1000th Edition Souvenir Issue Wednesday August 24, 2011 Issue 1000 | £2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com
PEOPLE:
Face to Face with ex Wallace Arnold MD Stephen Barber p24
COACH:
End of the road this year for concessionary fares on coaches p8
INSIGHT:
The rundown on London 2012 games transport p34
BUS:
London United hybrid �leet clocks up a million miles since 2008 p7
for recru i
JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK
CBW hits milestone & predicts future p54
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THIS WEEK
Coach & Bus Week is published by Rouncy Media, First Floor, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX Switchboard 01733 293240 Fax 0845 280 2927 Web www.coachandbusweek.com
EDITORIAL Publisher Jonathan Taylor 01733 293240 jonathan.taylor@rouncymedia.co.uk Editor Gareth Evans 01733 293243 gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk Industry Editor Meera Rambissoon 01733 293240 meera.rambissoon@rouncymedia.co.uk Technical and Minibus Editor Martin Cole 01733 293245, 07885 692144 martin.cole@rouncymedia.co.uk News Reporter James Ingrey 01733 293244 james.ingrey@rouncymedia.co.uk Art Director Keith Simpson Contributors Richard Charnley, Gabriel Conway, Alan Payling
ADVERTISING Advertising Manager Irena Cornwell 01733 293247 irena.cornwell@rouncymedia.co.uk Display Sales Harley Denham 01733 293249 harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk Vehicle Sales Account Manager Lara Odumosu 0208 320 1351 lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk Classified Sales Executive Zahrar Green 0208 3201352 zahrar.green@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
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www.subscription.co.uk/cbw 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.
A landmark issue
C
oach & Bus Week magazine has reached milestone 1000 – truly a landmark in the history of any publication. As you’ll see on p.40, the first issue was published almost 20 years ago. With CBW being traditionally a magazine which looks at the present and forward to the future, far from dwelling too much on the past, it seemed appropriate to seek the views of some of its people on what they feel will be the the future of the industry in 20 years’ time, hence our bumper ‘Big Question’ feature on p54. On a personal note, it’s an honour to be at the helm at issue 1000. I first read CBW at the age of 10 after a family friend (you know who you are) gave me a box full of past issues. I recently trawled through the first edition with interest, as did my colleagues. Many of the issues are prevalent now – a prime example being the inability
of operators to obtain finance to allow them to acquire new vehicles. Then there was bus competition and dealing with the recession. Who says history doesn’t repeat itself…? Looking ahead to CBW’s future, an all-new website has been launched this week, featuring content viewable exclusively by subscribers. Combined with our active social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, it is planned that news stories which break after press day will be placed there, allowing CBW to remain first with the news each week. On a final note, I would like to thank the support of advertisers in this bumper 96page issue and to Stagecoach East for kindly facilitating the cover pic. Not to be forgotten is the sterling work of my colleagues – and of course, the support from you the reader. Gareth Evans Editor
CONTENTS 4
34
54
The latest from the industry in the UK and internationally
20
Who is doing and running what in connection with London 2012
40
What will be the shape of our industry in 20 years time?
…from tourist attractions and events. Plus ideas for group visits
24
A look at what was inside issue 1 of Coach & Bus Week in 1992
48
Labour’s shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle lets off steam
The launch and formal opening of the new Worksop dealership
28
Ferris’ impressive tri-axle Tourliner occupies this week’s centre spread
50
A lighthearted look at the industry. Plus Gareth’s Diary!
CPT’s coaching director and ex Wallace Arnold MD Stephen Barber
Backhouse Jones warns of checking the legality of driving licences
All the latest people moves from across the industry
News
Tour News Irizar UK
Face to Face
Olympics Transport The Big Question CBW Retrospective The Big Picture Legal Update
64
Open Platform
92
Last Stop
93
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.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
nEWS
“As a nation and as an industry, we are losing the ability of hands on operational management.” Stephen Barber
BriEfly Three key points made by CPT in its response to the DfT consultation on changes to the O-licensing system have been taken on board by the government. The CPT said as a result, the following has been achieved: there will be a wider range of methods for proving financial standing; it will be easier to demonstrate professional competence by ‘Grandfather Rights’; and it will not be necessary for every licence-holding entity to own at least one vehicle all the time. Further important details will be contained in guidance from the Senior Traffic Commissioner. When ready, it will be possible to see if further action is needed. Stagecoach Bluebird celebrated the first birthday of its Jet 727 route, which runs between Aberdeen Airport and the city centre. Launched in August 2010, JET 727 is the only direct public transport link between the city centre and the airport, with average journey times of 28 minutes. The route now carries around 16,000 passengers per month and was recently awarded the title of Best Bus Service 2011 at the Scottish Transport Awards. Stagecoach staff were present at the JET bus stances at Union Square and Aberdeen Airport speaking to customers and offered birthday cakes to celebrate the successful first year of operation. Arriva Merseyside has won an environmental award in a national campaign to find Britain’s greenest companies, councils and communities. The company, in partnership with Liverpool’s St John’s and Clayton Square shopping centres and City Central Business won the Green Apple Environment Award over 500 other nominations. The award will be officially received at a ceremony in the House of Commons on November 14. The project saw Arriva and partners work across Liverpool to provide enough gardening equipment and expert advice to help local schools grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. Classroom based sessions encouraged the children to think about ways to help the environment – such as travelling by bus instead of car. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Face to Face p28
Concessionary coach scheme to be scrapped DfT says budget cuts are first priority - contrary to the spirit of Cameron’s pre-election pledge The Coach Concessionary Travel Scheme, which enables half-price long distance travel for pensioners, will be scrapped later this year because of government spending cuts, The Daily Telegraph reported. The move will save government £20m a year. It is estimated more than three million journeys were made on National Express coaches alone under the scheme last year. Andrew Cleaves, MD of National Express’s coach division, said the move ran contrary to the spirit of David Cameron’s pre-election pledge to protect subsidised travel for the over-60s and the disabled. He warned that scrapping the scheme would not only hit the elderly but could mean some routes
were no longer viable. Maria Eagle, Labour’s transport spokesman opposed the move, commenting: “The coalition government has made a great play of keeping concessionary bus passes for pensioners. “Yet they are ending concessionary travel on coaches, meaning that thousands of people who use them as their only means of going on holiday or seeing relatives will have this option taken away from them. “Ministers don’t seem to get that coaches serve as a vital link for pensioners and disabled people who are likely to be isolated and alone without their concessionary travel. “For the pensioner who uses a coach for their once-a-year holiday trip, or the disabled person who has no other means of getting around,
National Express has criticised the DfT’s hard-line stance on cutting concessionary coach travel and warns it could jeopardise some routes
Fuel cuts e-Petition gains support A petition asking to scrap planned fuel duty increases is receiving considerable support on the government’s new e-Petition site, as the third highest petition with 58,803 signatures. The new government initiative means if the e-Petition receives
100,000 or more supporters, it will force a full debate in Parliament on the issue, subject to a special committee’s approval. The petition, started by MP Robert Halfon and FairFuelUK on August 5, asks the government to scrap the planned 4p per litre fuel duty increases scheduled for January and August 2012 and to implement actions to bring down and stabilise fuel prices. Quentin Willson, leader of the FairFuelUK campaign said: “The government has a golden
losing concessionary coach travel could greatly reduce their quality of life.” Urging government to delay the plans Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK said: “The coach concession is relied on by many older people to get out and about, see friends and family and travel further a field if they wish to. It is an effective way of preventing social isolation.” Defending the decision, the Department for Transport said: “We have made clear that our first priority must be to reduce the budget deficit. Whilst the coach concession has provided a valuable service to older and eligible disabled people over the past seven years, it cannot be funded indefinitely. “The industry may wish to continue to offer this on a commercial basis but the government has decided that this funding should end, to allow funding to be used for higher priority programmes, such as the statutory national concession which offers free travel on local bus services throughout England. “The local bus concession is intended to allow people to access the local services they need. For many older and disabled people a free local bus service can be a lifeline, providing access to employment, healthcare and other essential services. Most of these services can be accessed by local bus services, rather than needing a long distance coach journey.” opportunity to boost growth, reduce inflation and give the economy the kickstart it deserves by getting fuel prices down.” James Hookham of the Freight Transport Assosciation, said of the petition: “Commercial vehicle operators whose businesses hang in the balance are being forced to make some tough decisions. “High fuel taxes are doing massive damage to the economy. If the rises go ahead we will effectively be pricing ourselves off the road to recovery.”
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£1m �leet redesign for Harrogate & District Harrogate & District has relaunched its entire fleet for a popular route after a £1m redesign. The Veolia Transdev UK-owned division officially launched its refitted fleet with a route 36 double decker at Harewood House, one of the tourism destinations along the route, after a passenger consultation. The fleet consists of 14 Wright Eclipse Gemini-bodied Volvo B7TL double-deckers and a Wright Eclipse Urban bodied B7RLE single decker. Veolia Transdev is in the process of rebuilding the rest of the fleet, fitting new engines, gearboxes, rear axles, a new heating system and completely refurbished interiors, as well as reducing the number of seats and putting single seats on the top deck. Transdev originally spent over £2m on 12 new vehicles
for the same route in 2004. Four replacement buses will be used while others are refitted. Work is due to be finished by September. Veolia Transdev marketing director Nigel Eggleton said: “It was a really important consultation for us and what people told us had a big effect on our thinking. “We decided it was better for us to create our own bus design incorporating all the ideas which proved a success with the passengers. Rebuilding isn’t a cheap option. We have spent £80,000 on each vehicle - nearly half the cost of a brand new bus. However, we know when we have done the work, the buses are like new.”
Veolia Transdev created its own bus design following consultation and says the buses are “like new”
New Coach & Bus Week website launches today
Coach & Bus Week is pleased to announce that a digital version of the magazine is now available at www.coachandbusweek.com If you’re a subscriber to the print version of CBW, you can automatically access all parts of the new site and can search and find articles or references of your choice. The site also means overseas subscribers won’t have to wait up to a week or more for the magazine to arrive. Simply go to the website and click on the ‘CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE’ box at the top right corner of the home page. Follow the instructions and sign up as an existing subscriber. We will check
making buses a better choice book your places at the exciting 2011 annual conference 14 and 15 September 2011 Nottingham
your details and, once everything is confirmed, enable access. Please tell us what you think in the comment boxes on the individual subjects we’re covering to make for a lively debate. We hope you enjoy the site and check it regularly because we will be constantly updating it, and we will tell you about new features as we develop them. “Coach & Bus Week is focussed on delivering everything you need to know about our industry,” said publisher Jonathan Taylor. “We enjoy constant innovation at the magazine. Part of that is delivering it in every way you’d like to receive it. “Therefore the new website we’re announcing today is just one part of that programme and follows on from the extremely successful launch of the magazine in WHSmith high street stores late last year. That launch took this industry directly into the public domain for the first time.”
G Co ues St nf t s ud er pe y en ak vi ce e si t t di rs o nn N er ot tin gh am
in association with
Visit our web site for details: www.ukbusawards.org.uk Book Book online online or or download download a a brochure brochure and and booking booking form form
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6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
nEWS › BUSeS
44,000 182 Number of gallons of diesel saved by London United’s hybrids, the first having joined in 2008
BriEfly The latest round of Transport for London tender results have been declared by London Bus Services to take effect in Spring next year. First London West will take over the currently Metroline run route 206 with a PVR of ten new single deckers and the 24hour route 266 with a PVR of 25 new double deckers. Another 24hour Metroline route, the C2, has been re-tendered to Abellio with a PVR of 18 new double deckers. However, Metroline retained routes 204 and 206, both with a PVR of 15 existing double deck vehicles, and also retained operations on route 240 with a PVR of 11 new double deckers. Meanwhile Stagecoach Selkent retained route 124 with a PVR of 11 new single deckers and also retained route 136 with a PVR of 13 new double deckers. A £7m revamp of the Brunel bus station in Slough has been completed. The station, made famous in the opening credits of BBC’s The Office, was rebuilt as part of a £450m Heart of Slough project to revitalise a large part of the town centre. The project, set by Slough Borough Council, was described as “a feat of engineering and cutting edge design, providing a landmark building in the transport hub area of the wider town regeneration project”. Western Greyhound MD Mark Howarth welcomed Cornwall County Council’s decision to open a meeting on August 19 about possible cuts to concessionary fares reimbursement to the press and public. “Officers at the council have been holding urgent meetings with bus operators over the past few days to discover the extent of the impact,” said Mark. “We’ve provided an extensive list of routes that will become unprofitable if the reimbursement is cut.”
Number of employees in Arriva’s merged Wardle Transport and D & G business
UKBA spotlights ‘Talent for the Future’ The interactive workshop will take place on September 14 An interactive ‘Talent for the Future’ workshop is to feature at the UK Bus Awards (UKBA) conference on September 14. The workshop will be facilitated by transport consultant Richard Armitage and will feature panel of: Darren Roe, engineering director for Stagecoach London, who won Engineer of the Year at last year’s UKBA; Lorna Murphy, operations manager for Abellio London - last year’s Young Manager of the Year and; Nick Richardson from Mott MacDonald representing CILT. “The workshop session is designed to look at how we recruit, train, motivate and retain young talented staff in the industry at all levels - driver, engineering, administrative and management,” Chris Cheek, director of the UKBA told CBW. “Whilst in many ways the jobs are very different, there are also many common strands - particularly as regards the recruitment motivation and training of talented customerfocused people at all levels of the
industry.” Commenting on the news, Lorna told CBW: “I am really pleased to be involved because the future of the industry is clearly important to how we deliver and how we motivate our staff.” The 2011 Annual Conference is the UKBA’s eighth annual seminar on the delivery of high quality bus services. “We shall once more be providing fascinating insights into the different challenges of running services,” said the UKBA. “And as in previous years, we’re adding even more value, with a technical visit to the award-winning bus
Lorna Murphy, last year’s Young Manager of the Year, is pleased to be on the workshop panel
Wardle Transport and D&G merge at Adderley Green Arriva Midlands subsidiary Wardle Transport merged its operations with the Stoke operations of D&G Coach and Bus in a takeover completed on Sunday August 7. D&G’s name in Staffordshire has been replaced by that of Wardle Transport, which came under the
wing of Arriva late last year. D&G employed 62 members of staff and 33 buses in Staffordshire, which have been merged. The combined business will have 182 employees and 100 vehicles based at the Adderley Green site. D&G will continue to operate
infrastructure project and a social occasion providing an excellent networking opportunity. The conference gets under way on Wednesday 14 September with a tour of the some of the key features of the public transport infrastructure in Nottingham, officially Britain’s least cardependent city, and named Transport Authority of the Year in 2011, for the second time. This will be followed by the Talent for the Future session, with a drinks reception and conference dinner in the evening, at which the guest speakers will be Ian Morgan and Melvyn Hopwood, from Trentbarton. On Thursday September 15, the conference sessions will provide insights from previous UKBA winners and finalists, including Mark Howarth of Western Greyhound, Go-Ahead’s Martin Dean and Andy Gibbons from Nottingham City Council. Leading exponents of innovation in fares and ticketing in the industry will also be speaking at the conference, including award finalists James Freeman from Reading Buses and Mike Woodhouse from Arriva. as a separate business from its base in Crewe, Cheshire which is not affected by the sale of its Staffordshire operations to Arriva. “I thank our dedicated team for making a smooth transition from the original Wardle Transport depot to Adderley Green possible,” said Bob Hind, regional MD for Arriva Midlands. “We will be investing in the site which will see the engineering facilities extended to cater for the expanding fleet.”
www.coachandbusweek.com
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23/08/2011 02:53
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2
SHARE WATCH
New buses Lloyds Coaches is investing in – E400 double and E200 single deck
Stagecoach regional shake up sees two MDs promoted
Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, August 22. A less positive week compared to last, with no rises in price, while Rotala and Siemens remained the same. Figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk
Stagecoach has appointed two new managing directors for regional companies in its UK bus division, following a structural change in its North-West of England region. The former Stagecoach North West operations will now form part of two new regional companies: Cumbria and North Lancashire, and Merseyside and South Lancashire. Elisabeth Tasker, operations director with Stagecoach Manchester, will become MD of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire from September 1. She will have responsibility for depots in Liverpool, Preston and Chorley. Nigel Winter has been promoted from operations director for Stagecoach North East, to MD of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, with responsibility for the Carlisle, West Cumbria, Kendal, Barrow and Lancaster depots. He will also start the role in September. The group also confirmed that: Paul Southgate, formerly managing director Stagecoach North West, will become commercial manager of Stagecoach UK Bus; Les Burton, operations director, Stagecoach Merseyside, will become operations director at Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire and; Paul Lee will continue as engineering director for both of the Stagecoach companies in the North West. Stagecoach will now be seeking applications for the following three positions: Operations director, Stagecoach Manchester, covering depots at Hyde Road, Sharston, Stockport and Ashton; Operations director, Stagecoach North East, with responsibility for depots at Walkergate, Slatyford, South Shields, Sunderland, Stockton and Hartlepool; and Operations director, Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, covering the Carlisle, West Cumbria, Kendal, Barrow and Lancaster depots.
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Wi-Fi has recently been launched onto some Nottingham City Transportoperated double deckers as part of The Capital One, Click Card national campaign. Ratcliffe Fernley Media provided three double decker wraps in the centre of Nottingham, which houses Capital One’s head offices, and the newly dressed buses were equipped with Wi-Fi, enabling free internet access for all passengers via Capital One’s home page where details of their cards were featured and sign-up was accessible. Inside, all the Interior Headliner posters notified people of the service offered. “This is a great example of how bus advertising can be used to generate an effective and valuable delivery of a campaign and brand message to a large audience in a non-invasive manner, a key component in an overall strategy for Capital One,” said Lisa Ratcliffe, Ratcliffe Fernley media’s managing director.
London United reaches a million hybrid miles London United has said its hybrid vehicles have clocked one million miles. RATP-owned London United operate a fleet of 27 hybrid buses built by Alexander Dennis which use BAE HybriDrive hybrid electric propulsion systems, comprising of five single and 22 double deck vehicles.
The BAE Systems-powered ADL E400 Hybrids have saved more than 450 tonnes of CO2 since the first entered service in 2008
Since the first of these vehicles entered service in late 2008 the operator said it has saved over 44,000 gallons of diesel and prevented the release of more than 450 tonnes of CO2. London United engineering director Les Birchley said: “London United is proud to be the first operator in London to achieve the milestone of one million hybrid miles. Our fleet of hybrid buses continue to perform well, and have proved their worth in terms of achieving both superior fuel savings and optimum reliability. Our passengers and drivers love them.” Rob Lindsay, BAE Systems, director of Transport Systems (UK and Europe) commented: “We firmly believe hybrid is the right technology for UK transit bus, and with HybriDrive Series we have a proven, robust system. Seeing London United place a repeat order for HybriDrive Series-powered vehicles and then reach a million miles of service with them is a fantastic achievement.”
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8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
nEWS › coaches
BriEfly The Highways Agency, which collects around 240,000 sacks of litter from England’s motorways every year, has called on road users to help stop roadside litter on motorways and major A roads in England by keeping a bag for rubbish until it can be disposed of in a bin. As part of the wide ranging campaign, in north-west England, Highways Agency traffic officers and contractors will report any spillages from commercial vehicles to the regional traffic commissioner, and operators have been warned that licences could be at risk if loads are not properly secured. Police are appealing for witnesses following a fatal collision near Minehead on the A39 at Carhampton on Sunday (August 21). A motorcyclist reportedly lost control on a left hand bend, colliding with a coach travelling in the opposite carriageway. The impact caused the petrol tank of the motorcycle to rupture, resulting in both vehicles being set alight. All the passengers managed to leave the coach without injury after being evacuated before the fire started, however the motorcyclist later died. The coach was totally destroyed by fire. At the time of going to press CBW was unable to confirm the identity of the operator involved in the incident. Drivers heading to south for this bank holiday weekend have been warned of heavy traffic bound for Challenge Cup Final between Leeds Rhinos and Wigan Warriors taking place on Saturday (August 27). The Highways Agency is suggesting drivers from Leeds head straight down to the M1 to get to Wembley while recommending those from Wigan stick to the M6 and then take the M40 route from the West Midlands towards the Capital. Routes from the North including the M6, M40 and M1, are likely to be busy before and after the bank holiday weekend match. However traffic management for major improvements around the M6 and M1 Catthorpe Interchange in Leicestershire, where fifty mile per hour speed limits are in place, will remain throughout the holiday weekend. www.coachandbusweek.com
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New vehicles for joint Scottish service Five Scania Irizar i6 coaches for Scottish Citylink and West Coast Motors Five Scania Irizar i6 coaches are to begin serving passengers in Argyll following investment from Scottish Citylink and West Coast Motors. They will operate on the recently extended Campbeltown to Glasgow service, a joint venture between Scottish Citylink and West Coast Motors, which now offers five return journeys each day. The 14.2 metre triaxle i6 coaches offer increased leg room, climate control and internal and external CCTV. The fleet was launched by Sir
Brian Souter, chief executive of Stagecoach Group and Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors, at Inveraray Castle – one of the many beauty spots served by the route. Representatives from Argyll & Bute Council and Hitrans attended the launch as both bodies financially support the Citylink service. Councillors Donnie MacMillan and Al Reay represented Argyll & Bute Council while Ranald Robertson attended on behalf of Hitrans. The five new coaches – sporting joint Citylink and West Coast Motors livery – will be joined by two more new vehicles before the end of the year. Each coach can seat
(L-R) Sir Brian Souter, chief executive, Stagecoach Group and Colin Craig, managing director, West Coast Motors launch the new coaches at Inveraray Castle, a popular tourist attraction along the Campbeltown-Glasgow route
Latest: York Union Terrace coach park York St John University has withdrawn its offer to buy Union Terrace coach and car park from City of York Council, although doubts still remain over the council’s future plans for the site. The on-going saga, last featured
in CBW997, had seemed to be running to a close after the council agreed to keep ‘some’ coach parking facilities and sell only ‘part’ of the park to the university, despite no complete assurances. After taking part in a consultation, the University has now said it needs to reconsider its proposal to expand on the site after bowing to pressure from a petition signed by more than 22,000 people. The CPT previously told CBW it had been working closely with the council to ensure the coach park remained at the site as there were
59 passengers, or 55 with space for a wheelchair. This investment is part of a wider fleet renewal across the Scottish Citylink network throughout 2011, adding 23 new coaches at a cost in excess of £4m. By the end of 2011, the average age of vehicles across the network will be reduced to just four years. Scottish Citylink is a joint venture between Stagecoach and international transport group ComfortDelGro. Sir Brian Souter said: “This service offers customers good value, high-quality travel and its popularity has shown the bus can be an affordable and reliable alternative to the car. “By introducing these new vehicles we hope to attract even more people on to our greener, smarter services.” Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors said: “West Coast Motors is working in partnership with Scottish Citylink to introduce these new vehicles for the Campbeltown – Glasgow service, which will make a real difference to those travelling between Argyll and the central belt. “The number of passengers taking this route has risen since the timetable was extended from three to five journeys in May. The additional seating capacity means growing demand for the service can be met and the enhanced features will make for a very comfortable ride for everyone.” no suitable alternative sites for coach parking earmarked by the council. A later proposed alternative site, which was prone to flooding, raised serious questions over whether the council understood the significance of coach tourism to the city’s economy. Professor David Fleming, vice-chancellor of York St John University, said: “We will now work with the council and other stakeholders in the city to develop alternative plans to ensure York St John University is able to build on
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August 24, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9
“Without the local bus service, those out of work cannot take up the opportunities further from home which Ministers tell them they should be pursuing.” Maria Eagle MP
Open Platform p64
DVLA con�irm new tachocard procedure
London engine idling continues to be targeted
The DVLA have confirmed new procedures will apply to drivers requesting a replacement or duplicate driver tachocards because of a change of personal details or a lost/stolen card. Following discussions with the CPT, from September drivers will no longer have to travel to a DVLA Local Office or Heavy Goods Vehicle Testing Station to pick up a new card and hand the old card in. The new card will now be sent by the DVLA directly to the driver’s home address. In addition the agency will provide a pre-paid envelope for the return of the old card supported by a formal declaration to be made by the driver. The DVLA said it will be checking its procedures are followed and drivers failing to do so could be liable to a penalty. CPT has asked its members to ensure drivers correctly follow the procedures to avoid DVLA imposed penalty payments.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced new measures aimed at reducing pollution. A No Engine Idling campaign will in the main target taxi drivers using some of the Capital’s busiest roads but will also address coach, bus and truck operators. So-called eco-marshalls will be monitoring some of London’s busiest taxi and mini-cab ranks and courses will be offered, designed to discourage driving which leads to heavy emissions. The measures are funded by the government’s Clean Air Fund. TfL say the new measures could reduce local pollution levels of PM10 by 10-20% where applied. Taxis account for a quarter of the total pollution, 15% of which is created by taxi engines left on while idle. TfL’s managing director for Surface Transport has also written to coach, bus and freight operators to encourage drivers to switch off engines while stationary. TfL also confirmed plans to introduce 300 more hybrid buses by 2012 through two £5m government Green Bus Fund Grants but said the roll out of more hybrids beyond that point would depend on the availability of funding, manufacturer prices falling and increase in production volumes. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London plans to reduce PM10 pollution by a third by 2015, a target which includes the work of the Clean Air Fund.
