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EDITORIAL Editor Gareth Evans 01733 293243 gareth.evans@coachandbusweek.com Deputy Editor Andrew Izatt 01733 293244 andrew.izatt@coachandbusweek.com Staff Writer Jade Smith 01733 293482 jade.smith@coachandbusweek.com Art Director Ian Blaza Contributors David Barrow, David Bell, James Day, Steve Hodgson, Tony Hunter, Richard Simpson, Phil Tonks

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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.

Political parties: an open invitation W

e’re in the thick of so-called ‘silly season’ – when politicians of all colours promise the earth in the run up the the General Election.

Politicians and their supporters appear to go out of their way to generate headlines – soundbites and playground politics are all the rage.

Local buses, the economy, GP waiting times, cancer treatments and mental health to name but �ive have all featured in the party conferences of the past week.

Trying to read the opinion polls’ tea leaves, it seems that we could end up on May 8 with either a single party or a truly multi-party government of several possible coalitions. I am sure we would all like them to reveal their detailed plans in advance of asking us to vote. As independent voice for the road passenger transport industry, we at Coach & Bus Week have formally invited all the UK’s main parties to each have a page in our magazine to set out their thinking, offerings and, who knows, manifesto commitments which will affect our sectors.

I toyed with the possibility of setting out the main areas we would expect them to be thinking about

‘Coach & Bus Week have formally invited all the UK’s main parties to each have a page in our magazine’

for this editorial piece, but on balance I think it better to leave the initial thinking to them.

Each main party has been sent this invitation, and here at CBW we await the response with interest. Phil Tonks, a selfconfessed ‘political junkie’ who is highly passionate about the bus industry, is going to be on hand to provide some comment on the incoming material.

This is a chance to be heard prior to the

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In Manchester last week Baroness Kramer effectively called for a reality check when it comes to franchising and commercial bus operation. GARETH EVANS

election, so I hope you take the opportunity to Tweet, email, write in, or leave comments on our Facebook page so that the politicians have your real world responses to chew over and possibly modify their thinking.

There are less than eight weeks to go now before the election so I assume the parties, who have had �ive years to think about it, have their policies in place. We’ll see...

On a �inal note, I hope you enjoy reading our report on last week’s Passenger Focus debate (see p16 – 20). This quote from Baroness Kramer caught my eye: “One of the things that worries me when we talk about franchising is that there is sometimes an assumption that commercial bus services make vast pro�its and that all you need to do is make it a regulated system like London and then you can serve anyone at any time even with one person travelling on the bus. That is an improper understanding of an industry which operates on very thin margins by being highly ef�icient.”

Interesting...

Gareth Evans Editor

Transport Travel Club .com ENTERTAINMENT | ACTIVITIES | HOLIDAYS | HOTELS

March 17 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 3 16/03/2015 20:01

CONTENTS

16 22 24 30 34 36

NEWS FOCUS

Results of the Passenger Focus 2014 Bus Passenger Survey are announced in Manchester

MERLIN

Our bus industry insider recounts how he found transport authority and operators working together in Glasgow

NEW VEHICLE

Andy and Sophie Repton of Reptons Coaches go to Van Hool to specify their new Alicron-bodied Scania

New buses, new image p30

PASSENGER PERSPECTIVE

Phil Tonks tries NXWM’s newly introduced Enviro400 MMCs on route 9 (Birmingham – Stourbridge)

LEGAL UPDATE

Steven Mayerhoff talks about the complex issues that surround the definition of disability

INBOX

Your views on London coach parking and picking up and setting down, plus a preserved Fleetline

MINIBUS

39 40

COMMENT

James Day is the new Editor of Minibus. He wants to hear your news and views

MINIBUS NEWS

Latest news and deliveries from the minibus sector

42 46

NEWS FOCUS

Renault unveils a range of innovative new technologies

48

INSIGHT

David Saffer on learning to drive a red London doubledecker and piloting a school minibus

MINIBUS OPERATOR PROFILE

Marks Passenger Services of Lincoln with 77 vehicles and 150 staff comes under the spotlight as James Day gets out and about in his new role

