Volvo Bus Euro 6 Privatised Northern strategy on track p22 Ireland bus routes? p5
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Guided Busway on track p20 INTERVIEW
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Roger French: Time to look TEST DRIVE
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NBfL – A bus like no other 001_CBW1107_Cover.indd 1
Bus Rapid Transit: p24 An American perspective
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THIS WEEK Coach & Bus Week, First Floor, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX Switchboard 01733 293240 Fax 0845 280 2927 Web www.coachandbusweek.com Distributed by COMAG
EDITORIAL Publisher Jonathan Taylor 01733 293240 jonathan.taylor@coachandbusweek.com Editor Gareth Evans 01733 293243 gareth.evans@coachandbusweek.com Features Editor Andrew Izatt 01733 293482 andrew.izatt@coachandbusweek.com Technical & Minibus Editor Martin Cole 01733 293245, 07885 692144 martin.cole@coachandbusweek.com Digital Editor James Day 01733 293244 james.day@coachandbusweek.com Art Director Ian Blaza Contributors Ray Wilkes, Jonathan Bray, Richard Charnley, Alan Payling
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Driver CPC: changes afoot?
I
thought I would draw your attention to a couple of very important consultations on the effectiveness of the Driver CPC (DCPC) which are currently running until October 25. The objective of the public consultation is to provide input into the assessment of the effectiveness of the EU Directive and to steer the future direction and development of the training. As Alec Horner, Chief Executive of the Association of Trainers, who kindly alerted me (and hence you of course) to the issue said: “It is therefore vital that everyone involved in the DCPC, ranging from individual drivers to operators and trainers, responds to this consultation.” There are two ways of responding – firstly to the DSA (Driving Standards Agency), who are asking for comments at the UK Governmental level, and is a shortened version of the Commission’s questionnaire at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ dcpccallforevidence . You can also respond directly to the full EU consultation at: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/media/ consultations/2013-professional-driverstraining_en.htm . There are 28 questions, but many
CONTENTS
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www.coachandbusweek.com ISSN: 1351-3877 © 2013 Coach and Bus Week 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. The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Coach & Bus Week are not necessarily those of the Editor or its publisher Coach and Bus Week Ltd.
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The latest from across the coach and bus industry in the UK
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Report shows BRT systems can attract huge inward investment
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Read what the New Bus for London is like to drive out on the road
What’s happening across the country’s regions. Plus Events Diary
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All the latest vehicle deliveries in operator’s yards across the country
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Roger French: why Roger felt his time had come in management
Luton – Dunstable guided busway swings into action
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Digital technology powers advances in ticketing and communications
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A lighthearted look at the industry. Plus Office Diary column
Volvo outlines the range changes in 2014 as it moves into Euro 6
Stephenson’s of Easingwold’s new Plaxton Panther Volvo B9 coach
All the latest people moves from across the industry
Regional News News Focus
Volvo at Euro 6
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can be ‘yes/no’ answers. As Alec rightly said: “At least you can have a say and possibly influence what happens in future to the DCPC. If you don’t respond, forever hold your peace and don’t moan or even think of complaining about whatever the EU implements over the next few years!” Alec also raised another issue to be aware of – one which could catch some of you out. “One further key observation about many operators’ approach to DCPC is that they don’t seem to have grasped the fact that new drivers who passed their PCV tests after September 10, 2008 all have different expiry dates on their DQC cards, so sitting on your laurels for another five years (or even six years for most acquired rights drivers) isn’t an option. The sensible way forward is to carry out one course each year so that all drivers are always within their training renewal cycle. “There is no doubt that the DCPC is here to stay and it’s down to those involved in it at every level to respond to the requests for your feedback from both the UK and EU authorities as to how it moves forward.”
BRT Report
Test drive
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Deliveries
Industry Guide Big Picture
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Face to Face
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Last Stop
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People
wts.co.uk October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 3 30/09/2013 17:40
NEWS B R I E F LY
Bookings open for 2014 ALBUM conference
l SOUTH WALES-based Gwyn Williams Coaches of Tumble ceased trading on Friday (September 27). According to Carmarthenshire County Council, the firm ran six school or college bus runs on behalf of the authority, in addition to three commercial bus services carrying fare paying children to Ysgol Maes-y-Gwendraeth. Brodyr Williams of Upper Tumble has been able to step in at short notice to cover the firm’s contracts. Executive board member for transport services Cllr Colin Evans said: “We are grateful to the various operators who have taken on the school contracts for being able to take over these runs at such short notice and ensure disruption to the users.” l LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL is teaching children correct procedures for exiting school buses in an emergency. The council has filmed a DVD which will be shown in all schools in the county as part of the council’s Max Respect Campaign to promote safety on home to school transport. The authority is working alongside Sleafordian Coaches and Grayscroft of Mablethorpe. In preparation for filming, a practical exercise took place at Cordeaux Academy involving year seven pupils. The children also learnt such things as how quickly a bus can fill with smoke and what to do in an emergency for different types of buses. Filming of the DVD took place in Sleaford and after it is produced, it will be distributed across schools in the county.
Lothian Buses is hosting the next ALBUM conference Conference takes place from May 12-14 at Murrayfield stadium, with theme ‘Innovate, Integrate, Motivate,’ Bookings can now be made to attend the 2014 ALBUM Conference hosted by Lothian Buses at Murrayfield Stadium, the home of Scottish Rugby, next May. The conference theme is ‘Innovate, Integrate, Motivate.’ Innovate – how do we create idea-led cultures which help address the multiple challenges facing the industry? Integrate – how are various transport projects, local authority ambitions and key stakeholder requirements combined to offer customer-focused, quality public transport? Motivate – in a world of constant change, how do we ensure we
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motivate our teams to deliver? The conference will address specifically these three questions by presenting a number of speakers in each field. As well as offering knowledge and expertise, the intention is for the conference to be ‘upbeat and fun’ with opportunities to network and meet with peers and exhibitors presenting products covering all operator needs. As well as a two day conference at Murrayfield, delegates can enjoy social activities including a round of golf at the Championship links course, Craigielaw, in East Lothian; a cruise on the Forth Belle on the Firth of Forth; a traditional Scottish celebration in Ghillie Dhu, a Scottish-themed, city-centre setting, and a Gala Dinner hosted at Our Dynamic Earth, one of Scotland’s most spectacular tourist
attractions, overlooking the extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat, which dominates the city skyline, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. James Freeman, Chairman of ALBUM commented: “I am thoroughly looking forward to the Album Conference 2014 which looks set to expand on previous years. I have every confidence that our hosts Lothian Buses will provide a really excellent platform to share best practice, generate new ideas and network with colleagues. The spectacular setting along with traditional Scots hospitality promises to give us three days to remember.”
All conference and booking information can be found at http://albumconference2014. com
www.coachandbusweek.com
30/09/2013 18:40
Wright StreetLite achieves Low Carbon status Ulster looking at local bus privatisation
The Wrightbus StreetLite Micro Hybrid range has achieved Low Carbon Emission Bus Certification and is therefore eligible for the additional fuel subsidy of 6p per km in England and 14p per km in Scotland. A low cost hybrid system allows the bus to recuperate lost braking energy to power the vehicle electrics and its compressed air system. Wrightbus claims this improves fuel efficiency by approximately 10% achieving LCEB limits. Wrightbus can confirm that the certification covers all the vehicle derivatives in the StreetLite range. In the official LCEB test the StreetLite MAX with Micro Hybrid achieved 711 grams of CO2 per km (Tank-to-Wheel). This correlates to a 155 tonne saving in CO2 emissions over 15 years compared to the nearest competitor in its class. Brian Maybin, Engineering Director for Wrightbus,
The StreetLite Micro Hybrid is claimed to improve 10% on the fuel efficiency of the rest of the StreetLite range commented: “We are delighted to achieve the LCEB certification. We have worked with FirstGroup for two years on the development of pragmatic low cost fuel saving ideas via their annual fuel efficiency competition.” This Micro Hybrid technology is innovative because it results in a significant further fuel saving with no compromise to the vehicle weight or driving characteristics.
This solution is productionready for Euro 5 vehicles, for immediate sale. The Micro Hybrid cost premium can be recovered in less than a year when the fuel saving and additional fuel subsidy are taken into consideration. Wrightbus says that unlike other hybrid buses, there is no additional maintenance cost later in life. As Brian said: “This system has all the pluses with none of the minuses.”
Almost all the city’s bus services are arriving on time. The reliability of services has increased to 98.7% of buses arriving at stops as planned. Punctuality has stood at 90.9% over the last five months. As a result, customer satisfaction with Sheffield’s buses is improving, with a 30% reduction in customer complaints compared to before the launch of the SBP. The network has also benefitted from investment in the fleet. Indeed, 61% of the city’s buses now meet Euro 5. It will not stop there either – for 250 out of 400 buses will be replaced to create a 50% Euro
6-compliant fleet by 2017. Further investment in Sheffield’s bus network and roads, including improved bus stops, real-time information and improvements for all traffic at key junctions is expected to reduce delays and increase punctuality even further. Work will begin in January 2014. David Young, SYPTE Deputy Interim Director General, said: “We are delighted there are already significant improvements to the punctuality and reliability of the city’s bus services. We are excited about continuing to make future improvements as the SBP progresses.”
Successful Sheffield partnership Almost a year since its launch on October 28, 2012, the Sheffield Bus Partnership (SBP) is delivering on its promised improvements. According to figures released last week, the number of journeys being made on buses throughout the city has increased by 5% in the last three months, with 14% more adult fare paying passengers than this time last year. This, the SBP says, is in part thanks to the introduction of co-ordinated timetables between Stagecoach in Sheffield and First South Yorkshire to prevent duplication on key routes, discounted multi-operator tickets and newer, greener buses.
Privatisation of some bus services in Northern Ireland looks as if it is on the agenda. . Following recent moves by the National Transport Authority in the Republic which has outlined proposals to privatise 10% of routes operated by Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann. BBC News claims it has seen the final draft of a cross-party report from Stormont which criticises government monitoring of Belfast-based state-owned operator Translink, which is said to have received £140m in public funding last year. It also recommends urgent review of budget allocations. The cross-party report was compiled following an investigation by the Regional Development committee. According to the BBC it calls for government to proactively introduce tendering and franchising opportunities for private operators, including the proposed £100m Belfast Rapid Transit project. This scheme was approved by the Stormont Executive last year and proposes using modern trams or light rail type vehicles to connect Dundonald, Titanic Quarter and West Belfast to the city centre. The committee proposes full access to Translink accounts for the Northern Ireland Audit Office which will bring forward appropriate legislation if Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy does not act. The report is likely to be published in the next few weeks.
Vehicle Inspection & Maintenance Compliance Services
If you would like further information please call 01543 897505 or visit www.lloydmorgangroup.co.uk
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October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5 30/09/2013 18:40
NEWS › BUSES B R I E F LY l TRAVELWATCH NorthWest (TWNW), is holding a public conference October 10 between 1100 and 1530hrs with presentations from David Brown, Director General and Chief Executive, Merseytravel; Beverley Bell, Senior and North West TC; and Brendan O’Friel, Chairman, TravelWatch Isle of Man and founding Chairman of TWNW. Delegates have an opportunity to make a short statement on any public transport issues, given prior advice. For details, call John Moorhouse on 07807 768124 or email admin@travelwatchnorthwest.org.uk l THE SOUTH EAST WALES Transport Alliance (SEWTA) is updating its Bus and CT Strategy by seeking stakeholder views to identify priorities and meet the challenge of the next 10 years. Its questionnaire is at www.survey.bris.ac.uk/sewta/ bus<http://www.survey.bris. ac.uk/sewta/bus
Bio-buses arrive for Stagecoach in Canterbury Buses to operate on Unibus route, which has seen passenger numbers grow from 290k to 1.25m in six years The first bio-buses in east Kent have entered service in Canterbury. The six ADL Enviro400 double deckers run on 100% biofuel, are being used on the Unibus route between the University of Kent and Canterbury Bus Station. They represent an investment of £1.1m. Philip Norwell, Managing Director of Stagecoach in East Kent said: “We have a responsibility to look after our environment while continuing to provide the public transport which people are increasingly choosing to use to get around east Kent. “We work very closely with the University of Kent and the Unibus route has provided sustainable transport for their expanding Canterbury campus. Passenger numbers on the Unibus have
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+ 4.8
Length of the Luton Dunstable guided busway in miles
grown from 290,000 in 2006 to 1.25 million in 2012, saving vast numbers of car journeys in the city. “Our investment in these ultramodern vehicles is testament to our commitment to providing quality bus travel in Canterbury to help cut traffic congestion, while also continually reducing our own carbon footprint.” Speaking at the launch, John Gilbey, leader of Canterbury City Council, said: “We are determined to try everything we can to reduce pollution and congestion in our city. Buses play a key role in that strategy, so Stagecoach’s investment in a fleet of new biofuel vehicles is very welcome and I have no doubt that their introduction on such a well-used route will improve the situation greatly.” The University of Kent has also invested in the bus upgrade by contributing to the cost of the new infrastructure installed at
Stagecoach’s Herne Bay depot to house the environmentallyfriendly fuel. The buses are powered by Euro 5 engines and Stagecoach expects the combination of biofuel and engine to result in a 50% reduction in pollutants. The buses also provide free WiFi for passengers and a dedicated team of specially trained Unibus drivers will be behind the wheels. The introduction of bio-buses in Canterbury is part of a nationwide environmental policy adopted by Stagecoach Group, with the first biofuel project in Kilmarnock, Scotland resulting in a reduction of CO2 emissions by 80%, winning a top honour at the 2010 Green Business Awards. Stagecoach in East Kent has also recently installed an eco-driving system in all its buses which is expected to reduce fuel consumption by encouraging better driving practices.
East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) has taken delivery of five new ADL Enviro200s to alleviate a vehicle shortage which it says arose quite suddenly. EYMS was asked to take on some extra school contracts and a planned change to another local authority contracted route which would have saved one bus was cancelled at the last minute. On top of this, major top deck damage was caused to one of the company’s double-decker buses a few weeks ago when it was in collision with a tree. The bus is now being converted to open-top for use on the Scarborough sea front service. All this meant EYMS was short of buses, but fortunately ADL had some ‘stock’ single decks so a deal was done in just a few days and the buses arrived in Hull just a week after the first contact. Three of the buses are entering service in Hull immediately, still in white but with East Yorkshire fleet names temporarily applied. The remaining two went straight into the company’s paint shop and when complete another two new buses will be painted with the fifth one following on. EYMS has also agreed to buy the Enviro400 double deck which
featured on the ADL stand at the 2011 Coach & Bus Live Show and has since been used as a demonstrator. This bus, which is to a very high specification, may be used to replace a single deck on the company’s growing X4 route. This was started only a couple of years ago, running originally between Market Weighton and York but last year was extended through to Brough and more recently right through to Hull. EYMS Chairman, Peter Shipp, said “with the unexpected extra work we suddenly found ourselves short of buses and we were very lucky to find some suitable buses ready for immediate delivery, especially as they are similar to types we already have in the fleet.” “So within a week the vehicle shortage problem has been resolved and, of course, the purchases also take us another step towards meeting the DDA deadlines and will bring us six buses in ahead of Euro 6 next year”. Frank McGhee, Key Account Manager at ADL, said: “We are pleased we were able to fill the breach at such short notice. Knowing and understanding the wants and needs of our customers is crucial developing successful long termto business relationships.
ADL fills EYMS vehicle shortage
www.coachandbusweek.com
30/09/2013 17:36
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Advance orders Volvo has received for 2014 delivery of its 7900 hybrid
+ 87
Passenger capacity on the New Bus for London
SHARE WATCH Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, September 30. Rotala saw the greatest proportional rise, while Optare saw the greatest proportional drop. Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk
458.55p
Price: Year High: 471.00p Year Low: 300.80p
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Stagecoach and University staff and guests celebrate the £1.1m investment.
Price: Year High: 277.00p Year Low: 162.90p
Customer demand drives frequency increase on Eclipse BRT First is to increase the frequency of its award-winning Eclipse Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services on October 6, as passenger numbers continue to grow. The company has invested £542,000 in three new highspeci�ication Volvo/Wrightbus Eclipse vehicles for its E1 and E2 services in Fareham and Gosport, which will provide a bus service every six minutes during the day, Monday to Saturday. Marc Reddy, Managing Director of First Hampshire, Dorset &
Berkshire, said: “Customer response to our Eclipse E1 and E2 services has been hugely encouraging. These buses now carry 64% more passengers than the services they directly replaced, the 82 and 86. Not only are more people using the Eclipse services, but more people are using buses on the Gosport peninsula in general, which could be ascribed to the ‘Eclipse effect.’ “The fact these buses can bypass the worst of the congestion on the A32, thanks to the traf�ic-free
busway, means we can offer the frequency and reliability people need. It’s particularly good for commuters, who know they can plan their journey and make onward travel connections with ease. We want to ensure Eclipse continues to match people’s expectations of a bus rapid transit service, which is why we have increased the combined frequency from every seven and a half minutes to every six minutes.” The Eclipse BRT was launched in April 2012.
321.90p
Price: Year High: 338.70p Year Low: 264.30p
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David Bell photographed one of 22 new Alexander Dennis E400s for the First East England X1 Excel (Peterborough – Lowestoft) on delivery to King’s Lynn depot. The first nine double decker buses replaced Wrightbusbodied Volvo B9TLs on the 113-mile route via King’s Lynn, Norwich and Great Yarmouth from September 30
88.97p
Price: Year High: 91.12p Year Low: 72.83p
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FTSE 100 Index: Year High: 6,840 Year Low: 5,606
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October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7 30/09/2013 17:36
NEWS › COACH B R I E F LY l WORK TO RESURFACE Willows Bridge will begin at 2000hrs on Monday, October 14 and will require overnight closures of the A12 at Margaretting, Essex. While work takes place, the A12 will be closed between junctions 14 and 15 and a 50mph speed limit will be in place on both the north and southbound approaches to the work. Drivers will be diverted to follow the B1002 through Margaretting. Completion is expected by 0600hrs Friday, October 18.
Clarkes order six Irizar integrals for next season
l OVERNIGHT LANE CLOSURES and slip road closures continue on the A2 between the M25 and M2 junction 1, Kent for sign and road marking work. A 50 mph speed limit in place throughout the work site between 2000 and 0600hrs, Monday to Friday nights only. The work is due to be finished by October 21. l THE SOUTHBOUND ENTRY slip road for the M3 at junction 10 (Winchester) will be closed overnight between 2200 and 0600hrs on Saturday, October 5 for road marking renewal. A diversion route via junction 9 will be in place. l LANE CLOSURES WILL BE in place on both carriageways of the M4 between junctions 14 (Hungerford) and 15 (Swindon) between 2200 and 0600hrs, Monday to Friday until Friday, November 1. The hard shoulder will remain closed for the duration of the scheme. l THE WESTBOUND A14 is currently shut overnight between junctions 13 (Thrapston A605/A45) and 10 (A6 Burton Latimer) in Northamptonshire until October 16. Resurfacing is being carried out between 2100 and 0600hrs. l A PROJECT TO IMPROVE the capacity of the A38 roundabout at Markeaton, Derby started on October 1. Carriageway closures will take place until March 31, 2014. l LANE CLOSURES and a 40mph speed limit are in place on the M5 Junction 21 (Westonsuper-Mare) until April 2014.
Sydenham-based Clarkes said it was impressed with the three i6s delivered for the 2013 season More DAF-powered i6s for 2014 season for well-known London coach operator Irizar UK has landed the biggest order in its two-year history, with a further six coaches sold to highprofile operator Clarkes of London. Clarkes’ 2013 fleet intake was entirely based on integral Irizar coaches, the Sydenham firm ordering three i6 12.9-metre 57-seaters in 2012, following it with a further order for three. Now, Clarkes says it is has been so impressed by their performance, it has ordered an additional six – the only coaches it will buy for the 2014 season. Clarkes’ work includes corporate travel, City commuters and highend tour work, for which it says the DAF-powered, two-axle i6s are ideal, offering plenty of legroom without having to buy tri-axle, chassis-based coaches.. “The six i6 integrals we bought for 2013 went far beyond our expectations,” said Clarkes MD, Debbie Newman. “Choosing a DAF engine with an integral was a new concept for us and it has proved advantageous. The vehicles have also been very well received by our high-profile customers and drivers. “We always make buying decisions based on the profitability of the firm,” continued Debbie.
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“We meticulously monitor market trends and clients’ needs before making our decision as well as cost effectiveness. It is not a process that is taken lightly and the feedback from clients has been extremely positive.” The coaches have DAF Paccar’s 365bhp PR265 engines, ZF Ecolife fully-automatic gearboxes, Alcoa alloy wheels and the Irizar i6 standard WABCO ECAS EBS ABSASR handling package. Inside, there is a two-screen DVD system, CCTV, half leather seats and headrests and seatback tables. A Hispacold climate control system, dash-mounted fridge, hot drinks console and toilet are also installed. “Importantly, Irizar UK has been exceptionally supportive since we took the first i6s in March this year. It does reassure us that a former high-profile coach operator is behind the product. Irizar UK’s Commercial Director Steve O’Neill understands that, when a new batch of vehicles such as these are ordered, there are almost always teething problems. We accept that extremely complex coaches may have some niggling issues, but thanks to Steve’s prompt action, we have had very little downtime.” “Prior to making the order, we visited the factory in Northern Spain and witnessed first-hand
the developments they have made in providing their customers with quality products, which will ultimately shape the future for the UK’s coach industry,” she added. “Irizar has developed into a modern, quality-driven manufacturer, particularly with regard to UK customers. The attitude of everyone we have met is ‘What can we do for you?’ which is so refreshing.” Steve O’Neill said the order reaffirms his faith in the i6 integral range and its sister i4 coaches: “When Ian Hall and I set up Irizar UK, one of the primary motivations was our belief in the product. UK operators set themselves very high standards, and those standards are met by Irizar coaches. “We also knew from the start that our customers would demand uncompromising back-up. In that area, we have worked very hard, and continue to focus a great deal of our attention. This latest order from Clarkes is affirmation that we are meeting high expectations. Irizar UK Sales Director Ian Hall added: “This year, we sold the 50th Irizar integral coach in the UK. It’s especially pleasing that it is a repeat order with such a highprofile operator, and we hope puts us on track to supply between 40 and 50 new Irizar integrals to the UK market in the next 12 months.” www.coachandbusweek.com
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The Kings Ferry launches faster, fresh new website The Kings Ferry has launched a new website which it says is faster, easier to navigate and benefits from a fresh new look and feel. It features new imagery and refreshed copy to make the site more customer-friendly and encourage interaction. Significantly, the site is now compatible on all platforms such as desktop, mobile and tablet to help users book on the go. For new customers, the improved quote system has been simplified to help users find all relevant information as quickly as possible. In addition, customers can now access information on the firm’s new Somerset coach hire service on the site. Samuel Adams, Multimedia
and Marketing Executive at the National Express Group-owned operator said: “We are pleased with the new look and feel of the website which is now much easier to navigate – the fresh and clean look was developed in response to our customer’s needs. “We have found that more customers are accessing the website from a mobile device so have invested in responsive technology to facilitate easier navigation on the go. We aim to help customers find all the relevant information as quickly and easily as possible.” Take a look at the revised site at www.thekingsferry. co.uk.
Major changes to annual Group Leisure & Travel Trade Show
National Express saves passengers bags of trouble with case allowance National Express is extending its baggage allowance. Under existing rules customers can take two hold bags and one piece of hand luggage free of charge. Now passengers can pay in advance to take an additional three hold bags on top of the standard allowance. Paying for extra luggage beforehand is cheaper too – passengers can save up to 50% compared to paying on the day. The additional allowance is available on services to 57 key UK destinations – including all the major airports when customers book online. The firm says the process couldn’t be simpler. When online customers, can select either the ‘Large’ option enabling them to take an additional hold bag, or ‘Extra Large’ allowing them to take up to three extra hold items. National Express UK Coach MD Tom Stables said: “Preparing for your journey can be that bit more
stressful when weighing up which essentials to cram into a limited space. That’s why we’re extending our luggage policy to give people more freedom when preparing for their journey – and putting an end to those traditional packing dilemmas.”
