Wednesday November 16, 2011 Issue 1012 | £2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com
COACH:
Driver �ined for overturning Oxford Tube coach on M40 p8
REFLECTION:
The quirks and curiosites of Crosville in the 1960s p36
BUS:
FINANCIAL:
First Statutory Quality FirstGroup invests in Bus Partnership agreed its future. 1,000 new for Manchester p6 buses on order p10
for recru i
Face to face with Chris McBean, CEO of E Leather
JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK
p38
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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
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 and Minibus Editor Martin Cole 01733 293245, 07885 692144 martin.cole@rouncymedia.co.uk News Reporter James Day 01733 293244 james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk Art Director Keith Simpson Contributors Richard Charnley, Gabriel Conway, Alan Payling
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Costing the earth? Who can afford emissions legislation?
Y
et more calls are being made to step up emissions reduction following a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) casting a shadow over unexpectedly promising ‘lower than anticipated’ levels of pollutant emissions were recorded. “Emissions levels of all pollutants from transport fell in 2009, as there was a drop in demand,” professor Jacqueline McGlade, EEA executive director, said. “This fall was due to the economic recession. We now need to see a more fundamental shift in Europe’s transport system, so emissions don’t increase even in times of strong economic growth.” Citing those reasons behind the drop may be true but they seem to take little notice of what effects their demands have on manufacturers in terms of development costs, customers buying those products and to end users/passengers in the form of hiked fares needed to cover those costs.
We already have Euro 6 on the horizon and the indications are it will cost commercial vehicle operators £10,000 per vehicle. It comes with up to a 600kg weight penalty which also indicates fewer seats will be available and fare prices will again be forced upwards. Not to mention the significant added maintenance costs, particularly of filter and exhaust aftertreatment systems – either cleaning or replacing them. What the EEA concludes is the demand for transport rose by 33% accompanied by 27% growth in greenhouse gas emissions between 19902009. It believes the previously proposed 60% reduction target to achieve 1990 levels by 2050 now means a 68% reduction is required. Conclusion – anticipate ‘no gain more pain’ unless they decide to commit political suicide and ban cars altogether. Martin Cole Technical Editor
CONTENTS 4
30
44
The latest from across the coach and bus industry in the UK
18
A Stagecoach ADL E400 Scania on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway
36
Important ruling on TUPE plus changes to bringing claims
...From tourist attractions and events. Plus ideas for group visits
22
The quirks and curiosities of 1960s nationalised bus and train travel
38
Phil Tonks believes Centro’s plans for Birmingham are the way ahead
CBW looks at the leading suppliers of Professional Services
26
E Leather is growing worldwide, according to its CEO, Chris McBean
42
A lighthearted look at the industry. Plus Gareth’s Diary!
How can the number of fare-paying passengers be increased?
First publishes book for charity and konectbus’ longest serving driver
All the latest people moves from across the industry
News
Tour News
Essential Guide Big Question
The Big Picture
Crosville Memories Face to Face Drivers
Legal Update
47
Open Platform
61
Last Stop
62
People
The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Coach & Bus Week are not necessarily those of the Editor or its publisher Rouncy Media Ltd.
For all the latest industry news and information, register with us online at:
www.coachandbusweek.com www.coachandbusweek.com
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4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
nEWS
“Loyalty schemes where customers can collect and spend against your product provide a mechanism by which you can cross promote your product to non users.” Elaine Rosscraig
BriEfly John Gunn, the non-executive chairman of the Rotala, has sold £80,000 nominal of the company’s convertible unsecured loan stock at a price of £1.01 per £1 unit. The loan stock bears a coupon of 8% per annum and is repayable on December 31, 2014. It is also convertible into ordinary shares of Rotala at a rate of 45 pence per share at any time. Following this sale John Gunn has an interest, directly and indirectly, in £780,850 nominal of this Loan Stock (19.46 percent of the loan stock currently in issue). Carmarthen-based Rhodri Evans/ Ffoshelig Coaches has acquired Lewis Coaches of Whitland. Ffoshelig has acquired the private hire diary, name, goodwill, staff, school contracts and a market day Whitland-Carmarthen bus service. Lewis vehicles have been sold separately. However, a small number of Ffoshelig’s dozenstrong feet will be dual branded. Renowned London coach operator Westbus of Hounslow is celebrating 25 years of service in the UK. More details in next week’s issue. The firm has invested £1.2m in new vehicles this year, comprising a Van Hool T815, a pair of Mercedes Benz Tourismo coaches, and a Mercedes-Benz Sitcar minicoach. Organisers of the 2012 Bedford OB Get-Together have confirmed it will take place over three days from August 3 as part of the Gloucestershire Steam & Vintage Extravaganza in the heart of the Cotswolds. The event will be held at South Cerney Airfield (Northmoor Lane Entrance), Northmoor Lane, South Cerney, Cirencester, GL7 5QB. Contact the organiser Tim Wootton by email on tim@tjcs.freeserve.co.uk. Visit http://www.bedfordob.com/ Wilts & Dorset passengers with NFC-enabled smartphones will be able to scan tabs on bus stops for real time information on the ‘more bus’ M1 and M2 routes. The system from Track4Services may appear on other routes within six months, should the trial prove a success. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Big Question p26
Operators warned to check clauses in insurance policies London coach firm faced with massive bill after driver fails to disclose health condition A London-based coach operator is warning fellow firms to check the clauses in their insurance cover. Dan Brown of South Woodfordbased Dan’s Luxury Travel Ltd told CBW he feels he has been banging his “head against a brick wall” after one of his drivers crashed a coach, having ignored his doctor’s instruction to inform his employer and the DVLA over his lack of fitness to drive. “One of our drivers crashed a 51-seater coach full of forces personnel on the M3 after he suffered a blackout,” said Mr Brown.
“He went through the central reservation and across five lanes of traffic, remarkably without hitting other vehicles, before coming to a standstill. The result was £60,000 worth of damage to the coach, £4,000 recovery charge, which is the standard cost from the Metropolitan Police and £17,000 worth of damage to the road - in addition to the loss of hire for the coach concerned while negotiating with our insurance company. All this was due to the failure of the driver to disclose his capability to drive to the DVLA. “We later learned the driver had had a couple of dizzy turns and that his GP advised him to report the matter to the DVLA. The question I
The driver failed to disclose his health condition to the DVLA, which it is claimed, would almost certainly have revoked his licence
Spanish bid for Go-Ahead Go-Ahead Group appears to have become an acquisition target for Spain’s state-owned rail operator. Renfe revealed ambitious plans to crack the British train market and admitted it had looked at buying its way in. Renfe president Teofilo Serrano
Beltran reportedly said the company intended to bid for all the UK rail franchises up for tender in the coming months. They include the East Coast line from Edinburgh and Newcastle to Kings Cross. Serrano told The Times: “We have been thinking about the possibility to buy, but we would be conservative. We would not pay through the nose.” He said Renfe had decided not to make an approach for National
have is why the GP failed to contact the DVLA directly – as would be the procedure for someone with diabetes?” Mr Brown continued: “When I asked the GP for information, I was told details could not be disclosed due to patient confidentiality and I was met with the same response at the DVLA. “Our insurer, QBE, has a clause in its policy which I believe is totally unacceptable. I think brokers should point this out at renewal. The clause states that if a driver fails to disclose information while under an employment contract, the liability is on his of her employer to pay for any damage to vehicles or property in the event of an incident. They will, however, pay out for a death or personal injury.” Mr Brown said he had consulted a “top solicitor” and a QC which had cost him “thousands” but they assured him the insurer’s case was “rock solid.” Mr Brown concluded: “After 35 years of operating, you do everything by the book, you’ve got a 100% first time MOT pass rate and you run your own Driver CPC centre but I’m in a hole. I feel I might as well be uninsured.” A spokesperson for QBE told CBW the firm was “unable to comment on individual claims.” Call Dan’s Luxury Travel on 0208 8505 8833 www.dansluxurytravel.co.uk
Express because, at £1.1bn, it was “too big.” However, he refused to say if an approach had been made. GoAhead also declined to comment. In addition to profitable bus operations, Go-Ahead boasts the Southern, Southeastern and London Midlands franchises within its rail portfolio, and announced last month its revenues had jumped between 8% and 12% across its franchises over the same period.
14/11/2011 23:23
Tight deadline for EU O-license changes consultation The UK government has set a tight timescale for the implementation of new EU Regulations on operator licensing for buses, coaches and lorries, which are due to come into effect in early December. The Statutory Instruments needed to bring into effect changes in UK law to implement the EU road package have been laid in
Beverley Bell is currently the UK’s Senior Traffic Commissioner
Parliament at Westminster. They will permit certain relaxations of some rules and also include other necessary changes caused by the EC Regulation (1071/2009). In addition, two further regulations have been published with regard to Community licences in both the passenger and goods sectors. Changes have also had to be made to the Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Guidance and Statutory Directions, the formal written consultation for which was published on November 9, with a very tight consultation closing date of November 22. This consultation addresses changes made in the Guidance and Directions brought about by the EC Regulation only. The changes are due to take effect from the December 4, 2011. The changes were subject to consultation with industry earlier this year and the response can be found here: http://dft.gov.uk/consultations/ dft-2011-11 . The public consultation is to be found at www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/ dft-2010-42 and is called the Public Consultation on Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Guidance and Statutory Directions.
October a good month for bus and coach registrations The heavy bus and coach sector grew strongly in October with 272 registrations – up 38.8% on 2010 and up 13.3% for the year-to-date, according to the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). Bus registrations rose 62.4% in October, but are still down 19.1% for the year-to-date and coach volumes up strongly in the month by 97.9%, although weaker for the year, down 8.8% year-to-date. Overall bus and coach volumes were up 66.8% October and down 17.8% to the present date. “Hybrid bus registrations passed a landmark 250 units for the year as the October market performed well, up 66.8%,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. “Despite performance year-todate being subdued, down 17.8%, it is encouraging to see buyers investing in new technologies in an effort to keep costs under control despite economic uncertainty.”
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Buses and Coaches Brand
Oct ‘11
YTD ‘11
YTD ‘10
ADL Volvo Bus Optare Scania Iris Bus Mercedes Setra Neoplan VDL Van Hool Bova MAN King Long BMC Renault Vauxhall Other Imports Other British TOTAL
80 130 1089 76 51 762 25 29 230 83 15 207 27 11 112 1 1 81 1 0 56 4 0 56 15 7 51 2 0 50 12 3 37 7 2 16 1 1 12 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0
705 493 248 547 216 94 53 30 122 29 40 119 17 22 1 14
2
Oct ‘10
3
24
73
32 0 110 2 368 254 2898 2825
www.coachandbusweek.com
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6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
nEWS › BUSeS
10m
The number of passengers carried on Manchester route 192 per annum
BriEfly Xelabus in Eastleigh, recently profiled in CBW, is celebrating its first birthday after its creation in November 2010. The firm has had an eventful year, establishing free bus routes to supermarkets, a school bus network and surviving an arson attack in March. Gareth Blair, Xelabus director, said: “Its been a busy year. We have been grateful for the many letters complimenting our operation. We are moving later this month to a new much larger depot and we have plans to extend our network across the Eastleigh area.” Organisers of the Bus Driver of the Year (BDoY) have confirmed the competition’s national final is to take place in Blackpool over the weekend of September 8-9, 2012. For further details, call competition secretary Bill Holmes on 01303 251462. Visit www.bdoy.co.uk . Two evening bus journeys between York and Selby will now run until December after being scheduled for the axe. Arriva Yorkshire is to continue operating the evening journeys on route 42, for which funding from local parish councils stops next week, up to December 17. Arriva said it wanted to retain the 1930 and 2200hrs service from Selby and the 2030 and 2300 service from York in the run-up to Christmas. One of the key bus routes into Barnsley has been upgraded to improve journey times. More than 4,500 bus journeys are made every day along the route, from Stairfoot to Alhambra roundabout. The changes are the first part of the A635 Barnsley to Doncaster Smart Route, a scheme aimed at upgrading the link between the two towns by relieving congestion. Improvements include opening a central bus priority lane and widening lanes at Stairfoot roundabout, a new Grange Lane to Doncaster Road link road allowing traffic travelling east towards Ardsley and beyond to avoid the roundabout, new traffic signals around Alhambra roundabout to improve the flow of traffic, better bus stops, and realtime information displays. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Green light for Manchester’s first SQBP Statutory Quality Bus Partnership to start in April 2012 on Manchester’s busiest bus corridor Manchester’s first Statutory Quality Bus Partnership (SQBP) is to go live from April 2012 after agreement from Transport for Greater Manchester’s Committee (TfGMC) on Friday morning (November 11). This follows approvals from Manchester City Council and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Executive Committees in October. The SQBP will cover the key A6 bus corridor between Hazel Grove and Manchester city centre, which
operates with the most frequent single bus service in Greater Manchester (the 192), carrying almost 10 million passengers every year. The A6 was chosen for the conurbation’s first SQBPS as a result of the high passenger numbers, the improved bus infrastructure already in place as a result of the Quality Bus Corridor programme and recent investment by operators in their fleet. A statutory scheme, the SQBP will bring together Stagecoach Manchester, the principal operator along the corridor, Manchester City Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, TfGMC and its
ADL Enviro 400s form the staple traction on Stagecoach Manchester’s route 192, as pictured here by Steve Hodgson
Bob Crow re-elected at RMT Bob Crow has been re-elected unopposed as general secretary of the Rail Maritime Transport (RMT) union. Crow will begin his third five year term at the helm of the union in the New Year. Alex Gordon, RMT president,
said: “Bob Crow’s unopposed reelection as RMT General Secretary, with overwhelming support from our branches, is a total vindication of the industrial and political strategy that has been developed by the union under Bob’s leadership. “RMT’s campaigning programme, with Bob Crow as our General Secretary, rolls on. From driverless tube trains, to the impending Government response to McNulty, through to the assault on bus services and shipping, we stand ready for the battles ahead.”
executive body, Transport for Greater Manchester, in a formal partnership. The scheme will work to improve services by securing a commitment from the partners to maintain investment in infrastructure, such as bus lanes and stops, and to work together on congestion and traffic management issues. Giving his reaction to the news, Chris Bowles, Stagecoach Manchester managing director told CBW: “Stagecoach has been in discussions for some time with the authorities on developing this Partnership Scheme and we welcome its approval and impending implementation. “The congested and unpredictable conditions on the A6 corridor present many difficult and complex challenges to running punctual bus services and these can only be solved in partnership. We hope the commitment of all the parties will result in a higher quality of service in the future.” A number of other operators which run services in the SQBP scheme area only use part of the route or only run a limited frequency on it, will still be able to use the improved facilities, but will be exempt from the other conditions of the SQBP. The SQBP will start on April 1, 2012 and will run for an initial period of five years, until March 31, 2017. Cllr Andrew Fender, chairman of TfGMC, said: “The Manchester to Hazel Grove link is one of the busiest bus routes in the UK, making the service provided by bus operators important to a large number of passengers. The introduction of an SQBP along this popular route will provide a quality guarantee to passengers in a number of areas, including vehicle standards, security, service reliability and punctuality.”
Bob Crow was re-elected unopposed as general secretary
15/11/2011 00:12
1,000
The number of new buses FirstGroup has on order for the next two years
10%
November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7
The percentage Cornwall Council expects the bus network to shrink by as a result of savings
SHARE WATCH
Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, November 14. BAE Systems saw the greatest proportional rise and 21st Century had the biggest proportional drop. Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk
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Arriva Scotland West MD Richard Hall and Denis McKenn, vice chairman of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport
Arriva launches improved Scotland West network Arriva Scotland West is introducing an improved bus network for Glasgow, Paisley, Renfrewshire and Strathclyde. Following a half million pound investment; the improvements include newer low floor buses at greater frequencies and low floor easy access across Arriva’s entire Scottish fleet. Each route will also be taking on a unique identity with links to a local iconic Scottish landmark. In addition, there
Stagecoach bus inspectors given bravery award Two Stagecoach bus inspectors have been honoured by the Royal Humane Society (RHS) for their role in helping to save lives when Workington’s Northside Bridge collapsed during the Cumbrian floods of 2009. As reported exclusively in CBW at the time, Kevin Sheehan and David Hoare were at the Northside Bridge in November 2009, when severe flooding caused the bridge to collapse into the River Derwent.
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will also be new night services at weekends, such as a late night service from Glasgow to Erskine, Paisley and the surrounding areas, and large changes to Sunday service levels. New routes will also be introduced serving Glasgow University and Pheonix Retail Park. Each route will take on a unique identity and link to a local Scottish landmark. The new network was launched at the Riverside Museum
Kevin Sheehan and David Hoare Prior to its collapse, both men helped prevent people from crossing the bridge by standing at each end and turning traffic away. In honour of their bravery and selflessness during the incident, both men were given the RHS Award and the Chief Constable’s Award at a ceremony attended by
(Scotland’s new transport museum) on Monday, November 7. Richard Hall, area managing director for Arriva Scotland West, said: “These improvements will make bus travel more accessible and provide a credible alternative to the car for local people. “The improvements to our fleet will bring extra comfort for our passengers and the new appearance of our buses and timetables will make it easier for passengers to identify their bus and information.” Visit www.arrivabus.co.uk/ scotland
the High Sheriff of Cumbria and Craig Mackey, Chief Constable, at the Roundthorn Country House Hotel, Penrith, Cumbria on Thursday, November 10. Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire MD Nigel Winter, said: “This was a sad and terrible incident which tragically resulted in the loss of PC Bill Barker’s life and our thoughts and condolences remain with his family. At Stagecoach we are very proud of the roles Kevin and David played in preventing further loss of life.Their families, friends and colleagues can be rightly proud of their brave actions on that tragic day.” The RHS is a charity which grants awards for acts of bravery in the saving of human life and for the restoration of life by resuscitation.
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nEWS › coaches
“I’d still like to see more improvements ‘at the coalface’ such as more bus priority, and more enforcement of existing bus-only areas.” Phil Tonks
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) warns of possible industrial action at Border Controls on November 30 which may affect passage through the ports. It will run from 0001hrs to midnight on November 30. While the UKBA has assured border controls will be manned, it is likely there will be queues. Staff will endeavour to ensure minimal delays. Lighting renewal work on a seven mile stretch of the M62 began on Monday, November 14 and is expected to continue up to the end of March 2012. During the work there will be narrow lanes in both directions between J22 Saddleworth near the Greater Manchester border and J23 at Outlane west of Huddersfield. A 50mph speed limit will be in place, with temporary cameras.
