Wednesday November 23, 2011 Issue 1013 | ÂŁ2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com
BUS:
FIRST DRIVE:
Bluebird of Manchester Test drive of MAN's acquires Hayton's bus new gas bus for the operations p5 UK market p28
COACH:
Harrison Holidays of Kings Lynn enters administration p4
PEOPLE:
Face to Face with Norfolk Council's Tracy Jessop p34
for recru i
JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK
Silver jubilee for London's Westbus p24
Cover.indd 1
22/11/2011 00:47
000000-GT&CW1011-CoachesEtc
27/9/11
09:19
Page 1
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.
Sailing Dates: 28th January 2012 sailing from Genoa Italy
25th February 2012 sailing from Genoa Italy
Ports en route: Genoa, Barcelona, at sea, Casablanca, Gibraltar, Valencia, Marseille, Genoa
Ports en route: Genoa, Barcelona, at sea, Casablanca, Gibraltar, Valencia, Marseille, Genoa
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.
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 3
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
ADVERTISING, MARKETING & EVENTS Client Manager Harley Denham 01733 293249 harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk Client Manager Ian Gillis 01733 293484 ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk Vehicle Sales Account Manager Lara Odumosu 0208 320 1351 lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk Advertising Production June Barnard 01473 858761 june@adsproduction.co.uk
ROUNCY MEDIA Managing Director Derek Phillips derek.phillips@rouncymedia.co.uk Chairman Jonathan Taylor jonathan.taylor@rouncymedia.co.uk
SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions Executive Kirstyn Hunt 01733 293480 kirstyn.hunt@rouncymedia.co.uk Annual subscription rate for 51 issues: UK £85, Europe/Eire £140, USA and RoW £180 ONLINE £44.95
http://coachandbusweek.com/subscribe/ ISSN: 1351-3877 © 2011 Rouncy Media Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or system or in any means without the written permission of the directors. This is considered a breach of copyright and action will be taken where this occurs. This magazine must not be lent, sold, hired or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any authorised cover by way, or by trade, or annexed to any publication or advertising matter without first obtaining written permission from the directors.
Like minds? Is integration the way forward?
T
his week’s Face to Face interview with Tracy Jessop reveals a practical, down to earth lady who is convinced greater integration provides a solution to mobility. This is something I have advocated for some time, and expressed in these pages occasionally, so when someone else begins to champion those ideas it makes think I’m maybe not so daft after all. Fearing the erosion of networks, particularly in rural areas, through increased costs, lack of funding support and recessionary pressures, Tracy believes there is a role for making better use of community transport operations and DRT. These operations don’t just have to transport disabled passengers, they can also carry passengers from outlying areas to places where they can access mainstream services. Maybe
this would create a great deal of consternation with the Competition Commission as it flies in the face of outright competition – yet it does seem perfectly in line with Big Society mentality – working together for the greater good. When I first proposed such a scheme it would have been desperately difficult to implement due to ticketing constraints. Today, with the advent of smartcards and other technology there seems little barrier to having a passenger pay for a multi-operator, multistage, multi-mode ticket in a single payment and the participating transport providers all apportioned the appropriate share quite seamlessly and automatically. It may not be competition – but perhaps its progress! Martin Cole Technical Editor
CONTENTS 4
24
40
The latest from across the coach and bus industry in the UK
18
A London coach operator celebrates its 25th anniversary
28
FTA welcomes reduced barriers for drivers with diabetes
...From tourist attractions and events. Plus ideas for group visits
20
CBW experiences a 61km drive behind the wheel of a gas bus
32
Latest writings from Competition Commission’s Jeremy Peat
David Cameron announces £250m skills fund to boost apprenticeships
22
Routemaster RML229 seen in the sun at Showbus, Duxford 2011
34
A lighthearted look at the industry. Plus Gareth’s Diary!
O-licence authorisation cut for BM Coaches after PI. Repute not lost
Norfolk County Council’s Tracy Jessop, also the new ATCO chair
All the latest people moves from across the industry
News
Tour News
Business News Legal News
Westbus at 25 MAN Gas Bus
The Big Picture Face to Face
Drivers
43
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
Contents.indd 3
22/11/2011 00:34
4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS
BriEfly Brian Feakins, sadly passed away on Thursday, November 10. Brian was transport director of Swinards British & European Tours of Ashford, Kent and oversaw the sale of the Kent business to the Australian company Westbus. More recently he worked part time at Buzzlines Travel. Brian is survived by wife Grace and son Alan. The funeral was held at Great Chart Church, Great Chart, Ashford, Kent on Tuesday (November 22). Aldershot & District Centenary 2012 Bus Running Day (ADBIG) chairman John Gaff and event organiser Bill Tutty have successfully negotiated with Farnborough International Venue & Events, for the use of the purpose built bus station at the Farnborough International Air Show site for the running day to be held on Sunday, May 27, 2012. The Farnborough Air Show Bus Station is a new purpose built area, designed to accommodate the many thousands of passengers who visit the world famous bi-annual Farnborough Air Show. It has ample space for the ADBIG event with separate areas for service bus departures, static vehicles and other displays and for the many sales stands expected. Spain’s FIAA, the International Bus and Coach Fair (La Feria Internacional del Autobús y del Autocar) has announced its eleventh trade show will take place from October 23 to 26, 2012. Those organising the fair, led by IFEMA, have moved its dates up as compared to the previous event in response to calls from the industry. Organisers say the change allows better negotiating and favoured business agreements between professionals. In this way, FIAA wants, now more than ever, to emphasise its role as a tool for creating new business opportunities and as an effective platform for the road passenger transport industry. FIAA will bring together at the Feria de Madrid an extensive representation from the Spanish bodywork industry and from the main chassis manufacturers doing business in Europe, as well as a significant presence of spare parts and technologies manufacturers. www.coachandbusweek.com
News4-5.indd 4
Stagecoach wins environmental award Crowned Low Carbon Vehicle Operator of the Year at the 2011 Low Carbon Champion Awards Stagecoach Group has been named Low Carbon Vehicle Operator of the Year at the 2011 Low Carbon Champion Awards in London. The company impressed judges after reducing the carbon footprint of its buses over the past two years through the use of cleaner fuels, investment in new technology and the introduction of eco-driving techniques across its UK bus operations. Stagecoach Group chief executive Sir Brian Souter said: “We’re delighted to have won this latest green award, which recognises the hard work of our employees in reducing the impact of our operations on the environment. “As well as looking at new and innovative ways to make our
fleet greener, we believe it’s important to help people reduce their own carbon footprint by offering good value, greener, smarter transport and raising awareness of more sustainable ways of living and doing business.” The Low Carbon Champions Awards are run by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP), a public-private partnership. The awards recognise best practice in key areas from vehicle manufacturing and fleet operation to the development of products and services which reduce greenhouse gases from road transport operations. Stagecoach is investing £11m in a range of measures to meet its environmental targets. The group is targeting an overall reduction of 8% in buildings CO2 emissions and a cut of 3% in annual fleet transport
Stagecoach launched biomethane Optare Solos in Lincoln at the end of May
Harrison Holidays falls into administration Kings Lynn’s Harrison Holidays is in administration following a difficult trading period and cash flow problems. The director has taken the decision the company should cease trading with immediate effect. Administrator Parker Andrews said: “There is no cash to trade the business under administration so
all staff have been made redundant and we are assisting them with their redundancy claims. “The director timed the cessation of trade last week to coincide with the return of a coach tour, so there is minimal disruption to holidaymakers. No coach tours are stranded abroad. “Our immediate concern is for
CO2 emissions by 2014. Stagecoach’s UK Bus division has launched a number of initiatives in the past 12 months to improve environmental performance, including: testing a new MAN CNG gas bus in Liverpool; mixing its own biofuel on site using a new bio-blender installed at its Kilmarnock depot; launching a fleet of 11 buses in Lincoln operating on biomethane, derived from household rubbish and animal waste; placing orders for 142 BAE-Systems-powered ADL hybrid buses; a multi-million-pound investment in Green Road, the hi-tech eco-driving system, which is expected to reduce fuel consumption at its bus division by 4%. The scheme also offers employees the chance to earn ‘green points’ which are converted into financial benefits from a potential £900,000 annual bonus pot; the launch of a £500,000 project to fit new Euro5 in 50 ADL Tridents to prolong life; and trialling a new ‘intelligent’ lighting system, which uses movement sensors to determine the amount of light required, at six bus depots across the UK. For further information about Stagecoach Group, visit www.stagecoach.com
993 customers who have holidays booked with £250,000 deposits paid. We are negotiating with Harrison’s insurer to operate as many coach holidays due in November 2011 as possible.” The administrator is seeking offers for the business and assets, which include the freehold property at 3 High Street, Kings Lynn, and the customer database. A new provider to operate holidays booked from December 2011 is also sought: harrisonholidays@ parkerandrews.co.uk
21/11/2011 23:05
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5
“You can understand why some small bus companies throw their hands up in the air and don’t know what to do next.” Tracy Jessop
John Gilbert re-elected Eurolines president The Eurolines Organisation has reappointed John Gilbert as President for a second term at its annual conference in Ulm, Germany. The Eurolines group is composed of 32 independent operators which together form Europe’s largest regular coach network. As well as being President, John Gilbert is also managing director of Eurolines UK, part of National Express. Eurolines members from across Europe, including representatives from Veolia Transdev and Deutsche Touring met at the two day conference in Germany earlier this month. Key items on the agenda
Bluebird acquires Hayton’s bus operations
Consolidation has taken place in the Greater Manchester bus market after the stagecarriage operations of Hayton’s Travel were acquired by fellow independent Bluebird Bus & Coach. Mike Dunstan, owner of Middleton-based Bluebird Bus & Coach told CBW: “We’ve taken over the bus operations of Haytons Travel. All Transport for Greater
Face to Face p34
included customer care and safety as well as the proposed multimodal journey planner for Europe. Pawel Stelmaszczyk from DG Move, who are championing the single journey planner, gave a guest presentation on the proposal and the possibilities for Eurolines.
Speaking after the conference newly re-elected John Gilbert commented on what the future holds for the Eurolines organisation during his two year term: “We see big opportunities for the European coach network over the coming years. Today’s passengers
John Gilbert sees big opportunities for to grow the Eurolines network Manchester (TfGM) contracts have been reassigned to us. “It’s the latest example of how this company is going from strength to strength. It clearly demonstrates Bluebird is a major player in the bus market of both Manchester City and Greater Manchester as a whole. “I would also like to thank the staff at TfGM. I’m sure this will assist Haytons to further develop its quality coaching business.” Bluebird has acquired two routes – the 44 to Manchester Airport and the 196 Didsbury Circular service. While no members of staff are involved in the deal, Bluebird has acquired a pair of Mini Pointer Darts from Haytons and is now back up to 49 buses.
Bluebird’s fleet is painted in a distinctive livery Recent additions to the fleet include three ex Go-Ahead London Darts and four ex Hong Kong Volvo B6s, which were acquired via Stafford Bus Centre for peak
are savvy and demand value for money, easy accessibility and a reliable service. Eurolines already offers some of the competitive fares in Europe and we have a robust network of routes covering 500 destinations. “The priority over the next two years is to focus relentlessly on our customers – not only delivering what they want, but exceeding their expectations too. We’ll also work closer as an organisation to strengthen the Eurolines brand across Europe. A major part of this will be re-launching our website early next year and better utilising social media to engage new audiences. “The Eurolines Organisation also has exciting growth plans and will be extending further into Portugal. This means Eurolines services now operate in a total of 29 countries spanning from Dublin to St Petersburg and Naples.” workings. However, Mr. Dunstan was keen to stress his company is “still buying new vehicles”. An Optare Solo SR has joined the fleet this year. Barry Hayton told CBW: “We’ve decided to concentrate on our core coaching business, which includes National Express. We feel buses are for bus companies and coaches are for coach operators. We’ve been running buses for four years. However, our decision doesn’t mean we’re ruling out returning to stagecarriage work at some point in the future if we felt the conditions were right. I would like to wish Mike Dustan well for the future.” Founded in 1984, Haytons operates a fleet of 32 vehicles.
www.coachandbusweek.com
News4-5.indd 5
21/11/2011 23:05
6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
13,582
nEWS › BUSeS
The number of coaches visiting Stratford-upon-Avon last year
BriEfly A trial bus lane along a main route through Scunthorpe is being made permanent by North Lincolnshire Council. Councillor Nigel Sherwood, cabinet member for highways and neighbourhoods, gave approval for the trial Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to be made permanent. The move will also enable taxis and cyclists “to make progress along a busy route without having to negotiate parked vehicles.” Councillor Sherwood was advised not providing the TRO would see a return to the difficulties experienced by bus operators. There was concern the public might also “question the council’s commitment to making bus travel an acceptable alternative to car travel” if the lane was not made permanent. Arriva has launched a competition where aspiring artists can create designs to paint on the side of a bus. The competition is open across the UK. The winning entry will decorate a vehicle in the Arriva fleet top to bottom, which will then go on a nationwide tour. Arriva said the design may reflect the local area, or be completely abstract – it’s entirely up to the artist. For more information, or to enter the competition, visit www. arrivabus.co.uk/artbus. The first all day bus lane in Belfast city centre has gone into operation. The lane in Victoria Street alongside the Victoria Square shopping centre runs from 0700 to 1900hrs Monday to Saturday. It is one of a potential 20 bus lanes considered for the city as part of the ‘Belfast on the move’ traffic management plan. The lane is also open to motorcyclists, cyclists and taxis. Other bus lanes in the city also opened on November 21, operational from 0730 to 0930hrs. Bernard Clarke, the research and development manager at Translink, said: “There are already significant numbers of commuters on these corridors travelling by public transport and the new lanes should make these bus services attractive. More people on the bus over the private car frees up road space for everyone and is the way forward for a better, more sustainable city.” www.coachandbusweek.com
News6-7.indd 6
First Manchester hybrids hit the road Fourteen new Wrightbus hybrid buses introduced to north Manchester bus route Fourteen new hybrid buses are currently being put into service on First Manchester’s route 18 from Manchester to Langley on the Manchester New Road and Rochdale Road bus corridors. These new vehicles represent a total investment of over £4m, which has been made possible through joint funding from First and the government’s Green Bus Fund. The new buses are Volvo hybrid D5LH double deckers with Wright bus Eclipse Gemini bodywork and have high quality E-leather Lazzerini Pratico 2840 high back
seats, providing greater capacity than the route’s current vehicles. First and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said the introduction of the new buses is an important step in helping to support economic growth, by supporting improved access to jobs in the Harpurhey, Blackley, Middleton and Langley communities, as well as lowering carbon emissions. Ken Poole, service delivery director for First in Manchester, said: “This multi-million pound investment in new environmentally-friendly buses is a major boost for North Manchester and demonstrates our commitment to improving services for our
A new hybrid bus travelling on Service 18 between Manchester and Langley
First partners with PayPoint in South West First Group has started a scheme in the South West of England allowing passengers to buy tickets over the counter of around 600 outlets, in a partnership with PayPoint. From November 16 passengers were able to buy First Week, FirstMonth and FirstTen tickets over the counter from local shops. The scheme, covering Bristol,
Avon and Somerset areas follows similar partnerships in south Wales, Devon and Cornwall in the South West of the UK. Talking about the new payment method, Marc Reddy, regional business and commercial growth director for First in the South West and Wales, said: “When our customers told us they wanted an easy and convenient way to buy tickets in advance we identified PayPoint as the solution. Customers will be able to buy their monthly bus tickets, or FirstTen tickets, while at the local newsagent, garage, supermarket or
customers by working closely with Transport for Greater Manchester. “I believe this investment in the latest technology will bring a real boost to public transport in Manchester and provide greater choice for people and businesses in local communities. “These vehicles provide a credible alternative to some car journeys and offer people choice when they are travelling into and out of Manchester.” Councillor Mark Aldred, chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee’s bus network and TfGM services sub committee, said: “I am delighted to be welcoming these new hybrid vehicles to Manchester. “This represents the future of the bus industry with clear benefits for the environment and the local economy. These buses will produce less pollution and be much quieter, and they should encourage more people to travel to and from North Manchester by bus.” Over the next few weeks First said there will be a targeted promotional campaign along the routes to raise local awareness of the new buses. Local stakeholders are also being invited to take trips on the buses. Contact First Greater Manchester on 01224 650100 or log on to www. firstgroup.com/ukbus/greater_ manchester
convenience store – many of which are open long hours and often seven days a week. “Obtaining tickets in advance helps speed up boarding time at the bus stop, enabling us to improve reliability and punctuality. It also means customers need not carry lots of change with them.” Seamus Smith, managing director of PayPoint UK, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with First Bristol, Somerset and Avon to ensure bus users in the region are easily able to purchase their bus tickets in advance from convenient locations.”
22/11/2011 00:05
£656
The sum raised by Wilts & Dorset employees for Wiltshire Air Ambulance
Arriva launches 44 deckers for Liverpool Arriva has invested £7m in a fleet of 44 Wright Gemini double deck buses for South Liverpool. The vehicles will run on the 79 and 82 routes, with all of the buses operating by the end of the year. Jim Barclay, director of resources for Merseytravel and Maria Eagle MP, joined Phil Stone from Arriva to celebrate the investment. Phil Stone, managing director of Arriva North West and Wales, said: “This is a significant investment in the 79 and 82 routes and underlines our commitment to providing a fully accessible bus service in Merseyside. “The new double deckers undoubtedly improve the condition and quality of our service in South Liverpool.” Maria Eagle said “As a local MP and the shadow transport secretary, I know how important public transport is to people, and its impact on the local economy. “I welcome the Quality Partnership on the 82 route which means people can use day or weekly tickets on either operator’s buses. These new buses make for a more pleasant journey for passengers and will benefit many people in South Liverpool.”
14
The number of new Wright Volvo B5 Hybrid buses entering service with First Manchester
News6-7.indd 7
SHARE WATCH
Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, November 21. Rotala saw the greatest proportional rise and Optare had the biggest proportional drop. Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk
262.10p
Price: Year High: 574.37p Year Low: 257.70p
325.85p
The Salisbury It’s a Knockout bus team from Wilts & Dorset is pictured handing over a cheque to clinical team leader Richard Millar
W&D team fundraise £656 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance A team from Wilts & Dorset has presented a cheque for £656 to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance after competing in a special It’s a Knockout fundraising event. At the event held in September at Hullavington Airfield near Chippenham, the team took part in a series of fun challenges and were sponsored by colleagues, family and friends. Richard Millar, clinical team leader at the Devises based Air Support Unit, accepted the cheque from some of the team by the
Stagecoach announces new management appointments Stagecoach has announced two new appointments within its bus operations in the UK and North America. From December 1 Edward Hodgson will take over as managing director of Stagecoach West Scotland. His appointment comes as current West Scotland MD Bryony Chamberlain takes up the post of director of megabus.com based in North America. Edward Hodgson returns to the UK after himself spending three years in the US in the role of director of megabus.com where he successfully developed the rapid expansion of the inter-city and inter-state megabus.com network
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7
Bryony Chamberlain in North America. Prior to that, Edward was commercial director at Stagecoach South. Bryony Chamberlain joined Stagecoach in 1996 as a graduate
MD902 Explorer helicopter used for combined law enforcement and medevac missions. He explained how the aircraft is operated day and night, requiring £700,000 per year, without government funding, to remain operational. “It was interesting to learn more about the dedicated team of people who manage the operation,” said Vicky Williams, commercial manager at Wilts & Dorset. “We hope to work closely with the fundraising team in the future to help fund this essential service.” trainee. After progressing her career within the UK Bus Division, she joined Coach USA in 2006 to help develop the first megabus.com services. In 2009, Bryony returned to the UK and took up the post of managing director, Stagecoach Bluebird and Highlands before becoming MD, Stagecoach West Scotland in 2010. Stagecoach UK Bus MD Les Warneford said: “I would like to welcome Edward back to the UK Bus Division and thank Bryony for the valuable contribution she has made here over the past few years. I wish them both every success in their new roles.” Dale Moser, president and chief operating officer of megabus.com USA, added: “We’re looking forward to Bryony rejoining our team. I’d also like to thank Edward for a job well done here and wish him well.”