The DVLA believes new procedures will reduce fraud its success and continue to be an important economic driver.” Councillor James Alexander, Labour leader of City of York Council said: “Whatever people’s views on the suitability of the site, the university’s expansion would have provided a real boost to the city’s economy, providing local jobs and contributing an estimated additional £31m into the economy each year.” However, the council has made no formal commitment to stop the re-tender of the site to another bidder in the future.
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Harry Shaw will provide PSV students travel to City College Coventry
City College Coventry teams up with Harry Shaw Coventry-based Harry Shaw and City College Coventry have teamed up to provide the college’s PSV students with transportation to and from the college from September. Neal Turner, head of the college’s Faculty for Technology said: “City College is one of the few providers of PSV courses in the UK and because of that we get students coming to the college from all over the country. We do all we can to look after them, arranging host families and transportation to and from the college. Harry Shaw won the transport contract because its tender was competitive and we believe they will take the care and attention which needs to be given to these young people, most of whom are away from home for the first time.” The college has been running PSV Training Programmes for major bus and coach companies for over 30 years. The course is run on
The government estimates the loss to the economy from road works congestion is £4bn a year.
a block release basis with students attending between one and four weeks at a time. PSV students are looked after by Host Families who help the students ease into their new surrounding by providing a friendly, homely environment. John Shaw, operations director at Harry Shaw and former PSV student added: “We are delighted to provide this service for the students. It’s great to think we will play a small but vital part in the provision of their training.” Marija Vilcins, accommodation & welfare officer at the College said: “It’s great that we have always used local companies for transporting our students. Ensuring our students get to college safely is only a small part of the process.” Visit Harry Shaw Travel on-line at www.harryshaw. co.uk or City College Coventry at www.covcollege.ac.uk
Rush hour road work consultation The Department for Transport (DfT) has published draft guidance to councils outlining new schemes aimed at reducing the number of rush hour road works. Subject to DfT approval ‘lane rental’ schemes would be able to charge utility companies working on the busiest roads at peak times,
thus encouraging firms to avoid charges by off-peak working. The plans are expected to address such TfL disruption as caused by Thames Water during its London repair works which took place nine times in 16 months, as reported in CBW996. Councils are also encouraged to apply the rules to their own works and to use any revenue to further combat road works disruption. The schemes are due to be trialled in one urban and one non-Metropolitan area. The consultation closes on October 31.
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NEWS
Lloyds invests in a new E400 & E200 X28 and X29 services rebranded under Cambrian Coachliner Lloyds Coaches of Machynlleth in mid Wales has invested in a brand new ADL Enviro 400, which will enter service in September. The bus will operate on route X28 between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth, which, along with the X29 service, will be rebranded as ‘Coastliner’ services. X28 Coastliner and X29 Coastliner service will operate under the brand network name of the Cambrian Coastliner – Coast to Coast network. “This is a very significant and massive investment as a brand new double-decker has not entered service in Wales in a very long time,” said Richard Jones, general manager. “This proves our long term commitment to our passengers and the area in terms of transport provision and the future sustainable growth of our locally based company.” “The new vehicle comes with 76 three-point belted seats, with an 11-camera digital a CCTV system. It will be our flagship service vehicle on the Cambrian Coastliner network, being backed up by numerous modern easy access low floor vehicles.” Jones added: “We will also be
introducing a brand new Enviro 200 single decker to the fleet with seat belts fitted to all seats and CCTV at the same time as our new double decker to be used on other quality services also operated by us as a part of our network.” Explaining the rebranding process, he said: “Through the Cambrian Coastliner brand, our intention is to provide a high quality bus network in terms of reliability, punctuality, quality of vehicles and friendliness of our driving staff with affordable fares.
“Our own operating costs have increased dramatically but we are not passing on this increase to our valued customers. Instead we are reinvesting in our own services. Thanking passengers and staff, Jones concluded: “We have had good support from passengers since we introduced our X28 service in June 2010. We also have professional drivers who take pride in their work and who play a very important part in the team. I would also like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our staff for all their valued efforts.” An in-depth feature on Lloyds Coaches will soon be published in CBW – watch this space. Visit Lloyds Coaches’ website at www. lloydscoaches.com
As is tradition, the bus carries a cherished registration plate – ‘LC61WYN’
New phase for Wrightbus hybrids Wrightbus has completed work on six brand new hybrid electric single deck vehicles with driveline package, marking a new phase in its hybrid development programme. The new standardised hybrid package consists of the Cummins 4 cylinder iSBe E5/EEV engine, a Siemens ELFA II electric drive system and the latest generation Valence Lithium-ion battery technology. HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) versions of both Double Deck and StreetCar models have joined the model line up, with the propulsion www.coachandbusweek.com
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Six new Wrightbus single deck Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) with refined driveline ready for shipment from Northern Ireland now an integral part of the StreetLite midi and New Bus for London product programmes. Group director Dr William Wright CBE said: “I have long been an advocate of electric drive technology for buses and we have learned a lot from our development
work in this field. “We look forward to being able to share the benefits of our on-going investment in hybrid technology with new and old customers alike.” Hybrid electric Wrightbus single deck buses have been in operation in London since 2006.
WEC has commissioned a new factory adjacent to Optare’s Sherburn assembly plant
Optare announces frame partner Optare has announced its intention of entering into a long term supply partnership with WEC Group, under which the production of bus structures will be outsourced. The manufacturer envisages a formal agreement will be signed by the end of August and claims will improve efficiency at its new plant in Sherburn in Elmet, Yorkshire, as featured in CBW995. WEC, a fabrication and engineering company based in Lancashire, has supplied Optare with kits of components to manufacture structures over the last two years. Amanda McLaren, Optare’s supply chain director said: “In planning our new Sherburn plant we had a unique opportunity to start with a blank sheet of paper and re-design our entire build process to achieve the most flexible and efficient operation possible. This led us to a very natural decision to outsource frame fabrication and concentrate on the much higher added value elements of the assembly process. “We are also delighted that, under the terms of our new partnership, that WEC will offer employment to those working within our existing Leeds fabrication shop.” Steve Hartley, managing director of WEC, said: “This is a great deal for WEC and Optare since it allows both companies to focus on what they do best – Optare to build top quality buses and for us to fabricate the required range of structures in a controlled and highly efficient environment”.
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NEWS
Stagecoach defends shareholder windfall £340m return announced for shareholders following growth in the group’s four business areas Stagecoach has told investors to ignore calls by a shareholder group asking them to vote against the company’s recent remuneration report. The company announced it would return £340m to shareholders, with founders Sir Brian Souter and his sister Ann Gloag receiving £51m and £37m respectively, in a scheme unveiled by the group’s remuneration committee last Friday (August 19). However the Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (Pirc), which advises institutional investors, criticised Stagecoach’s move and called shareholders to oppose the package at the company’s AGM at Perth Concert Hall on August 26. Pirc said changing the terms for tax reasons as well as making up the difference after an adjustment is
against its best practice guidelines. A Stagecoach spokesperson responded: “The approach taken ensured the original performance criteria were applied to the awards.” “Frankly, we find Pirc’s explanations unclear, inconsistent and illogical and we would advise
shareholders to ignore them. “Other investor bodies, such as the ABI, RREV and Manifest have not expressed the same concerns as Pirc and we continue to believe this was an appropriate use of the discretion of the Remuneration Committee.”
Stagecoach chief executive Brian Souter is to receive £51m return
20% fall in bus patronage, forecasts pteg report A new report for pteg has forecasted a bleak picture of patronage decline and fares increases for urban bus services outside London by 2014. The report ‘Underpinning Policy: Modelling bus subsidy in English Metropolitan Areas’ conducted by MVA Consultancy has used what pteg describes as “the most sophisticated modelling tool for forecasting the impact of public spending reductions”, at an aggregate level, across the bus markets in Britain’s six largest urban areas outside London. It forecasts that between 2009 and 2014: Patronage will decline by 20%; Fares will increase by 24% above the rate of inflation; and Service kilometres will decline by 19%. The impact of this decline on the wider economy will be an increase www.coachandbusweek.com
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in urban congestion costs of £68m. This forecast decline will reflect a continuation of recent trends. The latest available DfT figures show that in the metropolitan areas bus patronage fell by 2.9% between 09/10 and 10/11. “These results show the trend towards rising fares and falling demand, observed over the past decades in metropolitan areas, are likely to continue into the foreseeable future,” the report concluded. “If anything, this trend is likely to be compounded by the current economic climate and confirmed cuts in central and local government services.” The report also looks at what the implications would be if the Competition Commission were to be entirely successful in reducing excess profits and competition failure in the industry. These scenarios necessarily require a more complex set of
A business as usual bus policy from government will result in bus service decline, says Cllr Mark Dowd, chair of the group of six ITAs assumptions, said pteg. However it said the modelling exercise suggests reductions in service levels (even with government spending cuts) would be substantially reduced, fare levels would not increase and patronage decline would slow down. Commenting on the report, Cllr Mark Dowd, chair of the group of six Integrated Transport Authorities
Stagecoach finance director Martin Griffiths added: “Our shareholders have made it very clear that they like this – what they don’t like is companies that become fat and lazy and sit on piles of cash.” The company last made a payment to shareholders in 2007 when it returned £700m. Reflecting on the decision, Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, commented: “As long as trains and buses are part of the private sector then of course companies will make payouts on their profits, and that’s the way it is. But Stagecoach does invest in its bus fleets and in many cases runs good services on the ground.” Stagecoach also released an interim management statement on August 19 showing good growth since April 30 and suggested it was on course to meet profit expectations for the next year. The group’s UK Bus division saw 2% growth for the 12 weeks ended July 24, 2011. In North America the company saw growth of 12.7% for the three months ended July 31. The company also saw growth in its two other business areas: UK rail operations and its joint venture with Virgin Rail Group. (ITAs) said: “It gives a clear warning that without policy change we face further vertiginous decline in bus services which will have significant impact on traffic congestion, social division, carbon emissions and on the ability of our cities to play their full part in rebalancing the national economy.” He added: “As ITAs we have a big job to do in working with bus operators to ensure these forecasts do not become reality. “However, we also need the government and the Competition Commission to do their bit by taking a long hard look at both current levels of support for bus services and how it can be most effectively deployed to make every pound count. Dowd concluded: “A business as usual bus policy from government will mean bus service decline as usual – with the most vulnerable in our society the ones who will lose out. What this report shows is that without policy change from government we will be continually trying to run up a downward escalator of funding cuts.”
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NEWS › INTERNATIONAL
Hamburg takes 4 Fuel Cell buses Hamburg is taking early steps to begin the introduction of a zero emission transport system GERMANY Daimler’s bus of the future is up and running in Hamburg – ultra-quiet and with zero emissions. Hamburger Hochbahn AG has acquired four Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL Hybrids under the German “NaBuZ demo” scheme to promote sustainable bus systems for the future. Three more buses are to follow next year. Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses, handed over the first two buses of this new generation to Günter Elste, CEO of Hamburger Hochbahn AG, in the presence of Olaf Scholz, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and Rainer Bomba, undersecretary at the German ministry of transport. “With the new FuelCELL Hybrid vehicles, Hamburg is once again assuming a pioneering role. This transport company has already made a name for itself and acquired good experience with its trials in Europe of fuel cell buses from the previous generation. Passengers and drivers were also delighted with the new technology,” said Hartmut Schick at the handover ceremony.
CITARO FUELCELL HYBRID The new generation Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid features a number of key innovations in comparison to the fuel cell buses which went into trial operation in Hamburg in 2003: hybridisation with energy recovery and storage in lithium-ion batteries, powerful electric motors in the wheel hubs offering a continuous output of 120 kW, electrified auxiliary units and more advanced fuel cells. The latter are designed for an extended service life of at least six years or 12,000 operating hours. The fuel cell stacks of the new Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid are identical to those of the MercedesBenz B-Class FCELL with fuel cell drive, which is also being put to the test by customers in Hamburg. As on the earlier fuel cell buses, the two stacks are already installed on the vehicle’s roof. They are now accompanied by the lithium-ion batteries which store energy recovered during braking. www.coachandbusweek.com
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One of four Citaro fuel cell buses for Hamburg (above); Hartmut Schick introduces the FuelCELL (below)
With the electric power from this energy accumulator, the new Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid is able to run for several kilometres on battery power alone. The concept behind the new FuelCELL bus essentially corresponds to Mercedes-Benz BlueTec Hybrid buses which are in service in Hamburg. A key difference is that the latter derive their electric power from a diesel generator, while in the new FuelCELL buses the fuel cells generate the electricity for the drive motors, without producing any emissions at all. The improved fuel cell components and the hybridisation with lithium-ion batteries result in a reduction of almost 50% in hydrogen consumption for the new Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid
in comparison to the previous generation. As a result, it has been possible to reduce the number of tanks from the total of nine on board the fuel cell buses deployed in earlier trials in Hamburg to seven on the current vehicles, holding 35 kg of hydrogen in all. The fuel cell bus has a range of around 250 kilometres. The drive system with the fuel cells is virtually maintenance-free and has a very long service life. Daimler claims these diverse technical advances bring buses running on electric power alone with fuel cells as energy generators a major step closer. Günter Elste, CEO of Hamburger Hochbahn AG observed: “According to all the forecasts, 20 to 25 years from now mineral oil and, in turn, diesel will be in short supply and too expensive to be a viable fuel for buses. From the coming decade on, HOCHBAHN aims to purchase only electrically driven zero-emission buses. Commissioning this new generation of buses represents an important step on the road to electric mobility.” Hartmut Schick, head of Daimler Buses, noted: “Hamburger Hochbahn AG displays a great commitment to sustainability in all areas, from the generation of energy to its sustainable use. We
at Daimler Buses have similarly defined sustainability as a leading corporate objective.”
THE NABUZ DEMO PROJECT Demonstration of the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid buses as part of the “NaBuZ demo” project is to take place on HOCHBAHN’s regular services. The project is integrated into the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP). The NaBuZ project receives funding through the federal transport ministry’s National Innovation Programme (NIP). NIP is co-ordinated by NOW GmbH. There will also be close co-operation with the European CHIC project, in which 26 fuel cell buses are being run in five European cities. Daimler Buses’ involvement in the NaBuZ demo project and the CHIC project follows on from the European Union’s successful CUTE and HyFLEET:CUTE projects which were staged from 2003 to 2009 where 36 Mercedes-Benz Citaros fitted with second-generation fuel cell drives put in an excellent showing in operation with twelve transport companies on three continents. Mercedes-Benz buses demonstrated the practical viability of the environmentally friendly fuel cell drive over more than 140,000 operating hours covering more than 2.2 million kilometres.
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nEWS › REGIONAL
nORTHERn IRELAnD
There will be changes to some bus services and stops in Belfast from September 1 which will see some Metro bus stops relocated and alterations to some routes. It is part of the Northern Irish government’s plan to keep traffic volume down in Belfast and provide more space for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. The work includes changes to traffic flows in the city’s Queen Street, Castle Street and Upper Queen Street. NI regional development minister Danny Kennedy said: “This is the first step in delivering a city centre where access by public transport is given a much higher priority and the street environment is tailored to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists rather than the private car.” Social development minister Nelson McCausland added: “Belfast city centre is going through a major transformation to make it a more pleasant, accessible and safe place for pedestrians and cyclists.”
nORTH
An MP has called on Stagecoach to use profits to subsidise less viable services in Hartlepool. Hartlepool is one of the worst affected areas to suffer from government cuts passed on the local authorities, with Hartlepool Borough Council cutting £287,000 from its bus service support budget earlier this year. Hartlepool MP Iain Wright made the claim in a Channel 4 News programme about the parliamentary cross-party transport committee’s recent report into bus service cuts, as featured in CBW999. Mr Wright said: “I think it’s important if they can run the profitable routes they should also have a sense of social responsibility and run those socially essential, possibly economically vital to the town bus routes that may not make a profit. “Why should any bus operator keep running these routes if they are not making a profit? “I don’t think Stagecoach shouldn’t be making a profit, but they are making – as they boast – sector-leading profits. They should be putting something back.” A Stagecoach spokesman told the programme: “We are unable to www.coachandbusweek.com
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KEY
SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST
support every unprofitable service in the same way local and central government is unable to fund all services we would like to see in our local communities.” Municipally-owned Warrington Borough Transport, otherwise known as Network Warrington, has given local schools and colleges the ability to issue tickets on site. Students need a passport sized photograph and proof of age to be able to buy the tickets, which are valid all day, every day and are priced at £29 per month for the full network, or £22.50 for the Warrington Town area. Commenting on the tickets, managing director David Squire said: “We are seeking to encourage greater use by making tickets easier to purchase at a range of schools and colleges across Warrington”. An Arriva bus caught fire in Easington Colliery near Peterlee on August 16. The driver was informed and passengers evacuated just as the engine at the back of the singledecker burst into flames. Fire crews were called to tackle the fire and police closed the affected road for one hour. Firefighters managed to contain the fire to the engine compartment, but the back of the bus did suffer smoke damage. A spokesman for Peterlee Fire Station said: “It was lucky that a passing motorist spotted the smoke
coming out of the rear of the bus. “The driver and passengers had all managed to get off safely by the time we arrived.”
WALES
A new bus station has opened in Llanelli, a month ahead of schedule as part of a £60m redevelopment of the town centre. Work on the station was part of the first phase of the Eastern Gateway development in the town and was built and completed by construction company Britannia. Open-top bus rides toured the developments on August 16 allowing members of the public to see the progress of work. Carmarthenshire council’s executive board member for transport, Philip Hughes, said: “The bus station will play such an important part in delivering people directly into a new busy centre for Llanelli. “Britannia will, with the closure of the old bus station in the coming weeks, make headway into the second important phase of this magnificent development which bodes so well for Llanelli’s economic future.” Developer Henry Davidson Ltd is expected to complete the gateway development by the end of 2012.
MIDLAnDS
Leicester City Council is putting together a panel group to involve a range of parties
in future decisions concerning public transport. The panel will report directly to the mayor and will be chaired by deputy city mayor. The panel will also include operators, the Campaign for Better Transport, councillors, representatives of groups for older and young people, disability organisations, and representatives from the business community. The first panel meeting is due to take place on October 4. Councillor Palmer said: “We want people from all walks of life across the city to have much more of a say in the way public transport is run and establishing this panel will give them that power. “We will work together to hold the major bus operators to account and ensure that people who use those services get to play a role in decision-making process.” Terry Kirby, chairman of the Campaign for Better Transport in Leicestershire and Rutland, said: “We welcome the launch of the bus users’ panel and look forward to contributing actively to it, since there are a number of issues we wish to raise.” Leicester’s new OneCard is being introduced for 160,000 concessionary pass holders on Arriva buses across Leicestershire next month. The smart ticketing system was officially launched by City Mayor Peter Soulsby and deputy mayor Councillor Rory Palmer on August 15. Arriva Midlands spokesman Keith Myatt said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the first bus operator to run the OneCards. It should make loading passengers much quicker.” Sir Peter said: “The OneCards are absolutely brilliant. I know in London people say they would not want to be without their Oyster Cards. “I hope people in Leicester will be saying the same of OneCards before too long. “Initially this will be used by existing concessionary bus passengers but the potential to expand this technology to enable people to access all sorts of services is enormous.” Longer term there are proposals to extend the government funded card to allow access to other public amenities. Pupils using school services in Warwickshire will be
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unable to buy tickets if not carrying a bus pass from September. Some services previously allowed students not entitled to free transport to pay a daily fare or buy a pass directly from the operator. However, the change in rules means only students with passes issued by Warwickshire County Council will be able to travel, including pupils entitled to free transport or those who have previously bought a pass under the authority’s vacant seats policy. Free transport will continue to be provided for students with a legal entitlement to it. Councillor Heather Timms, responsible for children, young people and families policy, said changes were necessary for several reasons. She said: “We have to reduce spending while ensuring that the council gets value for money and most importantly that students are transported safely.”
SOUTH EAST
A bus lane camera in Hemel Hempstead caught 3,000 drivers over the first two days of a new enforcement scheme. A potential £180,000 in fines has
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Coach & Bus Week takes a look at the big issues where you live in our round-up of the regions. If you’ve got a local issue you would like us to cover, contact James Ingrey at james.ingrey@rouncymedia.co.uk.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
been collected over the weekend of August 13-14 despite copious warnings and signs instructing drivers not to enter the lanes. One example -Moor End Road has been technically restricted to buses and taxis since a recent development took place and cars are only supposed to use it to access a car park. The local authority started enforcing the restriction from August 8 because services were being delayed because so many car drivers used the lane to bypass traffic queues, forcing controversial route changes in the borough. Stuart Pile, cabinet chief for highways and transport at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “This is very disappointing as we have put up clear signs in the area announcing the traffic restriction and had widespread coverage in the local media. “However, it does show the extent of the problem and the impact this has inevitably had on buses and the surrounding transport network. “Offenders will receive a penalty charge of £60, which will be halved if they pay within two weeks of receiving the penalty notice.”