M40 coach crash driver fined Former Oxford Tube driver found guilty of careless driving Mark Woodward, of Banbury, was found guilty of careless driving at Oxford Crown Court after being cleared of dangerous driving by a jury over the crash at junction 7 of the M40 in December. He was fined £750, banned from driving for a year and must pay £100 costs for the crash which ended with the coach tipped on its side. There were 22 people injured in the incident. Woodward was driving the 87-seat Oxford Tube Van Hool coach and crashed at Junction 7
of the M40 at around 2254hrs on December 11, 2010. The court heard last week he had taken the wrong exit off the motorway and the coach flipped over as it hit a crash barrier. A CCTV video shown in court showed Woodward realising his mistake and crashing the coach, before passengers’ screams are heard. Some passengers suffered broken bones in the incident and considerable damage was caused to the £350,000 coach. In all, 22 of the 32 passengers on board were injured. Five needed surgery and Woodward himself
Work to replace the M5 central reserve barrier between J3 and J4a began November 14 until the end of March 2012. During the works there will be three narrow lanes with a 40mph speed limit. Overnight there will be a single lane running in each direction between J3 and J4, with all three narrow lanes continuing between J4 and J4a. Signal work on J33 of the M1 started on November 14, and is expected to be completed by December 21. The work will require overnight closures of the exit slip roads and the A630 route linked to the roundabout. Work will take place weekdays from 2200 to 0600hrs. Occasional closures to slip roads onto the roundabout and the roundabout carriageway may be enforced, with a clear diversion route. Maintenance begins on a 3/4 mile section of carriageway between J3 at Kirkham and J4 at Blackpool on Saturday November 19 until the end of December. Lane closures,a 50mph speed limit and overnight closures will affect the carriageway running under the A583 Preston New Road roundabout. Traffic using the A5230 into or out of Blackpool will need to use the roundabout to join or leave the motorway at these times. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Stagecoach’s tri-axle Van Hool Oxford Tube coaches make an impressive sight wherever they are pictured – central Oxford is no exception
Grey’s of Ely wins business award
Richard Greay (centre) accept the award at the East Cambridgeshire Business Awards
Grey’s of Ely won an East Cambridgeshire Business award for 2011 on Friday, October 28. Grey’s was a finalist in the medium business of the year category. Nine judges from various business sectors chose the winners, sponsored, by Archer and Archer Solicitors. They said: “Grey’s of Ely is an excellent ambassador for Ely
broke his back in two places. He was sacked by Stagecoach in February following a disciplinary hearing. Woodward had more than 20 years of experience as a bus driver and transferred from local bus services to the Oxford Tube two months before the accident. Stagecoach spokesman Chris Child said: “We can confirm that, following an internal disciplinary investigation, the driver was dismissed in February 2011 and no longer works for our company. “Our first thoughts continue to be with those who were affected by this incident. “Safety is always our absolute priority. This case involved an experienced bus driver, who was given full and thorough training. “This included detailed guidance on the route and advice on what to do in the event of a diversion.” In his summing up speech, defence barrister Steve Molloy said: “This is an accident which happened in a matter of seconds. “It was due to a minor misjudgement. It’s a minor mistake which has had catastrophic consequences.” The prosecution’s case was Woodward had been inattentive and failed to read three signs labelling the junction. Hugh Williams, prosecuting, said: “He hasn’t looked, he hasn’t been alert and he hasn’t been concentrating on the road.” and for successful Ely businesses. A long-standing local business, it has successfully transferred through the generations. By diversifying it has started to broaden its business base, improved its marketing and updated it image.” Richard Grey, MD of Grey’s, said: “It’s an excellent culmination to the year. We are one of very few businesses to carry the city’s name and we are very proud to do so.” The event was held at Ely Cathedral, and attended by various local businesses, from new entrepreneurs to well established companies.
aRchaNT caMBs 24
BriEfly
Open Platform p47
15/11/2011 01:15
November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9
IN PARLIAMENT…
Shropshire independent coach operator Lakeside has expanded. One of the firm’s well presented Plaxton coaches is seen here
Lakeside acquires Sergeants of Hodnet Lakeside of Ellesmere has acquired the private hire diary, assets, employees and goodwill of fellow Shropshire independent Sargeants of Hodnet (S G Sargeant) after the sudden death of owner ‘Mick’ Sargeant (66) in June. Mick had been a close friend of the directors and management of Lakeside for many years. The moves has meant family-run Lakeside has acquired four drivers and four vehicles. They include two Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, an Optare Toro and an LDV used on a school run, all of which will continue to be based at Hodnet. “The aim is to maintain the high standards and meticulous attention to detail, service and presentation the business was built upon,” said Lakeside Coaches. “We have met many customers and thank them for their continued support. All
ETOA visitor warning for 2012
The European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) is predicting a major slump in leisure tourism bookings, based on a survey of its members. ETOA canvassed 38 tour operators who, between them, move more than two million people annually to London. As a result, ETOA expects a significant
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transactions will be with Lakeside Coaches, to allow customers to benefit from our streamlined sales and payment systems. This provides us with the platform we need to expand further across Shropshire, across to the Staffordshire border and down to Telford.” The acquisition takes Lakeside’s fleet to 26 vehicles, 17 of which are compliant with the more stringent requirements of the London LEZ being introduced in January 2012. The company has recently purchased a Sunsundegui-bodied Volvo B12M and a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo, and the most recent addition is the newest of Silver Star’s Setras. Call Lakeside Coaches on 01691 622761 or visit www.lakesidecoaches.co.uk for more information.
downturn throughout 2012 which could be extremely severe in July and August, where operators are currently seeing a 60% shortfall in bookings over the period of the Olympic Games where bookings are running at 95% below normal. Bookings for the rest of the year ar e 20% below this time last year. “One of the main reasons for the drop is hotels believe they will be full. London appears to have priced itself out of the market in July and August” said John Boulding President of Insight Vacations, a leading luxury tour operator.
RURAL BUSES In answers to oral questions on transport, Angela Smith (Penistone and Stocksbridge, Labour) asked the transport secretary what progress she has made on improving access to bus services in rural areas. Transport secretary Norman Baker (Lewes, Lib Dem) replied: “The provision of bus services in rural areas, as in urban areas, is predominantly a matter for commercial operators and for local authorities. However, I recently provided £10m of extra funding to local councils to help to develop community transport in their areas. Smith replied: “Does the minister accept the equivalent of Beeching is going on in rural bus services about which the UK government is doing nothing other than passing the buck to local authorities? Baker replied: “No, I don’t accept that. Almost four out of five bus services are provided commercially as opposed to being subsidised. So far there have been no cuts at all to support from central Government for those services. The BSOG cut will come in next April.” IMPACT OF CUTS Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South, Labour) said: “Last week, the UK Youth Parliament voted transport costs its number one issue, while the Association of Colleges has warned falling student numbers are being ‘exacerbated by the number of local authorities who have cut back or axed their student travel subsidies.’ Will he now wake up to the devastating impact his 28% cut to local transport funding is having on young people? Norman Baker replied: “I am conscious of the concerns of young people because I invited some to give a presentation at the recent bus forum that I hosted, which was attended by the major operators and local authorities. I have subsequently written to the bus companies and involved the local authorities to try to get some action to help
people of that age with their particular needs for public transport access. This issue is very much on the government’s radar.” BUS WARS Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central, Labour) said: “The secretary of state will have seen the Competition Commission’s (CC) damning report on the bus wars around Newcastle. May I urge her not to leave bus transport in the North East to market forces, but to work with local and transport authorities to ensure local people have the quality of bus services they deserve?” Transport secretary Justine Greening (Putney, Conservative) replied: “We’re awaiting the CC’s final report, but I can assure the hon. Lady I am well aware of the importance of buses to local communities. I shall pay close attention to any strategies we develop in the light of the commission’s report.” BSOG CUT Derek Twigg (Halton, Labour) asked the transport secretary: (1) whether her department has assessed the potential effect on journeys to work of her department’s reduction in financial support for bus services in April 2011; (2) what estimate her department has made of the level of bus services (a) in England, (b) in Cheshire, (c) in Merseyside and (d) nationally following her the funding reduction in April 2011. Norman Baker replied: “After last year’s spending review, the Government announced BSOG would be cut by 20% from April 2012. At the time, CPT said this cut was manageable and would not result in a loss of services or a rise in fares. “Changes to individual services are a matter for operators and authorities. The Government cannot make an assessment of individual changes but is working with local transport authorities to get an overall picture. “The latest statistics on bus services can be found at the Department for Transport website and are updated periodically: http://www.dft.gov.uk/ statistics/series/buses/
www.coachandbusweek.com
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nEWS
FirstGroup steady ahead of large future investment Overall revenue grew to £3,168.8m and 1,000 buses will be on order over the next two years FirstGroup has reported overall revenue grew to £3,168.8m (up 3.2% from £3,069.9 in 2010), in its financial statement for the six months leading to September 30, 2011. Key findings show: Adjusted operating profit was £163m (down 4.3% from £173.5m); Profit before tax was £127.8m (up 56.2% from £81.8m); Adjusted basic earnings per share were 11.2p (up 6.7% from 10.5p); and Net debt was £2,058.7m (down 6% from 2,190.8m). FirstGroup said First Student’s business recovery plan was achieving good momentum, with operating margin in the second half of the year expected to match the previous year. Revenue was 2.4% lower year on year, with operating profit £5.5m (£28m: 2010). First said its 10 largest contracts up for renewal were retained, while it won 11 contracts in the bidding season to run 330 buses. Greyhound had a like for like passenger revenue increase of 3.7% compared to 1.9% in 2010. The division invested in 42 new vehicle and refurbished 100 existing buses, building the fleet up to 230 in total. First UK Bus brought a revenue of £586.9m (£570.5m 2010) which was down 1.2% once adjusted for
Birmingham’s bus stop changes to cost £14m West Midlands ITA, Centro has confirmed work on a £14m project to reorganise bus services and move stops in Birmingham city centre is to start early next year. Six new bus hubs will be created www.coachandbusweek.com
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the extra week in the 2011 half year. The firm sold bus operations in Kings Lynn to Norfolk Green in April and bus subsidies in Frankfurt and Heidelberg, where 130 vehicles were run, to Marwyn European Transport for gross consideration of €5.5m. First UK Bus plans to invest £160m in 1000 new vehicles over the next two years, including 40 hybrids. A further £27m is to be invested in new ticketing technology which will accommodate the ITSO smartcard. The operator will also be providing 500 buses as shuttles for the 2012 Olympic games. Tim O’Toole, FirstGroup chief executive, said: “I am pleased to report overall Group trading for the first half of the current financial year is in line with our expectations.
In our UK Bus operations our priorities are to manage the immediate challenges presented by a softening macroeconomic outlook and reduced funding to the industry while also taking the necessary forward looking decisions to equip the business to deliver increased growth. “With high market positions and operations which are fundamentally strong, together with our clear focus on creating a stronger business for the future, the Group has good prospects to deliver long-term value for shareholders in a sector which is a key enabler of economic growth.” First is the UK’s largest transport operator. Visit www.firstgroup.com for more information about the group
Of the 1,000 new buses on order, 40 will be hybrids (pictured) for use at Snow Hill, Bull Street and Priory Queensway, Moor Street, Markets, New Street and Paradise Circus. Centro unveiled its blueprint for Birmingham last November “to help underpin economic regeneration and cement the city’s future as a vibrant global city”. The main change will be from summer 2012 when buses stop going down Corporation Street, which will be the route for the new Midland Metro extension from Snow Hill to New Street station.
Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Developing a modern, integrated and user-friendly transport system is crucial to Birmingham’s continued development as a worldclass city.” Centro said the tram extension and New Street railway station redevelopment were due for completion in 2015.
Read Phil Tonks’ Open Platform piece on p47 of this issue
Cornwall reveals true effects of subsidy cuts Cornwall Council has admitted at least one in ten bus services in the county will be withdrawn as a result of cuts to funding the concessionary fares scheme. The council is in negotiations with bus operators over plans to slash the concessionary fare reimbursement rate as the authority looks to save £2.6m from the concessionary fares budget. At the council’s budget briefings last week, independent councillor Bob Egerton called for more details on likely effect of the cuts on bus services, after the authority’s director of economy, environment and planning, Tom Flanagan, insisted they would create a “sustainable” bus network. “He (Mr Flanagan) said we will find out the implications of the budget in January when the bus companies come back, by which time we will probably find the bus routes have been decimated,” said Egerton. “We’re throwing the dice up in the air and seeing what falls,” he said. “There’s no information coming back about what the implications will be on the bus network. Are we going to have a network roughly the same as today, or will it be virtually wiped out in some areas?” Mr Flanagan replied: “We hope we’ll have 90%, or thereabouts, still in place.” Councillor Egerton said that rather than cutting the concessionary fares scheme, the council should look at other ways of meeting the £2.6m shortfall and protect bus services from being cut. He called on the council to increase charges on its park and ride scheme in Truro and use the additional revenue to fund concessionary fares. Cllr Egerton also suggested a possible £1m grant from the government for the reintroduction of weekly waste collection should also be used to fund concessionary bus fares. The overview and scrutiny committee decided his suggestions should be investigated by officers to see whether they were feasible.
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MICHELIN Q&A
Ask the Michelin Man What is aquaplaning and how does it aect the control of my vehicle? Aquaplaning takes place on a wet road when the tyre is unable to remove suf:icient water, quickly enough, from the contact patch for it to develop contact between the rubber and the road surface. When this happens, the tyre begins to ride up on a :ilm of water and loses its ability to develop steering, braking or traction forces. Aquaplaning is more likely to happen if the surface water gets deeper, if the vehicle travels faster, if the tyre pressure is lower, if the vehicle is lighter or if the remaining tyre tread pattern depth is lower. It is unlikely that a Commercial vehicle will aquaplane at normal speeds, since the load on each tyre is suf:icient to force the water out of the way. However a
more lightly laden tyre, such as on a passenger car, may aquaplane, even if it is new, if the aforementioned conditions of speed, water depth, pressure, tread depth are right. Michelin advises for cars and vans that tyres with the deepest tread depth should be :itted to the rear of the vehicle to maintain vehicle stability. This is a detailed subject, for more information please contact Michelin Technical Services. Tel: (UK) 0845 366 1535 (ROI) 01495 5955.
What legislation should eet managers be aware of with regards to tyres? The main advice on tyre condition in the UK is the 'Road Vehicle's (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 with Amendments. In this document, the requirements for the type and carrying capacity of tyres and for the condition and maintenance of tyre are listed in Regulations 24 to 27. The Republic of Ireland has similar advice in a document entitled Road Traf:ic (Construction and use of vehicles) regulations 2003.
How much do the sipes on the edge of the tyre tread contribute to the tyres road handling and water clearing abilities? Sipes are present in tyre tread pattern design for two main reasons. Some act like small squeegees, wiping away the last thin :ilm of water from between the tread rubber and the road. Others are designed to allow cooling air to pass through the tread block and keep it at a suitable operating temperature in service. Generally, if the sipe extends right to the base of the tread block, it is of the :irst type and will certainly contribute to the tyre's performance in wet conditions. If a sipe extends only part way down the block and wears out substantially before the tread band is worn out, it is likely to be of the second type.
0845 366 1535 www.michelin.co.uk/atmm
12 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
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Excelsior Coaches promotes safe driving Excelsior coach on hand for under 17s Car Club Annual Truck Day Excelsior Coaches attended the Under 17s Car Club Annual Truck Day at Long Marston last weekend, along with the Royal Mail to support an initiative to promote Safe Driving to Under 17’s. There was a huge turnout with more than 30 large vehicles in constant use throughout the day. Royal Mail offered 44-tonne lorries, a few 7.5 tonne vehicles, a US truck with a crash box and an assortment of other large vehicles including one of Excelsior Coaches’ vehicles. Bournemouth-based Excelsior provided a coach and a driver to spend the day at the annual event, demonstrating the vehicle and allowing the members of the club to take to the wheel themselves and experience driving a full size coach, many for the first time. Excelsior said the standards of the members were extremely high and they were also driving their own vehicles during the day. Along with practical driving, the members also complete theory tests based upon the DSA Theory tests and First Aid Assessments. The renowned operator said it’s impossible to under-estimate the impact this has on Under 17 Car Club members and of course with the M5 crash it is all terribly timely,
young people gaining experience of the needs of large vehicles, longer stopping distances, large turning circles, blind spots, it is a hugely valuable experience and something money simply cannot buy. There are currently about 300 members and the club is open to anyone who is tall enough to drive and is between the ages of 12 years and 15 years. Kathy Tilbury, managing director of Excelsior Coaches said: “We were specifically asked to get involved with this event, after further discussion with the Under 17 Car Club, we recognised the importance
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For further information on the U17 Car club, visit www.under17-carclub.co.uk
Excelsior Coaches provided a coach and a driver to spend the day at the annual event, allowing people of the club to take to the wheel to experience driving a full size coach
M&D and East Kent bus Club Diamond Jubilee Details of M&D and East Kent Bus Club Diamond Jubilee at Kent Showground on March 31 next year are now available on Facebook. Organisers are aiming to repeat the success of this year’s ‘M&D 100’ event which it is claimed attracted around 5,000 visitors. One of the organisers, Richard Lewis, who is also Arriva Southern Counties’ publicity manager, said: “Using Facebook to promote ‘M&D and EK 60’ will allow us to post messages as often as we need to, knowing they will be on people’s
of such organisations in promoting safe driving, if we can get these concepts installed in young people at this age, it can only contribute to making our roads safer in the long term.” BBC Midland and ITV Meridian were both there filming the events of the day and next year a new venue has been agreed at seven miles of road system at Bovington on six Sundays in 2012 and every year for the foreseeable future.
Facebook walls when they next look at their computers. “We will continue to have a website facility available for those who do not subscribe to Facebook and hopefully the combination of these two media will enable us to offer comprehensive information, with up-to-the-minute news.” As well as another record turnout of former M&D buses and coaches, it is hoped the event will attract the largest ever gathering of former East Kent vehicles, as well as those from independent
operators which run in the club’s area of coverage. There will also be sales stands, guest speakers, displays of models and memorabilia, free bus rides around the showground, slide shows and the opportunity for former, and current, staff from the local bus firms to meet with their colleagues and acquaintances. This aspect alone attracted around three hundred former M&D employees to the Reunion Tea Room at ‘M&D 100’ last April. Visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ MDEK60 or contact Richard Lewis on 01622 697000 or email rolyg@supanet.com.