Passengers can now take more bags with them on NX coach services
The event is popular with coach operators seeking to meet Group Travel Organisers The annual Group Leisure & Travel Trade Show (GLTT) has announced that in 2014 it will locate two exhibitions in both Birmingham and London, and that this will be the new structure for the show thereafter. The show, which targets group travel organisers and coach operators, recently had its 17th two-day annual presentation at the NEC on September 18 and 19 and has been located at the NEC since 2006, after many years previously at the Wembley Exhibition Centre. Next year the show will split to become a one-day event at the Business Design Centre, London on Saturday, May 17 and a one-day www.coachandbusweek.com
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event at Birmingham’s NEC on Thursday, September 25. Organiser Emma Cash told CBW: “We are very positive about prospects for 2014 and confident that we will continue to offer the best top quality events available in the groups and coach tourism market. What we are doing is reacting to what our visitors and exhibitors want and it appears that exhibitors are certainly voting with their feet with both shows already booking well and both already over 40% sold for 2014.”
com.
Details of the GLTT can be found at: www.leisureshow.
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9 30/09/2013 17:08
NEWS
EYMS Training Academy celebrates a successful fifth anniversary after 4,300 DCPC sessions Since being set up as a separate division, East Yorkshire Motor Services’ (EYMS) training department achieved five years of successful performance in September, at almost exactly the same time as the initial driver CPC deadline. The long-established training function was formally set up as EYMS Bus & Coach Training in September 2008 and in its first five years has gone from strength to strength, collecting several awards on the way. The then newly established
training division was quickly approved to deliver Driver CPC courses. It has now been re-approved to deliver its expanded range of courses until September 2018, not just for PCV drivers, but also for the LGV sector. The division was also approved to provide NVQ training, and 353 EYMS drivers have obtained their level 2 NVQ qualification, and eight ‘BusCall’ call centre and travel centre staff have achieved NVQ’s in customer service. The team of eight trainers
and assessors, under Training Manager Darren Kendrew, has put over 800 drivers through customer care and disability equality courses, over 900 drivers through defensive driving and driver development modules, and a similar number of drivers have undergone many of the other approved CPC training modules, with a total of over 4,300 sevenhour course completions in total. No less than 50 other bus operators and other nontransport businesses have put staff through the EYMS DCPC
First marks Mallard’s return to Doncaster
The world famous Mallard steam locomotive along with a a pair of First Wrightbus Volvos in Doncaster 2013 marks the 75th anniversary celebration of the land speed record holder for National Railway Museum-owned steam locomotive Mallard. Built in Doncaster and driven to 126mph on July 3, 1938 by Doncastrian Joe Duddington, the LNER Class A4 Pacific 4468 returned to its home in Doncaster recently. First offered support in supplying a shuttle bus service to transport
visitors to the St Leger horse race meeting, building on the strong partnership with Doncaster Council and its subsidiaries. Unique destination numbers – A4 & 4468 were created along with a commemorative ticket. Colin Joy, Doncaster Tourism & Visitor Economy Manager said: “We had 2,600 visitors over the recent St Leger weekend and were delighted with the event. The First
shuttle bus service was superbly organised with many visitors saying how well the service had been run. “The two bus services proved so popular that even the buses themselves with their unique service numbers were being photographed by visitors. All in all, two very enjoyable days for both visitors and everyone involved in making the event a huge success.”
Passenger Focus has secured a significant funding boost from the bus industry to both deepen and broaden the reach of the highlyregarded Passenger Focus Bus Passenger Survey (BPS). The comparative benchmarking survey is a powerful driver for change as it flags up where operators and local authorities are doing well and where they need to improve.
The body plans to survey just over 30,000 bus passengers this autumn, considerably exceeding last year’s total of 22,000 passenger responses. This is due in small part to the growing influence and credibility of this work, which has grown significantly since the first BPS in 2009-10 where Passenger Focus secured 18,500 responses. This year’s work has seen
significant boost funding from several transport authority areas in addition to several commercial bus operators. For the first time the BPS work will include some research in Scotland - First in Glasgow and Lothian Buses.
Passenger Focus recieves funding boost
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A full list of areas covered and anticipated responses can be found at http://tinyurl. com/pz8fzhj
courses, as well as PCV Driver Licence acquisition training, including some from Cumbria and the West Midlands, together with numerous private individuals from as far away as Australia and Cyprus. EYMS Bus & Coach Training says it is now well in hand with plans for the second phase of Driver CPC training and will be extending the range of training modules to offer an even wider variety of courses both internally and externally over the next few months.
Carlyle Bus & Coach relaunches in Dublin
Carlyle Bus & Coach is planning to relaunch and rebrand its Dublin branch. In May 2008, Carlyle opened its sixth branch in Dublin and invested in a new 6500 sq ft premises. Carlyle’s Dublin branch is Ireland’s largest stockist of bus and coach parts. With a full range of bus and coach parts and glass stocked on site, the branch offers a reliable delivery service and is fed VOR and stock replenishment twice weekly from its head office in the West Midlands. In recent years, Carlyle’s comprehensive range of parts has steadily grown, as has the stock holding. A new sales van has been acquired to meet the needs of smaller independent customers. This new service and facility represents a huge commitment to Carlyle’s bus and coach customers, ensuring ease and speed of delivery are now optimised to reduce downtime and vehicles off the road. Carlyle’s new General Manager, Martin Whittaker, said: “We’re fully committed to providing our customers with the best possible service. The investment we’re making in Dublin is a clear sign of our intention to deliver this.” The branch is run by Diarmaid Thompson, Branch Manager. Sean Cranley is Branch Sales and Ken Reid is a Sales Representative who will now take over Dublin’s first new sales van. Visit Carlyle’s new website at www. carlylebusandcoach.co.uk
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BYD 12 concludes tests in Colombia Andino-12 electric bus has carrying capacity of 80 with a 250 km range COLOMBIA The Sistemas Sustentables and ISSRC have released third-party test results from Bogota, Columbia confirming the BYD electric bus Andino-12 (12m) successfully concluded two weeks of intensive testing and evaluation. The programme carried out operational testing to determine electric-bus feasibility in Bogota’s Integrated Public Transport System. The BYD Andino-12 electric bus had a carrying capacity of 80 passengers with a specified range of over 250 km. Testing was carried out in Bogota on a route specified by Transmilenio S.A. The test route covered around 700 km with a total testing time of 40 hours under various traffic conditions, road surfaces and gradients. The tests were carried out under two different load conditions (full load and 70% loaded), according to the various protocols and manuals. The Andino 12’s average performance on route was 1.13 km/kWh (exceeding even BYD’s specifications of 1 km/kWh). In
The BYD Andino-12 electric bus performed well within the standards required of it in Colombia after extensive testing terms of passenger perceived noise, the average values obtained were considerably below the Colombian standards, 61.44 dB and 66.87dB with the windows closed and open (the maximum standard in Columbia is 80 dBA). When the bus is stopped, it does not generate any noise since the motor parts are
MCI consolidates facilities USA MCI has moved its Schaumburg headquarters and its Des Plaines Sales and Service Centre facility to a single new location in Des Plaines. It brings MCI’s corporate offices and Sales and Service operations under the same roof. The new 80,000-square-foot facility, at 200 E. Oakton Street, includes indoor space to showcase MCI and Setra models and ample parking for new and pre-owned coaches. About 60,000 interior square feet will house the airconditioned MCI Sales and Service Centre which will accept coaches for maintenance and repair from October 1. Patrick McGuire, Director of MCI Service Centres, said: “We can accommodate up to 36 coaches for maintenance and repair and we have the absolute latest equipment and diagnostics. We’ve added a number of state-of-the-art features, including portable tablets for technicians, all loaded with schematics, parts catalogues and
diagnostics. There’s also space and comfort enough for our technicians to do all work indoors.” In selecting the site, customers came first. “The new location is closer to the Interstate and to Chicago’s O’Hare airport,” added McGuire. “We’ve configured the service center space for coaches to drive in one door and out the other. The goal is convenience and fast, expert service, a hallmark of our ReliaDrive guarantee.” Under ReliaDrive, MCI Service Center promises same-day diagnosis; an accurate estimate (within 10% of the actual bill); and a fixed-right-the-first-time guarantee on MCI and Setra coaches. Other facilities at the site include two full-service pits for oil changes and related services; a state-of-theart paint booth; two indoor bus wash stations; a well-appointed drivers’ area with comfortable lounge chairs, television, WiFi and refreshments; and a customer parts pick-up window.
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static (i.e. it does not have an idling mode like a traditional internal combustion engine). The results obtained fell well within required values set in the Colombian standard (daily limit of 50 g/ m36), regardless of whether the vehicle circulates with the windows closed or open (20.2 and
31.8 g/m3 respectively). The bus did not present any problems in terms of range and regeneration and was completely reliable. The single-charge range of the Andino 12 was confirmed between 270 and 280 km, which complies with Bogota requirements for operating within the system.
GERMANY MAN Truck & Bus Germany has supplied three MAN Lion’s City Hybrid buses for regular urban service to Stadtbus Ingolstadt GmbH. Their planned routes in Ingolstadt which include amongst others serving the Audi plant, where they will be able to utilise their specific advantages to great effect: less noise when operating electrically and significantly lower fuel consumption are a boon to passengers, passers-by and the environment. The MAN Lion’s City Hybrid has proven it is considerably more efficient in heavy urban traffic than the most modern conventional dieselpowered city bus. Following a decision by its Supervisory Board, Stadtbus Ingolstadt initiated a Europe-wide tendering and award procedure for hybrid buses, which culminated in MAN being awarded the contract. Lord Mayor Dr Alfred Lehmann
sees the public local transport strategy followed by the city of Ingolstadt and the INVG as fully validated: “We are investing in a sustainable, successful PLT system. The development of the local transport hub at Ingolstadt North (Nordbahnhof), new routes with improved services, modernisation of the bus fleets and now hybrid buses for Ingolstadt are exemplary.” The Federal Ministry for Environment subsidised the acquisition with a grant of almost €200,000. “In acquiring hybrid buses, Ingolstadt is going in the right direction,” said Parliamentary State Secretary Ursula HeinenEsser at the ceremonial handover. “Stadtbus Ingolstadt GmbH not only benefits from an environmental point of view but at the same time also makes travelling by bus a more attractive proposition overall.”
Three MAN Lion’s City Hybrid city buses for Stadtbus Ingolstaedter
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New Iveco Bus Euro 6 range at Busworld Kortrijk Iveco Bus will present a renewed range at Busworld Kortrijk equipped with Euro 6 engines developed by FPT Industrial. The existing Tector and Cursor Euro 5 EEV engines give way to the new Tector 7 and Cursor 9 Euro 6 engines with higher cylinder displacements (Tector increases from 5.9 to 6.7 litres and the Cursor from 7.8 to 8.7 litres). These engines guarantee more power and more torque alongside lower fuel consumption. In contrast to the Cursor 8, the Cursor 9 Euro 6 engine is designed with the latest generation of Common Rail injection installed under the valve cover. This allows for significant noise reduction inside the vehicle. To meet the new Euro 6 regulations, the engines have adopted the exclusive Hi-eSCR (High Efficiency SCR) technology patented by FPT Industrial. This technology retains optimal engine combustion through fresh air intake only. Cleaning is entirely assured by the after-treatment process, downstream from the engine which, as a consequence, does not require the use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR). This technology is particularly suited for buses and coaches with rear engines which have high cooling constraints (taking into account the EGR system needs a minimum of 30% more cooling for the same power) and also for urban missions characterised by low commercial speeds and frequent stops. The Hi-eSCR technology presents a simple solution for the reduction
The new Urbanway carries a 286bhp Tector 7 engine and boasts a 10% increase in passenger capacity of pollutant emissions as stipulated of transit network operating significantly improved on-board by the Euro 6 standards. Hi-eSCR comfort by reducing interior noise conditions. functions without the addition of levels by more than half. With the Tector 7, 286bhp complex components, without the The driver’s area has been engine, the Urbanway boasts presence of chemical pollution improved through a 10cm a weight reduction over 800 in the engine and its peripherals lengthening: the result of an kilograms lighter than its and without excessive thermal increase in the front overhang. The predecessor (the 12m Citelis stress. This, claims Iveco, results ergonomics of the driver’s area with a Cursor 8 engine, 290 HP) in reduced weight and increased have also been developed with a thereby offering a 10% increase in reliability. new dashboard and a 65 degree passenger capacity and benefiting Additional improvements turning driver’s seat. operator profitability. include the modernisation and The driver’s area wis developed optimisation of transmissions and according to the latest EBSF Magelys reduced vehicle weight, which (European Bus System of the The Magelys Euro 6 is the brand allow for a 5 – 10% reduction in Future) guidelines, under the aegis flagship vehicle in the touring fuel consumption compared to of UITP, providing the very best in coach segment. Bboth stylish Euro 5 (depending on the model ergonomics, room and comfort. and dynamic, it offers enhanced and mission type). passenger viewing via special roofThe Iveco Bus Euro 6 range, side windows. Crossway with its Hi-eSCR technology and Magelys also features a Crossway Euro 6 now features attractive new innovations, has significant weight reduction and new length,variants, notably a already enticed a high number of optimises cost of ownership 13m version – other options are customers. Over 500 orders have by integrating standardised 10.8m and 12m - and three model been received to date, the latest components. types (the Low Entry homologated coming from Swiss transport Equipped with a Cursor 9 Euro 6 version for both bus and coach, operator Post Auto. engine, it can be specially adapted the intercity version and the to meet the needs of each specific mixed routes version replacing the customer with the choice of rear Arway/Evadys H Euro 5 EEV. Urbanway axle ratios best suited to specific The 13m version offers Unveiled earlier this year at applications. Magelys also offers passenger capacity of 63. It is the the UITP Congress in Geneva, easy access via a passenger lift only vehicle on the market not equipped with a transversal and can provide WiFi connection, exceeding 13m which offers 63 Cursor 9 engine, the Urbanway several electrical 220 V & USB seats and retains its agility and bus will be introduced with a new outlets for every type of digital manoeuvrability. Tector 7 longitudinal engine to device and LCD monitors. The transition to Euro 6 has also better respond to a wider variety
SOUTH AFRICA Ten MAN Lion’s Explorer buses have been in service with Great North Transport (GNT) since July, with the remaining 70 vehicles to be delivered by November 2013. The three-axle intercity buses are equipped with 80 seats and air suspension, making them very
comfortable even on the gravel roads which are common in rural areas. GNT specified 310bhp MAN D20 Euro 3 common-rail diesel engines and automated MAN TipMatic transmissions. The Lion’s Explorer is equipped with a comprehensive range of safety systems such as Electronic Braking
80 MAN buses for Limpopo face a tough environment
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System (EBS) and ABS. To ensure smooth operation of the buses, MAN is training GNT’s service personnel in the correct handling of the vehicles. Servicing will be carried out by MAN’s dealership, Unitrans, in Polokwane, the capital of Limpopo province. Great North Transport will
be operating the buses from its garages in Mokopane, Marble Hall and Hoedspruit. From there, the vehicles travel up to 100km (62 miles) each day, predominantly along non-metalled gravel roads. With its fleet of 540 buses, GNT transports around 37 million passengers every year.
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NEWS › REGIONAL SOUTH WEST TRANSPORT CAMPAIGNERS have dropped their legal challenge against a planned £49m MetroBus scheme from the southern outskirts of Bristol to Temple Meads. The StopBRT2 campaign was threatening to go ahead with a judicial review against the council over the changed route which will see it run along the Cumberland Road instead of running in front of the M shed museum and over Prince Street Bridge. The campaigners gave several reasons for not proceeding. One of them claimed the mayor George Ferguson had said the scheme would simply revert to its original route if the campaign succeeded, which the campaigners said was ‘a form of blackmail.’ The campaigners had argued that the best route for the MetroBus from the Long Ashton park and ride site was along the Hotwell Road and into the centre, the mayor said at several council meetings that the business case for this alternative route never stacked up, a view which received widespread support from the political parties. Mr Ferguson said: “I’m pleased to hear that the objectors have dropped the threat of a judicial review as I’m confident that proper procedures had been followed.” PLANS TO INTRODUCE another bus gate in Bath city centre to manage traffic flow will be implemented in November. Bath and North East Somerset Council has confirmed that new measures in Dorchester Street, which will stop motorists driving from St James’s Parade towards Manvers Street, will be going ahead. The restrictions will be in place on the eastbound carriageway only, between 1000 and 1800hrs every day. Cllr Anthony Clarke said: “These sorts of piecemeal traffic schemes won’t do anything to alleviate Bath’s traffic problems. “In fact, done in isolation, road closures like this could easily make things worse. “This is why Conservatives have been pressing the council for the past two years on the need for a proper transport strategy. “Many residents clearly remain very concerned about the potential impact of the Dorchester Street bus gate on nearby roads. “The council has failed to persuade people of why it’s needed
KEY
or what it’s hoping to achieve, leaving many to believe it is simply designed as another revenueraising cash cow for the council.” The existing bus gates, in Northgate Street and on Pulteney Bridge, are controversial, with motorists complaining that signs have not been clear enough. Cllr Caroline Roberts, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said plans for the Dorchester Street bus gate were moving ahead as planned. She said: “Work has started on preparing the temporary traffic regulation order. “Following this, the manufacture and delivery of new signs and arranging site works, it is anticipated that the restriction will be implemented in November.”
DEVIZES PASSENGERS is urging people to use a new shoppers’ service between Devizes and Salisbury. The A360 is run commercially by Hatts Coaches and stops at Potterne, West Lavington, Tilshead and Shrewton. It leaves Devizes Market Place at 0925hrs, arriving in Salisbury just after 1000hrs, and returns from Salisbury at 1350hrs, arriving in Devizes at 1440hrs, Monday to Friday. Jasper Selwyn, chairman of Devizes Passengers, said: “If the service is successful it could expand to an hourly frequency serving the new Stonehenge Visitor centre when it opens at the end of this year. This would make it easy for tourists to come from Stonehenge
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has access to a bus service which is more financially viable and therefore sustainable.”. All the buses have free WiFi and offer a low entrance and space for pushchairs and a wheelchair.
SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST
to Devizes, visit the Wiltshire Museum and then continue to Avebury on the number 49 bus. “So far there has not been much publicity for the service but it could be promoted with special through fares and joint admission tickets. I hope lots of people will make use of the present service.”
SOUTH EAST
A NEW BUS SERVICE connecting Bedford and Milton Keynes via Cranfield University has launched. In developing its Travel Plan, Cranfield University consulted with the local community to see how public transport provision could be improved and ensure local support for a bus service which not only served the needs of the University staff and students, but also those of the public. The distinctive pink and purple liveried ‘Cranfield Connect’ provides an hourly service from Milton Keynes and Bedford. The route runs late into the evenings and at weekends, and includes a peak time service from Flitwick and Newport Pagnell. It operatess to Milton Keynes railway station connecting travellers to the rail network. As a ‘hail’ service, the Cranfield Connect will stop at any designated bus stop on its route to collect passengers. Ian Sibbald, Finance Director at the University said: “This is definitely a win-win for the University and the local community. Local people get a more regular service running into the evenings and weekends and the University
BUS SERVICE CONTRACTS for routes in Witney, Woodstock and Chipping Norton are being reviewed and could be dropped. Oxfordshire County Council has launched a two-month long consultation on 30 services where contracts with operators end in May 2014. It is part of a regular review. Four services are being put forward as the most likely contenders for withdrawal, including the X9 between Chipping Norton, Charlbury and Witney, on a Friday and Saturday evening; the 113 bus between Burford and Carterton; the 223 service between Chipping Norton, Kingham, Fifield, Milton, Shipton, Burford and Witney; and the C1 and T1 services serving Charlbury, Finstock and Leafield. County Council spokesman Sam Henry said: “Reviews of subsidised bus services take place in each part of Oxfordshire once every six years. “This periodic review of subsidised bus services has taken place since bus services were deregulated in the 1980s. “In other words, these reviews are not set up to make savings, but to review current contract arrangements and assess whether those services covered by these contracts need amending. “By this process some bus services are created, some are discontinued and others are altered, based on the passenger numbers using services and the budget available. “The subsidised bus service review in West Oxfordshire is no different to what is described above. It would have been taking place at this point in time regardless of the financial climate.” A NEW BUS LANE which in Brighton has opened three months ahead of schedule, became legally enforceable on Monday (September 30). As part of a £6.5m scheme to boost public transport use, contractors from Brighton and Hove City Council began work on Lewes Road in December. Despite the markings being in place for months, cars had been free to use both lanes on the dual carriageway. But, from Monday, the local authority warned cameras are www.coachandbusweek.com
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NEWS › REGIONAL monitoring the bus-only area with straying vehicles hit with a fine of up to £60. Deputy council leader Ian Davey said: “Our approach is to try to make it easier for everyone to get about. “This route will be better and quicker for buses and taxis and more pleasant and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. “If you have to drive, there will be fewer cars on the route than there would otherwise be, so your journey might be better too.” The new £1m wide bus and cycle lanes run from the Vogue Gyratory to the American Express Community Stadium. The layout means buses no longer have to cross cycle lanes to pick up passengers. Officials predict the changes will see bus journey times improved by up to 30% and passenger numbers rise by 25%. In addition, the number of car trips is expected to drop by 10%. The lane was funded by the DfT, which awarded the council a grant of £4.2m. A further £2.25m has been given by partners including Brighton and Hove Bus Company, Brighton and Hove
Albion, the universities of Sussex and Brighton, and Southern Rail. The rest of the money in the project will go on other measures such as new benches, education programmes, new bus stops and road signs. A council-run consultation on the idea which received more than 4,000 responses on the scheme showed that about 60% supported the new lanes.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
NORTH
A FORMER LONDON ROUTEMASTER is set to run on a new route through North Yorkshire. The heritage bus will take passengers from Northallerton to Catterick Garrison for North Yorkshire County Record Office’s monthly local history talk. The event is usually held at the office on Malpas Road, but on Friday, September 27, the event was staged at the new Catterick Garrison library. The bus departed from Malpas Road at 1130hrs and the talk, by Linda Turnbull, about the Garrison Voices history project, began at 1230hrs, lasting for one hour.
The next Young Bus Managers Network Conference takes place in Manchester from October 23-24
2013 n October 2-3 Coach & Bus Live 2013. NEC, Birmingham. www. coachandbuslive.com n October 18–23 Busworld Kortrijk. Kortrijk, Belgium. www.kortrijk.busworld.org n October 20 Oxford Bus Museum Bus & Coach Vehicle Rally. 01993 883 617. www.oxfordbusmuseum. org.uk n October 23-24 Young Bus Managers Network Conference. Manchester. www. youngbusmanagers.org.uk n October 27 Swansea Bus Museum Running Day. 07877 771 878. www.swanseabusmuseum.com n November 3 Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society Museum Open Day. North Hykenham, Lincoln. www.lvvs.org.uk
FEMALE FUNDRAISERS attending the Dorset Ladies Driving Challenge at Bovington Army Camp on Sunday, September 22, had the opportunity to drive one of eight brand new £190,000 ADL Enviro 400 double deck buses introduced to the morebus fleet. . With advice from one of the company’s driving instructors Ivan Tomkins, the lady drivers took the wheel to drive around the army test track. Two of the attendees, Domimika Steadman, a Labour Planner from Christchurch and Hayley Morris from Parkstone, a PA to an MD of an energy company, said they enjoyed driving the air conditioned, WiFi equipped buses which will be frequently seen operating on the X3 Bournemouth to Salisbury service. “Neither of us have ever driven a vehicle anywhere near that size,” said Domimika Steadman. “It gave us a greater appreciation of the skills required to be a bus driver.” Nikki Honer, Marketing and Communications Manager for Go-Ahead Group-owned morebus, said the company was delighted to lend the bus to support the charity which does so much to provide vital care and support to cancer sufferers and their families. Pictured here from left are: Domimika Steadman, Ivan Tomkins and Hayley Morris. Anyone wishing support Marie Curie and see other events planned can visit www.mariecurie.org.uk 18 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013 016_018_CBW1107_Regional News.indd 18
n November 5–8 QV Associates’ Introduction to Bus & Crew Scheduling. Birmingham. 01905 613527. www.qv-associates.com/ qvcourses.htm n November 19 UK Bus Awards. London Hilton Hotel Park Lane. www.ukbusawards.org.uk n November 27 ATCO Winter Conference & AGM. Local Government House, Smith Square, London. www.atco.org.uk n December 7 Ensignbus Christmas Vintage Bus Running Day on routes X55 and X81. Call 01708 86 56 56. Visit www. ensignbus.com
n January 1 Oxford Bus Museum New Years Day & free vintage bus rides. 01993 861 617. www. oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk n March 4–7 QV Associates’ course Introduction to Bus & Crew Scheduling. Birmingham. 01905 613527. www.qv-associates.com/
qvcourses.htm
n March 18-19 Young Bus Managers Network Conference. Reading. www.youngbusmanagers. org.uk n March 25–28 QV Associates’ course Route & Timetable Planning Birmingham. 01905 613527. www.qv-associates.com/qvcourses. htm n April 5 South East Bus Festival. Kent Showground, Maidstone. www. facebook.com/southeastbusfestival n April 10 UK Coach Awards. Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester. www.ukcoachawards.co.uk n May 10-11 UK Coach Rally. Alton Towers. 01753 631170. www.coachdisplays.co.uk n May 12-14 ALBUM Conference. Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh. www.album-bus.co.uk n July 12–13 Routemaster 60. Finsbury Park, London. Organised by the Routemaster Association, the event will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the unveiling of RM1. www.routemaster.org.uk
2014
n September 25 - October 2 IAA Commercial Vehicle Show. Hannover, Germany. www.iaa.de
n January 1 Friends of King Alfred Bus Running Day. Winchester. Free bus rides & transport enthusiasts bazaar. www.fokab.org.uk
Send your event details to gareth.evans@ coachandbusweek.com
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As callede for by th lect t Se Transpor ittee Comm
NEWS FOCUS › BUSWAYS
Luton Dunstable Busway up and running
Arriva’s A service has a peak vehicle requirement of seven vehicles, with another held in reserve The 4.8-mile guided busway has four different services running on it provided by three operators – Arriva, Centrebus and Grant Palmer Transport Minister Norman Baker officially opened the £91m Luton Dunstable Busway on Tuesday, September 24, ahead of services which commenced on Wednesday, September 25. The Minister cut a ribbon on the 4.8 mile concrete guideway and unveiled a plaque at the new Luton station bus-rail passenger interchange. Mr Baker also conducted a ceremony to mark the start of on-line works for the £24m Luton Town Centre Transport Scheme
which will see long-awaited completion of the inner ring road together with additional improvements for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists in the town centre. The Government has supported both major local infrastructure projects, with £80.3m awarded for the Luton Dunstable Busway in March 2010 and £15.8m provided for the Town Centre Transport Scheme. Norman Baker said: “An efficient and reliable transport system is the heartbeat of every local community. This area is currently undergoing a major rejuvenation and it will now have a much improved public transport system to match.