2011 n August 27 Ensignbus Vintage Running Day. www.ensignbus.com n August 27-28 100 years of Crosville buses. Glyndyfyrdwy station, Llangollen Railway. Organised by Matt Davies 0772 505 2659, matt@nwmort.co.uk n September 10-11 Bus Driver of the Year. Blackpool. 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 11 Leicester Bus Running Day. Organised by the Leicester Transport Heritage Trust. Abbey Pumping Station Museum, Leicester. www.ltht.org.uk
CPT Scotland’s popular Annual Conference will be held at the Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire between September 12 and 13. Pictured here are some of the delegates at last year’s event.
n September 12 – 13 CPT Scotland Annual Conference. Crieff Hydro Hotel, Perthshire. 0131 2722150, conference2011@ cpt-uk.org
n November 7-10 World Travel Market. ExCeL, London. www.wtmlondon.com
n September 14 - 15 UK Bus Awards Annual Conference & Short-List Announcement. Rutland Square Hotel, Nottingham www.ukbusawards.co.uk n September 18 Showbus. RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire. rally@ showbus.com. www.showbus.com
n November 29 UK Bus Awards. Hilton Park Lane, London. www.ukbusawards.org.uk
2012
n September 21-22 Group Leisure & Travel Trade. NEC, Birmingham. 01908 613323. www.leisureshow.com
n January 26, 2011 CPT Annual Dinner. Hilton Park Lane, London. www.cpt-uk.org
n October 2 Cat and Fiddle Cycle Challenge. Contact John Johnson at john@johnsonscoaches.co.uk
n March 14 – 15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk
n October 5-6 Coach and Bus Live. NEC. 01926 833052. www.coachandbuslive.com n October 9 Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust Annual Open Day. Fordneuk Street, Glasgow. www.gvvt.org n October 16 Bus & Classic Vehicle Rally. Oxford Bus Museum, Long Hanborough, Witney, Oxfordshire. www. oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk
A new ‘zigzag play’ ticket for supporters of both Notts County and Nottingham Forest was introduced before the two teams met for a Carling Cup match on August 9. The £4.50 ticket was launched by trent barton and provides unlimited travel before 0900hrs on match days, guaranteed to passengers with a valid football match ticket for either of Nottingham’s two rival teams. The scheme also offers a £10 group ticket of up to five people of any age. Alex Hornby, commercial director at trent barton, explained: “Everyone was excited about this first meeting of our two local sides since 1994. We launched this new travel scheme in time for the big match at the City Ground. It eases worries over parking about about not being able to enjoy a drink before or after the game.” Ticket holders for Nottingham Panthers games and events at the Capital FM Arena and Derby Live will also soon qualify for the scheme and trent barton expects other venues to join in the near future.
n November 22 SMMT Annual Dinner. Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London. 0808 1788818. annualdinner@smmt.co.uk
n Oct 18-21 Course on Bus and Crew Scheduling. Birmingham. courses@qv-associates.com. Call QV Associates on 01905 613527. n October 20 2011 Trapeze UK User Conference. Radisson Hotel, Manchester Airport. 0844 561 6771. www.trapezegroup.co.uk n October 21-26 Busworld. Kortrijk, Belgium. www.busworld.org n October 23 The Very Best of London Buses. The first event at the new London Bus Museum (Cobham) at Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey. www.lbpt.org
n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey. Istanbul Expo Center, Turkey www.busworldturkey.com/en/ index.html n April 24-26 CV Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01634 261262. www. cvshow.com n May 22-23 ALBUM Conference. – preliminary notice. Venue in ‘North Lincolnshire’ to be confirmed. www.album-bus.co.uk n September 20-27 IAA Commercial Vehicles. Hannover. +(00)49 30897842. www.iaa.de 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
Do you have an event to promote? Send details to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
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NEWS › TOURISM
3,000
Number of people events spaces at the Lancaster London can host
BRIEFLY Aladdin is running at the St Helens Theatre Royal from Friday December 2 – Sunday January 8, 2012. The entertaining family pantomime stars ‘Master of Illusions’ Richard De Vere as the evil Abanazer accompanied by Coronation Street’s Nick Cochrane as Aladdin. The TV celebrities will be ably supported by a cast of local acting talent. Tickets start at £11, £2 off for concessions and family tickets from £37. For more information, call 01744 756 000. The annual Scarefest returns to the Alton Towers Resort this October. Favourite rides and activities featured in the Halloween festival at the amusement park will include the Boiler House, Carnival of Screams and the Tower of Terror. There will be a Franklin’s freaky farm especially for younger children and Scarefest characters Scarefest, Skelvin, Franklin, Patch, and Phil will welcome guests to the event. The resort hotels will have a Halloween kids club and spooky story times with Darwin the Dodo. Visitors to Scarefest will also be able to ride Alton Towers’ regular attractions. These include the famous rollercoasters Nemesis, Oblivion, Air, Rita and the hair-raising experience of the ‘world’s first’ free fall drop coaster TH13TEEN. The Theme Park is open daily 1000–2100hrs until November 6. Scarefest runs from October 15 to 31. Further information is available on the attraction’s website: www. altontowers.com. Alternatively, call the resort on 0871 222 3330. This year’s winner of the art world’s noted Turner Prize will be announced on December 5 and the work of the four finalists will be on display at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art from October 21 to January 8, 2012. The artists making this year’s shortlist are Karla Black, Martin Boyce, Hilary Lloyd and George Shaw. The Baltic is a major international centre for contemporary art situated on the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead, north-east England. The doors open daily between 1000–1800hrs, admission is free. Call 0191 478 1810 for more information about the exhibition. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Bristol’s Cabot Tower reopened to visitors Tower offers views of city after restoration and repair work Visitors can once again climb up the historic narrow stairway of Bristol’s Cabot Tower after re-opening to the public in August. Cabot Tower offers views of the city and landscape beyond and was closed in November 2007 after cracks were found in the iconic Victorian structure and masonry. Around £400,000 has been invested in specialist repairs to the tower. Major works to the tower included: identifying the cause of the cracking; stabilising and containing the movement of the tower; appointing a specialist architect and contractors with the skills and expertise in historic building conservation to undertake the work; consultation with English Heritage to identify a planned programme of works; creating a ‘cage’ of scaffolding around the tower during the works; and restoring the earthworks and Civil War fortifications around the foot
of the tower. “I am really pleased to see Cabot Tower open again,” said Simon Cook, Bristol’s executive member for capital projects. “Cabot Tower has a very special place in the history of the city
The Cabot Tower has been closed for restoration work since 2007
and it was vitally important any restoration works undertaken were correct. Our investment in this historic monument underpins our commitment to caring for Bristol’s landmarks.” Andrew Vines, planning director, English Heritage South West, added: “It’s wonderful to see Cabot Tower open to the public again. The iconic Tower is looking splendid and stands as a reminder of Bristol’s link to its rich maritime past and its place in the world.” Simon Cartlidge of Simon Cartlidge Architects, said: “So many people in Bristol have been eagerly looking forward to Cabot Tower’s reopening. The work has been quite specialised with attempts to discover the original Victorian detail and methods of construction. I’m confident the restoration and repairs we have put in place will stand the test of time.” Cabot Tower is open to visitors every day apart from Christmas Day & New Year’s Day and entry is free.
New look for London hotel The events spaces at the Lancaster London hotel are undergoing a major £10m refurbishment to be completed on September 5. The hotel’s Nine Kings and Westbourne banqueting suites are two of the largest in Europe and will be transformed with new kitchens serving plated meals instead of silver service. According to the hotel’s management, this different approach to catering will give chefs full control over not only the presentation of their food but also the quality. It will also ensure far more efficient service. The entrance foyer is also being remodelled and will have a marble floor and mother-of-pearl glass mirror panels framed by ziricote veneer panels, a rarely-used dark wood from Central America. The suites will keep their 18
The newly refurbished Lancaster London hotel overlooks Hyde Park drop-glass chandeliers, each measuring 2m by 2m. A new carpet will reflect the Asian influences of the hotel and there will be fullheight, silk pleated drapes at the high windows which overlook Hyde Park. For more information, visit www.lancasterlondon.com
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NEWS › TOURISM
10% 1812 Employment in Scotland supported by tourism
Longleat offers more attractions Longleat has announced more plans for 2012, adding to an investment of over £5m in a series of new features for the 2011 season. First time events for Longleat include a week-long Halloween Spookfest (October 22 - 31) and fireworks displays (October 28 – 29, November 4 - 5). A new ‘Christmas at Longleat’ event (selected dates between November 18 - January 2) includes a giant real ice-skating rink, unique 40ft musical Christmas tree, and a traditional Christmas market with festive food and fayre. New attractions still to open this year include Pedal Boats on the Longleat lakes and six Cheetahs, due to arrive in the next few weeks. For 2012 new attractions include a new Gorilla Island, the new Watering Hole and continuing work on the ‘Anne the Elephant Sanctuary’. “We’re delighted with the positive response we have been getting from visitors about all the new attractions and events we have launched this year,” said David Bradley, Longleat Enterprises CEO. For more information, visit www.longleat.co.uk
The birth year of author Charles Dickens, whose bicentenary will be celebrated next year
DIESEL PRICES
Cost per litre in pence: Great Britain Sweden Greece Belgium Czech Republic Ireland France Italy Netherlands Germany Hungary Portugal Austria Spain Poland Slovenia Luxembourg
139.80 135.16 128.81 126.96 126.45 125.90 125.64 123.88 123.35 122.82 120.01 118.41 116.74 111.09 110.25 108.71 104.04
HOLIDAY POUND £1 will get you: Euro 1.14 Switzerland (Franc) 1.30 Norway (Kroner) 8.50 Hungary (Forint) 312.00 Czech Republic (Koruna) 28.00 Poland (Zloty) 4.77
DEALS OF THE WEEK A Dickens Christmas market will take place in the grounds of Rochester Castle over four weekends this winter. During the Christmas market the castle walls will be illuminated in traditional Christmas colours and the trees lit with Christmas lights. There will be street entertainers and Dickensian characters as well as bands and carol singers to entertain visitors to the market. Groups can gain free entry to nearby attractions which feature in Dickens’ novels such as Rochester Castle mentioned in The Pickwick Papers. Other Rochester landmarks include the Guildhall which appears in Great Expectations and Satis House from the same novel, which is inspired by Rochester’s
The Dickens Christmas market at Rochester Castle displays many of the authors famous characters Restoration House. The Castle itself is a rare example of Norman architecture in England and its keep is one of the tallest in the country with walls up
New exhibitions at Compton Verney Compton Verney, the art gallery in a renovated 18th-century mansion in Warwickshire, has announced it it is to hold two new exhibitions – one of paintings and drawings by a favourite illustrator, the other a celebration of fireworks. ‘Quentin Blake – As Large as Life’ brings together more than 60 works by one of Britain’s most successful illustrators who is best known for his work in Roald Dahl children’s books. There will also be a specially commissioned family room decorated with examples of Blake’s illustrations for Dahl’s books and his recent designs for wallpapers. The other exhibition, ‘Remember, remember - A history of fireworks,’ will be the first to explore Britain’s November 5th celebrations through the history of fire festivals, the ‘gunpowder plot’ of 1605 and a collection of the advertising materials and packaging of domestic fireworks from the 20th century. Visitors will also be able to see the extensive collection of old fireworks collected by Maurice Evans, now in his eighties and a
to 3.6 metres (12 feet) thick. Entrance is free but there is special group package on offer for a pre-booked price of £6.95. The offer includes a morning visit to Chatham Outlet Centre, a performance of A Christmas Carol at Dickens World and a visit to the Christmas market including complimentary seasonal refreshments. The castle is open 1000– 1600hrs in November and December and the Christmas market is held from Thursday to Sunday between November 24 and December 18. ■ To book free coach parking, call 01634 338118 or visit www. dickenschristmasmarket.com for more information. From September this year there is a 20% discount for pre-booked groups of 20 or more at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The railway operates steam trains along an 18 mile line
A collection of fireworks will be on show at the art gallery firework collector since his early childhood. Compton Verney has six permanent collections as well as a changing exhibition programme. The mansion stands in 50 hectares (120 acres) of Grade 2 listed classical parkland, designed by the eminent landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. The two exhibitions run from October 15 to December 11. The house is open Tue–Sun 1100–1700hrs until December 11. Visit www. comptonverney.org.uk
between the market town of Pickering and the village of Grosmont, through the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and is one of the most historic lines in the north of England. With origins as an important trade link between Pickering and Whitby, the full stretch of the line opened in 1836 and operated its last passenger service in 1965. NYMR’s 175 years of history is a great learning resource and as it is an accredited museum, it is ideal for educational group visits. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway Learning Team provides led sessions, talks, guided walks, practical activities, and object handling for groups of all ages and abilities, as well as support and information for self-directed visits. There is also free entry for coach drivers. ■ For more information or to book tickets, call 01751 472508.
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dEAlEr inAUgUrAtiOn › irizar UK
Irizar UK launched Coach & Bus Week’s Martin Cole reports on the official launch of Irizar UK at its shared Worksop premises alongside Johnson Bros Tours and Master Part
O
ver the last few years the Spanishbased Irizar coachbuilding concern has become one of the largest such manufacturers in Europe and also the world. Now it has opened its own UK sales facility (August 17, at Worksop) and will be offering Irizar i4, i6 and PB models from 12.2m to 15m long powered by DAF Paccar PR or MX engines. Irizar’s global aspirations have also seen the establishment of joint venture partnerships involving technology transfer or direct manufacturing facilities. It now has major interests in Morocco, Brazil, Israel, China, South Africa, Mexico and India – all serving as local hubs to supply local markets and wider export opportunities. In the UK, Irizar is now a familiar and respected name. It has been supplying coaches here since 1994 and now there are over 1500 in service with British operators. Until now, the only available options have been for Irizar Century derivatives, the flagship PB models and latterly the i4 and i6 – all based on Scania chassis. The exclusive arrangement enjoyed by Scania and Irizar remains in place and there are no plans to bring in any Irizar UK vehicles built on chassis – for the foreseeable future. Sales Director Ian Hall said: “We have no plans for vehicles on chassis. We see a clear advantage in offering integral products. They are lighter, which means higher payload and greater fuel economy, along with reduced emissions, for a start. Other benefits include design advantages such as the
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convenient positioning of ancillary equipment and creating better access to components for easier maintenance.” Blessed by bright sunshine and the turnout of a broad mix of invited guests, the opening ceremony for the UK’s newest coach dealership proved a real success for all concerned. Operators attending the event included existing and prospective clients for the Irizar brand who found two i6 coaches to browse around and inspect. They were also at liberty to tour the facility and gain an impression of the level of support on offer. Ian Hall said: “This is very much a return to old fashioned values. It’s quite clear the current specification on models coming into the UK is geared towards the large fleet buyers and express-style operation. We hope to restore the individuality and make use of Irizar’s creative nature to innovate and, as they have always sought to do, work with the customer to ensure each coach matches the customer’s requirements exactly. “This includes a visit to the factory and a chance to sit with the interior design and livery specialists to pick colours and materials. A tour of the production area also gives customers confidence in the build process. We believe this results in happier customers who end up with a coach they’ve had a hand in developing and really want to own.” Irizar UK is sharing the Worksop premises with local operator Johnson Bros. The operator acquired the premises following Esker’s demise as an extension to its highly successful contract maintenance business it established through Redfern Travel. The Redfern facility not only maintains
The Buzzlines i6 takes centre stage at the official opening of Irizar UK at Worksop
Irizar UK team: Gorka Azcona (sales manager), Gotzon Gomez (irizar export sales director), Steven O’Neill and Ian Hall
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in-house vehicles it provides support for other coach and bus operators, the haulage sector and local authority fleets. The shared location means Irizar UK has office space, half the showroom and access to workshop facilities for pre-delivery inspection, warranty issues, repair or maintenance. Johnsons use the showroom and office facilities as a travel and tour bookings office while much of the facility is occupied by its recently created Master Part business. This is a spare parts supply service for truck and bus operators and, through the agreement, is now the official UK spares importer for Irizar – although this does not impinge on existing arrangements with Scania
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GB. Master Part has initially made a significant 100,000 euro investment in Irizar spare parts and these are already on the shelves at Worksop.
Prospects
Sales targets for Irizar UK are, according to Ian Hall, 20 units for the first year, 3 for year two and 50 for year three. This emulates the initial order projection for the brand when it was introduced in 1994. The first year actually saw 29 Century models delivered – such was the appeal. Irizar owns the majority of shares in Irizar UK and will retain places on the board of management. Ian Hall is sales director and Steve O’Neill is commercial director. Pleased with the turnout for the
launch of the new business, Steve O’Neill said: “I’m delighted to see all these people here. It certainly underlines our faith in the Irizar product. Importantly, there were a number of finance providers here and they are very keen to get in on the business. As a result, we believe they will be forthcoming with funding packages which are readily available and without the huge differential which currently exists in interest rates between tier one and tier two customers. Commonly, finance packages today make it very expensive for smaller, family-owned and run operations, making it almost impossible for them to compete effectively in the marketplace.” Pricing for the new range
Sales director Ian Hall welcomes guests to the opening ceremony www.coachandbusweek.com
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DEALER INAUGURATION › IRIZAR UK
of Irizar integral coaches starts at around £209,000 for a 12.2m i4 equipped with a DAF PR265 engine and ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox. The coaches commonly come with Dana rear axles, ZF steering and ZF-Sachs suspension and a comprehensive safety package including ECAS, ABS, ASR, ESP and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Other features such as lane departure warning and active cruise control systems are optional. Grayson Thermal Systems supply the cooling packs for all models and Irizar-owned Hispacold provide air conditioning systems. Multiplexed 24v electronics are sourced from Continental-VDO. All the integral range of Irizar coaches is now engineered to meet stricter rollover requirements of R66.01.
Product range
On display at the premises were two examples of the i6. In the showroom, a metallic blue 12.9m model, the first new integral Irizar sold to a UK customer, will be delivered to Kent-based Buzzlines in September. This coach is powered by the Euro 5 12.9 litre DAF MX300 which produces 409bhp @ 1,900rpm and delivers 2,000Nm of torque between 1,000 and 1,410rpm. It is matched with a ZF AS-Tronic automated manual gearbox. EEV versions of the drivetrain are available and require the installation of a passive smoke filter. In 12.2m form, the i6 can seat 53 passengers when a toilet compartment is specified – or 55 without. Opting for the smaller, lighter PR engine allows 55 seats plus a toilet. The other vehicle on show was a 12.2m version built to super-high
The first i6 sold by Irizar UK is this 13.9m DAF MX300 powered example for Kent-based Buzzlines
“In addition to specifying what we believe will be highly popular, the aspirational nature of what we are doing means we will not be bringing in vehicles painted in stock white and tinted glass will be standard.” Steve O’Neill Commercial director, Irizar UK
This 12.2m i6 is 3.7m high and offers substantial luggage capacity
specification at 3.7m tall. Carrying a similar drivetrain, it was built to show the advantages of integral construction combining low weight with considerably enhanced luggage capacity. Ahead of cutting the ribbon to the showroom entrance, Irizar export sales director Gotzen Gomez said: “Irizar is expanding its availabilty in the UK to protect its market share. The direction taken by vehicle OEMs which sees them increasingly introducing in-house products is diminishing our market. For this reason we are launching the integral versions of the i4, i6 and PB and effectively taking on the role of being the vehicle manufacturer.” Support for the Irizar integral
range will be provided by DAFaid. All the integrals will be covered by a two-year bumper to bumper warranty and carry a five-year anti-corrosion warranty. Irizar UK will be seeking to widen support through the appointment of additional service agents. These will be selected on certain criteria which include adequate facilities, assured quality and operating experience of Irizar coaches. Steve O’Neill commented: “In addition to specifying what we believe will be highly popular, the aspirational nature of what we are doing means we will not be bringing in vehicles painted in stock white and tinted glass will be standard.”
Front seating is tiered to promote better views from the rear
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FACE TO FACE › stephen barber
It’s a kind of magic With 45 years working in and on the coach industry, Stephen Barber - the former managing director of Wallace Arnold and CPT director of coaching - has much to say. He spoke to Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon about his career and fond memories.
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tephen Barber unashamedly describes himself as a grumpy old man – and views the coach industry with a ‘things aren’t what they used to be’ approach. On the other hand, at the age of 61, Stephen isn’t that old. He sees much good in the coach industry and he remembers the iconic Wallace Arnold (WA) coach firm - of which he was managing director - and his time there with great fondness, positivity and sparkle. He’s a character, a warm and fascinating one at that not afraid to speak his mind and the director of coaching at the Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT) since 2007 is a coach - and decidedly not bus - man through and through. It is difficult not to be impressed by the 38 years experience of working in the industry he has under his belt and as Stephen sips coffee from his ‘I love Grandad’ mug in the CPT’s offices in London – having travelled down from Leeds earlier in the day – he speaks ten to the dozen about how he got where he is today, and reminisces fondly on the bygone era of the coach industry of which he was a part. A by the by: any views expressed are Stephen’s own and not those of the CPT.
In the summer of 69
Stephen’s preference for working in coach and not bus came early on in his career. Born and bred in Huddersfield, Stephen avoided the “university treadmill” which people were encouraged to tread, because a boyhood enthusiasm for buses meant he had “always been attracted to working in the industry. After finishing his A levels, www.coachandbusweek.com
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Stephen wrote to the general manager of the Halifax Corporation bus company looking for a career in the bus industry. “I didn’t regard coaches worth talking about,” Stephen admits. However, he “only lasted 18 months at Halifax” because of a visit arranged to the new WA depot in Leeds. “I went the spring of 1969 and it was like being a child in a sweet shop. I thought ‘oh yes, this is what I want’.” And so he joined the firm as a traffic assistant. Stephen compares the regimented, clockwork side of bus operations with coaches. “The bus system runs itself – a bus from Victoria to Hackney runs every day of every year, each year. In the coach industry, every day is different – a challenge which I appreciated in the summer of ‘69 in June.” Stephen moved to different areas of the company and “did various jobs around the patch” at at head
Stephen Barber:
a brief history
Former managing director of Wallace Arnold, Stephen Barber joined the CPT as director of coaching in 2007. He started his career at the Halifax Corporation bus company where he worked for two years in the late 1960s before moving into coaching at Wallace Arnold where he spent 29 of his 38 years’ experience in the industry including a seven-year spell at National Holidays between 1978 and 1985. Stephen took early retirement from WA following the announcement of the merger with Shearings.
office in Leeds, spent periods of time at Scarborough and Castleford before he became assistant traffic manager in 1975/76. It was in 1978 he joined the National Bus Company, this time to work at National Holidays (NH). “There were a number of WA colleagues who moved there for a number of reasons – they were trying to reenergise the NH product and tried to get in a new broom to sweep it. “A lot of WA managers much to the disgust of staff were very successful and turned NH around.” 1985 saw the NH management team poached by WA, now looking to re-energise itself and, therefore, Stephen rejoined the firm. “In 1978 I left as assistant traffic manager and I went back as operations director in 1985 with the benefit of knowing everything about the company.”