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Regulars 06 l News 10 l Bus News 12 l Coach News 14 l International News 44 l Big Picture 81 l Last Stop 82 l People

p48 Top Stories 6 l Western Greyhound ceasing trading is due to a financial issue with the company’s insurance 8 l According to IDTechEx electric bus tech is moving faster than people think

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April 9, 2014 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5

17/11/2014 12:31 16/03/2015 19:38

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NEWS

SHARE WATCH

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Index: Year High: 6,961 -81 last Year Low: 6,183 onweek

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Western Greyhound closes Trouble raising �inance for large insurance bill blamed for closure One of Cornwall’s largest operators, Western Greyhound Ltd ceased trading on Friday (March 13) with the loss of around 160 jobs. In a letter handed to staff Managing Director Michael Bishop said: “Our focus is to pay all outstanding monies to each member of staff as soon as possible. Additionally we are in immediate discussions with other bus operators to try and secure as many jobs as possible and we will write/email you with details of this.”

Western Greyhound, which has an O-licence for 120 vehicles at its Summercourt, Newquay head of�ice, 20 at St Austell, two each at Quintrell Downs and Wadebridge, and 40 at Liskeard was acquired just three months ago by Michael although it was reported then that former Managing Director Mark Howarth would be staying on as a consultant.

Vehicles transferred in by the new owner included some from Eastleigh, Hampshire-based Black Velvet, which closed on January 10. Western Greyhound’s Liskeard outstation was sold to Plymouth CityBus just days before the main operation passed to Michael.

ITV News was told by Western Greyhound, which lost 37 vehicles in separate arson attacks at Summercourt and Liskeard over the past two years: “The reason for the company ceasing trading is due to a �inancial issue with the company’s insurance and we explored all alternatives to try and seek resolution to this and unfortunately that failed. We’ve spent most of the day today looking

The remainder of Western Greyhound was sold after the Liskeard operation passed to Plymouth CityBus. ANDY IZATT after the employees and making sure they’ve got other jobs to go to.

We’ve asked First Group to attend this morning who are the other local bus company in order that they can start recruiting the staff.”

In a statement posted on its website Cornwell Council said: “Following the sudden closure of Western Greyhound we have been working hard with the industry to secure alternative services as quickly as possible.

“All real time information signs have been switched off to avoid confusion while the service timetables are being updated. There will still be some former Western Greyhound buses on the road from Monday (March 16) onwards

6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 006_007_CBW1180_News.indd 6

but they will not be operated by Western Greyhound.”

Existing routes provided by First means that some of Western Greyhound’s 20 services are not being replaced. As well as what it is contributing, Plymouth CityBus, Stagecoach and Bodmin Group Travel are providing replacements for the others.

Mark, who together with Robin Orbell started Western Greyhound in 1997 said: “I am very sad that the new owner of Western Greyhound has had to cease trading. For many years, we had a wonderful team who worked very hard building a great company to a very high standard which was well-acclaimed, although sadly many factors such

as two �ires resulted in some operational problems last year. We sold the company on, hoping to see new investment and a return to those traditional high standards and a real start had been made in making such progress. It was gut-wrenching that the insurers required a full annual payment up-front rather than the traditional monthly instalments that were paid in the past. Cornwall Council, together with some local bus companies have done tremendously well to have replacement services up and running so quickly after this sudden announcement, and I do hope there can now be some stability in the market and that all the staff �ind suitable jobs.”

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16/03/2015 19:47

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Low emission and Green Bus Funding announced

12 British cities have been shortlisted after bidding for a share of a £35m fund to become centres of excellence for low emission vehicles. The announcement was made on March 11, 2015.

The Go Ultra Low city scheme will reward cities that demonstrate the most potential to become internationally outstanding examples for the adoption of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs).

The funding was announced alongside an additional £30m to enable local authorities and bus operators to replace existing vehicles with greener alternatives.

Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “This funding is an unequivocal signal from government that we are committed to making ultra-low emission vehicles a practical and viable choice for more people.

“Today’s shortlist is an important part of our effort to improve air quality and establish the UK as a global leader in the uptake of ultralow emission vehicles.”

Business Minister Matthew

Hancock explained: “Our 12 strong shortlist will now be whittled down to up to four to decide who will share £35 million of government funding.”