Price: Year High: 416.90p Year Low: 305.36p
1248.5p
Price: Year High: 1540p Year Low: 1034.p
213.65p
Price: Year High: 272.10p Year Low: 212.70p
248.95p
Price: Year High: 257.70p Year Low: 158.30p
1.62p
Price: Year High: 6.75p Year Low: 1.62p
42.00p
Price: Year High: 43.50p Year Low: 24.90p
95.00p
Price: Year High: 99.57p Year Low: 66.86p
11.88p
Price: Year High: 16.60p Year Low: 5.75p
-23.30 on last week
-14.05 on last week
-70.50 on last week
-10.70 on last week
-4.55 on last week
-0.26 on last week
+1.50 on last week
+0.00 on last week
-0.12 on last week
FTSE 100
5222
Price: Year High: 6,105 Year Low: 4,790
-297 on last week
www.coachandbusweek.com
22/11/2011 00:06
8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS › coaches
BriEfly Sections of the M6 and M1 at Catthorpe Interchange in Leicestershire will be closed overnight in November and December 2011. During the closures, the Highways Agency will continue work to replace the Catthorpe Viaduct, which carries the M6 southbound over the M1, and start maintenance work on the River Avon Viaduct, just south of the junction. The M6 will close southbound overnight between the A14 exit slip road and the M1 southbound entry slip road, Mondays to Saturdays, from Monday, November 21 to Thursday December 22.The M1 closes northbound overnight between the M6 northbound exit slip road and the J19 entry slip road, and closes southbound overnight between the A14 exit slip road and the M6 entry slip road, from Monday December 19 to Thursday December 22. All closures take place from 2100 to 0600hrs Monday to Thursday, 2200 to 0800hrs on Fridays and 2000 to 0800hrs on Saturdays. There are no closures on Sunday nights.
SeaFrance off the waves – for now Legal battle for troubled operator results in failure to resume services after liquidation order SeaFrance has failed to resume its Dover to Calais services. The troubled firm was due to restart its services on Friday, November 18 after a 48 hour suspension, and said it would continue until at least the end of January 2012, as the firm was given until January
28 to attract buyers after going into administration in June 2011. Reports that SeaFrance only has sufficient cashflow to trade until December 15, 2011, remained unconfirmed as CBW went to press. However management of the company has been placed under control of administrators after rising tensions between management and staff meant safety of vessels, staff and property could not be properly guaranteed.
The Forestry Commission Scotland has told tour operators to be aware of a potential closure of the A82 south of Fort William in late November to early December. The closure is necessary to carry out a controlled removal of a 200-250 tonne rock which has become a potential public safety risk. Updates on the potential closure can be found at www.forestry.gov. uk/A82operations Work to strengthen bridge supports in the central reservation at the A329(M) Winnersh Interchange Bridge, which crosses the M4 at Junction 10, starts this week. Reinforced concrete walls will be installed to protect the bridge supports. Drainage near the bridge will also be improved. Work should be complete by mid-January. Narrow lanes will be in place for around 1.5 miles on approach to and past the bridge and a reduced 50mph speed limit will be in place, enforced by average speed cameras. Additional overnight lane closures will be used as required. A free breakdown recovery service will be available. www.coachandbusweek.com
News8-9.indd 8
Other operators have boosted their services at the Port of Dover
CPT WM’s coaching parking number crunching CPT West Midlands’ coach parking survey revealed Shropshire, outside of Shrewsbury, had 2% of visitors (4,242 out of 212,100) arriving by coach. Shrewsbury itself had 4,190 coach passengers, 4% of the 104,760 visitors to the town. Stratford upon Avon was very successful, attracting 13,582 coaches during 2010.
In a separate development, Shrewsbury has applied for Coach Friendly Towns Status and the regional CPT WM has been working closely with them. Last week CPT WM regional manager Phil Bateman visited Shropshire County Council and met representatives of the public transport team, tourism and parking, along with a
SeaFrance management reported some union leaders had even threatened to sink vessels. An employee co-operative made one of two offers to take over the stricken company, the other being a €5m combined offer from competitors DFDS and LD lines, but a French court ruled both offers were too low. SeaFrance’s main staff union, CFDT, was angered by the developments, claiming management was deliberately sabotaging the co-operative bid with an illegal lockout. Rival company P&O, which runs 23 daily crossings of the channel, had also made a complaint to the European Commission against offers below the market value of SeaFrance. P&O recently stepped up services to absorb some of the passengers displaced by the suspended SeaFrance services. A statement on the SeaFrance website reads: “The management of the company has today been placed under the control of the administrators. They have decided commercial activities of the company will resume as soon as the satisfactory operation of the ships can be assured. “We are conscious of the inconvenience this situation is causing and we apologise for this. We will keep you informed of any changes in the present situation.” See separate story on ‘Tour News’ page 18 for more information on how P&O’ has stepped up its services.
representative from Shrewsbury Tourism Association. Coventry City Council has also submitted a late bid for Coach Friendly status for the City. “This is a much focused bid and though arriving late has some impetus with Coventry hosting an event for the London 2012 games and the advent of the 50th Anniversary on the new Cathedral,” said Mr. Bateman. “I will keep operators informed of developments. I am in close contact with Coventry City officers.”
21/11/2011 19:22
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9
“Whilst not in the job description for joining the Competition Commission, a thick skin does come in handy...” Jeremy Peat
Open Platform p43
Westminster parking changes
The Bova Futura is without doubt a firm favourite at Johnsons
Johnsons orders two new Bovas for 2012 UK Coach Award-winning operator Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel has confirmed an order for over half a million pounds worth of brand new Bova Futura coaches for 2012. The two new coaches, set to arrive in early April, will be the most advanced coaches ever ordered by the company and join the 42-strong fleet operating out of Johnsons’ Henley-in-Arden base. Johnsons’ commercial director, John Johnson, said: “Being able to order these fantastic vehicles in this economic climate is an excellent endorsement for our business and shows our ongoing commitment to providing the best quality vehicles for our customers. “Their arrival will take us to 15
Stewarts of Mortimer orders first DAF Irizar
Stewarts Coaches of Reading has ordered its first DAF powered integral Irizar i6. The 12.2m, 3.7m super high version is powered by a DAF 12.9 litre MX engine (408bhp) with an AS-Tronic gearbox. It is equipped with 50 half leather seats, WC, fridge, coffee machine, Bosch GPS navigation, xenon headlights and
News8-9.indd 9
brand new coaches purchased over the past four years and we intend to continue our investment in quality vehicles for our passengers in the future.” He added: “With such a major ‘once in a lifetime’ sporting event being held in the UK next year, these vehicles will be busy ensuring that athletes, technical officials and the media are all transported to their destinations in comfort and style.” Ben Werth of Pontefract-based dealer Moseley PCV, told CBW: “We are proud to supply Johnsons Coach Travel with two more VDL Futura FHD 127.365PRs to add to their ever expanding fleet. Their continued loyalty to the VDL product is testament to the strong reliability and fuel efficiency of a proven market leader.” Johnsons of Henley-inArden won the Coach Operator of the Year (Large Fleets) category at the UK Coach Awards in 2011. Visit www. ukcoachawards.co.uk
Westminster City Council is intending to make several traffic regulation orders to implement a number of proposals, some experimental, some permanent, intended to come into effect on January 9, 2012. According to the CPT, these are: Experimental orders to extend hours of parking control in zones E and G to end at midnight on Monday to Saturday instead of the current 1830hrs. Residents parking in sub-zones F2 and F3 is to operate at all times instead of 0830 to 2030hrs on all days. Experimental orders to introduce street parking controls in zones E, F3, F6 and G on Sundays between 1300 and 1800. Provisional measures to improve the parking
Call Irizar UK on 01909 500514. Visit www.irizar.
co.uk
The draft orders and associated plans may be found on the WCC website at www.westminstertransportation services.co.uk/transportation_ projects.php
Snowchains MAGGIgroup
● ● ●
● many more options. It is due to be delivered later in the year. Andy Cotton, MD of Stewarts Coaches commented: “As soon as I saw the i6 at Birmingham I knew it was the right product for us. At Stewarts we are primarily supplying blue chip companies and they expect the best from us, we saw the i6 and immediately thought this vehicle can win us business. Once we had met the people from Irizar we quickly realised they understood our business.”
provision in zone E, F3 F6 and G by converting a small number of existing single yellow lines into shared use bays. The bays will operate from 0830 to midnight Monday to Saturday and 1300 to 1800hrs Sundays in zone E and G, and 0830 to 1830 Monday to Saturday (1300 to 1800 Sundays) in zones F3 and F6. Permanent changes converting single yellow lines to double yellow lines, where appropriate, will come into effect in zones E, F3, F6 and G. After complete implementation there will be a six month period of consultation for the experimental orders, during which representation may be made to WCC’s consultants, West One, with any observations or comments.
For coaches, buses and trucks Twin chains available TÜV and Austrian ÖNORM certified
Multiple-set discounts
Tel: 0845 3303 446 www.englishchain.co.uk/cbw www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 19:23
10 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS
ASA rules against Dunn Motor Traction Watchdog finds claims contained in a leaflet were ‘misleading’ The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint made by Nottingham City Transport (NCT) about a leaflet issued by rival operator Dunn Motor Traction Ltd (DMT), which trades as yourbus. DMT said when the leaflet was designed, both it and NCT operated the Y36 and 36 services every 10 minutes from Monday to Saturday daytimes and both services were registered as “frequent” with the traffic commissioner explaining to the ASA a “frequent” service was one which operated every 10 minutes or better and for which the operator did not have to publish a timetable, merely the minimum frequency of arrivals. DMT said, from March 27, 2011, NCT increased its service to operate up to every 7-8 minutes from Monday to Saturday daytimes. However, DMT said it did not wish to comment on this point. DMT was founded in April 2009 by Bob and Scott Dunn after they had been involved for three years with Birmingham-based Rotala plc.- where Scott Dunn had been MD of Diamond Bus and some of its current management had previously worked at Diamond Bus. In reaching the decision to uphold the complaint, the ASA considered the statement “We operate just as many departures as our competitor” was a claim capable of robust substantiation with a comparative analysis of
May Gurney acquires TransLinc
May Gurney, highway maintenance and environmental service supplier, has acquired TransLinc. A cash consideration of £34.9m was paid for the equity and loan notes of the business. In addition, May Gurney will assume approximately £30.7m of customer www.coachandbusweek.com
News10.indd 10
recent timetable and punctuality data for the services offered by both DMT and NCT and which showed both operators offered the same number of departures. While the ASA took account of DMT’s explanation of the registered frequency of both services, it noted evidence of a registration, or any timetable and punctuality data had not been forthcoming. The ASA also noted DMT was aware from March 27, NCT increased its service and operated more departures than DMT. The ASA concluded the claim had not been substantiated and was misleading. On this point the advert breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation) and 3.33 (Comparisons with Identifiable Competitors). The ASA noted the complainant believed the advertiser had links
with a larger group (Rotala) from which it obtained vehicles and systems, and therefore DMT could not reasonably describe itself as a “local, family company.” The ASA explained the complainant’s concerns to DMT and provided detailed guidance as to how DMT might wish to respond. “We noted while DMT provided some background information and asserted it was independent of Rotala, it had not provided the level of explanation or evidence we requested in order we could come to an informed view on the relationship between the two companies,” said the ASA. “In its absence, we concluded the claim DMT were a small, family company had not been substantiated and was misleading. On this point the ad breached CAP Code and must not appear in its current form.
DMT, trading as yourbus has not been afraid of investing in its fleet, as this Mercedes-Benz Citaro pictured here by Steve Hodgson shows contract-backed fleet financing obligations. The transaction is expected to be earnings and margin enhancing in the first year of acquisition. TransLinc’s £85m order book will supplement May Guerney’s existing £1.5bn worth of forward orders. TransLinc employs over 400 staff and is led by MD, Paul Wood. Originally part of Lincolnshire County Council, TransLinc provides specialist fleet management and passenger services to the public sector. Managing approximately
2,800 specialist vehicles from 20 locations for over 40 customers, the company has been in operation for over 30 years. Over 90% of its clients are in the public sector. For the year ending February 28, 2011, it achieved earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £17.6m on revenues of £34.7m. At completion, TransLinc had total assets of approximately £53.6m. Chief Executive of May Gurney, Philip Fellowes-Prynne, said, “This acquisition is a good strategic fit
Stagecoach sells US School bus business Stagecoach Group plc completed the sale of its school bus operations in the US state of Wisconsin (Wisconsin School Bus) to Student Transportation, Inc. on November 15. Part of Wisconsin School Bus will be held in trust, pending approval of the sale by the Surface Transportation Board. Wisconsin School Bus primarily operates school bus services under contract to school boards in the US state of Wisconsin. The business has been part of Stagecoach since 1999. Although the business has performed well, Stagecoach’s share of the US school bus market is relatively small and it said the sale enables it to focus its management and capital on less regulated North American operations, including the fast growing megabus.com business. The consideration for the sale equated to an enterprise value of $47m, of which $46.75m has been settled in cash and the balance of $250,000 is payable in six months’ time. The sales proceeds will initially be applied to reduce Stagecoach’s consolidated net debt. The gross assets of Wisconsin School Bus as at April 30, 2011 were $21.8m. Prior to the sale Stagecoach was forecasting revenue of $36.4m and operating profit of $4.0m for the year ending April 30, 2012. The general manager of Wisconsin School Bus and the rest of its management team transferred with the business. and is expected to be earnings enhancing in the first year. It brings into the May Gurney Group a portfolio of services and clients which are highly complementary to our existing business, augmenting our strong positions in Highways and Environmental Services as well as further establishing the Group as the leading support services business in the UK. “We look forward to working with the TransLinc team to deliver continued positive returns to all our stakeholders.”
21/11/2011 22:14
552706-1007-ELeather-FP
10/10/11
10:09
Page 1
12 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS
Leyland Tiger is a star at Lord Mayor’s parade Restored 1929 vintage bus impresses and inspires second project from Bluebird Vehicles Bluebird Vehicles displayed its restored 1929 Leyland Tiger bus, “Yorkshire Tiger”, in the Lord Mayor’s Parade on Saturday November 12 in London. Newly appointed Lord Mayor of London, David Wootton, a Bradford born Yorkshire man, looked particularly impressed with the craftsmanship and smiled, tipped his hat and said “well done” as the Tiger passed him. Bluebird Vehicles bought the Tiger in 2009 and began the ambitious project to restore its former glory, including original EYMS livery, after two other restoration projects had been abandoned. Bluebird’s project, led by design and development manager John Randerson and coachbuilder Bernard Moment provided an opportunity for the team of Bluebird apprentices to learn traditional wooden framed coach building skills alongside
the modern skills required as part of a thorough manufacturing apprenticeship. Compared to Bluebird’s latest bus, the new Orion Plus which achieves 22mpg, the Yorkshire Tiger has an average fuel consumption of 6mpg. John Randerson commented on the importance of the project: “The
Tiger has given our apprentices the opportunity to learn and pass on traditional skills, which otherwise would be lost. They have to think through problems and find solutions without the luxury of modern technology to help them. There is a real commitment to the project and a wonderful sense of
The restored 82 year old Leyland Tiger was looking better than ever after an impressive restoration project by Bluebird Vehicles
achievement and pride in their work”. Rob Miller, managing director, said: “Our team at Scarborough have shown they can not only design and manufacture first class buses using the latest technology, but also learn and apply traditional skills to bring a piece of history back to life. The team have already embarked on their second restoration project, a Bedford OB coach with a Burlingham body. “If you want to see the Bedford being restored, we have a series of discovery days in the New Year at the Scarborough factory where we will be showcasing our oldest alongside our newest vehicle the Orion Plus.” The Tiger was built by Ransomes of Ipswich and bought new by East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS). Following the Second World War it was sold on and then later adapted and used as a dwelling. In an advanced state of decay it was taken on by Hull Technical College who also planned to use it for apprentice training, but the project was abandoned and sold on to an enthusiast, who did not progress it further.
For details of the discovery days: Bluebird Vehicles on 01723 860800 or email on info@ bluebirdvehicles.com
Champion coach for football club
Translink employees to strike in NI
Excelsior Coaches has provided AFC Bournemouth with a Volvo 9700 luxury coach for travel to away fixtures. Club striker Steve Fletcher led a ceremony on Saturday, November 12 to unveil the new look team coach at their home ground, Seward Stadium, before an FA Cup tie against Gillingham. The design includes a black and silver wrap featuring the iconic profile of Dickie Dowsett, immortalised on the current crest in 1971. The design is indicative of the club’s professional and ambitious approach, and made its debut when the Cherries travelled to Wycombe on November 19. Louise Wakeley, sales manager for Excelsior Coaches said: “We
Members of unite employed by state-owned Northern Ireland transport operator Translink voted for strike action on November 30. Bus and train services across Northern Ireland are likely to face severe disruption during the single day strike over pensions. Other areas of the public sector have already voted to take industrial action. Translink is still awaiting formal notification from Unite about the strike action. “We are not yet in a position to say what impact there will be on bus and rail services,” the operator said. Stagecoach Yorkshire faces similar strike action, although the firm is drafting in over 100 drivers to cover and expects the action to have little effect on its services.
www.coachandbusweek.com
News12.indd 12
AFC Bournemouth fans were shown around the tri-axle Volvo 9700 during its unveiling at the town’s Seward Stadium have a very strong relationship with AFC Bournemouth and have been supplying their transportation for almost five years. It is very important the team is able to travel to away games in comfort and style, and the branded luxury Excelsior coach is perfect for this. We are delighted with the new look and extremely proud to be working with them.”
AFC Bournemouth manager Lee Bradbury said: “The new coach is something we’re all very proud of.” When not in use by the team, the coach will be available for hire to attend home matches or other events on non-match days.