Stephen Barber is a self-confessed “grumpy old man” and “luddite” and laments the loss of a hands-on approach in the modern technology and computer age
Leaving on a high note
With his new role as operations director, Stephen had more freedom and greater responsibility. “Now I could do everything – pre-1978 I couldn’t,” he explains. “I was responsible for the fleet, for buying, selling and negotiating on it and I had great fun – great fun! We took the company forward and ultimately, we achieved a management buyout in the late 1990s.” 3i – the capitalist venture company backed the buyout and Stephen was later appointed MD of the company. Shearings, the other big coach player of the time rivalling WA also had a management buyout. “It was always going to be the case that there would be a merger and one would take over the other or vice versa,” comments Stephen, though
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NAME: Stephen Barber AGE: 61 OCCUPATION: Director of coaching, CPT CONTACT: 0207 240 3131 www.cpt-uk.org
he later says it wasn’t so much a merger as the end of WA. “Numerous attempts were made and 3i put the two companies together – there was a huge overlap of costs, lots of synergies. It was a dream for a venture capitalist and for the accountants.” What was Stephen’s reaction to the merger? “I think I was philosophical. I spent most of my career at WA and WA was never going to be the same again. It was a good time to exit a great career.” And so, as actions speak louder than words, Stephen took early retirement at the age of 55. “I had a wonderful career, and met and worked with wonderful
“I am a luddite. I watch grumpy old men and it’s not a comedy, it’s a documentary. The world relies on computers – but there’s one thing a computer system doesn’t tell you: how to solve a problem.” Stephen Barber
people. I had been to Buckingham Palace twice, and Downing Street three times on the back of those magical letters WA. I had the privilege to work with some of the best staff in the coach holiday industry – management, drivers and engineering staff,” says Stephen passionately. “And sat back and I came to the conclusion that it’s not going to get any better than this – I’m going to draw a line; I’ve had the best of it. “We all get to our sell-by date and I left determined to enjoy early retirement,” he adds. Stephen got the chance to spend time with industry contacts he had made over an “enjoyable two years” and one of those was Simon Posner who he first met at the Department for Transport at the time. Stephen came to London for lunch and a chat on a regular basis, and at one such meeting Simon told Stephen he had been offered the job of chief executive at the CPT and wanted to strengthen up the organisations coaching structure. Even while drawing up a job description with Simon,
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FACE TO FACE › STEPHEN BARBER
Stephen didn’t twig it had his name on it. “I was still very naïve at this point and then he offered the job to me. Why would I want to come to London and stay over in a hotel? “Quite a few bottles of wine later, I agreed and that was in 2007 and now it’s 2011!” he comments.
The CPT is here to help!
“The CPT is a very different place in the five years I’ve been here what with new staff and various restructurings,” says Stephen who provides his perspective on the CPT on both the operator and director of coaching sides of the fence and is keen to emphasise the value of the organisation. “As an operator, I was very supportive of the CPT and sat on its committees. Even companies like WA, who are big enough and ugly enough to sort out their own problems, sought out the CPT’s advice. “It’s a bit like house insurance – you don’t expect to use it but when your house burns down you do. The CPT is a safety net and is here to give advice and try to stop something happening. The industry really does need the CPT. “It has a website which tells them everything they need to know and www.coachandbusweek.com
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Wallace Arnold, named after its founders Wallace Cunningham and Arnold Crowe, had a magic quality about it, says Stephen (pictured right)
“I had a wonderful career, and met and worked with wonderful people. I’ve been to Buckingham Palace twice and Downing Street three times on the back of those magical letters.” Stephen Barber
I get increasingly annoyed by those who say ‘why do we need to join’,” says Stephen letting rip. “Don’t if that’s your attitude – but it is worth paying the money to join. Goodness me when I look at the log of queries, the industry does need advice. I said it before I worked here and I’ll say it when I leave; whether it’s to be proactive or reactive, it’s worth paying the money.” “One frustration is those ringing in with basic questions who are non-members,” he adds. Stephen sees a lot of common
issues and problems faced by operators regardless of size and location. “I’ve always been involved in large companies and when I started to meet member operators through regional and national structures, in Scotland and Wales as well as England, I would say ‘don’t talk to me about big and little companies’. “If you have two coaches and I have 200 hundred coaches – the problems are the same,” he comments – it is the scale that differs. “There are benefits of being big but then the problems are bigger.” Stephen’s somewhat controversial and honest view is that VOSA, with whom he works very closely, were more interested in finding fault with the bigger operators rather than smaller “disreputable” operations. “If you held yourself up as being good, there was always someone trying to knock you down. There was no kudos in finding something wrong with a tin pot operator rather than finding a big company doing something wrong. “People say the big companies are getting away with murder – it doesn’t work like that and VOSA is now a lot better at
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FACE TO FACE › STEPHEN BARBER
targeting” At this point, Stephen emphasises: “These are the views of Stephen Barber and not the CPT director of coaching.”
A bygone era
Asked which ‘characters’ stand out from the industry for him, Stephen muses wistfully: “Sadly many have gone to the great coach company in the sky. When I joined WA in 1969, the garage foreman there said ‘things aren’t like they used to be’ and I have said the same thing. “I think characters flourish in an open environment. When you start to get overrun by regulations – there’s no room and people have to conform.” Stephen does pay tribute to the hands on approach of Eric Stockwell – WA’s engineering director who had been with the company since he was an apprentice. “He was widely regarded by manufacturers, and a large number of our orders were from Volvo. He was a strong engineer – very hands on and he was a character. He was far from politically correct but he was a man of his time and I think that is the greatest praise. Stephen continues: “He couldn’t deal with today’s laptop diagnostics. A driver rang him up from the continent - a coach was making a funny noise. ‘Do it over the phone’, said Eric. The driver attempted to make the noise over the phone and Eric diagnosed what the problem was. When the driver went to the local agent he identified the same problem! Eric was a shining and hands on engineer and great fun but in 2011 he wouldn’t be the same.”
A grumpy old man?
Stephen admits his own approach to technology: “I am a luddite. I watch grumpy old men and it’s not a comedy programme, it’s a documentary. The world relies on computers – but there’s one thing a computer system doesn’t tell you: how to solve a problem. As a nation and as an industry, we are losing the ability of hands on operational management.” Stephen says people need to act more and procrastinate, or in this case, email less. “Over the years I’ve had snotty emails from those who are brave when they press ‘send’ – it’s ‘not my problem syndrome’. “In the WA days I didn’t often lose my temper but there were two www.coachandbusweek.com
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staff sitting opposite each other. There was an issue about a hotel change which a driver needed to know. Staff ‘a’ sent an email to staff ‘b’ who didn’t check his emails. The driver turned up at the wrong hotel! “With each generation, more and more people fall into that category. Never mind ‘send me an email’ – do it – do it!” urges Stephen. Turning to his religious role, he says: “I’m a Methodist local preacher – I get annoyed at Church as well. They have discovered something called ‘enablers’ who tell me how to do something.” Stephen says his view is: “Don’t tell me how to do it – you do it! Another of Stephen’s annoyances, from his time in London: “I can’t believe people who walk up and down suburban trains when every seat is the same!”
A few anecdotes
Stephen relates a few yarns when asked about tales from the industry. “Drivers have some incredible stories because people get involved,” says Stephen. He also said good brochure production was key and required much attention to detail. “There are always things that a lot of people take for granted – you know so everybody else should know. The most complicated aspect of the coach holiday is the joining arrangement – the feeder network
Wallace Arnold:
and interchange. I knew it A to Z, the operators know it A to Z. We got out marketing manager to write the brochure – if he could understand and explain it then passengers can understand it.” “We had a big Christmas holiday programme, with many people returning to the same hotel every year. One Christmas an old lady came on a holiday to Torquay. The tradition on Christmas Eve was to go into town the day before for some last minute shopping before being picked up on 16.30hrs. This one lady went missing. The driver waited for the usual 15 minutes and no sign.” The driver rang up to say she was missing, dropped the others off and returned to the pick up point - still no sign. The police were called and there were no reports at about 17.30hrs. “About 21.00 the hotel in Torquay got a call from the company hotel in Bournemouth to say the lady had turned up in a taxi and could she stay as it would be too late to come back.” She had stayed at the Bournemouth hotel last year. It was agreed that she would be taxi-ed back on Christmas morning to the Torquay hotel. “It’s an extreme view of what happens,” says Stephen. Stephen draws on a recent holiday. “I’ve recently been on holiday with my wife and two friends – we have two short breaks a year. I enjoy
a brief history
Wallace Arnold was one of the UK’s largest holiday coach tour operators. It was founded in 1912 and was named after its founders Wallace Cunningham and Arnold Crowe. In 2005 Wallace Arnold merged with Shearings to become WA Shearings and in 2007 the Wallace Arnold name was dropped and the company became known as Shearings Holidays.
After 2005, Wallace Arnold in essence did not exist, says Stephen
staying at coach hotels with people on coach holidays. We stayed in Cromer with 120 people – with roughly 10 men and an average age of 75. “WA holidays used to have a three to one ratio – because it’s a fact of life, or rather a fact of death.
A sprinkling of stardust
Stephen’s proudest achievement is the mark he left on WA. “I started at WA as a traffic assistant and was the last managing director of the company which was formed in 1912 and the company was respected by both customers and staff,” he says. “There’s something special about it and I tried to ensure we didn’t damage this bit of magic that it had.” A monthly get together of retired drivers still continues as does an annual reunion in Harrogate where over 150 people attend. “It’s a reflection of the company – if we can get staff to look back with affection, it’s special. There are various other reunions because WA had something about it – although it was a plc, it was a family business and it was family controlled. “It had stardust sprinkled on it and I’ve been very lucky to have been a part of it and because of the people I worked with and what I saw. “WA in essence did not exist after 2005 – it was dressed up as a merger but it was the end of the company, however it will long be remembered. Friends and third parties would say to me ‘I’ve been to company x, y and z – it’s not like it used to be.” What did Stephen enjoy most about working in the coach industry? “The fact it changes every day. Bus industry friends forget they have an ongoing business – the coach tour business changes once or twice a year. You can have a wonderful year but there’s nothing to say this will happen next year when you put out a new product, and you put out a winter and a summer brochure. There is challenge every day. “I loved the environment – the challenge – no two days were ever the same,” continues Stephen. “People I respected were masters of what they did. When I was in senior management, we were bringing everyone all together to make sure we were all kicking balls in the same direction. A lot of it was just understanding what other people do.”
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1,400
inSigHt › olympics focus
Road closures enforced to clear the way for the recent practice Olympic cycle event
Who’s game for what?
With less than a year to go before the Olympic Games get underway, Coach and Bus Week’s James Ingrey takes a look at the progress for operators across the country running official London 2012 services www.coachandbusweek.com
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B
us and coach operators across the country will be playing a significant part in transporting some of the expected 1m people a day travelling to London and within the UK during next year’s London 2012 Olympic Games. The subject is not one which has suddenly appeared and organisers LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) have been busy keeping a firm grip on developments, planning every detail to ensure transport infrastructure and operations deliver the prized legacy of London 2012. Described by organisers as the “largest peacetime logistical operation of its kind” the challenge for the industry network is unprecedented. Large and small operators running contracts for LOCOG and ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) are leading the charge, providing from two to over
500 buses or coaches. LOCOG’s transport division has the ultimate responsibility to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the transport services delivered during the Games. It is directly responsible for planning and delivering transport services to Games Family clients. These clients will number around 89,000 people during the Games and include athletes, technical officials, media, marketing partners, members of the IOC and various sports federations such as Team USA. Following a tendering process the organising committee formally appointed 44 contractors in March from all over the UK and Ireland to provide over 1,250 coaches and buses together with drivers for widespread work at Olympic venues across the UK. Organisers and operators alike will certainly not want to see a repeat of previous Games transport experiences. The well publicised transport chaos of the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta were full of incidences involving dismayed
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9.2m
Tickets expected to be sold for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
drivers, lost coaches and lengthy delays. Thus Atlanta became known as the ‘Glitch Games’ and in one case, the British rowing team reportedly commandeered their coach as the untrained driver did not know the way to the Games venue. LOCOG want to avoid such examples of poor planning and implementation to protect the hard built reputations of TfL and the British coach and bus industry.
89,000
August 24, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 35
Members of the ‘Games Family’ including media, athletics teams and corporate sponsors
representatives and providing marshals at designated coach drop off and pick up facilities. Steve Jukes, Olympic project planner for Arriva/TGM, told CBW the grand task of assigning contracts to operators is well underway and the real project planning beginning to take effect with less than a year to go.
Steve was formerly strategy director at Birmingham-based The Green Bus, helping the company to develop a highly sophisticated approach to school transport which won national awards for innovation and delivered substantial levels of modal-shift. He sees his current responsibilities very much in line
Preparation
Arriva’s Tellings Golden Miller has been subcontracting coach charter work for 45, 49, 53, 29, 16 and 11-seaters from large and small coach operators on behalf of LOCOG for members of the ‘Games Family’ to use at agreed rates. The company has been charged with looking after the umbrella of work for corporate clients which includes operating bases, accommodation, bookings, fuel, parking permits, suitable pick up points at hotels and airports, training, managing relations with hirers through 24/7 client
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Arriva-owned Tellings Golden Miller has been charged with subcontracting coach charter work on behalf of LOCOG for members of the ‘Games Family’
with LOCOG’s aim for a public transport legacy to last beyond the 2012 Games, describing his role as “developing and directing the solutions to the transport challenges that we’ll all face in the next fifty years”. TGM and its contractors have been heavily involved with the series of test events being run by LOCOG, most recently the classic cycling race through London which took place on August 14. The 87mile long race was the first full scale exercise of road closures to allow the many cyclists and associated operations to pass through the capital uninterrupted. Although some areas along the route remained gridlocked and in some cases cars reportedly deserted in frustration with the delays, the race, in the main, did go to plan. Transport chaos in some areas is seemingly unavoidable unless motorists take notice of advanced TfL warnings and use public transport. Steve agrees that with large swathes of London shut
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INSIGHT › OLYMPICS FOCUS
down, this aspect of delivery was always going to be a challenge, in this case with 1,400 closed roads and many ignorant motorists. It is inescapable that whilst test events give indications as to what can be changed and improved, many factors cannot be replicated before the event itself takes place. What Steve describes as “the biggest coach movement of all time” is not something which fazes him. Indeed, it appears to be something Steve has been bred for. After all, it was he who investigated “approaches to transport opportunities of the mega-event” for his dissertation as part of an international planning postgraduate degree. “The benefits for London during the Games and with regards to a public transport legacy are different than other cities,” continued Steve. “The hope is there will be an increase in people taking up the use of public transport after the Games.” “The pre-planning has been on an enormous scale to great detail. The small things are also in place, for example, the way ticket holders are directed the quickest way to venues based on their postcode.” The CCP (Coach Charter Programme) contracts are for private hire and TGM has been taking orders from Olympics partners since April to provide over 500 vehicles a day and is in the process of sub-contracting out much of the work, subject to being vetted. As CBW went to press, 335 operators had expressed an interest
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in fulfilling CCP work likely to be for a 21 consecutive day hire period from July 24 and August 13 next year. The work is on a first come first serve basis with limited space for 200 operators but the figure is changing daily as more operators look to get on board. Does Steve have any fears for when the Games finally come around in 2012? “Not at all. It is a unique challenge but to be blunt this is why TGM has been awarded the contract. “We have had a clear project plan in place for a few years now and it is something currently being deployed. Since joining I have seen things really move forward.” Steve says the exclusivity of the TGM contract and supporting infrastructure will enable operations during the hectic period to run smoothly. Only vehicles
with the correct permits can travel within the official Olympic Route Network. A high speed express-way in will be in place to allow direct and crucially quick travel for the multitude of international sponsor companies, athletes and media passengers arriving in the UK at Heathrow to get to Stratford on time for strict deadlines. Steve said Arriva/TGM has partnered with American company TMS to contribute its experience to the task in hand. “TMS has operations experience from working at major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup and will really benefit our team in putting our plans into action.” Steve added the test events over the last few months have only buoyed confidence that the project can be delivered with aplomb. “The feeling is hard to put into
words but we can’t wait for the Games to get underway and are all really excited to take on this great challenge”, he continued. “When the Games is finished it will be a tremendous achievement for everyone and there is no reason why it can’t be achieved.” LOCOG have said the test events were proving invaluable for contracted operators to work in a live event environment despite routes and load zones being different to how they will be at Games-time, especially as there is no Olympic Route Network in place. “Operators have to work together to solve any issues which arise and the test events have also given our drivers the experience of working in this type of situation. Above all, these events have given us the opportunity to test the strength of our contracts and our contractors’ flexibility. “So far we have been delighted with our contractors and our teams work; it bodes very well for next year,” Steve concluded.
Opportunity for all
Independent operators running services during the Olympics include Cozys (above) and fellow Hertfordshire-based Sullivan Buses (below)
ODA Transport is responsible for delivering spectator transport for the Games, planning and delivering the Olympic and Paralympic Route Network; managing the Transport Co-ordination Centre (TCC) during Games time; and delivering transport infrastructure for the Games and effectively managing demand on transport networks during the summer of 2012. Transport for London (TfL) will facilitate the transport of spectators and workforce who will use the network of services during the Games. TfL will also manage the Olympic and Paralympic Route Networks used to transport the Games Family. Among the smaller companies involved in coach work for the ODA are Bakers Coaches, who like others have been delighted with some of the work tendered so far, which is undoubtedly satisfying given the highly competitive and prolonged process to secure the work. The company has tendered work including running public tours of the Olympic Park in London, where it provided eight coaches including two mobility vehicles. Games organisers have been very keen to stress the geographical spread of work across the UK to avoid any suggestion business opportunities are exclusively within the M25 boundary.
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Biddulph-based Bakers is a fitting example of this, providing coaches to run from the temporary Heathrow depot and primed to be on call for events taking place outside London - such as the Olympic football to be played at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. LOCOG commercial director Chris Townsend said the the event would become a prime example of integrated services from diverse areas all working for one goal – a successful Olympics. “What we’ve ended up with are companies from every nation and region providing some buses or coaches – from traditional family owned small companies to the large national bus firms – all coming together to help us make London 2012 as successful as possible.” Small companies are playing a great part in delivering the first “public transport Games”, and the work can be viewed as a fitting reward for companies which have toiled to gain Coach Marque accreditation or invested in meeting certain coach criteria such as Low Emission Zone requirements. W&H Motors, a small firm which has been trading for over 40 years, is another example of a company working to the Olympic aim by providing seven of its executive coaches for transporting officials and media next summer. Gary Smallwood, project manager for the bid to win Olympic contract work, has attended many planning meetings. He said operations were on target to be a resounding success because of the thorough approach LOCOG has been taking. “The whole thing has been so well organised in getting everyone sat down to plan every aspect in anticipation of the event.” Gary added there was no way
The ‘winners’: The companies providing LOCOG and the ODA with coaches and buses for the London 2012 Olympic Games
Bluebird Coaches is based in Weymouth, where the Olympic sailing competitions take place. This Plaxton Elite joined the fleet earlier this year previous Olympic transport failures would be repeated, especially incidences of lost drivers, because of the forward planning and training processes in place to prepare drivers for their accredited routes. FirstGroup is the Games’ official operator and is providing almost 900 vehicles which, according to the ODA, is expected to reap £20m in revenue. The company is no stranger to large scale operations, moving thousands of buses and coaches around Britain and also has considerable experience in running operations for a major urban sports event, having provided bus services for the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. Around 500 of those vehicles will run park and ride and shuttle services to venues. It will also provide around 90 buses and coaches for park-and-ride services, connecting parking sites on the periphery of the M25 with the Olympic Park and Ebbsfleet in Kent – the site of the so-called Olympic Javelin, the high-speed train service, which was announced as part of the
A Carmel Coaches Irizar Scania seen at Oakehampton Station, Devon
successful Olympic bid. First will provide a further 300 coaches to operate a network of express coach services to the Olympic Park, the new sporting complex under construction in Stratford, East London. Also to venues in Weymouth and Portland, where the Olympic and Paralympic sailing competitions are being held. The company will provide management of the direct coach operations, a bus and coach services reservations and ticketing system, as well as operational support staff at all locations to manage the fleet.
Conclusion
It is clear operators are relishing the challenge ahead and the potential rewards for the industry long after the Games finish. Not only will they be part of the great Olympic spectacle but will lead a wider mission of achieving modal shift – taking cars off the road and getting drivers onto buses and coaches. There is no doubt if the industry performs at its best during the Games, modal shift will become a faster than expected reality if the watching billions see successful operations cross the finish line in this once in a generation event. The comprehensive planning and preparations are impressive but only time will tell if operators are ready for the realities of dealing with Olympic transport when the real event finally arrives. Arriva/TGM: applytosupply@arriva. co.uk www.arrivaevents.co.uk ■ LOCOG: www.london2012. com/transport ■ Olympic Delivery Authority: 0203 2012 000
Operator
Region
Abellio Allenby Coach Hire Anderson Travel Arriva Group Bakers Coaches Barnes Coaches Baynes Travel Bluebird Coaches Bullocks Coaches Carmel Coaches Centaur Overland Travel City Circle UK Country Lion Cozy Travel GoAhead Group Golden Boy Coaches Heyfordian Travel Holmeswood Coaches Howard Snaith Impact Group Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel London Borough of Redbridge Logan’s Executive Travel Mainline Coaches Marathon Coach Travel Marshalls Coaches Marshalls of Sutton on Trent Matthews Coach Hire Metroline Travel Redline Buses Regent Coaches Safford Coaches Simonds of Botesdale South Mimms Travel Southgate and Finchley Coaches Stagecoach UK Bus
London & Surrey Surrey London Nationwide Staffordshire Wiltshire Northumberland Dorset Cheshire Devon
Suffolk County Council Travel Services Sullivan Bus and Coach Thamesdown Transport Thirlwell Coaches Ulsterbus Universitybus W&H Motors
Kent Edinburgh Northamptonshire Letchworth Nationwide Hertfordshire Oxfordshire Lancashire Northumberland London Warwickshire London Co. Antrim Cardiff Dublin Bedfordshire Nottinghamshire Co. Monaghan London Buckinghamshire Kent Bedfordshire Norfolk Hertfordshire London Nationwide
(including Yorkshire)
Suffolk Hertfordshire Wiltshire Northumberland Belfast Hertfordshire Sussex
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I
ssue 1 of Coach and Bus Week (CBW) was published on February 22, 1992. The outside sported a card cover with a message from ‘The Editor-in-Chief’ Mark Barton announcing Coach & Bus Week was taking over from Bus Business and Coachmart. Explaining the reasoning, he wrote: “Before 1986 there was a clear distinction between bus and coach operations and the people who ran them. But deregulation blurred lines. More coach operators moved into local bus operations, tendered and commercial. Bus operators have increasingly looked to expand the scope and size of their product range – primarily through acquisition. “Inevitably this has meant the information needs of both coach and bus operators have changed in line with the market itself ... Coach & Bus Week has been launched to meet the information needs of coach and bus operators today and tomorrow.” The front cover was one of the few pages printed with an element of colour – it was not full colour as the smaller sidebar pictures were in black and white. The cover story was Stuart Johnson on facing life without a franchise, more of which later. In pagination terms, it was a 64-page issue – the same as today’s standard, except when the monthly ‘Minibus’ magazine is carried, when the number of pages extends to 72.
Back to the future: Recalling issue 1 Present day editor Gareth Evans digs through the archives and gives a synopsis of the stories and features in issue 1 of Coach and Bus Week in 1992 www.coachandbusweek.com
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CAMBUS BUYS OUT MILLERS COACHES Cambus (now Stagecoach Cambridge) bought out Miller Coaches of Foxton, its largest competitor in the Cambridge area following the retirement of proprietor Bernard Miller. Millers had operated in competition with Cambus, including on the Park & Ride (P&R) on Saturdays. Following the acquisition, the P&R services would be upgraded to be operated by Leyland National 2s and a pair of Lynx acquired from Millers. Coach operations included holiday work for tour operators, an area which Cambus-owned Premier also operated. ‘On the face of it, it looks quite profitable,’ said Cambus Holdings MD Paul Merrywhether. He also said the move formed part of the firm’s expansion in Mid Anglia. Perhaps reflecting a
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view which is felt by some bus operators in more recent times, Merrywhether added: ‘We’ve got some fairly keen tender prices … but the trouble at present is that because coach operators have lost money on their traditional work, they are tendering for bus work at ludicrously cheap rates. They are winning most of the tenders but they will end up costing them money when they discover the real cost of running bus services.’”