UK Youth Parliament urges action on transport costs Teenage members of the UK Youth Parliament have made affordable transport their number one priority and have urged ministers to cut the cost of public transport and make it more accessible. Hundreds of 11-18 year olds voted on Friday (November 4) to make the issue the subject of their national campaign in 2012 following a series of debates in the House of Commons. Speaker John Bercow, who chaired the event, pledged to draw it to the attention of the transport secretary. Elected members of the UK Youth Parliament voted to back a motion urging the government to make public transport “cheaper, better and accessible to all” as the focus of their campaigning activities. They chose the subject ahead of other motions on student finance, bullying in schools, child poverty and the green economy, following their third annual Commons debate. The five topics were chosen in a poll of 65,000 young people. Abla Seckley, from Aylesbury, said the cost of children travelling to school on the bus often exceeded £1,000 a year and prices increased “exponentially” once you turned 16. “It is compulsory to be in school. If I don’t show up, then I am classed as a truant and if I am a consistent truant because I can’t afford to get there, my parents have to pay fines.” Natascha Engel, one of a number of MPs to attend the debate, said she would use her position as chair of the Commons backbench business committee to urge ministers to do more to get the issue of transport costs “further up the government agenda”. “You are young people with strong voices and we are listening,” she said. Speaker Bercow said this was a “clear result”, adding he would write to the departments responsible for policy in for each of the five areas debated to respond to the MYPs’ arguments. Visit www.ukyp.org. uk/4598.html
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nEWS › international
Budapest evaluation to continue European Bus System of the Future - BKV extends its trial period to gain additional data HUnGARY The aim of the 47 international members of EBSF (European Bus System of the Future project) is to provide technical improvements to help improve bus operations and to create an attractive alternative for public transport users. BKV Zrt., the Hungarian operator partner in the European Union’s project, undertook the testing of the articulated five-door MAN in real operational conditions. It has been in service since March 23, 2011 on line 86. Closely monitored results of the experience will help manufacturers and operators. The 18.75m MAN Lion’s City GL developed for EBSF operates in standard BKV livery. It features an air-conditioned interior design and special equipment. Instead of the usual four doors, the five-door layout was found to improve passenger flow – aided by a motion detector linked to the door opening/closing function- so far only used on trams. Passengers could also activate the doors. The beginning of the testing period focused on the automatic door control system. The first day of operation indicated people could not stand in front of the door on the yellow-striped area in the crowded peak hours. The light-barrier would not let the doors close for safety reasons and interfered with door closing process. Consequently the bus was stuck at the bus stop for several minutes. The MAN
technicians reacted swiftly and the next day the driver controlled the closing of the doors, so the problem was quickly fixed. The on-board computer communicates with the operations centre independently: It transmits data about the vehicle’s position, the errors which might occur and the number of passengers. Every minute, the system records the GPS co-ordinates of the bus so its position can be followed on a map. The data of the infra-red laser 3D automatic passenger counting equipment, located above the doors, shows the utilisation rate of the bus. The system is able to differentiate human beings from objects with an accuracy of 96.9%. Passengers expressed a liking for the translucent bellows, the number and positioning of handrails, the seating layout and standing places. They also liked the
The five-door articulated MAN EBSF concept vehicle operated in Budapest by BKV is providing useful feedback for operators and manufacturers
Alcoa develops lightweight spaceframe body for BYD CHInA Alcoa has developed a new all-aluminum space frame and bus design for BYD which has reduced the weight of its Electric Bus body by 40%, or nearly one tonne, versus steel options. The first two BYD Electric Bus prototypes were launched this week in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China. In addition to reducing the weight of the bus body, Alcoa forged aluminium wheels and www.coachandbusweek.com
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LED interior lighting, especially the row of coloured LED lights which can be set in different colours in the front and the back of the bus. Despite the presence of a warning light and information stickers, the folding seats activated by the driver were often forced by passengers and the fixing mechanism had to be repaired several times. Passenger information equipment received a good reception. TFT screens placed before and after the bellows allows passengers to see current stop information, the order of coming stops, the transfer options and the current time. The bus had minimal maintenance requirement and has operated 98.5% of the time during the first six months. The 320bhp six-cylinder MANdiesel engine proved highly efficient with good fuel consumption rate.
‘Huck Spin’ fasteners reduced the overall bus weight by 1.2 tonnes in total. The combined weight savings are expected to help improve the overall range of the electric bus by at least 10%. The new bus has a range of approximately 300 kilometers (188 miles) on a full charge. BYD plans to produce thousands of the electric buses for the China and Southeast Asia markets and
will also export the buses globally. Alcoa will be the exclusive supplier of the new bus design as well as sheet product from its Bohai rolling mill in Qinhuangdao, Hebei. Alcoa will also be the exclusive supplier of forged aluminum wheels and fasteners to the project. Additional terms were not disclosed. “It is certainly impressive that we were able to drop more than 1.2 tonnes from the weight of BYD’s new electric bus compared to steel,” said Jinya Chen, President of Alcoa’s Asia-Pacific region. “However, this design is about more than just weight. The new design is durable,
No problem was raised concerning the access to the control points, the placement of the engine, exhaust system, gear-box and auxiliary devices. The control of the bus also achieved an excellent score: the vehicle follows the smallest movements of the steering wheel and also completed the tightest turns without any problems. No problems were experienced concerning the gearbox or the airconditioning. It ran very quietly and provided a pleasant, comfortable passenger area. The automatic climate control system worked in cooling mode 80% of the operating hours and adapted in response to the outside temperatures to maintain 5-6 ˚C cooler temperature inside. It was recognised, however, the cooling performance decreases on the vehicle in when in congested traffic conditions. On bus line 86 some 400 passengers were questioned during the operational test, prior to commencement of the main testing period. On the basis of the received responses during the EBSF project, the service quality and the reliability of the bus improved; the passengers highlighted the cleanliness of the vehicle, the comfort and the adequate number of the seats but also found inner temperature and sound level better. On the new bus, 88% of the passengers rated the quality of the applied developments good or very good. The EBSF test in Budapest is continuing for few weeks more to finalise results. corrosion resistant, infinitely recyclable and expected to increase the range by at least 10% and withstand the rigours of everyday city driving.” “We are pleased to have worked with a global expert in transportation such as Alcoa as we began work on this new electric bus program,” said Xie Shibin Vice President of BYD Auto Research Institute. “Alcoa’s design and materials combined with our expertise in the market make this new bus the best in the industry in terms of emissions, range, safety and performance.”
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nEWS › REGIONAL
MIDLAnDS
Newark’s new bus station was officially opened on Friday and became fully operational the following day. The new building is jointly owned by Nottinghamshire County Council – which will operate the facility – and Newark and Sherwood District Council. Both authorities have worked alongside Asda on the development. The county council contributed £275,000 towards the new building. Councillor Richard Jackson, cabinet member for transport and highways at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The new bus station provides a welcoming first impression for anyone arriving in Newark by bus and I am confident anyone using it will be impressed by the modern, first-rate facilities. “It offers a high-quality waiting environment for bus passengers and we hope this will encourage more people to give the bus a go.” It has been estimated there will be around 2,000 bus arrivals and departures a week covering 25,000 passenger arrivals and departures. trent barton passengers are being given the opportunity to name new buses after the operator’s Blue Route buses are reinstated on its Connect service on November 14. Three buses are to be renamed to celebrate the launch on the route to Hucknall. A campaign by residents caused the reintroduction of the buses. Alex Hornby, commercial director, said: “In addition to supporting a number of worthy causes, we thought naming buses after local heroes was another way we could demonstrate our commitment to the communities we serve. “They could be named after historical figures, or volunteers who are still working to help the local community. “Suggestions could include war heroes and the eventual winners will be chosen by drivers,” he added. The buses will carry a special name plate. Suggestions should be e-mailed to hucknallheroes@ trentbarton.co.uk
WALES
The reinstatement of a rail link express bus service between Newport and Rogerstone in South Wales has seen support from Welsh Assembly Government www.coachandbusweek.com
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giving their full backing. I do feel things are moving in our favour and the government will respond. “In the meantime, we have to let bus operators have our draft scheme for next year by the beginning of December, and until we get an improved settlement we have to plan for government support to remain much the same as for this year.” Brandon Lewis, MP for Great Yarmouth, recently secured a debate on the issue in the House of Commons where transport minister Norman Baker acknowledged Norfolk’s problem. Communities secretary Eric Pickles, in a recent interview with the EDP, described the system as “a complete dog’s breakfast”.
KEY
SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST
SOUtH EASt
minister Carl Sargeant, after it was withdrawn due to lack of passengers in May 2008. The new service, to be funded by the Welsh Government, is to be introduced ‘as soon as possible’ and piloted for a year. The bus will be timetabled to connect with train services at Rogerstone for journeys to and from Newport Monday to Saturday on an hourly basis. The Minister said: “I see this as the first step towards improving rail services between Ebbw Vale and Newport and welcome Newport’s implementation of the trial express service and look forward to it being successful.” Councillor Matthew Evans said: “Following successful pilot operation of this link, Newport City Council has been assured by the Welsh Government the next step of opening the rail link between the two areas will be fully considered. “The council will continue to campaign vigorously for this. While we welcome a new express bus route, it is clearly not a long term substitute for a rail service.” Passengers will be able purchase rail tickets on the bus, while Arriva Trains Wales will sell through tickets to Newport. The new service will be operated by Newport Bus and the journey time will be around 16 minutes.
EASt
The concessionary funding gap in Norfolk could
potentially grow by a further £800,000 next year if an agreement isn’t made between Norfolk County Council (NCC) and operators to limit reimbursement for carrying bus pass holders. This year funding was £4.5m short of the £11.8m needed to pay bus companies for running the concessionary travel scheme. Norfolk has 180,000 pass holders and cuts have already resulted in the council axing an extra discretionary hour from 0830 – 0930hrs. A combination of an increase in pass holders and inflation could result in the £800,000 increase. The county council has, through its Fair Fares campaign, been calling on the government to come up with another way to cover the cost of reimbursing bus companies. Devon County Council and Buckinghamshire County Council have both pledged support for Norfolk’s lobbying. Graham Plant, cabinet member for planning and transportation, said: “We have had sympathetic noises from the government, which is encouraging, and I am hopeful we will see a fairer funding allocation for next year. “But we haven’t received it yet, and this report to cabinet shows what the situation will be if there is no improvement in government support. “I am delighted other authorities, such as Buckinghamshire, are
Parking charges at three Oxford park-and-ride sites are to be scrapped by Oxford City Council amid fears of damage to the city’s economy. The £1.50 charges from 1830 – 0500hrs at Pear Tree, Redbridge and Seacourt park-and-rides will disappear after being in operation for a month. The u-turn will cost £30,000 per year and follows concerns from businesses in the city. The council had originally said it had no choice but to implement the charge, due to government cuts. The council had already been advising drivers not to pay after 1830hrs and stopped fining cars without tickets displayed on October 20. Machines were due to be changed to not physically take evening cash on Friday, November 11. Colin Cook, executive board member for city development, said: “We want to try to work with the night-time economy and the retail economy to try to keep Oxford as buoyant as we can.” A city council report said evening charges could also make it harder for Oxford Bus Company (OBC) to recoup investment from the service. OBC managing director Philip Kirk said: “Anything which encourages people to leave their cars and travel by bus into the city centre is to be applauded.” Graham Jones, chairman of the Rox traders’ group, said: “It is better than nothing. This is a very important time of year for retailers, so it is a positive step in the run-up to Christmas. But only a little step.” “Parking should be free all day at all the park-and-ride sites as it is in many other cities. This would avoid
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a lot of confusion.” The old Station Hill bus station in Reading is to be revamped and reopened while the multimillion pound project to build a new railway station continues. The former Alder Valley Bus Station is currently only used as an area for taxis waiting to get to the rank in Blagrave Street. It will house buses and taxis for a minimum of a year from January. Councillors say the bus station, which closed in the 1990s, will be refurbished before it is reopened as a temporary measure while Station Hill closes for building work. Councillor Tony Page, chairman of the panel, said: “We need to see Alder Valley Bus Station made more attractive if it’s to be used for more than a year. “Anything less than that will not be acceptable. We’re looking for proper standards of work as it could be used for some years.” Detailed plans for the northern side of the railway station were also revealed. The north side of the new station will act as an alternative entrance to the new facility with a new building on former Royal Mail land, a taxi rank, bus interchange and public square.
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Coach & Bus Week takes a look at the big issues where you live in our round-up of the regions. If you’ve got a local issue you would like us to cover, contact Gareth Evans at gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
The plans will be shown to members of the public at exhibitions later this year. Cllr Page added: “The proposals will be of a huge benefit for commuters from north of the river. “It will be fully accessible and is a very attractive element of the new development.” A Big Lemon bus was given a parking ticket while waiting at a bus stand. Tom Druitt, MD of the company, was on a round when he pulled over at the stand near The Level in Brighton. He returned to the vehicle to find that he had been slapped with a ticket. Mr Druitt said: “I guess it was a genuine mistake. It is obviously a little bit silly. “I just laughed. I knew we would not have to pay it. It is slightly annoying because of having the hassle of responding and appealing.” However, he praised the way Brighton and Hove City Council responded to the complaint he made on Twitter. The council confirmed the ticket cancellation. A spokesman said: “Our contractors say the vehicle was ticketed because it wasn’t marked or sign written.”
2011 n November 22 SMMT Annual Dinner. Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London. 0808 1788818. annualdinner@smmt.co.uk n November 24 ATCO Winter Conference 2011 ‘Can a leopard change its spots?’ Local Government Association House, Smith Square, London SW1. www. atco.org.uk n November 29 UK Bus Awards. Hilton Park Lane, London. www.ukbusawards.org.uk
2012 n January 1 King Alfred Bus Running Day. Broadway and bus station, Winchester. www.fokab.org.uk n January 14 CPT North Western Region Annual Dinner. Southport Theatre & Covention Centre. 1830 for 1900hrs – until late. Contact Phillipa Sudlow, CPT NW regional manager email phillipas@cpt-uk.org or call 01925 229497. n January 26, 2011 CPT Annual Dinner. Hilton Park Lane, London. www.cpt-uk.org n February 4 Mid Anglia Coach Operators Association Dinner Dance. The Bedford Lodge Hotel, Newmarket. Contact Bridget Paterson on 01638 780066 or email sales@nealstravel.com n March 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
Lothian Buses-owned Edinburgh Bus Tours has received five stars from VisitScotland for excellence of service. The prestigious award places the tour alongside the city’s key attractions Edinburgh Castle and Royal Yacht Britannia, which have also won VisitScotland’s highest accolade. The open-topped tour carries over half a million passengers a year, making it Scotland’s third most paid attraction. Ticket sales at Edinburgh Bus Tours have risen 17% this year, and the 2011 launch of the new Majestic Tour with multi-language commentary marked a significant upgrade, offering oversees visitors informed commentary in Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and Chinese. All sighteeing buses in the low floor fleet features a designated wheelchair space and TV monitor screens downstairs which carry a subtitled version of the tour for passengers with impaired hearing. Edinburgh Bus Tours also offers Mandarin commentary on its nine language City Sightseeing Tours.
group.co.uk
n March 31 ‘M&D and EK 60’. Kent Showground on the A249 near Maidstone. www.mdekbusclub.org,
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
The UK Coach Awards will be held at the Ramada Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester on April 19, 2012. The popular event will return to the same venue as that pictured here at the 2011 event 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.album-bus.co.uk 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 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 November 6 – 8 2012 Euro Bus Expo. NEC, Birmingham. 01926 834790. www.eurobusxpo.com
2013 n May 26-30 UITP Congress & Exhibition. Palexpo, Geneva. www.uitp.org. +(00)32 2673 6100. n October 18 - 23 Busworld Kortrijk. www.busworld.org
Do you have an event to promote? Send details to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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18 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
nEWS › TOURISM
1,000
Age of the ruins at Jorvic Viking Centre in York
BriEfly An exhibition entitled Captain Scott: South for Science will open at the National Museum Cardiff on January 14, 2012. It will run until May 13 and look in depth at Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s 1910-13 British Antarctic Expedition, marking 100 years since the five men reached the South Pole on January 17, 2012. The expedition is best remembered as an heroic British failure. All five men tragically died on the return journey after a Norwegian team reached the south pole just one month ahead of them. The scientific expedition is being hailed as more than just an attempt on the pole. The team documented many important scientific observations which were recorded for posterity. Entry to the museum is free and coaches are advised they can drop off at the main entrance. The Crowne Plaza is offering groups a £39.00 deal for dinner, bed and breakfast. The four star hotel located in Ealing, London is offering these special rates from December 2011 to January 2012. The Crowne Plaza is the closest four star hotel to Wembley stadium and features 131 air conditioned bedrooms, seven meeting and event rooms, on site car parking, West 5 brasserie and bar and Revive Fitness Club. Direct bookings can be made, quoting ‘group specials’, telephone 0208 233 3290, or online at www. crowneplaza.com/allinone Merseyside Maritime Museum will host ‘Titanic and Liverpool: the untold story’ from March 31, 2012. The exhibition will feature previously unseen collections related to the fated voyage which compliment the museum’s existing permanent gallery, Titanic, Lusitania and the Forgotten Empress. Highlights include a first class ticket, letters from passengers and an original copy of British inquiry proceedings investigating the tragedy. The exhibition marks one hundred years since the sinking of the ship and will go on for at least a year. Group trips can be organised by telephone at 0151 478 4788 or online at www.liverpoolmuseums. org.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
TourNews.indd 18
Alton Towers appoints Jack Osbourne ‘director of fear’ Reality TV and Adrenaline Junkie star to supervise creation of terrifying new attraction Alton Towers Resort’s new recruit is Jack Osbourne. The adrenaline junkie has been employed to ensure a forthcoming attraction at the theme park, due to open on March 24, 2012, is the most terrifying to date. Osbourne, director of fear, is working alongside the resort’s fear experts to develop the concept for the attraction. He is already talking about putting a heart rate monitor at the attraction’s exit to record just
how scary it is. The new attraction will be a psychologically and physically thrilling experience, taking place in a dark, intense underground setting. Osbourne will be involved throughout the attraction’s development stages and the first to test it, guaranteeing every element is as scary as possible. The name for the attraction is set to be revealed in the coming months. Osbourne’s daredevil encounters while filming ‘Adrenaline Junkie’ allow him to call on his death defying experiences to shape and
Osbourne plots behind his new desk in his lair
‘Submarium’ offers great deals for groups The Deep in Hull, East Yorkshire is one of the most spectacular aquariums in the world, hailed as the world’s only ‘submarium’. The award-winning visitor attraction is home to over 3,500 fish including spectacular sharks and rays. The dramatic building which overlooks the Humber estuary was designed by Sir Terry Farrell and is only a few minutes walk from Hull Marina and the museums quarter. The Deep is operated as a charity dedicated to increasing enjoyment
The Deep - one of the world’s most spectacular aquariums- in Hull and understanding of the world’s oceans. The Deep is open everyday 10am - 6pm (last entry 5pm) except 24th and 25th December.
create an attraction unlike anything else in the world. Osbourne’s most fearful experience to date, a caving expedition, inspired the project, designed to spark a sense of terror underground. Katherine Duckworth, head of consumer marketing, said: “The resort loves having Jack around. His first task will be to ensure the chosen location is the deepest, darkest area of the resort by venturing underground himself. “We are hoping Jack will run his ideas past his dad, the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, famed for biting the heads off bats! There really are no limits in terms of complete fear for the attraction and we are confident the attraction will deliver just that when it is unleashed in March.” Alton Towers continue to offer an impressive 40% group discount for parties of 10 or more through 2012, at 2011 prices for bookings before the end of this year. Groups of seven to nine can save 35%. For more details on the upcoming attraction, visit www.altontowers.com/2012. Details on group rates and bookings can be found at www. altontowers.com/groups
Parties of 10 or more are eligible to book in and receive the following benefits: Discounted entry (adult £6.95, child £4.95, senior £5.45); n A free organiser place for groups of 20 or more; n Fast track entry; n Free coach parking (subject to availability); and n Free coach driver entry The museum asks that parties do not include any essential carers as they are admitted free of charge on a 1:1 basis for visitors who have additional access requirements. To book in your group call 01482 381000 (select option 3). You will need two weeks notice to book in and pre payment is required (by cheque, credit or debit card). Any unused tickets will be refunded in full on the day of your visit.