The 12 cities and authorities shortlisted for the scheme are: ● Greater London Authority; ● West Yorkshire Combined Authority; ● North East Combined Authority; ● City of York Council; ● West of England; ● Dundee City Council; ● Shef�ield City Council; ● Milton Keynes Council; ● Department for Regional Development of Northern Ireland; ● Oxford City Council; ● Nottingham City Council; and ● Leicester City Council.

The shortlisted cities have been invited to fully develop their proposals and the winners will be announced in the autumn.

On the same day, the next wave of the Green Bus Fund was announced, with low emission technology expected to be �itted to 147 buses.

Over £3m of funding was announced, with seven towns and cities awarded government grants to �it green technology to existing buses.

Baroness Kramer said: “The £3m funding announced today will help improve town centre air across England, bene�itting residents and businesses. These grants continue this government’s commitment to lowering emissions.”

The local authorities to bene�it from this fund are: ● Centro (West Midlands) – £406,250 grant for exhaust gas treatment on 21 buses; ● Durham – £440,496 grant to add �lywheel hybrid technology to 28 vehicles; ● Blackpool – £500k to treat exhaust gases on 30 buses; ● West Yorkshire – £221,550 for exhaust gas treatment on 23 buses; ● York – £475,760 for full electric drive systems on �ive buses; ● Suffolk – £494k for exhaust treatment on 26 buses; ● Plymouth – £484,921 to �it �lywheel hybrid technology to 14 buses.

-1.50 on last week

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Translink operates no service due to strike Translink did not operate any scheduled bus or train services on Friday, March 13, due to a public sector strike organised by the Unite and GMB trade unions.

Some of the cross-border services were also affected. No Ulsterbus/ Goldline services operated from Europoa Bus Centre, and the 2300hrs March 12 service to Dublin did not operate. Other services operated

by Bus Eireann and Rooney were diverted.

Detailed compensation arrangements were put in place for all passengers who had pre-purchased tickets valid for the day and were unable to travel.

Speaking ahead of the strike on March 10, Ciaran Rogan of Translink said: “I would like to apologise to all our passengers who will be inconvenienced by this strike action which is unfortunately beyond our control. I think it is important to give people as much notice as possible in order that they may make alternative arrangements for travel on that day.”

DVSA to cater for 24 hour commercial vehicle testing DVSA has launched a more �lexible service for commercial vehicle tests, allowing operators the option of testing seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

The new arrangements were formally launched in South Wales and Herefordshire following a successful trial period, and will be rolled out across the UK over the next two years.

Marking the launch at an Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) in South Wales, DVSA Chief

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Alastair Peoples with Denise Lovering of Glenside Commercials, Caerphilly

Executive Alastair Peoples said: “More commercial vehicle tests than ever are now being carried out by DVSA staff at privatelyowned sites, reducing the amount of time and money operators need to spend travelling to test stations.

“We are now providing even more �lexibility by making tests available whenever customers need them, at any time of the day or week.”

ATFs will also have direct access

to a centralised support team to help with scheduling availability for DVSA assessors; improved management of pre-funded accounts, which can be used to pay for DVSA services; daily test reports; and reporting problems.

The improved service will be available in South Yorkshire later in March 2015 and is expected to be available UK wide by 2017.

There are now over 475 ATFS across Great Britain, accounting for almost 90% of annual tests.

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7 16/03/2015 19:47

77

NEWS TfL to replace Oyster technology Transport for London (TfL) is exploring options to replace the technology which is currently used inside its Oyster smart cards.

Under the proposal, future Oyster cards would incorporate the contactless payment card technology which is used by bank credit and debit cards. This would allow fare payments to be handled using the proprietary Transit Transaction Model of payment rules and software which TfL developed to enable passengers to pay for travel using contactless bank cards instead of a dedicated smart card.

The existing Oyster brand would be retained for the TfL contactless payment cards, with just the card technology changing. Passengers would apply for and manage the new card online, with a refundable deposit but no transaction fees for travel.

If the supply industry response proves positive, the new cards may be ready for passenger use in early 2016.