SHEARINGS DEAL COMPLETED Shearings had completed the second stage of the sale of its Shropshire bus operations to its former transport director Ian Longworth. The 21-strong bus and coach operation based at Shifnal had run in competition with Drawlane-owned Midland Red North (now Arriva Midlands). The news followed the “transfer of north west operations” in January and “the opening of a new depot at Lowton near Wigan”.
JANUARY SALES CRASH AS RECESSION BITES DEEPER “The UK bus and coach market carried on its downward spiral into the first full month of 1992, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. “Sales of PSVs slumped by a massive 46% in January. Within the overall PSV market, the full size bus sector, and particularly double deckers, took the brunt of the downturn. Sales were down some 75% to just 23, which consisted of a mere five double deckers and 18 single deckers. In January 1991, double decker sales outweighed single deck sales by 64 to 28. “Full size coach sales were less hard hit, but were still down by a half from 102 to 51. “The only manufacturer to buck the trend was DAF Bus, which sold 17 vehicles (10 buses and 7 coaches) last month compared with a total of 8 in January 1991. All other manufacturers felt the full force of the deepest recession ever known in the industry. “Worst hit was Volvo. Its sales plummeted from 145 in January 1991 to just 61 last month. The slide was steep enough to give Volvo a smaller share (40%) of a much smaller market. SMMT accredits 30 of Volvo’s total sales to Volvo in Sweden. “Dennis, in second place in January’s sales league, increased its
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market share, but did so by selling far fewer vehicles – 44 compared with 72. Apart from two Javelins, all Dennis’ sales were Darts. Optare also increased its market share, from 9 to 13%, but its slide in sales was less dramatic – 20 compared with 26. “Scania failed to sell a single bus and just three coaches.” “The high street recession has kept bus passengers down and bus operators are not making the returns to justify investment in new vehicles. Despite a generally busy 1991, coach operators are finding it increasingly difficult to find the finance necessary to replace their fleets. Banks are reluctant to provide satisfactory credit ratings and finance houses are equally unwilling to lend money. They are insisting on far bigger deposits – figures as high as 50% are not unknown.”
“The high street recession has kept bus passengers down and bus operators are not making the returns to justify investment in new vehicles. Despite a generally busy 1991, coach operators are finding it increasingly difficult to find the finance necessary to replace their fleets.”
WILTS & DORSET HAVE TO BUY Wilts & Dorset had bought its first new buses since 1988, “despite a further drop in passenger numbers
The outside of issue 1 sported a card cover (above); Pages 12 and 13 (below) - note the full colour advert from Scania
during the last two weeks”. “Operations director Andrew Bryce confirmed it had taken the company three years to recover from the financial drain of its well publicised bus wars with Badgerline in Salisbury and Badger Vectis, among others, in Poole. At the height of the competition, Wilts & Dorset was up against 60 vehicles in Poole and 24 in Salisbury.” “Along with every other bus operator, the company has also been hit by falling passenger volumes. However, the purchase of new vehicles could not be put off any longer. “The new vehicles are six longwheelbase Optare MetroRiders”, to be based at Lymington depot “working mainly Hampshire County Council contracted routes. They will replace P and R registered Leyland Nationals”. “Wilts & Dorset’s last new vehicle purchase was 75 MCW-built Metroriders back in 1988. ‘The Optare product is a world away from the MCW product,’ said Mr Bryce.”
LOW FLOOR BUSES FOR LT “Britain’s first low floor buses could be running before the end of the year, if Department of Transport (DTp) and London Transport plans are implemented. “Andrew Braddock, head of LT’s unit for disabled passengers, plans to lease a demonstration fleet of low floor buses to an operator for one route in the capital and Anne Frye, head of the DTp’s disability unit, has funds available in 1992/93 for a demonstration outside London. They are co-operating in drawing up a specification for buses which will combine UK DiPTAC features with low floor and wheelchair access. “British suppliers will be invited to build the buses, but they are more likely to be imported. Dutch builders Den Odsten and Berkhof already build suitable vehicles, as do Mercedes-Benz MAN, Setra, Neoplan and Scania. “The DTp is about to invite bids from local authorities and operators to run between 10 and 12 buses on a single route in an urban area. It will monitor the success of the service, to determine the effect on running times, congestion, boarding times and patronage so longer-term policies can then be drawn up for accessible buses.” “The DTp will fund the extra cost of the trial batch www.coachandbusweek.com
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CBW RETROSPECTIVE
sell them through its Kirkby Coach & Bus dealership in Anston. “Prices have yet to be fixed but expect them to be close to those for semi-integral Scanias with Plaxton Premiere bodies. One major marketing change is a reduction in seating capacity. When it was launched by Duple, the 425 was available to 63 fixed seats, but the first Lorraine-built models will have 53 Plaxton-built seats and centre mounted WC. “Plaxton marketing manager Kevin Wood says this reflects changing practice: ‘Major fleet customers we’re quoting from next year are talking about less than 53 seats. Wallace Arnold wants 50 and we are getting vibes that other companies are thinking less than the maximum too.’ “The 425 forms part of Plaxton’s long-term export strategy, but there is no immediate plan to build left hand drive models.”
The ‘Fleet Update’ section occupied pages 18 and 19. Today it is run in the rear half of the magazine of low floor buses, compared with conventional rear-engined city buses like the Optare Delta. Ms Frye expects this will work out at around £25,000 per bus, taking account of converting Continental designs to right-hand-drive and fitting DiPTAC features like textured handrails which are not used in Europe. “Wheelchair access will either be by horizontal bridging or a kneeling device. ‘We would not need either if we could get the bus to the kerbside every time,’ said Ms Frye. ‘We want to minimise the number of high-tech bits that can go wrong and some of the German and Dutch features are too fancy for the British scene.’ ‘The obvious drawback just now is finding someone prepared to buy 10 or 12 buses,’ she concluded.” In a separate but related story alongside, it was reported “lowfloor buses may be imported to Britain by Q-Drive subsidiary AVE Berkhof. “New models planned this year include DAF-based vehicles and, subject to availability, the Volvo B6R midi. “Two other products, which AVE already has firm orders for, are the first 10-metre Dennis Javelin and a 57-seat 3.7-metre high Excellence 2000HL with a ramped floor on a Volvo B10M chassis, which is destined for Cantabrica Holidays. “Firm orders for Berkhof coaches www.coachandbusweek.com
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have also come from Tellings Golden Miller of Byfleet, Halycon of Hull and Thomas of Rhondda. “AVE Berkhof sales director, David Waterman, said: ‘The market is going to be tough again in 1992 bit, with a broad range of quality products and a good customer base, I am confident we’ll do as well as we did last year.’”
PLAXTON RELAUNCHES 425 INTEGRAL COACH On the coach front, Plaxton had relaunched the integral 425 design it bought three years previously from Duple. “Plaxton is building 12 at its Carrosserie Lorraine plant in France to test UK demand and will
“Non-smoking drivers, key to new Quickstep Travel’s high service standards, are on the road running three routes from west Leeds to the city centre.”
The magazine included a three-page interview with Frank Carter
NATIONAL WELSH SELL-OFF SPARKS FREE-FOR-ALL… Competition has increased massively in National Welsh’s (NW) operating area after receivers sold off most of its depots. Mark Thomas’ Western Travel, which this time last year bought NW’s eastern operations, has moved 40 buses into the area. The competition in Merthyr is particularly intense, with over 100 departures an hour from the bus station. Other operators which have thrown their hats into the ring include Badgerline subsidiary South Wales Transport, which is now running in Bridgend and Cardiff City Transport, which continues to run its newly registered services in Caerphilly. NO JOBS FOR SMOKERS AT QUICKSTEP “Non-smoking drivers, key to new to new Quickstep Travel’s high service standards, are on the road running three routes from west Leeds to the city centre. “Competing with Yorkshire Rider, Nigel Jolliffe’s new smoke-free company selected just nine drivers and one fitter out of 150 applicants. “The operation, set up with partner Philip Dance is based in Hunslet and operates eight secondhand, but extensively refurbished Leyland Nationals on half-hourly daytime frequencies from Monday to Saturday. “‘The drivers are the image
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Claylands Avenue Worksop, Notts S81 7DJ
Scania (Great Britain) Limited Bus and Coach
NEW INTO STOCK
ZF automatic, 49 seats, TV/DVD, WC, aircon, drinks, new MOT. £115,000. Choice of vehicles.
2005 ‘05’ Scania K114 380 Irizar PB 12.2m
ZF automatic, 55 seats, WC TV/DVD, aircon, drinks, Euro 4. £165,000.
2009 ‘58’ Scania K340 OmniExpress 12.9m
2009 ‘59’ Scania K48-0 6x2*4 Irizar PB 13.9m
Opticruise, 51 seats, WC, TV/DVD, aircon, drinks, Euro 4, 6 months R&M remaining. £190,000. Choice of vehicles.
ZF automatic, 49 seats, WC, TV/DVD, aircon, drinks, Euro 4, 5 months R&M remaining. £190,000.
ZF automatic, 51 seats, WC, TV/DVD, aircon, drinks, Euro 4. £180,000
2008 ‘08’ Scania K340 Irizar Century ZF automatic, 49 seats, TV/DVD, WC, aircon, Euro 4. £160,000.
Opticruise, 49 seats, TV/DVD, WC, aircon, Euro 4. £150,000.
2010 ‘10’ Scania K380 OmniExpress 12.9m
2010 ‘59’ Scania K340 Irizar PB 12.2m
2007 ‘07’ Scania K340 Irizar Century
Opticruise, 57 seats, WC, TV/DVD, aircon, drinks, Euro 4. £225,000.
2009 ‘09’ Scania K340 OmniExpress 12.9m
2006 ‘06’ Scania K114 Irizar Century ZF automatic, 53 seats, TV/DVD, aircon. £115,000. Choice of vehicles.
TRADE SECTION
1998 ‘R’ Scania K113 TRB Irizar Century Comfort shift, 49 seats, aircon, WC, TV/Video. £25,000.
Comfort shift, 49 seats, WC, aircon, TV/Video. £16,000.
1996 PP Scania K113 Van Hool T8
ZF Manual, 55 seats. £16,000.
1996 PP Bova Futura Club
1999 ‘T’ Scania K124 6x2 Irizar Century. Comfort shift, 49 seats, aircon, WC, TV/Video. £35,000.
Contact James Morgan 01909 533102 Mobile 07795 350814 or Steve Lambert on 01909 534404
www.scania.co.uk/usedbuscoach
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His philosophy extends to deciding the type of vehicle he wants but, beyond that he says: ‘It’s down to the deal you get.’” Another coach story was Tates of Markyate, Hertfordshire, run by brothers Alan and Stan Tate, who had purchased their first Dennis Javelin, a Caetano Algarve 1-bodied example.
builders of Quickstep Travel. We’ve got ultra-clean buses and give helpful and courteous service to all our passengers but that could all be spoilt by a driver smoking,’ said Jolliffe. “The company claims in its publicity that its buses are cleaned ‘properly’ every night. After one week of operation, Mr Jolliffe said the company had bedded in well.”
‘A FIGHTER WHO WILL COMES BACK’ As discussed earlier, the cover story was about Stuart Johnson who “may be down, but he is certainly not out. He will be back, he tells Ian Griffin”. “The recent changes at Stuart Johnson Ltd have caused much speculation within the industry but Stuart Johnson is at pains to stress he is ‘pleased that he has been able to retain an association with the company that he previously owned’. “Others are not so sure and on one hand question Scania’s decision to remove him from the central role whilst also doubting his apparent whole-hearted agreement with Scania’s decision. “Founded in February 1983, Stuart Johnson Ltd became Scania’s main dealer in September 1986 following approaches from both DAF and Scania. Johnson chose the Scania route out of belief ‘that chassis manufacturers are set to become more body builders’ and that ‘a solus deal was vital’. Expansion quickly followed with turnover increasing from £350,000 in 1983 to £20m in 1990. “However, the expansion was not without problems. The initial growth after the appointment as main dealer by Scania necessitated a move away from Harthill and in March 1988 Stuart Johnson acquired a greenfield site in Worksop. Building was quickly commenced and the purpose-built premises opened in January 1989. Thus the significant additional costs coincided almost exactly with the start of the worst depression ever seen by dealers in the British Bus and Coach Industry. “By September 1989 it became clear that a financial restructuring must take place if further progress was to be made and hence Johnson approached Scania which agreed to inject finance into Stuart Johnson Ltd in March 1990. “In doing so Scania had established a dealer foothold in the UK to ensure the continuing presence of their quality products www.coachandbusweek.com
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Another feature examined buying new versus used vehicles and Stuart Johnson had ensured that despite the recession, the future was healthier. “Whilst Scania now controls the major dealership for which it must have craved Johnson is not so fortunate – he is left with a consultancy agreement with Scania which must restrict his activity although he states that without Scania’s involvement, his position would now be worse. So where to now? “For Scania, Don Johnson is now running Stuart Johnson Ltd, which will shortly be renamed. “Bus sales will be handled directly Scania (Great Britain) from its Milton Keynes headquarters, a move which Johnson says reflects Scania’s view that ‘there’s no partexchange on bus and therefore the manufacturer can handle it direct and take the margin’. “Johnson himself is faced with several options. He accepts that ‘it’s a very difficult industry to fund and therefore suits the big players’. With this in mind he will make the most of his consultancy agreement and look to market non-competitive product. Certainly he will do so with the support of MacIntosh who describes him as ‘a fighter who will come back and I wish him the best of luck’.”
FLEET UPDATE Fleet Update, as it was then called (now ‘Deliveries’) spread across two pages. One of the stories was headlined ‘Anderson’s trio’, which described how “ex-professional football player scored a hat-trick with the birth of his first child and the delivery of two new Daf SB3000 Algarve 1 coaches from Salvador Caetano”. Mark, a former player with
“The EU directive requires all new coaches to be fitted with speed limiters set at 100km/h (62.1mph) from January 1, 1994 and for vehicles in use on or after July 1, 1988 to have them fitted by January 1995 for international journeys and 1996 for national journeys.” Tranmere Rovers, was delighted when wife Sarah gave birth to daughter Emma and equally delighted with arrival of the new additions to his fleet. ‘I decided to buy the coaches when I visited the NEC show,’ he said. ‘It was obvious to me that when the existing stock of new coaches has been sold, operators will be facing much higher prices for new vehicles.’ Stevensons of Uttoxeter bought four Leyland Swifts with bodywork an adapted version of Wright’s Handbybus design. Dunn-Line purchased one of the last Leyland Tigers to be registered. The coach, bought from Yates, the Volvo-owned dealership “comes with appropriate DLT registration”. Registered J8DLT, it carried a Plaxton Paramount 3200 body. “Bob Dunn is a firm believer in buying a vehicle to do the work – and fitting the driver to do the job.
MARKSMAN AND ANALYSIS CBW featured the popular Marksman columnist, who would later be revealed as Peter Rogers. He talked about the irony of the Bus & Coach Council (now CPT) dinner. “It’s OUR function to which we might, according to the normal rules of etiquette, have been expected to play host to any guests we might care to invite. But do we? Do we heck! The vast majority of those attending come as guests of industry suppliers. As one of the few who paid for my supper, I find this decidedly odd, but, as I said, we are a funny old industry, aren’t we?” Reflecting a contemporary issue, Alan Millar, now editor of Buses magazine, wrote a single page article entitled ‘Time in Money’, which looked at the economic effects of the planned 62mph speed limit coach serves. “The EU directive requires all new coaches to be fitted with speed limiters set at 100km/h (62.1mph) from January 1, 1994 and for vehicles in use on or after July 1, 1988 to have them fitted by January 1995 for international journeys and 1996 for national journeys.” “Wallace Arnold’s Stephen Barber says it could increase the cost of reaching some tour destinations. He suggests this could add to the costs of holidays in resorts like Falmouth and St Ives which already are less popular than nearer destinations like Torquay.” Frank Carter enjoyed a threepage article about his management of the Yorkshire Traction Group. ‘Coach Tours & Excursions’ extended to four pages. These days, this section is branded ‘Tour News’ and runs as a spread (two pages). Of course, the tourism side of our industry also now benefits from its own dedicated publication, namely Group Travel & Coach World. Turning to the advertisers, Optare was trumpeting the ‘Excellence and Performance from the New Generation Metrorider’, while Scania was promoting its N113 double-decker as “The Cleaner Quieter Bus” (sic).
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With 1,000 issues under its belt, CBW knows a thing or two about going the distance. And, after its 75th Anniversary in 2010, MAN’s own NEOPLAN brand can boast some staying power, too. CBW and MAN know that experience is invaluable, and, today, both provide a proven product. NEOPLAN Tourliner is just one product with proven credentials from MAN’s bus and coach stable – a luxury tourer with power, economy and reliability built-in, and with quality refined over many decades of manufacturing expertise. MAN last year celebrated in style 75 years of the famous NEOPLAN name, and we hope CBW celebrates its own milestone in a similar fashion.
MAN Truck & Bus UK Ltd. www.mantruckandbus.co.uk
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THE BIG PICTURE
South Wales coach tour and holiday operator Ferris Holidays has taken delivery of two new three-axle Neoplan Tourliners – the first having been acquired following the Tourliner’s impressive showing at last November’s EuroBus Expo - the order for a second Tourliner swiftly followed. Significantly, these are the first two Neoplan vehicles in the Ferris fleet, which is based at Nantgarw, near Cardiff and has been estblished since 1981. According to Ray Ferris, the Tourliners were selected in part because of MAN’s ‘add nothing’ EGR engine technology, which does not require AdBlue. “Initial acceptance from drivers and passengers has been very positive and the no-Adblue operation is a definite benefit,” explained Ray. Ferris Holidays’ new Tourliners are powered by MAN D26 480PS ‘EEV’ engines through 12-speed MAN TipMatic gearboxes with Intarders. Easy-start control and Electronic Stability Programme also form part of the specification. The coaches are equipped with 61 Kiel Avance reclining seats, along with a centre sunken toilet and water boiler for hot drinks servery. Full executive equipment includes radio / multi-CD / DVD / iPod entertainment system, forward camera view with two saloon monitors and a DVD coach satellite navigation system.
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LEGAL UpdAtE › unfair dismissal
In association with
What to do when employees are caught without a valid pcv licence Steve Mayerhoff, a solicitor and director at Backhouse Jones reports on licence checking Coach and bus operators should regularly check their employees’ driving licences to ensure any work undertaken on behalf of the business is safe and legal. Employers can face dilemmas about whether or not to dismiss an employee when there is an issue with a driving licence. For example, having a driving licence can be a fundamental part of an employee’s employment if they are employed as a driver. The provisions of a driver’s contract of employment should specify that failure to hold a valid driving licence could give rise to the employee’s dismissal. However, the circumstances surrounding the loss of licence may not always be black and white. For example, the employee may have been forced to surrender the licence due to ill health in which case the employer will be obliged to consider whether or not there is alternative work available which is suitable for that employee to undertake. If, however, an employee has been found guilty of drink driving, an employer should be able to dismiss the employee with immediate effect due to gross misconduct (subject of course to the terms and conditions of employment). The issue of driving a vocational licence without a licence was recently considered by the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) in the case of Wincanton PLC v Atkinson & Another.
Background The two Respondent employees were employed by the haulage company, Wincanton PLC, as drivers. A condition of their employment was that they had, in addition to their normal HGV licences, an ADR licence to enable them to carry dangerous loads. As the employees were aged over 45 years, they were legally required to renew their HGV licences every five years, which involved passing a medical test. www.coachandbusweek.com
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The provisions of a driver’s contract employment should specify that failure to hold a valid licence could give rise to dismissal, says Mayerhoff The employees had mistakenly allowed their HGV licences to expire. When the company became aware of this oversight, the employees had been driving without a licence for one and five months respectively. At the subsequent disciplinary hearings, both employees accepted that they had been guilty of misconduct. They were then both dismissed on the basis of the potentially serious adverse effects to the company from the employee’s driving without a licence. The potentially adverse consequences cited included: the employer’s insurance cover could be jeopardised; the regulator (VOSA) could have taken action over the breach and jeopardised their Operator’s Licence; and the standing of the company in the increasingly competitive national market could have been damaged. The employees appealed against the decision to dismiss them and argued they should not be dismissed because a colleague whose licence had lapsed six years earlier was not even disciplined let alone dismissed. The employer rejected the appeals and relied upon three previous cases in which the employees who had failed to renew
their licences were dismissed. The employees then brought claims for unfair and wrongful dismissal. The Employment Tribunal (ET) found in favour of the employees, explaining that none of the potential problems had actually arisen for the employer. The regulator had taken no action against them, none of the clients were inconvenienced and the company’s reputation was not put in jeopardy. The ET also placed some weight to the case of the other employee who was not dismissed six years earlier when making its decision. However, the ET also held that the employees’ conduct had contributed to their dismissal and thereby reduced the unfair dismissal awards by 60%. The company then appealed to the EAT and argued, amongst other things, that their decision to dismiss the employees was one which fell within the range of reasonable responses. This was taking into account the potentially “horrific” consequences of the employees’ mistake of driving a lorry loaded with dangerous goods without a licence or insurance. The EAT allowed the appeal and held that the ET had failed to properly consider the fundamental question which was whether or
not the decision of the employer to dismiss the employees fell within the range of reasonable responses. The EAT also found that the ET had erred firstly in placing too much emphasis on the fact there had been no adverse consequences from the employees’ mistake; and secondly in attaching too much weight to the case of the other employee and incorrectly regarded the appellant’s treatment of him as imposing the accepted tariff. Furthermore, the EAT found the ET should have considered whether or not, in the light of the company’s disciplinary procedure and the potential consequences to the appellant, the employees’ dismissal was wrongful.
coMMenT The EAT’s decision reinforces the need for ETs to objectively assess each case on its own merits, particularly whether a decision to dismiss an employee is reasonable. When judging a decision to dismiss, the ET must not substitute its own decision on what was the right course of action to take. Instead, the ET must ask itself whether the decision to dismiss fell within the range of reasonable responses open to a reasonable employer. Backhouse Jones acts for clients in the private and public sector, both national and international operators from one to several thousand vehicles. Backhouse is absolutely “industry specific”. Whilst the company can trace its heritage to 1819 it only represented its first Road Transport Operator in 1930. The explanation for this is that the first transport act was only introduced in 1930 n The Independent Chambers Guide 2009 describes Backhouse Jones Limited as a specialist company with a national reputation for “first class strength, experience and understanding of the transport industry”. n Contact 01254 828300. Visit www.backhousejones.co.uk
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ROA D O P E R ATO R S ’ SAFETY COUNCIL
Congratulations to
Coach & Bus Week
Rewarding safe driving on their great achievement
Discover what the scheme can do for your business at a cost of less than £2 per driver per year* OSBORN HOUSE, 20 HIGH STREET, SOUTH OLNEY, BUCKS MK46 4AA Tel / Fax: 01234 714420 Email: admin@rosco-uk.org
www.rosco-uk.org * plus VAT at the prevailing rate and a per Company Registration fee
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specialists in transport law
Congratulations to Coach & Bus Week on the publication of your 1000th issue
we know transport w law sdrawkcab tel: 08450 575 111 email: ian.jones@backhouses.co.uk www.backhousejones.co.uk t
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tHE Big qUEStiOn
Where will the bus and coach industry be in 20 years time? Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans asks a range of bus and coach professionals to look into their crystal balls and predict the future shape and developments in the industry RichaRd BamBeR anthony’s Travel, Runcorn, cheshire “I wonder where we are going to be in two years time, let alone 20! I think the surge of coach firms closing down will continue over next few years and there will be possibly less players in the industry, similar to the airline industry where many carriers have merged or folded, maybe even the demise of the traditional family coach company. Within 20 years, enhanced use of technology and telematics equipment will become very much standard industry practice. Hopefully our reliance on fossil fuels will also have reduced with excellent alternative power sources on offer. “Over the past few years much emphasis has been put on vehicle emissions with manufacturers spending billions on Euro 4/5/6 engines. Perhaps due to lowering fuel reserves emphasis will pass over to fuel economy. It would be great if we could have coaches doing 18/20 per gallon. In the words of John Lennon ‘ they may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!’ I am sure there are many operators out there who would love a coach delivering excellent MPG. “Hopefully in 20 years I will be retired, living in Florida sat by a pool and still reading your excellent magazine.”
chRis Wales chief executive, coach Tourism council “Speaking for the CTC, I see the next 20 years as an opportunity, with an ageing population, who will desert their cars and turn to www.coachandbusweek.com
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coach holidays. In the face of everincreasing oil prices, we see that as an opportunity for people to leave their cars at home and take coach holidays. As a result, it’s inevitable air fares will increase, making coach holidays an ever more attractive proposition.”