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40%
Online group discount offered for visits to Alton Towers
Variety of activities for kids at Dinosaur Adventure Dinosaur Adventure at Weston Park in Lenwade, Norfolk, can offer an enjoyable day out for groups with young children or schools. The park features a nature trail, a number of large model dinosaurs and an adventure playground. Children can meet the animals and new creepy crawlies in the Secret Animal Garden, which is complete with educational activities and demonstrations. Other attractions include the Raptor Racers, Jurassic Putt, Lost World A-mazing Adventure, Assault-o-saurus and Arachnophobia. Group benefits include reduced rates, free parking for coaches and free admisson and meal for the coach driver. A minimum of 12 paying people are required to qualify for standard group rates and parties must pre-book and pay at least 10 days in advance. Admission prices can be found at www. dinosauradventure.co.uk/ general-information/admissionrates.php, Tel: 01603 876310
3,500 Number of fish at The Deep ‘submarium’ in Hull
diESEl priCES
Vikings roam York (highlighting Theresa May’s lapsed border controls?)
Jorvik Viking Centre holds 27th fiery festival The 27th annual Jorvik Viking Festival in York runs from February 11-18, 2012. The opening weekend has a performance of “The Vikings’ Song – A Quest for Freedom,” adapted from Peter Ward’s Viking Trilogy, at 1900hrs daily. It is performed with authentic reproductions of Viking instruments. A recreation of a Viking wedding occurs on Wednesday 15, while a new Black Tie Viking Banquet will
dEAlS OF THE WEEK Longleat has announced groups will benefit from a price freeze on all 2012 tickets. Visitors can make the most of 2011 prices at an already discounted group rate. With new animals, attractions and packages available for groups visitors experience more great features at the same price. With Safari Park, stately home and new attractions such as Jungle Kingdom, Monkey Temple, Hunters of the Sky and Deer Valley, Longleat is an ideal day out for visitors of all ages. Themed tours of Longleat House designed specifically for groups have been introduced, providing the opportunity to explore parts of the magnificent house and gardens
November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 19
Get up close to giraffes at Longleat’s new watering hole not normally open to the public. Tours include ‘Longleat House through the ages,’ the private apartments as they are today, basements and attics and a historical tour of the gardens. Groups can also benefit from new catering options across the Estate including the Cellar’s, Wessex Pavilion and the stunning setting of the Orangery overlooking the Love Labyrinth and Secret
be held on Friday, with visitors met by a torchlit Viking war band before enjoying an evening of revelry, authentic Viking feast, music, song and special guest speaker. The event ends with a Festival of Fire finale on February 18. Doors open at 1700hrs. There follows torchlit procession a funeral longship burning, fire juggling and firework display. As a special incentive for groups Jorvik offers a guaranteed entry time with pre-booking, as well as free familiarisation visits for group organisers, free admission for group leaders and coach drivers and group discounts for groups of 15 or more. For information about groups call 01904 615505
Garden. From afternoon tea with homemade cakes and finger sandwiches to a two-course lunch, there are plenty of options for groups of all sizes. Prices start from £4.95. Major new animal attractions in 2012 will include Gorilla Island which provides a natural enclave. Visitors setting sail on the Jungle Cruise across Half Mile Lake will be able to see a new group of apes roaming free on their very own reserve. A new watering hole is also due to open in the Safari Park which will allow visitors to get up close and personal with the magnificent giraffes. Group catering can be arranged. Menus and details are available at the time of booking on request. n For further information on Longleat group visits, contact Longleat on 01985 844328, groups@longleat.co.uk, or visit www.longleat.co.uk
Cost per litre in pence: Sweden Great Britain Belgium Italy Germany France Ireland Netherlands Czech Republic Greece Portugal Austria Hungary Spain Slovenia Luxembourg Poland
139.64 139.60 130.63 128.71 127.58 125.92 124.61 123.65 121.41 121.30 119.64 117.38 114.71 111.62 110.66 102.55 102.02
HOlidAy pOUnd £1 will get you: Euro Switzerland (Franc) Norway (Kroner) Hungary (Forint) Czech Republic (Koruna) Poland (Zloty)
1.17 1.44 9.10 369.06 30.13 5.15
Hever Castle, the 13th Century childhood home of Anne Boleyn, offers both the romantic castle building with moat and drawbridge and four acres of award winning formal gardens. It has panelled rooms with fine furniture, tapestries and an important collection of Tudor portraits and paintings. Hever was selected as the backdrop for a London 2012 advertising campaign, showing a white horse performing dressage with the building as a backdrop. Group prices (15 or more) are set at £11.50 per adult or £6.40 per child, with reduced rates for seniors and students. Tickets to visit just the gardens are cheaper. Free coach parking is provided, with free entry and meal vouchers for drivers. n For more information or to make a booking call the Group Visits Coordinator on 01732 861701 or email bookings@hevercastle.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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20 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
nEWS › BUSINESS
2.75m
Predicted number which unemployment will peak to in Q4 2012
BriEfly The gap between goods imported and exported in the UK hit a record high in September as deepening troubles in the eurozone took their toll. The deficit on trade in goods widened to £9.8bn in September, compared to a £8.6bn gap the previous month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed last week. The record gap came as the volume of exports, excluding oil, fell 1.6%, which was driven by exports to the EU (down 3%) while import volumes were up 1.6%. The figures, which also showed the gap in trade of goods and services widening to an 11-month high of £3.9bn, will be a blow to chancellor George Osborne, who has pinned his hopes on an export-driven recovery in the private sector. The government has torn up its sixth-month-old small business export assistance targets in the face of the weakening economy, trade minister Lord Green said. Launching a ‘National Export Challenge’ in London, Lord Green said plans set out in May of this year, in the UK Trade & Investment agency’s five year strategy to increase the number of small companies it helps from 20,000 a year to 25,000 by 2015, will now be replaced by a more ambitious target of assisting 50,000 firms. The government’s Export Credit Guarantee Department, which insures exporters against the risk of their overseas customers failing to fulfil payment obligations, will be rebranded as UK Export Finance. Home secretary Theresa May has announced the creation of a Women’s Business Council which will provide advice to the government on what it can do to maximise women’s contribution to the nation’s economy and improve the business environment for women generally. The home secretary, who is also the women’s and equalities minister, said government funding of £2 million will be made available to train 5,000 volunteer mentors to act as role models and to encourage more female entrepreneurs to take the leap and set up their own businesses. www.coachandbusweek.com
BusinessNews.indd 20
Google+ open to and for business Businesses can add potential customers to various circles and address them in a segmented way Google has launched Google+, the business-friendly side of its social network and a key way for the company to compete with Facebook. Google+ pages are similar to personal Google+ profiles. They let people engage with a business much as they would with anyone else over the network. From the business’ side, the system makes it possible to add potential customers to various circles and address them in a segmented way. “For you and me, this means we can now hang out live with the local bike shop, or discuss our wardrobe with a favourite clothing line, or follow a band on tour. Google+ Pages give life to everything we find in the real world,” Google
engineering chief Vic Gundotra said in a blog post. “And by adding them to circles, we can create lasting bonds with the pages (and people) which matter most.” There are some differences between personal profiles and Google+. For example, pages cannot add people to circles until they themselves have been added first. The default privacy setting for pages is ‘public’, although posts can be made private. Pages also do not provide activity notifications via email, text or the Google bar. However, a business can add a Google+ badge to its site, which allows people to add its page to their circles without leaving the site. The main rival to Google+ is Facebook, which still offers a much larger audience to business users, but Google+ makes it possible to conduct multi-person business-
Google+ Pages give life to everything we find in the real world according to Google engineering chief Vic Gundotra
Micro businesses need to be in the spotlight Three UK small business bodies are lobbying government to initiate a national day of recognition for micro-businesses. The Forum of Private Business
(FPB), The Business Woman’s Network and Wanobe.com have joined forces to highlight the importance of firms with fewer than 10 employees to the UK’s economic recovery. If introduced, the day is expected to celebrate the resilience of microbusinesses that have stayed afloat during the downturn. David Noble, managing director of Wanobe.com, believes the entrepreneurs behind such businesses should be treated as “heroes”. “A major problem facing
to-customer videochats, using the Hangouts feature. Crucially, Google has also closely integrated its version of the business pages idea with its search engine. Google+ pages show up in search results, but they also benefit from a feature called Direct Connect, Gundotra explained. “Maybe you’re watching a movie trailer, or you just heard your favourite band is coming to town. In both cases you want to connect with them right now, and Direct Connect makes it easy — even automatic,” he said. “Just go to Google and search for [+], followed by the page you’re interested in. We’ll take you to their Google+ page, and if you want, we’ll add them to your circles.” At the moment, Direct Connect is only available for a limited subset of pages, such as +Google and +Pepsi and according to Google’s support page for the feature, not every Google+ page will be able to use Direct Connect. Google also looks for a link between the business’s Google+ page and main website, so inserting a Google+ badge onto the main site is another way to increase the chances of Direct Connect working. There is also a specific type of Google page called a ‘local page’. In common with the free Google Maps listings for small businesses, this is quite easy to set up and includes a map of the business’s location as well as details of address, phone number and hours of operation. Gundotra suggested more is to come: “With Google+, we strive to bring the nuance and richness of real-life sharing to software. “The initial launch of Google+ Pages brings us a little bit closer, but we’ve lots of improvements planned, and miles to go before we sleep.” To find out more or to sign up to Google+ visit plus. google.com
the UK’s micro-businesses is how to chase money owed to them without upsetting a customer relationship. “It is a dilemma micro-businesses must solve every day, and their creativity and perseverance in dealing with such issues is what makes them the real heroes in our marketplace.” Jane Bennett, head of campaigns at the FPB, added: “Jobs driving economic growth are expected to be created in micro-businesses, so it is important we place the political
14/11/2011 22:18
1.2%
The amount of GDP growth in 2012 the CBI predicts down from 2.2%
£9.8bn
November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21
The deficit on trade in goods increased to this figure last month
BLOg of the week
An EntrEprEnEUr’S gUidE tO Qr COdES fOr mArKEting
QR codes are all the rage at the moment. Danyl Bosomworth of SmartInsights.com looks at how they can benefit your business. As smart phones and smart phone apps increase in usage we’re seeing a lot more interest in how to use QR codes (also known as 2D barcodes or mobile tagging) as a part of the marketing mix.
CBI director general, John Cridland stresses the need for the government to revitalise its growth strategy
Time is right for ‘Plan A plus’, says CBI The CBI is urging chancellor George Osbourne to stick to current deficit reduction plans in his autumn statement and consider specific measures to kick-start growth by unlocking private sector investment and removing “road blocks”. Continued uncertainty in the Eurozone, and the resulting weaker prospects for exports and investment have led to a marked drop in business and consumer confidence, and as a result the CBI has revised down its forecast for the UK economy. The CBI now expects GDP growth to be 0.9% in 2011 and 1.2% in 2012, down from 1.3% and 2.2% respectively. In its latest quarterly economic forecast, the CBI predicts unemployment will continue rising next year, peaking at 2.75m in Q4 2012. Given the weaker prospects for domestic growth, the CBI expects interest rates will remain at their historic low of 0.5% spotlight squarely on them and make sure it stays there. “It is time for the government to stop talking micro and thinking macro and instead focus on the real issues of the smallest businesses.” Meanwhile, the FPB has called for measures to be implemented to protect micro-businesses from growing energy bills and said there should be a code of conduct to police the way utilities companies treat small firms, similar to the code protecting domestic customers.
BusinessNews.indd 21
throughout 2012, and start edging upwards only from 2013. Ahead of Chancellor George Osbourne’s autumn statement, the CBI is urging the government to consider a range of measures to help kick-start growth, at little extra cost to the exchequer. Its proposals range from actions to boost investment in infrastructure, stimulate the housing market and improve the roads, to supporting energy intensive industries, reforming the electricity markets and tackling youth unemployment. John Cridland, CBI directorgeneral, said: “The government must stick to its plans to bring down the deficit to maintain confidence in the UK’s public finances and keep the cost of borrowing down, but now is the time to revitalise its growth strategy and create a “Plan A plus”. “In uncertain economic times, confidence falters, investment grinds to a halt and job opportunities fade. “This package of measures taken together could make a real difference to the economy, creating jobs and boosting growth in the years ahead.”
Micro-businesses of under 10 employees will drive economic growth, says FPB’s Jane Bennett
WhaT aRe QR CoDeS? Firstly, in case you’re not 100% clear on what QR codes are – QR – ‘Quick Response’ - originally invented in Japan for tracking components in factories. In short, they offer a method of effectively adding web-based content, a URL really, to real-world messages, objects or locations. So they’re great for integrated campaigns to offer a digital offer and drive engagement with a brand, ultimately leading to interactions on a website, social site through the mobile. The novelty is the way your phone scans and “clicks” to access the content, so they’re inherently tied to smart phone usage. Any user with a smartphone will need to do a one-time download of a free application which makes use of the phone’s camera, but other than that you’re away. Note there are several variations of code too, so choose a widely adopted one like Jumpscan, EZ code (big in the US) or the original QR Code by Denso in Japan. Different code types require a different reader. MaRkeTInG aPPlICaTIonS oF QR CoDeS The applications for marketing are quite vast and pretty obvious when you think about it – you can even create your own QR codes easily enough. So to get started, we suggest asking the right questions as for any campaign rather than jumping onto QR for the sake of it: Who are the audience? are they even using smart phones that way, what’s missing that QR codes could add? amongst the many touchpoints the consumer has with your brand: which could favour QR codes, why and any
obvious quick wins to test that? What are your campaign goals? don’t forget the real functional uses of QR codes, postpurchase or on the product itself – might that be the best place to test? What are they going to do at the end of the QR code? shiny technologies don’t mask awful content – please remember to make sure that the page you take the user to works well on a smart phone – obvious, but…! how powerful is your offer? Can you provide enough reward for using – something really helpful, valuable or rewarding? Is the offer relevant to the audience and related to the service or product your promoting? the example above doesn’t get this right. Remember to assist users with what to do, QR codes or 2D barcodes are still new enough that people will likely need a little direction as well as a good enough reason to give it a try. SoMe aPPlICaTIonS FoR QR CoDeS Here’s some applications I feel have a combination of practicality, cost and impact: Maps and signage: “point and find” or “you are here” – this can work well at events, theme parks are large complexes where someone might need specific guidance to get to something, quickly. You can even create forms of engagement for virtual treasure hunts, or “find your nearest.” Direct response mechanic on any advertising (press, TV, outdoor media, direct mail or brochures): do ensure the landing page appreciates where I’ve come from, that’s a wasted opportunity and can be limiting for the user. e-ticketing: with the ease of creating QR codes, you can issue e-tickets easily enough and have that scanned from your phone to enable access. The common theme here is that QR codes make rich and relevant interactions possible, and they do it, well, quickly! You (the brand) get the opportunity to add value to the consumer or prospective consumer; they’re not only about exploiting the opportunity of a “great offer”. www.coachandbusweek.com
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22 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
eg
ESSENTIAL GUIDE
› PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Don’t take on the world alone A wide range of professional services is available to businesses in the UK and increasing numbers of operators are taking advantage of legal advice services, contractedout mainteneance and cleaning operations, expert training to ensure staff are certified and equipped to meet any challenge and keep the business fully compliant with burdonsome legislation
I
n an industry the size of ours, combined with our increasingly litigious society, there are a huge number of details to be concerned about. While many may seem insignificant, even cutting small corners can lead to disastrous consequences, such as in the recent high profile Potters Bar rail crash. In the wake of such incidents, a systematic approach to ensuring compliance is more important than ever. Thankfully, operators do not need to burden themselves too heavily, as a wide range of professional services are available to help, as detailed in this week’s Essential Guide. Professional services come in many forms in the coach and bus industry. They can protect a business legally by overseeing contracts or employment terms, give specialist training to prevent a bad situation from arising, or even provide your business with an edge by aiding fleet maintenance, cleanliness and presentation. External firms eliminate the risk of hiring too many staff for work which may not always be needed www.coachandbusweek.com
EG.ProfServices.indd 22
and can be used on demand, without burdening the business with extra departments and recruitment processes.