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“This scheme will make a real difference not only to those taking the bus, but to everyone using the roads. It will encourage greater integration between services and, importantly, ease congestion in a busy area. “Boosting public transport is a great way both to help the economy of our town centres and to cut carbon.” The busway was also officially opened in Dunstable by Cllr James Jamieson, Leader of Central Bedfordshire Council, and Cllr Nigel Young, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities, along with town councillors from Dunstable and Houghton Regis. Pioneered by Luton and Central Bedfordshire Councils, the Luton
Dunstable Busway enables fast, frequent and reliable services linking Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Toddington with Luton town centre and on to London Luton Airport. Three bus companies – Arriva, Centrebus and Grant Palmer – are operating four initial busway routes which together provide core services between Dunstable and Luton up to every eight minutes at peak times, and link the two town centres in just 15 minutes. Together with the priority buses receive at junctions, the separation of buses and normal traffic ensure services can bypass congestion ‘hotspots’ and deliver the shortest possible journey times for passengers. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Norman Baker opened the busway
Grant Palmer operate service C with Centrebus operating services B and E Picture: Mark Curran
The three busway operators: Grant Palmer, Centrebus and Arriva the Shires Colin Chick, Corporate Director for Environment and Regeneration at Luton Borough Council, said: “After 20 years in the planning and three years in construction, it’s incredibly exciting to be officially opening the new Luton Dunstable Busway today. “People in Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis have been waiting a long time for a significant improvement to the public transport network. The journey times are not only fast, in some cases more than twice as quick, but also frequent and reliable, and therefore offer a high quality and real alternative to the frustrating traffic queues we all know.” The core busway route comprises 6.1 miles of segregated www.coachandbusweek.com
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bus-only road between Blackburn Road in Houghton Regis, through Dunstable and into Luton centre. Within this, a 4.8-mile section of concrete guideway has been built along the disused Luton-Dunstable railway corridor so that standard buses fitted with two small guide wheels can join and leave the track, and travel on it in both directions smoothly and safely at speeds of up to 50mph. Via the new bus-rail interchange at Luton Station, Luton Airport Parkway and London Luton Airport there are quick and easy onward connections available to the capital, and regional, national and international destinations. Cllr Nigel Young of Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “The
The busway was opened on September 24 Luton Dunstable Busway is far more flexible than rail could ever be, and quicker and more reliable than conventional bus services, which makes it absolutely the best way to travel between Houghton Regis, Dunstable and Luton. Linsey Frostick, Regional Marketing Manager for Arriva, told CBW: “We are pleased the Busway is now open and people are using it. We have been involved with the project for a long time and it is good to finally see it all open and operational. We have the A service on the guideway which runs from Houghton Regis to Luton Airport and we feel the link to the Airport is a key part of the busway’s potential success. We have a PVR of seven with one spare bus.
“We have also introduced smartcard ticketing at the same time with a new range of products just for busway customers. “Initial feedback from customers is very positive, especially from those in Houghton Regis who have had their journey time to Luton cut in half at least. “The hope is that the busway will encourage car drivers to leave their car at home if making the journey to Luton and or Dunstable and we will be marketing it over the next few months to try and attract them For us, the link to our Green Line 757 is also important and getting people to London from Houghton Regis and Dunstable is really easy now they can connect at the new interchange.”
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21 30/09/2013 16:18
MANUFACTURER UPDATE › VOLVO
Volvo on Euro 6 With the Euro 6 deadline less than three months away, Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans reports on Volvo’s product lineup for 2014 – which includes changes to its coach and bus offering
Providing reassurance with the right package of support is key to implementing a smooth transition from the familiar Euro 5 to Euro 6 – the much-feared emission standard which takes effect on January 1 – according to Volvo Bus. “Far from being doom and gloom, we’re really there now. It’s great news for Volvo,” explained Nick Page, who took over from Steve Dewhurst as Managing Director of Volvo Bus in the UK & Ireland earlier this year. He said one of the highlights of 2013 was the introduction of the 7900 hybrid bus to the UK. “We’re quite proud of that vehicle. To date, we’ve supplied 39 buses and we’ve got orders for 35 others in 2014.” Nick continued: “In the UK we’re the largest manufacturer of hybrids – we lead the way. We’ve delivered 482 in Britain to date and there are a total of 1,141 around the world. Our B5LH has a reliability of 98% – those statistics are reinforced by TfL.”
The year to date
“We’ve achieved the same number of registrations for the year to date as for the whole of 2012, so we will certainly be up on last year,” enthused Ian Downie, Coach Sales & Product Director. “Why? In the past five months we’ve had significant orders for Euro 5 vehicles – amounting to 160 units.” Customers have included National Express, Go-Ahead, Travellers Choice and McGinleys. FirstGroup-owned Dublin Air Coach acquired five Plaxton B9s., which interestingly are the first Repairs & Maintenance (R&M) vehicles in Ireland. The Kings Ferry has also bought R&M for its new Bristol operation. Plaxton has also ordered vehicles for its own stock. “We’ve still got some Euro 5 stock available but it’s selling fast. Once it’s gone, that’s it,” added Ian. Looking more closely at the buses, Phil Owen, Bus Sales Director remarked: “The split between diesel and hybrid is now almost equal. Reliability is also
Volvo Bus UK & Ireland MD Nick Page is optimistic about Euro 6 equal to diesel but the fuel savings on a hybrid are significant.” Despite that, Nick observed that while the a commercial hybrid is “not quite there yet, we are getting there.” Recent orders include: l Go North East – 34 B9TLs for delivery in November/ December this year; l Brighton & Hove – 18 B9TLs in the coming weeks; l Arriva London – 21 B5LHs for delivery in 2013/14; and l Metrobus – 18 B7RLEs for Fastway services for delivery in 2014. These will be the first new Volvos for the Metrobus fleet in recent times.
Euro 6 product line-up
“We’re introducing a new product range for Euro 6,” explained Ian. “Operators told us they were concerned about fuel and weight. Where hitherto we’ve had the B7, B9, B11 and B13, with Euro 6 we’ll have the B8R and B11R.” Why the B8? The new design D8K engine replaces the seven and nine-litre variants. The two power outputs are 320 or 350hp, with the latter also being available to run on bio-diesel. The standard transmission is an I-Shift but a ZF Ecolife is available as an option. “We’ve addressed the criticism about engine noise with the ninelitre and we’ve also reduced the weight,” added Ian. The B8R will carry Plaxton’s entry level body. Plaxton will announce a “substantial order” of more than 50 vehicles with an as yet uknown operator this week. Ian took up the story about the B11R: “Launched with Stagecoach’s Plaxton interdeck last
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year, the Euro 5 model had already got very good following. It’s got a smaller engine but one which produces the same power as its 13-litre predecessor – and has a “similar excellent fuel consumption to the Euro 5 B11R.” The three power options comprise 380hp, 430 and 460. Ian said it’s been optimised with I-Shift transmission and Ecoroll and smart cruise control. The former means the coach automatically engages neutral when idling. “We’ve got a vehicle we believe will be a UK market leader,” remarked Ian. Turning to the Volvo’s own 9700 model, Ian said the 11-litre engine is going into the upgraded 9700 coach. The Prestige Plus is being deleted from the 9700. A rear camera fitted as an integral part. Changes to the 9700 include a new and more aerodynamic front panel; new front side mirrors which will give operators the option to include external door lighting and the function of power folding mirrors, controlled from the driver’s cab. The rear benefits from a larger back window and what Volvo calls an “integrated iron mark above the engine hatch” – something which it is hoped will appeal to ‘Joe public’. Demonstration programmes for the B8R and 9700 will start in the first quarter of 2014. Turning to the bus offering, under Euro 6 the B5TL replaces the B9TL; the B5LH is a double deck hybrid; and the 7900 is to be offered as a complete single deck hybrid. The weight of the new B5TL has reduced by 1,000kgs compared to the B9TL. The unladen weight of a TfL–specification bus is 10,995kgs – and that’s with all the features such as iBus fitted. That for a provincial specification vehicle remains unknown as yet because it’s not been built. According to Phil, “The fuel consumption is 10-15% better than a B9TL, while the B8RLE benefits from a 5% improvement compared to the B7RLE.” The B5TL is powered by a new five-litre engine, generating 240hp with 900Nm of torque, coupled to a ZF Eco-Life automatic gearbox. Maintenance of the B5TL is easier thanks to the lack of a hydraulic pump, which removes
a headache. In its place is an electrically operated steering pump – which means no more fluid transferring from the rear to the front. Groenveld’s Oilmaster system is fitted as standard, which tops up the engine automatically. As Phil rightly said: “It’s one less item for drivers to worry about.” The access hatches have been enlarged in the rear bulkhead and an ‘I Start’ battery system is also fitted. There is now one standard fuel tank but the neck can be altered – it can be lengthened or shortened for London and provincial operation accordingly. Weight is of course paramount in London. A separate auxiliary bridge houses the air compressor, alternator and air-conditioning generator compressor. The B5LH has a similar specification to the B5TL, albeit with Volvo I-Shift transmission. The vehicle benefits from a classleading capacity of 95 passengers with 63 seats in a TfL-spec vehicle. It’s the same seating capacity as at present but a higher number of standees can be accommodated due to weight. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Volvo’s customers in 2013 included National Express Group. This Wrightbus-bodied Volvo B5LH was caught on camera at the recent Showbus
Also available for the bus range is the B8RLE. The only thing which is different from a B8R coach is the front module. Likewise, the 7900 is the same as the B5LH except it’s a complete Volvo product. Phil revealed the new doubledecker is to be called the ‘Dream Decker’. “It’s not a nickname,” he stressed. “Three years of joint working with Wrightbus have gone into developing it. “We believe we’ve reduced lifecycle costs by at least 10%. It outperformed a B9TL on the Alpine route at Millbrook. It took three minutes 44 seconds for the B9 and three minutes 29 seconds for the B5TL.” No tri-axle variant will be available for the UK market. Volvo’s bodybuilder partners are being retained for Euro 6 – Wrightbus and MCV. Interestingly, Volvo’s first Euro 6 bus order is due to be announced at this week’s Coach & Bus Live show. While CBW respects the embargo politely requested by Volvo, it is enough to say the highlyregarded operator concerned is an award-winner and has a track record for innovation – and will thus doubless come as no surprise. www.coachandbusweek.com
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Backup
As discussed earlier, backup and support is key focus for Volvo – or ‘soft products’ as it prefers to call it. In Nick’s words, “As a manufacturer, you’re never going to make enough out of selling vehicles alone. We’ve seen considerable growth on contract maintenance.” Andy Kunze, Commercial Aftermarket Director, said the number of retail labour hours sold has increased year-on-year by 25%. “Contract hours have risen 50% primarily due to hybrids as they tend to be supplied on contract maintenance,” he explained. “As part of our drive to improve customer perception and satisfaction, we’re doing a lot of work on soft product development. We’ve invested in what we do and how we do it. There has been a real focus on people. To this end, newly appointed Soft Product Development Manager Martin McEntee will drive things forward.” Andy continued: “We now have a team of Area Service Managers who are aligned to the dealer network. We have a lot more
resources.” On that note, Volvo’s Frontline service support brand gives it the ability and agility to attend to problems at customers’ premises – vehicles do not always need to be taken to dealerships. To support Frontline activities, Volvo now has 100 ‘Bus Key Technicians’. Under Euro 6, the manufacturer has revised its aftersales range. Included as standard on all new buses are two inspections, comprising one per annum and the communications platform. The latter features fleet management reports for driver and vehicle behaviour. Support packages range from parts only to full workshop integration. Options in between include a ‘Blue Contract’ for standard maintenance and ‘Gold’ for full R&M. There is also an option to have the hybrid battery on contract. Volvo said it’s USP is that a battery’s condition can be monitored remotely if the telematics system is operational. “Telematics is activated for free as standard for the first 12 months on all Euro 6 vehicles, explained Phil Owen. “After that, an operator
can choose to take it on like Mix or discontinue it.” Included as standard on all Euro 6 coaches is ‘European Blue’ for the first 24 months or 160,000kms and the communications platform for the first 12 months. The range of support packages available for coach operators is similar to buses, ranging from ‘Parts Only’ to ‘Gold Contract’. Last week Volvo launched it’s fitted parts online at http://www. volvobuses.com/bus/uk/en-gb/ . Customers simply select the parts they require and the site tells them how much it costs to be fitted at the local dealership. Andy concluded: “It’s clear Euro 6 is a challenge for all operators, so we’ve tried to deliver piece of mind. The delivery of a seamless Euro 6 introduction with peace of mind is what we’re aiming for.”
Conclusion
In his closing lines, Nick remarked: “Our bus market share was down in 2013 primarily due to a lack of bodybuilder capacity. However, we feel we’re sitting in a really good position for 2014 and Euro 6. There are exciting times ahead.”
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23 30/09/2013 16:41
REPORT › BRT
BRT – cost effective regeneration
Martin Cole looks at a new US report detailing how mass transportation generates sustainable economic development and how strong government support results in attracting investment in transit-oriented development (TOD) – far in excess of any tram or light rail scheme.
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www.coachandbusweek.com
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B
us Rapid Transit (BRT), led by Cleveland’s HealthLine, provides a cost-effective catalyst for urban development in North America, according to a new report released by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP). Its research highlights the role government investment and policies play in developing the areas served by mass transport systems and also demonstrates true BRT systems can leverage as much, or more development, as light rail. “In the twenty-first century, we are seeing how mass transit can revitalise cities if governments act wisely—and the type of mass transit providing the best bang for the buck is BRT,” said Walter Hook, Chief Executive Officer of ITDP. “This is a transportation option which first emerged in Latin America and is now being adopted in the United States and Canada. It can move an urban economy forward quickly and efficiently.” Bus Rapid Transit, which is fairly new to North America, has finally become established enough in the US to show results. This transport system is characterized by five basic elements shared by world class surface mass transport systems: exclusive lanes on the street, placement of those lanes away from traffic conflicts, priority at intersections, platform-level boarding, and fare payment in stations (as opposed to paying when entering the bus). All of these elements speed up the system by reducing the time buses do not move. “In our report, Cleveland’s HealthLine is the showcase for how BRT can revitalize urban areas once in decline,” said Annie Weinstock, ITDP’s Director of US Programs and co-author of the report. “More and more US municipalities, still strapped by the last recession, are considering the potential of BRT, light rail,
Los Angeles Orange LineBRT leveraged development at Warner Center station and other surface mass transit options as a way to anchor new development. The illusion of the car-driven economy has finally reached a dead end.” A clear indication of the importance of establishing a BRT system and encouraging investment around it has been the success of the Cleveland HealthLine BRT which attracted
Best bus rapid transit system generates 31 times more development than best light rail for each dollar spent inward development investment of around $5.8 Bn. Car traffic reduced and emissions fell by 95%. In stark contrast, another of the ‘rust belt’ cities, Detroit, has failed to make any such investment in mass transportation, has gone bankrupt and remains in a sorry state of decline.
Cleveland system anchors local economy Cleveland’s HealthLine BRT, which launched in 2008, connects the two employment hubs of the
BRT Cleveland Healthline Euclid Corridor www.coachandbusweek.com
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city: its downtown area and the University Circle neighbourhood. The system cost $50m, less than one fifth of what a light rail line would have cost in the same corridor. Cleveland also spent $150 million on street improvements and other infrastructure in the corridor to attract development around the HealthLine. Those improvements, along with other
types of government support, then helped the initial capital investment leverage $5.8 billion in transit-oriented development (TOD)—$114.54 for every dollar spent on building the HealthLine. The environmental impacts of the HealthLine were also profound; between the diesel-electric hybrid buses and the reductions in car traffic, particulate emissions in the corridor plummeted by 95%. ITDP’s report, “More Development for Your Transit Dollar: An Analysis of 21 North American Transit Corridors,” evaluates 21 surface mass transit corridors in 13 cities across the United States and Canada. The corridors were all rated using The BRT Standard, which assesses how closely the systems conform to international ‘best practices,’ and can be used to evaluate light rail transit (LRT) as easily as it can BRT. The report then discusses how each system has served as a catalyst or anchor for urban development. The findings of the report
include: l Government support is the best predicator of transitoriented development, regardless of system type. Governments can invest in related infrastructure, change the zoning and other regulations, provide loans or tax abatements, and market the area to help support development. But if a government does nothing to support TOD along the transit corridor, there will be no impact.
l Bus rapid transit leverages more transit-oriented development per dollar spent on building transit than light rail transit or streetcars. Cleveland’s HealthLine BRT and Portland’s MAX Blue Line LRT leveraged the most overall TOD of the corridors studied—$5.8 billion and $6.5 billion, respectively. Yet, because the HealthLine cost significantly less to build than the Blue Line, Cleveland leveraged approximately 31 times more TOD per dollar spent on its HealthLine than Portland for its Blue Line. l The strength of the land market around the transit corridor is the secondary indicator of success. Where governments provide moderate development support, the attractiveness of the land determines the level of TOD investment. Today, downtowns tend to begin as stronger land markets, so routing transit through a city’s downtown leads to better TOD impacts. l A higher quality transit investment, as scored by The BRT Standard, helps leverage more development in emerging land markets.
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 25 30/09/2013 14:55
REPORT › BRT Eugene EmX_leveraged $100m in development in a small city
Existing Transit Systems Also Generate Development
ITDP’s report also shows how urban planners can employ TOD principles when redeveloping urban areas served by existing transit systems. The TOD success story in Pittsburgh provides the perfect example for this finding. The Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway, the first BRT in the country, was not conceived as a development initiative. The city built the BRT in 1983 to connect the downtown neighbourhood with the communities and suburbs to the east—but did not invest in economic development around the BRT at all. Twenty years later, though, a public-private initiative looking to revitalise the East Liberty neighbourhood focused on the community’s BRT station as a potential economic anchor for new growth. By adjusting the zoning regulations surrounding the station, cleaning up industrial sites, and aggressively recruiting economic anchors, the initiative attracted $900 million in new development concentrated around the East Liberty Station. “Our research found the most important factor in the success of transit-oriented development is how the mass transit is embraced and promoted—the type of transportation doesn’t matter, so long as it’s good quality,” said Hook. “But in these cash-strapped times,
how far an investment stretches sparse government dollars is as critical a factor as finding the lowest possible price tag for the project. Bus rapid transit fits perfectly in this narrow window of opportunity.” BRT was first developed in Curitiba, Brazil, and later embraced by Latin American cities such as Bogotá, Lima, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City, as well as other cities around the world, including ones in Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, and South Africa. The largest BRT system in the world is TransMilenio in Bogotá, which has an average daily ridership of nearly two million passengers. Other North American cities with good-quality BRTs include Eugene, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Ottawa, Ontario. The bus
Cleveland East 4th Street_newly revitalized area adjacent to the HealthLine
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systems in Boston, Massachusetts and Kansas City, Montana, use elements of BRT as well, but have not fully embraced all of the advantages a comprehensive BRT system provides. Chicago, Illinois, Boston, Massachusetts, and San Francisco, California, are among the municipalities currently considering how to implement BRT and use the systems to promote their own growth. “With revenues still bottoming out from the recent recession, cities today have to stretch their investments as far as possible,” concluded Weinstock. “Costeffective BRT has now proven itself to be a great catalyst to revitalization. But it doesn’t happen automatically. Cities have to pick the right corridor and then provide considerable support to generate TOD success.”
Conclusion
Advocates of BRT have been beating the drum for many years now and the message is (very) slowly coming home to governments and investors they can get no better deal than by supporting such schemes. The recently coined term ‘transit oriented development,’ or TOD, appears to be the key. Plan the system sensibly and encourage inward investment into the areas served by the system and it generates huge economic benefits. It is a chance for a new start – to build and develop or to regenerate around a sound and reliable transport infrastructure which links densely populated areas directly to areas of business and commerce. Current transport systems literally do the best they can with what is already there and bus operators or transport authorities have to organise their services around the chaos as best they can. The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) is a global non-profit organisation which helps cities design and implement high-quality transit systems to make communities more liveable, competitive and sustainable. ITDP works with cities worldwide to bring about transport solutions to cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of urban life. Visit www.itdp.org for more information. n www.coachandbusweek.com
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DELIVERIES BARNES COACHES
ANDREW JAMES Wiltshire operator Andrew James Quality Travel has taken delivery of a new 13m VDL Futura FHD2 129.365PR Automatic Coach. The Futura is powered by a 9.2 Litre 361 bhp (265kw) Paccar Euro 5 engine. It makes use of ZF 5HP604 Automatic transmission with a ZF Intarder. The vehicle also has ABS & ASR traction control, cruise control and Independent front suspension, along with a 860 litre fuel tank. The coach contains 53 Vogel Conturo reclining passenger seats with leather headrest and piping, individual footrests, seatback tables and lap seatbelts. It has a centre sunken toilet compartment, with water
boiler mounted on toilet top, near the centre continental exit with powered exit door. One of the vehicle’s two fridges is located to the gangway side of the WC with the other within the dash. The vehicle contains a Webasto pre-heater, is air conditioned and has double glazed, dark tinted and curtained side windows to maintain passenger comfort. For entertainment, the vehicle carries an audio/ DVD multimedia package including CD/DVD/MP3 capability displayed through a pair of saloon monitors. The coach has been finished in the operator’s distinctive pearlescent yellow with spray mask signwriting. The family-owned firm has always been in the bus and
is always first class.” Interestingly, one of the pair, DWX, is fitted with E-Leather covered seats. “We thought we’d give it a try,” said Luke. “It looks very good but it’s still early days yet – we’re evaluating it.” The seats in the other vehicle are covered in traditional moquette. Both coaches are also fitted with dark tinted double glazed side & rear windows, a Futurair air-conditioning system, a Webasto pre heater with digital timer, a water boiler and a centre sunken demountable WC. Entertainment includes a radio, PA, CD system and a DVD system with two flat panel monitors. Not to be forgotten is a the satellite navigation system.
South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk
Barnes Coaches of Swindon has recently taken delivery of a pair of VDL Bova Futura Classic FHD 127.365PR 12.7m coaches. Built to EC 2001/85 legislation, the largely identical specification of the vehicles includes a 365bhp DAF PR Euro 5 engine, along with ZF automatic transmission paired with a ZF intarder with hand control. The coaches also carry ASR traction control and cruise control, as well as a 160-gallon (nominal 725ltr) fuel tank. Each coach can seat between 53 and 57 on VDL Create 110 luxury reclining seats with headrest covers, piping, seatback tables, lapbelts and adjustable, individual footrests. The driver & courier seats are trimmed in leather. Explaining the choice of the traditional Futura, Luke Barnes, Director, told CBW: “We decided to stick with the Futura 1 this year. However, we have ordered a pair of Futura2s for next year. We’ve operated plenty of Bovas over the years. The service we get from Moseley South
running this vehicle for a month now and are very impressed. Customer feedback has been excellent. We’re very pleased with the new coach.”