Call Excelsior Coaches on 01202 652 222 . Visit www. excelsior-coaches.com
21/11/2011 23:31
p13_CBW_1013
21/11/11
16:04
Page 1
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 13
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
14 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS › international
Hybrids power ahead in USA Consortium delivers ‘Buy America’ compliant fuel cell bus USA Ballard Power Systems together with consortium partners BAE Systems and ElDorado National (California) Inc., successfully deployed a “Buy America”-compliant, zero-emission fuel cell bus to SunLine Transit Agency in Palm Springs, California. The “Buy America” regulation requires the manufacturing of the bus and key components in the United States, in alignment with objectives set out by the Federal Government. This bus was developed under the Federal Transit Administration’s
(FTA) National Fuel Cell Bus Program, which facilitates the development of commercially viable fuel cell bus technologies and related infrastructure for deployment in revenue service. The FTA has played a key role in accelerating fuel cell bus deployments and providing greater public exposure to the safe operation of zero emission vehicles, leading to a broader acceptance of this technology. CALSTART, one of the USA’s prominent non-profit consortia of clean transport technology companies, administered the FTA project. Cost share funds were also provided by BAE Systems,
Ebneter’s 50th Setra, an S 415 GT-HD model
50th Setra for Ebneter SWITZERLAnD The latest delivery of an S 415 GT-HD at the end of October was a special cause for celebration for Gebrüder Ebneter AG in the Swiss town of St. Gallen – it was the 50th new Setra the company has purchased. Ebneter’s tour operations are currently run by the third generation of the same family. They operate a total of nine vehicles. The company was originally established as a greengrocer’s business by Johann Ebneter, grandfather of the current managing directors Stefan and Urs Ebneter, in 1933. The next generation of the family, Hans Ebneter, developed the company as a transport and travel operator, www.coachandbusweek.com
NewsIntl.indd 14
buying the company’s first Setra in 1956. “The compact shape and integral body construction of the Setra S 6, together with its new-style rear-mounted engine, offered a very convincing package in every respect,” reminisced Hans Ebneter at the handover of the milestone vehicle. This loyalty to Setra remains part and parcel of the company’s activities to this day. The family-run firm has remained faithful to the Ulm bus brand’s coaches over the years and through all the various model series. All in all, the company now has one of the largest and most up-to-date fleets of buses in the whole of eastern Switzerland. Gebrüder Ebneter AG’s extensive brochure encompasses day trips as well as city tours and cultural minibreaks throughout Europe.
the California Air Resources Board, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), ElDorado National and SunLine Transit Agency. The bus delivered to SunLine uses a Ballard FC-velocity-HD6 fuel cell module built in Lowell, Massachusetts to provide primary power in combination with BAE Systems’ propulsion and power management systems for the Eldorado 40-foot transit bus. SunLine Transit will operate the bus, providing public transit and community services to California’s Coachella Valley. Over the years, SunLine has pursued an aggressive strategy for implementing clean
technologies evidenced by what is now the seventh generation of hydrogen bus deployed by SunLine. Less than a week after this delivery was announced, SunLine Transit Agency has gained additional FTA funding to secure a further two fuel cell buses through the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program. The TIGGER Program works directly with public transportation agencies to implement new strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering energy use within transit operations. It is anticipated these buses will be operational in 2013.
nETHERLAnDS VDL Bus & Coach BV and Rabo Wielerploegen BV have signed a four-year collaboration contract. As part of the agreement, two Jonckheere JSV-134 coaches have been delivered to the Rabobank Cycling Team. They provide exceptionally comfortable transport to each stage and are equipped to provide the cyclists and support staff with every possible convenience. Both Jonckheeres are 13.4m long and completely customized to meet the stringent requirements of the Rabobank Cycling Team. The
specification is geared to provide the cyclists with the care they require during the competitions, including a relaxation room with luxurious armchairs and audiovisual equipment, a kitchen fitted with modern conveniences, showers and a changing room. A powerful generator provides air conditioning and power when the coach is not running. The extra large baggage compartment includes a washing machine for laundering bike clothing while on the road and can accommodate eight bicycles. The Rabo ProTeam is the top Rabobank Cycling Teams. The ProTeam, with 27 professional cyclists, participates in events such as the UCI World Tour and has been among the world elite for fifteen years. Together with the Continental Team and the former junior team, the ProTeam has achieved more than 1,750 victories.
Two VDL coaches for Rabobank Cycling Team
One of the two Jonckheere JSV-134 coaches delivered to the cycling team
21/11/2011 21:33
552739-1007-Roadtech
10/10/11
14:21
Page 1
16 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS › REGIONAL
nORTH
Newbiggin Nipper, a community bus run by volunteers from WATBus Community Transport has celebrated its first anniversary, although, sadly, one of the initial volunteer drivers passed away on November 1, 2011. The bus, runs twice a week and is being used as a model elsewhere. WATBus transport manager Lynn Mcintosh said: “Over 3,500 customers travelled on the Nipper in the first year and 30 UK transport experts have visited Newbiggin to experience this unique local community service in action. “It has become a role model for other CT schemes in the UK.” Initial volunteer drivers were Jim Davenport and Barry McDonald, but on November 1, Barry passed away, and is missed by colleagues and customers. Before his death, he said: “Every time I take the minibus out, I get a great sense of satisfaction from helping people to get out and about. “It really is a valuable link for the community.” A collection is being held for St Oswald’s Hospice, which provided support to Barry and his family. A fundraising and social evening will take place on Friday, December 9, at Bank House Social Club in Newbiggin. For more information, call 01670 851896. Bolton Council is providing special needs children with training on using the bus for school. The voluntary scheme is intended to save the council money if parents sign up, as the authority will no longer have to transport the children. Five travel trainers will be hired to teach 25 youngsters every 12 months, at a cost of £98,000 per year. A £48,000 loss is expected in the first year, as savings will be £50,000, but as the scheme takes effect, the council is expected to save £400,000 over four years. Bolton Council’s deputy leader, Cllr Linda Thomas, said: “Children will only access the programme once they reach an age where it is felt to be appropriate, and would receive a comprehensive training and support package to prepare them. “A pilot scheme is proposed to be introduced in Bolton whereby parents and children voluntarily request to be involved. “This will ensure parents and young people are confident in www.coachandbusweek.com
RegionalNews.indd 16
KEY
SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST
undertaking the programme and can see the benefits for their individual circumstances.”
WALES
Aberystwyth is to receive a £2.5m ‘transport gateway’ scheme, which is being funded by the Welsh government, with £1m coming from its Aberystwyth regeneration fund. It is expected to improve access to the town’s railway station and provide an area for buses. An additional £200,000 from the fund will be spent on improving the promenade. The Welsh government said plans are to improve access to the bus stop area and railway station, and provide an improved gateway to the town centre. Work on the transport gateway was due to start on Monday. Ceredigion council applied for money for the project, and its leader Keith Evans said: “This is a unique opportunity for Aberystwyth. Without the regeneration funding the local authority would have found it extremely difficult to fulfil some of our plans for the town.” The Welsh government named Aberystwyth a regeneration area in October 2009 and it was awarded £10.3m in March 2010. Local people will be asked to submit ideas of how to make the prom more attractive. The promenade public consultation will take place on December 6.
Arriva Buses Wales is naming a bus after a junior football club in Maesgeirchen in a unique sponsorship deal. Arriva teamed up with Maes-yBryn Junior Football Club, agreeing to sponsor them for the remainder of the season. It has provided new kit for the players and will feature the club’s name and crest on the side of one of its buses - the 78 service, which travels between Maesgeirchen and Bangor. The football themed bus was officially unveiled during a special presentation ceremony on Saturday November 12, where children from Maes-y-Bryn Football Club got a chance to see the bus and wear their new kit for the first time. Debra Heaton, marketing manager for Arriva Buses Wales, said: “As a local bus company, we are always looking for opportunities to make a difference in the communities we serve. “We’re thrilled to be able to support the club by providing new sports gear and naming a bus after them.” The service introduced a special single fare for children from Tuesday, November 1 for a limited time allowing children under 16 to travel for 25p.
MIDLAnDS
The next stage of development of the new £9m Mansfield bus station can now begin after vital roadworks on the
Station Road and Belvedere Street junction were completed. The junction is now controlled by signals which should improve access to the railway station as well as the new bus station once completed. Mansfield mayor Tony Egginton said: “I’m delighted to see the work moving a-pace and taking us another step closer to Mansfield visitors and residents having a travel facility fit for the 21st Century.” The new junction layout means Station Road, from Quaker Way to the station access road, can be removed from the highway network and lowered in height to become part of the bus station turning area. Work on the new building will then begin. Passengers were offered free travel on Saturday, November 19, aboard the trent barton Blue Connect bus in Hucknall to celebrate its return after it was controversially taken out of service when trent barton reorganised its Connect routes earlier this year. Previously the service, which links outlying parts of the town with High Street and the main tram and train station, offered two services — Red and Blue — which ran in opposite directions. The operator decided to axe the Blue route, which travelled in the direction of Bulwell. This led to residents launching a campaign. The campaign was a success, and passengers won a reprieve for the Blue buses. Passengers took a free ride on November 19 as part of the relaunch. Alex Hornby, commercial director at Trent Barton, said he hoped passengers would “rediscover the benefits of using Connect to get around the town.”
SOUTH EAST
Unemployed people in Southampton could be given free tickets on public transport. Southampton City Council won a £3.9m government grant to encourage use of sustainable transport earlier in the year, and while plans are still being finalised, a joint project with Job Centre Plus is likely to feature. Frank Baxter, Southampton City Council travel and transport manager, said: “One of the projects we’re looking at is how we can help people get into work, in connection with Job Centre Plus. “People out of work could be
21/11/2011 23:50
given a public transport season ticket to allow them to attend interviews and get to work during their first month when they’re not being paid. We may also provide them with some personalised travel planning.” The money is also expected to fund projects in Southampton to encourage more people to cycle and walk, while there will be research into why people are not using trains and buses. Mr Baxter said attitudes need to change, adding: “We have got the growth in the city – which we want, with the jobs and everything that brings. “However we expect there will be a 50% increase in trips into and out of the city centre over the next few years. We have to get into the hearts and minds of people to understand why they make trips by car.” The proposals were revealed at a conference to celebrate the fourth anniversary of StreetTread, a partnership between the council, NHS and transport charity Sustrans. Since it was started in 2007, the project has been behind initiatives such as the annual Big Bike Celebration, walking for health and a bike loan scheme, aiming to encourage people to ditch the car.
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 17
Coach & Bus Week takes a look at the big issues where you live in our round-up of the regions. If you’ve got a local issue you would like us to cover, contact Gareth Evans at gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
LONDON
2011
Bus services at Terminus Place and Victoria bus station started using different stops on Thursday, November 17, to make way for works on the major upgrade of Victoria Station. Terminus Place is closed to traffic from December 1 for two years and 19 routes have changes to bus stops from November 17. The Victoria Station Upgrade will deliver improved capacity and access at the station. Nine new escalators, a new north ticket hall and entrance to the station beneath Bressenden Place will be added, the latter allowing passengers from Victoria Street to enter the station without crossing busy roads above ground. New lifts in the enlarged existing south ticket hall will be built, as well as seven new lifts from the street to the Victoria line and District and Circle line interchange. The stairs to the national rail station will be widened and a new passageway to the north end of the Victoria line platform will be added. The overall project completion date for the Victoria Station upgrade is 2018. Further details of changes to services can be found on www.tfl.gov.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 April 21-22 UK Coach Rally. East of England Showground, Peterborough. 01753 631170. www.coachdisplays.co.uk
n January 26, 2011 CPT Annual Dinner. Hilton Park Lane, London. www.cpt-uk.org
n April 24-26 CV Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01634 261262. www.cvshow.com
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 May 22-23 ALBUM Conference. – Forest Pines Hotel, near Brigg, North Lincolnshire. www.album-bus.co.uk
n March 14 – 15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n March 15 Volvo Bus social evening in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust’s Warwickshire Appeal. Century Court House, Warwick. Pam Matthews 01926 414 553 or e-mail pam.matthews@volvo.com n March 18 Leyland National 40th Anniversary. Organised by the Leyland National Group, Nationals on static display and working in service.The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland. www.leylandnational group.co.uk
trent barton stepped in to give a frequent passenger a special tour. Callum Golightley is 23 and suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. A member of the NG Circle of Friends, an all-inclusive group including people with special needs which meets together to achieve each other’s needs and wants, he approached the operator to express a desire to have a peek behind the scenes. Trent barton was happy to help. Alex Hornby, the firm’s commercial director, explained: “As well as giving Callum a tour of our headquarters and main depot at Heanor, we also put him behind the wheel of a bus for his first driving lesson in the safety of our own testing area.” Callum, who uses the bus to get from his home in Bakersfield to work at the Asda store in West Bridgford, added: “It was a fantastic day out. I have never sat in the driving seat of any vehicle with the engine running, so to actually drive a bus was just fantastic. The visit proved even more enjoyable than I expected and I would really like to thank trent barton for making me feel so welcome.”
The team from Crawley Luxury were victorious at last year’s UK Coach Rally. The event returns to the East of England Showground, Peterborough, in April 2012
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 n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey. Istanbul Expo Center, Turkey. www.busworldturkey.com/en/ index.html
n August 3-5 Bedford OB GetTogether. South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester, GL7 5QB. Contact the organiser Tim Wootton by email on tim@tjcs.freeserve.co.uk. Visit http://www.bedfordob.com/ n August 27 The National Association of Road Transport Museums gala day. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n September 8-9 UK Bus Driver of the Year, Blackpool. Call competition secretary Bill Holmes on 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 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
RegionalNews.indd 17
21/11/2011 23:50
18 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
nEWS › TOURISM
140,000
The number of tickets released for awardwinning production of War Horse in August
BriEfly Flag Fen, the Bronze Age centre near Peterborough, offers a good option for a half term group trip in February. The archaeological work began when a digger working on a Fen drainage ditch pulled up some split timber, which was later dated to 1000 BCE. As work is ongoing at the centre, it is always different and new discoveries are made all the time. The centre is open from 1000 – 1600 hrs on weekends and over February half term week, with adult tickets set at £5 and children’s tickets £3.75. Contact the centre on 01733 313414 or info@flagfen.org In conjunction with the recent media coverage War Horse has received, the National Army Museum in Chelsea is running a ‘War Horse: Fact & Fiction’ exhibition until August 2012. The exhibition explores the popular Michael Morpurgo novel as well as some touching real-life stories of war horses and the men who depended on them. The exhibition features exclusive content from the stage show and the upcoming Spielberg film. Although admission to the museum is free, groups looking to visit the War Horse exhibition are asked to book by calling 020 7881 2425 or emailing education@nam.ac.uk Adventure Training Ltd offer a variety of adventure leadership training activities, largely aimed at youth groups, schools and families. Courses are fully licensed by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority and supervised by fully qualified professional staff with relevant policies, procedures and risk assessments in place. A variety of activities are available, including climbing, canoeing, mountaineering and caving. Contact Paul Rolinson on 01924 382087 or use the contact page at www.adventuretrainingltd. co.uk/contact.htm for information or to arrange an action packed day. P&O Ferries has introduced more capacity to its Dover-Calais services in light of disruption to SeaFrance crossings. An additional freight-dedicated ferry joins the fleet and P&O return crossings now number 30 per day. www.coachandbusweek.com
TourNews.indd 18
New cast for fourth year of War Horse Award winning show is renewed and will continue on into 2013 As it enters its fourth year at the London Theatre, Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse has introduced a new cast from November 16 and is currently taking bookings up to February 16, 2013. 140,000 tickets were released in August for the Laurence Olivier award-winning production, which has been seen by over 1.5 million people world-wide. The Broadway production, which recently opened at the Lincoln Centre’s Vivien Beaumont Theatre, was the winner of six Tony awards including a special award for Handspring Puppet Company. A further production is due to open in February 2012 at the Princess of Wales theatre in Toronto, while an American tour begins in Los Angeles in June 2012. A Stephen Spielberg film version of War Horse is also expected out later this year. The production tells a forgotten story of the role of horses in The Great War. At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry
and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home. War Horse has recently enjoyed
Group bookings can be made on 0844 412 4650. See http://warhorselondon. nationaltheatre.org.uk
The giant warhorse puppets involved in the show are each operated by two people who trained hard to make their movements lifelike
Singing in the Rain moves to larger venue After a critically acclaimed sell-out run at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Jonathan Church’s production of Singin’ in the Rain will transfer to the Palace Theatre on Tuesday, February 4, 2012. The show is booking at the Palace Theatre from February 4 initially through to September 29. The production opens on Tuesday, February 15, and tickets went on public sale on September 26 this year. The show is based on the classic 1952 MGM film and stars Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, a silent movies star with everything he could want - fame, adulation and even a well-publicised ‘romance’
expansive media coverage, appearing on BBC’s The One Show where the impressive life sized two man puppets were shown. The puppeteers have undergone intense training to ensure the puppets move as realistically as possible. There is also an exhibition at the National Army Museum underway, also shown in this week’s tourism section. Groups of 10 or more can get £10 off per person for top price tickets, Monday to Thursday.
Genuinely makes you feel better about life… an evening of pure joy, according to the Daily Telegraph with his co-star Lina Lamont (played by Katherine Kingsley). But Hollywood is about to change forever. There is rumour in the studio of a new kind of film, where the actors actually talk, sing and dance. With all the charm, romance, comedy and tinsel town glamour
of one of the world’s best-loved films, Jonathan Church’s brand new production features a glorious score including the classics Good Morning, Make ‘em Laugh, Moses Supposes and the legendary Singin’ in the Rain. Group bookings have variable savings depending on group size and promptness of booking. When booking by December 9, 2011, groups of 10 or more pay £35.00 per ticket, while groups of 40+ pay £29.50. From December 10 onwards, rates go up to £45.00 for groups of 10+ and £39.50 for groups of 40+, though this is still less than the stall and dress circle ticket price of £55-60. Groups of six to nine pay £48 per ticket. All group rates are available Monday to Friday.
