, lift up sky lights, carpeted roof, finished in white, 52000 miles £10795 + VAT

2003 53 MERCEDES SPRINTER 313 CDI LWB HIGH ROOF 15 SEAT MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel engine, certificate of initial fitness, 4 seats across the rear with luggage space, twin side loading doors, electric windows, electric mirrors, air con, climate control, automatic side step, lift up sky lights, carpeted roof, finished in white, 126000 miles £9295 + VAT

2005 05 FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF MINIBUS LEZ compliant, 2.4 turbo diesel 125ps, electric front windows, electric mirrors, finished in white, only 64000 miles £8995 + VAT

2001 51 REG IVECO DAILY 40C11 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESIBLE MINIBUS 2800cc turbo diesel, white, tachograph, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 4 wheelchairs, panoramic glass, 200000 klms, 124000 miles, excellent condition £5495 + VAT

PSV

2002 52 VOLKSWAGEN LT46 17 SEAT MINIBUS 2.5 turbo diesel, analogue tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, finished in white, 138000 miles £6995 + VAT

PSV

2004 54 FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS LEZ compliant, 90ps 2.4 turbo diesel engine, electric windows, power heated door mirrors, 72,000 miles, finished in white, supplied with 12 months MoT £8495 + VAT

2000 X REG FORD TRANSIT FRONT ENTRY 15 SEAT WELFARE MINIBUS 2.5 turbo diesel, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, access underfloor rear electric lift, 85,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months MoT, arriving soon, photo for illustration purpose only £4495 + VAT

2005 55 REG FIAT DOBLO 3 SEATER MULTIJET ACTIVE WITH WHEELCHAIR ACCESS 1.3 turbo diesel engine, OH conversion, rear wheelchair ramp, rear tailgate, twin sliding side access doors, ABS, power steering, central locking, electric windows, finished in capri blue, only 43,000 miles, service history, numerous uses for a vehicle like this!

Excellent condition £3795 NO VAT

2001 51 REG. MERCEDES 8 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE DISABILITY MINIBUS 2.2 turbo diesel, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 3 wheelchairs, side access step, carpeted roof lining, 2 sunroofs, 136000 miles, finished in classic red, excellent condition £5295 + VAT

2004 04 IVECO DAILY IRIS MWB 9 SEATER 2.8 turbo diesel, 8 velour passenger seats, panaramic glass, ex local authority, only 48000 miles, photos taken prior to valeting £6495 + VAT

2004 04 IVECO DAILY IRIS MWB 9 SEATER 2.8 turbo diesel, 8 velour passenger seats, panoramic glass, ex local authority, only 87000 miles £5995 + VAT

2003 53 OPTARE ALERO 12 SEAT PLUS DRIVER PLUS 4 STANDEES BUS 2800cc turbo diesel, fold out ramp to the side, air con, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, 113000 miles, excellent condition £9995 + VAT

2002 02 REG IVECO DAILY 45C13 16 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800cc turbo diesel, white, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, velour trim inc carpeted roof lining, 177000 kilometres (110000 miles), excellent condition £5995 + VAT

2004 54 FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT MINIBUS LEZ compliant, 2.4 turbo diesel engine, 176, 000 miles, excellent condition, finished in Ford dark true blue £4995 NO VAT

2005 05 VOLKSWAGEN LT46 6 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5 turbo diesel engine, internal wheelchair lift, analogue tachograph, 224000 klms with full service print out, 140000 miles, excellent condition £8495 + VAT

2005 55 REG FIAT DOBLO 3 SEATER MULTIJET ACTIVE With wheelchair access and manual clutch operating lever, 1.3 turbo diesel engine, OH conversion, rear wheelchair ramp, rear tailgate, twin sliding side access doors, ABS, power steering, central locking, electric windows, finished in rhumba red, only 39,000 miles, service history, numerous uses for a vehicle like this!