BACKHOUSE JONES: WOrKING YOUr ASSETS
Many businesses involved in transport own the sites from which they operate, but it is all too easy to forget about the value locked up in these sites when business is good. When margins are tight shareholders - especially those not directly involved in the day to day running of the business - might be forgiven for wondering if the firm’s property asset could be worked a bit harder. It is also important to ensure the potential for development has been fully explored before investing new money into an existing site, transferring ownership within a business, merging or selling up. However, Planning is a long game and so it pays to start early when thinking about maximising value for the future. Achieving development value on transport sites is hardly a new concept, but changes to the
Wendy Newbury of Backhouse Jones reviews new planning guidance and encourages proper planning to maximise asset value planning system which will be introduced in the Government’s landmark decentralisation and localism bill (due to receive royal assent in the winter of 2011/ 2012) means opportunities to do so are likely to be more widely available than they have been in recent times. The Bill seeks to simplify the
planning process. It will sweep away much of our existing national planning policy and replace it with a much ‘lighter touch’ approach. At the heart of the new system will be a presumption in favour of sustainable development, especially development which supports economic activity. The Bill will also significantly increase the role of local communities in the planning process, and will even enable them to develop their own local planning policy. All this will make life more complicated for local planning authorities but should create opportunities to maximise the value of a firms property assets. More often than not transport sites will have some form of development potential. They can be large pieces of land and often, where the haulage use has been established for some time, are situated in neighbourhoods which have developed around them. This makes them good sites for housing or (even more lucrative) for local retail development. Even when sites are located on the edge of villages or in open
15/11/2011 00:06
November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23
Business need to plan the use of their site carefully.Backhouse Jones offers a dedicated property team to deal with such matters
the most vocal opponents of local development and it is likely to make it easier to get local support for your proposals. Backhouse Jones endeavour to meet all their clients’ needs and are alive to the development opportunities which may arise. It is important when thinking about property assets to be sure just what is owned and whether any third party has rights over it or an interest in it. Mindful of the need to “get your ducks in a row” when considering any changes which affect property, Backhouse Jones has designed a desktop Title Review to complement the Planning Review. This review will be carried out by Backhouse Jones’ property team and will include research to discover whether any nasty surprises are waiting in property deeds, and to identify if land is included on the contaminated land register. T: Wendy Newbury 01254 828300 E: wendy.newbury @backhouses.co.uk W: www.backhousejones.co.uk
tick many important boxes. Besides covering many health and safety issues there is a ‘fun’ element too and drivers love the drugs and alcohol session. This awareness training never fails to inform and educate drivers. “The courses are backed up with high quality training aids and drivers have information to take away and refer to after the course. Hopefully this means they will change their attitude and behaviours with respect to a number of ‘Road Risk’ issues, such as the Highway Code, fatigue, the use of mobile phones ( including hands-free), manual handling and drugs & alcohol.” Horner believes the periodic training gives operators an opportunity to improve the standard and standing of their drivers. “We need to make the industry more professional, which in the long-term will attract better staff and improve retention.” Minimise Your Risk can also provide supplementary assistance
for operators. Horner, who is a registered safety practitioner and a Chartered member of the Institute of Safety and Health (CMIOSH), said: “I have recently reviewed and reinforced a number of operators’ health & safety policies and risk assessments, including those which affect companies onroad activities, such as drivers handbooks, school trip risk assessments and drugs and alcohol policies . Minimise Your Risk is one of only a few organisations which can offer an ‘all-inclusive’ package for small and medium sized operators (SME’s) and give excellent value for money which we believe won’t be matched by any other organisation offering driver CPC periodic training.” In addition to ‘in-house’ courses for individual companies (or groups of smaller companies), Minimise Your Risk will be offering a series of ‘Public’ courses in selected locations throughout most regions of England, which will be subject to demand and are
MINIMISE YOUR RISK: DRIvER CPC – NO PROBlEM! countryside, the fact that they have been used for a haulage or transport business means they may well be considered as previously developed sites and so have more chance of being considered suitable for re-development. And with the best will in the world, transport businesses are often not the most popular of neighbours. This makes their redevelopment attractive to many of
Alec Horner of Minimise Your Risk engages with a Bibbys of Ingleton driver during a drugs and alcohol awreness training session
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Minimise Your Risk was the first training centre to be registered with the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) and has developed a number of interesting courses which satisfy not only the requirement for drivers to complete the 35 hours periodic training in order to drive ‘commercially’ after September 10, 2013, but also are interesting, informative and fun. The subjects covered are: n Customer care; n The school run; n Disability awareness ( bus and coach versions); n Drivers hours & tachographs (including digital tachographs); n Road risk, including insurance and accidents, highway code, fatigue and mobile phones; n Health & safety and risk assessments, including walk round checks; n Manual handling; and n Alcohol and drugs awareness Alec Horner, MD of Minimise Your Risk, said: “Many of the courses cover ‘compliance’ issues which many smaller operators have not informed their drivers about. We give several signatures and provide evidence of the training to
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eg
ESSENTIAL GUIDE
› PROFESSIONAL SERVICES night before, providing the ultimate employee drug screen.
likely to be more frequent towards the end of the 5 year cycle, when many drivers may need to obtain ‘catch up’ training to maintain their PCV licence for commercial driving after 10th September 2013.
T: 01273 580189 E: minimise@btconnect.com W: www.minimiseyourrisk.co.uk
DTEC INTERNATIONAL: DRUG & ALCOHOL SCREENING PRODUCTS & SERvICES Established since 1996, Dtec International Ltd specialise in advice on corporate drug and alcohol testing policies and implementation of screening systems into a myriad of different users and marketplaces. These include the safety critical employee drug and alcohol testing in some of the UKs largest companies. Drug Screening Dtec’s primary workplace drug screening device is the DrugWipe
friendly staff from Dtec international demonstrate the firm’s DrugWipeDual product, a cost-effective tool to screen for drugs and alcohol at work Dual. DrugWipe Dual is a cost effective and simple in-house performed, on-site drug screen, ideal for companies which want to be seen operating a credible drug and alcohol screening system. DrugWipe Dual, derived from
the global leading police road side drug screener, is unique. DrugWipe Dual non intrusively samples and rapidly checks both saliva for short term drug consumption and skin for longer term drug use, showing possible impairment from the
SeconDary confirmation teSting Customers having used the DrugWipe Dual screen, minimise financial and time costs by laboratory testing only the positives. We always recommend confirming positive DrugWipe Dual screens via Dtec’s urine sample collection service who can arrive onsite within 2 hours and collect legally defensible, chain of custody confirmation samples which are analysed at a UKAS accredited laboratory. By combining the unique DrugWipe Dual screen and ‘gold standard’ laboratory confirmation testing service, Dtec customers have implemented a non invasive, inoffensive method of screening alongside a watertight means of confirmation testing. alcohol teSting Companies can avoid the costly price of collector call outs and keep
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their alcohol testing procedure entirely ‘in house’ with Dtec’s range of home office approved, police specification passive screen alcometers. Calibrations are specified by the manufacturer to be at six month intervals for legally defensible workplace use. Dtec International are certified to carry out the recalibration service and achieve a next working day turnaround.
market at EuroBus Expo 2010. The package includes exterior and interior cleaning, fuelling, coolant top-ups, and shunting vehicles for the following day’s service. Other features include cleaning exterior areas, garage floors, pits, workshops, offices, meeting rooms, toilets and amenity areas. Phil Spencer, Voith Industrial
Services’ sales and business development director, said “We have made a solid start in the sector. Ongoing discussions with the big bus groups lead us to believe we shall be making more announcements about new business in the near future.” Recently Voith Industrial Services won a major contract for overnight make ready services in London. The
T: 0800 371898 E: gareth.salisbury@ dtecinternational.com W: www.dtecinternational.com
VOITH INDUSTRIAL SERVICES Voith Industrial Services, the fastest growing provider of Make Ready Services to the bus sector, is planning to improve its market share in the next few months. The company has won a number of contracts since it launched its new Make Ready Services package specifically tailored to the bus
Voith Industrial Services customers include Arriva
three-year contract involves the preparation of almost 600 buses every night at London United’s garages in Fulwell, Hounslow, Hounslow Heath, and Tolworth. The company’s success in London followed two contracts in the north of England. The first was to provide its Make Ready Services package to Arriva North West in the Merseyside area. The second was to provide the same overnight services for Arriva North-East for more than 250 buses at Darlington, Stockton, Redcar, and Whitby. Phil said: “We believe strong management and supervision, coupled with robust and proven processes from our automotive experience, is a winning combination in the bus and coach market.” T: 01926 623550 E: VIWA_Enquiries @voith.com W: www.uk.voithindustrial services.com
Alcohol & Drug Screening
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• Policy • Education • Detection Blue chip customer base including Stagecoach, Arriva, National Express and many more prestigious bus and coach operators
• On Site • Simple • Effective • Legally Defensible To discuss in confidence a tailored package, please contact Gareth Salisbury, UK Sales Manager Mobile: 07500 770887 Email: gareth.salisbury@dtecinternational.com www.dtecinternational.com
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tHE Big qUEStiOn › BUS PATRONAGE
The only way is up Ramping up bus patronage has never been more vital for the industry. Coach and Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon asked operators how the number of fare-paying passengers can be increased in tough economic times
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etting more passengers on buses, and let’s face it fare-paying ones specifically, is the main imperative for the bus industry. Getting existing passengers to keep on coming and attracting new ones become ever more challenging when resources are tight and funds to invest in both services and snazzy marketing campaigns are fast dwindling. Chris Cheek pointed out recently ‘one thing deregulation didn’t necessarily solve was declining patronage.’ Conceding it may have slowed it he says there are many areas in the UK where positive growth is being achieved – whether through attractive discounts, fervent focus on customer service, strong partnership work or a combination of all. Most notably, Stagecoach and EYMS recently boasted a whopping 30% growth in Hull – achieved through a combination of factors. Ultimately, to keep and increase patronage, people need to be happy with the service they are getting. Passengers want to get from A to B as quickly, conveniently and comfortably as possible – at affordable prices and free from hassle. They want basics such as punctual, reliable and quicker journeys to deliver high value for money and easy to understand timetables, helpful, friendly drivers and clean buses. Passenger Focus research in March last year identified the top five priorities for fare-paying passenger as: More buses on time or within five minutes; Bus fares, tickets and passes offering better value for money; Buses run more frequently at times when people want to use the bus; Tickets and passes enabling travel on all local bus services, not just those operated by a specific bus company; and Being able to get a seat on the bus. There is no better way to find out whether passengers are happy with the service they are getting than by asking them. As to those who don’t use the bus, Passenger Focus research www.coachandbusweek.com
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in Milton Keynes looking at barriers to usage included the following feedback from non-users: Initial impression of bus journeys being slow; Finding it hard to know where to start, with some people not knowing where bus stops were in the first place (Arriva has put a one stop shop in the town centre now); and Fares thought to be confusing, with the assumption it would be cheaper for a group to travel in the car. Giving customers the basics is of course fundamental but nowadays, so too are services which can entice drivers out of their cars and offer a genuinely competitive alternative.
What is working?
30% growth in Hull was attributed to three main ingredients: strong partnership between Stagecoach, EYMS and the unitary authority Hull City Council, investment in the bus network and good value fares. Moves to stimulate bus growth by Stagecoach and EYMS have included introducing a simpler, easy-to-understand bus network, investment in modern lowfloor vehicles, value-for-money fares such as EYMS’ 10% discount card, more frequent buses and weekend night bus services. Equally, pro-bus measures such as bus lanes on all major corridors and bus-only sections in the city centre, the introduction of a park and ride site, high car parking charges for long stay, and real time information covering most major bus stops within Hull, have come from Hull City Council. Norfolk Green has achieved strong yearon-year growth of between 8%-12%, derived more from fare-payers than concessionary pass holders, thanks to a marketing strategy more akin to those applied in the retail sector. An important part of the company’s strategy is to emulate the car. For example, the company’s Fakenham route serves only two villages beyond the town, which means not having lots of bus stops. Before Norfolk Green took over the route, it was previously a two-hour service, and is now hourly outside the peak, and half hourly at
peak times, seven days a week, with a Sunday service introduced in May last year. While the car journey is one hour and 35 minutes during peak periods, Norfolk Green aims for an hour-long trip and has seen annual growth. Passenger numbers are measured every two weeks and last year, on average, the route saw 37% growth year on year. Returns were divided as 44% fare paying passengers and 33% concessionary fare passengers. Most people in the area have access to a car, so people are making a deliberate choice to use the bus. Norfolk Green managing director, Ben Colson has also captured the 16-19 year old market. Having noticed a lot of fare dodging previously happening when he was out driving buses, he offered a discount to young people within the age-group, with no proof of age needed, which
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has been a huge success. The company also uses advertisements on the radio, for example at Christmas it rolls out two characters: one styled on Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous and a robot character who are used when the company has something new to advertise.
ElainE RoSScRaig: Segmentation and loyalty The retail approach is the forté of marketing aficionado Elaine Rosscraig, Stagecoach’s head of insight, who is a strong believer in using the technique of segmentation which divides a market into distinct groups of buyers who might require separate products and/or marketing mixes, such as lifestyle, geographic location, media usage and purchase behaviour.
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Stagecoach has achieved conversion rates of 50% through telemarketing and a similar figure for direct mail, says Elaine Rosscraig, who believes firmly in segmenting the market
The group’s ‘Where You Want to Be’ national acquisition campaign, for example, used segmentation and targeting techniques, as pioneered by major retailers, to identify prospective customers with a propensity to switch to bus. Then to target them via direct mail and telemarketing offering a tailored pack containing a week’s free travel. Another success story using segmentation has been the company’s CitylinkGold, a premium express service launched in 2010 driven by primary research highlighting 30% of the market for the service as commuter/business travellers who preferred the service to alternative modes. Using business segmentation, Stagecoach then targeted prospect commuters via their organisations, which facilitated a further increase in the number of business
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tHE Big qUEStiOn › BUS PATRONAGE
travellers using the service post launch. In Elaine’s view, the number of fare-paying customers can be increased: “By providing further value through cross-sell and loyalty schemes and the appropriate communication of these schemes to the passengers. “We have achieved conversion rates of up to 50% for telemarketing and similarly for Direct Mail,” she told CBW. “Loyalty schemes where customers can collect and spend against your product provide a mechanism by which you can cross promote it to non users. We are now integrating email into this formula which provides even greater customer reach.” What has inspired her the most from outside the industry? “A targeted , segmented approach where the offering is tailored towards the customer. Tesco is the best at this offline and Amazon are best in class online.” Could and should the industry be doing more? “Definitely - the developments in new technology and social media mean there are significant opportunities for those businesses who are flexible enough to shift in line with new social media and exceed customer perception built on a foundation of excellent service provision.”
James Freeman: Pricing people onto buses Discount fares are key to the strategy of Reading Buses. “The current situation is that passenger numbers are overall 2% ahead,” James told CBW. “Revenue is well ahead though – at 15.47% across the network and with our first fare rise for three years, with an estimated yield of 4.5%. “Some parts of the network are really romping ahead – other places are not so clever. A route in South Reading, which is in blue collar area has seen 6% increase year on year. Our university service is up 16% - we really targeted students – and our rural Vitality route from Mortimer through Reading to Peppard Common and Sonning Common - is up 16.7%.” James said passenger numbers are monitored every week. “We watch them like hawks and analyse the figures, then it’s easy to spot trends,” Sunday services are ‘a very strong area’ – overall 7.09% year on year. The aim, said James, is ‘how you get more revenue out of what you’ve got.’ “Reading is like a number of towns where you’ve got a standard fare. I was always jealous and excited by places with a standard fare. It doesn’t work so well when the economy is shrinking; on shorter journeys people can’t afford it. In blue collar areas, where services were marginal, we were wondering what was happening, which led to £1 fares which we have been running for two years now.” Reading Buses introduced £1 fares on two short routes where there was low car ownership and low patronage. “We bumped in our £1 fare and romped away – and patronage doubled and then re-doubled,” explained James. “Our 29 service is another route where it led to 100% growth, up from 1,271 to 3,136 passengers in a year, which at £1 a time is an awful lot of money. So that got us thinking about what we can do.” The result is the company has extended the £1 fares step by step in a number of inner urban www.coachandbusweek.com
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reading Buses, which analyses passenger numbers every week, has seen growth through £1 fares
“Discounts on their own are not an absolute panacea. If you start dropping fares across the board, you can reduce the level of concessionary fares reimbursement per journey, which can be a real kick in the teeth.” James Freeman Reading Buses areas – “red brick bits which are traditionally quite expensive and we have had some success”. The £1 has also been added to Reading Buses’ route to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, which has “made a huge difference”. “The thing about the £1 fare is it’s a very straightforward figure. We’re very wary to change to £1.20,” said James. “We pushed the boat out a bit further; we had abandoned return prices altogether and we put them back on October 3 – they are growing. We’ve also experienced growth with very cheap day return prices, which are the same price as a single on one route. That has been interesting and has grown.” James said the offer is permanent on that particular route and the company might extend the experiment elsewhere. Reading Buses has taken the lead from Nottingham and has ‘borrowed,’ well ‘stolen,’ (in James’ words) the idea of a relatively cheap group ticket at weekends, where four people can travel for £5 for the day. “You see loads of families travelling around who would normally get in the car, with their kids saying ‘wow, this is lovely – I want to go upstairs’.” “I was always told not to cut fares,”
commented James, adding the company also has a “really simple” season ticket offer, with weekly, 30-day and yearly tickets. Passengers can also buy 10 journeys for less than the full cost as well as smartcards, and James says the company is close to providing online top-ups which is currently not available. “We are working with Ticketer which is a lovely system, with good people working for them.” Reflecting on what has influenced the company’s strategy, James said: “Where did the £1 fare come from? Desperation probably! We had nothing to lose really so we thought let’s do something dramatic.” However, James warned of the perils of such an approach. “An awful lesson for us was it not working in Newbury. We improved the bus service from hourly to half hourly frequencies and reduced the fare from £1.80 to £1 and got a substantial swing. There was a huge increase in ridership but it didn’t generate enough cash-paying customers, instead attracting more concessionary pass holders. So, we deregistered the route and it’s with a different operator now with more expensive fares. “Discounts on their own are not an absolute panacea. If you start dropping fares across the board, you can reduce the level of concessionary fares reimbursement per journey, which can be a real kick in the teeth.” James added: “OAPs don’t react to change of price from free to free – that is a problem we have not fathomed out yet. “What we have learnt is dropping prices is just as effective as increasing them. It really depends on the demographic mix, whether there are other ways of travelling for people and if money is scarce for them. At the moment, we can drive up demand where people are priced off already. Price rises don’t bring in much money because people are driven away.” James says there is a noticeable switch by car drivers to buses. “One driver I spoke to this
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we are looking into - again using MANGO as a method to reward and encourage those who make many journeys, rather than using an additional brand and product to achieve it. Yieldbased pricing and selling journeys featuring empty or low capacity could be possible too using smartcards, which can pick your fare for a journey or time band. We’ve only scratched the surface of what smartcards can really achieve as a revenue growth tool in our retail environment.”
morning told me he is seeing more passengers in the morning peak. There is always more you can do – if you catch people’s imaginations, people will come onto your side,” he observed.