Chelmsford, Essex, the Ford Family have been operating coaches since 1929 and currently run a fleet of 25 vehicles used on a mixture of private hire, schools and educational tours work plus their own excursions
programme. The Scania OmniExpress was chosen because of its build quality and versatility to be used on different operations. This is the seventh Scania the Fords have added to their fleet and the first new Scania purchased. Anthony Ford, a partner in the business, explained: “Following a factory visit to Sweden we chose Scania because of the comprehensive repair and maintenance package, proven reliability and excellent dealer network backup. We have been
coach industry – Andrew’s father traded as R. James & Son of Easton Grey and offered his son the chance to start his own bus contract in the early 1980s. Beginning with a Bedford YRT Dominant coach, his business has gone from strength to strength. Today Andrew runs a smart fleet of 18 vehicles ranging from local bus services, private coaches, taxis and vintage buses. FACT FILE
BODY/CHASSIS: VDL Futura
FHD ENGINE: Paccar Euro 5 TRANSMISSION: ZF auto SEATS: 53 SPEC: Touring SUPPLIED BY: Moseley in the
FORDS OF ALTHORNE Fords of Althorne has introduced a new Scania K360 EB 4x2 Omni Express coach into service. The vehicle is powered by a Scania 360bhp engine driving through an automated Scania eightspeed Opticruise gearbox. Alcoa Durabright alloy wheels are fitted. The vehicle’s extensive specification includes climate control, wood effect flooring, 53 exclusive leather reclining seats with three-point belts
and a centre sunken fresh water flush toilet. The entertainment system comprises Bosch Professional CD radio PA, DVD and twin LCD monitors. From their premises in the village of Althorne, near
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FACT FILE
BODY/CHASSIS: Bova Futura
Engine DAF PR Euro 5 TRANSMISSION: ZF auto SEATS: 53/ 57 SPEC: Touring SUPPLIED BY: Moseley in the
South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk
FACT FILE
BODY/CHASSIS: Scania K360
EB 4x2 Omni Express ENGINE: Scania 360bhp TRANSMISSION: Eight-speed
Opticruise SEATS: 53 SPEC: Alcoa Durabright alloys SUPPLIED BY: Scania (Great Britain) Limited 01909 500822 www.scania.co.uk
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30/09/2013 17:41
Have you taken delivery of a new vehicle and want to tell the world about it? Email all the details and pictures to james.day@coachandbusweek.com
TRAVEL STAR GATWICK
Travel Star’s Maria Daubney alongside her new coach Travel Star Gatwick has taken delivery of a Scania K400 EB 4x2 Omni Express Exclusive specification coach. The vehicle has a Scania 400bhp engine driving through an automated Scania eight-speed Opticruise gearbox. The coach’s external features include distinctive Alcoa Durabrite alloy wheels. These are complemented by high quality interior fitments
including wood effect floor, luxurious exclusive reclining seat. Entertainment is provided by a Bosch Professional Inline DVD, CD and radio system with two monitors. Travel Star’s Maria Daubney said she was very pleased with the new addition. “The company is going from strength to strength and is now one of the South East’s leading tour and
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corporate coach companies,” she said. “Our fleet of OmniExpress coaches offer style, comfort and elegance and enhance any tour that is undertaken. Couple this with experienced tour drivers, Scania’s fleet management support and excellent aftersales service it’s a combination which is hard to beat.” Founded in 2006, the firm is run by Tony Grace, Managing Director. He has been in the minibus hiring business for over 30 years. The company’s modern fleet consists of 16, 27, 29, 53 and 55-seater executive coaches. FACT FILE
BODY/CHASSIS: Scania K400
EB 4x2 Omni Express ENGINE: Scania 400bhp TRANSMISSION: Scania eight-
speed Opticruise SEATS: 53 SPEC: Touring SUPPLIED BY: Scania (Great Britain) Limited 01909 500822 www.scania.co.uk
MAINLINE TRAVEL
Mainline Travel of Tonyrefail, South Wales, has recently taken delivery of a matching pair of VDL Futura FHD2 129.365PR automatic coaches. The vehicles measure 12.9m long, 2.55m wide & 3.7m high. Each is powered by a 9.2-litre 361bhp (265kw) Paccar Euro 5 engine. They carry ZF 5HP604 automatic transmission, ZF intarders, ABS & ASR traction control and cruise control, along with 860-litre fuel tanks. Each coach can carry seat 57 passengers in Vogel Conturo reclining seats with
leather headrests. For night driving, the vehicles carry Xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights and rear LED lighting. The driver also has access to a reversing camera. FACT FILE
BODY/CHASSIS: VDL Futura2 ENGINE: Paccar Euro 5 TRANSMISSION: ZF auto SEATS: 57 SPEC: Touring
Supplied By: Moseley in the South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE
TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
The
Digital Age
D
Much of the back office software on offer to coach and bus operators is becoming much more portable
This week’s Industry Guide focuses on digital technology, including digital ticketing, CCTV, telematics and back of�ice systems to help give your business a modern edge www.coachandbusweek.com
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igital technology advances at a phenomenal rate and in our industry it’s no exception. In the last few years there have been major advancements in ticketing, online technology and telematics systems. With more and more operators investing in these products, their bene�its are becoming clear. Bus routes with free WiFi on board are extremely popular with the younger generations, while access to the internet is practically a requirement on commuter routes. WiFi can also provide marketing opportunities through a landing page, which all users accessing the system will see. Mobile and Smartcard ticketing have proven extremely popular for
a number of operators across the country simply by making both the passenger and the operator’s lives easier. Passengers can board without the hassle of fumbling with change or discovering the driver cannot change a £10 or £20 note, while the operator can enjoy faster boarding times and less cash to handle. To use these systems requires more advanced ticket machines in place which can handle new technology like Near Field Communication (NFC). Fortunately, modern machines are becoming more versatile and more adaptable to any future developments in ticketing technology, meaning it is a great time to upgrade at the next �leet rollout. Scheduling software is becoming more and more advanced, with integrated mapping and real-time
tracking. Investing in a modern system can really make a difference when it comes to managing headways and staying in control of day-to-day operations. Digital technology can provide safety measures also. Telematics systems are in use by an increasingly large proportion of the industry and are widely accepted to improve driving standards, save fuel and reduce accidents. Digital breathalysers can alert managers as soon as a driver fails a breath test, allowing them to act immediately. Many of the companies featured in this Industry Guide are showcasing their products and services at Coach & Bus Live this week. If you happen to be in attendance and are interested, you can �ind the majority of them within the technology section at the event.
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SYNECTICS
Vandalism, criminal behaviour and fraudulent insurance claims are serious issues for bus and coach operators across the UK. Digital CCTV technology plays a vital part in tackling these issues. Synectics Mobile Systems is the UK’s leading supplier of digital video recorder (DVR) systems to the bus and coach industry with over 20 years experience in the sector. The company has worked with operators great and small to develop, install and maintain CCTV systems that support bus and coach operations every day.
Top of the range Digital Video Recorders (DVRs)
When deploying new digital CCTV technology, it is important to make sure its capabilities are used to best support operations – to get the maximum return on investment from the system. Synectics works with the leading suppliers of mobile DVR technology, to ensure that customers get the very best mix of performance, reliability and value for money.
Synectics a combination of remote monitoring and servicing R&D plays an important role in providing the right (and the best) technology for any given bus and coach operation and its individual needs. As part of Synectics plc, Synectics Mobile Systems has access to extensive hardware and software development expertise. This expertise, in conjunction with the team’s hundreds of years of combined experience in the bus and coach industry, lead to the
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development of Synectics’ own proprietary DVR – the T-series range of recorders. The current range of T-800 (up to eight channel) and T-1000 (up to 16 channel) DVRs have a proven reputation in the field, with over 6,000 units in operation with bus and coach operators nationwide. Technology is constantly evolving, and there is a growing appetite throughout the industry for cutting edge surveillance solutions. Synectics Mobile Systems is previewing the latest generation of T-series DVRs at Coach & Bus Live. This latest evolution of T-series DVRs opens up capability for recording higher quality ‘HD’ images for high risk areas.
CCTV as a Service
‘CCTV as a Service’ is an innovative approach to CCTV for bus and coach, developed by Synectics for bus and coach operators who would rather concentrate on running their bus and coach services than managing CCTV. A combination of remote CCTV
system monitoring, and Synectics’ national network of field service engineers, ‘CCTV as a Service’ means full CCTV maintenance, consistent high levels of uptime, and a CCTV solution that meets the customer’s exact specification. Jeff Fail, Managing Director, Synectics Mobile Systems, said: “Mobile CCTV technology is constantly developing, with our customers expecting ever greater functionality at a lower cost. Innovation and continuous improvement run at the heart of our business, and we strive to deliver the very latest mobile technology, providing our customers with a full CCTV solution that meets their needs. “We have some exciting developments underway which, we believe, will further stretch the boundaries of current mobile CCTV technology, and we’ll be telling our customers more about these at Coach & Bus Live.” The Synectics Mobile Systems team will be at stand T142 at Coach & Bus Live.
T: 01253 891222 W: www.synx.com/mobile/
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QUARTIX
Minimise the risk of coach and bus accidents with Quartix vehicle tracking. To minimise accidents and the damaging effects they can in�lict on coach and bus operators, �leet managers must employ protection at the base level of their service. Vehicle tracking offers a range of both preventative and analytical measures to ensure drivers perform with reduced risk, and the cause of incidents can be better understood on a per-event basis. The wealth of suites built into the Quartix tracking system can dependently supply �leet managers with the information needed to improve driver and passenger safety for every journey. Undeniably, the most effective deterrent against crashes and passenger injury is safer driving. For coach and bus drivers, issues like harsh acceleration and braking are especially signi�icant. For instance, this particular bad habit not only wastes fuel and increases servicing costs (tyres, brakes etc.) but can predictably lead to more accident-prone driving styles. Quartix’s Driving-Style Monitoring provides insightful data on driver performance during travel: GPS data is regularly updated and sensitive “black box” style monitoring accounts for individual driver performance for export into reports on harsh acceleration, braking and speeding. This gives �leet managers the managerial capacity to dramatically improve the safety of the mobile workforce and make substantial fuel savings
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across a greener �leet at the same time. The relevant driving data is funnelled into management information presented via simple and easy-to-read graphical reports. One such example is the system’s structured League Tables – these help encourage safer and more cost-effective travel amongst co-drivers by letting �leet managers compare the performances of team members. Moreover, with data detailing each driver’s strengths and weaknesses, customers who embrace this feature can more capably address pertinent problems such as poor concentration during travel or non-adherence to speed limit laws. Using this information to instruct drivers during training sessions is also productive for long-term sustainability of coach and bus operations. The bene�its derived from DrivingStyle Monitoring have been well-observed by one reputable Quartix customer who saw a 32% rise in their �leet’s average performance score in just a sixweek period. If a crash does occur, getting all the right details in order is essential. The Quartix system affords �leet managers the ability to understand the cause of an accident as well as the aftermath. The system detects and alerts a �leet manager when a vehicle is involved in a crash and records, at a rate of eight samples per second, the events of the �ive seconds prior to and following the accident. The Quartix system incorporates a tri-axis
accelerometer for this, monitoring any impact greater than 1.3g. In the event of an accident it alerts the allocated contact by text message and email. The Safe Speed Database is a unique tool that has been developed in order to provide �leet managers with a far more relevant and accurate assessment of the risk pro�ile of each driver. Using data from more than 40,000 commercial vehicles across 15.7 million road segments in the UK, it maps each driver’s speed against the speed of other commercial road users for the same stretch of road. This may also be viewed against each data point, or averaged over periods of a week or month. It is statistically proven that risk of accident increases exponentially as speed increases from the median speed of other road users. This �ield-based indicator of risk is much more accurate than merely comparing speed with the speed limit, which can be imprecise for various reasons. Furthermore, in light of recently revealed insurance scams, if a driver suffers a collision with a road user making false insurance claims, the Quartix tracking system can alert the �leet manager instantly and equip them with the necessary data to counter any fraudulent allegations. Likewise, the extended reports
available on the Quartix system helps managers keep on top of administrative duties and comply with duty of care obligations. By checking the timesheets directly on the system, they can also monitor drivers’ hours and verify payroll, and maintenance alerts are con�igurable to remind you of MOT dates, insurance renewals or tyre check-ups, for example. Successful coach holiday tour operator Shearings Group has been satis�ied with the Quartix tracking system: “We had very positive feedback from our operational teams,” said Denis Wormwell, Shearings CEO. “We also found the 12 month direct rental attractive, as we didn’t have to commit over a long period.” T: 0870 013 6663 W: www.quartix.net/
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TEXA
Texa is exhibiting this year at the Coach & Bus Show 2013, TEXA want to use this opportunity to discuss in detail with operators its current requirements for service and diagnostic tools. As TEXA provides a range of O.E. diagnostic tools for large coach manufactures, its Multibrand coverage is ideal for workshops maintaining mixed fleets. The focus for the show is not just new developments for vehicle and system coverage in the IDC4 operating software, but also on the latest hardware from TEXA. The Axone Truck Service tool provides for smaller fleets and mobile service vehicles and the Axone 4 provides a complete tool along with Technical and Service information for larger workshops or more specialist technicians. Another focus at the show is Technical Training Program (TEXAEdu); and the latest courses which are available including ‘Selective Catalytic Reduction (AdBlue)’ and ‘Commercial Vehicle Common Rail Systems’. In the UK over 2200 technicians have already attended a TEXA
TEXA is showcasing its range of diagnostic products at the Coach & Bus Live show
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course, and it would like to use this opportunity to discuss with operators both their current and future training requirements. Texa’s technical training team will also be on hand to discuss in detail its plans for future course development as well as our current range of training courses. The latest range of Konfort 760 Bus Air-conditioning machine will also be on display, for the service and maintenance of Commercial vehicle and Coach/Bus AC systems. This is an area where many workshops are currently subcontracting and can bring this service in house. TEXA will have a complete range of AC equipment and associated components on show and will be happy to discuss your workshops requirements. Texa is looking forward to welcoming both new and existing customers to their stand at the show during the two days, and it hopes to have something of interest to discuss with them all. T: 01282 606787 E: info@texa.co.uk W: www.texa.co.uk
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ROEVILLE
2013 saw Roeville celebrating 20 years in the software business, developing high quality reservations products for coach and tour operators, although the connection with the industry goes back much further. Three generations of running buses and coaches dating back to the original 1913 Vulcan charabanc could explain the Roe family passion for the business. It certainly gives Roeville the credentials it needs to understand the industry and to adapt to it’s ever changing needs. Two of the current directors, John and Peter Roe, left mainstream coaching 20 years ago to concentrate on John’s other passion – software development and business solutions. The company is now proud to provide the core operating software which powers most of the UK’s leading coach tour operating brands. “Coach and tour operation is a challenging business which defies the normal business rules” said John Roe, Roeville’s founder and Managing Director. “It’s not a ‘get rich quick’ opportunity but a long hard road which requires
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inspiration, dedication, teamwork, long hours and an enormous amount of hard slog – coupled with a sizeable pinch of good luck!” Having an empathy with the industry, and having worked closely with many of its luminaries over several decades, Roeville knows the challenges facing operators in a highly competitive world. “We have first-hand experience of the challenges our clients grapple with on a regular basis and figuring out solutions is what drives us,” John says. Roeville also keeps abreast of massive technology strides and has invested heavily in the skills and equipment needed to provide cutting edge e-commerce solutions for the current Digital marketplace. “Through WebRes we provide our operator clients with the web sites and technology tools they need to promote their products and services to the on-line audience. Each site is individually crafted with modern styling and state of the art components to ensure the sites are attractive, informative and easy to navigate and extremely secure.” The ultimate objective is to encourage visitors to purchase
holidays and excursions online, safely and in their own time. The Webres product is enormously successful and Roeville currently process over £400m of e-commerce coach holiday bookings a year from their server farm securely located on the internet backbone in Manchester. E-commerce is the tip of a big iceberg for Roeville, with the company specialising in traditional back office systems. “We have a choice of coach tour reservation systems” John explains. t28 is the system of choice for small to medium sized operators and provides a solid platform for coach tours, excursions and express service. You don’t need to be a computer wizard to operate t28 as it’s extremely simple to set up and use, yet provides all the features and reports needed to run a successful and efficient operation. Larger companies with interoperating departments and teams require a corporate application and that’s where t3 comes into play. While notionally performing the same function as its smaller sibling, t3 scales to very large numbers of users operating
multiple brands in multiple locations, and goes in to far greater depth. It provides industrial strength security, stability and performance, and covers more functional areas such as passenger interchange management, hotel and other inventory contracting, plus it offers a much tighter degree of financial control and management. t3 also supports greater integration with other third party systems and we can even support automated task scheduling for overnight data extracts and reports. Not forgetting its coach operating roots, Roeville offers a highly capable yet easy to operate coach hire and contract booking solution. The product is a firm favourite with many operators and provides everything from quote handling to graphical scheduling of drivers and vehicles to jobs. Ph28 has an integrated sales ledger for financial management and links into the popular Sage range of accounting software.
T: 01302 841333 E: sales@roeville.com W: www.roeville.com
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY MOBILE ONBOARD
Mobile Onboard is a leading supplier of mobile-centric products for transport operators, which includes its Beam passenger WiFi system and My Mobile Tickets, a low cost mobile ticketing service which is already the fastest growing choice for transport operators up and down the country. Exhibiting at this year’s Coach & Bus Live, Mobile Onboard is showing off its new range of products, such as the Beam BW200 bigger, better and smarter onbus passenger WiFi unit – which still features the simple 10-minute installation. The BW-200 also features a powerful onboard computer which will be compatible with future applications and new modules as they become available. To complement the increasing popular mobile ticketing service, My Mobile Tickets, the company is presenting a new range of simple products at Coach & Bus Live to support its mobile ticketing network, including low-cost fixed and handheld mobile ticket validation and revenue-protection devices. It will also be launching Agent Kiosk – a service to allow organisations such as schools, colleges and travel shops to issue mobile tickets quickly and easily on behalf of the operator. My Mobile Tickets enables operators to quickly and costeffectively get a foothold into the emerging, fast moving world of mobile commerce now, whilst complimenting their existing ticketing methods. It allows passengers to sign up in seconds, buy their tickets online or on mobile and download them directly to their smartphone – no app required. Passengers can buy tickets on-demand when they decide they want to travel, including by scanning a QR code at the bus stop or from print media. My Mobile Tickets is a zero-
Mobile Onboard’s new validation products, on display at Coach & Bus Live
capital investment mobile ticketing service which allows passengers to sign up in seconds, buy their tickets online and download them directly to their mobile phone. Passengers can also buy tickets on-demand using an SMS text message when they decide they want to travel, or by scanning a QR code at the bus stop or from print media – something other solutions do not offer as standard. The system allows the purchase of practically any type of ticket, including season tickets, fixed term tickets and multi-trip “carnet” tickets, with no requirement to download a native app onto the phone, which means it works with most modern smartphones and is a credible alternative to smartcards. Allowing passengers to purchase their ticket by credit or debit card, PayPal or by Direct Debit not only offers them convenience and choice, but also significantly minimises cash handling for the operator. On one network, Velvet Bus in Hampshire, between 30% and 50% of their ticket sales in any one month are purchased online through the My Mobile Tickets system. Mobile Onboard has partnered with Casio to develop an
application to run on their IT-800 and IT-9000 range of handheld terminals which can perform offline validation of the mobile ticket app. By scanning the encrypted data contained within the embedded QR code on the mobile ticket, the terminal can instantly tell the revenue protection officer whether the ticket is valid. Furthermore, if the terminal is connected online, it can download the photograph of the person the ticket was issued to for further verification, and record the scan on a central server. For a low set-up charge, My Mobile Tickets enables operators to get a foothold into the emerging, fast moving world of mobile commerce now, while complimenting their existing ticketing methods. No additional equipment is needed, but if required, Mobile Onboard’s powerful m-commerce platform has the ability to integrate directly with operators’ back-end systems at real-time, and their in-house team is available to help with these integration projects at any level. Mobile Onboard is on stand T18 at Coach & Bus Live, offering exclusive show-only mobile ticketing and Wi-Fi offers.
A sample mobile phone ticket T: 08432 899 897 E: contact.us@ mobileonboard.com W: www.mobileonboard.com.
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACTIA
With Actia’s expertise in embedded vehicle electronics, diagnostics and telematics, making the next step to offering a fully remote version of the well-known Multi-AID diagnostic solution now seems like a no-brainer. However, the vagaries of the mobile phone network, and the need for safety and appropriate security, meant that complex development was required to make it meet those requirements, and to make it work stably. Actia is now able to offer full two-
way communication with a vehicle in service (or at a remote location) for the purposes of remote diagnostics. On the face of it, this facility may seem gimmicky, and without real application. But when you consider the constant task of maintaining the fleet, anything that could save time, money and resource while keeping vehicles on the road for longer, deserves due consideration. Optimum time in-service, faster response times, improved first time repair, improved workshop scheduling,
Actia is demonstrating its remote diagnostics at Coach & Bus Live
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improved use of resources - the benefits are far from gimmicky. “A number of telematics providers (including ourselves) can provide operators with industry standard trouble codes over the air,” explains Mike Oliver Sales Manager (Fleets & Services) for Actia (UK). “But we are unique in being able to interrogate the vehicle’s electrical system from many miles away – internationally even – as if connected to the vehicle’s diagnostic port.” Based on Actia’s traditional
wired diagnostic tool and software which is in use in hundreds of workshops, Multi-AID Remote allows the manufacturer’s service department, the operator or authorised third party to perform full engineering-level diagnostics on vehicles fitted with Actia’s Multibus multiplex system, as if connected to the vehicle by a cable hundreds of miles long. This capability gives the user more detailed access to vehicle faults so when engineering resource is deployed, it is done effectively, accurately and with the appropriate urgency. “Operators and manufacturers alike will see the benefits of reducing the number of times an engineer needs to be despatched to a vehicle, or ensuring that all vehicles across many locations can be maintained in this way, regardless of where their expert diagnostic technicians are.” For demonstrations and more from Actia, visit stand T90 at Coach & Bus Live.
T: 01686 611150 E: mail@actia.co.uk W: www.actia.co.uk
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DISTINCTIVE SYSTEMS
Distinctive Systems is the leading supplier of software to the coach and bus industry. Established for 30 years, the company has supplied systems to operators throughout the UK, Ireland, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and beyond. Over 750 operators rely on one or more of the company’s latest Microsoft SQL Server based systems for the efficient management of their businesses. The Microsoft SQL Server based Coach Manager private hire and contract bookings system, Tour Booking System and Vehicle Maintenance System can each be used as a standalone solution, or can be combined to create the most comprehensive fully integrated enterprise solution currently on the market. Distinctive Systems will be launching the ability to send work tickets from Coach Manager to a driver’s smartphone at Coach & Bus Live 2013. Coach Manager actually sends the booking details which would appear on a printed work ticket
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Distinctive Systems will be launching the ability to send work tickets from Coach Manager to a driver’s smartphone at Coach & Bus Live 2013 formatted as a meeting request or invitation. The start date and time used for the meeting request is the start date and time of the booking. By using this simple trick, the booking details are automatically inserted into the smartphone’s built-in calendar as a new meeting request in the correct chronological position. Drivers can view the calendar for any given day and see all the bookings they have been assigned to on that day with each in its correct time slot. The full details of a booking can
be revealed by simply tapping on a meeting request. Distinctive Systems is also launching a mobile implementation of its market leading Tour Booking System website and online booking facility at Coach & Bus Live. The new functionality takes advantage of the software development technologies, which were incorporated into the major refresh of TBS released earlier this year, to deliver a touch-optimised interface for mobile devices. No app download is required; the website works straight out of the
box on every leading smartphone product. In today’s world it is impossible to underestimate the importance of having a website which is properly optimised for mobile devices. A mobile website will drive more traffic to a website, build customer engagement, increase sales and give you an edge over your competitors. Further details of these and other enhancements can be found on the Distinctive Systems website news page. All three solutions from Distinctive Systems can either be purchased outright on rented via an annual contract. Outright purchase prices start at £3,000. For operators on a smaller budget, or those who want to try before they buy, Distinctive Systems offers rental prices for the sfotware, which start at the significantly lower price of £97.50 per month.