Excellent condition £3795 NO VAT

2004 04 FORD TRANSIT HIGH ROOF 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS LEZ compliant, 2.0 135ps turbo diesel engine front wheel drive, ex NHS, Ricon fully electric internal wheelchair lift, air conditioning, electric windows, CD player, front fog lights, 147 000 miles, finished in white, excellent condition £5495 + VAT

2008 08 REG BMW 318I ES 4 DOOR SALOON 2000cc petrol, 6 speed manual gearbox, black, grey cloth interior, alloy wheels, air conditioning, CD player, electric windows, elecric mirrors, 6 months tax, 70000 miles with full BMW service history £7995

IVECO, DAILY 50C13 13 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS With COIF, tacho, 2005, diesel, 54000 miles, 2800 turbo diesel, white, Euromotive conversion, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, 13 passenger seats or 4 seated and 4 wheelchairs, AVS electric side entrance step, air conditioning, electric windows, 87000 kilometers, 54000 miles, supplied with 12 months PSV or MoT, excellent condition £10495 + VAT

2004 54 REG FORD FIESTA 1400cc tdci diesel, silver, colour coded, 17 inch gloss black alloy wheels, rear boot spoiler, CD player, excellent condition, 101000 miles with a fully stamped Ford service history £2795 + VAT

All vehicles supplied with 12 months MOT/PSV, fully serviced to good garage scheme standards and 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty

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58 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

QUALITY USED VEHICLES 2011 VDL SB4000 PR E5 auto VANHOOL ALIZEE T9

47 rec seats, centre toilet, 2 monitors, fridge, boiler, air con LEZ COMP

2010 DAF E5 auto VANHOOL ALICRON T915

51 rec seats, boiler, fridge, air con, DVD Screen, Sat Nav LEZ COMP

2010 VOLVO B12B I shift JONCKHEERE JSV 140

59 rec seats, 2 DVD screens, hot drinks, fridge, VAC system LEZ COMP

2009 VDL SB4000 PR E5 auto VANHOOL ALIZEE T9 51 rec seats, centre toilet, air con LEZ COMP

2009 DAF E5 Stainless Steel auto TEMSA SAFARI HD 53 rec seats 3 point belts, air con LEZ COMP

2008 SETRA E4 AS-tronic MERC eng

49 rec seats 2 point belts, centre toilet, air con LEZ COMP

2008 DAF PR E5 auto VANHOOL T915 ALICRON

51 rec seats, rear floor toilet, fridge, boiler, 2 DVD screens LEZ COMP

2008 VDL E5 auto BOVA FUTURA FH

49 rec seat, air con, fridge, vac system LEZ COMP

2008 MERC man UNVI RIADA GT 29 rec seats, DVD, air con LEZ COMP

2007 VDL SB4000 XF auto VANHOOL ALIZEE T9

47/51 rec seats, rear toilet, wheel chair lift, air con LEZ COMP

2007 VDL AS-tronic BOVA MAGIQ

51/53 rec seats 3 point belts, demountable toilet, fridge, boiler, air con LEZ COMP

2007 DAF E3 auto TEMSA SAFARI HD 57 rec seats 3 point belts, air con LEZ COMP

2007 MAN E4 auto TEMSA OPALIN 9 35 rec seats, air con LEZ COMP

2007 IVECO EURORIDER E3 man BEULAS MIDISTAR

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. £109,000 + VAT ono

NEOPLAN SKYLINER 2003

32 rec seats, rear toilet, DVD, servery, fridge LEZ COMP

2006 VOLVO B12M I Shift PLAXTON PANTHER 55 rec seats, rear toilet, wheel chair lift, air con

2006 DAF E3 AS-tronic VANHOOL ASTRON T916 49 rec seats, centre toilet, air con

2005 VOLVO B12B E3 I shift VANHOOL T9 53 rec seats, DVD screen

2004 VDL SB4000 XF auto VANHOOL ALIZEE T9 57 rec seats, air con

2003 VOLVO B12B auto JONCKHEERE Mistral 50 51/53 reclining seats, centre toilet, air con

2002 BOVA man FUTURA FHD

49 rec seats, centre sunken toilet, air con

2002 MERC AS-tronic SETRA S315GT HD 49 rec seats, centre toilet, air con

1998 DAF SB3000 WS E2 man ALIZEE T9 49 rec seats, centre toilet, drinks fridge, air con

1997 BOVA man FUTURA FHD

36 rec seats, rear toilet, rear servery, drop down monitors

01274 681144

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

take a test drive today

1 - 7.8SE 23str with seat belts and semi coach seats, digi tacho, radio, approx 142,000 miles. MoT June 2012 £49,500 + VAT ono 2 - 7.1SE 23str approx 195,000 miles, MoT May 2012 £47,500 + VAT ono Both vehicles Euro 4 Mercedes engines, white exterior/blue interior, Hanover destination, vgc.