Alex Hornby: Delighting the first time The ‘really good bus company’, trent barton, also seeks to emulate car journeys, and aims to “delight” customers the first time with the idea they will come back for more. “Currently, we are seeing reassuring revenue growth based on people making longer leisure journeys,” said commercial director Alex Hornby. “Our network is really coming into its own, with many long distance bus routes mirroring the way the car goes and therefore being easy to market and realistic to sell. At the same time, people are getting wise to the benefit of MANGO (trent barton’s pioneering ‘touch on touch off’ smart card) - with usage now at over 20% of all paid journeys - a figure nearly double that of last year - and as high as over 40% on certain brands. “However, our greatest strength remains being able to increase the individual’s customer trip frequency; delight them first time and they’ll come back for more. Our customer service culture is critical here, but we are looking for MANGO to play a more important role in this, by using journey data to identify current usage, and then communicate with customers and tease them into trying different destinations or travelling at other times of day or week. This would include, for example, encouraging commuters to make more leisure trips. This is all the art of the possible, in keeping with our research-led focus and quicker to achieve than trying to attract a brand new customer afresh. “We always take a look around what others are doing and take our cue from retailers - there are some fantastic ideas out there that really inspire us. Developing loyalty (which encourages the idea of increasing trip frequency) is something
black Velvet’s success is due to its “fantastic drivers” and keeping close to customers
“If you put out the right product, in the right place, at the right time, for the right people and give a good service, then people will buy more of it and will keep coming back and they will tell their friends and you get into a virtuous circle of growth.” Phil Stockley Black Velvet
trent barton passengers are getting wise to the benefit of the company’s smartcard MAnGo
Aex Hornby says: “Delight passengers on their first time and they will come back for more”
PHil Stockley: Get close to your customer “For me, bus travel is like any other product in the market,” Phil Stockley, MD of Black Velvet, told CBW. “If you put out the right product, in the right place, at the right time, for the right people and give a good service, then people will buy more of it and will keep coming back and they will tell their friends and you get into a virtuous circle of growth. “The key to doing that is to get you and your staff as close to the market as you possibly can so you can understand why individual people are travelling. One thing the industry forgets is a million people travelling are actually a million individuals travelling. Their buying decisions are not objective; they are based on their perceptions of what works for them. Very often a swing of five or 10 minutes either way can make the difference between a service being useful to a group of people or not being useful, which you can forget when sitting in a commercial office dealing with big numbers. “Once you’ve got the service right for the market, you’ve got to deliver a service that is reliable and makes people happy and makes them want to come back for more and more,” Phil stressed. “The proof of the pudding for us is that we’ve seen year on year patronage growth on every service run in every year we’ve existed (apart from one route in our first year when we got our predictions wrong) all because, in my opinion, our fantastic drivers make customers feel welcome and want to come back, and me and my colleagues are out there talking to people on the buses. “When we plan timetables, we have detailed discussions with passengers – if we make a bus 10 past five, will that work for you or if we make a bus 20 past five will that work for you?” One of Black Velvet’s “biggest markets” is rail connections. “We put quite a lot of effort into making sure the connections are there and they work. We are seeing growth from commuters who know the bus will be there when they get off the train and when they want to get the train, who don’t want to pay the parking charges.” Phil concluded: “Some big companies argue they haven’t got the resources to talk to people but successful companies do. You’ve got to remember you are a retail business not a utility. Make sure you get the product – anticipating what people want and listening to what they tell you – and make sure staff believe in it and deliver it. The worst mistakes are made when you make assumptions about changes and drivers have said ‘I told you that wouldn’t work’.”
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THE BIG PICTURE
The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway opened in a blaze of publicity on August 7 this year. However, a common misconception is that the Busway is entirely guided. A prime example is the section which runs alongside King’s Hedges Road in Orchard Park, Cambridge. Indeed, the majority of the Busway along this stretch is non-guided, the route having been built on land which did not suffer the space constraints of old railway trackbed. Seen at 1052hrs on Friday, August 19 is an unidentified Stagecoach East ADL Enviro 400-bodied Scania. The moment was caught on camera by editor Gareth Evans while on a photo shoot kindly arranged by the ever-friendly team at Stagecoach Cambridgeshire for the cover of CBW’s 1000th issue.
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CrOSvillE mEmOriES
Crosville recalled Brian Bushell recalls the quirks and curiosities of travelling by Crosville bus in North West Wales in the 1960s and uncovers some of the disparities between rail and bus service regulation back then
A
t a time when the future shape of the provincial bus industry is under greater scrutiny than that seen since deregulation, it is perhaps timely to remind ourselves of the practices which existed in a bygone era – the 1960s, when state-owned operators ruled the roads under a blanket of regulation. There were starkly different regulations for the operation of bus and rail services. As outlined later in this article, services appeared to be not necessarily run for the convenience of the passenger, which perhaps serves as a reminder to those who don rose-tinted spectacles of a regulated environment that perhaps it was not all good after all. That said, it would be wrong to forget the charm of a rural bus service and the sometimes quirky working practices, perhaps reminiscent of On the Buses. The centenary of Crosville, the nationalised operator discussed in this article, has been marked by a series of events in North Wales and Merseyside alike over the course of 2011. Indeed, it was in 1911 that the original Crosville company, founded in 1906, decided to branch out into bus services and commenced operation between Chester and Ellesmere Port. The operating territory stretched over a large geographical area of North West England and Wales, more of which later.
Crosville quirks and curiosities
In 1965, Hugh Eaves and I set out on the 0845hrs train from Towyn, sadly a DMU (Diesel Mutliple Unit) having replaced steam by then. It www.coachandbusweek.com
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arrived in Barmouth just after 0915 – and duly sat there for an hour. It had to come through Towyn at 0845, to bring the school children from Aberdovey and points south to what was then Towyn Grammar School – and having reached Barmouth, there was no reason why it could not continue north. Until 1969, there were still many more crossing loops on the Cambrian Coast railway line than there are today, and the train had ample time to get down to Dyffryn Ardudwy to cross the next up train. But no, it sat in Barmouth for an hour – because it was the only way they could fit in the meal break for the driver and guard. After a few minutes, I suggested to Hugh that we went round to the parking ground next to the station – this served as Barmouth bus station, and I thought there was a chance we might be able to continue to Porthmadog earlier. A quick look at the timetable revealed buses to Porthmadog at 0920 and 1020. “Damn!” I said to Hugh. “We’ve just missed one, and the next one doesn’t go until the same time as the train.” Then I looked across the parking ground and noticed a completely empty double decker with the correct route number and destination on its blinds. Knowing that bus services in this part of the world were full of eccentricities, I popped my head around the door of the inspector’s office (a luxury which disappeared from Welsh bus terminals years ago) and asked: “Is that bus over there the 9:20 to Porthmadog?” “Yes,” replied the inspector. “Definitely the 9:20, not the 10:20?” I queried. “‘Yes, it’s the 9:20,” confirmed the inspector, his face showing a hint of a grin. “What time is it likely to leave?” “Well… the driver for it comes in
on a bus from Dolgellau, and that doesn’t get here until 9:33…’” “Fair enough,” I said. It sounded about par for the course. Hugh and I went and sat on the top deck. By now, there were a couple of other passengers on board – and soon, people started appearing from all directions and climbing aboard. The late running was obviously a well known ritual. By the time the driver turned up and we eventually left, close to 0940hrs, the bus had quite a healthy load. The destination blind read ‘Portmadoc’, as it was known in English until 1974 when it was renamed to the Welsh spelling and pronunciation. However, the bus only ran as far as the Oakeley Arms at Tanybwlch, where passengers had to change into a Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog service. This route was also operated by double deckers, and in summer ran every half hour. Not that bus travel was particularly fast in those days. Unlike express services, which only stopped at designated locations, local services which stopped at any bus stop (and most farm gates in areas like North Wales) were known as ‘Stage Carriage Services’ and had their schedules restricted by law to an end-to-end average maximum speed of 12mph. Mind you, such was the state of the roads back then; you would have been hard pushed to get from Blaenau to Porthmadog with a bus in less than an hour, which is what the service was timed at. Next time you travel along the A487 between Maentwrog and Penrhyndeudraeth, take a look at the lay-byes – there are plenty of them. Every single one of them is part of the original main road, before an attempt was made, about forty years ago, to widen it and straighten it out - a bit.
Top: A now preserved ex Crosville Bristol Lodekka would have been a familiar sight on bus services of the 1960s (Phil Tonks); Above: A classic Crosville bus was the Bristol VR, which worked the D94 in the 1980s (David Davies). Both examples were photographed in August 2011
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stop (usually side by side) and have a good five-minute natter as the traffic queues built up behind them. The D94 bus route survives unchanged to this day, even carrying virtually the same route number – only the D has been replaced by X. It must be one of few rail replacement services to have survived intact for so long. Back in the sixties, British Rail could put fares up almost without reference to anyone, but had to go through a lengthy enquiry process to get a line closed. You could always tell if they were thinking of closing a line, because it’s trains would be re-timed to miss connections, so that people would stop using it. With buses, it was the complete opposite. A proposed fare increase had to go through an approval process, but a service could be withdrawn at the drop of a hat. The usual procedure therefore was to propose a rail closure with the assurance that a replacement bus service would be provided – and two years later, quietly withdraw the bus. The bus had one drawback – between Dolgellau and Barmouth, it had to run on the opposite side of the river to the trains it replaced, and thus did not serve Penmaenpool, Arthog or Barmouth Junction (now Morfamawddach). Also the last bus got into Barmouth too late for me to catch a train on to Towyn.
Bustitution – the D94
The Ruabon-Barmouth railway line was my regular route from Birkenhead to Towyn for several years. There was a daily evening through service from Birkenhead Woodside to Barmouth, which called at Port Sunlight at 1715 – perfect timing for my Friday 1700 finish at Lever Brothers. The closure of the line caused great sadness – particularly as we weren’t able give it a proper send-off, because Mother Nature had closed it without warning a month early. A violent storm washed out an embankment in the Wnion valley, after which the line never reopened. A replacement bus service was provided between Wrexham and Barmouth, route D94, operated by Crosville Motor Services, one of the state-owned bus companies
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formerly owned by the Tilling Group. Crosville covered a huge area ranging from Holyhead over to Liverpool and Warrington, down through Northwich and Crewe to Shrewsbury, and across to Aberystwyth and on down the coast to Aberaeron and Cardigan. Their route numbering had grown rather haphazardly to over 800 and in 1959 they had a rationalisation which resulted in all routes being given a new number prefixed by an area code letter. ‘D’ was the Wrexham area code. Northern Merionethshire and South Caernarvonshire became ‘R’ (Porthmadog-Blaenau was R1), and everything south of Dolgellau was prefixed ‘S’. Despite it being a railreplacement service, the D94 was by no means an ‘express’, and
Crosville staff operated it much like they did other services in midWales. I remember once travelling home on a morning service, which stopped at a gate in the middle of nowhere – there wasn’t a building in sight. The driver tucked the morning newspapers under his arm, got out, went through the gate and followed a rough path which eventually disappeared over the brow of a hill. It was a good five minutes before he reappeared. Another thing I used to love about the D94 was the crew change. The buses were scheduled to meet in either Bala or Corwen, where drivers would swap to the bus going the other way. But timekeeping was abysmal in summer due to traffic congestion, and the usual practice was to keep going until they met each other – whereupon they would
The original version of this article was featured in the Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, which is published by the Ffestiniog Railway Society and is the primary means of communication and journal of record for the whole Ffestiniog organisation, including the Society, the Ffestiniog Railway Company and Ffestiniog Railway Trust. It is widely regarded as being one of the best produced, most objective and professional journals within the UK heritage railways movement. It has been published since 1958 and recently passed its 200th issue milestone. The Ffestiniog Railway and its sister, the Welsh Highland Railway, offer scenic journeys through the heart of Snowdonia and thus are attractive to coach groups all year round. n For details, call 01766 516000. Visit www.festrail.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
FACE TO FACE › chris mcbean
Chris says one of the things he finds fascinating is the enthusiasm from those who have used E Leather. “They help to sell it to others.”
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NAME: Chris McBean AGE: 53 OCCUpAtiON: CEO, E Leather LOCAtiON: Peterborough, Cambs CONtACt: 01733 843939 www.eleatherltd.com
E Leather – developing a global brand Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans talks to Chris McBean, CEO of Peterborough-based E Leather, a man who believes passionately in what he does and in relationships with people
C
hris McBean is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of environmentallyfriendly fabric supplier E Leather. I met Chris over a nice coffee or two at E Leather’s Bretton headquarters, conveniently located off one of Peterborough’s dual-carriageways, known locally as ‘parkways’, not to mention Stagecoach’s frequent Citi 3 route to the city centre. The building was once better known as the city’s cigarette factory. It instantly becomes apparent that Chris is a pleasant man, who is easy to talk to. He’s the sort of person who would be at ease on the firm’s stand at a trade show, enthusing the qualities of E Leather to customers and taking them to one side for a bite to eat. Rest assured both his feet are firmly embedded on terra firma. While he can naturally talk business with confidence, it is also possible to enjoy a laugh or two with him.
Typical week?
Chris said a typical week is currently “all about building teams.” As a result he’s spending a lot of his time on recruitment, customer projects and growth programmes. “We are developing the next generation of products and plans for the future. This includes investment and site development planning to facilitate increased capacity. In a nutshell, it’s all the things which go with developing a business. It’s about creating the
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overall structure for the future.” As would perhaps be expected for an individual who heads up a truly global company, Chris is no stranger to airports, and thus spends a lot of his time travelling the world. “One of the great attractions of this job for me is being in different parts of the world, being involved in different markets and ensuring we understand the diverse customer requirements and can deliver what they want on time. “Im here in Peterborough this week, next week I’m joining our sales team in Germany for three days at the Railway Interiors trade show and after that I’m in the USA meeting customers. Two weeks ago I was in Hong Kong progressing projects there.” “It’s about creating a team with entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a fabulous job for people who have been held back previously and want to join a business which is a growth story.”
Background
Chris has a track record of working for large global players. “My background is with Unilever and ICI managing and developing materials businesses, selling into the automotive, electronic and transport sectors. I lived on the East Coast of the USA for four years,” he said. “One thing I find really fascinating about the E Leather business is the enthusiasm we get from people who have seen and used the material
www.coachandbusweek.com
15/11/2011 00:10
40 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
FACE TO FACE › chris mcbean
within their own companies. They really help sell it to others, and it’s wonderful when you hear customers talking through the benefits they see when using E Leather. “The bus and coach market is a clear example of this. In addition to our own work in the bus and coach market, which is led by Carl Watkins, a lot of our product sales are driven by word of mouth. It’s amazing. The use of our product has grown from initial specification and evaluation, often on driver’s seats, where durability is main requirement. Now we are doing projects where improved design and interior style are the primary goals for an operator’s marketing team. However, they still need the durability, low maintenance costs, comfort and hygiene E Leather offers.“
E Leather seating on the Volvo B5 Hybrid at Coach & Bus Live 2011
E Leather latest
In an age where environmental awareness enjoys unmistakable prominence, E Leather has come into its own. As Chris explained: “Our process was designed to have a very low environmental impact. We are using leather tannery offcuts, essentially a waste product, and a cleantech manufacturing process with closed loop recycled water and zero emissions to air. This means we can meet customers’ environmental sourcing objectives, while offering them a very high performance product. “Operators are looking to reduce emissions and present a positive environmental proposition to their passengers. For example, operators are using bio fuels and green drive systems such as hybrids. E Leather forms a key part of the technology mix. Chris continued: “With the onset of Euro 6, which is sure to strike a chord with operators and suppliers alike, we see weight as a key issue. It’s something we’d like to work more with the bus and coach industry on. Everyone understands weight reduction. It’s obviously a positive thing but how do you quantify it? “I feel operators would rather see extra weight put into something tangible for passengers, such as WiFi for example. Design weight per passenger has increased from 63 to 68 kilos. That’s down to people getting bigger. Therefore 300 kilos have to be found just to stand still. www.coachandbusweek.com
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The new ADL Enviro 300s recently delivered to Stagecoach South for its enhanced Gold service in Farnborough feature E Leathercovered Lazzerini seats (both)
“I think of us as a global company based in the UK. The technology is what makes E Leather such a unique proposition. We can manufacture it here in the UK where the skills base is first class.” Chris McBean
“Vehicle weights cannot be increased but at the same time operators are trying to increase added value for passengers.” Chris continued: “Also, if you think of being in an environment where government subsidies are at best remaining flat, greater emphasis has to be put on interior finishes of buses and coaches in order to attract paying passengers. We know design studies have been carried out to look at what consumers would like to see inside a bus. They want a high end seat which is clean and obviously comfortable. “The impression you get when you go on board a vehicle fitted with E Leather is striking. However, it’s not only beneficial for the marketing team in terms of interior presentation because maintenance and operations staff will see it’s easier to keep clean. To have something which doesn’t need any deep cleaning is a distinct advantage.” Lothian Buses became the first operator to introduce E Leather to a UK bus fleet on the Air Link service between Edinburgh and
the airport, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. E Leather is also fitted to Stagecoach’s 2010-registered Cambridgeshire Guided Busway ADL E400s. According Chris, after 18 months of use, the seats show no sign of wear – a fact he backed up with photographs. Chris said E Leather is evolving as more and more people experience its design and get used to it. A recent notable example is additional ADL Enviro 300s acquired to work Stagecoach South’s enhanced for Gold route, which are fitted with E Leathercovered seats. “It’s a good example of how our product has moved in terms of perception as it’s now on a premium seat on top class service. The Chapman driver seat is also E Leather,” explained Chris. The passenger seats on the Stagecoach South Gold buses are Lazzerini’s Transito model. “Lazzerini has done a fantastic job with Stagecoach,” commented Chris. However, Chris acknowledged: “We’re still at the early stages of E Leather adoption in the UK bus and coach industry. The same cannot be said of other industries. “That said, we feel we enjoy good relations with the major players in the UK bus and coach industry. Indeed, Stagecoach, Arriva and First now fit E Leather as standard on their Chapman driver seats.” Chris added: “Because E Leather is consistent, the result is a consistent uniform appearance. E Leather doesn’t stretch with age and go out of shape.”
Conclusion
Chris was not wrong when he said: “I think of us as a global company based in the UK. The technology is what makes E Leather such a unique proposition. “Beneficially, we can manufacture it here in the UK where the skills base is first class. “We’re looking to develop new finishing techniques to enhance the material for the future. We can do that effectively because we’ve got a team here all on one site in Peterborough.” As he prepared to head off for his latest overseas trip, Chris concluded: “You can’t do these things over the phone – you’ve got to do them face to face. At the end of the day we’re all human – we like that personal contact.”