Bookings can be made online at www.superbreak. com or calling 0871 222 1151
21/11/2011 16:56
59
Years since the film version of Singing in the Rain was released
Retro Games take over Grand Palais An unusual exhibition of video games is running at the Paris Grand Palais until January 10, 2012. To mark the reopening of the South-East gallery, a new exhibition area in the building, ‘Game Story’ displays the history of video games, one of the youngest and most successful forms of media entertainment. The new media has been at the centre of much discussion and analysis, focusing essentially on its social or personal impact on users. The exhibition consequently sets out to explore different angles: aesthetic and cultural. The interactive hands-on exhibition offers visitors the chance to try out some eighty games, consoles and computers, tracing the history of video games from their appearance up to the present day. It presents the imaginary worlds, serials, genres and graphic styles spawned by the video game. Prices are €8, with a reduced €6 rate for families. The exhibition is open every day except Mondays from 1200 to 2200hrs. For details on Game Story and ticketing, visit www. grandpalais.fr/visite/en/
1.17m
Litres of hot water rising through the Roman Bath’s Sacred Spring daily
diESEl priCES
The baths’ visible surface area is only a quarter of the site’s full size
Roman Baths provide for large groups The Roman Baths in Bath are a great display of historical interest. Built in the second century CE, they were not discovered and explored until the late nineteenth century. The baths extend under the modern ground level beneath adjacent streets and squares. Only a quarter is visible from the terrace as visitors first enter the baths. The Sacred Spring is the heart of the site, where hot water at 46C rises at a rate of 1,170,000 litres per day. The natural phenomenon was beyond human understanding
dEAlS OF THE WEEK January to March 2012 is ghost tour season at Llancaiach Fawr Manor - one of Britain’s top ten haunted places. The fame of the location for the paranormal has grown since episodes of Most Haunted and John Sparkes Ghost Story were filmed there. The manor also has a BBC Ghostcam and works with the South Wales Paranormal Research Group (SWPR) to research sights, sounds, smells and feelings experienced (physical and emotional). Nothing is fixed on the ghost tours, so no guarantee the house will be active. However, visitors can be sure anything uncanny they do see, subtle or not, is realistic. Several different tours are
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 19
A number of ghostly sightings have been reported at the manor offered depending on the needs of the group. A ghost tour of the Manor by candlelight to hear true stories of the uncanny things which have happened to staff and visitors over the years lasts approximately 90 minutes at a cost of £12.50 per person. The tour is available most
when the Romans discovered it and built a temple there dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva, a deity with healing powers. Group prices are £9.30 adult and £6.25 child for groups of 20 or more. Personal guides are available for special tours of up to 25 people at extra charge. Advance booking is essential and arrival within an hour of allotted time will result in a 50p discount per person. The group organiser and coach driver may enter free of charge. Prior arrangements are required for tour operators. Prices may change from April 1, 2012. Combined tickets with the nearby Fashion Museum cost £10.50 adult and £6.75 child. Contact: romanbaths_ bookings@bathnes.gov.uk
Friday and Saturday evenings at 1900hrs and 2030hrs. The Ghost Tour Extra is for those wanting more about the supernatural. A two course meal plus an introduction to paranormal research by SWPR group is provided, followed by a tour of the Manor to hear about experiments conducted by SWPR at Llancaiach over several years. The premium tour costs £22.50 per person. The Café is open for the purchase of refreshments from 1830 – 2030hrs. n Contact Reception on 01443 412248 or email the general manager at llancaiachfawr@ caerphilly.gov.uk The Minack Theatre, an open air theatre built into the cliffs of the Cornish coast, will host Titanic – The Musical in April 2012 to mark 100 years since the disaster. The ill-fated Titanic last sailed
Cost per litre in pence: Great Britain Sweden Belgium Italy Germany Ireland Netherlands France Czech Republic Greece Portugal Austria Hungary Spain Slovenia Poland Luxembourg
140.90 136.28 129.02 127.65 125.52 123.55 123.55 123.47 118.94 118.77 117.83 116.38 114.63 109.30 108.36 104.40 104.26
HOlidAy pOUnd £1 will get you: Euro Switzerland (Franc) Norway (Kroner) Hungary (Forint) Czech Republic (Koruna) Poland (Zloty)
1.16 1.43 9.07 355.08 29.72 5.16
past Minack’s section of Cornish coast in the early hours of April 11, 1912. Performances take place on April 6, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13, with the centenary performance on April 14 at 2020hrs. It will go on into the early hours of April 15 and aims to depict events precisely 100 years after they took place on the ship. The theatre offers the stunning backdrop of the Atlantic ocean and won ‘tourism activity, sport and experience of the year’ at the Cornwall Tourism Awards 2011. Theatre tickets are £9.50 adult, £5 for under 16s in the main auditorium, and £8 adult and £4 under 16s in the upper terraces. A 10% discount is available for bookings of 10 or more tickets. n Group bookings are asked to call the box office on 01736 810181 or 810471 between 1000 and 1700hrs Monday to Friday, as the 10% group discount is not available online. www.coachandbusweek.com
TourNews.indd 19
21/11/2011 16:56
20 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
1m
nEWS › BUSINESS
The number youth employment has risen to over the last three months
BriEfly Unemployment has risen by 129,000 to 2.62 million in the three months to September, including a rise in youth unemployment to over a million. John Cridland, CBI Director-General, called for urgent action to help young people taking their first steps in the labour market. “A generation risks being scarred by the devastating effects of longterm unemployment,” he said. “The Chancellor should use his autumn statement to announce a Young Britain Credit, worth £1500, to encourage firms to take on an unemployed 16 to 24 year-old. We also need further steps to reform the benefits system to make work really pay and to foster better links between businesses and schools to boost the attractiveness of young people in the labour market.” Michelin Tyre PLC has announced Michelin Group has agreed to invest up to £50m in its UK manufacturing sites at Ballymena, Dundee and Stokeon-Trent over the next six years. This investment plan will be supported by grants from the UK and Scottish governments and will help the company increase production capacity and help secure employment at all three UK production sites. Implementation of these plans has already begun at Dundee with the hiring of 140 people to fill newly created positions and the construction of a building extension to house new production equipment. In Stoke work has also commenced with the conversion of an existing building. A survey conducted by Cisco, the official network infrastructure provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has revealed the general public believe London 2012 will give a boost that could help build a brilliant future for the UK. 51% of people surveyed felt the general mood in the UK is either negative or very negative. However, with preparations for the London 2012 Games increasing and excitement building, the survey revealed many believe London 2012 could help bring a much-needed boost of positivity, patriotism and morale to the UK. www.coachandbusweek.com
BusinessNews.indd 20
Cameron announces £250m skills fund We are giving employers the power to take control of the training, says PM Businesses can bid for a slice of a £250m government pot to boost apprenticeship schemes, David Cameron announced. The prime minister hopes the cash for better vocational training will help spark economic growth and cut the number of jobless 16 to 24-year-olds, which broke through the one million barrier for the first time. The money will be diverted from colleges and other training providers and given directly to firms whose bosses successfully apply for grants by showing how their staff and potential employees will benefit. “I know times are tough, especially for young people who are trying to get their foot in the door and launch their career,” said Cameron. “That is why we are determined to do all we can to give people the very best skills, training and opportunities to succeed, and why despite tough spending decisions we are investing in record numbers
UK should get more choice in two-tier Europe The euro zone crisis is creating a two-track European Union, and Britain’s position in the outer tier should give it the freedom to opt out of onerous rules and protect its national interests, the CBI said. The comments from CBI director general John Cridland added fuel to the debate over Britain’s position in Europe as prime minister David Cameron travelled to Germany to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the currency zone’s woes. In an interview ahead of the CBI’s annual conference on November 21, Cridland stressed Britain should
of apprenticeships. “We are seeing an incredible take up of these apprenticeship places. I want that to continue, which is why we are taking action to make it easier to take on apprentices, and now we are giving employers the power to take control of the training so it best meets the skills they need. “I hope this radical new approach will encourage even more employers to take on apprentices and ensure the UK workforce has the skills we need to boost growth.” A total of £50 million will be available for the first year of the scheme, with another £200 million in the second. Businesses of all sizes
David Cameron: £250m earmarked for apprenticeship schemes remain at the heart of the single market and keep its place at the negotiating table of the 27-state European Union. However, he singled out the EU Working Time Directive, which Brussels wants to renegotiate, as one item of regulation Britain should have the power to drop because it does not suit the needs of workers or employers. “These things affect us and we need to be at the table, that doesn’t mean in the new Europe a solution for Britain has to be identical to a solution for everybody else,” Cridland said. “If you want to go ahead with some changes to the Working Time Directive. Can we just bring this issue to a close? You do it and we won’t.” He said a post-crisis Europe should leave behind the idea of ‘one-size-fits-all’ rules in favour of
and from all sectors can apply for cash from the New Year. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “We have to fundamentally alter the relationship between employers and the state - giving employers the space and opportunity for greater ownership of the vocational skills agenda, including the chance to bid for direct control of public funds. This will encourage greater competition in the market as we strive for sustainable growth.” Charlie Mayfield, who chairs the John Lewis Partnership and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills - which has campaigned for firms to have more control over vocational training - said: “Too often the skills system appears to businesses as a government-led enterprise rather than one led by employers. “We need more businesses working together with their supply chains, sectors or localities to develop the skills they need. The best way to do this is to route funds directly to employers, placing the responsibility and reward for how money is spent with the employer, not Government.” a ‘patchwork’ of options that suit countries’ needs, echoing remarks made by Cameron in a speech this week. “It’s a practical example of what the prime minister was talking about: being good European citizens, not blocking things that others want to do, but saying in return, we’re slightly different, we have a different national interest.” Britain has been encouraging euro zone countries to forge ahead with greater fiscal integration because a break-up of the monetary union would have disastrous consequences for the UK. Britain does almost half its trade with the euro zone and the crisis has brought the UK to the brink of another recession. The gloomy prospects prompted the Bank of England to restart its quantitative easing programme last month.
21/11/2011 21:18
14%
The percentage of businesses concerned about transport issues during the 2012 Olympics
11m
The number of spectators expected at the Olympics and Paralympics next year
The London Olympic Games venue - transport and logistics issues could seriously affect local businesses during the two months of competition
London 2012: Olympics warning for small businesses With just eight months to go before the Olympic Games, UK businesses are being told to get their act together to make the most of the “open goal” on offer. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) told firms to be ready for the challenges, as well as the opportunities, involved. The warning comes as new research shows half of UK small and medium enterprises expect no disruption from the Games. Some 55% of London’s SMEs believe the Games will not impact on them at all. Nearly three-quarters of those businesses surveyed thought London 2012 would not impact on sales. Only 14% were concerned about transport issues, and less than one in 10 were worried about staff availability, according to the research carried out for Deloitte. Dr Helen Hill, policy director at the LCCI, the capital’s largest business organisation, said firms needed to capitalise on the number of visitors flocking to London. “The Games should be an open goal for London, providing us with the chance to cement our reputation as the best city in the world,” she said. Some 11 million spectators are expected at the Olympics and Paralympics and, with many events taking place in the capital, three million additional journeys are anticipated on the busiest day. The influx of tourists, athletes, officials, sponsors and international
BusinessNews.indd 21
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21
media offers a massive potential source of business: research earlier this summer suggested the UK would benefit from a £750m consumer spending boost in the seven-week period. But the surge in traffic and the logistics restrictions of the Olympic Route Network - a system designed to get athletes, officials, VIPs, sponsors and media to events on time - meant businesses need to plan ahead, said Dr Hill. “The Olympic Route Network will have a direct impact on some businesses and they must get to grips with the plans to ensure they can get their staff to work and their deliveries and services to their premises,” she said. Larger companies will need to consider how well prepared the smaller businesses they rely on for supplies are.” Small businesses have raised concerns about the impact of traffic restrictions on access, parking and overnight deliveries. London 2012 organisers said they have consulted small businesses throughout the planning process, offering information and workshops on how to make the most out of the Games. Simon Chadwick, professor of Business Marketing and Sport at Coventry University, said the Olympics could significantly increase SME revenues, adding that with people spending more during an anticipated mood of optimism, the business community should be looking forward to London 2012.
BlOg of the week
AvOiding lAnding On tHE SUn – CHAnging StrAtEgy At tHE EArliESt pOint
Keep your eye on the ball, and if a business strategy isn’t working, look at how to change it, recommends Chris Barling, CEO of e-commerce specialists, Actinic, on www.businesszone.co.uk
This is where the big risks lie, sticking to a strategy that hasn’t yet been proven and won’t be, and sticking to a strategy that has worked in the past but where some change has now made it invalid.
The question we need to ask ourselves is whether we continue with equally ridiculous business strategies, and only try to change them after we’ve been frazzled? The issue is, with hindsight, we can see a strategy was ridiculous, but at the time it seemed fine. It’s amazing to think just how long it took Kodak to realise film was dead, how long it took Yahoo to know it should have bought Google; and how long before Google knew it should have snapped up Facebook. These are big companies, but in my experience it’s just as easy to make mistakes when running a smaller outfit. So what prevents people seeing clearly when they need to change strategic direction?
whAT TO dO There is an antidote to both problems, which is to look at the fundamental dashboard readings on your business and once a bad trend has clearly been established, to respond immediately. The fundamentals of each business will be different, but the sort of things I am talking about are: n the percentage of leads that convert to sales n the retention rates for customers n the average order value n the cost of acquiring the customer. These are the drivers of your business and establish the long term bottom line. Examine the trend in the drivers, not in the sales and profit, to see if the current strategy is working. My company, Actinic, faced this issue recently. We have a desktopbased ecommerce package, but the market wanted an online system. We have moved decisively to partner with a company that provides an online system too, so the gap has been closed. We have dedicated a lot of staff and effort to the new venture. It’s been tough, but already we have many customers on the new system. It sounds simple, but it’s very hard to do. The most successful companies change strategy even when it seems they are winning.
A TwO-fOLd diLEmmA Firstly, we all know no business succeeds unless it has sticking power. Sticking power is great, except when you’re sticking to something that’s going to fail. The second problem is even harder to avoid. Imagine, like Kodak, you have a history of success with a particular strategy. Then things change. You have stuck to your guns many times before and been proved right. So you feel certain it will be fine this time too, and there is no need to change. Unfortunately this time you are wrong.
Arriva has been an enthusiastic driving force behind mobile ticketing. The firm says the biggest uptake has been in four-weekly tickets www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 21:18
22 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
LEGAL nEWS › public inquiry
BM Coaches warned over drivers’ hours and tachos 40-vehicle O-licence authorisation cut by a quarter BM Coaches & Rental Limited, which trades as BM Coaches, appeared before Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) Miles Dorrington at a Public Inquiry (PI) at the Office of the Traffic Commissioner in Eastbourne on September 21, 2011. The operator was warned over drivers’ hours and tachograph recording, while its O-licence authorisation was cut by 10 vehicles to 30.
BACKGROUND B M Coaches & Rental Limited (the “operator”) holds a Standard International Public Service Vehicle (“PSV”) operator’s licence authorising 40 vehicles. The company director is Mr Balasubranium Balasuresh and the nominated transport manager is Mr Thayanandan Nadarajah. As a result of an unsatisfactory Traffic Examiner investigation and subsequent convictions which flowed from that investigation being recorded against the operator and its drivers, a decision was made to call the operator to a PI. As reported in CBW994 (July 13, 2011) the operator was fined £137,500 after being found guilty of abusing drivers’ hour’s regulations. Following an investigation in October and November 2010 by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), the Middlesex company, based at Silverdale Road in Hayes, was found guilty of 131 drivers’ hours offences at Uxbridge Magistrates Court. The firm was also ordered to pay £35,000 in costs. The investigation of drivers’ hours covered the period of June 28 to August 8, 2010. In addition, 27 of the firm’s drivers pleaded guilty to various drivers’ hours breaches, receiving fines totalling £7,228, plus £2,700 costs. Also called to a separate driver conduct hearing were 30 drivers who had been, or remained, employed by the operator. The driver conduct hearing was held on September 20 and forms a separate written decision. Present at both the driver conduct hearing and the PI on www.coachandbus.com
LegalNews.indd 22
Key Points: PI follows previous conviction at Uxbridge Magistrates Court when the operator was fined £137,500 after being found guilty of abusing drivers’ hour’s regulations – plus £30,000 costs. Repute marked as “severely tarnished but not lost” O-licence authorisation reduced from 40 to 30 vehicles with effect from November 15, 2011 Operator formally warned this is the last chance it will be given regarding compliance with driver’s hours and tachograph rules and regulations. behalf of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was traffic examiner Chapman. VOSA was represented by Mr Thomas, solicitor. At the PI, Mr Chapman presented his detailed Public Inquiry statement. This, together with the documents annexed thereto and the answers he gave to the questions formed the evidence on behalf of VOSA. Present on behalf of the operator were Mr Balasuresh and Mr Nadarajah,. Both gave oral evidence and this was supported by the documents provided to the TC both before and at the PI. Also present for the operator was a Mr Humphreys, who appeared as an expert witness upon EU driver’s hours and tachograph rules and regulations compliance. The operator, its director, transport manager and expert witness were represented by Mr James Backhouse, solicitor from specialist transport legal firm Backhouse Jones. At the end of the hearing the DTC reserved his decision to give it in writing but did give a clear indication as to the type of regulatory action he would be taking. “Unfortunately this decision has taken longer than 28 days to write because several drivers failed to attend the driver conduct hearing on September 20, 2011 and they
could not be seen until October 25,” explained the DTC. “Given the issues in this case, including some of the allegations made by certain drivers, I considered it prudent to conclude all the driver conduct hearings before writing my decision for the operator.”
EVIDENCE In reaching his decision, the DT took particular account of: The unchallenged report from Traffic Examiner Chapman. The interview records of the drivers. The oral evidence of Traffic Examiner Chapman. The number and nature of the convictions. The summary of how each driver’s case was presented in the Magistrates Court provided by Mr Thomas. As the DTC explained to Mr Backhouse, this assisted the operator since many cases were presented in a significantly different manner to how they were put in the respective interviews under caution by VOSA. The documentary evidence presented on behalf of the operator, particularly that from Mr Humphreys.
The oral evidence of Mr Balasuresh, director, which included his open admissions regarding what had gone wrong prior to the traffic examiner investigation and efforts made to then put matters right. The oral evidence of Mr Nadarajah the new transport manager. The DTC said he was “most impressed by this gentlemen and the evidence he gave”. The oral evidence of Mr Humphreys.
FINDINGS The DTC said all his findings were made on the balance of probabilities after carefully considering, and then reconsidering, all the evidence in this case. Thus, he reached the following findings: The evidence presented by traffic examiner Chapman was credible and is accepted as such. The findings made by Mr Chapman were also deemed credible and adopted as my own for the purposes of making the DTC’s decision. There was a serious lack of management control, not only in the planning of certain routes designated to single drivers but also for checking driver’s hours and tachograph compliance. This, said the DTC, was clear from the unchallenged VOSA evidence and admissions made by the operator at the PI. It was therefore clear Mr Balasuresh was failing to comply with the duty placed upon him by the Transport Tribunal in the case
21/11/2011 21:32
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23
of Alison Jones T/A Jones Motors [1999 L56], which requires a director to “constantly supervise and monitor”. Had Mr Balasuresh done that, the DTC said many, if not all, of the issues of non compliance identified by VOSA may well have been avoided. A significant number of convictions were recorded against the operator and the operator’s drivers. The operator did react quickly and properly to VOSA’s findings. The operator made changes, supported by tangible evidence, not only to the way drivers were trained but also in the way work was planned, undertaken and how tachograph records are now checked. The evidence of Mr Humphreys was clear and demonstrated the extent of the changes which had been made by the operator and the results which those changes had produced. The DTC said the new transport manager had satisfied him that he was undertaking “continuous and effective” control. The undertakings on the operator’s licence had been breached in a serious manner as evidenced by the unchallenged report from traffic examiner Chapman and the resulting convictions. There had been material changes which the operator had failed to notify the traffic commissioner about. Thus, the DTC declared it was
LegalNews.indd 23
BM Coaches has been no stranger to the UK Coach Rally, as seen here at Brighton in 2009 (above); The firm has invested heavily in the fleet (below) clear to him that “as at the date of the PI, the operator had gone a long way towards restoring compliance”.