2 OPTARE SOLOS 2007

Tel: 01296 398300 Motts Travel, Buckinghamshire

LDV Convoy factory 16 seat mini buses

From 2001 to 2006, some PSV with tachograph, all low mileage, choice of 10

Phone for details View all stock online: www.staffordbuscentre.com Email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552

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February 15, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES AUDIO &VIDEO

BUILDINGS HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available For further information phone

BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime

CHECKPOINTS

CRAIG TILSLEY

ENGINES

HEATING

Suppliers of Reconditioned

DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS Tel: PUMPS Works: 01782 791524 Moorfields Ind. ETC 01782 791527 Est. Cotes Heath, Fax: 01782 791316

Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY

Heaters • A/C Equipment Blowers • Motors Radiators • Silicone Hose Ducting • Wiper Equipment Gas Struts

Tel: 01993 849522 Fax: 01993 706920 Email: sales@thhs.co.uk

www.thhs.co.uk

UNIT 9 NIMROD BUSINESS PARK DE HAVILLAND WAY, WITNEY OX29 0YG

REGISTRATIONS

Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in

TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/DUSTITE loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:

Tel: 01524 271200

G £750 20 HXY 44 NXA ECR 767 JUI 808 MIW 808 RXI 85 SCZ 87 SXI 900 WIB 808

www.checkpoint-safety.com

ENGINES

SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’

£350 £99 £99 £50 AJZ 989 HIG 5651 MNZ 1195 AXZ 5618 JBZ 484 HIG 5652 ONZ 1637 AXZ 5619 JHZ 939 IIG 7764 REZ 3379 CRZ 4825 LLZ 949 IIG 7765 RUI 2117 CXZ 2215 MKZ 686 JIG 1575 SEZ 4324 CXZ 2216 PDZ 818 JIG 1576 SUI 2171 DRZ 7321 PKZ 626 KIG 1903 SUI 2172 DRZ 7322 PXI 494 KIG 1902 TJZ 1118 IFZ 2418 YIL 202 MJZ 6749 TJZ 1119 IFZ 2419 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange

£50 JIG 8031 JIG 8032 KIG 1885 KIG 1886 RNZ 1127 RNZ 1128 TUI 4740 TUI 4741 TUI 4742

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

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

SEATING

Crewe Engines Ltd MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS

WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES

URBAN

SERVICE

COACH

SERVICE

Call now for a quote or more information

HAND RAIL PADDING

ACCESSORIES

Direct from the UK’s No.1 since 1975 01270 526333

Federation of Engine Re-Manufacturers

www.creweengines.co.uk

VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES

G Hand Rail Padding G Next Day Delivery G Seat Belt Installations G Double Deckers Seat Belted G Seat Belt Supplies Securon Amsafe/Safetex Fasching ISRI Reflex Schneeweis Orion MCF GWR Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban + many more

Parts Hotline - Graham White graham@bhiuk.com 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com www.bhiuk.com

Fax: 01522 689922

The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers

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60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES TICKETING

VEHICLE SPARES

Trevor Wigley & Son Bus Ltd

TW FULLY LICENSED END OF LIFE VEHICLE CENTRE TW REDUNDANT AND SCRAP VEHICLES TAKEN TW PROFESSIONAL, EFFICIENT SERVICE TW ALL REQUIREMENTS CATERED FOR TW VARIOUS SPARES AVAILABLE TW CONTACT US FOR FULL AVAILABILITY

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

www.twigley.com

TRAINING

CPC Nat / International Driver CPC Digital Tachograph Drivers’ Hours Tachograph Analysis

Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in

Passenger and Commercial Vehicles Recovery Dismantlers Parts Sales OUR SERVICES: •

Recovery

•

Testing

• • • • •

TRIM

• • COACH TRIMMERS LTD

Supplying the Bus and Coach Industry with quality seat retrims and interior refurbishment.

Full floors re-laid and centre gangways.

Collection and delivery service anywhere in the UK, seven days a week.