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DRIVERS
Send your driver news and stories to gareth.evans@rouncymedia. co.uk or call 01733 293 243.
First publishes staff stories in charity book ‘Life in the Bus Lane’ is released featuring winners from a staff writing competition Writing by bus drivers and a project worker from First Glasgow is set to feature in a brand new book, ‘Life in the Bus Lane.’ The text is a collection of short stories entirely written by employees of First Glasgow’s parent company, FirstGroup, and includes work from drivers, engineers, mechanics, cleaners and office staff. More than 200 staff from First Glasgow responded to a joint FirstGroup and Unite the Union competition inviting employees to submit short stories, with the 89 winning entries published. The competition was promoted throughout the UK in First’s ‘Learning Centres’, which have been established in partnership with Unite the Union. Employees visit the centres to learn new skills, such as how to use a computer, the internet and email, or improve numeracy and literacy skills. Working with local colleges, First Glasgow’s Learning Centres even offer Open University and ESOL courses. FirstGroup has more than 50 Learning Centres across the UK, mainly located in bus depots but with access available to relatives of staff and, in some cases, the public. At First Glasgow 100% of employees have access to Learning Centres. Ronnie Park, MD of First Glasgow said: “We encourage our
employees to use our Learning Centres to further develop their existing skills and gain new ones, it’s an investment in their future and ultimately in the future of our company. ‘Life in the Bus Lane’ encourages our employees to try something different, use our Learning Centres, learn a new skill and unlock their potential.” Jimmy Lillis, trade union learning representative, who won First’s Learning Centre of Excellence gold award for three consecutive years said: “The short story competition is fantastic because it gets employees involved in really improving their literacy skills.” Mick Dowds from Unite the Union said: “FirstGroup is to be commended not just for
this particular initiative, but to its overall approach to lifelong learning. Working with First we have developed one of the most successful lifelong learning partnerships in the passenger transport sector and opened more than 50 Learning Centres at First’s bus depots and facilities throughout the UK. These centres, which are staffed by fully trained ‘Trade Union Learning Representatives’, make an invaluable contribution to the development of our members.” ‘Life in the Bus Lane’ is available for sale at www. firstgroupshop.com priced at £5 with all proceeds going to FirstGroup’s charity partner, Save the Children.
First Glasgow bus driver George King with a copy of ‘Life in the Bus Lane’ a compilation of short stories authored by Learning Centre students
konectbus rewards driver for a decade of service As a fairly young company (set up in 1999), konectbus has yet to hold any long service awards, but did recently show its appreciation to its longest serving driver Karen Prior, who has just completed 10 years service. Julian Patterson, operations and commercial director, said “Karen has seen more changes here than most. We were a small independent operator when she www.coachandbusweek.com
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joined us back in 2001. We now run 47 buses and are part of the GoAhead Group. Most of her time has been spent on service 4 between Swanton Morley, Dereham and Norwich and I’m sure she must see the route in her sleep sometimes!” Karen, who has never had an accident in her 10 years at konectbus, was presented with Marks & Spencer vouchers and some additional holiday.
Commercial director Julian Patterson congratulates Karen Prior on her decade of service
To advertise on this page, contact client manager Harley Denham on 01733 293 249 or e-mail harley.denham@ rouncymedia.co.uk
Long walk for Motor Neurone charities Stagecoach North East bus driver Steve Todd is to walk over 100 miles to raise funds for motor neurone disease charities. The 45-year-old former soldier from Middlesbrough works at Stagecoach’s Stockton depot. He is walking in aid of children’s charity Zoe’s Place, which offers specialist respite and terminal palliative care for babies and infants up to five years old. It also provides essential support for their families. He is also raising vital funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), which offers support to sufferers of the illness. Steve opted to walk the 109 miles from Middlesbrough to Filey, with his friend Mark Richardson, after losing his mother to motor neurone disease in 2000. They were due to set off on Sunday (6 November) hoping to finish eight days later. Steve said: “These charities are really close to my heart. My sister and I both do a lot of fundraising for them because of the excellent service they provide to people with the illness. “I’m really looking forward to setting off but expecting it to be especially hard for me. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do the walk. I’ve got osteoarthritis in my left big toe, which left me on the sick for eight weeks really struggling to walk. But I’m back at work now and I will do it.” Steve added: “People’s support has been great and I’m hopeful from the walk and charity night we can raise a few thousand pounds which will be split equally between Zoe’s Place and MNDA.” John Conroy, MD at Stagecoach North East, said: “Zoe’s Place and MNDA provide crucial, dedicated support to children and adults with motor neurone disease across the region, so we’re delighted to support Steve in his efforts to raise money for the charities which make such a difference to the local communities they serve. I wish him the very best of luck as I know he’s been struggling with his left foot, but he’s so determined to complete the walk I have every faith he will achieve his goal.”
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Here is your chance to experience a full cruise at a very special price. Exclusively for you from Coach World and Coaches Etc. Prices starting at £399 for a balcony cabin for a full 7 days Mediterranean cruise on board MSC Flagship Splendida MSC Cruises continues to astound with its cutting-edge ʻFantasiaʼ class of cruise ships. After the success of MSC Fantasia we were immensely proud to introduce her sister, MSC Splendida, a cruise ship where technology and comfort are spectacularly combined. Futuristic, yet retaining its classic simplicity and elegance. A cruise ship that promises the ultimate cruise experience.
MSC Splendida also features 4 swimming pools, a squash court, a Formula 1 simulator and much, much more... there are 5 restaurants to chose from, and 13 bars, as well as a magnificent theatre where top class shows take place very night, a large casino and plenty of shops. This trip gives you the chance to experience the luxury of a balcony cabin.
Balcony Cabin Outside with Balcony
All beds can be both single or double (on request). Spacious wardrobe. Bathroom with shower or tub. Interactive TV. Telephone. Availability of internet connection by your own laptop (on payment). Mini bar and safe. Air conditioning. Size: approx 22 square metres.
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Prices including flight only £599 per person on the 28th January and £649 on the 25th February and this is unbelievable, but no single supplement !!!!!
Or travel by coach stopping en route in the magnificent Park Inn Macon Hotel, on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis for just £525 per person on 28th January and £569 on 25th February, or arrange your own flights and pay just £399 on 28th January and £439 on 25th February.
Theses prices are for a balcony cabin with either flights or coach travel included, and are amazing, so to book now before the cabins sell out please call Richard or Tasha on 0208 665 5561 or email Richard@coachesetc.com There is limited availability so please call us as soon as you can
There are also some free places for group organisers who meet the criteria so get a group together and get on board.
44 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
LEGAL UpdAtE
In association with
Contract variation based on mistaken belief not related to TUPE transfer Steven Meyerhoff, a solicitor and director at Backhouse Jones, provides this week’s legal update In Smith and others versus Trustees of Brooklands College, an employment judge was entitled to hold that an agreed variation of the claimants’ salary, based on the employer’s incorrect belief they were being overpaid by mistake, was not for a reason connected with a Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) transfer more than two years earlier. The EAT observed the steps taken by the employer could have been taken at any stage, irrespective of TUPE.
Facts The Claimants were employed as teaching and learning assistants. They worked between 22 and 25 hours per week for 43 weeks of the year and received, by agreement with the College, full-time salaries equivalent to someone doing a 36hour week. The staff were TUPE transferred to the Respondent in August 2007. The human resources director of the merged colleges examined staff salaries and discovered the
New Fees for Tribunals from 2013
A fee for bringing a claim to an employment tribunal will be charged for the first time from April 2013. The amount charged and how it should be paid will be subject to consultation starting at the end of November 2011. It is proposed any fee payable will be refunded if the applicant is successful. There is currently no fee for an applicant who wants to make an employment tribunal claim and this has led to an increased amount of vexatious claims which have no reasonable prospect of success. It is hoped the introduction of this fee will reduce the amount www.coachandbusweek.com
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unusual pay arrangement which the claimants enjoyed. Believing it was a mistake and they had been overpaid, an agreement was secured with the claimants for a phased reduction of their salary commencing on January 1, 2010. The Claimants subsequently brought an unauthorised deduction from wages claim in the Employment Tribunal. They argued the variation in pay was rendered void by regulation 4(4) of TUPE, where the sole or principal reason for it was the transfer or a reason connected with it.
Decision The Employment Judge found the variation was unconnected with the transfer and the real reason for the reduction was HR’s mistaken belief Claimants had been erroneously paid a higher rate than their hours warranted, and was out of step with the rest of the sector. He accordingly rejected the claims, a decision which the Claimants appealed. appeal The EAT was satisfied the employment judge made findings of fact which were open to him. He
the human resources director discovered an unusual pay arrangement of vexatious claims. However, it is proposed the low-paid, or those without an income, may have the fee waived or reduced at the start of the process, under the new scheme. We therefore need to wait and see whether this fee will have any impact on the amount of claims made to the Employment Tribunal.
new UnFair Dismissal QUaliFying perioD extenDeD It has also been confirmed the qualifying period for an employee to bring a claim for unfair dismissal will be extended to two years following the proposed introduction of legislation which is due to come into force April6, 2012. At present employees only need to have been working for one year. Under the new legislation, workers can still take action immediately if they suffer discrimination, but by reducing
the risk of tribunals for unfair dismissals, the government hopes employers will feel more confident about hiring people. Last year there were 236,000 employment tribunal claims, of which only some were unfair dismissal claims, with an average award for successful complainants of £8,900. In 2010-11 the cost of running employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal in England, Wales and Scotland was more than £84m, according to the Ministry of Justice. The Treasury said more than 80% of applications made to an employment tribunal did not result in a full hearing. Almost 40% of applicants withdrew their cases, but employers still had to pay legal fees in preparing a defence. More than 40% settled out of court and there was no record of how much applicants settled for.
made an assessment of the time elapsed between transfer and variation, and of what was going on in the Respondent’s mind. A legal assessment followed as to whether the reason was connected to the transfer. In the EAT’s view, the judge made the correct decision as a matter of law — the variation was not caught by Regulation 4 (4). Applying the European Court of Justice’s approach to the EU Acquired Rights Directive (No.2001/23) in Martin and others vs. South Bank University, the EAT noted, where the sole or principal reason for the variation is a desire to harmonise terms and conditions, Regulation 4(4) is engaged. This was not the reason for acting in this case - the steps taken by the employer could have been taken at any stage, irrespective of TUPE. The Claimants’ appeal was dismissed.
comment It is important to recognise when a variation of terms is accepted, especially where a TUPE transfer is involved, employees do have the ability to go behind the agreement if the reason for the variation is connected with the TUPE transfer. The changes may have mixed results. Someone who has not worked long enough to claim unfair dismissal may claim they are a whistleblower or a victim of discrimination instead, causing employers even more hassle than before. However, people who have to pay to bring a claim may regard this as a significant disincentive to litigating a dispute.
Backhouse Jones acts for clients in the private and public sector, both national and international operators from one to several thousand vehicles. Backhouse is “industry specific”. The firm can trace its heritage to 1819. It represented its first Road Transport Operator in 1930 after the introduction of the first Transport Act n Contact 01254 828300. Visit www.backhousejones.co.uk
14/11/2011 23:09
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OpEn plAtfOrm › phil tonks
Brum’s moving on… In the same week Centro announced a £14m plan to move buses away from the prime thoroughfare that is Corporation Street, Phil Tonks outlines why he feels it’s a step in the right direction for Birmingham’s transport system Over the years, I’ve often been critical of Birmingham’s seemingly half-hearted commitment to public transport. I’ve watched enviously places like London and Manchester pushing on with making the public transport user’s lot better. For years, Brum appeared not only to stand still, but to actually move backwards by removing the bus priority on Tyburn Road - what did that tell us about the City’s intentions towards public transport? Now, for the first time in my living memory at least, things appear to be on the up. £800m is being spent on us bus, train, tram and plane passengers and it’s looking very interesting. New Street Station has long been in need of a facelift. Why should railway stations not be places where you’d like to spend some quality time? I’ve often taken time out in places like Manchester Piccadilly and Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof to have a bite to eat or drink. St. Pancras’ Eurostar terminus surely sits proudly at the top of the list for the modern day theatre of railway romance. One of my favourite haunts is the delightful Centenary Lounge within the surrounds of the gorgeously restored Birmingham Moor Street. Lovely staff serving lovely food and drink as you watch the world go by. Hopefully we’ll soon start to feel good about New Street, rather than the chaotic turn off it often portrays. Birmingham Airport too is expanding. Whilst I’m more in favour of short hops around the UK and close neighbours in Europe being made by train (bring on HS2 as soon as possible, I say!), for longer journeys to different continents it would be great to go from Brum. For a relatively short time, Ryanair used to fly from Brum to Frankfurt Hahn, close to the Mosel Valley - my favourite German destination. How convenient it was to hop across to Birmingham Airport and in a couple of hours I was drinking the local wine. Mr O’ Leary withdrew that route and now the trip to Stansted is more of a consideration for my German jaunts. Which is why, for selfish reasons in this example, I can’t wait to see HS2 come to Birmingham. To link this into the existing HS1 would mean Brum to Germany becoming a really attractive proposition by rail. And then there’s the Metro. Ah, our dear Metro. Who’d have thought that, over 10 years
OpenPlatformTonks.indd 47
Phil Tonks believes the city centre bus stop reorganisation is a logical step to take ago when I rode on one of the first trams, we’d still be waiting to add bits to it. It’s a damning indictment on the way us Brits do light rail that we’re getting excited over a small extension to the Metro from Snow Hill through the heart of the City to New Street. Welcome, yes! But why does it have to take so long? We should be building a whole network of Midland Metro lines by now. Nevertheless, excited I am. Cities need trams. It makes a statement of intent that public transport is important. But the Metro City Centre extension is not without some concerns. I was interviewed on BBC WM a few days ago regarding not the positive side of the Metro extension, but the downside of kicking large numbers of buses out of Corporation Street to accommodate it. Centro is taking the opportunity to reconfigure most of the City Centre bus stops because of this and grouping services into “hubs.” My view is, while upheaval is always unsettling for some, we may be able to benefit from simplification. For example, if I want to catch a bus from Birmingham to Dudley, I can hedge my bets across five different bus routes, departing from large numbers of locations right across the City Centre. Now, while that may be beneficial depending on where I am in the City, it also means I’m constantly wondering why the bus at my preferred location hasn’t turned up. Should I walk to another location and try a different service? Or stay where I am in the hope it turns up? By grouping services together into hubs, I can potentially stand in the “hub” and take my pick from several different services going to the same location. This already happens in the City Centre for several groups of services, but the hub idea may developthe idea. And the longer-term plan to introduce a Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme for all buses using the City Centre (similar to Nottingham) can only increase the quality of the service being provided. What a
pity the radio interview only focused on what it considered to be a negative impact. Then there’s the “Sprint” initiative, bringing tram-like buses to the City Centre. Initially planned to run from Five-Ways to Walsall using the excellent bus priority along the A34, this service will bring high quality service, with priority at traffic lights, and a real step-change from what we already have. It might even be the prelude to a Metro extension along a similar route. This is all great news for the public transport user and proves what can be done if the vision is there, but more importantly the will to see it through. I’d still like to see more improvements “at the coalface” such as more bus priority, and more enforcement of existing bus-only areas - in fact I’ve been really pleased to see the Police actively enforcing entrance to Corporation Street on two occasions in recent weeks. We mustn’t also forget the “Shiny New Trains” running through the City, introduced by London Midland, really upping the journey experience for those using the Snow Hill lines, and the recent upgrade to Chiltern’s services further afield to London, reducing the journey time, simplifying the fare structure and of course selling the best bacon rolls anywhere on the rail network! The bus operators too are placing new buses onto the network, some of them with hybrid drivelines providing the cleanest, greenest emissions yet. Add to this the long-awaited Oyster-style Smartcard and public transport will not only be more attractive and reliable, it will be simpler and demystified for many people. Things are looking up in Brum for us public transport users. Long may it continue. Phil Tonks is an advocate of good public transport. He has worked for Bus Users UK and Passenger Focus, where he was most recently passenger link executive for the East and West Midlands, involved in transport user groups and mystery shopping research. He continues to travel the UK to find out and comment on what services are offer. To read his blog, visit www.philtonks2.blogspot.com If you want to let off some steam, just tap away at the keyboard and send your rant (or carefully-reasoned views) to cbwinbox@rouncymedia.co.uk, or fax 0845 280 2927. Make ‘Open Platform’ the subject line. Alternatively, send your missive to: CBW, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX www.coachandbusweek.com
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48 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell
To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 020 8320 1351 Optare Toro
UNVI GT
Mercedes-Benz 0815 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 28 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts, powered entry door, air conditioning, double glazed windows, luggage racks with individual passenger reading lights and adjustable air flow blowers, radio/CD & PA system.
Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts and leather headrest inserts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air con radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, grammer luxury heated driver seat, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers.
£45,500 +VAT NOW £43,000 +VAT
£69,950 +VAT NOW £67,500 +VAT
Call Dougie at Haggis Adventures on 0131 554 9192
Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale
Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m 1999, Choice of 6, Cummins 6BT, Allison AT545 4 speed auto, Marshall body, 40 seats. Contact Damian Graham (Engineering Director) Warrington Borough Transport Ltd Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington WA4 6PT. Tel 01925 634296
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.