RogeR FRench obe managing director, Brighton & hove Bus & coach company “Not only will comprehensive information about bus times, fares and ticket options be available as standard on handheld devices but, crucially, information in real time and the ability to use a smart phone to pay for a ticket on the bus, will be the norm. This will supersede the Government’s obsession with having a national smart card by 2014. “Those bus companies who can persuade their customers to use
their own branded smart card, will be able to pursue targeted marketing and bespoke price offers like never before to encourage greater bus use. “As diesel prices continue to rocket, the bus industry will reduce its dependency by further developing hybrid and other technologies. This will also be driven by heightened environmental concerns as today’s ‘green minded’ youngsters move into positions of management and decision making. “New propulsion technologies will not lessen the impact of congestion in our towns and cities. Local authorities will have to manage the restricted amount of road space at their disposal even more effectively and will see buses as the obvious solution, where this currently doesn’t apply. Solutions will vary - more bus lanes, clever
above: comprehensive information about bus times will be available in real-time, according to Roger French, as seen here at coventry Pool medow
use of traffic lights and junction control or guided busways, but management and the pricing of parking and its enforcement will be essential and courageous local authority leaders, especially a new breed of ‘directly elected city mayors’, will reap the rewards with a more pleasant urban environment with the bus at the centre of the area’s prosperity. “The bus industry will respond to this by dramatically improving the interior ambiance of the vehicles. There will be a complete move away from the utilitarian look which still pervades and the ‘coffee shop’ interiors now being trialled on prestigious routes will become the norm as motorists are attracted to switch their mode of travel. Wi-Fi availability, with visual and audio next stop announcements will be the norm. “In the major urban areas frequencies will improve on Sundays as the market for leisure travel on that day continues to grow. There will be further growth in inter-urban routes.
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“Core urban bus routes will learn to live without a dependency on any form of subsidy as public funding continues to be squeezed. In rural areas, bus routes will be centred around the provision of journeys to education and where there is potential to grow the leisure and tourist market on a commercial basis. Otherwise public transport will be left to small community groups running minibuses on a flexible basis to the nearest towns as well as the return of some postbus type routes. “Free concessionary travel will gradually disappear as the qualifying age is raised first to the retirement age of 66 and then on to 75, as the policy is recognised as being financially unsustainable. “The ownership of bus companies will continue to consolidate with greater involvement of European nationalised conglomerates. “The most positive development which I hope someone will comment on as they write a review in the 2000th CBW in 2031 will be
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that the bus truly will be back as the mode of choice for all. Many congratulations to everyone at CBW on your 1000th.” Roger is keen to stress the aforementioned views are those held by the author in a personal capacity and do not represent any official policies of his employer.
PETER SHIPP Chairman and chief executive, East Yorkshire Motor Services Group and chairman, ROSCO (Road Operators Safety Council) “We shall all be driving electric cars by then so we can forget arguments about buses helping pollution. The EU will have made the bus totally uneconomic by Directives on seatbelts for all, either including standees or standees will be banned on safety grounds. The EU will also require us to have at least two staircases – one for going up and one down only to avoid potential safety hazards if contraflow passengers meet on the stairs. Other requirements will include at least two doors,
Peter Shipp (above); Passengers wait to board at High Wycombe bus station (top)
“We shall be at Euro 12 requiring what comes out of the exhaust to be cleaner than the air going into the engine.” Peter Shipp EYMS, ROSCO
each with an access ramp having separate entrances and exits for the same reasons and to avoid wheelchairs coming into conflict; a toffee hammer suitably secured in an expensive break glass box for every two seats; at least three full emergency exits and a further increase in seat pitch for comfort so that we shall get even fewer seats in what little space remains. Not to be forgotten is the fitment of reversing cameras, all notices to be repeated in Braille, and audible announcements at every stop. “We shall be at Euro 12 requiring what comes out of the exhaust to be cleaner than the air going into the engine so demanding even bigger and expensive engines taking even more space. Hybrid buses will be reaching the end of their life (except in London) as there will have been no more government funding so no more development leaving hybrids far too expensive to buy. “Local authorities will assist the process by reducing speed limits on safety grounds, including a universal 20mph in urban areas – even in villages (it’s already being proposed in the East Riding) making the bus so slow as to be unattractive and much more expensive. “The eligible age for concessionary fares will be 86 but there will be no reimbursement. The only fare payment method allowed will be by the great, great grandson of smartcard - smartcards themselves having become obsolete before they have become universal under the present Minister’s plans. Sorry, that should be great, great grandoffspring - grandson will be politically incorrect and sexist. “Transport Managers (TM) will be able to have responsibility for no more than 50 vehicles whether employed by the O-licence holder or not and the 50 buses for each TM will have to be nominated so that on a depot of two hundred buses TM 1 will be responsible for fleet numbers 1 to 50 etc. The TM will also have to be on site at any time when even a single bus is out on the road, 365 days a year (so no holidays which will be catered for by a special dispensation in the Working Time Directive). “Fortunately I shall be almost 88 and probably not bothered as I already have my pass. “Or were you looking for something serious? On reflection the above may actually be serious!”
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THE BIG QUESTION
STEPHEN MORRIS General manager, Bus Users UK and President of the Omnibus Society “It would be nice to think attitudes towards urban public transport will have changed in a positive way, in the way they have in London, with high-frequency services, integrated tickets and information, an acceptance that buses need priority measures and that car is the mode of last resort. “In reality I suspect lip service is being paid to effecting modal shift while Government policy lurches from side to side according to the state of the economy and what’s in the Daily Mail. “There will be further consolidation on major corridors with a reduced number of groups dominating, with more overseas ownership, especially by Continental rail operators. “Deeply rural transport will largely be in the hands of community minibuses, though DRT (Demand Responsive Travel) will have given way to these services running a different route each day of the week to a variety of local locations, and concessionary passes, which will still be free to use off-peak, but will cost users a small annual fee, will be valid on them. “Meanwhile in London, the five Borismasters built are all in museums and the bendibuses which came back in during the 2020s, are all parked in an airfield in Essex. However MercedesBenz salesmen are rubbing their hands in glee as 86-year-old Ken Livingstone gears up for the 2032 London mayoral election. Britain’s first Quality Contract, between Hereford and Llandrindod Wells, has just cleared its final legal hurdles and the preferred bidder is 1st Leominster Scout Group. Stagecoach South’s service 700 which left Southsea this morning will just be arriving in Brighton and an independent operator in Wales, banned from operating in January 2031 by the sole remaining Traffic Commissioner (operating out of a cupboard in Leeds), is back on the road under a different name. “Congratulations on reaching 1000 issues - the magazine’s looking in really good shape.” COLIN ROBERTSON CEO, Alexander Dennis Limited Colin Robertson, CEO of Alexander Dennis Limited, believes the industry will be driven by a www.coachandbusweek.com
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Alex Hornby (above); Stephen Morris predicts bendi buses, removed by Boris Johnson, will return to the streets of London in the future (below)
combination of innovation and legislation. He commented: “The Holy Grail remains zero emissions and the next 20 years will see us take huge strides towards this objective. As ever, we will be driven by legislation and innovation. “Across the world there is a massive green agenda with congested cities battling to meet legislative targets. There is a tide of air quality initiatives on the horizon and collectively – governments, manufacturers, operators and passengers – need to work together if we are to meet these exacting demands, particularly those set by the European Parliament. “Transport has a big part to play in our transformation to a clean-air society so environmental issues will remain at the forefront. As the cost of oil continues to rise there will be prolonged pressure on us to produce lighter, greener, cleaner, more fuel efficient vehicles.
“What is certain is that public transport is here to stay. As congested cities continue to grow and the car starts to take more of a back seat we will see a growing demand for sophisticated, modern, transport systems. ” Colin Robertson ADL
“At ADL we have started that journey with our highly successful hybrid-electric range of buses. The next step will be stop-start technology, that is, zero emissions when vehicles arrive at and depart from bus stops - followed by zero emissions over an extended period, say for a mile or two, and ultimately zero emissions entirely. “Britain is currently leading the world on this front and the speed at which we deliver will be determined by our ingenuity, inventiveness and the support we receive from government. As ever, the whole process will be a journey rather than a destination and even when we ‘arrive’ we will already be focused on the next opportunity beyond the horizon. At the end of the day being brighter and smarter is a continuous process. “One thing I am confident about is that we will see huge changes in propulsion systems, albeit that these may be in small, iterative steps, rather than giant leaps. We have seen the packaging and capacity of batteries improve steadily over the years and this progressive momentum, combined with technology advances on other fronts will provide the catalyst for integrated systems capable of powering the demanding work cycles of heavy duty buses. “What is certain is that public transport is here to stay. As congested cities continue to grow and the car starts to take more of a back seat we will see a growing demand for sophisticated, modern, transport systems. Greenways, priority lanes, fast track operations delivering people rapidly - and in comfort - to and from the suburbs will form an integral part of the rich tapestry known as integrated transport. “Almost inevitably, health and safety will be at every bus stop and we will all be strapped in snugly as the world flashes by our lightweight, tinted windows. I’m afraid standees will be a thing of the past by 2031, however hostess service, fresh made cappuccino and instant satellite links to your granny in Canada are not beyond the bounds of possibility.”
ALEX HORNBY Commercial director, trent barton “Can we really predict where we’ll be in 20 years time? At the moment, it would be nice to confidently envisage where we’ll be in 10, five or even two years? The
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THE BIG QUESTION
damage of uncertainty is becoming a real distraction to us all. We’d settle for stability please and less continual moving of the goalposts and less changing of the rules, so we can get on with doing what we do best – attracting more customers to bus travel through good customer service and innovative ideas. After all, isn’t that what it’s all about? Who said we were a deregulated industry? “The profile and attraction of local towns and cities will continue to change, and we’ll need to keep on addressing this through looking at our networks. It’s likely that the route network in the UK will be smaller but more perfectly formed, reflecting strong trunk routes connecting smaller towns, suburbia and large centres and even using park & ride sites as a basis for connecting village buses into these corridors, if we work with planners on getting it right and using public transport as the opportunity to avoid gridlock. “We’ll still be moaning about the concessionary reimbursement scheme, we’ll have the logic explained to us and we still won’t be able to understand it. And, if we’re not careful, this – again – will continue to be another distraction from running buses. “Meanwhile, the use of mobile phones as payment devices, tickets and real time information tools will have been replaced by something even more inventive, spurred on the enforced abolition of ink, ticket rolls and money in 2018. “At trent barton, we’ll have debuted a driver re-spray booth on the occasion when staff are expected to drive a different route. There will still be people who aren’t our customers having shouting at us for using the am/pm clock. Overcome with emotion after the 25th anniversary party of our xprss brand, we’ll hatch a plan to also spell the ruddington connection with five letters. We’ll also finally discover where the capital letter button is on our computers. The News of the World will not be able to resist coming back into circulation to publish the front page scandal that Mr MANGO has been caught round the back of Derby Bus Station in a compromising position with Clyde Trent Barton the monkey in an illicit mascot shocker. Speculation as to what the children will look like will be rife, but it won’t be pretty. “CBW’s Gareth will kick back www.coachandbusweek.com
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Demand Responsive Travel services are the future in rural areas. ShropshireLink is a prime example (above). Simon Posner (below)
“In 20 year’s time the way we learn, work and play will be as different to today as today is to the way we lived in 1991.” Simon Posner CPT after the culmination of filming of ‘Office Diary – the Movie’, with a nice cup of coffee, a bit of light hearted banter and a drive across to North Wales.”
DAVID SIDEBOTTOM Director, Passenger Focus “We’re not sure where the industry will be in 20 years time, but we certainly know where bus passengers would like to see it – delivering a more punctual, frequent and value for money bus service - where passengers have a decent chance of getting a seat. “In addition to that, we would like to see the industry becoming more transparent and accountable to passengers.”
SIMON POSNER Chief executive, Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) “In 20 year’s time the way we learn, work and play will be as different to today as today is to the way we lived in 1991. “Twenty years ago I was working for the Department for Transport and the word computer was still to make it on to the list of items the civil service were authorised to purchase. Indeed it would be a year or two before the new fangled contraptions started appearing on anyone’s desk. The dramatic differences we all perceive technology has made to our lives in these last two decades will, I’m sure pale into insignificance by the time we get to 2031 and reflect on how things have changed since 2011. We can barely imagine what advancements will have been made or how different the journeys our customers make today will be from those they make tomorrow. “Building on the springboard of the long forgotten 2012 Olympics, 90% of people will work from home. The word commuting is removed from the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) due to its lack of use in everyday language. Similarly, virtual teaching through SKY HD1999 means children no longer need to be driven – by 4x4 or PCV to a place people once called school. “Internet shopping and home deliveries will account for 95% of retail sales. This all means no school runs during rush hours, but organised services to playing fields and sports academies. Fewer shopping trips, but more leisure time travel. Less concentration of services in the main cities – but the slack taken up by a greater demand
in rural areas. “On the cost side, the grant provided by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his 2015 pre election budget to manufacturers to “go forth and innovate” has resulted in the development of the super kollidar cell. This piece of electrical wizardry the size of an old AAA battery but with sufficient punch to power a fully laden bus or coach for 500 miles, has driven a spaceship through the old cost base of our industry. It has enabled us to provide value for money not seen since Richard Branson’s son sold the first batch of two week holidays to the Sea of Tranquillity for £1.99 (plus £35,500 credit card handling charge). “The coach and bus industry will change during the coming 240 months as we keep pace with – and indeed, try to stay one step ahead of – changes in life styles. These may be like the ones above, or more likely a whole load of others that at the moment seem little more than far fetched impossibilities from old episodes of Star Trek, but by then may well be as commonplace as sending an e-mail is today. “And of course there’s always the chance that the greenest form of passenger transport comes into its own in 2031 as the government decides it needs to do something dramatic on congestion - and bans cars from all motorways and A-roads. Now there’s something for the future that wouldn’t do the campaign for modal shift any harm.”
MARK HOWARTH Managing director of Western Greyhound and chairman of ALBUM (Association of Local Bus Company Managers) “Where will we be in 20 years’ time? More importantly, where will we be in one years’ time! There are still so many unanswered questions about that.” STEVE PITWOOD BROWN Business development manager, PSV Glass “Although PSV Glass will always be at the forefront on new glass technologies in the industry, we had to look deep into our dependable safety glass ball to try to find the answer to your question of - how we thought glass will develop over the next 20-years? “We may possibly see greater use made of smart glass, a polychromatic glass which can be switched electronically
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60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
THE BIG QUESTION
between clear and opaque. Incredibly, the system is now in use in Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner and some of Deutsche Bahn’s ICE trains. “Maybe head-up displays in vehicles could become a safety characteristic with vital information or messages beamed to the driver, onto the windscreen via the internet. “Conceivably celio glass, glass which curves into the roofline, will almost certainly feature on many more road vehicles and will open up huge possibilities for designers to give passengers a completely new panoramic viewing dimension. “Try clicking on ‘A day in the Life of Glass’ in our document downloads section in http://www. psvglass.com/downloads.php this conceptual video shows an amazing vision into the future for glass that we guess is not too distant away. Perhaps this generation of glass will be in daily use in 2031 and potentially feature in your 2000th edition of HJW (Hoverbus and Jetcoach Weekly)?”
ANDREW CLEAVES Managing director National Express Coach “Coaches have travelled a long road since 1992. Today’s passengers benefiting from technology we could scarcely imagine when CBW launched. The next 20 years will certainly hold more surprises but I believe the fundamental benefits of coach travel will remain consistent– great value, great service and national connectivity. “The coach has two key advantages over the car – cost and carbon emissions. As the economy and environment continue to dominate politics I believe we will start to see real evidence of modal shift. Modern technology on board vehicles will reduce the perceived benefit of being in one’s own car, while the focus on carbon usage means communal travel becomes the norm. “However, to achieve and maintain this shift, the industry must continue to invest in smart technology and service. Information is king - passengers already demand simple, concise information ‘on the move’ to make informed decisions about their journey. In the future they will expect journey information prescribed specifically to them, alongside details of the carbon impact of travel. www.coachandbusweek.com
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The next 20 years will be just as exciting and challenging as the last 20, according to National Express Coaches managing director Andrew Cleaves “The determinant of success, in the future, as now, will be quality of customer service. It’s impossible to foresee exactly what great service will look like, but my belief is that it won’t change much. Despite the welter of technology and information, comfort, politeness and care will continue to determine travel choices. “Whatever the future holds, one thing is guaranteed – the next 20 years will be just as exciting and challenging as the last 20. With the industry continuing to make strides in technology, service and comfort passengers can expect public transport to move from strength to strength.”
DAI POWELL CEO, HCT Group “I believe that key to our sector’s future is in the name: public transport. The bus industry at its best provides a comprehensive network for the public to access work and leisure, services and opportunities – the ingredients of full and productive lives. I believe the strength of our future as an industry is directly, unequivocally linked to the extent that we deliver that access, taking due account of the needs of all our passengers and the needs of society at large. “I think two factors will shape those needs over the next 20 years – and how we respond to them will shape the future of the industry – namely; demographic changes and environmental considerations and ethical choices “On demographic changes, in the past, people lived and worked in a much tighter geographical range than today. Our services and
“As the economy and environment continue to dominate politics I believe we will start to see real evidence of modal shift.” Andrew Cleaves National Express Coach relationships, our families and careers were all structured without the need to think too closely about mobility. Yet over the past 30 years or more, our society has been fed on a diet of increased personal mobility, an expectation of being able to travel and a dispersal of our services, relationships and networks of support. “The first generation who expected this mobility as a natural right has just retired. Over the next 20 years, as this generation’s ability to own and drive cars diminishes due to age, it is to us that they will be looking for answers. We must not be found wanting. “Turning to environmental considerations and ethical choices, however marked demographic change may be, its impact on our industry pales in comparison to environmental and ethical considerations. We know fossil fuel use has reached its peak, that fuel security will be an ongoing concern and that global warming will only be addressed by wholesale change. “In our industry, the next 20 years must be about making these changes, making the bus the mode of choice and ensuring our industry
is seen as part of the solution and not part of the problem. This is not about our industry responding to environmental regulation. It is about our industry answering the question of how to inspire and engage our next generation of travellers. “This next generation of travellers will ask us ever more searching questions about our ethics. We must recognise that we are an indivisible part of the communities where we operate. When we make changes for good or ill, those changes have a direct impact on people’s lives. Community impact should remain the touchstone of our decisionmaking – in our service design, in our conversation with government, in our balance between shortterm financial gain and long-term sustainability. “So who will shape the future of the industry? The answer is simple – we will – or rather we must. We must build a stronger relationship with government, and we must put our expertise and commitment to the development of solutions that benefit our communities. We must ensure that we continue to be efficient and progressive and we must continue to pursue opportunities to take risks and try new ideas. “The future of our industry is in our hands, how it will look in 20 years is up to us.”
JAN AICHINGER CEO & managing director Evobus UK “Since my appointment at Evobus UK, I’ve met a cross-section of the industry here in the UK. Everyone is in agreement that we’re seeing increased congestion in the face of limited road space. “The only solution is to have efficient transport systems in place. Whether it’s city buses or coaches, the landscape of cities is changing. A prime example is the US embassy moving to a different site in London. As a result, the type of local residents and travel patterns change. I see no other mode better able to fulfil that demand than buses. “I believe there has been a definite shift in mindset in today’s youth towards ‘green’ transport. In the 1950s, young people aspired to obtain a driving license, whereas today they consider sharing a car or the needs of cyclists. On the subject of drivelines, I believe the combustion
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62 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
THE BIG QUESTION
engine will still be used to a high degree. I’m expecting either whole or part electric hybrid traction. We’ve just launched the Citaro hybrid fuel cell bus in Hamburg. “For me every single part of the coach industry is public transport – especially in the UK. Each player will have to come up with more efficient solutions, starting with ticketing, to priority measures and fully reserved areas for buses and coaches where private individual transport is banned. “From a manufacturing point of view, I see the focus being on efficient drivelines and passenger comfort. We as an industry are still looking for an optimal driveline solution. Current hybrids in London achieve around a 7% saving, which is not bad but it can’t be seen as the final solution. At the end of the day, a combustion engine is still backing it all up. “Importantly, you need political vision and drive to make it happen.”
KEITH HALSTEAD Chief executive, CTA “It’s tempting to say everything will be different but that nothing will have changed! How will technical developments on accessibility and vehicle emissions have changed the industry? On the political front will the Big Society and Localism agendas make a difference? Will the opening up of public service delivery really reform community and public transport? And will the current economic situation overshadow all of this? “I think there is little doubt the financial picture will be very different for community based transport organisations. There will always be a place for voluntary fund raising, grants and donations to support such services but I believe that these will come less from local and central government. Trust fund sources which have existed for many years (well over 100 in some cases) will continue but will face increased competition for their resources. “Therefore, an increased proportion of the community transport sector will engage in enterprise business models; bidding for contract work in order to help secure services for vulnerable and isolated passengers. Operators will develop more flexibility, not just in route design but in governance and business planning as well. Using different, possibly even smaller vehicles, www.coachandbusweek.com
TheBigQuestion.indd 62
Keith Halstead says the need for community transport will remain
“It’s tempting to say everything will be different but that nothing will have changed! ” Keith Halstead CTA responding to opportunities from multiple commissioners and deriving efficiency gains from implementing cross-sector benefits. This last point will be vital. I really do think that the industry as a whole will be forced to work in closer partnership if individual operators and services are to continue to be viable. “There will be a reduction on the number of commercially profitable and subsidised services in the coming years. However, I do believe we are likely to see a some increase in these thereafter, as the effects of reducing mobility and ability to travel become more keenly felt. We are in danger of losing some of the gains in these areas that have been hard won in the last 20 years and we need to be careful
not to underestimate our ability to ‘unlearn things’ in both the political and the operational spheres. Let’s not make the same mistakes we have in the past. “It is likely that we will see increased calls for some form of regulation outside London and I don’t believe that the current universal concessionary travel system will exist in the same form. So regulations, funding and governmental structures will be different but operators will still be delivering services. “In all of this though, one thing will not change. Full mobility and accessibility for all without over-reliance on the private car will not exist in 20 years. There will be a continued need for local, community and accessible transport. Community-based operators will still be striving to improve access and networks for the benefit of local passengers but I think we will be doing this in partnership with service commissioners, private operators and each other.”