Email: info@eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk Web: www.eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk

Tel/Fax: 01751 472229

•

Refurbishment Repairs

Engine/gearbox rebuilds Fault finding

Buying & selling vehicles

DISMANTLING/SPARES: • • • • • •

Reconditioned engines Reconditioned gearboxes Engine spares Windows

Windscreens Seats

Export to foreign markets Repairs

Finance repossession and storage

CALL: 01226 727 769 Bus sales: www.geoff-ripleysbuscoachsales.com Geoff Ripley, Boulder Lane (off Shaw Lane), Carlton, Barnsley S71 3HJ

Mob: 07912 103 497 or 07711 750 434 Fax: 01226 727 607 Email: geoff-ripley@btconnect.com

February 15, 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

Monday: Press day. My day starts at 0545hrs. Snow and ice mean designer Keith is working remotely.

With the weather starting to turn nasty in the evening, I send Martin home. James, Andrew & I are locals to the office. Driving home, there’s an intermittent fault which sounds like I’m on a train.

I’m due in Bradford Wednesday so it has to be fixed tomorrow.

Winchester City Council and park and ride operating partner Stagecoach South arranged for a private bus as a surprise for Fergus Thomson after hearing he and his friends were to start his five-year birthday celebrations on board one of his favourite “big green” buses.

Stagecoach operations manager Tom Waterhouse arranged for special goody bags to be given to Fergus and his 14 friends as they travelled into the city centre to enjoy a lunch at the Dim T restaurant.

Fergus’ mother, Jo Thomson, from Fleet, said: “It was very kind of everyone involved to arrange the bus.

Jackets at the bus stop A unique new bus shelter advert from McCain is set to make passengers’ mouths water with the scent of freshly cooked jacket potatoes.

Commuters waiting for buses in York, Manchester, London, Nottingham and Glasgow will be able to experience the 3D adverts for McCain Ready Baked Jackets.

Bus users will be given money-

Dilbert

Fergus is fascinated by all forms of public transport and one of his favourite days out is when we go shopping in Winchester on the green park and ride bus.”

The CBW office thinks encouraging the next generation to be interested in public transport from a young age is a great way to help bring enthusiastic new talent into the industry. Maybe one day Fergus will fill the shoes of a certain Sir Brian… After all, according to Christian Wolmar’s Stagecoach book, Sir Brian did ‘run’ his own fleet of Dinky buses as a young boy – as we’re sure many in the industry did.

off vouchers and the smell of slow oven-baked potatoes with the push of a button.

The adverts are part of a campaign to launch the new frozen jacket potato product, hailed as the biggest launch by McCain Foods since McCain Oven Chips in 1979.

The bus shelter posters contain a hidden heating element which warms the 3D fibreglass jacket potato picture and releases the scent when a button is pressed.

A spokesman for McCain Foods, based in Scarborough,

North Yorkshire, said: “3D jacket potatoes will appear at bus shelters across York, Manchester, London, Nottingham and Glasgow to heat up the nation and set taste buds tingling thanks to ground-breaking technology.

“When consumers press a button, a hidden heating element gently warms the potato and releases the mouth-watering aroma of a slow oven-baked jacket potato throughout the bus shelter.”

McCain certainly are chipping in to the winter bus commute…

Tuesday: There’s no lie in for me. Perk myself up with Hobnob biscuits and several coffees (healthy I know but it works). The car is in the garage – it needs new rear brake pads. The debate about post offices prior to my BBC Radio Cymru interview at 1230hrs overruns, so we prerecord it ready for broadcast tomorrow. Appropriately called ‘soap box’ I fight the industry’s corner about the BSOG cut and the gross injustice that is the lack of reasonable notice. Spend the afternoon working remotely.

Wednesday: Spend an enjoyable morning with Arriva Yorkshire at the new bus launch. I decline an invitation to go up in the helicopter as I can’t photograph (the side windows being tinted), so I interview the MD and ops director. Enjoy another warm welcome at Arriva Bus & Coach (dealership).

Thursday: A day in the office writing and editing. Martin takes James out for some photo training on a minibus he has been lent for evaluation. Going through the pics on screen, we gather round Martin’s computer. Upon reaching the photo of the engine, I jest: “At least you’ve photographed my opposite number James,” to which they all look puzzled, before I add, “The dipstick.” Martin responds at lightning speed: “More like your close relative!” All good fun.