Number of vehicles operated by Marks Passenger Services

83%

Percentage of Lothian Buses passengers who are satisfied with their service in terms of value for money

IDTechEx – electric bus technology is moving faster than you think Market research company says progressive tendering processes and pollution laws are driving development of fullelectric vehicles At a recent IDTechEx conference, with presentations and webinars on the research carried out for the new IDTechEx report, Electric Buses 2015-2025, its Chairman, Dr Peter Harrop said that electric bus technology is moving much more quickly than is perceived.

He said: “The general perception is that things are moving much more slowly than is actually the case, with the exception of a few aspects such as use of fuel cells and continuous charging, both of which are failing to progress at

the intended speed.”

On which powertrain storage technology will prevail, IDTechEx claimed that lithium-ion batteries will be dominant for another decade, with lithium-metal being some way off even in the view of those promoting them, though the situation with supercapacitors is ‘complex.’

“They have come in in a big way with hybrid buses that do not plug in, replacing lithium-ion batteries because they last the life of the bus and perform better, costing less over life,” Peter said.

“By contrast, only lithium-ion batteries can currently do the job for plug-in hybrid buses with long electric range and China now only gives subsidies for those hybrids now, so there the simple hybrid bus is virtually wiped out.”

Insurance costs force Leven Valley Coaches closure

Leven Valley operated distinctive yellow and red vehicles. STEVE HODGSON

8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 008_009__CBW1180_News.indd 8

Teesside-based Leven Valley Coaches is to close after 28 years of operation, the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette reported.

The company blamed a combination of tough economic conditions, lower than anticipated passenger numbers, the withdrawal of public subsidies and primarily ‘crippling insurance costs’ for its decline. Strong competition from Stagecoach and Arriva was also seen as a factor.

It is hoped there will be no job losses when the business closes on March 20, with employees expecting to transfer to sister company, Compass Royston Travel.

The company is known for its distinctive yellow and red coaches and has run routes in Stockton and Middlesbrough.

“The decision to close the business and end all services has been a very difficult one,” said Director Kevin Procter.

“The sad fact of the matter is that it has become increasingly uneconomic to run most of the services we provide – not least because of the cost of insurance.

“I believe the whole ‘where there’s blame there’s a claim’ culture means it has become impossible for us to secure affordable cover.” www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 19:38

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Approximate annual turnover of Van Hool

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Transport for London has announced that the first all electric bus route in the capital will be the 312. ANDY IZATT

Poo Bus to operate on Number 2 service in Bristol

Britain’s first ‘poo bus’ is to go into regular service later this month with First West of England.

Powered by biomethane gas, the Bio-Bus will use waste from more than 32,000 households

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008_009__CBW1180_News.indd 9

Peter commented there is a possibility that two new types of supercapacitor may eventually turn the tables in 5-10 years.

“They are structural supercapacitors in the form of vehicle bodywork so they effectively take no space and can store lithium-ion amounts of energy, performing better and lasting longer.

“Secondly, lithium-ion capacitors may grab a place as lightweighting, multiple energy harvesting and other advances mean that less electricity is needed in storage.

“People ask about safety of structural energy storage and we answer that it can be provided.

For example, there could be many cells in parallel with fuses and remember the inherently less safe batteries sometimes work with a nail through them.”

IDTechEx argue that pure electric buses are arriving much faster than realised. along its 15-mile route and will fill up at a site in Avonmouth, Bristol, where sewage and inedible food waste is transformed into biomethane gas.

The bus, which can seat up to 40 people, was unveiled in the Bristol area last autumn.

First will operate the vehicle for four days a week on Service 2, which stretches from Cribbs Causeway to Stockwood, from March 25.

If the route proves a success, First said it will consider introducing more ‘poo buses.’

First West of England Managing Director James Freeman

commented: “Since its original unveiling last year the BioBus has generated worldwide attention and so it’s our great privilege to bring it to the city of Bristol, to operate – quite rightly – on Service 2.

“The Bio-Bus previously made an appearance running between Bath and Bristol Airport at the end of last year, but it’s only actually been used once before in the centre of Bristol itself.

“The very fact that it’s running in the city should help to open up a serious debate about how buses are best fuelled, and what is good for the environment.”

Questioners asked whether public tendering processes were a large barrier to bringing in new innovative buses, and who should take the lead.