DECISION AND REASONS “Had this operator come before me six months before the day it appeared at PI then my decision is likely to have been very different to the one I have now reached,” the DTC said. “Having balanced the evidence of non compliance against the evidence presented by the operator of its efforts to restore compliance, and having given the operator as much credit as I can, I have decided regulatory action is still necessary. “I gave a lot of thought to matters during the PI and have again, several weeks later, reconsidered all of the available options that would, in my determination, be both proportionate and purposeful. Having done so I consider a curtailment (variation to one of the operator licence conditions) from 40 vehicles to 30 vehicles to be the correct regulatory action for the following reasons. “First I do not think a short suspension would achieve anything more than a temporary discomfort to the operator. It would not satisfy me that going forward the operator was going to remain compliant. “Second, the operator told me the bare minimum number of vehicles needed to operate within its current contractual obligations until March 2012 was 30 vehicles and thereafter an increased authorisation would be required.” Therefore by curtailing the operator’s authorisation to 30 vehicles, its current day to day business will not be affected but it is likely to be from March 2012, the
DTC said. “Accordingly I anticipate the operator will want to increase its authorisation again prior to March 2012 so it can deal with the planned increase in work. “Since the burden of proof shifts to an operator when any application is made I have decided to put the operator to proof which it has not only continued to operate its current fleet of vehicles to a compliant standard but it is also capable of operating a larger fleet of vehicles to the same standard. I consider this approach to be the most purposeful and proportionate way of dealing with this case. “Accordingly the conditions on the operator’s licence are varied such that the overall authorisation on the licence is reduced from 40 vehicles to 30 vehicles with effect from November 15, 2011. This direction is made under sections 16 and 17(2) and (3) of the Act.” Turning to the important matter of repute, the DTC said: “The good repute of the operator, as a result of the conduct of the operator’s director and employees, is now marked as ‘severely tarnished’ but not lost.” The DTC added: “The operator is unequivocally warned this is the very last chance it will be given regarding compliance with driver’s hours and tachograph rules and regulations.”
FUTURE O-lICENCE AUThORISATION INCREASE For a business whose rate of expansion has been watched with considerable interest by some in the coach industry and is well known for its fleet investment, not to mention its participation
in events such as the UK Coach Rally, the matter of how any future application to increase BM Coaches’ O-licence authorisation would be viewed is a significant one. “I hope this PI, and the regulatory action I have now taken, marks a compliance watershed for this operator,” declared the DTC. “Going forward if an application to increase authorisation is made, then subject to there being no further evidence of non compliance, such an application can be looked at favourably without the need for a hearing if it is supported by up to date tangible evidence from an independent provider (for the avoidance of any doubt Mr Humphreys is acceptable) which demonstrates the operator is compliant with its current authorisation and that the operator is capable of being compliant with the planned increase in authorisation.”
CONClUSION Concluding, the DTC said he wished to record his gratitude to traffic examiner Chapman and everyone within VOSA involved in this investigation. “I appreciate a significant number of people hours have been expended dealing with this investigation, subsequent prosecutions and the PI. The result, as I have determined, in this jurisdiction has been to achieve compliance. Traffic examiner Chapman was a helpful expert witness and I am grateful for the two days he gave in attending both the driver conduct hearing and the PI.” The DTC also wished to thank Mr Thomas for his assistance both at the driver conduct hearing and at the PI. “In detailed and complex cases it is always beneficial for VOSA to be represented and that proved to be the case here,” said the DTC. “I would also thank Mr Balasuresh for the open and honest manner in which he gave his evidence before me. His approach to this case went a long way towards persuading me I could step back from considering more serious regulatory action.” Having also thanked Mr Nadarajah and Mr Humphreys, the DTC congratulated Mr Backhouse for “his help and assistance throughout the PI. The manner in which the case was presented on behalf of the operator resulted in it being disposed of within one day rather than the two days it had originally been listed for.” www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 21:32
24 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
OpErAtOr UpdAtE › westbus
Westbus at 25 Coach & Bus Week’s editor Gareth Evans visits renowned West London coach operator Westbus, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year
2
011 marks 25 years of Westbus Coach Services operating in London. The business in the UK was originally started in 1986 by the Bosnjak family and was a subsidiary of their much bigger Westbus business in Sydney, Australia. Today the UK business has a fleet of 35 vehicles and is now part of the ComfortDelgro Corporation which took over Westbus Australia in 2005. Back in 1987 the Bosnjak family wanted to make a big impression and purchased half a dozen high spec coaches, the most expensive being an unusual Van Hool Astromega 71-seater. When new the vehicle was posed on Westminster Bridge for an early publicity shot. For Westbus’ 25th year, the firm has invested in another new Van Hool Astromega double decker 77 seater coach. Tim Miles, general manager took up the story: “It seemed like the perfect opportunity to take an identical publicity shot at the same instantly recognisable location.
the UK. “We diversified into local bus service operation, running contracts on behalf of Kent County Council using Leyland Lynx and Nationals. That all came to a head in 1992 when Stagecoach bought East Kent, so the dynamics of the market changed. “However, it was felt the coaching side of the business would flourish with the opening of the Channel Tunnel but it soon became clear that was not to be. “Therefore, we closed our
Ashford depot. “The London depot here in Hounslow had always been successful and the emphasis was on putting all our energy into the London business to enable it to grow to suitable size – and thus give it the critical mass.” Tim said the 1990s were relatively uneventful until the dawn of the new millennium. “As a whollyowned subsidiary of Westbus PTY, we had always reported to the head office in Australia. However, in 1999 the Bosnjak family decided
The story to date
“1986 was a strange situation on the face of it. An operator from Australia wanted to acquire a bus and coach business in the UK,” explained Tim. “ADP Travel of Hounslow, previously known as Cavalier Coaches, was a good established London operator in its day so they bought it - alongside the Swinards Coaches of Ashford operation. Despite owning a huge business in Australia with over 400 vehicles, the Bosnjak family knew a lot of people here. They used to build their own bus bodywork with parts sourced from the UK, including moquette from Holdsworth and lights from Lucas. They felt it would be nice to establish a business in www.coachandbusweek.com
Westbus.indd 24
Clockwise from top: One of the two new Mercedes-Benz Tourismos and an 06-plate Beluga; Branding celebrating the firm’s 25 years of operation in London has been applied across the fleet; The brand-new Sitcar Beluga
to sell the business to National Express Group (NEG), so by default we became part of NEG. Our status remained the same – we were still a subsidiary of Westbus PTY in Australia. “While we worked with NEG in the UK, we never operated any National Express coach diagrams, with the exception of the occasional duplicate. The reason for this was two-fold. Firstly, we had an established business in London and didn’t have the capacity to take on National Express diagrams and secondly our London business was more profitable than using the capacity we had available for National Express diagrams. “It would have been easy for NEG to paint everything white. Our depot complimented the large site
21/11/2011 21:36
USEFUL COnTACTS:
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 25
Comfort Delgro Corporation: www.comfortdelgro.com Arriva Bus & Coach: www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk Moseley South: www.moseleysouth.co.uk Evobus UK: www.evobus.co.uk
OPERATOR: Westbus FLEET: 35 FLEET: Hounslow, West London COnTACT: 020 8572 6348 www.westbus.co.uk
Westbus:
a brief history
1986
Westbus PTY of Australia, owned by the Bosnjak family, takes over Swinards Coaches in Ashford, Kent and ADP Travel Services of Hounslow to form Westbus (UK) Ltd.
1987
An order for six new groundbreaking Jonckheere, and Van Hool single, twin-deck, and double decker coaches is placed, with a further order for a dozen new coaches in 1988/1989.
1992
Former Swinards depot in Ashford depot is closed, and the coach operation is focused on the busy London depot at Hounslow.
1995
Biggest coach booking ever undertaken by Westbus. 118 coaches were assembled to transport supporters to and from a Spain/Italy cup match at Wembley.
1999
Westbus PTY of Australia is sold to National Express Group, with the deal including Westbus (UK) Ltd as a wholly owned subsidiary.
2001
Westbus celebrates 15 years of successful operation in the UK.
2005 at Heathrow. “I commend NEG for that. The NEG years were good for us. Having the strength of a large group was great. I reported to Ray O’Toole in the early days – he understood the business well. “After some good years under NEG, it was decided to divest Westbus PTY in Australia, which was subsequently bought by a joint venture consisting of Cab Charge Australia and Comfort Delgro Corporation.” Westbus (UK) Ltd was renamed Westbus Coach Services Ltd. However, Tim said it was “very much business as usual”. “As the dust settled it was clear we fitted in well with other Comfort Delgro businesses. It’s seemed unbelievable that a deal done
Westbus.indd 25
10,000 miles away came with a London coach operation - us. “Perhaps even more surprising is that Comfort Delgro already owned Armchair Coaches, which coincidentally was only three miles away from our depot. Ultimately it was decided to merge Westbus and Armchair in 2006 to form a bigger, stronger business. It was a shame to drop the Armchair name as it was a well respected brand in its day. We did try to run the two brands alongside each other for a while but it proved difficult. “Armchair’s fortunes changed – a lot of effort was put into growing the TfL bus service operation. It ended up as a big bus company which ran a few coaches. Armchair’s bus operation was subsequently incorporated into
Metroline Travel, another Comfort Delgro-owned company.” Tim said the merger of Westbus and Armchair was “definitely the right step to take”. “It took us up to just over 30 vehicles. We currently operate 35, which is a good size for a London coaching operation. Size is critical. We can still maintain a hands on approach to our clients. That’s the key to our success. With a bus, customers generally use your service because they have to whereas with coaches the customer always has a choice.” “Being part of Comfort Delgro has been beneficial for us,” said Tim. “It’s allowed us to grow again. In addition to Metroline buses, Comfort Delgro also runs the Com Cab taxis network and the Comfort Cars private hire
Westbus PTY of Australia becomes part of a joint venture between Cab Charge Australia and the Comfort Delgro Corporation. Westbus (UK) Ltd becomes Westbus Coach Services Ltd.
2006
Westbus takes over Armchair Coaches and the business becomes one of London’s largest and well known quality coach operators.
2009
Westbus has its most successful year and puts huge investment in to some of the best new vehicles available within the marketplace, with further new vehicles delivered in 2010.
2011
Westbus celebrates 25 years of operating coaches in the capital. www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 21:36
26 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
OpErAtOr UpdAtE › westbus
vehicle operation in London. It also has an interest in Scottish Citylink and owns Irish Citylink.” On the group’s philosophy, Tim was proud to say: “Comfort Delgro is very much a brand business. I think they see the importance in a brand which works for a particular business.”
Business Mix
The Westbus livery is without doubt distinctive, as Tim readily admitted. “Our colours have always been strong. We’ve tweaked them over the years. We aim to stand out from the crowd. It’s good for our business. They’re not just coaches – they’re mobile advertising hoardings. That’s also reflected in our distinctive website. “The main focus is on incoming tourism. Being close to Heathrow and with Gatwick and Luton airports around an hour away, means we’re perfectly located. “We also do a lot of cruise ship work out of Southampton. That’s a growing market segment,”
The 1987 publicity shot of the then new Van Hool Astromega coach explained Tim. As would be expected another important area of work is private hire and corporate charter hire. “These days London is such a huge draw – not only from the UK but worldwide. Far from slowing down in the current climate, the capital appears to be increasing in popularity,” said Tim. “We’ve had a strong year so far.
Congratulations to Westbus on their 25th Anniversary from all atArriva Bus and Coach. We are pleased to have a long association as their preferred supplier of DAF VanHool bodied coaches.
01274 681144
Gomersal, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 4BJ Email: busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk Web: www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk take a test drive today Bus and Coach
www.coachandbusweek.com
Westbus.indd 26
The downside is it’s been slightly offset by cost increases, including fuel. Indeed, operating costs have increased all round.” Tim stressed despite it’s highprofile, modern fleet, Westbus does not focus solely on top end work. There is also what he terms the “bread and butter contract work”. To this end the firm operates double decker buses and coaches. The fleet includes several ex Lothian and Metroline Alexander-bodied Volvo Olympians, which have been extensively refurbished. “We’ve spent a lot of money on them,” explained Tim. “They’re great vehicles. You’d never think they pounded the streets of London and Edinburgh as local service buses.” Upgrading them included having the seats and interiors completely refurbished, exterior panels replaced and the rear window pane on the lower deck removed to give them less of a bus feel. “You’ve got to diversify, especially these days and can’t be afraid to respond to the changing market place,” continued Tim. “At the other end of the scale we ordered a Van Hool T925 double-decker coach, which was displayed at the recent Coach & Bus Live show. It represented our biggest ever investment.”
Fleet
As part of a £1.2m investment, a further Van Hool T915, a pair of Mercedes Benz Tourismo coaches, and a Sitcar Beluga minicoach have been purchased. Tim described the Van Hool T915 as a “great coach”. “It’s been our vehicle of choice to buy new for some time,” he continued. “It really is a super coach with a DAF/Paccar engine. I’m sure the MAN-powered variant is equally as good but we’ve
stuck with DAF. The coaches are so well built. The DAF Van Hool combination forms the backbone of our fleet. They now make up 20 out of a total of 35.” While Westbus has previously acquired a small number of Setra coaches, it took the unprecedented step of buying a pair of MercedesBenz Tourismsos this year. “It was hard to look at something else but we did,” explained Tim. “We bought two Tourismsos this year as there was a deal on the table from Evobus. We always buy straight – we don’t do part exchanges. We sell our vehicles privately, so we get the best deal all round. There always seems to be demand for good used vehicles. “The Tourismo is a good product, it’s well put together. Unlike the Touro, the Tourismo is a true European product, with all the advantages that brings. “It’s still early days as they’ve only been on the road a couple of months but all the signs are they’re performing very well.” “The Sitcar Beluga is our third example, so you could say it’s become our standard minicoach,” explained Tim. “We mainly buy our vehicles through Rob White at Arriva Bus & Coach and Alan Vaulter at Moseley in the South. You know and trust people to deliver what you’re looking for – that’s vital. Andy Nixon and Jonathan Prime at Evobus have been great to deal with too. I’m sure we’ll be doing more business with them in the future.” “Arriva Bus and Coach are a bit like us – a small cog in a big engine. It’s not the bigger business behind the companies – it’s the people at the sharp end.”
Future
Tim said the emphasis would remain on managed growth and delivery quality rather than quantity. “Obviously if an opportunity arose, we would look at it. We will continue to invest and grow in that way. We will also invest in what we see as the best vehicle products in the market place. “I’ve got a PCV licence - most of us in the office have. We fill in the gaps occasionally. It certainly helps keep us in touch with what’s going on out on the road.” Tim concluded: “We’re fortunate Westbus has become a good solid business over the years with great people behind it – that’s why we’re still here 25 years on.”
21/11/2011 21:36
553153-1013-MAN
21/11/11
11:25
Page 1
TIME TO TAKE GAS SERIOUSLY
It’s here. The right-hand-drive, CNG or Biomethane-fuelled MAN EcoCity bus for the UK market, with Euro 6 compliant 'future proof' engine technology. Already on trial with major UK operators, MAN EcoCity offers significant operational advantages – vastly reduced fuel costs, minimal greenhouse gas emissions, substantially lower operating costs and a quiet, vibration free ride. With the gas infrastructure managed by partner Gas Bus Alliance, choosing MAN EcoCity is an environmental solution that can save you serious money.
MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd. www.mantruckandbus.co.uk
28 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
vEHiClE triAl › man ecocity
EcoCity: making sense of going green There’s nothing new about running buses on gas. The rest of the world copes well with it - so why not the UK? Biomethane in particular offers fantastic green credentials and delivers pollutant levels below those required for Euro 6 - without expensive exhaust aftertreatment. Best of all - the fuel cost is not linked to crude oil prices. www.coachandbusweek.com
MANGasBus.indd 28
E
arly reports of the initial trial of MAN’s EcoCity gas fuelled bus suggest it has made a very positive impact. One of the two demonstration vehicles available has just completed six weeks with Stagecoach in Liverpool and is now starting a demonstration period with Arriva’s Liverpool operation. It moves on to Anglian Bus for three weeks and will then spend six months with Go-Ahead who plan to trial it from four locations within the group. According to MAN Truck & Bus general sales manager Tony Griffiths, the EcoCity did not receive one complaint and 52 of the company’s drivers insisted on
21/11/2011 15:50
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 29
Can EcoCity start a new trend in the UK? Perhaps the time is now right
having a go with it. He said some drivers reported extremely positive public reaction – saying for the first time passengers, quite unsolicited, had actually taken the trouble to remark on how quiet and vibrationfree it was. MAN has concluded the gas bus option offers a significant operational advantage to UK operators which provides significant operational savings to amortise additional capital expense in three years – or less, depending on the number of vehicles operated and the volume of fuel purchased. Additionally, the politics around bus building for the UK market has meant MAN has always struggled to develop products which could be competitive as the main bodybuilders either have their own
MANGasBus.indd 29
chassis production to cater for or long-standing associations with other chassis producers which can cause a raft of other issues. To compound the problem, operators seemed to leaning far more towards a single supplier or one-stop-shop approach for their purchasing requirements. Tony said: “We needed a powerful alternative and so two years ago we took a long, hard look at the market. We’ve had extremely successful gas technology for many years, in fact MAN built its first gas bus in 1943. There are 4,000 MAN gas buses operating in Europe and over 8,000 elsewhere in world. “We looked at creating a righthand drive version of the Lion’s City but the lead time and development around it were too long. We felt it would also be difficult as the Lion’s City is specified and homologated for European markets – so 80% of it could not be affected by customer requirements – which doesn’t fit with the traditional UK pattern. “It became increasing clear we needed a blank canvas and so we searched hard and extensively for a bodybuilder, preferrably one with experience of building gas buses. We settled with Caetano, discussed the viability of a partnership and have since been very impressed by what they have achieved. “Our own diesel serial hybrid system using ultracaps for energy storage was also considered as an option for the UK, but we were persuaded the economics of the gas bus combined with the many environmental benefits would be a much better alternative route. With no more than a three-way
catalytic converter fitted to the exhaust, it delivers better than Euro 6 emissions levels without any filtration and without a requirement for AdBlue. Because it can run bio-methane it significantly reduces the carbon footprint well below the footprint of compressed natural gas (CNG). “Bringing the left-hand drive version to the NEC to gauge potential in 2010 has proved to be a good move. We had a very positive reaction from operators and it gave us the confidence to go ahead with building the two demonstrators we have available now. We have been given sufficient confidence by the
Above: Tony Griffiths. Below: EcoCity is distinguished by its roof pod which houses four aluminium composite gas cylinders
“We’ve had extremely successful gas technology for many years, in fact MAN built its first gas bus in 1943.” Tony Griffiths
strength of the interest operators have shown to begin developing a our smaller gas engine for midibuses. More details on them will be released in due course.”