Friday: Another day in the office.

Complete my feature on Coliseum Coaches, before heading to Wales. www.coachandbusweek.com

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62 | COACH & BUS WEEK | February 15, 2012

Lifetime achievement for Luckett

Move for TAS head consultant

David Luckett MBE of Farehambased Lucketts Travel has received a Lifetime Achievement award for his services to the local business community.

At a packed ceremony at the Guildhall in Portsmouth, the Lucketts Travel chairman was presented the accolade at The News Business Excellence Awards 2012 by local personality and Meridian TV presenter Fred Dinenage, who compered the evening.

David had been asked to present the Innovation of the Year Award, which Lucketts Travel won last year, and had no idea he was there to pick up a special award.

David’s 53 years in commerce has built one of the South’s business success stories through high standards, determination and

TAS’s principal consultant Simon Bennet will move to a new key role in Surrey with Abellio next week as the latest of over a dozen TAS professionals which have taken up senior positions in the transport industry.

TAS chairman Peter Huntley said: “We are particularly proud of the fact that many of our senior employees come to us from management positions with transport operators and local authorities and even more move on to similar positions at the end of their period with us.

It is our position in employing and developing key transport professionals which gives us a unique insight and focus which is reflected in the way we work. We wish Simon well.”

David Luckett receiving his award from Fred Dinenage a genuine passion for the training and development of his workforce.

He has been the driving force and visionary behind the company and his devoted leadership and innovative vision ensured it was one of the few businesses which saw significant growth during difficult economic times, delivering

the success levels which Lucketts Travel enjoys today.

David Luckett MBE said: “This award recognises not only the dedication I have to Lucketts Travel, but also the commitment Lucketts has always made to its staff and customers and I am honoured to have received it.’’

THE NEWS PORTSMOUTH

RECRUITMENT

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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THE NEWS PORTSMOUTH

DeaDlines Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm

ContaCt Ian Gillis 01733 293484

New MD for McKenna Brothers

when Vincent McKenna decided to retire.

Vincent said: “I have been managing director of McKenna Brothers for over 33 years and have worked in this industry for 44. As I have now reached my 60th birthday, I have decided now is the time to take more of a back seat in the company, and know Derek is the ideal person to fill the position.

He knows and understands our company and has been the driving force bringing us to our present position.

“The order book is at an all time high and sales this year have exceeded all expectations. There are further opportunities to be gained within our market and I believe he is the right person to take the company forward. I have no doubt that he is the right man for the job and have complete confidence that the company is in good hands and will continue to flourish under his direction.”

Vincent will retain his position as company chairman.

Derek Dawson has been appointed managing director of McKenna Brothers, the electronic display and passenger information systems specialists.

Derek has worked for the company for a number of years in the position of commercial director and has been involved in the transport industry for over 29 years. His career started at East Lancashire Coachbuilders as an apprentice coachbuilder. From there he had a short spell within the rail industry before moving to McKenna Brothers when they became agents for Mobitec back in 2000. Derek moved to Wrightbus as national account manager but returned to McKenna Brothers in 2004.

The position became vacant

ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk

Operations Director (salary + package neg.)

www.oxfordbus.co.uk

Oxford Bus Company and its associated companies operate 200 buses and coaches in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, and to central London, Heathrow and Gatwick airports. It has won numerous awards and is particularly noted for its high quality, environmentally sensitive operating model.

A vacancy has arisen for Operations Director, reporting direct to the Managing Director, who will have control over more than 600 staff and who will be tasked with leading the team which delivers the companyÕ s services to a highly demanding and increasing customer base.

To obtain an information pack about this challenging job, email lesley.pacey@oxfordbus.co.uk Closing date for applications is 2nd March 2012.

We are looking for an ambitious, self-motivated individual who will show strong leadership and strategic vision, along with a practical Ò get things doneÓ attitude. The successful candidate will be instrumental in the continued success and growth of the company.

This post will be attractive to those who have a strong grounding in operations management and wish to progress their career, and to those already in this type of role but who may relish the freedom which the Go-Ahead Group allows its operating companies.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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