To view contact Tom Smith, Operations Manager, Alfa Travel on 08451 305777
! R E F F O SPECIAL
t Contac Lara Odumosu
0 1351 020 8@r3ou2nc ymedia.co.uk
lara.odumosu
K & E HORTON (GARAGES) LTD WE HAVE FOR SALE THE FOLLOWING COACHES
1998 VOLVO ENIGMA 49 SEATER WITH TOILET MOT MARCH 2012 £27,500
1998 MAN SETRA S250 SPECIAL 48 SEATER WITH TOILET MOT JAN 2012 £17,500
1998 SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 53 SEATER MOT JAN 2012 £17,500
CALL 07584 080866
LOCATED 3 MINS AWAY FROM JUNCTION 11, M6
Telephone Lara Odumosu on 020 8320 1351 or email lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk
121702-1012-Pembridge
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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS
OTHER MAKES
New Ford Transit 17 seat 4.3ton 135ps minibus. From £20,595 + VAT
Peugeot Boxer 17 seat wheelchair accessible 2.2 diesel 120ps with six speed gearbox, COIF/PSV. Choice of colours. £23,500 + VAT
(60) 2011 Ford Transit 15 seat 2.4 tdci minibus, tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, silver £18,995
(60) 2010 Ford Transit 17 seat Hi Roof 2.4tdi, Air -con, Bluetooth, tacho, sat-nav, COIF/PSV £23,850
(10) 2010 Ford Transit 12 minibus 2.2tdci 115ps tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, parking sensors, in silver, 1,400km £17,495
(10) 2010 Renault Trafic 9 seat LL29, twin side loading doors, air-con, alloys, tail gate, 50,000 miles £11,995
(07) Peugeot Boxer 17 seat 3.5 ton minibus, high back seats with three point seat belts, 27,000 miles £8,995 (55) 2005 Chrysler Grand Voyager 7 seat Auto 2.8 diesel, DVD, heated seats, radio/CD, electric mirrors, electric windows, one owner from new with FSH, silver, 67,000 miles £7,750
FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES (08) 2008 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi, tacho, high back seats with three point belts, 33,000kms only, COIF/PSV £15,200
(53) 2003 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4 td minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, COIF/PSV £6,995
(02) Ford Transit 3.5 ton, 15 seat minibus, 2.4 tdi, high back seats with three point belts £2,995
LDV MINIBUSES New LDV Maxus 17 seat minibus 2.5 diesel, LWB, twin side loading doors, 2 year mechanical warranty, COIF/PSV £16,995
(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 £7,995
OTHER MAKES New Renault Master 17 seat LM35 / 125PS £21,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS (07) 2007 Volkswagen Crafter 8 seat 2.2 diesel inboard lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, 48,000 miles £13,995
(57) LDV Maxus LWB 9 seats tracking to take two wheelchairs, inboard lift, 49,000 miles, £9,995 (05) Renault Master LWB 9 seat, inboard Ricon lift, fully tracked floor to take four wheelchairs, rear heating, kick out side step, high spec vehicle £11,500
SOLD
(06) Fiat Ducato LWB, high roof, panoramic windows, inboard tail lift, 6 seats plus wheelchair tracking, 42,000 miles £10,995 (04) 2004 Mercedes Sprinter 413cdi minibus 2.2 diesel, front entry drop step with power door, inboard Clearway lift, fully tracked floor to take 4 wheelchairs, rear heating, 77,000 miles £9,995 (53) 2003 Iveco Daily 16 seat minibus, front entry drop step with power door, wheelchair tracking, under floor tail lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £9,995 Y 2001 Renault Mascot 2.8 diesel, 16 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, front entry drop step, fully tracked floor to take five wheelchairs, under floor lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £7,750
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 NPA 0AL – 10 minutes from M4 motorway. Viewing by appointment only Finance Contract Hire and Finance Lease Available. We deliver Nationwide. All vehicles prepared to VOSA standard COIF/PSV specialist
All above prices are subject to VAT @ 20%
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DOUBLE DECK E 1997/8 VOLVO OLYMPIANS Seatbe exampleslted no available w
LEZ
LEZ
COMPLIANT
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
7.8m, Slimline, Mercedes engine, Euro 4, 27 seats, Hanover LEDʼs all round.
8.9m, Cummins / Allison, Hanover blinds, 29 seats, full DDA.
ZF automatic, Northern Counties body, 48 BELTED seats, repainted white, MOT 09/12.
Cummins ISBC engine, repainted white, Hanover destination, MOT August 2012, one only at £28,000.
1995 M REG DENNIS DRAGONS
2001 MERCEDES 814 VARIO
2007 OPTARE SOLO
2009 ADL ENVIRO 200
2004 DART MPD
1995 M REG VOLVO B10M
Cummins/Voith gearboxes, Duple Metsec bodies, recent floors and 92 coach seats.
Manual, 31 seats, belts fitted, MOT 04/12, £9,500.
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 1994 K REG VOLVO OLYMPIAN
GREAT VALUE DENNIS DARTS!!!
Northern Counties low height bodies, Volvo engines, good selection with long MOTs.
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).
I-shift, Sunsendengui Sideal body, 49 seats, centre toilet, air-con, very clean and straight inside and outside. £70,000.
2005 55 PLATE VOLVO B12B
Cummins / Allison World Series gearbox , Pointer 2 body, 41 seats.
6 speed ZF manual, Caetano Algarve, 55 seats, recently trimmed.
ZF automatic, Plaxton Excalibur body, 49 seats, NSR toilet, air-con, MOT 05/12.
£7000 just spend on recon engine, MCV Evolution body, 40 seats, DDA, Hanover LEDʼs.
Cummins / Allison, Marshall bodies, 37 seats, LEZ post 2012 with traps, from our own fleet and very tidy. £6,000 each.
Euro 4, Cummins/Allison, MCV body, 9m, 32 seats.
1998 S REG DENNIS DART SPD
2000 W REG VOLVO B10M
1998 REG DENNIS DART SLF’S
1999 V REG DENNIS DART MPD’S Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.
1997 R REG VOLVO B10M
2007 MAN 14.220
2007 DART MPD
Mercedes engines, Slimlines, 2.34m wide, 7.8m long, 24 seats, Hanover LEDʼs.
2006 OPTARE SOLO’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
000000-1005-Fishwick
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THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL OFFERS...
552467-1012-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.
BRAND NEW MERCEDES OPTARE SOROCO 19 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.
BRAND NEW MERCEDES 813 VARIO 24 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, power plug door, luggage boot.
2007 07 REG FORD TRANSIT 14 seats, 3 point belts.
2006 06 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI OPTARE SOROCO 16 high back reclining seats, forced air, reading lights, A/C, power door, large boot.
2006 06 MERCEDES 814D PLAXTON CHEETAH 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights D/G, power door.
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.
2005 05 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, large luggage boot.
2006 06 REG MERCEDES 814D VARIO 24 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights and large boot, analogue tacho.
BARGAIN BUS STOP 2002 52 REG RENAULT 10 SEATS + RAMP 2004 04 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, luggage racks, coach back end and large boot.
2003 03 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks.
2001 51 REG RENAULT 8 SEATS + RAMP
Steve Peach Tel: 01302 770863 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: steve@connaughtpsv.co.uk
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Southdown PSV
November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 57
01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk
LOOK! 2000 (W/X) SEAT BELTED REFURBISHED LOW FLOOR DOUBLE DECKER
• • • • • • • •
Volvo B7TL SLF Plaxton President ZF automatic 5 speed transmission 74 seats (69 belted) + 14 standees Fully DDA compliant for 2017 & beyond LEZ compliant with RPC certificate New digital destination equipment CCTV system Single colour re-spray £49,995 + VAT – choice
Prices plus VAT @ 20% Part exchange possible. Finance available subject to status - please call for details
Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN
Are you in the South of England and looking to upgrade or convert your vehicle to meet the January 2012 Low Emission Zone?
We may be able to help… Close Asset Finance
Close Asset Finance are specialist commercial vehicle financers and are able to offer operator solutions to help comply with the new Low Emission Zone (LEZ) regulations. • Flexible Finance available for new and used vehicles (subject to status) • Release equity for existing fleets to help pay LEZ conversion costs (subject to status) • Stock of Euro 3 vehicles available with the option to finance LEZ conversion costs Talk to us NOW - Don't leave it too long to comply with LEZ regulations… DAN HADDON on 020 8339 7341 - dhaddon@closeasset.co.uk CHRISTINE CLARK on 020 8339 4823 - cclark@closeasset.co.uk
www.closeasset.co.uk
553127-1012-Heatons
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HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN 01942 864222 THE NORTH WEST’S PREMIER MINIBUS SALES, SUPPLYING NATIONWIDE FOR OVER 40 YEARS
OF 5 CH OI CE
PSV’d
02 VOLVO B7R PLAXTON PREMIER One family owner, automatic, 53 highback reclining seats plus courier with lap belts, air conditioning. Very genuine coach.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
54/05 MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI UVG coachbuilt, choice of 2, low miles, 10/16 highback seats, complete flat floor, external PLS cassette tailift, powerdoor, front entry, Triptronic transmission, one council owner, will come with 12 mths PSV test. Where can you find these? POA
PSV’d 56 VOLKSWAGEN LT 46 VDL KUSTER service bus, 15 passenger seats, digital destination, 1 council owned, wheelchair accessible, low miles, totally immaculate. Where do you find these? 12 months PSV test, ready to work £19,950
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
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
PSV’d 05 IVECO 50C14 only covered 44,000 miles, one council owner, 16 highback passenger seats with 3 point belts, powerdoor front entry, Euroliners, totally immaculate inside and out, 12 months PSV test, ready to work £9,995
08 PEUGEOT BOXER MWB only covered 15,000 mliles, Monarch conversion, twin SLDs, side steps, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, stunning silver metallic, showroom condition inside and out, tailift certificate and ministers approval certificate. £17,995
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
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
08 IVECO IRIS BUS 16 highback Cogent seats, all quick release, covered only 34,000 miles, saloon heater, full Cant rail, full panoramic tinted windows, Powerdoor front entry with low step, external fully automatic PLS cassette tailift, euro 4, totally totally showroom condition in everyway. £22,995
PSV’d
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 mlsiles, excellent value, ready to work £12,995
08 RENAULT TRAFFIC LWB highroof, covered 30,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, SLD with cassette step, internal fully automatic tailift, automatic transmission, air conditioning, excellent value £13,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
05 RENAULT MASTER MWB, covered 34,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal tailift, SLD with cassette step, totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value, choice of 6 - 54, 05, 56, 07 & 09 From £9,495
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 5 From £9,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
PSV’d 54 RENAULT MASTER 7 high back seats, only covered 28,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tail lift, side loading door with side step, showroom condition £9495
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 £16,995
55 CITROEN DISPATCH only covered 15,000 mliles, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, 3 seats plus wheelchair, twin SLDs, special electric seat, totally showroom condition inside and out £4,995
08 FORD TRANSIT MWB 8/11 seat, factory specification minibus, covered 54,000 miles, twin SLDs, full electric pack, totally showroom condition inside and out £10,995
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
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November 16, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59
ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES BUILDINGS
CHECKPOINTS
CRAIG TILSLEY
ENGINES
Suppliers of Reconditioned
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
TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/DUSTITE loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:
BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime
www.checkpoint-safety.com
Tel: 01524 271200
ENGINES
Crewe Engines Ltd
DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS Tel: PUMPS Works: 01782 791524 Moorfields Ind. ETC 01782 791527 Est. Cotes Heath, Fax: 01782 791316
Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY
HEATING
Heaters • A/C Equipment Blowers • Motors Radiators • Silicone Hose Ducting • Wiper Equipment Gas Struts
Tel: 01993 849522 Fax: 01993 706920 Email: sales@thhs.co.uk
www.thhs.co.uk
UNIT 9 NIMROD BUSINESS PARK DE HAVILLAND WAY, WITNEY OX29 0YG
INSURANCE
MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS
WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES Direct from the UK’s No.1 for 30 years
VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES
ELECTRONICS
Getyourbusiness noticed! AdvertiseyourProducts &Services hereforaslittleas£30.00 aweek! Call 01733 293484 NOW! REGISTRATIONS G £750 20 PXV 60 NJX 70 NNX 70 PXA 90 PXL PJZ 88 RJZ 66 RJZ 77 SJZ 22
SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’
£350 £99 £99 £50 ACZ 686 CXZ 2228 PEZ 9824 AXZ 5617 AJZ 484 CXZ 2229 REZ 3378 AXZ 5618 CJZ 323 HIG 7331 REZ 3379 BXZ 7175 JBZ 383 HIG 7332 RUI 2117 BXZ 7176 KBZ 737 KIG 1901 SEZ 7608 CRZ 8340 KCZ 505 KIG 1902 TJZ 1002 DRZ 5651 KDZ 929 MJZ 6749 TJZ 1003 DRZ 5652 NUI 636 MNZ 1195 TJZ 1004 DRZ 5653 PDZ 818 ONZ 1171 TJZ 1005 DRZ 5654 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange
Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771
Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ
£50 IIG 9341 IIG 9342 JIG 9791 JIG 9792 KIG 1805 KIG 1806 SUI 4622 TUI 1522 TUI 1523
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60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 16, 2011
ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES TRAINING
SEATING
URBAN
SERVICE
COACH
SERVICE
HAND RAIL PADDING
ACCESSORIES
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 Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban + many more
The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers Call the Experts: 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com
www.bhiuk.com
Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in
CPC Nat / International Driver CPC Digital Tachograph Drivers’ Hours Tachograph Analysis
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 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
Passenger and Commercial Vehicles Recovery Dismantlers Parts Sales OUR SERVICES: •
Recovery
•
Testing
• • • • • • • •
Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com
www.twigley.com
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
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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. While he’s full of praise for his colleagues, Callum regretfully announces a career in journalism is not for him. It’s a Minibus issue, but with Martin having worked his socks off and Meera having finished her features in CBW, we’re ahead, so finish at a civilised time. Tuesday: Start in the office at lunchtime. Work my way through a mountain of emails and also plan content for forthcoming issues.
Throughout the month of November, male species from across Backhouse Jones’ departments will engage in ‘Movember’ – a global movement responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces. The aim is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer by having an everlasting impact. Movember works by eager participants shaving on November 1 and then for the rest of the month, grooming, trimming and waxing their way into a world of fine moustachery. Known as Mo Bros, participating men effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words, raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health. In 2010, over 112,000 UK Mo Bros got involved, raising a collective £11.7 million - an outstanding achievement. Backhouse Jones has jumped on the band wagon with 12 solicitors embarking on the hairy challenge.
GNE driver acts in model fashion A Go North East (GNE) driver quite literally acted in a model fashion after his employer came to the rescue of 30 ladies, all luxury lingerie models who found themselves stranded after their unknown booked transport failed
Dilbert
to turn up. GNE dispatched a Northern Counties Olympian after taking a distress call from the chilly participants to take the models from lingerie company Tallulah Love to their destination for their highly successful celebration of the Turner Prize coming to the North East and raising the profile of local businesses. Passers-by scratched their heads as they got a glimpse of the 30 models on board on the double-
decker. Driver Colin said: “In the 20 years driving I have never had to carry a group of passengers dressed like this before.” Martin Harris, GNE commercial director, said: “This wasn’t one of our normal bus services that’s for sure but it was fantastic to help and great that they thought of us instantly so we could offer a service to get them there. We wish Tallulah Love all the success in the world going forward.”
Wednesday: Start in the office bright and early. Interview E Leather’s CEO at the head office in Peterborough. My rear car’s off-side tyre needs replacing after being punctured with a nail. The reliable folks at the tyre firm explain that a tyre welding product is fine to get you to a safe place but acts to pulverise rubber. Thursday: A hectic day in the office. Watch Motorway Cops on BBC1 in the evening. Inform CBW’s Facebook and Twitter followers that it’s the episode which shows an unmarked HGV to catch drivers of large vehicles on their mobiles. While I acknowledge it may fall outside the scope of Motorway Cops, there was no mention of HGV drivers also being called to appear at a Driver Conduct Hearing before a Traffic Commissioner and the penalties which can be imposed on top of a ban/fine already handed down by criminal court. It would have been useful for the general public to be made aware of this. I can just imagine the reaction among many when the resultant penalties are read out at end of the programme... Still, I do enjoy watching it. Friday: A busy day in the office, one where I feel I could do with an extra few hours. A past boss and friend calls to update his subscription. A weekend of CBW and DIY in Peterborough beckons. www.coachandbusweek.com
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RECRUITMENT
New group marketing director for Go-Ahead Go-Ahead Group has appointed Gillian Singh as its new group marketing director, having worked for the firm on a consultancy basis over the last three years. “This is an increasingly important role which requires a top professional and Gillian brings loads of experience and expertise from previous director roles within retail, financial services, home shopping and business to business marketing,” the company said. While in her marketing and communications consultancy, Gillian was appointed to help retain the Go-Ahead’s Southern rail franchise. She also helped create a bid-winning strategy for the South Central rail franchise, to market
CONTACT Harley Denham 01733 293249
harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk
Southern and Gatwick Express and develop a new marketing function. Commenting on Gillian’s appointment, David Brown, group CEO, said: “Go-Ahead has been putting significant investment into marketing its services more effectively, particularly in the off peak where there is considerable room for growth. “Initially, Gillian will work with our bus and rail companies to successfully market the launch of our new smart card brand – ‘the key’ and help migrate more of our passengers online. We have also invested heavily in groupwide customer information systems which, alongside using digital channels, will help attract new passengers and keep the momentum of modal shift from the car to bus and train. I am delighted that Gillian is joining the company.” Gillian said: “Go-Ahead understands the significant difference impactful and targeted marketing can make. I already understand the business well.”
Mullany’s Coaches Part of the JJK Group
Experienced PSV Engineers Required We are currently seeking an experienced Night Shift engineer to join our company and contribute in taking our business forward to the next stage of our expansion programme. You will be working on our fleet of Coaches, Buses and Mini Buses and your regular duties would include Pre MOT inspections, diagnostics, safety inspections, general running repairs and planned maintenance. The PSV industry is very well regulated and accordingly you will need to demonstrate a very high standard of workmanship. You would need to be self motivated, enthusiastic, flexible, computer literate and a team player. In reward you will be offered a very attractive salary and first class working conditions within a family run business. A PCV licence would be an advantage. Please telephone 01923-279991 and ask to speak with Mr. Crawford, Mullany’s Coaches, Brookdell Transport Yard, St Albans Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD25 0GB.
Your First Choice for Recruitment
Coach and Bus Week’s well-established recruitment portfolio attracts candidates across sales, marketing and management, delivering not just quantity but quality candidates, providing exceptional value for money. In addition to our unrivalled print-based product, at no extra cost recruitment adverts are also automatically placed online at www.coachandbusweek.com, where they remain on view until a position’s closing date. Coach and Bus Week and www.coachandbusweek.com combine to create the ultimate recruitment solution, guaranteeing your vacancy is seen by every job seeker that matters from sales agents to board level. To get your vacancy seen by quality candidates, call Harley on 01733 293249 (email harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk) or Ian on 01733 293254 (email ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk) www.coachandbusweek.com
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000000-1012-Euromotive
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Accessible Minibus & Van Conversions
As from October 29th Type Approval became mandatory for all Minibuses.
Is your next one?
All our 9-20 seat vehicles are now built to European Type Approval Standard. For more information call 01303 267900 or email sales@euromotive.co.uk Euromotive (Kent) Ltd | Unit B1 | Lympne Industrial Park | Hythe | Kent CT21 4LR
www.euromotive.co.uk