Gas supply
MAN Truck & Bus is working closely with Gas Bus Alliance (GBA), a consortium of five supply specialists which can provide the necessary infrastructure for operating gas buses and the fuel itself. It will provide full support and back-up for all operators seeking to operate gas-fuelled vehicles from initial site inspection, to ensure suitability, to Health & Safety risk assessment, full feasibility studies and promises to supply fuel at guaranteed prices. Phil Lowndes of the GBA said: “The alliance was created to support the roll out of gas buses with MAN. We can give operators all the free advice and support necessary, get them running on CNG and switch them on to bio-methane for the maximum reduction in environmental impact. As it is entirely produced from waste materials it has a 100% improvement in its carbon footprint. “We can supply operators with a filling station at no cost. All we need them to provide is an electricity supply. We will install a small contingency storage facility to enable them to cope with an emergency situation but essentially they will refuel the vehicles directly from the filling station. They have a choice of slow or fast fill systems – or can combine both types. Slow fill requires considerably more space as vehicles need to be
www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 15:51
30 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
vEHiClE triAl › man ecocity
parked in a sort of ‘herring bone’ fashion. Depots with limited space will need a fast fill. The advantage of the slow fill system is a lower cost to GBA – which means we can supply the fuel slightly cheaper. However, we will assist in designing a system to suit the operation and make provision for future expansion of it should the operator decide to increase the fleet size. We can tailor filling facilities to suit all requirements. “The gas fuel pricing is no longer linked to crude oil prices and therefore much more stable and predictable. GBA has already forward purchased into 2013 and 2014 so we can tailor fuel price to meet specific requirements. Essentially we can offer a ‘tracker’ type of pricing which runs 30% below the cost of bunkered diesel and moves up or down according the market – or we can offer a fixed price over a two or three year time span. It may suit an operator to pay slightly more at the beginning of a three year contract but to know in three years time that figure will not have increased due to inflation or taxation. The savings are significant and mean operators can pay back the cost premium of the bus in the first three years.” Biomethane supply accrued by GBA is becoming increasingly widespread from a variety of sources covering the UK. They include specifically designated anaerobic digesters processing animal waste and from sewage treatment plants where it is installing covers over the effluent reservoirs to collect the gas. Already one of the anaerobic digester sites is producing enough biomethane to support 250 gas buses. It is being fed largely by slurry from local farms and farmers get fertiliser in return which is the end product once the ‘fermentation’ has ceased. The residue is pelleted and can easily be spread back on the land. Gas produced and collected from these sites is ‘cleaned’ and then injected into the national supply grid. GBA is certified to undertake this action and ensures all the necessary quality checks and safeguards have been implemented. Operator filling installations have a metered supply along with any appropriate gas conditioner and compression equipment. The installation also has telematics which will alert the operator when the grid supply is being ‘dosed’ – which is a periodic process. www.coachandbusweek.com
MANGasBus.indd 30
EcoCity has a long lowfloor area with a few raised seats at the rear and is both spacious and comfortable
“There’s nothing out of the ordinary in way the EcoCity performs except for its quiet, smooth running which will be a major benefit to passenger enjoyment of their journey”
Although it will have no effect on any gas dispensed it does mean the filters in the supply line will need to be changed as they suffer considerably as a result of dosing.
Support services
MAN Truck & Bus effectively ‘owns’ the whole of the EcoCity so it is covered by a five-year chassis/ driveline warranty. A full repair and maintenance contract is available at £585 per month. Tony Griffiths said: “It is crucial for customers to have total support so we are ensuring we provide comprehensive coverage. This
means right from an initial site inspection, where we check the facilities and the maintenance systems to make sure there is adequate ventilation and no spark risk, to driver and staff training. We propose having two dedicated gas bus technicians at the nearest service dealership to any customer and we’ll train the operator’s own technicians to the same level. As the gas buses are clean and produce no soot they are very clean to work on. Our technicians will be dressed in clean white overalls to emphasise this. I’m also proposing regular monthly meetings between ourselves, GBA and the customers to talk about and deal with any issues which may arise.”
Financial benefits
As a very basic example of the potential savings, a test drive in the EcoCity was undertaken on a 61km circular route including urban, suburban and rural sections in and around Swindon. It used 9.3kg of gas (89p per kg) which cost £8.28. The equivalent cost of diesel to accomplish the same route would have cost £19.06. In general terms and based on pricing for up to 10 buses, gas offers a 30.8% saving over bunkered diesel price and roughly equates to 34p per mile against 50p per mile for diesel.
21/11/2011 15:51
4,000 30% The number of MAN gas buses operating successfully in Europe
Guaranteed fuel cost saving offered by Gas Bus Alliance instead of diesel. It allows them to alter fuel consumption figures for different bus makes and models in the fleet and to compare their costs with a price for gas.
On the road
Discounted supply is also available depending on the quantity used – so a larger fleet of 20 or more buses would see a reduction in the unit cost of gas. GBA says using the above pricing model based on a fleet of 10 buses, with all costs factored-in, would save the customer over £1.1m over 10 years. For a fleet of 20 buses with an additional fuel discount the saving would be £1.7m. The fuel is paid for as it is used – not in advance and can therefore assist cash flow within the business. Another benefit is the telematics monitoring the supply – which allow access to fuel only via kisskey, means the operator has the ability to supply gas to other users, earning up to 2p per kg from other gas vehicle users. GBA would supply these customers with their own kiss-key enabling them to withdraw fuel. The transaction would be recorded and invoiced directly and the accumulated credit transferred to the operator’s account. CNG or bio-methane (same product – just differently sourced) qualifies for BSOG and also the 6p per km Low Carbon Emission Bus incentive. MAN and GBA have developed a costing model which allows operators to input their own data and see what savings they could be making by operating gas buses
MANGasBus.indd 31
The Caetano bodied EcoCity has its own distinct look but apart from its facial appearance the main distinguishing feature is the bulbous roof pod containing four aluminium composite gas cylinders. They hold 1,176 litres which give an approximate range of 340 miles. Additional tanks can be specified if required to boost the range to around 600 miles. Based on MAN’s A22 chassis, two versions are available, a lowfloor citybus or a low-entry model. It can also be supplied with an MAN front (similar styling to the Lion’s City) if customers prefer. It is powered by MAN’s E2876 LUH 04 EEV engine which develops 272bhp and generates 1,050Nm torque at 1,700rpm. In 12m form it accommodates 42 seated passengers and has space for one
8,000
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 31
MAN gas buses operating successfully outside Europe
wheelchair. The immediate impression given by the EcoCity is how quiet and smooth the engine runs. An obvious result of spark ignition compared to compression ignition, the engine is a full two decibels quieter than its diesel equivalent. Although its rated power output is less than the diesel unit, the 272bhp on tap is more than adequate for most purposes anyway so it certainly does not seem to suffer any detriment from being gas fuelled. Equipped with a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox it also has extremely smooth gear changes and the integral retarder unit is coupled directly into the brake pedal although there is a manual switch option on the steering column. The driver’s seat is pneumatically suspended and fully adjustable and the steering column is also adjustable for height and rake to suit any driver. Not only is it very comfortable to drive is is also extremely responsive with good acceleration and offers comfortable cruising speed. The
brakes are very effective and the overall ride quality very good. Only when a severe jolt is delivered through a pothole in the road is there any indication of anything rattling and the whole body/chassis combination feels very taut. Steeper gradients don’t seem to affect performance unduly – the EcoCity just seems to quietly get on with it – whatever situation arises. Steering feels positive and even with its beam front axle the handling is agile and roadholding feels extremely secure. It has electrically controlled ECAS air suspension all round and disc brakes on all wheels. There’s nothing out of the ordinary in the way the EcoCity performs except for its quiet, smooth running which will be a major benefit to passengers’ enjoyment of their journey and lower noise levels in town or city centres will benefit the overall environment too.
Pricing
The cost of a UK specification EcoCity is £215,000. The gas technology therefore adds £55,000 to the cost of a conventional diesel, but MAN argues the savings available mean this can be paid back in under three years.
Conclusion
Above: EcoCity interior features Kiel seats and also makes use of moulded wheel boxes for spaces. Below: Additional pipework in the engine bay is far more prominent than any mechanical alteration
The economics of operating gas buses look very promising and in addition to the potential savings the environmental benefits are substantial and with fuel sourced from waste products it is also sustainable and has minimal carbon footprint. In terms of capital investment they are considerably cheaper than current hybrids and have lower exhaust emissions. When hybrid buses move to Euro 6 compliance there will yet more of a cost penalty attached to them. Because the fuel pricing structure for gas is advantageous it means additional capital costs can be reclaimed quite quickly and operators can actually afford to exploit this technology commercially without the need for the massive support funding thrown at hybrids. Some will maybe baulk at the idea of a regime change to support an on-site gas fuelling station, but the technology is widely and successfully used elsewhere without problems. There are over half a million gas buses operating successfully around the world.
www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 15:51
32 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
www.coachandbusweek.com
BigPicture.indd 32
21/11/2011 23:19
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 33
THE BIG PICTURE
With the first New Bus for London, aka the ‘Borismater’ having rolled off the production line at Wrightbus, we thought it would be timely to remind readers of an example of the one original Routemasters. RML2299 (CUV 299C) is seen is glorious sunshine in front of an aircraft hangar at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford on Sunday, September 18, 2011 during the Showbus national bus and coach gathering. New in September 1965, the bus was refurbished in 1993, which included being fitted with a Cummins engine. Having joined the fleet of by then privatised Metroline, the RML ran on routes 6 and 98 until it was withdrawn in March 2004 when it was sold. Six years later, in July 2010 it was acquired by London Heritage Travel, which despite the name, is based in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
www.coachandbusweek.com
BigPicture.indd 33
21/11/2011 23:20
34 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
FACE TO FACE › tracy jessop
www.coachandbusweek.com
F2FTracyJessop.indd 34
21/11/2011 21:24
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 35
NAME: Tracy Jessop AGE: Over 21 OCCUpAtiON: Assistant director of travel and transport services, Norfolk Borough Council CONtACt: 01603 223831
In it together Tracy Jessop cares deeply about delivering good bus services and for her, customer focus is most important. The assistant director of travel and transport services at Norfolk County Council and imminent chair of ATCO tells Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon why she would rather be proactively working with Norfolk’s bus operators than campaigning on Fair Fares
Tracy Jessop, assistant director of travel and transport services, Norfolk County Council
F2FTracyJessop.indd 35
W
e are blessed with good bus operators in Norwich and Norfolk,” says Tracy Jessop, assistant director of travel and transport services at Norfolk County Council, and as we walk from Norwich railway station to the bus station, it’s a veritable bus heaven, with strong bus priority, numerous buses from many different operators dominating parts of the city centre and throngs of passengers in sight. It’s no surprise to hear strong patronage growth has been achieved in the city for a while. Tracy, who became chairman of ATCO (the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers), fell into transport by accident, after seeing the huge impact it has on people’s lives and both the positive and negative impacts of mobility and accessibility. Despite the multi-pronged funding cuts hitting transport and buses, which she spoke feistily on in front of the Transport Select Committee earlier this year, Tracy is keen to maintain and push forward the argument for integrated bus services, not only with operators but with other non-transport departments in local and national
government. She would rather people talked with each other and pooled their strengths than trying to solve the problems in isolation. Despite what are often regarded as ill-thought out policy decisions from government, especially the resulting shortfall of concessionary fares reimbursement which has led to the council’s Fair Fares campaign, Tracy maintains a positive and resilient spirit, and is wholly determined not to let the cuts result in an undoing of all the good work which has taken place to build up bus networks already.
Bitten by the transport bug
What attracted Tracy to transport in the first place? “It was a bit of an accident,” she says. “I worked in leisure management for 15 years in London, after starting off in real grass roots sports development.” It was after the second round of compulsory competitive tendering, when local government had to tender their leisure services to the open market, and sections of the community were priced out of local services, that Tracy became disillusioned with the industry. She made a career change, and became a locum director of a community transport project
www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 21:24
36 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
FACE TO FACE › tracy jessop
Nofolk County Council now has six successful park and ride sites in operation removing 6.6 million car journeys from Norwich city centre in Waltham Forest – which was meant to be a six-month maternity cover but ended up lasting for two and a half years. It was also meant to be a three day a week role, but, says Tracy: “I was soon working five days a week because I loved it so much.” And so she got well and truly sucked into the transport world. “I got bitten, absolutely bitten, by the bug and hooked by the impact transport can have on people. In the mid-1990s even when there were lots of red buses about and lowfloor buses around, even in London, people were still stuck at home.” Tracy enjoyed helping people who couldn’t access conventional transport, such as those with mobility problems and learning difficulties, through door-to-door transport. “We made the best use of a few minibuses and provided access to essential services.” Tracy had further spells with other community transport schemes, including delivering large non-urgent health transport contracts, and London Dial-A-Ride. She then moved to Southend-onSea Borough Council as group www.coachandbusweek.com
F2FTracyJessop.indd 36
“In football, you don’t talk to your team separately; your team know exactly what you’re going to do when playing another team. It’s not that different with policy.” Tracy Jessop manager for transport, taking her back to local government for the first time in 10 years, where she dealt with public transport, school transport and adult services. In 2003, Tracy moved to Norfolk County Council (NCC), taking up a role as deputy head of passenger transport, to get her first real experience of life and work in a vast, rural area. Tracy has had several roles at NCC, and her first was primarily one of change management and laying the foundations for the team to become more effective, before really taking hold of the
network and starting to strengthen and develop relationships with transport operators. “There has to be a strong focus on integration – it’s not about reinventing the wheel, it’s about getting the basics right,” says Tracy. “You must know your operators. Local government is very active and has some great strength in some areas of the country where partnership and innovation exist, but some operators are very different in their approaches.”
Success in Norwich
“I genuinely mean it when I say we are blessed in Norfolk – we’ve got some very good bus operators and they are not just “big” operators,” enthuses Tracy. Indeed five main operators run services in the Norwich – FirstGroup, Anglian Bus, Norse, konectbus and Norfolk Green, as well as around 30 others even including those who run one service once a month and have done so for years. The council operates six successful park and ride sites and since 2004, when the last one
was opened, NCC has invested more than £12m to subsidise over 22m bus journeys and removing over 6.6m car journeys from the city centre as a result – a great achievement. The council was also an early adopter of Punctuality Improvement Partnerships (PIPs), with more than 15 PIPs in place with operators. A £2.5m investment over seven years was also channeled into BusNet, a GPS system and all in all, such tools have helped, in partnership with operators, to improve reliability and punctuality from 5-10 buses running on time in 2005/6, up to 9-10 buses running on time in 2011. Norwich had the first Low Emission Zone outside of London, to improve air quality, at Castle Meadow, one of the busiest bus interchanges in the county. Delivering a Voluntary Joint Investment Partnership arrangement with First Bus, only the second in the country at the time, is a key factor behind improvements in Norwich. This
21/11/2011 21:25
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 37
brought £20m of additional investment in vehicles, driver training and customer service improvements, levering in private sector cash to match public sector investments. “We know we’ve bucked the trend on patronage for some time,” says Tracy. Indeed, in Norwich, there has been steady passenger growth since 2003/4, when the average increases were between 10-15%, right up until the economic downturn. Passenger numbers are still increasing, and for the first quarter of 2011, the figure is almost 3%. Tracy says the total growth in passengers has been 48% in the last six years overall, and 22% in the last few years, even without concessionary fare payers. “It tells you what investment in public transport and pro-bus policies can do. The difficulty in a rural county is you can always have good urban patronage, but it’s how you service rural communities, which will be the test for most planners for the next couple of years. “Our operators are looking at networks now and some are changing things, others are not. The council is not in a position to do what it may have done a few years ago, i.e. step in when an operator wants to withdraw a non-viable service. The goal posts have shifted. We can no longer subsidise services to the same extent, so the most important thing is we communicate with each other to try to find the best solution possible, to protect the network for the customer. “A conversation I’m always having with local bus operators is ‘I don’t want to erode their profit, but I am interested in taking out costs.’ “You can either slash and burn or find a way of protecting as much as you can of the existing network. My fear is of erosion to a network which you have seen painfully built up. The reason people switch mode to public transport is they see it running, reliably. The danger of having to manage not just a 28% cut but the inefficiencies of concessionary fares, plus the BSOG cut is reductions in the budget can lead to a reduction in the network.”
ATCO:
a brief history
The Association of Transport Coordinating Officers was formed in 1974 to bring together local authority officers whose work involved what were then new county council responsibilities for passenger transport. ATCO members include staff directly concerned with strategic policy development and implementation for securing of passenger transport services for a wide range of public authorities. These include shire counties and unitary councils in England, Wales and Scotland, Passenger Transport Executives, London Regional Transport, the Isle of Man, the States of Jersey and Northern Ireland. Through exchanging information and views, the association helps formulate policies and standards and promotes transport initiatives aimed at achieving better passenger transport services for all. ATCO members are responsible for the involvement of their authorities in aspects such as the provision and promotion (but not in general the operation) of bus services, securing or providing education and/or social services transport services and developing and implementing policies under which passenger transport services are secured or promoted. For more information on the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers visit www.atco.org.uk
Accountability over cuts
A shared approach
“We’ve got some really good partnerships in Norfolk. However, we don’t shout out about this enough because we don’t have time.” She says the Department
F2FTracyJessop.indd 37
for Transport (DfT), tasked with disseminating good practice by the Transport Select Committee’s report on bus services, has been in contact for help with this process. “It is quite important – we do need to influence and help shape policy and prove we can do things without lots of statutory regulations. “The industry is highly regulated and doesn’t need any more regulation. You can understand why some small bus companies throw their hands up in the air and don’t know what to do next. They’ve got enough on their plates with operating and delivering services and results show it’s a safe industry.” “There are various views about how funding streams for public transport should be managed,” adds Tracy. “ATCO has to have a balanced view, representing the range of our membership. I think we would all agree that funding for transport needs to be protected and it should be ring fenced. Otherwise, there is a real risk it disappears in the ether.”
A Norwich bus station information point giving comprehensive information on arrivals and departures through the GPS-based BusNet service
Commenting on the inquiry by the Transport Select Committee, Tracy says her immediate reaction is she wished they’d asked her and her local government colleagues, the same questions they asked the operators. “Operators were asked to comment on government funding policy, yet we were not. The impacts of the budget reductions were just becoming obvious and the results of the ATCO survey showed 70% of local authorities would be cutting services.” ATCO will be producing another survey in the New Year after canvassing members next month. “It’s helpful evidence to take back to the government.” Highlighting the imbalance of accountability, Tracy says: “Local government has to undertake Equality Impact Assessments. If we plan to take out 28% of a budget, we have to know what the impacts will be and what we can do in mitigation. Yet central government doesn’t appear to have to do this in the same way and can hide behind the mantra of local decisions and local choices.” Tracy observes the fact that transport doesn’t seem to be high up in the government’s pecking order and yet it does subsidise many other services. “Transport budgets help keep
www.coachandbusweek.com
21/11/2011 21:28
38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
FACE TO FACE › tracy jessop
social care, education and learning, health and well being services running. Transport is fundamental to the economy and infrastructure, so a key tool to deliver growth and help the economy recover. “The transport subsidy spend is keeping a lid on costs on assisted services,” comments Tracy. “When it comes to planning decisions, transport is nearly always the last consideration. If there was a duty on the health sector to consult on transport and there was joined up thinking on policy areas, the picture could be very different. “A simple example is where we have been able to influence where a GP surgery relocates, ensuring there is better access to a core commercial, public transport service, helping to keep long term costs down, and that makes a difference. It’s about joined up thinking.”