T: 01904 692269 E: sales@distinctivesystems.com W: www.distinctive-systems.com
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ICOMERA
In the increasingly competitive passenger transport market, Internet connectivity has become the major competitive differentiator. A high proportion of coach and bus passengers are commuters or students. Their feedback, documented by countless surveys, has made it clear that passengers’ expectations and beliefs about their basic onboard rights have moved with the times. They are looking to be as productive as possible on their journeys between home and the of�ice. Offering onboard WiFi is the obvious solution for retaining these passengers, adding value for public transport and a freedom argument compared to driving a car. Setting themselves apart from their competitors, successful early-adopters like Stagecoach, FirstGroup, Arriva and Go-Ahead realised that the reliability of their internet connection would ultimately be the key to the success of their onboard WiFi projects. Working with Icomera, these operators decided to implement solutions based around our M-Series routers. Delivering a WiFi service on a moving vehicle requires a sustained mobile data connection between the vehicle and a mobile carrier network. This should be 3G at a bare minimum or preferably an HSPA/LTE connection, capable of speeds in excess of 30 megabits per second. Icomera M-Series routers deliver a bridge between a passenger’s WiFi equipped device and cellular carrier networks including 3G/HSPA and LTE. Passengers connect as they would to any normal WiFi hotspot, the data is transferred seamlessly to the carrier’s cellular network and then onto the public Internet. Passengers are not the only source of your vehicle’s thirst for internet connectivity. In recent years operators have installed numerous onboard Internet devices, increasing the need for a multifunctional hardware and
Patented Icomera SureWAN technology switches networks seamlessly connectivity platform. In addition to supplying passenger WiFi, an Icomera M-Series router’s twoway high speed link can provide operational improvements such as vehicle tracking, schedule adherence, and remote viewing and control of CCTV equipment. Each router has a built-in GPS receiver and transmits the vehicle’s position over the cellular network.
The investments made by operators have been justified by the rate of consumer take-up and continued use over time longer an added bonus but an operational requirement. When Nobina, the largest bus operator in Icomera’s native Sweden, were looking to replace their unconnected stand-alone video surveillance system they reached out to us for a solution based around our X-Series routers. Previously, malfunctioning video recorders on Nobina buses went unnoticed for long periods of time. Faced with more stringent and demanding requirements from transport regulators, it was important that our solution was able to deliver immediate improvements in quality. The successful Icomera solution records video data from all onboard cameras and data Icomera Moovbox M340 Router
Using this, vehicle operators can track their �leets and get up-to-theminute reports on WiFi network usage, user statistics and real time vehicle information. Thanks to the design of the Icomera platform, passenger communication and mission critical data applications can effortlessly coexist on the same platform leading to a reduced cost of ownership for operators.
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The investments made by vehicle operators have been justi�ied by the rate of customer take-up and continued use over time. Furthermore, research carried out by leading operators showed they had won passengers away from competing transportation including rail. In Europe regulations are dictating that connectivity is no
integrity is insured from the time it is recorded. The Swedish police now request video data from buses in live operation using a mobile network to download footage. Transport solutions of the future will require more than basic connectivity - passengers need to be entertained, vehicles need to be monitored and staff need to be kept informed. Together with Icomera, leading operators are already starting to meet these and other needs through the deployment of complete transportation communication solutions. By investing in an open application and connectivity platform, they are laying the foundations for future services.
ABOUT ICOMERA
Icomera launched the world’s �irst high-speed Internet solution for trains in September 2002 and is today the world’s leading provider of open Internet connectivity and application platforms for passenger transport and public safety. Its award-winning products are deployed on rail, road and sea, serving more than 30 million WiFi users in over 26 countries and providing high-speed access for �leet tracking and mission-critical onboard systems. Established in 1999, Icomera is headquartered in Sweden with of�ices in the United Kingdom and channel partners worldwide.
T: 0870 446 0461 E: sales@icomera.com W: www.icomera.com
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INDUSTRY
GUIDE TO DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ALCOLOCK GB
Alcolock GB Ltd was established in 2006 to introduce to �leet operators and individuals a solution to manage their drinkdrive activities either in business or their day to day life. This was done by promoting the use of the Alcolock GB breathalyser interlock system, a system which quite simply stops and prevents drink driving. Based in Midsomer Norton, close to the city of Bath, Alcolock GB is the UK and Ireland’s leading supplier of these units. David Whittock, Founder and Director of Alcolock GB, commented: “Alcolock GB knows how important driver safety is to you, for the care of your staff, the wider public and your corporate reputation. Our products are used extensively in the bus and Coach and �leet transport industry, in addition to other industries, as well
as the private sector, and we are very proud of our customer base which includes National Express, The Kings Ferry Group, DS Smith Packaging and Lafarge Tarmac. “As a one stop shop for someone looking to address any alcohol issues, we can provide a range of solutions from pocket breathalysers, to wall mounted breathalysers for commercial use, to the well-known Alcolock GB interlock system. Fitting the system will give you security that anyone driving one of your vehicles is below the pre-set limit and are not impaired by alcohol. “Working closely with leading engineers and national �leet operators, we have now perfected a complete breathalyser reporting system. This can be viewed by the operators by simply logging on to our dedicated website. By using
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username and password they can view all breath tests taken by registration number, date and time. It shows any alcohol level, invalid sample, pass or fail. “In addition, all vehicles in a company �leet can be linked to a ‘live’ monitoring system so in the event of a driver failing a pre-set alcohol level breath test, both immediate text and email alerts can be delivered, allowing a contingency plan to be implemented quickly. Tailored reports can also be generated to
assist the larger �leet operators.” Alcolock GB is supported by the technical excellence of project partners including Lion Laboratories – one of the World’s leading manufactures in breathalysers, and Tiso Electronics – a market leader in global positioning, communication and data transfer equipment. Recently, Alcolock GB has developed a relationship with Concateno, Europe’s strongest and most experienced drug, alcohol and healthcare testing organisations, with more than 60 years’ collective expertise. Alcolock GB has a dedicated team of engineers placed to service the customer anywhere in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The business offers the complete aftersales package and prides itself in the offer of full technical support, with installation, calibration and service, all taking place at a location chosen by the customer. Telephone support is also available.
T: 01761 408 159 E: info@alcolockgb.com W: www.alcolockgb.com
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Features List 2013/2014
Below is the complete list of this year’s CBW issues showing current scheduled dates for Industry Guides. Dates are subject to change.
2013 COACHBOOKINGSOFTWARE.COM A major online travel agency website is launching subsidised back office software for the coach operator at Coach & Bus Live 2013 this week. The software on offer has been in development since 2008 and is revolutionary in that it uses the very latest internet based systems known as Software as a Service (SaaS) allowing the coach operator to fully manage every aspect of their coach holidays and day excursions. This includes a live online sales platform, management of the customer data base, the pick-up sheets and agency management and much more. Being internet based, the software can be accessed from any device which can support an internet browser, whether that be a laptop, tablet, smartphone or other similar device. This allows it to be easily used from outside the office where necessary, which is helpful for keeping track of booking information in real time. Many different types of operators could benefit from such a system, including those with multiple office
sites, which can have unlimited users at no extra charge, owner drivers who need to work from different locations or operators which need the flexibility of working at home or in the office. Computer software and hardware is not needed to use the system, only a device with internet access with an internet browser like Safari, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer installed on it and a basic £100 per month on subscription. To keep cost down, the coach operator’s holiday information is shared with the travel agency website www.coachbookings.com, giving the opportunity for more sales. Coachbookingsoftware.com is offering a free two month trial for any interested operators. Any interested parties can find out more on stand G178 at Coach & Bus Live 2013, where Coachbookingsoftware is exhibiting. T: 0845 3311080 W: www. coachbookingsoftware.com
Issue
Issue Date
Product Focus Feature
1107 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 1113 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118
October 2 October 9 October 16 October 23 October 30 November 6 November 13 November 20 November 27 December 4 December 11 December 18
Digital Technology
2014 1119 1120 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1126 1127 1128 1129 1130 1131 1132 1133 1134 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1140 1141 1142 1143 1144 1145 1146 1147 1148 1149 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 1160 1161 1162 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167 1168 1169
Garage Equipment Seating, Flooring & Interiors Ticketing & Cash Handling Repairs & Refurbishment Fuel Management & Emission Control
January 8 Passenger Comfort & Entertainment January 15 Vehicle Presentation January 22 January 29 February 5 Telematics February 12 Training & Safety February 19 February 26 March 5 Engines & Transmissions March 12 Seating, Flooring & Interiors March 19 March 26 April 2 Digital Technology April 9 GARAGE Equipment April 16 April 23 April 30 May 7 Tachographs May 14 Fuel Management & Emission Control May 21 May 28 June 4 Ticketing & Cash Handling June 11 Repairs & Refurbishment June 18 June 25 July 2 Glazing & Entry Systems July 9 Vehicle Presentation July 16 July 23 Training & Safety July 30 August 6 Engines & Transmissions August 13 Security & Insurance August 20 August 27 September 3 Rental Leasing & Finance September 10 Seating, Flooring & Interiors September 17 September 24 October 1 Digital Technology October 8 Garage Equipment October 15 October 22 October 29 November 5 Fuel Management & Emission Control November 12 November 19 November 26 December 3 Ticketing & Cash Handling December 10 Repairs & Refurbishment December 17 December 24
Senior Sales Executive Caroline Barnes 01733 293248 caroline.barnes coachandbusweek.com
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Booking deadline Space should be booked no later than two weeks in advance
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THE BIG PICTURE Stephensons of Easingwold has acquired a new Plaxton Panther-bodied Volvo B9R for its premium holiday and private hire activities. Managing Director David Stephenson chose the vehicle as a replacement for an earlier Panther in the regular upgrade of the company’s fleet. He said: “We replace our frontline vehicles at three years and have found the Plaxton Volvo product brilliant for our needs. We are very pleased with our latest addition.” Supplied by Anston-based Plaxton Coach Sales, the 12.8m model features 53 Fainsa Gala reclining seats with all age three point seatbelts. The vehicle’s appearance is enhanced with Alcoa Dura-Brite alloy wheels and has been given the name Ethan Brennin. Founded by Harry Stephenson in the village of Easingwold, soon moving to Tholthorpe where extensive depot premises have supported the company’s growth over 20 years. Harry was subsequently joined in the family business by his brother David, now Managing Director. The company operates around 60 vehicles on contracts, stage services and private hire from depots in Tholthorpe and Kirbymoorside.
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VEHICLE EVALUATION â&#x20AC;ş NEW BUS FOR LONDON
A capital idea The New Bus for London is rapidly turning into a modern day icon for our capital city. Andy Izatt looks at its introduction and takes one for a test drive
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T
he �irst complete New Bus for London (NBfL), LT1 was driven out of the Ballymena production hall of manufacturer Wrightbus on November 4, 2011 by the politician responsible for its creation, London Mayor Boris Johnson. The bus made its London debut the following month although the �irst to enter service was LT2 on February 27, 2012 working for Arriva London on Transport for London (TfL) contracted route 38 (Clapton Pond – Victoria station). It was mobbed by crowds on the �irst day. Six more prototypes all allocated to Ash Grove for route 38 followed although the �irst two buses were subsequently sent abroad on British trade tours. Following his re-election Boris approved an order for 600 production NBfLs in September 2012, each vehicle costing £326,000 at today’s prices compared to £326,000 for a ‘conventional’ hybrid double-decker. The oft-quoted £354,500 is the price over the life of the contract including in�lation and engine upgrade etc. TfL owns the buses, which are leased to operating companies – different to normal route tendering practice where contractors procure their own vehicles built to TfL speci�ication. The expectation is that NBfLs will spend full working lives of up to 14 years in London. The �irst production buses, LT9 to LT40 entered service from Holloway with Metroline Travel on route 24 (Hampstead Heath – Pimlico) from June 22 2013. Phased introduction by Go-Ahead London of LTs based at Stockwell on route 11 (Liverpool Street station – Fulham Broadway) followed from the evening of September 20. PVR (Peak Vehicle Requirement) is 25, two less than route 24. 25 LTs had been delivered at the time of writing although LT62 was involved in a high pro�ile accident on September 22. London United-operated route 9 (Aldwych – Hammersmith) is scheduled for conversion on October 26 and Metroline run 390 (Notting Hill Gate – Archway) by the end of the year.
Uniquely different
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NBfL deliberately draws on many styling themes from the 1950s AECPRV Routemaster, an established London icon recognised around the world. Open rear platform operation is an obvious one, but among more subtle references are the LED running lights around
standard headlight bulbs and the asymmetric windscreen. Inside there is a strong Routemaster ambiance, particularly on the upper deck helped by the curvature of the ceiling at the rear, powder coated handrails painted gold, burgundy painted �ibreglass and London Transport themes in the seat moquette. Designed carrying capacity of production vehicles is 87, 40 seated upstairs and 22 down with 25 standees. There are two staircases and three sets of doors including one for the rear platform. Oyster card readers are by each. Wheelchair access is via an electric ramp by the middle door where there is a large bay opposite. Six preferential seats in the lower deck have space underneath for assistance dogs and there are four priority seats. As with other TfL speci�ied vehicles, passengers are alerted to the next stop by audio and visual iBus announcements, but there is also a T-Loop system that transmits announcements for passengers with hearing aids. Buses run with what TfL calls conductors for most of the day. They don’t collect fares but supervise the rear platform, ensuring passenger safety when hopping on or off and providing travel advice. When not present, the platform is enclosed by a door operated by the driver. Keeping weight to a minimum has been a key design feature and unladen weight is 12,460kg. Wright’s patented Aluminique construction system is used for the main structure with composites at the rear. The �irst engineering prototype, an un�inished shell powered by NBfL’s series hybrid drive, achieved 11.6mpg under route 159 test conditions at Millbrook Proving Ground. That compares to 8.6mpg for other hybrids and 5.8mpg for an equivalent diesel bus. A more recent test was completed at Millbrook using one of the prototypes from route 38, which delivered 10.7mpg. The battery pack powers the electric motor which drives the wheels of the bus. The battery is charged by a generator and through regenerative braking where the system recycles energy from braking. Stop-start technology means the engine only runs when it needs to charge the battery.
Design icon
If ordered Wrightbus has an option to build a further 400 buses. While NBfL is a TfL-owned design built under licence, the Northern Ireland manufacturer also has export
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VEHICLE EVALUATION › NEW BUS FOR LONDON
Upper deck captures the character of classic London bus design.
New Bus for London: Specification details LENGTH: 11.232m WIDTH: 2.52m
HEIGHT: 4.42m
WHEELBASE: 6m GVW: 18.000kg ULW: 12.460kg
DRIVELINE: Series Hybrid
ENGINE: Cummins ISBe 4.5-litre (Euro 5 EEV), 136Kw, 700Nm AFTER TREATMENT: Selective catalytic reduction and diesel oxidation catalyst GENERATOR: Siemens 180Kw, 700Nm@265A
DRIVE COUPLING: Centra Series R, SAE 2 compatible DRIVE MOTOR: Siemens Permanent Magnet Motor, 130Kw, 1,500Nm
BATTERY: Valence Lithium-iron phosphate power cell, 557V, 17.4Kwh capacity, liquid cooled
POWER INVERTERS: Siemens ELFA 2, four-phase mono, liquid cooled DC-DC CONVERTER: US hybrid 600-24V, 300A, water-cooled
AIR COMPRESSOR: Independent liquid cooled with integrated motor/ inverter drive unit POWER STEERING: Independent liquid cooled with integrated motor/ inverter drive
AIR-CON COMPRESSOR: Unit belt driven off the engine
Rear aspect of NBfL is unlike anything else on the road
rights. A very discreet Wrightbus ‘W’ on the steering wheel indicates the origins of the bus and the Wrightbus name appears on the driver ICM (Instrument panel). Wrightbus subsidiary EN-Drive now builds NBfL chassis at a dedicated plant in Antrim, 11-miles from Ballymena. The three-year contract to build the first 600 production buses has created 40 additional jobs as well as six apprenticeships a year. Aftersales support is provided by the Customcare subsidiary where 10 jobs have been created. That NBfL was a political creation can’t be denied. Controversial it certainly is and there is no shortage of critics. Boris’s main opponent in last year’s mayoral elections, Ken Livingstone made clear his opposition and intention to scrap the project if elected. He lost by a whisker. But NBfL is no political fantasy with leading TfL figures making clear their support prior to the mayoral election. Boris might have been the catalyst, and NBfL may be built by Wrightbus with design input from Thomas Heatherwick, Neil Hubbard and Stuart Wood from the Heatherwick Studio, but this has always been TfL’s bus. The capital’s transport authority oversaw every aspect of the project and was and remains entirely committed to its success. NBfL isn’t perfect. Short comings with the upper deck chilled air system attracted plenty of adverse publicity when the first buses entered service, but Wrightbus moved swiftly dealing with the problem. There is no chilled air system downstairs, the three-door configuration deemed as providing adequate ventilation. Opening windows in the lower saloon is one modification now under consideration. Critics ought to consider that for the first time in living memory a UK transport authority – the people who are actually closest to the
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Rear staircase has strong design themes from half a century ago passenger experience – has had the opportunity to create a bespoke vehicle from the axles up. The result, built within a proscriptive legislative framework, reflects that vast experience. While it inevitably won’t please everyone, NBfL is nevertheless a remarkable achievement and should be recognised as such. The bus is already becoming a modern day London icon – a uniquely different piece of street furniture that’s helping to give our capital a distinctly different look. All the signs are that there will be no shortage of buyers for these vehicles when their service days are over. Like generations of London bus before them, people around the world will want a truly different red London double-decker.
Driving NBfL
My test drive, kindly organised by the TfL press office, was with good friends of CBW, Metroline Travel. With the conversion of service 24, the ComfortDelGro-owned operator was the first to run a route entirely with NBfLs. Lending their support on that first day were Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Commissioner of Transport, Transport for London and Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport who drove the first bus. Customer Assistant (Metroline’s preferred title rather than conductor) was Metroline CEO, Jaspal Singh. One exited young lad was at the first stop two hours ahead of the scheduled arrival time to ensure he could be first aboard. The bus chosen for my test drive was LT24 still carrying the special side advertising boards applied for the ‘Imberbus’ running day organised by Bath Bus Company on Salisbury Plain on August 3. In addition to the NBfL, six Routemasters including Sir Peter’s own vehicle took part crewed by senior industry figures, raising £2,300 for charity. Unlike LT1 which had operated
at last year’s event in diesel mode, LT24 ran as a diesel-electric hybrid. It made the trip from London to Wiltshire and back as well as running in service all in one day without having to be refuelled.
Safety first
Metroline takes safety, compliance and training very seriously. It won’t recruit PCV drivers with less than a years’ experience and even then they will undertake three weeks training before going out in service. For non PCV holders it’s a minimum of eight weeks. Type training takes place for any new vehicle type and NBfL was no exception. A dedicated rota works route 24. All Metroline buses are fitted with DriveAssist, an adaption of Synectics Genius journey data management system for monitoring driving performance. To start the engine a smart key unique to each driver has to be placed on a reader in the cab. Driving performance is very carefully monitored with retraining given when required. DriveAssist has helped cut fuel consumption by 1%-2% – the target is 3% – and, amongst other incentives, contributed to a reduction in the number of accidents and personal injuries – down 18% for the year to June compared to the same period in 2012. The company was equally selective when it came to Customer Assistants (CA). Of a four figure number who applied, just enough survived selection and a threeweek training programme to cover requirements. Route 24 is popular with tourists so people skills are particularly important, but CAs play a critical part in the safe operation of the vehicle as Driver Performance Manager, Trevor Christmas outlined. Trevor took time to explain every aspect of NBfL and provided expert advice throughout the test drive. In crew mode when the rear www.coachandbusweek.com
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Although the cab is compact, best use of the available space is made platform is open, the driver can’t move off from a bus stop after closing the forward and middle doors until the CA releases a brake interlock by pressing a green domed button. That’s on a control panel by the rear door and has to be pressed for around five seconds. An alarm sounds until this is done so the CA needs to stay by the rear door and respond quickly. It’s why they can’t roam the bus checking tickets. Preparing the bus for crew operation is a several stage process. The driver applies the handbrake, opens all the doors and presses the orange crew button in the cab, waiting for a yellow icon to appear on the digital DMUX display of the ICM. The CA presses the orange lock button on the rear door control panel releasing the remaining quarter panel of the rear door and then manually moves it into the open position. The lock button is pressed again to lock it in place. The driver closes the centre and front doors while the CA presses the green domed button to release the interlock allowing the driver to move away. There are almost as many stages to converting the bus back to one person operation. It might all sound very complex, but underlines just how importantly safety is taken.
Clear instrumentation
The cab is compact with a functional well laid out interior. There is a recess in the dashboard moulding where the driver can store a bag and a double hook on the cab wall for coats and jackets. A leather-covered fully adjustable Chapman driver’s seat without seatbelt is specified and the steering wheel also adjusts to suit. A left-hand steering wheel stalk has controls for the horn, indicators, wipers and high beam – standard stuff. Instrumentation is straightforward as befits a service
bus. Air pressure, AdBlue and fuel, temperature and battery power are all digitally displayed by the ICM’s DMUX screen. To the left is the speedometer round which are grouped warning lights. On the right of the ICM are switches for camera toggle, hazard, ramp, drive start, drive ignition, ferry lift and exterior lighting. There are also controls for the Hevac cab air conditioning and heating, and for gear selection. Under the driver’s window is a panel with the parking brake, single door opening button and one each for closing the three doors. Apparently drivers are becoming adept at pressing all three at once. There is also a kneeling switch, cameras checker unit, DriveAssist smart key reader, alarm button, the crew switch, battery master switch and emergency power control. Overhead are two monitors for the 16-camera Synectics CCTV system. One normally covers the rear door, the other the upper deck although the driver can scroll through other cameras. Also overhead are iBus controls, Mobitec ICU402 destination equipment control, a microphone and switches for saloon and cab lighting. A clear plastic front assault screen between the cab door and front entrance door is held in place by two
magnets that can be released and the screen swung out for cleaning.
On the streets
Our test drive route took us north from Metroline’s Cricklewood garage along the A5 Edgware Road over the North Circular Road and then left along the A4006 Kingsbury Road to the main roundabout in Kingsbury and back again. It was a mix of main and side road urban running with bus lanes, speedrestricted dual carriageway, short hill climbing and a congested shopping area. Trevor explained the three master and ignition switches that need to be turned or pressed before NBfL comes to life. In common with other Metroline vehicles, the engine will shut down if it’s left to idle for more than 10 minutes although a dab of the accelerator extends that. A low clear windscreen gives the driver excellent viability where it matters, at road level while minimising glare and good sized mirrors are well placed although the nearside unit does protrude noticeably to cover that middle door. The front sunblind is manual and easily set although, because of the low screen, it wouldn’t take much to obscure traffic lights so care needs to be taken. Technology has given
Cameras cover all aspects of the vehicle including the top deck and rear doors
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The instrument binnacle is neatly laid out with controls falling easily to hand manufacturers the ability to finely tune vehicle performance to intended use and NBfL is no exception. The accelerator pedal is heavy and pickup is at a steady pace – fast enough not be an obstruction to other traffic and entering roundabouts, but also smooth enough to deliver a quality ride. While the bus pulls well on the flat there is noticeable loss of momentum on inclines with nothing the driver can do to compensate. The hybrid drive depends on regenerative braking so as soon as pressure is taken off the accelerator retardation engages and the bus starts to slow although it will not quite come to a halt even on slight inclines. Experienced drivers will only use the foundation brakes to come to a complete stop. Turning circle is excellent at 21m, but with a 6m wheelbase, more than most London buses, NBfL will pinch on tight corners. It’s all about driver familiarisation and there was only one left turn in Victoria that needed to be modified prior to the buses taking over route 24. With a top speed of 50mph, faster than many London bus types governed to 40mph, NBfL can hold its own on an open road, but under busy urban conditions where the driver might be lucky to reach 30mph it effectively drives itself by maintaining a sedate rate of acceleration and deceleration. For the driver this should mean a relaxing day behind the wheel. The performance characteristics of the vehicle are such that it’s difficult to see how they could be easily overridden so, even if it means late running, best to sit back and enjoy the journey - exactly what we did on the test drive. Thanks go to Trevor for his invaluable insight and help. Driving NBfL was an ambition fulfilled and it lived up to expectations. Welcome to the future of the London bus. l www.coachandbusweek.com
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FACE TO FACE › ROGER FRENCH
I
met Roger French in the Café at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden. It was Roger’s suggestion, an ideal choice, and by the time I arrived he’s already been to the shop, perused what was on offer and bought a book, The InterCity Story which had been recommended. Roger’s fascination for railways is just as strong as it is for buses and it was immediately apparent that his passion for public transport remains undiminished. “I became enthusiastic for the industry rather than being just a traditional enthusiast,” he explained. “I can get on a bus now and not know what it is even though I used to buy buses. I’m more interested in the logistics – the movement of people. It just seemed the sensible thing to do to pursue a career in the transport sector. “I’d already had experience at the sharp end with London Transport as a student both in their offices and as a conductor. Looking back at all the jobs I did, I absolutely loved bus conducting. You could create the atmosphere in the bus that you wanted and you got feedback immediately because of what you were doing. In a sense I tried to do that when I was Managing Director of Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company.