ROB LINDSAY BAE Systems Transit Systems for Europe and Asia “Over the next 20 years, bus propulsion will continue to undergo an evolution rather than revolution. It will be paced by economics, politics, and battery technology. “Hybrid will have become the accepted industry standard propulsion technology for buses in major towns and cities. Fuel economy, reliability, environmental credentials and ever-improving ‘day one’ economics will have made hybrid the obvious choice. “Series hybrid propulsion will
Roger French believes hybrid technology will be further developed - as do Rob Lindsay and Colin Robertson. A First Volvo B5 hybrid is seen in Leeds
predominate in the major towns and cities who want the best performing vehicles, which take them on an evolutionary path to full battery-powered vehicles. It is after all, designed to support incremental steps towards full vehicle electrification, and is the only hybrid architecture capable of full ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) capability. “I believe ‘opportunistic charging’ technologies will enable economically viable ZEV operations in advance of full battery-powered operation. Parallel hybrid propulsion will have found its niche outside of cities where emissions and fuel efficiency improvements are less of an issue. “In addition, a new generation of operationally and economically viable battery-powered 12m and 18m vehicles will be emerging to replace the hybrids. Battery technology and pricing will be the pacing item as to how deeply and quickly they penetrate the market. “We need to ‘ride the wave’ of global battery developments, but will not be able to drive it. There will continue to be experiments with other propulsion technologies, but they will ultimately prove to be expensive distractions. We need to continue to be realistic about what technology can deliver today because over promising and underdelivering harms us all. “In economic terms, we will have made a clear case for the economics of hybrid propulsion. The ‘up cost’ will be a fraction of what it is today and government legislation will be clearly focused on supporting only ‘clean’ vehicles. The UK will also be a renowned leader in the provision of economically and environmentally viable buses. “Turning to politics, the pressure for full electric operations in towns and cities is inexorable. Diesel will be becoming increasingly politically unacceptable, primarily due to air quality issues. There will also be ZEV zones in many cities, gradually expanding to cover entire city centres. Legislation will continue to be the driving force for change at local, national and EU-levels. “Policies will have been enacted across the country which are truly delivering a low carbon economy. Environmental standards will be far more stringent than they are today, and the financial implications of not meeting them will make change an imperative. Put simply, we will NOT have any option.”
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Congratulations! Keep up the good work Here’s to the next 1,000 Richard, Sue and all at Reynolds Diplomat
www.reynoldscoaches.com
64 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
OPEN PLATFORM › MARIA EAGLE MP
Half a billion pound assault Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle looks at the ramifications of removing half a billion pounds support in a year on local bus services Up and down the country vital local bus services are under threat. The unprecedented assault on local transport is a consequence of the coalition government’s decision to cut too far and too fast. Of course we need to bring down the deficit, which is why we had a plan to halve it across this parliament. It would have meant tough decisions, like taking nearly £2bn out of the roads budget and £1bn out of the Crossrail scheme - both decisions taken by the government, which I’ve backed. But by going further and cutting vital frontline services the government is not only hurting local communities but also making it harder to reduce the deficit by putting growth at risk. Good local transport services are a vital part of the fabric of our society which enables growth to take place. Without the local bus service from the village into town, young people can’t access the further education college to move onto post 16 courses. Without the local bus service, those out of work cannot take up the opportunities further from home which Ministers tell them they should be pursuing. And if young people don’t stay on in education or those out of work can’t take up new employment, the costs of social failure rise and the taxes coming into government fall, making it harder to cut the deficit. Yet instead of investing in backing local bus services, the government is cutting over half a billion in support in this year alone. This has already resulted in services being reduced, and threatens the viability of routes across the country but particularly in rural areas. First, the government has cut £95m from local transport funding received by local authorities. This is a cut of 28% between 2010/11 and 2011/12, funds vital to keep many unprofitable bus routes running. With the ring fencing of this funding going, the pressure on councils to divert resources to other services such as education or social care will be considerable. Second, ministers have changed the way councils and bus operators are reimbursed for the concessionary fares scheme for older people, removing £223m from the scheme this year alone. So despite election pledges to keep free bus travel for older people, many pensioners are finding they have a pass but no local bus on which to use it Third, the rebate for additional fuel costs of running unprofitable bus services is to be cut by a fifth during this financial year. As a result, from January, another £254m in support for www.coachandbusweek.com
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Despite the prime minister’s election pledge to keep free bus travel for older people, many pensioners are finding they have a pass but no local bus to use it on, says Maria
“It is not too late for ministers to rethink the speed and scale of cuts to local transport.” bus services will be lost between 2010/11 and 2011/12. Again, this will be especially damaging in rural areas. These three decisions add up to a £572m cut which will see many communities face the loss of bus services on which they rely. Many councils have already cut over £1m from the support they are able to provide to local bus services, with evening and weekend services most under threat. Further cuts will follow in each of the next three years. The scale of these cuts will see the advances made over the past year in improving access to bus services reversed. During Labour’s period in government, households in rural areas within 13 minutes walk of an hourly or more frequent bus service increased from 45% to 58%. Coach travel has not escaped the government axe either. Hidden in the small print of the Spending Review was a cut to the concessionary fares scheme to enable older people to access scheduled coach services. It will mean BSOG will no longer be able to be claimed in return for offering half-price concession for pensioners and disabled passengers. The consequence is likely to be that operators will no longer offer concessionary travel for some of those in society who most rely in it to access friends and family and avoid isolation. The loss of this concessionary scheme is also
likely to make many routes which are used by younger people no longer financially viable. I hope, even at this late stage, ministers and operators can work together to preserve vital services. It is not too late for ministers to rethink the speed and scale of cuts to local transport. Removing half a billion pounds within a year does not give the local authorities and operators the time to ensure they can look to make savings while ensuring vital services. survive. Maria Eagle is Labour’s shadow transport secretary and Member of Parliament for Garston and Halewood in Merseyside. Born in Bridlington, she joined the Labour Party at the age of seventeen. After studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Pembrooke College, Oxford, she then went on to study law. She worked as a solicitor in Liverpool until being elected to parliament in the 1997 general election. Maria was minister for disabled people, then children and latterly justice. 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.
23/08/2011 01:08
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Established in 2003 and independently owned by Gary Blackmore, based in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, Reglaze are a specialist supplier and installer of replacement glass to the Coach, Bus, Horsebox, Motorhome and Rail industries and much more. Having being in the business for over 25 years Gary Blackmore truly understands the demands within this industry. Reglaze are committed to helping customers 24x7 and will not let clients down. The company holds a huge range of stock which helps Reglaze deliver ʻsame day serviceʼ in most cases. Stock is reviewed each day and re-
ordered where required. The preferred supplier to Reglaze is Carlyle glass as they are reliable and have depots in Manchester and Birmingham, and operate a delivery service – including 24x7 – which means that the company are never without glass. The aim is to provide a ʻsame day
quality serviceʼ 100% of the time, with a vast wealth of knowledge in both glass and installation, so if you have any queries please call to discuss. Customers needs are the priority within Reglaze and the Mission Statement is: To be the preferred leading glass installer for the Coach & Bus industry
Bradford to Lake Garda
Reglaze delivered on their promise ʻsame day serviceʼ but with a twist – Steve Plant tells us the story:
“One of our customers called to say that they were stuck in Lake Garda, Italy with a broken windscreen and a coach full of tourists and they couldnʼt get any local company out to assist.
Life in the fast lane for Reglaze...
An unusual request came through for Reglaze to glaze the mobile hospitality suite which was launched in Finland for the Ford World Rally Team. “This was an unusual request, however Reglaze are always up for a challenge and like to cover anything glazing,” said Gary Blackmore. “We are really proud of our achievements with this work and so were our customers.”
Olympic glazing
“We priced the job up, checked the ferry times and off we went. The job was completed within 24 hours including our travelling time. The customer was really pleased and the passengers were fascinated, some even videoed the event!”
Director Gary says that refurbishment work has already begun on the London red buses. Reglaze have teamed up with Bus & Coach World Ltd, Blackburn to complete the marathon job. Reglaze will replace damaged glass/windscreens for over 140 vehicles. “We are halfway there with a further 70 to complete before the visitors arrive in London for the games,” said Gary.
For a 24x7 fast, friendly, reliable quality service • Replacement glass on Coaches, Buses, Mini Buses, Horseboxes, Boats, Trams, Trains, Motor homes etc • NO call centres – straight through to an experienced member of staff on one number • Based in West Yorkshire • Competitive pricing • Over 50 years combined experience • Quality PU glue used • Continuous staff training • 99% of jobs completed same day • Repairs and Glass filming • Insurance work covered • Customer accounts upon request • On-site service • Now conducting Customer Service Questionnaires which measure quality & service – in July Reglaze scored 98% (based on 45 surveys)
Unit 15 Moorlands Business Centre, Balme Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 4EZ Tel: 01274 870919 Fax: 01274 870929 www.re-glaze.co.uk
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NCBG
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Vital skills for success
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New Alphabet House Carden Street Worcester WR1 2AT Phone 01905-613527 Fax 01905-767509 e-mail courses@qv-associates.co.uk
We would like to congratulate
Coach & Bus Week on reaching 1,000 editions – here’s to the next 1,000!
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76 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell
To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 020 8320 1351 WILLIAMS TRUCK SALES 2007 ESKER CIMO 35 SEATER LUXURY COACH Mercedes Atego 1022 Chassis, new MOT, COIF, road tax, TV, video, fridge, top spec, LEZ compliant, 141,000 kms £57,950 + VAT ovno
0151 546 6333 / 07875 386819 sales@williamstruckcentre.co.uk www.williamstruckcentre.co.uk
AdvertiseyourCoachorBushereforaslittleas£20.00 aweek! Call Lara Odumosu on 0208 301 8310 or email: lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk
Minibus World
01782 444 289 07967 456 911
11 plate Ford Transit 17 seat bus COIF, PSV and tacho £24,995
2008 Peugeot Boxer 17 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, COIF, PSV, one owner, fsh, electrics £19995
09 plate Ford Transit 17 seat minibus wheelchair accessible, 35k miles, fits 2 chairs, underfloor lift £23,995
LDV Convoy 17 seater choice of 2 from £3,995
Choice of 8 and 9 str buses, Traffic, Vivaro, Tourneo, 54 to 10 plate, factory bus and wheelchair conversions
2004/2005 Ford Transit 17 Seater Minibuses choice of 5 from £7,495
I
Nationwide Delivery I Money Back Guarantee I Finance Arranged I PSV Minibus Hire Custom Wheelchair Conversions I We Buy Minibuses I Minibus Finder Service
www.minibus-online.co.uk I
enquiries@minibus-online.co.uk
01782 444 289
Telephone Lara Odumosu on 020 8320 1351 or email lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk
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August 24, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 77
To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 020 8320 1351 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.
£47,500 +VAT
UNVI GT
Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts and leather headrest inserts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air conditioning, radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, grammer luxury heated driver seat, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers.
£71,950 +VAT
Call Dougie at Haggis Adventures on 0131 554 9192 OFFER FOR SALE DUE TO FLEET UPGRADE
2004(04) IVECO BEULAS EL MUNDO, 51 seats, auto, full exec £82,000 now ..............£76,000 2003(53) IVECO BEULAS STERGEO, 49/53 seats, auto , full exec ..............................£75,000 2003(52) DAF SB300 VAN HOOL T9, 51/53 seats, auto, full exec .................................£79,000 2002(52) SCANIA K124 VAN HOOL T9, 49 seats, comfort shift, full exec ......................£75,000 2002(02) SCANIA K114 IRIZAR, 49 seats, comfort shift, full exec £68,000 now ............£63,000
AdvertiseyourCoachorBushereforaslittleas£20.00aweek! Call Lara Odumosu on 020 8320 1351 or email: lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk
(All coaches are in excellent condition with low miles, base white with removable transfers)
PART EXCHANGE CONSIDERED ON ALL ABOVE 2003(03) MERCEDES 311 CDI, 8 seats, MOT Feb 2012 .................................................£3,995 1998(S) IVECO DAILY 2.8 diesel, 15 seats .......................................................................£2,995 1998(S) FORD TRANSIT 2.5 diesel, Jumbo XL, 17 seats ................................................£1,995 SOLD 1991(J) MERCEDESS 814D, 29 seats New MOT ...............................................................£3,250 OLD ALL PRICES ARE PLUS VAT
For more details contact Steve or Russ 01884 252646 or 07702 626542
Bus & Coach Business near Dublin
FOR SALE
Private Hire, Tours, School Buses, Staff Transport Contracts, Local Town services.
20+ vehicles with turnover in excess of 1.5 million Euro. Extensive Yard, Offices, Service and Maintainance Facilities. Enquiries in the first instance to:
doylecurtisassoc@gmail.com
FREEDESIGNFREEWEBADFREEFULLCOLOURFREEDESIGNFREEWEBADFREEFULLCOLOUR
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Ensig n
DOUBLE DECK E 1997/8 VOLVO OLYMPIANS Seatbe exampleslted no available w
LEZ
LEZ
COMPLIANT
COMPLIANT
Volvo engines, Euro 2, 78 seats, converted to single door, new COIF, tyres included, UK registered ready to work.
2000 W/X REG V0LVO B6BLE’S
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
ZF gearboxes, Wrights bodies, ramps, 35 seats, very clean, £13,000 each supplied with new MOT and COIF.
Cummins/Allison, 28 seats, new MOT, all mods completed.
ZF 6 speed manual, Caetano Enigma body, 49 seats, centre toilet, MOT June 2012.
1998 VOLVO B10M
6 speed ZF manual, 49 seats with rear toilet, Plaxton Premiere 350, air-con, MOT 12/11.
1995 M REG DENNIS DRAGONS
ZF automatic, Irizar body, 49 seats, rear toilet, air-con, supplied with new MOT. One only at £44,000.
2007 PLAXTON PRIMO
1999 T REG VOLVO B10M
2003 SCANIA K114
Cummins/Voith gearboxes, Duple Metsec bodies, recent floors and 92 coach seats.
2007 DART MPD
Euro 4, Cummins/Allison, MCV body, 9m, 32 seats. One available at £47,000
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.
OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY - B
Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Pa Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 864 Visit our website for current sto
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g nbus
K ER SPECIALIST 1994 K REG VOLVO OLYMPIAN
2007 56 PLATE ENVIRO 300
Northern Counties low height bodies, Volvo engines, good selection with long MOTs.
6 speed ZF manual, Marcopolo body, 67 seats, MOT 02/12.
1995 PP DENNIS JAVELIN
Cummins ISBE engine, ZF automatic, 12m, DDA, Hanover destinations, 44 seats. Two available at £52,000 each
ZF automatic, Alexander Strider body, 51 seats, all belted, MOT Jan 2012.
1994 M REG VOLVO B10M
1986/7 LEYLAND OLYMPIANS
Gardner 6LXB / Hydracyclic, ECW bodies, 70 seats, good MOTʼs, £3,500 each.
Cummins / Allison, Caetano body, 34 seats, Hanover LEDʼs. MOT June 2012.
ZF automatic, Plaxton Excalibur body, 49 seats, NSR toilet, air-con, MOT 05/12. One only at £26,000.
Plaxton President bodies, LEZ post 2012 with traps, single door converted and 72 seats.
2000 W REG VOLVO B10M
ZF auto, East Lancs body, DDA compliant, 78 seats.
2001 VOLVO B7TL
2000 W REG DENNIS DART MPD’S Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.
1999 V REG DART
2000 W REG VOLVO B7TL’S
1992 LEYLAND OLYMPIAN TRI-AXLE
Cummins L10/ZF, Alexander body, 102 coach seats with belts, air-con, tacho, good MOT.
Mercedes engines, Slimlines, 2.34m wide, 7.8m long, 24 seats, Hanover LEDʼs.
2006/7 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
121702-1000-Pembridge
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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS (60) 2011 Ford Transit 17 seat high roof, 2.4tdi 140ps, tacho, air-con, 3000 miles only, silver £22,850
W at NE se 17
(60) 2011 Ford Transit 15 seat 2.4 tdci minibus, tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, silver £18,995
(10) 2010 Ford Transit 12 minibus 2.2tdci 115ps tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, parking sensors, in silver, 1,400km £17,495
(10) 2010 Ford Transit 9 seat Shuttle Bus 2.2 tdci 140ps, air-con, sat-nav, Bluetooth, parking sensors, in silver, delivery miles only £17,995
FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES (08) 2008 Ford Transit 15 seat minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, 41,000 kms £14,750
SOLD
(57) 2007 Ford Transit 17 seat 4.1ton minibus, high back seats with three point belts, 40,000 miles, COIF/PSV £11,995
(06) 2006 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi minibus high back seats with three point belts, tacho, in white £8,995
Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat School minibus diesel 2.2 120ps six speed, COIF/PSV. Choice of colours £21,995+VAT
5 3.
n to
OTHER MAKES (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
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS (58) Fiat Doblo 1.4 petrol, 3 seats, low floor, lightweight ramp, E/W, C/L, CD, 19,000 miles £9,995 (07) 2007 Fiat Dobol 1.4 petrol, lightweight ramp low floor, 5 door, ABS, air bag, air con, electric reels, E/W, PAS, radio/ CD, C/L £6,995 (05) Renault Master 3.5ton 17 seat minibus, 6 speed, rear heating, E/W, C/L, tracking, ramp, 49,500 miles £8,750
LDV MINIBUSES New LDV Maxus 17 seat minibus 2.5 diesel, LWB, twin side loading doors, 2 year mechanical warranty, COIF/PSV £16,995
(03) 2003 LDV Convoy 17 seat 2.4tdi LWB Hi Roof, COIF/PSV with new test £3,995
OTHER MAKES (08) 2008 Renault Traffic Sportive 9 seat LL29 dci, 31,000 miles, in silver £10,750
(07) 2007 Volkswagen Crafter 8 seat 2.2 diesel inboard lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, 48,000 miles £13,995
(05) 2005 Renault Master SWB 2.5dti, electric wheelchair lift, E/W, rear saloon heating, full aircon front and rear, three rear saloon passenger seats, privacy glass, 10,000 miles only £10,500 (05) 2005 Renault Master LWB 13 seat minibus 2.2 HDI, 13 high back seats, tracking for 3 wheelchairs, inboard lift floor, rear heating, side step, 21,000 miles, FSH £10,500 (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
PART EX TO CLEAR (R) 1998 FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT 2.5 DI, WHITE, COIF/ PSV NOVEMBER 2011 £1,500
Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304 Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk
Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales NPA 0AL – 10 minutes from M4 motorway Finance Contract Hire and Finance Lease Available. We deliver Nationwide. All vehicles prepared to VOSA standard COIF/PSV specialist
All above prices are subject to VAT @ 20%
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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 613 VARIO 24 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, power plug door, luggage boot.
2008 08 REG MERCEDES 515 CDI SPRINTER (IN SILVER) 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, power door and large boot.
2008 57 REG MERCEDES 816 VARIO ESKER WING 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, D/G forced air, reading lights, power door and 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.
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.
BARGAIN BUS STOP 2004 54 REG LDV 16 SEATS 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 2000 X REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 16 SEATS
Steve Peach Tel: 01302 770863 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: steve@connaughtpsv.co.uk
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HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN 01942 864222 THE NORTH WEST’S PREMIER MINIBUS SALES, SUPPLYING NATIONWIDE FOR OVER 40 YEARS 06 RENAULT TRAFFIC SWB highroof, covered 15,000 miles, good quality conversion, SLD with cassette step, 6 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon fully automatic Clearway tailift, totally showroom condition in everyway £10,995
07 RENAULT TRAFFIC LWB highroof, only covered 18,000 miles, 5 highback seats plus wheelchair spaces, twin SLDs, electric side step, Ricon internal tailift, lots of Unwin tracking fitted, Unwin Innotrax flooring system, totally immaculate in everyway, 35,000 miles £12,995
56 RENAULT MASTER MWB covered 36,000 miles, 6 highback passenger seats plus wheelchair spaces, Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, SLD with electric step, totally showroom condition inside and out £12,495
05 IVECO 40C14 MWB, covered only 11,000 miles - yes 11,000 miles, front low step entry, 8/10 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, Ratcliffe internal tailift, good quality conversion, tremendous value for money £10,995
54 VAUXHALL MOVANO MWB covered 35,000 miles, Ricon fully automatic internal tailift, twin SLDs with cassette step, lots of Unwin tracking, non slip floor, saloon heater, 4/8 passenger seats, totally out of the box as always £10,495
03 IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 15/16 highback passenger seats, only covered 50,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, external PLS fully automatic tailift, Powerdoor front entry, choice of 2, excellent value £9,995
03 MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI 15 highback passenger seats in coach moquette, 3 point belts, covered 60,000 miles, Triptronic transmission, powerdoor front entry, external cassette tailift, fully colour coded, Mellor coachbuilt £9,995
54 PLATE IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 16 highback passenger seats, 3 point belts, full air conditioning, panoramic tinted PSV’d windows, front low step entry, only covered 54,000 miles, one owner, looks excellent, excellent drive, excellent value, 12 months PSV test, ready to work £10,995
06 MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI only covered 60,000 miles, with 16 highback passenger seats, belts, lots PSV’d 3 point of Unwin tracking, side full height entrance door, full carpetlined, external Ratclliffe fully automatic cassette tailift, sound system, saloon lights, twin roof lights, a truly nice example of this popular minibus, excellent value £15,995
06 CITROEN RELAY SWB, covered 52,000 miles, good quality Gowring conversion, Ricon internal fully automatic clearway tailift, 4 seats plus 2 wheelchair spaces, unmarked, silver metallic, SLD with cassette step, excellent value £6,995
07 MERCEDES VITO 111CDI LWB only covered 24,000 miles, 8 passenger seat,s twin SLDs, air conditioning, full electric, pack totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value £11,495
59 IVECO 45C15 covered 64,000 miles, 18 highback passenger seats in coach moquette with contrasting headlining, lugguage racks, reading lights, forced air, Powerdoor front entry, walnut dash, side skirts, top quality Onyx conversion, excellent value £26,495
07 IVECO 45C14 LWB, 16 high back passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, luggage racks with forced air PSV’d reading lights, powerdoor front low step entry, external PLS cassette tailift, saloon heater, tremendous value £17,995
08 VW TRANSPORTER SHUTTLE SE 77,000 miles, 8 highback passenger seats, full air conditioning, full electric pack, stunning silver metallic, totally showroom condition, excellent value £12,750
08 MERCEDES 515 UVG modular coachbuilt, 16 highback passenger seats, complete flat PSV’d floor, powerdoor front entry with low step entry, external PLS fully automatic tailift, automatic transmission, above average miles, one owner, FSH, less than a 1/3 of new price, PSV tested, must be a bargain £19,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
08 IVECO 50C15 IRIS BUS 15 highback Cogent seats in coach moquette, quick release seats, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, powerdoor front entry, full plant on tinted windows, automatic transmission, only covered 46,000 miles, one charity owner, totally showroom condition inside and out, vast saving on new price £20,995
54 CITROEN RELAY LWB highroof fitted with 7 highback seats plus wheelchair spaces, good quality conversion, external PLS tailift, SLD with cassette step, covered 70,000 miles £5,995 WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
Where can you find these? WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
2010 RENAULT MASTER MWB, 6 highback passenger seats plus wheelchair spaces, Ricon internal tailift, Unwin tracking, air conditioning, 2,000 miles only, this is as new as you would find giving excellent value and saving £16,495
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
Let us take the stress out of the purchase of your next minibus, leaving you to concentrate on running your business. 1, PSV tested. 2, Tacho fitted. 3, Finance options if required – 36, 48, 60 months low deposits, etc. Details on request. 4, Delivered to your premises. 5, Tail lift certificates. Where can you find one of the largest stock of wheelchair accessible/conventional minibuses? Ready to work, combining this with over 50 years of experience in the industry. Just one friendly phone call to Wayne or Philip will simplify your job.
HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN
ALL PRICES PLUS VAT We guarantee quality vehicles, right prices, no pressure sales. Come and have a coffee while you browse at your leisure. Junction 23, M6 or 20 miles from Manchester/Liverpool airport.
52 Bickershaw Lane, Abram, Wigan, Lancashire WN2 5PL
Tel: 01942 864222
SEE ALL OUR STOCK ON OUR WEBSITE www.heatonsmotorco.co.uk
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84 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
Southdown PSV 01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk
AVAILABLE NOW
TEMSA SAFARI HD Full Stainless Steel
12.2mtr, Paccar 360hp, ZF auto gearbox, 53 rec seats with 3 point belts, Sutrak A/C, boiler, fridge, centre toilet.
2003 MAN 18.280 SLF IKARUS 12m. 42 seats £29,950
1996 VOLVO OLYMPIAN ALEXANDER 78 seats. £16,000
1999 DART SLF 10.1m 31 seats £9,500—choice
2000 VOLVO B7 SLF PLAXTON 64 seats £27,500
1996 SCANIA L113 SLF WRIGHTS 42 seats £9,950
1999 DAF DB250 N/ COUNTIES EXHIBITION / HOSPITALITY £30,000
01274 681144
Gomersal, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, BD19 4BJ Email: busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk Web: www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk Bus and Coach
take a test drive today
Prices plus VAT @ 20%
Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN
BUS & COACH SALES
BUS 2001 2000
LEY DAF NUTRAK 24 SEATS MERCEDES 614 WELFARE BUS 16 SEATS
COACH 2006 SETRA S416 TRI AXLES 49 SEATS A/C 2005 DENNIS R CAETANO ENIGMA 49 SEATS A/C
2004 2004 2004 2003 2003 2002 2001
SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C VOLVO B12 CAETANO 49 SEATS A/C SCANIA VANHOOL 49 SEATS A/C SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C VOLVO B12 CAETANO 48 SEATS A/C SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C
TO VIEW CALL DANNY 07979 295668
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August 24, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 85
31 seats, 27 standees. Large choice available including a number for breaking.
Dennis Dart Plaxton SLF’s 1998-2000
Vehicles for sale? Call Lara on 020 8320 1351
Also available a MCW Metrobus and a Volvo Olympian converted to classroom layout. Contact Chris at Metroline Travel Limited on
07814 009367
Volvo Olympian N, P, R + S reg Choice of Northern Counties or Alexander bodies 72/78 seats
• Full preparation to include: • Overhaul body and panel prep + full repaint any solid colour • Re trim if needed • New seat belt installation and cert by market leaders, Barry Hall Installations • NEW MOT • Ready in time for new term if you order quickly
FROM £14,950.00 FINANCE AVAILABLE
View all stock online: www.staffordbuscentre.com Email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552
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Quality Coach Sales
86 | COACH & BUS WEEK | August 24, 2011
1 x 1996 Dennis Javelin Berkhof 53 Seater 1991 Leyland Olympian Northern Counties, Cummins L10 ZF gearbox, 78 seats, Front Hanover LED fitted. Very tidy. £5,500+VAT
Dennis Darts SLF Seat Belted: 1997 Plaxton Pointer 1. 39 seats fully belted with Tachograph, Hanover LED front, side & rear fitted. Bargain at £9,500+VAT each.
New MOT & Spray £12K Plus VAT
1999 T Reg Mercedes Benz 814D
Norvelle 20 Seat Executive Coach, 20 Red Leather Seats With Tables If Desired With Toliet & Kitchen Area, Large Boot, & Air Conditioning New MOT & Plain White. Amazing Coach £23K Plus VAT
1994 Volvo B10M Plaxton Premier 350 ZF Automatic 53 Fixed Seats with Rear Level Mounted toliet, Full Retrim In Grey & Spray White, NEW MOT Amazing coach £22K
www.SDRcoachhelp.com 24 Hrs 0844 576 3300 We have loan vehicle avalaible as well so you can commence your contracts
Dennis Darts SLF: 1997-8, Plaxton Pointer 1 & 2 bodywork, 36-38 seats. Hanover LED front, side & rear fitted. Bargain at £7,500+VAT each.
550598-993-Pickrell
4/7/11
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H.W. PICKRELL
MINIBUS AND WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VEHICLES
Gardiners Lane North • Crays Hill • Billericay • Essex • CM11 2XE Tel: 01268 521033 • Mobile: 07860 894331 • Fax: 01268 284951
Email: sales@hwpickrell.co.uk - www.hwpickrell.co.uk
Finance available on all vehicles (subject to status) Written details on request.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINI BUSES
06 REG CITROEN DISPATCH 1.9 HD
55 REG FORD TRANSIT JUMBO T350 90
05 REG RENAULT MASTER MM33 2.2TD
56 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD
Manual 5 speed gearbox, PAS, CD player, Dash air con, twin side loading doors, 2 high back seat in rear plus double passenger seat front, cut out floor, fold down ramp, metalic silver, 28,589 miles.
Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, Euromotive conversion, side loading door, AVS step, 12 rear high back removable seats, Unwin tested floor, Ratcliff underfloor tail lift, 50,530 miles
Manual gearbox, high roof, Warner Bus conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 7 high back seats plus 2 x w/chairs, Eberspacher heater, Unwin m1 tested floor, Ricon tail lift, full air-con front & rear, 22,495 miles.
Manual gearbox, high roof, O&H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 8 high back seats plus driver, Unwin tracked floor, underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, only 16,000 miles.
07 REG RENAULT MASTER SL33 2.2TD
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, air con, heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 22,166 miles.
07 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD
Tiptronic auto gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, full air con & Eberspacher heating, only 35,275 miles, choice of 3.
05 REG MERCEDES 411 CDI SPRINTER 2.2TD
Manual gearbox, high roof, O&H conversion, full height electric side loading door and side step, 16 high back seats plus driver, Ebspacher heater, ex local authority, only 55,685 miles.
06 REG RENAULT MASTER SM33 2.2TD
Manual gearbox, high roof, O&H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 36,441 miles.
2000 X REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 416CDI
Ambulance, LWB, wheeled coachbuilt conversion, full air con/climate, side loading door, 3 high back seats, easy load stretcher position, blue light bars and siren, choice of 2.
60 REG FIAT DUCATO MAXI 3.0 DIESEL
LWB, PAS, KVS coachbuilt Freedom body, tacho, n/s full height low entry door, full air con,14 high back removable seats plus driver, Unwin tracking, AMF fully automatic tail lift, ex local authority, 3,500 miles only. Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 9 high back seats plus driver, Unwin tracked floor, Underfloor Ratcliff tail lift, only 38,800 miles.
55 REG CITROEN RELAY 1800 LM35 2.2HDI
Manual 5 speed gearbox, PAS, CD player, air con, twin side loading doors, 2 high back seat in rear plus single passenger seat front, cut out floor, fold down ramp, metallic silver, 12,389 miles.
58 REG PEUGEOT EXPERT TEPEE 1.9 HDI
Automatic gearbox, high roof, PAS, LWB, tacho, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats, AMF m1 tested floor system, Unwin tracked floor, new Ricon tail lift, 43,500 kms (only 27,030 miles).
58 REG RENAULT MASTER LM39 2.5TD
Manual gearbox, lwb, pas, tacho fitted SLD with step, Eberspacher heater, 15 high back removable seats, Unwin tracking, air con, Ratcliff underfloor tail lift, ex local charity, 29,530 miles
08 REG FORD TRANSIT JUMBO T430
07 REG RENAULT MASTER SM33 2.2TD
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 6 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 33,756 miles.
04 REG CITROEN RELAY 2.8 TD
Tri axle, LWB, PAS, Leicester Carriage Builders mobile library, electric side double door, entry steps with ramps for w/chair access air con, heating, mint condition, battery charger and pack very high spec, 53,132 miles.
05 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI
Manual gearbox, LWB, PAS, O & H conversion, side loading electric power door, AVS electric step, 14 high back removable seats, Eberspacher, PLS underfloor t/tift, ex NHS.
06 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.2TD
Manual gearbox, high roof, Mellor conversion, PAS, side loading door, side step, 12 high back seats plus 1 x w/chair, Eberspacher heater, AMF m2 tested fully tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, 9,491 miles only.
56 REG VAUXHALL MOVANO LM25 2.2TD
Manual gearbox, high roof, O & H conversion, PAS, side loading door, AVS side step, 14 high back seats plus driver, air con, Unwin tracked floor, Ricon tail lift, only 25,685 miles. (blue)
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ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES AUDIO &VIDEO
AIR CONDITIONING
BUILDINGS
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HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS
Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available For further information phone
TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/DUSTITE loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:
BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime
www.checkpoint-safety.com
BREATHTESTING
Tel: 01524 271200
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ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES ENGINES
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
VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES
CRAIG TILSLEY Tel: 01782 791524 or 01782 791527
Fax: 01782 791316
Moorfields Industrial Estate Cotes Heath, Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY
South Coast Diesels
• All classes of engines, gearboxes & propshafts • New, reconditioned, used, repairs & spares
Suppliers of Reconditioned DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS PUMPS ETC
Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in
WORKSHOP & BODYSHOP PLANNING GREENFIELD SITE DEVELOPMENT CAD DESIGN SERVICE SERVICES & EQUIPMENT SUPPLY MOT EQUIPMENT SUPPLY PLANS COSHH & EPA COMPLIANT
24/7 “FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY” Contact Graham on 07710 446490 Email: graham@cesltd.orangehome.co.uk www.merlongservices.co.uk
Tel: 01993 849522 Fax: 01993 706920 Email: sales@thhs.co.uk
UNIT 9 NIMROD BUSINESS PARK DE HAVILLAND WAY, WITNEY OX29 0YG
INSURANCE
Professional Garage Equipment Services
Heaters • A/C Equipment Blowers • Motors • Radiators Silicone Hose • Ducting Wiper Equipment • Gas Struts
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01425 402579
AdvertiseyourProducts&Services hereforaslittleas£30.00 aweek!
HEATING
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ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES POWER STEERING
SEATING
We offer the BEST PRICES on RAPID REPAIRS & EXCHANGE UNITS
Steering Boxes & Pumps
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12 months guarantee NEXT DAY DELIVERY
Call 0844 8040 147 WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS
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REGISTRATIONS G £750 30 NXX 33 WXE 40 NXA 40 OXW 90 PXL 99 WNX PJZ 88 RJZ 66 RJZ 77
SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’
£350 £99 £99 £50 KIW 696 HIG 8806 ONZ 1115 AXZ 5708 MUI 787 HIG 8807 PEZ 9824 AXZ 5709 MUI 797 JHZ 6118 REZ 3375 BXZ 7175 NUI 656 JNZ 9894 REZ 4266 BXZ 7176 SUI 848 MHZ 9947 RUI 2117 CRZ 4816 UIW 616 MHZ 9948 SEZ 8950 CRZ 4817 VIW 979 MJZ 6748 TLZ 1202 DRZ 1305 YIB 202 MJZ 6749 TUI 1440 DRZ 1306 YIB 303 MNZ 1182 UEZ 1915 DRZ 1307 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange
£50 IIG 9238 IIG 9239 JIG 5671 JIG 5672 JIG 5673 SUI 9761 SUI 9762 TUI 1522 TUI 1523
Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771
Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ
SEATING
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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
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MCF Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban + many more
The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers Call the Experts: 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com www.bhiuk.com
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ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES TICKETING
TRAINING
CPC Nat / International Driver CPC Digital Tachograph Drivers’ Hours Tachograph Analysis
GETNOTICED! AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshereforaslittle as£30.00 aweek!
Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in
TRIM
COACH TRIMMERS LTD
Supplying the Bus and Coach Industry with quality seat retrims and interior refurbishment. Full floors re-laid and centre gangways. Collection and delivery service anywhere in the UK, seven days a week.
Email: info@eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk Web: www.eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk
Call Sade Obisesan NOW on 0208 320 1353 or email: sade.obisesan@rouncymedia.co.uk
Tel/Fax: 01751 472229
TYRES & EQUIPMENT
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275/70R 22.5 275/80R 22.5 295/80R 22.5 295/80R 22.5 295/80R 22.5 295/80R 22.5 295/80R 22.5
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295/80R 22.5 315/80R 22.5 315/80R 22.5 315/80R 22.5 315/80R 22.5 315/80R 22.5 305/75R 24.5
Bridgestone M788 M+S Budget Steer Barum Steer Regal Drive M+S Bridgestone R297 Bridgestone M788 Goodyear LHS
0800 298 4755
Adam : 07841 239411 Steve : 07545 735303
More stock available. All prices subject to VAT and availability.
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Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk, fax 0845 2802927 or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX
Monday: Press day. During the evening, the phone goes and it turns out to an irritating call centre from overseas. The lady asks for me, so I tell her I’ll pass her over to “the man himself”. I change my voice and speak Welsh to her, telling her I haven’t got a clue what she’s on about. She hangs up without uttering a further word. Back of the net... Tuesday: Start in the office at lunchtime. Immediately forge on with this issue. Touch base with Meera, who is working remotely.
Where there’s muck, there’s brass, so it is said - and none more so than inside this Optare-bodied Olympian
Olympian live & kicking What have we here? One thing’s for sure, this Olympian is certainly ‘live and kicking’ for it is now used as a farm bus. It was caught on camera by Steve Hodgson at last week’s Scarlet Band 90th anniversary event (CBW999). “The bus carries live farm animals to educate children at schools,” said Steve. “It’s surprising how many children do not know where certain meats are from or what the animals are themselves. I bet the teachers would like to keep the zoo out of it – they have to put up with enough already.” Turning to the bus itself, a quick Google search reveals the
Dilbert
Optare ‘E500LFL’ started life with Cambus (now Stagecoach East) in Cambridge and was latterly in service with Tees Valley.
For further details, visit www.farmyardflyer.org.uk
Last word for charabanc… The word charabanc is among those to have been declared extinct by Collins Dictionary – the Daily Mail reported. The old fashioned and underused words are to be removed from their pocket dictionaries after they fell out of popular use. A list has been compiled by a team of Collins’
literary detectives who charted how regularly ‘endangered’ words appeared in books, newspapers and magazines. The charabanc was of course, a motor coach, normally one used for sightseeing tours either pulled by a horse or motorised, which was later overtaken by motor buses in the 1930s. If the Daily Mail is to be believed, the word charbanc was first used in 1797, but has not been used in significant frequency since the 1960s. “Such words are in our largest dictionary but we’ve categorised them as obsolete, as although they go out of general use they are still of interest to historians so it’s useful to have them in the dictionary. But we would exclude them from our smaller dictionaries,” said Collins.
Wednesday: In place of my usual casual attire, don a suit for the office as I’m interviewing a potential new recruit. In the evening, my parents talk about their enjoyable day volunteering on the Ffestiniog Railway (FR). With the FR being a popular attraction for coaches, mum also tells me which coaches she’s seen – all good fun. Thursday: In between compiling contributions for ‘The Big Question’, spend the day writing in the office, in addition to managerial tasks. As the number of adverts sold increases, so too does the pagination – we finish as a 96 pager. Friday: Spend part of the morning with the friendly team at Stagecoach in Cambridge, who have kindly agreed to facilitate the cover shot of this issue. After lunch, up to my eyes producing the 1000th issue, a woman from a London-based news agency calls who certainly doesn’t understand the meaning of the word no. Perhaps I should be like my predecessor and filter my calls. Enjoy a good walk in the evening with my fiancée. Saturday: Rise early and work on CBW at home. Go to the office mid morning for several hours of website training. After a late lunch, forge on with work for issue 1000.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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RECRUITMENT
DEADlINES Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.30pm
August 24, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 93
irena.cornwell@rouncymedia.co.uk
New manager for Setra Coach Sales
First welcomes budding engineer apprentices First in Aberdeen has welcomed a record 26 budding engineers to its King Street depot at its annual engineering apprentice open day. The open day, which began last year, demonstrates to interested young people what being a bus engineering apprentice entails. Many of the attendees will be interviewed to fill a number of vacancies within the First Aberdeen depot. Senior managers from the company gave a number of presentations and took the young hopefuls, all aged between 16 and 18, on a tour of First’s new bus depot. First in Aberdeen’s engineering
CONTACT Irena Cornwell 01733 293247
Jon Eardley, engineering director at First Aberdeen and Firstgroup’s head of learning, Linda Guthrie with the prospective apprentices director, Jon Eardley, is a big advocate of apprenticeships having progressed through the First Apprentice programme between 1995 and 1999. He is also currently studying for his First sponsored Masters in Engineering, and said: “Our aim is to give prospective apprentices a real insight into life in engineering. It’s important that young people can make an
informed decision about their career path.” Linda Guthrie, Firstgroup’s head of learning said she was pleased the number of young people on the open day had almost doubled – with 14 attending in 2010. “I think it demonstrates that more young people are recognising that a career in transport is a rewarding one,” she added.
EvoBus UK has strengthened its UK Setra coach sales team with the appointment of Tony Francies as area manager. He will be responsible for Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & East Anglia, together with the Republic of Ireland. Tony has moved from the after sales team at EvoBus (UK) Ltd, part of the automotive group, Daimler AG, having spent 31 years in the automotive industry. During this time he has worked in both cars, truck and bus/coach sectors at dealership and at manufacturer management level, always working with premium brands. Tony will report to Mike Beagrie, director of coach sales.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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RECRUITMENT ASSISTANT OPERATIONS MANAGER SWINDON Under our stewardship, many management staff have progressed quickly to more senior positions, as has our previous postholder in Swindon. Accordingly, we now have a vacancy for an Assistant Operations Manager, based in Swindon and also covering Cirencester outstation with around 55 vehicles and 120 operational staff. Swindon is a major future growth area with around 30,000 new homes projected to be built by 2026, all of which need to be supported by evolving bus services and our Company has an impressive track record of organic passenger growth. Ideally you should have previous experience of supervising staff in a transport environment and be an effective and resilient organiser. You will also be committed to first class delivery of our services to our customers. This is an excellent opportunity to advance your management career once you have shown us your capabilities. A competitive salary with benefits is offered for this post, together with relocation expenses, if applicable. Applications including a CV with handwritten accompanying letter giving a statement of the qualities and energies you will bring to the post should be sent to: Sholto Thomas, Operations Director, Stagecoach West, 3rd Floor, 65 London Road, Gloucester, GL1 3HF Closing Date: Thursday, 15th September 2011.
Transport for South Hants chairman re-elected Mel Kendal has been re-elected as chairman of Transport for South Hampshire for the next 12 months. In addition to his duties, Kendal has been executive member for environment and transport for Hampshire County Council since June 2009. The group’s joint committee also elected Jason Fazackarley, cabinet member for traffic and transportation for Portsmouth City Council, as its vice-chair. “I am delighted to be able to continue to play a key part in the development of transport solutions in south Hampshire that will help support business, whilst not detracting from the high quality of our environment,” said Kendal. “In particular, I am looking forward to working with the newly formed Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.
“Since the joint partnership began in 2007 it has made good progress, including the development of the first phase of a bus rapid transit scheme for the south east of the area. “We are particularly pleased with the work we are doing towards the introduction of a public transport smart ticket system and have made a bid to the government‘s Local Sustainable Transport Fund. We are delighted to know it is one of only eight schemes nationally, and two in the South East to be short listed for government funding.” TfSH consists of Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth County Council and Southampton City Council. TfSH is supported by a partnership of government bodies and businesses, including Stagecoach South and University Link buses.
Your First Choice for Recruitment
An exciting opportunity to work with one of the largest UK Bus companies. We are currently recruiting for two senior Regional General Managers to work for Arriva London (Part of Arriva UK Bus). These opportunities are part of a revised structure to underpin the organisations desire for further improvements in service performance. Reporting into the board of directors the successful candidates will take full responsibility for profit and loss maximisation, will assist with delivery of strategy and will manage performance across the functional areas of the business. These are key appointments that offer the opportunity to influence the continual drive for excellence, assisting with the formation and delivery of strategy that will improve performance across the business. This offers candidates the opportunity to make a difference in a successful and forward looking organisation. Candidates with the following experience should consider this unique opportunity: • Candidates with previous experience of working within the transport industry or similar. • Candidates should have experience of managing large budgets (up to the value of £150million). • Candidates will have managed large complex, multi disciplinary teams with particular emphasis on performance management. • Candidates who are able to successfully demonstrate continuous improvement • Candidates who can create a regional strategy that compliments the organisational vision. If you have a passion for managing teams and are comfortable with working alongside strategic stakeholders, with the ability to digest strategy and deliver the service accordingly then this could be the opportunity for you to make a significantly positive change to the way the service is currently run. Contact Emily Kelly MD Associ8Solutions tel: 01785 246082 email: ekelly@associ8solutions.co.uk
CBW’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 costrecruitment adverts are also automatically placed online at www.coachandbusweek.com, where they remain on view until a position’s closing date. CBW and www.coachandbusweek.com combine to create the ultimaterecruitment solution, guaranteeing your vacancy is seen by everyjobseeker that matters from sales agents to board level. To get your vacancy seen by quality candidates, call Irena on 01733 293247 or email irena.cornwell@rouncymedia.co.uk
www.coachandbusweek.com
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SUBCONTRACTING The Star Bus Company is looking to work in Partnership with fellow quality contractors to service one or more of our contracts. The value of the work could be substantial and would be for a fixed period. If you wish to register your interest then please email info@starbus.co.uk with the subject heading SUBCONTRACTING. Please include in your email the name of your company, name and contact number of the prime contact for us, type of vehicles you could supply, number of vehicles in your fleet and any other information you wish to include. We will request additional information before awarding any work. We require service providers of passenger assistants, PCO drivers and PCV drivers. Vehicle requirements would be for saloon cars, MPV’s, accessible cars, mini-buses up to 8 seats, mini-buses 9-16 passenger seats, tail-lift mini-buses, accessible welfare buses, service buses/coaches. Executive contractors also sought.
www.coachandbusweek.com
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