Strengths of ATCO
Tracy says ATCO is trying to get policy officials in government from transport, health, education and social care, together in one room, though she says this is proving difficult. “In football, whether you are defence or attack you know the tactics for how you will win if you play as a team. I’m not sure this coalition government is yet playing as a team. There are too many conflicting policies. “Budget reductions being made in transport services will have an impact – it might mean half a dozen people in a residential area can’t get access to mental health care, which in turn increases the long term costs for social care.” Turning to ATCO and the spirit of pooling resources, Tracy says the organisation contains much talent, good experience and good ideas, which has “sparked innovation”. “The beauty of ATCO is knowledge can be shared very quickly. It also means problems, and solutions, can be quickly disseminated across the UK. Tracy became involved in ATCO when she was working in Southend in 2001 and found it a useful point of call for information. “I knew section 19 like the back of my hand but less on bus regulation. One of the benefits of ATCO is you get to learn from regional colleagues,” explains Tracy. There is a national board, as well as regional sub-groups who deal with issues such as local bus services and school and healthwww.coachandbusweek.com
F2FTracyJessop.indd 38
Operators in Norwich include First and konnectbus - among many others related transport. At the national level, there are executives who deal with policy impacts of bus, rail, education transport, information and ticketing, and each region is represented. “ATCO’s role is disseminating best practice, sharing knowledge and giving advice.” Different task and finish groups are also set-up, as the needs arise. “We’re trying to make life easier for people, it’s about increasing collaboration.”
Campaigning vs development
One of Tracy’s biggest bugbears is the shortfall in concessionary fares reimbursement, where in the transfer of the scheme from central to local government, a gap of over £4.5m has been left for Norfolk. Thanks to close working with bus operators, the council has managed to shrink the shortfall to £3m for this year. Tracy says 17 routes, however, will be affected next year “entirely as a result of inadequacies of the funding”. The council’s Fair Fares e-petition, set up in response, has already attracted at least 15,000 signatures and 10 other local authorities have proclaimed their support. Tracy says communities secretary Eric Pickles recently described the Concessionary Travel scheme as a complete “dog’s breakfast” in an interview with the Eastern Daily Press and quoted a previous colleague’s comment that “concessionary fares are a good thing providing no one uses the buses.” “Government needs to accept the concessionary fares scheme isn’t perfect. Even if DfT said ‘okay, let’s start working on a scheme which
is better for everyone now’, that would be a start. It will be a travesty if an erosion of the network will be a consequence of some ill-advised policy decisions. Tracy further laments: “I don’t want to spend my time campaigning on Fair Fares, I would rather spend time with operators on new developments and be doing proactive things. We have got plans for BRT in Norwich, more bus priority and fast, high-frequency services on good bus corridors. It’s about putting schemes in and people seeing they are there. “Our approach is much stronger if we’re working with operators. We want exposure for council staff with operators – one member of our team will spend time with Norfolk operators, sharing intelligence for example on scheduling, managing drivers and dealing with congestion.” For example, NCC’s tracking system, BusNet, has highlighted the congestion pinchpoints in the city but in other semi-urban and rural areas Tracy says it’s the drivers who know them best. “The council can then act and develop an intervention and whatever the outcome, it’s about improved passenger experience. It’s about unlocking experience and sharing it with other people,” adds Tracy.
Moving things forward
When Tracy takes up the role of ATCO chairman, one of her priorities will be to increase the number of active members it has. In total, the organisation has about 600 members, about a quarter of which are active. She commends the organisation’s message board, for example, which encourages an
interactive approach if someone has a problem or wants to consult on bus station design or post a questionnaire. “You can look at books and research but if you can have a conversation with someone, it’s much easier. In local government at the moment there’s not a lot of churn – a lot of people aren’t recruiting but are downsizing and we need to continue and develop our people.” While there are lot of ‘under 30’s’ in local government, Tracy would like to encourage more in ATCO and she would like to see every local council with some form of transport authority represented. Turning to how the industry can move forward, Tracy says: “One thing I would like to see improved in the industry is greater collaboration between operators of conventional local bus services and community transport. “I want to make sure big groups speak to smaller operators and see if DRT and community transport can grow to fill in the gaps. There are key interchanges where route development and passenger growth can be encouraged this way; the local council will currently be procuring two services: the main bus service and feeder services. More can be done by getting both providers around the table enhancing network coverage as a result and avoiding overlay and duplication. “I know some of the big bus operators think community transport is less scrutinised but minibuses are still regulated. Maybe the issue is more that the bus industry is over-regulated – which is not necessarily community transport’s fault.” Tracy concludes: “For me, the most important thing in terms of transport is the customer. You don’t run any form of transport because it looks nice but sometimes we forget we are not here because of the convenience of the bus but for the convenience of the customer. It’s about how many customers you can carry and where you can develop routes. “A lot of smaller/medium enterprise companies could probably go off and do something else but they stay in the industry because they are passionate about the services. We are fortunate we have such a lot of talent with an eye for innovation. It’s the role of local authorities to unlock and support this, not be a constraint.”
21/11/2011 21:28
p39new_CBW_1013
21/11/11
18:00
Page 1
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 39
Saves Fuel
Cleans Engines
Reduces Emissions
Energenics +44 (0)1865 233010 LQIR#HQHUJHQLFV FR XN รท ZZZ HQHUJHQLFV FR XN
40 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
DRIVERS
Send your driver news and stories to james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk or call 01733 293 240.
FTA welcomes licence change on diabetes The Freight Transport Association has welcomed changes in the law which will now enable people with insulin treated diabetes to apply for vocational licences to drive buses or lorries. Under new rules which came into force on November 15 drivers who would normally be prevented from obtaining or driving a vocational licensed vehicle will now have their applications considered by the Driver and Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA), albeit the driver will be required to conform to a very strict monitoring regime. Ian Gallagher, FTA policy manager, said: “This change in the law could mean some people who were previously prevented from driving are now able to regain their livelihood and their independence. Of course it is vital to make sure that only drivers who are safe to do so are allowed to drive on our roads, but the government is confident that medical advancements in treatment and diagnosis mean that a blanket ban is no longer needed. This change will give those whose condition is under control the opportunity to work and to make a useful contribution to society.” The changes follow a consultation earlier this year on
amendments to driver medical standards which looked at standardising medical rules on diabetes, epilepsy and vision across EU Member States. An announcement on proposed changes regarding vision and epilepsy is expected next year. To be able to apply for entitlement to drive Group 2 category vehicles the following criteria have to be met when treated with medication which carries a risk of inducing hypoglycaemia (insulin and some tablets): There has not been any severe hypoglycaemic event in the previous 12 months; The driver has full hypoglycaemic awareness; The driver must show adequate control of the condition by regular blood glucose monitoring, at least twice daily and at times relevant to driving*; The driver must demonstrate an understanding of the risks of hypoglycaemia; and, There are no other debarring complications of diabetes. *To demonstrate adequate control of the condition by regular blood glucose monitoring, the Secretary of State’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Diabetes Mellitus (the Panel) has recommended applicants with insulin treated diabetes will need to have used blood glucose meters
A Reading Buses driver went into life saving action to aid a young woman who had collapsed at a bus stop on his number 17 route. The incident happened just after 0500hrs on Thursday, November 10. After giving the woman the kiss of life and looking after her until the ambulance arrived, David Stephens
was put forward for Reading Buses Employee of the Month award in recognition of his calm and fast response. Mr Stephens, 48, said: “I tried to wake her, but she was barely doing anything. “I called 999 and they asked me to check her breathing while she was on her side but I couldn’t hear much. “I had to tilt her neck and open her mouth, but I couldn’t hear her breathing.” The operator then talked the driver through the resuscitation procedure until the woman, thought to be in her 20s, came round. An ambulance took her to
Diabetes no longer such a strong barrier to obtaining a vocational licence
Life-saving driver up for employee of the month
www.coachandbusweek.com
Drivers.indd 40
with a memory function to measure and record blood glucose levels for at least three months prior to submitting their application. The requirement to demonstrate three months of blood glucose monitoring before applying for Group 2 licensing is already a requirement of the current limited C1 licensing requirements. The additional requirement to demonstrate monitoring using a blood glucose meter with a memory function is considered by the Panel to be an appropriate additional requirement to balance the desire to increase opportunities for those affected while ensuring there is a negative impact on road safety.
A Newport Transport driver receives a diabetes health check hospital. James Freeman, chief executive at Reading Buses, said: “We are very proud of our staff when they go out of their way to help people and it’s just the sort of thing being part of the community is all about. “This is the sort of situation we don’t want to happen, but if it does, we’re very glad there are people like David Stephens. “He took action straight away and consequently everything was all right.” The award nomination was forwarded by Caroline Beesley, a friend of Mr Stephens who was grateful for his support when she had problems.
To advertise on this page, contact client manager Harley Denham on 01733 293 249 or e-mail harley.denham@ rouncymedia.co.uk
Stourbridge drivers walk for wheelchair A group of drivers from National Express’ Pensnett Garage in Stourbridge is to walk between Stourbride and Dudley bus stations in a bid to raise money towards a specially adapted wheelchair for a toddler. The £19,000 powered wheelchair, equipped with a standing frame called a Snap Dragon, would give two year old Louie Pumphrey, who has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk, much more independence. The event has been organised by Louie’s cousin, Daniel Meanock, 24, a driver on the number 9 route. It is due to take place on Sunday, November 27. To kick off the fundraising, National Express has donated £100 and is providing a bus as a support vehicle for the duration of the walk. Daniel said: “I’ve seen firsthand the struggles Louie and the family have. This chair would give Louie so much more independence, but it is extremely expensive as it would need to be custom made specifically for him. “However it would also allow him to stand and enable his legs to be strengthened and straightened.” To donate to Louie’s snap dragon chair appeal visit justgiving.com/LeannePumphrey or search for Louie’s fund on Facebook.
Driver hit by nut A driver was injured after a metal object was thrown at her coach. The incident occurred at around 1720hrs last Wednesday on the A17 between Brant Broughton and Beckingham. An object, thought to be a metal nut, smashed the windscreen. The driver suffered a head injury and glass fragments in her eyes. She has been treated and is recovering from her injuries. Two following coaches were also struck and damaged.
21/11/2011 21:20
SUBSCRIBE TODAY
2 months for
the price of 7
Subscribe today to receive Coach & Bus Week and pay only £85 for a whole year! PLUS us Coach & B
2012
DEALERS, RY OF UK DIRECTO PLIERS £30 PREHENSIVE RATORS AND SUP THE COM RERS, OPE MANUFACTU
FREE
Coach & Bus Week Industry Guide worth £30
For details see over
Subs1.indd 1
25/08/2011 15:45
The leading magazine for the coach and bus professional
Subscribe today and don’t miss out on the benefits of a regular reader
Coach & Bus
1 Coach & Bus Week keeps you up-todate with topical industry news. It reports interviews with industry leaders, operator profiles, deliveries and new vehicle & product launches and legal up dates including employment. It is also in touch with changing government policy across the industry and topical debate that affects your business. There is a drivers’ section (including jobs).
Yes, I would like to subscribe to Coach & Bus Week at the rate of £85 for 51 issues Name Company
2
3
Minibus is the only monthly specialist supplement dedicated exclusively to the minibus and contains up-to-date technical reviews; new vehicle road test reports; mobility and accessibility safety; community transport reports; and road traffic legislation and lists local authority tenders. Designed to help minibus operators in this highly regulated sector.
The Coach & Bus Guide is the most comprehensive directory in the market. Events diary; trade associations; ATCO Regions; PTEs/PTAs and TfL; Traffic Commissioners; Cross Sea Carriers; Tour Wholesalers; Service Stations; VOSA Centres; Major Bus and Coach Groups; Airports; Vehicle Suppliers/Dealers, Industry Suppliers A-Z; Toilet Drops, Operators A-Z.
0076
FIVE MONTHS FREE WHEN YOU PAY TODAY Instruction to your Bank or Building Society to pay by Direct Debit
Originator identification no.
Address
Postcode
2
5
3
Date
Branch sort code
Banks/Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit instructions from some types of account
To pay by Credit or Debit card
Mobile
Please debit my:
MasterCard
Visa
Delta
Maestro
Card Number Start date
Subs1.indd 2
3
Account number
Telephone
The Direct Debit Guarantee. This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits. If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit, Rouncy Media will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Rouncy Media to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request. If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Rouncy Media or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society. If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Rouncy Media asks you to. You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
2
Signature
Account name
4
Instructions to your Bank or Building Society: Please pay Rouncy Media Direct Debits from the account detailed on this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Rouncy Media and if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.
Your Bank/Building Society
Address
Postcode
2012
THE COMP MANUFAC REHENSIVE DIR ECT TURERS, OPERATO ORY OF UK DE AL RS AND SUPPLIER ERS, S £30
/
Expiry date
/
Issue Number
(Maestro only)
Signature To pay by cheque I enclose a cheque for £
made payable to Rouncy Media.
Complete the form and return to Kirstyn Hunt, Subscriptions Dept, Coach & Bus Week, FREEPOST RRBE-UXYL-UCBZ, 3 The Office Village, Forder Way, Cygnet Park, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX or call 01733 293480
25/08/2011 15:46
OpEn plAtfOrm › jeremy peat
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 43
Keeping a level head on complex issues Jeremy Peat, chair of the Competition Commission’s bus inquiry, comments on reactions to its findings so far and, despite the complexity of the issues, assures the final report will be carefully balanced and clear as a bell While not in the job description for joining the Competition Commission, a thick skin does come in handy. Getting flak for doing our job is an occupational hazard. Unsurprisingly companies seldom welcome our attention and regularly assure us such scrutiny is unwarranted. Then we find ourselves in the midst of people with diametrically opposed views because they come at the issues, which we have to tackle from very different perspectives. You simply cannot make everybody happy and if you are really lucky, you end up copping it from both sides. All we can try to do is to remain objective and rational in our analysis and conclusions. On those scores, and although we have yet to conclude our work, our local buses investigation certainly has not disappointed! As expected we have also tended to face a degree of selective interpretation of our output. These reports may not be the easiest documents to read and we are dealing with complex matters, but it has sometimes seemed the meaning has been in the eye of the beholder. For example our provisional findings report was, to some, a resounding endorsement of the current market (the CPT went as far as to say the report demonstrated how ‘competitive and vibrant’ the market was, when we’d clearly stated there was an enduring lack of competition in large parts of the country...) but to others a call for greater and closer regulation. It was actually a bit more complicated than that. The PTEs also overestimated our enthusiasm for franchising back in May. We actually listed it as one of a number of possible remedies and one we felt should be at least discussed given strong views on both sides of the debate. However, it should have been clear at that point we had reservations - describing franchising as ‘intrusive’ and stating our preference for other types of remedy. Certainly we need to aim for absolute clarity. But absolute clarity is difficult to achieve given the complexity of this particularly inquiry. The bus sector is a large, diverse and complex one, partly commercial and partly a necessary public service. The sector is deregulated but still
OpenPlatformTonks.indd 43
Such a vital industry, which provides an essential service to millions of people every day, must expect periodic scrutiny to see if the passenger is getting a good deal, says Jeremy subject to degrees of political involvement and public funding. Understanding where and how competition fits into this context is inevitably complex. The outcome of our inquiry will not be “fudged” but related carefully to evidence and analysis. Our final report will be carefully balanced and nuanced, as well as clear as a bell, and we are striving to take a pragmatic approach to bringing improvements amidst this knot of sometimes conflicting factors. We are accused of being fixated with competition - to which we plead partially guilty. Unsurprisingly, we believe in competition. We believe customers benefit when companies are spurred by competition to do better for their customers and when there is scope for new companies and new approaches. This is what deregulation was designed to allow and that’s why we have focused in particular on measures to open up markets. But we have avoided being dogmatic. We will continue to acknowledge there can be other factors and concerns to take into account. We know there are particular issues with some forms of extreme head to head competition and ‘bus wars’ – but competition in other markets also has to work within accepted guidelines. We think the absence of competition poses the greatest danger. As your magazine noted recently it has
been 25 years since deregulation. As one or two contributors noted, the market has not developed as was anticipated. Such a vital industry, providing an essential service to millions of people every day, must expect periodic scrutiny and there is every cause to see, a quarter of a century later, if the passenger is getting a good deal. We did not choose to carry out this investigation. That is not how the system works. But once given the task, we had a duty to undertake it thoroughly. We appreciate the strains imposed on all involved – by no means least our own staff - but doing the job properly means no scope for any short cuts. We have certainly seen examples of fine bus services being delivered. We have also, unfortunately, seen some examples of less palatable behaviour - and plenty in between. It is a mixed and diverse picture and so we have tried to assess appropriately, always with the passenger interest to the fore. We cannot expect everyone to agree with our eventual findings but we hope they will appreciate their carefully considered rationale. Jeremy Peat is chairman of the Competition Commission’s local bus market investigation. He was appointed as a CC Member in 2005. He is also Director of the Edinburgh-based David Hume Institute and a board member of Scottish Enterprise. Previously he was group chief economist at The Royal Bank of Scotland from 1993 to 2005, a member of the BBC Board of Governors and then Trustees from 2005 to end 2010, Chair of the BBC Pension Trust from 2005 to 2011 and previously an economic adviser to the Scottish Office, the Treasury and other government departments. Jeremy is a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, an Honorary Professor at Heriot Watt University and a board member of both the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Signet Accreditation Company. 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
21/11/2011 16:37
p44_CBW_1013
21/11/11
17:55
Page 1
44 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell
To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 020 8320 1351 Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale
2005 Volvo B12B Jonckheere Mistral
370,455 km, air conditioned, automatic I-shift gearbox, 53 seats plus courier, just serviced, in excellent condition and can be viewed by appointment (Ireland). £80,000
Donoghues Coaches : Niall 00353 87 2059145, Noel 00353 87 2654787 info@donoghuescoaches.com www.donoghuescoaches.com
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
Optare Toro
Mercedes-Benz 0815 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 28 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts, powered entry door, air conditioning, double glazed windows, luggage racks with individual passenger reading lights and adjustable air flow blowers, radio/CD & PA system.
£45,500 +VAT NOW £43,000 +VAT
! R E F F O SPECIAL
t Contac Lara Odumosu
0 1351 020 8@r3ou2nc ymedia.co.uk
lara.odumosu
UNVI GT
Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts and leather headrest inserts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air con radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, grammer luxury heated driver seat, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers.
£69,950 +VAT NOW £67,500 +VAT
Call Dougie at Haggis Adventures on 0131 554 9192
Telephone Lara Odumosu on 020 8320 1351 or email lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk
121702-1012-Pembridge
14/11/11
17:39
Page 1
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
Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk
Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304
Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales 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%
121768-1013-Ensign:Layout 1
21/11/11
16:02
Page 1
Ensig n
DOUBLE DECK E 1997/8 VOLVO OLYMPIANS Seatbe exampleslted no available w
LEZ
LEZ
COMPLIANT
COMPLIANT
Volvo engines, Euro 2, 78 seats, converted to single door, new COIF, tyres included, UK registered ready to work.
7.8m, Slimline, Mercedes engine, Euro 4, 27 seats, Hanover LEDʼs all round.
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
8.9m, Cummins / Allison, Hanover blinds, 29 seats, full DDA.
2007 OPTARE SOLO
2009 ADL ENVIRO 200
2005 55 PLATE DENNIS DART SLF
ZF automatic, Northern Counties body, 48 BELTED seats, repainted white, MOT 09/12.