A busman
times of his
Earlier this year one of the industry’s most respected busmen, Managing Director of Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, Roger French retired. He looks back on his long career with Andy Izatt
Decades of stability
“When I moved to Brighton in 1982, I didn’t set out thinking I’m going to stay here for 31 years. You expected within 18 months or two years to move on. However, I was never comfortable with that even though I’d only done it three times before. “When the (Buses) White Paper came out in 1984 it was obvious there was going to be an absolute sea change in the industry. I saw it as an opportunity to put down some roots, really do something in an area that I’d grown to like, and take advantage of the opportunities clearly coming. “We were fortuitous in 1993 when we came to sell the company following the successful management ownership period after privatisation. How fortunate for me personally and I believe for the business that we chose Go-Ahead. As a deliberate strategy Martin Ballinger and Chris Moyes (Go-Ahead founders) wanted to perpetuate local autonomy which no one else was suggesting or doing as the Groups were forming. “Nothing stands still. We merged with Brighton Buses. We kept
Roger French: “The secret of success is timing. I believe in that. I was lucky in my timing. I’m not going to abuse it now” growing the market. In terms of decision making we were changing all of the time, but it was always within the same comfort zone for everyone involved. Within the corporate structure we had consistency and stability for the next 20 years. Looking back at the history of Brighton and Hove right back to the 1880s when the company first started running horse buses, through Tilling ownership, the British Transport Commission, Transport Holding Company and National Bus Company, there was never a period like that. As time
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went by I began to see the benefits of that stability, but at the same time we were always innovating, trying to be better, trying to improve what we were doing along the way.
Valuing people
“The whole industry is about people, whether its employees, trade unions or customers stakeholders as we now call them. One of the benefits of my longevity is that I realised the value in the people that we had. We grew together. “We had a very stable management team. Everyone
understood the ethos and philosophy of the company. They shared that passion for fulfilling our role in the community and being the best we could for the customer. “I was blessed with good people not only within the company, but also in the city. We realised quite early that the County Council at that time, before it became a unitary authority, had an agenda where they had to look seriously at modal shift. Brighton and Hove had never had any road building. The bypass was relatively late, but as a deliberate strategy the Council decided to take out the slack released in the city centre because cars were no longer going through and devote it to bus priority measures. “The benefits started to come through just as we sold the business to Go-Ahead, which started to reinvest after the cuts of the recessional years. It just took off from there. 1993 was our first year of growth and we grew every year since fed by what was at the time this unique partnership that has now become the industry mantra of the local authority improving infrastructure and us investing in vehicles, marketing, customer service and improving frequencies. “Since Brighton and Hove became a city we have had a Labour council, a Tory council and now a Green led council and they have all been committed to developing that partnership and encouraging more bus use. It has risen above party politics. If you talk common sense about moving people and the benefit of the bus, but don’t talk the car down because it’s still essential for many users, it showed that we were part of the solution rather than the problem. “Some regarded us as monopolistic. We could easily have misplayed our hand, but we communicated in a way that resonated with people - with the community, with the city, with the industry, and one thing led to another.
Part of the community
“Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company was the fourth largest private sector employer and we needed to play a role. The three biggest were either multinationals or foreign owned companies that didn’t really have that sort of commitment. We threw ourselves into what went on in the business community, voluntary and community sectors, retail, www.coachandbusweek.com
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hospitality and the charitable �ield because they were all receptive to people wanting to get involved. That’s why I ended up being on and chairing so many city wide forums or committees. “I chaired the local strategic partnership deciding on the vision for the city. People knew I was mister bus company. They would refer to it as Roger’s buses. Everyone knew the bus company was part of the discussions whatever the issue. “Community groups who met in the afternoons and evenings just loved to have someone come along so I developed something of a presentation. One afternoon I went to Hollingbury Methodist Church. There were no more than eight people there with an average age of 85 as a minimum and I thought how am I going go to make this inspiring for them? “They explained it was their pianist’s birthday. It was a tradition that she played ‘Happy Birthday to You’ when it was someone’s birthday. Obviously they couldn’t ask her to do it at her own birthday and no one else could play. Did I? I said I’d not played since I was 15, but I could just about remember the tune so I played it with two �ingers. It brought home to me the importance of always keeping in touch with what people want and do. “What I was most proud of when I retired was the Council making me an Honorary Freeman of the City of Brighton and Hove. I was very touched. If you’d told me when I arrived as a busman in 1982 that I’d retire as a Freeman, awarded to only six other people, I just wouldn’t have believed it.
Busman in tune
“I never even dreamt that one day I would be a General Manger as they were in those days. I wasn’t ambitious to that extent. It was just a love for the industry and its people. The industry and I went together hand in glove. “Every day you’ve got that challenge of getting the bus to the bus stop at the right time, presented well and with staff who are courteous and helpful. Operating buses is so unpredictable in terms of what’s going to happen. There is always something different to face - a new challenge to deliver that quality of service that the customer wants and expects. It’s that fresh challenge every day that’s really special. “If there was a utility or www.coachandbusweek.com
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Roger French: “1993 was our first year of growth and we grew every year since”
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FACE TO FACE › ROGER FRENCH contractor doing something not quite right and it was having an effect on the buses I would think nothing of dealing with it there and then, ringing someone up and getting traffic lights rephrased. I loved getting effective action hour by hour as well as strategic direction for the business dealing with city and the community. It was that real variety of work that really appealed to me. “That 20 years period that I spoke about earlier of stability will always be a golden era, but it was naturally coming to an end. We have moved on. The ‘PLCs’ are increasingly being challenged by their shareholders for ever increasing margins and dividend growth. “There is no doubt that it now makes sense for more decision making to be made at a corporate level simply because of developments in technology and the scale of things, for example
on my (computer) screen. “We have so much data now what passengers are doing, how our vehicles are performing and how our staff are performing. There was a sense that at my age after doing all that I’d done, I was not the right person to deal with this avalanche of information for the future. The danger is that you drown in data and you don’t do anything at all. I think First, Arriva, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead in particular have yet to deal with that challenge. “I do detect from the new breed of young mangers that grew up with electronic data, use handheld devices and Tweet all day long, that they will take the opportunities that will be offered. It’s so exciting. For the first time ever we will know exactly what each passenger is doing once they get on to some form of electronic payment. “Have they lapsed for a few days
smartcards, mobile phone technology, fuel systems and engine technology. As smartcards and other ways of paying develop such as m-ticketing, will it make sense for local company managers to make decisions on email marketing? “Managers need to be motivated with meaningful targets where they have access to buttons and levers to make a difference locally. Where will be the creativity for that revenue development? “In my era it was very much within the company and that’s what motivated me. I could make a decision, enact it and if it didn’t work, change it literally within hours or days. Towards the end of my time there was an inevitability that was changing. I respected that Go-Ahead wanted to centralise more. It was right that they did that, but I knew my time had come to retire. “It was probably right for the organisation because it was getting to the point that the spreadsheets showing the data which was available from users of our smartcards and mobile ticketing had all the KPIs that the (GoAhead) Group wanted, but were beyond my intellect. The spread sheets were too big for me to get
or weeks? We can tempt them back. We’ve never been able to do that before. Ultimately we’ll have personal pricing. If someone has not used the buses for a few weeks we can send them an offer that’s personal to them. No one else need know about it. That’s the way it will be. “The challenge will be getting the right person with responsibility for that in the right place making the right decisions. It might be right, if it’s a special science, to employ them centrally in Group, but how will they then connect with knowledge of the local market? Meet that challenge and the opportunities for the future are huge. I think the industry is at a crossroads.
“The challenge will be getting the right person with responsibility for that in the right place making the right decisions”
Roger’s earliest memory when he was just three years old was being taken by his parents on a London Transport route 29 bus to Hadley Woods on a summer Sunday in 1957. Aged 16 he achieved a childhood ambition to work at 55 Broadway, headquarters of London Transport followed by summer student jobs as a conductor in 1972 and 1973. After graduating from Reading University in 1975 he joined the National Bus Company graduate management trainee scheme. We worked for jointly managed West Riding and Yorkshire Woollen before moving to East Kent and South Wales Transport. He became Assistant Traffic Manager at Southdown in 1982, bringing him to Brighton. After it had been separated out from Southdown, Roger was part of the five-strong management team that bought the Brighton & Hove business from National Bus Company in 1987and became Managing Director when it was sold to Go-Ahead in 1993. Roger chaired the Local Strategic Partnership, the Brighton and Hove Business Forum, the Hove Business Partnership, the Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and the Trustees of the Martlets Hospice. He was a founder member of the city’s Economic Partnership, the Transport Partnership and the Hove Business Association’s Management Committee, and was a Trustee of the Argus newspaper’s charity, the Argus Appeal. In 1999 he was awarded Businessman of the Year in the Sussex Business Awards, in 2006 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Sussex at the Argus Achievement Awards, in 2009 it was the Community and Stakeholder Management Award at the Passenger Transport Management Awards and in 2011 his contribution to the bus industry was recognised by the Services to the Bus Industry Award at the UK Bus Awards. He’s seen the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company win numerous accolades. Roger was awarded an OBE for services to public transport in 2005, an Honorary MA by the University of Brighton in 2007 and became a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex the same year. He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Brighton and Hove following his retirement earlier this year.
Keeping it personal
“It’s essential to keep personal contact with customers - that trust, that respect, that involvement while at the same time having this ability for data management and interpretation. Social media really has a role to play, particularly for the younger generation growing up with it, but we mustn’t let that supplement or replace direct human contact. “It’s important to get the basics right. I have seen some quite
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Roger French OBE DL
Roger French: “I saw an opportunity to put dowen some routes”
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FACE TO FACE › ROGER FRENCH horrendous examples of people getting carried away with social media. It’s no good saying ‘have a great day everybody’ when meantime you don’t have buses working properly. There is a complete disconnect. I’m very cynical how some companies deal with customer service. Some of it is done in an awful corporate way that doesn’t show any interest in the customer. “For the average passenger we’re still just the means to an end. They just take it as it comes. We’re using credit cards, debit cards and ‘wave and pay’ all over the place.
“For the average passenger we’re still just the means to an end. They just take it as it comes” In transport we shout about that as if it’s some kind of revolution, but it’s not. Everything is moving that way in society. It’s just basic. If we weren’t doing it, it would be a problem. Sometimes we talk ourselves above what really is. “There is a limited market for bus travel as a consumer choice. Inter urban travel has grown because we’re encouraging people to go to a new destination simply because the bus service has improved. There are quite a few
Ray Stenning has played a key role in Brighton & Hove’s marketing. Roger French says that he’s been an inspiration examples around the country – Stagecoach Gold, Arriva Sapphire and First Hyperlink. Whatever the brand, they’re playing their part in developing that market. But as a percentage of the total, it’s small. For customers it’s more the destination, the employment, the attraction, the leisure opportunity rather than what we’re doing. “There are some bus routes that go through the most wonderful
scenic parts of the UK, but they’re operated by single-decks. We should be selling the view. It’s not a huge market, but it is a market you could make money from and be commercial about. We’re missing a trick.
Passionate about transport
“I think you can change people’s mind set about public transport. In
Talking about service delivery Roger French said: “It’s essential to keep personal contact with customers” 56 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013 052_056_CBW1107_Roger French.indd 56
Brighton and Hove car ownership hasn’t grown as high as other comparable areas. There has just been an article in the Argus (newspaper) referring to Brighton having one of the best (bus) networks outside London. As I tour around the country I’m inspired by increasing numbers of towns and cities that really are making buses look and feel attractive. “Ray Stenning (of Best Impressions) has been an inspiration. He’s one of the unsung heroes of the industry. He’s worked for all the Groups and the influence he’s had has been incredible. He understands marketing and he understands what’s happening at street level. No one else can do what he does. He’s raised the profile of transport. “I’m loving retirement. The last six months have just flown by. I love it as much as I loved working. It’s not a question of whether I miss the job or not, it’s just a totally different chapter of my book of life. I love travelling, getting to know the wonderful country we live in and the different aspects of the transport system which fascinates me. “The secret of success is timing. I believe in that. I was lucky in my timing. I’m not going to abuse it now.” n www.coachandbusweek.com
30/09/2013 15:00
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Visit us on Stand E174
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ALFA TRAVEL HAVE FOR SALE DUE TO FLEET REPLACEMENT Dennis Plaxton R Series
2000 Mercedes 814D
2000 SCANIA T9
Cummins 420, AStronic gearbox 2004: 3 x 53 seats £40,000 plus VAT
Volvo B12B Plaxton Paragon Easyshift gearbox, LEZ compliant 2006: 2 x 53 seats £79,000 plus VAT All are well maintained, low mileage examples (approximately 62,000km per annum) with reclining seats, 3 point seat belts and air conditioning. Owned by us from new and used on our own holiday programme. All over cream. Price includes new MoT. Sorry no part exchange facilities!
To view contact Tom Smith, Operations Manager, on 08451 305777
2007 Scania K340/ Caetano Levante
Choice of 2, 49 leather reclining seats, ZF automatic gearbox and retarder, Hanover front, side and rear destinations, WC, air conditioning, PLS magic lift, low mileage, recently refurbished and can be used on National Express network until June 2016.
2002 Bova Futura • Air con • Toilet • DVD • Monitor x 2 • Eminox euro 4 • 49 seats • Green cloth • Long MOT
Manual gearbox, MOT 23/3/14, rear tail lift with double rear door access, 32 removable seats, can be used as 32 seated and no wheelchairs or 2 seated and 10 wheelchairs or many other combinations – ideal multi purpose vehicle.
53 seats, excellent condition, PSV 26/5/13, taxed 30/4/13, service records, lovely bus all round and just had an interior re-trim.
£8,500
£24,750
Belfast Bus – 07921 389720
Chalkwell Coach Hire 01795 519545 andy.bates@chalkwell.co.uk
2007 Unvi Riada
2005 Optare Solo M950 SLF 9.5m
Brand new engine with Mercedes warranty, 22 seats + certified courier seat, leather headrests, Euroliners, DVD, 3 point belts, P/A, air-con, 227,000km, MOT 15/04/14.
33 seats + 17 standees, Mercedes engine, Hanover LED.
£80,000 + VAT each
£50,000 + VAT
£32,000
yourbus – 01773 714013
L.J. Edwards – 07974 369570
Burns Coach Tours 01651 851279
£32,000 + VAT – CHOICE OF 3 Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk
2003 Setra 315 GTHD
2009 (59) Iveco Daily
2009 (09) Iveco Daily
2001 MAN Neoplan
49 seat with retractable belts, low mileage, seat back tables, footrests, centre toilet, power door, air con, webasto, cool box and boiler 2 x monitors and DVD, radio cassette, LEZ exhaust, great drive.
16 passenger seats with 3 point belts, front entrance with lowered entry step, extra large boot, panoramic windows, parcel racks with reading lights and blown air, interior lighting with dim facility, CD sound system, tested until 30 September 2014.
16 passenger seats with 3 point seat belts, front entrance with lowered entry step, extra large boot, panoramic windows, parcel racks with reading lights and blown air, interior lighting with dim facility, CD sound system, tested to June 2014.
£21,995 + VAT Call Karl at Whitegate Travel Tel: 01606 786833 Mobile: 07841 110426
£21,995 + VAT Call Karl at Whitegate Travel Tel: 01606 786833 Mobile: 07841 110426
1999 ERF Recovery Lorry
Luxury VW Crafter
1994 Volvo B9M Berkof Excellence
Rolls Royce engine, very reliable, started life as a day cab. Runs, but has not been used since 2008.
2007, 16 seats, A/C, DVD, microphone, 135,000 miles, 7 months MOT, excellent condition.
Good solid engine and gearbox, tidy bodywork, MOT till April 2014, 37 recliners, loads of legroom and a rear toilet.
375,604 miles, PSV 25/4/13, taxed 31/3/13, full service history.
£14,000 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365
Contact William on 07733 914050
£53,500 + VAT ono
Paul Watson Travel paul.watson9@btconnect.com
OFFERS
Tel: 01249 740444 / 07717 768315
£21,000
Slick Rides – 07823 770978
12 months MOT & tax, full tank of fuel, one owner driver for the last 5 years, 49 seater, toilet, aircon, drivers bunk, alloy wheels, just refurbished, 2 new 22in Samsung LED monitors, black-out windows, TV tuner, DVD system all fitted 8 months ago, good mpg, 3 new air bags, new belts, hoses and interior LED lights just fitted, 600,000km, based in Glasgow.
£28,000 + VAT
Contact Gary – 07930 377051
VOLVO B12B
£120,000
Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com www.coachandbusweek.com
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59
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1999 Iveco Beulis
49 seats, 4 x 4 box, air con, new test, toilet.
2004 Bova Futura
51 seat executive, ZF auto, LEZ compliant, excellent condition, centre sunken toilet, 2 monitors, DVD, driver and crew seat retrimmed. Ready to go.
Mercedes Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats + courier seat, double glazed windows, forced air, radio/CD and PA system, DVD player and monitor, luxury driver seat, large boot space and side lockers, FSH.
£POA
£47,500 + VAT
Blythswood Motors 0141 889 9730
Hugh or Dougie - 0131 554 9192
2003 Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 SLF 12m
Travelstar European 01922 647100 / 07779 801862
44 seats + 27 standees, DDA compliant, 12 months MOT. £27,500 + VAT Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk
2011 Irizar PB
2005 55 REG VOLKSWAGEN LT35 14 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS
£55,000 + VAT
UNVI GT
December 2011 59 seats 220,000km
2005 Bova Futura
49 seater executive
Excellent condition inside and out, used weekly on our tours and excursions, genuine reason for sale, 515,000 kms, MOT Feb 2014. £67,500 + VAT ono
Call Paul on 07968 106891
Volvo Jonkheere B10M 71 seats + courier
1 ) 0 5 0 4 " / % ' 6 $ 0 0 6 3 " 4 4 5 " / % " 3 % 0 / " 7 & ) * $ & ' 0 3 4 " & " % 7 & 3 5 * 4 & .& / 5 4
1994, seat belts, MOT to May 2014, excellent condition. Offers invited
0151 547 2713 / 07802 235778
2006 Toyota Optimo
1998 Volvo B10M Caetano Enigma
LEZ
COMPLIANT
POA Buzzlines Travel Contact Nigel or Scott on 01303 261870
1999 Volvo B10M
2461CC TURBO DIESEL 109PS, RICON INTERNAL REAR WHEELCHAIR LIFT, TRACKED THROUGHOUT, TRACKING FOR 6 WHEELCHAIRS, ELECTRIC PLUG SIDE ACCESS DOOR, INDIAN BLUE, LEZ COMPLIANT, 36000 MILES, EXCELLENT CONDITION, SUPPLIED WITH 12 MONTHS MOT, FULLY SERVICED TO GOOD GARAGE SCHEME STANDARDS, 3 MONTHS NATIONWIDE PARTS AND LABOUR WARRANTY.
£10,495 NO VAT
Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076 2006 06 REG VOLKSWAGEN LT46 17 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS
1 x LEZ – £25,000 + VAT 1 x non LEZ – £23,000 + VAT
2461CC TURBO DIESEL 109PS, RATCLIFFE UNDERFLOOR REAR WHEELCHAIR LIFT, TRACKED THROUGHOUT, TRACKING FOR 6 WHEELCHAIRS, AVS SIDE ACCESS STEP, TACHOGRAPH, LEZ COMPLIANT, WHITE, 147000 KILOMETERS/92000 MILES, VERY GOOD CONDITION, SUPPLIED WITH 12 MONTHS MOT, FULLY SERVICED TO GOOD GARAGE SCHEME STANDARDS, 3 MONTHS NATIONWIDE PARTS AND LABOUR WARRANTY.
Peakes Coaches – 07773 793239
Ben Weaver Commercials 0114 275 7076
53 seats.
£9,995 + VAT
18 reclining seats, extended boot, manual gearbox, air conditioning, Euroliner wheel trims, owned and maintained by us from new, repaint by arrangement. Choice of 2. £23,000
49 seats with retractable belts, monitor, DVD, radio, cassette, taxed and tested, has air-con but needs re-gas + belts, needs t.l.c. but good motor.
Clarkes of London Call Andy Nixon – 020 8768 9612
Paul Watson Travel paul.watson9@btconnect.com
Volvo Olympian 81 belted coach seats
Scania Irizar PB
1997, B10R, MOT to June 2014, 55 mph, excellent condition. Offers invited
0151 547 2713 / 07802 235778
£15,500 + VAT ono
ZF automatic, 49 seater executive, owned from new, MOT 2014, taxed, LEZ.
£95,000 – CHOICE OF 2
Williams Coaches 01874 622223
Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com 60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
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2006 Transit Tourneo
1997 Volvo Olympian open top bus
2005 Setra 315GTHD
2007 Scania Irizar Century
LEZ
COMPLIANT
9 seater, air con, alloy wheels, electric windows/mirrors, radio/CD, FSH, 74,000 miles, immaculate, choice of 2, viewing in London.
£7,250 + VAT – PX considered
Crystals Coaches Ltd 020 8960 8800/07971 000111
2002 Iveco Beulas Stergo
49 seat exec, toilet, boiler, cooler, DVD, 2 x monitors, Mercedes engine, A/S Tronic gearbox, intarder, air conditioning, Webasto, alloy wheels, owned & maintained by us from new, repaint by arrangement. Choice of 2.
Opticruise, 49 seater executive, MOT and tax October 2013, LEZ. Alexander Dennis body, P reg, 75 seats, fitted with a PA system, new MOT on purchase. Only 2 remaining.
Bath Bus Company 01225 330444
2006 Transit Tourneo
£86,000
P.O.A.
Williams Coaches 01874 622223
Clarkes of London Call Andy Nixon – 020 8768 9612
1995 Scania K113 VanHool Alizee
1999 Mercedes Benz 814 Plaxton
• Automatic • Air con • Toilet • Monitor x 2 • Non LEZ
9 seater, SWB, low roof, air con, alloy wheels, electric windows, mirrors, radio/CD, FSH, 74,000 miles, MOT May, immaculate. Choice of 2, viewing in London.
£7,250 + VAT – PX considered
Converted this year to 70 seater using Cogent seats with 3 point belts, tea machine, TV/DVD.
27 coach seats with 3 point belts, perfect for school bus and private hire, MOT till April 2014, manual with power door and private plate.
L.J. Edwards – 07974 369570
Crystals Coaches Ltd 020 8960 8800/07971 000111
£27,500 Milligans Coach Travel 01290 550365
£8,995 + VAT Call Karl at Whitegate Travel Tel: 01606 786833 Mobile: 07841 110426
Mercedes 814D Euro Coach
1999 Volvo B10M Jonckheere
Setra 315 GTHD
• Long MOT
£30,000 + VAT
2003 Bova Futura
£39,000
• Air con • Toilet • DVD • Monitor x 2 • Full exec spec • Eminox euro 4 • 49 seats • Green cloth • Manual • Long MOT
Paul Watson Travel paul.watson9@btconnect.com
Williams Coaches 01874 622223
L.J. Edwards – 07974 369570
2003 Mercedes Citaros
2008 MAN Auto Ayat
51 seat full executive, owned from new, choice of 2, real head turner, used on tour programme, low mileage @ 240,000kms, a lot of coach for the money, looks great and great value at just...