1995 M REG VOLVO B10M
Cummins ISB engine, Plaxton Pointer 2 body, 37 seats, Hanover LEDʼs, long MOT.
1995 M REG DENNIS DRAGONS
2001 MERCEDES 814 VARIO
Cummins/Voith gearboxes, Duple Metsec bodies, recent floors and 92 coach seats.
Manual, 31 seats, belts fitted, MOT 04/12, £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
121768-1013-Ensign:Layout 1
21/11/11
16:02
Page 2
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.
Mercedes engine, 27 seats, 25 with 3 point belts, Hanover LEDʼs, long MOT.
2004 OPTARE SOLO
Euro 4, Cummins/Allison, MCV body, 9m, 32 seats.
1999 V REG DENNIS DART MPD’S
Mercedes engines, Slimlines, 2.34m wide, 7.8m long, 24 seats, Hanover LEDʼs. Price reduced to £27,000
1998 S REG DENNIS DART SPD
2000 W REG VOLVO B10M
Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.
1997 R REG VOLVO B10M
2007 MAN 14.220
2007 DART MPD
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
23/9/11
15:52
Page 1
000000-1005-Fishwick
23/9/11
15:52
Page 2
THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL OFFERS...
p50_CBW_1013
21/11/11
17:43
Page 1
553108-1012-Edwards
12/11/11
10:02
Page 1
p52_CBW_1013
21/11/11
18:15
Page 1
52 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
Southdown PSV 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
2002 (02) Dennis Dart Marshall
10.2 metres long, purpose built from Marshall factory. Very low mileage – 23,000 kms.
This is a super low floor bus with a fold-out ramp so no access issues, there is centre spot lighting, auxiliary heating and a quiet-run diesel generator, the interior is spotless and suitable for a multitude of uses. Will come with a new MOT.
£14,950.00
View all stock online: www.staffordbuscentre.com Email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552
2011 (11) FORD TRANSIT 9 SEAT SHUTTLE BUS 115PS TWIN SIDE LOAD DOORS INK BLUE £17,495
58 08 VAUXHALL VIVARO SPORTIV 9 SEAT W/CHAIR ACCESS, STANFORD CONVERSION, ON BOARD LIFT £15,750
55 05 FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT 115PS, COIF/PSV 73,000 MILES £7,995
2010 (60) RENAULT TRAFFIC 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE DELIVERY MILEAGE £24,995
VANFIT & LDV PARTS STOCKIST
(PONTYPOOL) LTD
P9 BJT
REGISTRATION PLATE FOR SALE – £500
NEW MERCEDES SPRINTER TOURLINE 516CDI ALTAS CONVERSION 17 SEAT MINICOACH £56,995
Tel: 01495 757111 Mob: 07850 739446 (Haydn) or visit our website www.minibussales.biz to view the above stock
60/10 FORD TRANSIT FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS IN WHITE DIGI TACHO COIF/PSV, 36,000 MILES £20,995
2006 (55) LDV CONVOY ELWB MINI COACH 17 SEATS 90PS EXCEL CONVERSION COIF/PSV TACHO £11,995
2010 (10) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS MEDIUM ROOF WHITE 115PS 23,000KM £19,995
18:19
56 06 VW LT46, 16 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE IN SILVER SANFORD CONVERSION 2.8L/158 PS COIF/PSV £17495
21/11/11
57 07 FORD TRANSIT 15 SEAT SILVER 140PS, DIGI TACHO FRONT & REAR AIR CON £6,995
p53_CBW_1013 Page 1
p54_CBW_1013
21/11/11
18:13
Page 1
54 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
552467-1012-Connaught
21/11/11
17:49
Page 2
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
552905-1008-Eastwoods
17/10/11
17:44
Page 1
2003 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PROFILE Registered Dec 2003, double glazed tinted glass, Cummins 275 engine, 6 speed manual gearbox, 49 seats, toilet & washroom, ready for immediate use, MoT tested, 120,000 miles, choice of two. £P.O.A
Straight from MOD
VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER
Dec 07, low mileage, 7 seats, quick release tracking for wheelchair use. £12,500 + VAT
06 MAN EVOLUTION
14/220, 37 seats, SLF automatic, wheelchair ramp, superb condition throughout, fully MoT’d. £45,500 Part exchange considered
BERKOF RADIAL 1998
53 seats, Cummins 300 engine, ex council, manual box, air cond, full years MoT, very low mileage, super condition. £POA £19,500
CAETANO (SALVADOR) 1998
57 seats, in white, Cummins 245 engine, MoT Sept 2012, very clean vehicle. £19,500 + VAT
BMC AIRPORT BUS
32 seats, 220 Cummins, new MoT this week. QUICK SALE WANTED.
£15,000
f Coach Oeek The W MERCEDES VARIO 612
1998, 20 new seats, wheelchair lift on wheel tracking, 20 new seats. Choice of 6. TRADE SALE OR SEPARATE
1995 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PREMIER HIGHLINER 53 recliner seats, 290 Cummins, automatic, continental door, toilet, full years MoT, must be seen. £POA + VAT £19,500
PLAXTON CHEETAH
33 seats, registered June 2005, tinted double glazed windows, finished in unmarked white, special red interior, MOT, must be seen. £POA
1996 DENNIS JAVELIN
10 metre, new MoT, 41/47 seats, 220 Cummins, 6 speed box, new stretch panels, repainted. Choice of 2. £POA + VAT
1996 VOLVO PLAXTON PREMIER HIGH LINER
B10 engine, 14 months test, 70 seats, tinted double glazing with curtains & continental door, must be seen. £POA
552905-1008-Eastwoods
17/10/11
17:45
Page 2
IVECO SERVICE BUS
67 seats (moquet), new 2006, only 12,000 miles since new,Vihixel body, air-con, MOT full year, LEZ, must be seen, superb condition.
£65,000 + VAT PX considered.
MERCEDES VARIO
PLAXTON PARAGON
48 reclining seats plus courier seat, air-con.
1998, fitted 5 cylinder engine, 20 new seats, wheel chair lift, low mileage, manual box, full MOT, nice clean bus. £ 9,500 + vat
£49,500 + VAT
PLAXTON CHEETAH
June 2005, 33 seats, unmarked, white with red trim, tinted glass, curtains, any inspection/trial.
£P.O.A.
VW TRANSPORTER
Dec 07, 7 blue seats (moquet) on Unwin tracking, will take extra seat, in silver metallic, low mileage, private user.
£12,000 + VAT
p58_CBW_1013_CoverPage copy
21/11/11
17:46
Page 1
PROMOTION
LARA
020 8320 1351 lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk
p59_CBW_1013
21/11/11
16:11
Page 1
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59
ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES BUILDINGS
CHECKPOINTS
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
BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime
CRAIG TILSLEY
ENGINES
TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/ DUSTITE
loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:
Tel: 01524 271200
www.checkpoint-safety.com Email: info@checkpoint-safety.com
ENGINES
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
SPECIAL OFFERS
GARAGE EQUIPMENT
Specialists in Used Commercial Garage Equipment BWS 0117 953 0381 www.bwsequip.co.uk
email: bwsequip@hotmail.com
REGISTRATIONS
Crewe Engines Ltd MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS
WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES Direct from the UK’s No.1 for 30 years
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 484 HIG 7332 RUI 2117 BXZ 7176 KBZ 737 KIG 1901 SEZ 7608 CRZ 8340 KCZ 505 KIG 1902 SUI 8847 CXZ 2231 KDZ 929 MJZ 6749 SUI 8848 CXZ 2232 NUI 636 MNZ 1195 TJZ 1108 DRZ 5651 SBZ 515 ONZ 1171 TJZ 1109 DRZ 5652 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange
£50 DRZ 5653 IIG 8223 JIG 9401 JIG 9402 KIG 1321 KIG 1322 KIG 1323 TUI 1522 TUI 1523
Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771
Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ
SEATING
ERGONOMIC SEATING SPECIALISTS
VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES
Getnoticed! AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshere foraslittleas£30.00 aweek! To book your slot contact Ian on 01733 293254 or email ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk
Full range of Static, Mechanical and Air Suspension seats available for Coaches, Service Buses, Vans and Trucks
Prices from £150+VAT (No carriage charges)
12 Murray Place, Righead Ind Est, Bellshill ML4 3LP Tel: 01698 845352 • Fax: 01698 844325 Email: TScottco@aol.com
p60_CBW_1013
21/11/11
15:57
Page 1
60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES SEATING
TYRE EQUIPMENT
VEHICLE SPARES
Trevor Wigley & Son Bus Ltd
G G G G G
Hand Rail Padding Next Day Delivery Seat Belt Installations Double Deckers Seat Belted Seat Belt Supplies Securon Amsafe/Safetex Fasching ISRI Reflex Schneeweis Orion plus many
MCF GWR Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban more
Parts Hotline - Graham White graham@bhiuk.com 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com www.bhiuk.com
Fax: 01522 689922
The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers
TW FULLY LICENSED END OF LIFE VEHICLE CENTRE TW REDUNDANT AND SCRAP VEHICLES TAKEN TW PROFESSIONAL, EFFICIENT SERVICE TW ALL REQUIREMENTS CATERED FOR TW VARIOUS SPARES AVAILABLE TW CONTACT US FOR FULL AVAILABILITY
Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com
www.twigley.com
November 23, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 61
Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk, fax 0845 2802927 or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX
Is Norwich destined to be a Borisfree zone? With the entry into service of refurbished but nonetheless retired London bendy buses in Norwich, we wonder whether well known bendy bus critic Boris Johnson will be shunning the city. Indeed, the ever-friendly Julian Patterson, commercial director at UK Bus Awards-winning operator konectbus was quoted in CBW1011 as saying: “These relatively new high capacity buses are ideal for our heavily peaked limited stop routes and despite their length, will go anywhere a rigid single decker can go with ease. London’s loss is certainly our gain.” What’s more, in its best tradition, konectbus has branded the rear of at least one of the Mercedes-Benz Citaros this slogan: ‘mercedes bends the classy way to work & play with konectbus’. Will Boris bend his own rules or will he remain rigidly against travelling on a fine piece of German engineering?! Hm…
Bus driver in banana attack nightmare
...So read an intriguingly-titled headline in a Swedish newspaper. A woman ran onto the bus, and threw a half-eaten banana into bus driver Zekerija Velagic’s eye. She claims the bus driver
Dilbert
Monday: Press day. It’s the usual Monday madness, but with us all present and correct, it’s a happy, productive effort. As ever, we bounce off each other and work well as a team. Jonathan kindly helps proof read pages in the early evening. I agree to allow Meera to take next week off. Tuesday: Having had a late night on press day, enjoy an all too short lie in. Despite feeling tired, spend an hour applying a further coat of paint to the walls in our bathroom at home. Grab lunch in the office before attending a team meeting, which sees forthcoming issues planned and production schedules agreed.
The cheesy slogan on the rear of an ex London bendy bus stopped only inches from hitting her and her daughter, whom she was teaching to drive. “I’ve been dizzy since March, and my hands shake. Since my muscles are weak I drop things easily. I was holding the banana whilst standing there gesturing, and suddenly it flew away. But it hit the interior of the bus,” she said. Zekerija Velgic told a different story. When he stopped to drop off passengers, the woman ran onto the bus, started yelling, and hit him with the banana without warning.
After experiencing pain in his eye, he visited his GP, who concluded he was suffering from vitreous detachment. “She hit me in the face with the half-eaten banana. I had it all over me and my eye,” he said. The juicy affair ended up in court, which ruled in the bus driver’s favour after a witness supported his version of events. While assaults of any kind must be taken seriously, we wondered whether the bus driver was glad that she wasn’t eating a pineapple…
Wednesday: Rise early to catch a First Capital Connect train to London. Spend an enjoyable couple of hours with the friendly crew at Westbus in Hounslow. Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to say I would happily have spent more time with them but I had to allow time to catch the Tube to Green Park. The journey is thankfully uneventful, so with a short time to spare prior to my next meeting, grab some stock London bus and coach pics. Agree the schedule and content for a new column. Miss my train back to Peterborough by a minute so have to hang around Kings Cross for an hour. Arrive back at Peterborough station by 1745hrs. Thursday: A hectic day in the office. Have to be ruthless and prioritise writing my feature over responding to correspondence. After all, if I fail to complete my feature, it impacts on an already hectic Monday. Friday: Another busy day in the office where I feel I could easily benefit from another few hours. By the close of play, I feel reasonably happy with progress for this issue. Accompanied by my fiancée, head to my parents for a relaxing weekend in the Welsh borderland. www.coachandbusweek.com
LastStop.indd 61
21/11/2011 23:32
62 | COACH & BUS WEEK | November 23, 2011
RECRUITMENT
First Glasgow apprentice up for CAI business award
Neil Ashworth appointed as new CILT chairman Neil Ashworth, Tesco’ s operations and development director, has been appointed as the new chairman of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). Neil has been a member of the CILT since 1987 and a board member since 2007. He said: “Working with my Board colleagues, the CILT’s Professional Sector Ambassadors and CILT staff, it is my intention to ensure we remain relevant both to young people setting out in their career, and to those with broad industry experience. “I’m keen to broaden our membership base. We need to appeal to everyone working in a warehouse, in logistics across
Neil Ashworth has been a member of CILT for 14 years the supply chain or in passenger transport. I’m also committed to ensuring sustainability remains at the forefront of what the CILT does.” Neil was been quick to praise outgoing chairman, Paul Brooks, Unipart logistics’ sales director. “None of the recent changes to the CILT would have succeeded without the energy and enthusiasm of our outgoing chairman, Paul Brooks. His commitment to creating a CILT for the future, and his leadership has been beyond measure.”
Reading Buses apprentice receives most improved award from academy
An apprentice at Reading Buses has walked away with the Most Improved Apprentice award from the automotive academy in Bristol. Dan Moss, 18, an engineering apprentice, travelled to the academy with another 18 year old apprentice, Stefan White, to receive their level 2 training completion certificates. As part of the awards structure, a category listed as ‘the most improved apprentice Level 2 heavy vehicle’ was won by Dan, who is in the second year of a four-year apprenticeship with Reading Buses. Keith Ward, Reading Buses chief engineer, said: “Dan and Stefan have done extremely well and both are a credit to themselves and Reading Buses. We are very proud of them.” The two received their awards in front of Reading Buses HR director Caroline Anscombe, chief engineer Keith Ward and depot engineering manager Phil Herlingshaw. The S & B Academy in Bristol specialises in courses for engineering apprentices and oversees the technical off-thejob training of all Reading Buses’
apprentices Dan recently received a ‘highly commended’ award from Reading Buses under its Star of the Month scheme for his commitment to the business. Two more apprentices have recently joined Reading Buses’ scheme, showing that the company remains committed to developing a skilled workforce for its future.
First Glasgow modern apprentice Mark McGarvey, 18, has been shortlisted for the CAI Business First Year Modern Apprenticeship Award. The awards ceremony was due to take place in the Banqueting Hall at the City Chambers on November 23 (Wednesday). Mark is in the final 38 of 78 total nominations. Mark, who has been enjoying work in the service delivery department at First Glasgow, said: “I am delighted and surprised to have been nominated. I really enjoy learning more about the transport industry and I’m pleased Jack took the time to nominate me.” Jack Vine, customer agent at First Glasgow nominated Mark because he was impressed with his work ethic and diligent behaviour. Jack said: “Mark deserves to win the award because he is
enthusiastic, dedicated and is a hard worker. He is fully committed to his role at First and is thriving in learning new skills. He has grasped the nature of our business extremely well.” Mark left school with eight standard grades. Modern apprenticeships are open to school leavers in Glasgow and play an important role in improving the prospects of young people in the Scottish city. Each apprenticeship lasts for 18 months and over the course of his time with First, Mark has been learning office skills as well as working with real time bus information systems and ticketing information systems. Find out more about the scheme at www.firstgroup. com/glasgow
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.
Dan is halfway through his four year apprenticeship at Reading Buses
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
People.indd 62
22/11/2011 00:20
DeaDlines Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.30pm
ContaCt Harley Denham 01733 293249
harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk
Operations Director Plymouth Citybus employee is 2012 ambassador Chris Hall, an employee at the Plymouth Citybus Travel Centre, has received confirmation that she will be an official London ambassador at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Chris applied to become a volunteer ambassador online and was chosen to attend an assessment day in May.
Chris is one of the first of 12,000 applicants to be successful
Over 12,000 people applied as potential ambassadors and have taken part in various team exercises and one to one interviews. Chris, a former London resident before joining Plymouth Citybus in 1975, is one of the few who have been selected thus far to meet and greet visitors and provide help and advice. Chris, who has now applied for time off in August and September to be available as an ambassador at Paddington station, said: “I feel this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and is my way of offering very practical support for London and the Olympics during a very exciting time for UK.” Chris hopes to get the opportunity to travel on one of the Plymouth Citycoach tours planned to view the Olympic site over the coming months.
Based in London Highly competitive salary and benefits package Abellio London & Surrey operates bus services across Central, South and West London on behalf of Transport for London and in Surrey on both a commercial and supported basis. With 1,850 employees, the business utilises roundly 560 buses on 73 routes, carrying over 300,000 passengers per day. Reporting to the Managing Director and operating as a senior member of the Board, the Operations Director carries responsibility for leading and managing the operational elements of the Company’s business plan to deliver a consistent, reliable, safe and punctual service across all aspects of the bus network. We are seeking a seasoned, resilient and highly capable leader to drive delivery and continuous improvement to operational performance within an expanding and ambitious bus operating company. To be successful, you must be able to demonstrate extensive large fleet experience, be able to manage change in a complex business environment and possess first class communications skills to engage and motivate whilst controlling a large and diverse workforce. Your planning, judgement and decision making skills will be of a high order and will be tested within a best in class organisation. Working collaboratively with the local team and Abellio Group leadership you will foster strong effective relationships with key external stakeholders, trade unions and regulators within a highly competitive and challenging market. CV applications for this position together with a covering letter should be sent to : Julie Pummell pa to Managing Director Abellio London and Surrey, Walworth Head Office, 301 Camberwell New Road London SE5 OTF Deadline for applications is 16th December 2011 Abellio is an equal opportunities employer
www.abellio.co.uk
Join the team where your skills and experience will be respected.
Job title: Operations Specialist Location: Dubai Salary/ rate: £6K per month (£70 - £75K per year) Duration: 12 month contract Job Purpose Summary: Responsible for planning, operating and maintaining the Dubai bus network; our client is seeking a Bus Operations Specialist to deliver improvements to all aspects of their bus operation activities. Target improvements areas will include: Service delivery, operational performance, resource management, stakeholder management, operational systems, health & safety, planning & scheduling, maintenance, procurement, manpower planning & evaluation and engineering performance. Key skills/ requirements: • Degree (ideally MSC) in Transport related discipline • 15+ year operational experience (including Depot Management) • Professional Competence in Public Transportation • Previous experience of running mass service public transport operations For further information on this or any other related positions do not hesitate to contact Peter on 020 7960 2551 or pjm@mattinsonpartnership.com
www.coachandbusweek.com
People.indd 63
22/11/2011 00:20
p64_CBW_1008
17/10/11
17:37
Page 1