Offers invited
38 + 34 standees, LEZ complaint, full DDA, dual door, Hanover LEDs, CCTV, in good condition, very low mileage (240,000 – 260,000 km), 1 year’s MOT. Choice of 6 (5 x 53 plate and 1 x 03 plate). £40,000 each + VAT
0151 547 2713 / 07802 235778
yourbus – 01773 714013
Tel: Adrian on 07717 768315
48 reclining seats with retractable belts, monitor, DVD, radio + cassette, rear toilet with rear door, fully sprayed and new stretch panels fitted, good coach, just been to Spain, lovely driver. PSV 12/5/13, taxed 30/4/13, full service history.
£20,000 + VAT ono
£58,000
Contact William on 07733 914050
Volvo Jonkheere B10M 71 seats + courier
1994, 3 point seat belts, MOT to May 2014, excellent condition.
6 speed manual, 49 seater executive, MOT April 2014 (LEZ, Eminox system).
£55,000 + VAT
£82,500+VAT - P/X considered
2006 Ford Transit Minibus
Ideal for school and private hire, very clean throughout, fully maintained in house. £6,995 + VAT Call Karl at Whitegate Travel Tel: 01606 786833 Mobile: 07841 110426
Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com www.coachandbusweek.com
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 61
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2007 MAN Plaxton Panther 49/53 seats, LEZ compliant, toilet, DVD/CD, fridge, hot drinks, Webasto. Only used on our own holidays and excursions. Excellent condition.
7HO
£85,000 + VAT
Please call Jamie 01730 267543 or 07956 029344
2008 Temsa Safari HD
102,000 miles, 53 seats with belts plus crew seat, automatic gearbox, double glazing, air con, carpet, curtains, Staybrite aluminium wheels, radio, 2 monitors, PA, LEZ compliant Euro 4.
£87,500
1 ) 0 5 0 4 " / % ' 6 $ 0 0 6 3 " 4 4 5 " / % " 3 % 0 / " 7 & ) * $ & ' 0 3 4 " & " % 7 & 3 5 * 4 & .& / 5 4
Castleways – 01242 603715
Volvo Olympian 81 belted coach seats
1997, B10R, MOT to June 2014, 55 mph, excellent condition. Offers invited
0151 547 2713 / 07802 235778
2009 MAN NL273F Wrightbus Meridian 12m
44 seats + 26 standees, fully DDA compliant, Mobitec LED, CCTV cameras fitted, digital tachograph, ex-lease. £67,500 + VAT Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk
1998 Mercedes Benz 814 Alexander
2001 Volvo B10M Berkhof Axial
Automatic, 27 seats, 3 point belts, power door, perfect for school/private hire, good offers considered.
50 reclining seats, TV/DVD, PA, fridge, hot drinks servery, air con, Webasto, alloy wheels. Last coach remaining. £23,750 + VAT
£8,995 + VAT Call Karl at Whitegate Travel Tel: 01606 786833 Mobile: 07841 110426
Snowcoach Holidays 01727 866177 / 07831 612125
2009 Renault
2006 Bova Majiq
16 reclining seats, perfect for airports, takes 20 big suitcases, A/C, TV, DVD, hot drinks & fridge, 3 point belts, overhead racks, front entry, 166,000kms, great on fuel, sale due to fleet restructure.
49 seat executive, ZF auto, LEZ compliant, leather headrests, twin monitor DVD, centre sunken toilet, tasteful moquette, excellent condition, MOT & Tax, economical vehicle, ready to work.
£14,000 + VAT
£95,000 + VAT
Florida Taxi Coaches 01787 477701
Travelstar European 01922 647100 / 07779 801862
2003 Optare Solo
2006 MAN 14.220 SLF MCV Evolution 11.2m
Mercedes engine, one owner, good condition and tyres, low mileage 392,955, 29 seated 20 standing, full diptact space for one wheelchair tested June 2014, taxed end of October 2013. £20,000 o.n.o.
BD23 5BS – 01756 753123
40 seats + 21 standees, DDA compliant, Hanover LED. Direct off lease from a major operator. £32,500 + VAT Southdown PSV 01342 711840 email: bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk www.southdownpsv.co.uk
Telephone Jade Cassidy on 01733 293247 or email jade.cassidy@coachandbusweek.com 62 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
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FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES
(12) 2012 Ford Transit Tourneo 9 seat Trend 2.2 125 PS, air-con, Bluetooth, in Midnight Sky Blue, 2,608 miles £14,900 + VAT
OTHER MAKES
(56) 2006 Peugeot Boxer 3.5t on 17 seat minibus 2.8 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, 33,000 miles £8,995
(12) 2012 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus 135ps air-con, tacho, COIF/PSV £18,450
(05) 2005 Mercedes Vito 9 seat LWB 2.2 diesel, 6 speed gearbox, air-con, large boot £6,995
(11) 2011 Ford Transit 9 seat Shuttle Bus, twin side loading doors, large rear luggage area, delivery miles only £16,995
(54) 2004 LDV Convoy 17 seat school minibus, internal racks, roof rack, tachograph, 51,500miles, FSH £4,995
(10) 2010 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus 2.4 diesel, six speed gearbox, tacho, 55,000 km £13,495
Renault Master 17 seat 2.8 diesel mini coach, full under floor luggage large boot, tachograph, COIF/PSV £5,995 + VAT
D L O S
(58) 2008 Ford Transit 12 seat minibus 2.2 diesel, twin side loading doors, tacho, 35,000 miles £10,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
(11) 2011 Renault Master 17 seat 2.3 diesel six speed, tachograph, fully tracked floor inboard lightweight ramp, 37,000 kms £16,995
D L O S
(07) 2007 Ford Transit 17 seat minibus 2.4 diesel, six speed, one owner, 64,000 miles, FSH, COIF/PSV £9,950 + VAT
(57) 2008 Iveco 50c15 wheelchair accessible minibus, 17 seats or 4 seated + 5 wheelchairs, rear heating, underfloor tail lift, front entry drop step, 90,000 km COIF/PSV £15,495
(56) 2006Ford Transit 17 seat minibus, high back seats with three point belts, COIF/PSV £8,995
(06) 2006 Vauxhall Vivaro 1.9 cdti 9 seat, inboard lift, tracking for 2 wheelchairs, 45,000 miles £8,995
OTHER MAKES
New Peugeot Boxer 16 seat 3.5 ton and 17 seat w/chair accessible minibuses, 2.2 diesel 120ps, six speed gearbox LEZ COMPLIANT From £24,750 + VAT
(57) 2007 Renault Master MWB 2.5TD 6 speed, tracking for two wheelchairs, in board lift, aircon, rear heating, 35,000 miles, one owner £12,495
(10) 2010 Renault Master 17 seat LM39 2.5 diesel, high back seats, nice spec £11,450 (56) 2006 Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat LWB minibus, 2.8 diesel, high back seats with three point seat belts, 19,000 miles only £9,450
(
(05) 2005 Fiat Ducato 20ltr diesel SWB 6 Seat wheelchair accessible minibus, Unwin fully tracked floor to take two wheelchairs, lightweight fold out ramp, electric winch £3,995
(55) 2005 Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat minibus 2.8 diesel, with three point seat belts, tow bar, removable seats to rear, 77,000 miles £6,995
Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk
Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304
Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales NP4 0AL – 10 minutes from M4 motorway. Viewing by appointment only
Finance Contract Hire and Finance Lease Available. We deliver Nationwide. All vehicles prepared to VOSA standard COIF/PSV specialist
All above prices are subject to VAT @ 20%
681335-1107-Ensign:Layout 1
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Ensig DOUBLE DECK 85
SEAT S
2000 DENNIS TRIDENTS Alexander ALX400 bodies, converted to high capacity 85 seat school buses.
LEZ
COMPLIANT
1999/2000/2001 V/Y REG DENNIS TRIDENTS
Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX400 bodies, DDA compliant or upseated to 80 seats.
1998 S REG VOLVO OLYMPIAN
1989 DENNIS JAVELIN
6 speed ZF manual, Duple 320 body, 70 seats.
Volvo Euro 2 engine, ZF gearbox, East Lancs 84 seat body, no side-facing seats.
2000/2001 X/Y REG VOLVO B7TL’S
1999 DENNIS TRIDENT
Cummins / Voith, Alexander ALX 400 lowheight body, 84 seats, LEZ compliant.
80 seats, Voith gearboxes, Euro 2 engines with traps, or full Euro 3 with traps, Plaxton President bodies, can be DDA with 78 seats.
1999 VOLVO B7TL’S
1997 P REG VOLVO B10BLE
SWB, CCTV, particulate traps so LEZ compliant, Plaxton President bodies, dual door 62 seats or single door 71 seats.
ZF automatic, Plaxton Prestige body, 41 seats.
2000 VOLVO B7TL’s
ZF gearboxes, single door, 82 seats fully seated or 80 seats as DDA compliant, supplied with new MOT and COIF, new batch just arriving.
2002 52 PLATE VOLVO B7TL’S DDA and LEZ, 70 seats, Euro 3, £24000 plus VAT.
OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY -
Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 8 Visit our website for current s
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nbus
K ER SPECIALIST 2000 W REG DAF SB220’S
2010 VOLVO B7R
ZF auto, East Lancs Myllenium bodies, SLF, 46 seats.
ZF automatic, Euro 5, Plaxton Profile body, air-con, 53 seats, very low mileage, new MOT.
2004 / 5 DENNIS MINI POINTER DARTS
Cummins ISB Euro 3 engines, DDA compliant, 29 seats, new MOT.
2003 SCANIA OMNICITY CN94UB
2 door, Euro 3, ZF automatic, 37 seats, 12m, DDA.
2005 VOLVO B7R
ZF automatic, 53 seats, Plaxton Profile body, air-con.
1997 VOLVO OLYMPIAN
2004 MERCEDES CITARO
Volvo Euro 2 engine, 76 seats, Northern Counties low height (13 feet 8) body, MOT Feb 2014.
2001/2002 DENNIS TRIDENTS
2000 X REG DENNIS SUPER POINTER DARTS
12m, Euro 3, DDA, 42 seats.
51 and 02 plate, Cummins Euro 3 ISC engines, LEZ, Plaxton President bodies, can be DDA, single door and 78 seats, or dual door 67 seats.
Cummins B series 160 engines, Voith gearboxes, 41 seats, long MOT’s.
1982 X REG MCW METROBUS 2008 SCANIA OMNICITY N230UD 64 seats, 2 door, Euro 4, can be converted to single door 75 seats.
- BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BUS DEALERS Gardner engine, Voith gearbox, half top conversion with tables upstairs and sink / fridge / bar area downstairs, formerly the Harrods tour bus.
Park, Purfleet, Essex, RM15 4YF 8 864340 e-mail: sales@ensignbus.com t stock at www.ensignbus.com
EASTWOODS COMMERCIAL MOTORS LTD 229-241 Tyburn Road, Birmingham, West Midlands B24 8NB • Telephone: 0121 328 5959 • Fax: 0121 327 3800
12:19
49 seats plus courier, Volvo B10M engine, manual gearbox, red moquette with matching curtains, reversing camera, sunken toilet, stainless wheel disks, air conditioning, aircraft lockers, MOT tested, excellent condition throughout, must be seen.
27/9/13
Plaxton Paragon – £28,750 + VAT
698359-1107-Eastwoods Page 1
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H. W. PIC
SUPPLIERS OF LOW MILEAGE WHEELCHAIR
GARDINERS LANE NORTH • CRAYS HI
Tel: 01268 521033 • Mobile: 07860 894331 • Fax
www.hwpic
NEW UN REG IVECO DAILY 50C17 IRIS BUS 3.0 AGILE GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, TACHO, POWER FRONT ENTRY DOOR, 16 REAR HIGH BACK SEATS (17 seats in total), UNWIN INNOTRAX FLAT FLOOR, UNDERFLOOR RATCLIFF T/ LIFT, COIF/IVA TO TAKE UP TO 5 WHEELCHAIRS.
08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD MANUAL GEAR BOX, HIGH ROOF, MELLOR CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOORS, AVS SIDE STEP, 13 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER, FULLY TRACKED TESTED FLOOR, AMF TAIL LIFT, TACHO FITTED, 6,848 KMS ONLY.
61 REG RENAULT MASTER F3500 2.5TD MANUAL GEARBOX, MINIBUS OPTIONS CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOORS, ELECTRIC SIDE STEP, 14 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER AMF FULLY TRACKED TESTED FLOOR, NEW AMF TAIL LIFT, 20,137 KMS ONLY.
54 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI UVG TREKA AUTO GEARBOX, LWB, PAS, CLIMATE CONTROL N/S/F ELECTRIC POWER DOOR, 16 HIGH BACK REMOVABLE SEATS ON NMI QUICK RELEASE, EBERSPACHER, PLS UNDERFLOOR T/ LIFT, EX LOCAL AUTHORITY, COIF'D , 104,180 KMS.
10 REG PEUGEOT PARTNER TEPEE URBAN 1.6 PETROL MANUAL GEARBOX, CD, ELECTRIC WINDOWS & MIRRORS, TWIN SIDE LOADING DOORS, HIGH BACK SEAT IN REAR SINGLE PASSENGER SEAT, CUT OUT FLOOR, FOLD DOWN RAMP, GOWERINGS CONVERSION, ONLY 4,105 MILES.
57 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 515 CDI AUTO GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, TACHO, O&H CONVERSION, SIDE LOADING DOOR, 17 REAR HIGH BACK SEATS, UNWIN TRACKED FLOOR, EBERSPACHER HEATER, RATCLIFF TAIL LIFT, COIF, 32,187 MILES ONLY, DOWN RATED TO 4250 KGS.
09 REG RENAULT MASTER, LM35 2.5TD MANUAL GEAR BOX, HIGH ROOF, MELLOR CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOORS, AVS SIDE STEP, 13 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER, AMF FULLY TRACKED TESTED FLOOR, AMF TAIL LIFT, TACHO FITTED, 24,848 KMS ONLY.
2006 55 REG MERCEDES VARIO 814 AUTO GEARBOX, LWB, PAS, MELLOR COACHCRAFT BODY, N/S/F ELECTRIC POWER DOOR, 28 HIGH BACK REMOVABLE SEATS, UNWIN TRACKING, EBERSPACHER HEATER & AIR CON, PLS UNDERFLOOR T/ LIFT, EX LOCAL AUTHORITY, COIF'D, 129,521 KMS ONLY.
58 REG PEUGEOT BOXER 2.5TD MANUAL GEAR BOX, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, O&H CONVERSION SLD, AVS SIDE STEP, 8 REAR HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS 1 x WHEELCHAIR SPACE, UNWIN TRACKING, EBERSPACHER HEATER, PLS UNDERFLOOR RICON TAIL LIFT, EX LOCAL AUTHORITY, 33,286 MILES.
2010 10 REG VOLKSWAGEN CRAFTER CR50 2.5TDI 108PS, LWB, EXCEL MINIBUS CONVERSION, SIDE LOADING DOOR, AVS STEP, 16 HIGH BACK ABACUS SEATS ON T BOLTS, EBERSPACHER, COIF, EX LOCAL AUTHORITY, 35,280 KMS.
06 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI MANUAL GEAR BOX, LWB, PAS, O & H CONVERSION, N/S FULL HEIGHT MANUAL DOOR, 16 HIGH BACK REMOVABLE SEATS, EBERSPACHER HEATER, RATCLIFF UNDERFLOOR T/ LIFT, EX NHS, COIF'D,103,080 KMS, PSV TESTED TILL MARCH 2014.
08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD MANUAL GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, MELLOR CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOORS, AVS SIDE STEP, 13 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER, AMF FULLY TRACKED TESTED FLOOR, RATCLIFF TAIL LIFT, TACHO FITTED, 40,238 KMS ONLY.
For latest stock arrivals follow
@h_w_pickrell
ICKRELL 698282-1107-Pickrell DPS
28/9/13
07:45
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LC CHAIR ACCESSIBLE & MUNICIPAL VEHICLES
HILL • BILLERICAY • ESSEX • CM11 2XE
ax: 01268 284951 • Email: sales@hwpickrell.co.uk
ckrell.co.uk 2010 60 REG FORD TRANSIT 430 JUMBO 2.2TD 6 SPEED GEARBOX, SEMI HIGH ROOF, FACTORY CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOOR, 16 HIGH BACK SEATS (6 x REMOVABLE ON UNWIN TRACKING) PLUS DRIVER, RATCLIFF UNDERFLOOR TAIL LIFT, ONE OWNER, TACHO, ONLY 4,776KMS. CHOICE OF TWO.
2010 60 REG RENAULT TRAFIC 2.9T 2.0 LH29DCI 115 MANUAL GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, LWB, SCW CONVERSION, SLD, AVS SIDE STEP, 9 SEATS INC DRIVER, 6 REMOVABLE SEATS IN REAR, UNWIN TRACKED FLOOR, AIR CON & EBERSPACHER HEATER, FOLD OUT PORTARAMP AT REAR, ONLY 10,875, MILES EX CHARITY.
07 REG IVECO DAILY 50C15 IRIS BUS 3.0 MANUAL GEAR BOX, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, TACHO, POWER FRONT ENTRY DOOR, 12-16 REAR HIGH BACK SEATS,UNWIN TRACKING, CLIMATE CONTROL, UNDERFLOOR RATCLIFF T/LIFT, EX LOCAL CHARITY, ONLY 72,073KMS (44,786 miles).
57 REG PEUGEOT BOXER, 2.5TD MANUAL GEAR BOX, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, O&H CONVERSION, SLD, AVS SIDE STEP, 8 REAR HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS 1 x WHEELCHAIR SPACE, UNWIN TRACKING, EBERSPACHER HEATER, RICON TAIL LIFT, EX LOCAL AUTHORITY, 20,286 MILES.
08 REG RENAULT MASTER MM35 2.5TD MANUAL GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, G & M CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOORS, FOLD OUT SIDE STEP, 8 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER, FULLY TRACKED TESTED FLOOR, RICON TAIL LIFT, 13,753 MILES ONLY.
59 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD MANUAL, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, GLENEAGLES CONVERSION, SIDE LOADING DOOR, SIDE STEP, 8 HIGH BACK SEATS, FULLY TRACKED UNWIN FLOOR, LOWERING AIR SUSPENSION & PORTARAMP, WEBASTO HEATER, 11,199 MILES.
06 REG MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI UVG TREKA AUTO GEARBOX, LWB, PAS, CLIMATE CONTROL N/S/F ELECTRIC POWER DOOR, 16 HIGH BACK REMOVABLE SEATS ON NMI QUICK RELEASE, EBERSPACHER, PLS UNDERFLOOR T/ LIFT, EX LOCAL AUTHORITY,COIF'D, 60,000 KMS ONLY.
2008 57 REG VAUXHALL MOVANO MM33 2.5TD 6 SPEED MANUAL GEARBOX, MWB, HIGH ROOF, PAS, TWIN SIDE LOADING DOOR, SIDE STEP, 9 SEATS PLUS DRIVER PLUS 1 x W/CHAIR, HEATER, UNWIN TRACKED FLOOR, RICON TAIL LIFT, 39191 MILES ONLY, EURO 4.
57 REG FORD TRANSIT 100 350 2.4TDCI MANUAL, MWB, HIGH ROOF, PAS, SCW CONVERSION, SIDE LOADING DOOR, SIDE STEP, 8 HIGH BACK SEATS, FULLY UNWIN TRACKED FLOOR, DASH AC, EBERSPACHER HEATER, RATCLIFF UNDERFLOOR TAIL LIFT, 11,092 MILES ONLY.
09 REG FORD TRANSIT TOURNEO 115 T280S TREND 2.2TD 6 SPEED G/BOX, FACTORY CONVERSION, PAS, TWIN SIDE LOADING DOORS, 8 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER REAR TAIL GATE, AIR CON, CD PLAYER, ELECTRIC MIRRORS & WINDOWS, ONLY 43,555 MILES.
2008 08 REG RENAULT MASTER LM35 2.5TD MANUAL GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, FACTORY CONVERSION, PAS, SIDE LOADING DOOR, ELECTRIC MIRRORS & WINDOWS, 16 HIGH BACK SEATS PLUS DRIVER, TESTED FLOOR, TACHO FITTED, 46,122KMS ONLY.
05 REG IVECO DAILY 45C13 IRIS BUS 2.8 MANUAL GEARBOX, HIGH ROOF, PAS, LWB, TACHO, LOW ENTRY FRONT SLAM DOOR, 16 REAR HIGH BACK SEATS (17 seats in total), UNWIN TRACKING, UNDERFLOOR RATCLIFF T/LIFT, EX LOCAL CHARITY, ONLY 70,118 KMS (43,571 miles).
Finance available on all vehicles (subject to status) – written details available on request
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5 ) & ." 3 , & 5 ' 0 3 7 & ) * $ & 4 1 3 0 % 6 $ 5 4 " / % 4 & 3 7 * $ & 4
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70 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
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2002 WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VOLVO B12M ZF AUTO PLAXTON PARAGON • 12.2 long • 53 seats + loo • Side lift • Retrimmed 2012 • Good condition Bargain at £37,500
1998 (R) PLAXTON PREMIER WHEELCHAIR LIFT COACH • 46 seats with rear toilet & servery • Most seats on quick release • Takes up to approx 10-12 fixed chairs • Drives really well and tested to January Only £14,000
2006 (06) CAETANO ENIGMA • 49 seats + loo • Volvo B12B Ishift Auto • MOT March 2014 • Drives really well Bargain at £40,000 + VAT
More pictures and videos at www.honestpetescoachsales.co.uk Call 020 8858 0031 Email: peter@lewistravel.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 71
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Volvo Olympians 2006 MERCEDES BENZ VARIO 814 24 seats + courier, KVC conversion, 3 point belts, luggage racks, reading lights, blown air, private plate, full skirts, wheel trims, low mileage, stunning condition, new MOT.
ÂŁ32,450.00 + VAT
Large selection, all taxed and PSVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d, ZF auto boxes, recently re-upholstered, just out of services, upper deck 47, lower 31, standing 8.
We also have a number of Dennis Dart and Volvo single decker buses with seat belts.
Contact us for more information: 01530 560566 07836 517350 sales@truckandplantsalesltd.com
2009 (09) IVECO DAILY LUXURY MINI COACH
2009 (59) IVECO DAILY LUXURY MINI COACH
16 passenger seats + 3 pt seat belts, front entrance, lowered entry step, extra large boot, panoramic windows, parcel racks, reading lights, blown air, interior lighting + dim facility, CD sound system, tested to June 2014. ÂŁ21,995.00 + VAT
16 passenger seats + 3 pt belts, front entrance, lowered entry step, extra large boot, panoramic windows, parcel racks, reading lights, blown air, interior lighting + dim facility, CD sound system, tested until 30 Sept 2014. ÂŁ21,995.00 + VAT
1998 MERCEDES BENZ 814 ALEXANDER
1999 MERCEDES BENZ 814 PLAXTON
Automatic, 27 seats, 3 point belts, power door, perfect for school/private hire, good offers considered ÂŁ8,995.00 + VAT
27 coach seats + 3 point belts, perfect for school bus and private hire, MOT till April 2014, manual with power door and private plate. ÂŁ8,995.00 + VAT
Back to School Special
Sprinter 513 Cdi LWB 131 bhp. r 6OLGLQJ VLGH GRRU ZLWK (OHFWULF HQWU\ VWHS r 6HDWV 'ULYHU r ,Q 'DVK $LUFRQ r 6DORRQ $LUFRQ Optional Extraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: r %RG\ &RORXUHG %XPSHUV r /XJJDJH UDFNV r %RG\ 6W\OH 3DFN r :KHHOFKDLU OLIW 2SWLRQ Contact. Danny: T.(01293)852040 M.(0774)9103203 Peter: T.(01293)852025 M.(0771)5473354
72 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
698336-1107-Moseley
30/9/13
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BUS & COACH
e at Com s ee u s d an
d K1 Stan
00
IN THE SOUTH LTD.
EURO 5 VEHICLES AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY
VDL FUTURA FHD2 129.365PR AUTOMATIC
VDL FUTURA FHD2 122.365PR AUTOMATIC
• 57/59 Vogel Conturo reclining seats • Leather headrests and piping • Courier seat • Driver/courier seats leather trimmed • AIR CONDITIONING • Double glazing • Centre demount toilet • Continental exit with powered door • Step access to luggage bay • Central locking to luggage compartment • Webasto heater • Dash mounted fridge • CD/Radio/p.a with Bluetooth • DVD system • Wood effect flooring • Reverse camera Electric sun blinds • Electric drivers signal window • Carpets • Curtains • Euro 5 emission level DAF PR engine • ZF automatic transmission • ZF Intarder • 860 Ltr Fuel capacity • 12.9mtr Body length
• 53 VDL Create 300 reclining seats • Leather headrests and piping • Courier seat • AIR CONDITIONING • Double glazing • Centre sunken toilet • Continental exit with powered door • Step access to luggage bay • Central locking to luggage compartment • Auxiliary pre heater • Dash mounted top loading fridge • CD/Radio/p.a with Bluetooth • Wood effect flooring • Reverse camera Electric sun blinds • Electric drivers signal window • Carpets • Curtains • Euro 5 emission level DAF PR engine • ZF automatic transmission • ZF Intarder • 860 Ltr Fuel capacity
Summerfield Avenue, Chelston Business Park, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9JF
www.moseleysouth.co.uk Follow us @MoseleySouth on
Telephone (01823) 653000 Fax: (01823) 663502 Email: sales@moseleysouth.co.uk
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HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN THE NORTH WEST’S PREMIER MINIBUS SALES, SUPPLYING NATIONWIDE FOR OVER 40 YEARS A CHOICE OF 9 IVECO 05/55 PLATE 65C15 MELLOR COACHBUILT
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
08 MERCEDES VITO 111 LONG
Fitted with 12 highback seats plus wheelchair spaces or would upseat as 24 seaters, complete flat floors, lots of Unwin tracking, external fully automatic cassette tailifts, low mileage, direct council, full document history. From £8,995
An excellent example of this popular minibus, only covered 54,000 miles, automatic, 8 seats inc driver, usual Mercedes refinements, totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value LEZ £10,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
Very rare to find these – coachbuilt, 88,000 miles, one charity owner, 16 highback passenger seats in moquette, powerdoor front entry, Hanover digital destination, 12 months PSV test, totally immaculate inside and out £13,995
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
07 FORD TRANSIT 430
PSV’d
PSV’d
2005 CONCORDE CHARISMA 920
08 IVECO 50C15
64,000 miles, 16 high back passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, full air con, power door, front entry, external automatic tail lift, Euro5, panoramic tinted glass, totally showroom condition inside and out, will come with 12 months PSV test, large selection, tremendous LEZ value £16,995
05 FORD TRANSIT LWB 350
Only covered 47,000 miles, 8 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, PLS external cassette tailift, SLD with side step, totally immaculate in every way, tremendous value. £8,995
LEZ
Only covered 14,000 miles, NEC Motorhome Show models, Mercedes 616 auto, low fixed bedat rear large garage, fully loaded in pristine condition. The Rolls Royce of motorhomes. £77,790
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
05 FORD TRANSIT 430
Highroof, covered 70,000 miles,12 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, SLD with electric side step, Ricon internal tailift, totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value. £9,995 LEZ
56 IVECO 45C15
Front low step entry, 12 highback seats plus wheelchairs spaces or could be up seated, lots of Unwin tracking, fully carpetlined, external PLS fully automatic cassette tailift, totally mint condition, tremendous value £10,995
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.
Heatons Motor Co, 53 Bickershaw Lane, Abram, Wigan, Lancashire WN2 5PL Tel: 01942 864222 SEE ALL OUR STOCK ON OUR WEBSITE – www.heatonsmotorco.co.uk
74 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
697749-1105-Connaught
16/9/13
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Mini Coach Sales
BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ FERQUI SOROCO 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights and boot.
BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ FERQUI SOROCO 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights and boot.
2011 61 REG MERCEDES 513 CDI TRANSFER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, A/C, parking sensors, side entry with automatic step, luggage space.
See us on Stand C178
2008 57 REG MERCEDES 613D VARIO 24 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, forced air, reading lights, power door and boot.
2007 07 REG MERCEDES 814D VARIO MELLOR 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, power door and boot.
2007 07 REG MERCEDES 515 CDI SOROCO 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, DG, reading lights, power door, boot, silver metallic.
2006 06 REG MERCEDES 416CDI SPRINTER 16 high back leather trimmed seats, 3 point belts, 2 tables, AC, forced air, reading lights, coach back-end and boot.
2005 55 REG MERCEDES 416 CDI SPRINTER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, forced air, reading lights, coach-back end and large boot.
2004 53 REG MERCEDES 413CDI SPRINTER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, reading lights, power door, new repaint into white.
2002 02 REG MERCEDES 416 CDI SOROCO 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, power door, large boot.
2010 59 REG MERCEDES 515 CDI TRAVEL 45 16 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, forced air, reading lights, DVD, power door & power step, coach rear, auto.
Steve Peach NEW Tel: 01405 814064 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: info@connaughtpsv.co.uk www.connaughtpsv.co.uk
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Southdown PSV - 01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk
2006 MAN 14.220 SLF MCV EVOLUTION
Very clean ex lease vehicles direct from Major Operator • 11.2m. 40 seats + 21 standees • 220 bhp euro 3 engine • Voith 4 speed gearbox • New tyres • 12 months MOT • Hanover destination • Fully DDA compliant £32,500 each+VAT - choice of 9
2005 OPTARE SOLO M950 SLF
Very clean ex lease vehicles direct from Major Operator • 9.5m. 33 seats + 17 standees • Mercedes 154 bhp euro 3 engine • Allison auto • 12 months MOT • Hanover destination • Fully DDA compliant
2003 ADL ENVIRO 300 SLF
• 12m. 44 seats + 27 standees • Cummins 220 bhp euro 3 engine • ZF auto • 12 Months MOT • Hanover destination • Fully DDA compliant
£32,000 each+VAT - 1 remaining
£27,500 +VAT
Finance available – subject to status
Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN
COACH SALES LTD
UNVI VEGALUX
UNVI VEGA GT
UNVI CLASSIC-R
USED 2009 (59) MERCEDES 0816D FERQUI TORO 32 seats, A/C. £63,500
2009 MERCEDES 0814D PLAXTON BEAVER II 31 coach seats, auto gearbox, N/S wheelchair lift. £49,850
2006 MERCEDES 0814D KVC 24 seat van conversion, POD, boot. £26,500
2005 (05) MERCEDES SPRINTER 413CDI
UNVI GT-R
Onyx, 16 seats, rear wheelchair lift. £17,750
UNVI TOURING GT
102 BECK ROAD, ISLEHAM, ELY, CAMBS CB7 5QP TEL 01638 780010 | FAX 01638 780011 | MOB 07850 241848 TAYLORCOACH@LIFE.CO.UK
WWW.TAYLORCOACHSALES.CO.UK 76 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
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Scania Omni 36 *Choice of 2+
40 seat SLF service bus, newly repanelled and repainted, 12 months MOT to October 2013, Hannover LED destination, excellent condition, drives superb. £25,950 + VAT ovno
2006 (56) Volvo B12B Plaxton Panther
49 seat executive, DDA 1 front entrance, PLS wheelchair lift, air con, full leather recliners, rear N/S floor mounted toliet, Euro 4 LEZ compliant, MOT until Dec but will be sold with new MOT. £59,950 + VAT ovno
•Reg 2010 • 63 Reclining Seats • W/C & Servery • Climate Control • Automa c • Euro5 • Leather Headrests • 250,000km • 14.1m Price £165,000
2003 DAF SB4000 Ayats Atlantis
2000 Iveco Eurorider Beulas Stergo E
•Reg 2009 • 55 Reclining Seats • W/C & Servery • Climate Control • Automa c • Euro5 • Leather Headrests • 385,000km Price £145,000
2005 (55) MAN 14.220 MCV Evolution
53 seat executive, ZF Auto, 380 hp, air con, underfloor toilet, DVD (2 screens), power lockers, MOT till March, real eye catcher. £29,950 + VAT - PX welcome
51 seat executive, centre toilet, air con/climate control, power lockers, 8 speed manual gearbox, MOT till March, excellent condition, drives superb. £14,950 + VAT ovno
Call 07795 347476 or steve@llewjones.com
www.coachandbusweek.com
Scania Omni 34
Premier Connec ons Travel Ltd
Call Jamie 01582 424140 www.premier.gb.com
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 77
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BUS & COACH RENTALS
The ABC of Rental Solutions
Under your control. For the time you need it. Bus and Coach
01274 681144
busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk
BUILDINGS
AUDIO & VISUAL
HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS
Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available For further information phone
BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime
You’re in control.
EXHAUSTS
CHECKPOINTS
LEZ BOX FOR SALE
Used Eminox LEZ exhaust box, used for 6 months 2012. Cleaned/reconditioned. To fit a Bova Futura. With full fitting kit or can be fitted while you wait!
Take the photos, write the ad and change it later if you want to, all from your online dashboard. Selling a vehicle is simple on . . .
£2,500 + VAT
PARNHAMS COACHES LTD Contact Ray 07747 071071
FLEET SALES
INSURANCE
HEATING
RETIRING or
CHANGING YOUR FLEET?
Contact Malcolm Harrison Auctions
01630 674326
auctions@malcolmharrison.co.uk MALCOLM HARRISON AUCTIONS
Heaters • A/C Equipment Blowers • Motors • Radiators Silicone Hose • Ducting Wiper Equipment • Gas Struts
Tel: 01993 849522 Fax: 01993 706920 Email: sales@thhs.co.uk
www.thhs.co.uk
UNIT 9 NIMROD BUSINESS PARK DE HAVILLAND WAY, WITNEY OX29 0YG
LIFTS & RAMPS
www.coachandbusweek.com
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 79
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PARTS
SEATING
The ABC of Parts Support
• Full UK coverage
BUCKINGHAM 3 & 2
Over 17,000 parts lines directly from stock. Next day delivery as standard. Bus and Coach
• Ideal for 3 & 2 configurations • Ergonomic design for maximum support, comfort and legroom • Tried & tested: fitted into many new coaches as OEM • Full range of legs and fitting options make the Buckingham ideal for upseating to 70+ seats • Lighter weight makes easier for installation
01274 681144
• Same day local delivery
busandcoachsales@arriva.co.uk www.arrivabusandcoach.co.uk
• Next day national delivery
REPAIRS
Prime Passenger Seating Limited 7 Canalwood Industrial Estate, Chirk, Wrexham LL14 5RL Telephone: 01691 898 665 Fax: 01691 770 798 Email: johnm@primeps.com
www.primeps.com
• Official Irizar part distributor • All manufacturer parts supplier • Fast, efficient & 24/7
Tel: 01909 511349 www.master-part.co.uk
TACHOGRAPH ANALYSIS
If you would like further information please call 01543 897505 or visit www.lloydmorgangroup.co.uk
Digital and analogue tachograph analysis
TRIM
COACH TRIMMERS LTD
Supplying the Bus and Coach Industry with quality seat retrims and interior refurbishment. Full floors re-laid and centre gangways. Collection and delivery service anywhere in the UK, seven days a week.
Email: info@eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk Web: www.eastgate-coachtrimmers.co.uk
Tel/Fax: 01751 472229 80 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
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VEHICLE SPARES
SIGNWRITING
Sign Writing Services • School Signs – Hard Back with Suckers, Magnetic or Stick-on • Legal Lettering, Stickers, Notices & Signs • Full Colour Latex Vinyl Printing & Design Service • Vinyl Livery Cut & Posted ready to apply
Tel: 01884 290818 Mobile: 07583 334455 www.kjsupport.co.uk
TRAINIng
Emergency First Aid (CPC for PCV & HGV/non-CPC) £75+VAT The following courses are 2 x 3.5 hrs on consecutive days 10.00-13.45 Dates available: 30 & 31 Oct, 4 & 5 Nov and 12 & 13 Nov Course fees include Certificate and DSA upload
01885 488 448 / 07896 191 672
We’re here when you need us Contact us on 01529 414242 / 303333 or visit: www.sleafordian-holidays.co.uk To claim your discount for online booking enter training5 into the gifts/voucher option
PCV DRIVER CPC TRAINING CREATED BY A COACH COMPANY FOR THE COACHING INDUSTRY
Trevor Wigley & Son Bus Ltd
TW FULLY LICENSED END OF LIFE VEHICLE CENTRE TW REDUNDANT AND SCRAP VEHICLES TAKEN TW PROFESSIONAL, EFFICIENT SERVICE TW ALL REQUIREMENTS CATERED FOR TW VARIOUS SPARES AVAILABLE TW CONTACT US FOR FULL AVAILABILITY
1 ) 0 5 0 4 " / % ' 6 $ 0 0 6 3 " 4 4 5 " / % " 3 % 0 / " 7 & ) * $ & ' 0 3 4 " & " % 7 & 3 5 * 4 & .& / 5 4
Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com
www.twigley.com
www.coachandbusweek.com
October 2, 2013 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 81
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WINDSCREEN WIPERS
Manufacturers, Designers and Suppliers of windscreen wiper equipment and bus/coach products
FOR ALL YOUR WIPER EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR NEW ON-LINE CATALOGUE
Unit 3, Seaview Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 4DU
T: +44 (0) 151 922 5933 T: +44 (0) 151 933 4272 F: +44 (0) 151 922 5468 E: sales@transervex.co.uk W: www.transervex.com
A Clear Vision 82 | COACH & BUS WEEK | October 2, 2013
www.coachandbusweek.com
Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@coachandbusweek.com or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX
Disappearances in Darlington? Big Foot? Aliens? Monday It’s Andy and I’ve stepped up for the diary slot this week. It’s press day again and this is our first issue with our new Art Director, Ian Blaza. Ian has his own ideas and brings a fresh approach not least to the front cover. I’ve worked with him in the past so already know about his professionalism and dedication. It’s good to be working with him again. I know he will do an excellent job.
While there might be an alien, the bus is neither an unidentified nor flying object, as far as we can tell It’s no mystery – buses operate up to every 15 minutes between Darlington and Bishop Auckland. Arriva North East (ANE) launched a new campaign in Darlington and Bishop Auckland to highlight the 15-minute frequency between the towns on the �irm’s X1 & 1 services. The campaign, which is centred around the ‘strange occurrence’ of people vanishing from bus stops up to every quarter of an hour, incorporates a radio campaign and online videos explaining that there is no big mystery – it’s just
people are catching buses between Darlington and Bishop Auckland up to every 15 minutes. The campaign also includes an illusion – a giant alien hand grabbing people from the bus stop was in place in Darlington and Bishop Auckland. The illusion uses special techniques which fool the human eye into seeing a 3D image. Viewed from any other angle, the illusion shatters, but pick the right spot and the bizarre scene comes to life. Members of the public were able to get their picture taken and
become part of the image. Nick Knox, Area Managing Director for ANE said: “We wanted to get the frequency message across in a fun and quirky way. The ‘mystery’ campaign was a way of letting people know that there is nothing strange about people going missing…they’re just getting the bus!”
This week our attention was drawn to a video which was posted on the Coach Driver’s Name and Shame group on Facebook. The MCI coach, operated by a �irm called Stagecoach West (not of any af�iliation to the Gloucester-
based Stagecoach operating company) is �ilmed squeezing through the tunnel on Needles Highway in the state of South Dakota. The tunnel is tiny – just eight-foot wide – with inches of clearance on each side of the coach
as it passes through. The driver successfully negotiates the tunnel after several minutes.
You can view the video at http://www.arrivabus. co.uk/big-foot-invadesdarlington/
Threading the needle in South Dakota
Dilbert
If you’d like to see the video, head to http://youtu. be/xN5VpqMnPUk
Tuesday Endeavour to finish the feature I’m working on. We have a meeting in the afternoon with our Jonathan about changes to the magazine and next year’s superfeatures list. It’s a frank discussion which is always to the good and gives us something to go forward with. Wednesday Catch the train to London and make my way to Metroline’s Cricklewood garage for a promised test drive of the New Bus for London (NBfL) –see p46 of this issue. I’m fulfilling a long-held ambition and the drive lives up to expectations in every way. Trevor Christmas, Metroline’s Driver Performance Manager expertly takes me through the whole process. Trevor has been involved with NBfL from the early days and brings an invaluable insight. The sun shines as well – what more can you ask for? It’s perfect for photographs. Thursday Tap away at home on my features. It’s great having a free hand to explore what this fascinating industry has to offer. It never ceases to enthral and there are always plenty of great story ideas to follow up. Friday Working back in the office, but there is a change in plan when I learn that a rival magazine may be compiling a similar feature to something we have in the pipeline. It’s a competitive world out there and there are no prizes for coming in second so I go home to prepare Coach & Bus Week’s contribution.
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Belmont appoints new director
New HR Director for Arriva in the UK
Rachel Baldwin joins from a HR Director position at Dairy Crest Group
L-R Arfan Rafique, Account Handler, Gary Procter, Managing Director and Richard White The Beaumonts Group, an insurance brokers in the North of England, has announced that Richard White will join the Leeds office as a Divisional Director of Beaumonts (Leeds). Richard, who is ex Ellis Bates, has over 15 years experience in the Transport Industry and nearly 30 years total insurance experience. Well known within the bus and coach industry in particular, Richard is looking to capitalise on his exceptional relationships with insurers and operators alike. Richard said: “Operators will continue to battle the current claims culture and clearly the more people you carry the greater the risk. New legislation will make it harder for people to try and pursue a claim if it is not genuine which can only help the operators claims experience and costs, however if operators utilise brokers who abdicate responsibility for claims handling then any
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benefit of the new legislation will be lost. I needed to be sure that having decided to move on following the takeover of Ellis Bates, that the company I would be recommending has the same deep-seated culture to fight against unjust and inflated claims that I hope I have demonstrated over the years. I knew of Beaumonts reputation and now cant wait to make a real impact for the benefit of all bus and coach operators in reducing their Insurance costs.” Many of the markets Richard has been using for the past 15 years in the passenger transport sector are already major partners of Beaumonts. Managing Director, Gary Proctor added, “I have known Richard personally over 20 years and have finally got him to work with me. To my mind, his knowledge of the sector is second to none. When coupled with our combined ties with all London and provincial
markets this will produce a very powerful team that can get the deal on premium. “Richard joins us at an exciting time having earlier in the year secured the services of Ben Harrison from Towergate, another highly regarded transport sector specialist. “Ben is now operating in the West Midlands as Divisional Director of Beaumonts (Shrewsbury) Limited. These two are supported by an exceptional claims team, unsurpassed in both experience and qualification.” Beaumonts scooped the top accolade of ‘Private Clients Intermediary of the Year’ in the acclaimed UK Brokers Awards 2012. Gary added, “Our existing clients know how hard we work for them and we welcome any new clients to contact us and put to the test whether Beaumonts truly are delivering the exceptional.”
Arriva has welcomed Rachel Baldwin as HR Director for the UK. Rachel is responsible leading Arriva’s HR in the group’s UK bus and rail divisions. She will work with HR teams across the group to create inclusive and progressive working environments. Prior to joining Arriva, Rachel was HR Director at Dairy Crest Group plc’s foods division and has more than 15 years’ experience in HR management roles in the FMCG sector. Rachel Baldwin said: “Joining the transport industry is an exciting, new journey for me. “Arriva’s impressive growth and transport vision brings new opportunities where I can use the skills and expertise I have developed another customer focused and market responsive sector. “Whether it’s a dairy or a depot, businesses are about people. I look forward to ensuring our strategies are embedded into the way our employees work every day, contributing to Arriva’s long-term success”
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Part of the Human Capital Investment Group
We are specialist recruiters with over 25 years experience in the PSV & Coach market. Providing 24/7 staffing solutions to prestigious Bus & Coach clients across the UK. We are immediately able to supply and looking to recruit the following skill sets: • Engineering Directors • Engineering Managers • Diagnostic Technicians • PSV Technicians • Coachbuilders • Auto Electricians • Parts Specialists • Workshop Controllers • Welders • Cleaners • General Labour • Administration & Office
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Please contact Andy Jennings - Divisional Manager 01784 487616 or 07799 866467 Offices in Birmingham - London - Surrey www.proactive-tech.co.uk
we need a really good commercial manager 79%
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Have you got what it 6.5 takes to lead our small but dedicated commercial team and to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of one of the UK’s leading bus companies? Reporting directly to the Managing Director and based at our offices in Heanor, Derbyshire, the successful candidate will be responsible for route costing and profitability, data analysis, service & network planning and development, bus and crew scheduling and timetable design together with ticketing & pricing and the management of our real time information systems. You will also take on the responsibility for the negotiation of contracts, tenders and concessionary fare reimbursement and as such will need to be able to demonstrate excellent communications and negotiation skills with Local Authorities, external stakeholders and users.
86 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 25, 2013 www.coachandbusweek.com 085_087_CBW1107_Peopl_Recruitment.indd 86
As a key member of the management team you will also need to work very closely with all functions of the business, most particularly you will need to forge strong relationships with our Operational and Financial teams. It is likely that you will have already gained experience as a member of a commercial team or have gained other relevant experience. A competitive salary of not less than £40k plus benefits is offered dependent on experience. If you feel that you have the skills, commitment and passion to fill this position and want to be part of a team that has the desire to make a difference please drop me a line with full CV to: Jeff Counsell, Managing Director, trentbarton, Mansfield Road, Heanor, Derbyshire, DE75 7BG or email your details and CV to jeff@trentbarton.co.uk Closing date for applications is the 18 October 2013
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HASSLE-FREE DRIVERS? Hire coach drivers when you need them. No holiday, no absence, no NI – pay only for the hours you need them for. We keep your wheels turning while your drivers are resting.
Call Del Haggerty Just Coach Drivers Ltd 07950 292939 www.justcoachdrivers.com
PCV Coordinator Ground Transportation Job Type: Permanent, Full time
Salary: £22,092
Bristol Airport is one of the fastest growing regional airports in the UK, and the South West’s largest single-site employer. Serving our region with over 100 direct international routes, we also act as an inbound gateway to the South West. Our airport is defined by our exceptional people, who have a passion for travel, a willingness to go the extra mile, and pride in operating our airport to the highest possible standard. With potential growth towards 10 million passengers per year by 2020, the exceptional people who facilitate every Amazing Journey through the airport are key to our success. We are therefore currently seeking a PCV Coordinator to join the Ground Transportation team on a permanent basis . Overall Job Purpose: Your role will be to support the Ground Transportation Duty Manager and to coordinate the Ground Transportation PCV operation, coordinating the Customer Experience Driver team, ensuring all regulated hours are managed, Vehicle compliance is monitored and audited, and that all operational schedules are planned and resources are aligned appropriately. You will be expected to coordinate the Ground Transportation Customer journey, ensuring that the Customer experience meets the Brand promise‘Amazing Journeys Start Here’. You will also be responsible for coordinating the training and induction of all new recruits and to support the GT Duty Manager team with the appraisal of the Customer Experience Driver team. You will also be required to work as part of the Ground Transportation Operations Coordinator team, together providing support to the front line duty team. Job Role: • Coordination of the PCV team • Ensuring PCV resource is effectively managed • Prepare all shift briefings to duty staff including the provision of daily tasks / break allocation / staff availability and the effective transfer of information relevant to the forthcoming shift • Ensuring that all applicable legislative and regulatory requirements relating to domestic driving are maintained and overseeing compliance of all staff within the PCV team, whilst maintaining all relevant documents • Providing supervision to the Ground Transportation PCV team to ensure compliance with operating procedures and general time management, including recording of any accidents and preparation of a Damage report where appropriate • Ensuring all Health and Safety regulations are complied with, including responsibility for maintenance of vehicles through regular Audits and liaison with Motor Transport • Responsible for the general maintenance and appearance of the ground transportation fleet through coordinating regular cleaning procedures and ensuring all drivers maintain Brand standards • Coordinate the provision of a reliable 24 hour courtesy / bus shuttle for customers and staff, ensuring sufficient trained staff and vehicles are available • Ensure all drivers receive regular, relevant and timely communications • Provide operational support and assistance whether for emergency planning or to enable the provision of a cohesive and efficient service to customers at peak times Skills and Experience: • A‘can do’attitude, with the ability to demonstrate positive leadership qualities • Able to communicate effectively and professionally at all levels • Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to use these to contribute to the development and management of positive and cohesive teams • High degree of understanding of both passengers and business partners needs with the ability to build and expand those relationships • A full understanding of the Bristol Airport‘Brand’and its concept • Preferably has experience working in a 24/7 operational environment • Previous experience of working in a similar supervisory role (desirable but not essential) • Must be able to demonstrate an awareness of the need for efficient working practice and cost control • IT literate, including working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite of applications • Accepts full responsibility for their actions and is a positive decision maker • Shows tenacity and perseveres in difficult circumstances • Full Driving license for driving category B and D vehicles and recent experience of driving these types of vehicle If you think that you are the ideal candidate for this position, please select the link below and follow the onscreen instructions to submit your details to us. http://www.candidatemanager.net/cm/micro/joblist.aspx?mid=YUFF&sid=BWFC X&a=61Eobplic5Q%3d Closing date: Friday 11th October.
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