IDTechEx replied that the choice of subsidies in China is very progressive as are the ‘exceptionally stringent pollution laws kicking-in in Europe.’

“Government has a big role to play but local authorities buying buses also drive the programs of eliminating pollution at point of use.

“It all brings in pure electric buses sooner rather than later.

“There is widespread underappreciation of the status of pure electric buses.

“People are amazed to hear of the 1,000 and 2,000 unit orders being placed in China for big pure electric buses and how both articulated and double-decker pure electric buses are on sale.

Range is typically in the region of 170 miles/ 270 km.”

OBITUARY

Peter Hutchinson Founding Director of Optimum Oils Ltd, Peter Hutchinson, passed away on Thursday, March 5, aged 68 years. Peter worked in the Oil Industry for over 45 years before retiring from full-time work with Optimum Oils four years ago.

Peter was a driving force in establishing Optimum Oils as a leading supplier to the bus and coach industry, and will be sadly missed by all at Optimum. Peter leaves his wife Sue, daughter Laura and son Ben.

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9 16/03/2015 20:04

NEWS › BUSES

Stagecoach makes £80m new coach and bus order Order includes 56 Plaxton Elites for Megabus and 15 TfL-spec Enviro400s Stagecoach Group has announced an investment of more than £80m in new buses and coaches for services in the UK and mainland Europe.

A new fleet of nearly 470 vehicles will be introduced in the coming 2015-16 financial year.

More than £75m of new buses and coaches will be introduced in Stagecoach’s regional networks in England, Scotland and Wales.

There is also a £2.7m order for new buses for London, as well as £6.9m of new coaches for the company’s expanding megabus.com service in the UK and mainland Europe.

The latest announcement takes Stagecoach Group’s total orders of new buses and coaches for its regional bus operations in the UK to around £630m in the last eight years. The Group has also ordered more than £20m of new coaches for megabus.com and £105m of new vehicles for its London bus operations since buying the business in 2010.

All of the new vehicles will be fitted with CCTV while many will also have WiFi installed.

The latest orders follow an annual competitive tendering process and the first of the new vehicles will be delivered from Spring 2015.

The investment consists of: l 50 ADL Enviro400-bodied Scanias l 30 ADL MMC Enviro400-bodied Scanias l 57 ADL MMC Enviro400s l 10 Wrightbus Eclipse-bodied Volvos

The order includes 144 ADL Enviro400s of various forms. DAVID BELL l 28 ADL Enviro300-bodied Scanias l 89 ADL Enviro300s l 33 ADL MMC Enviro200 11.9-metre midibuses l 27 ADL Enviro200s l 23 ADL MMC Enviro200 10.8-metre midibuses l 42 Optare Solos l 23 Optare Solo Slimlines l 12 Volvo Plaxton Elite 12.5-metre coaches l 44 Volvo Plaxton Ellite i 15-metre coaches (8 left-hand-drive)

10 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 010_011__CBW1180_News.indd 10

l 7 TfL-spec ADL MMC Enviro400s l 8 TfL-spec ADL MMC Enviro200s All of the new vehicles meet Euro 5 or Euro 6 emissions standards.

Stagecoach Group Chief Executive Martin Griffiths said: “This new investment is all about delivering better bus and coach journeys for our passengers. We have the lowest bus fares in Britain and a strong track-record of investment over many years that has attracted

growing numbers of people back on board the bus. We believe strongly in reinvesting our profits to continue that growth.

“Buses are central to our communities, giving people a greener way to access work, health, education and leisure. They are also critical to our economy.

I’m delighted that most of our new buses will be built right here in the UK, helping support British manufacturing and hundreds of jobs in the supply chain.”

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16/03/2015 18:21

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Wrightbus and Arriva trial flywheel KERS technology

Wrightbus has confirmed that a Kinetic Recovery System (KERS) project, developed in a collaborative partnership and partially funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, is in full service trials with Arriva.

The flywheel KERS unit, which utilises Flybrid technology, has been developed in a collaborative project with Arriva, Productiv, Voith Turbo and Torotrak and co-funded by a funding award of £698k from Innovate UK. The aim of the project is to explore the potential of harvesting kinetic energy from vehicle braking systems, with a view to introducing the technology to the Wrightbus model range.

Wrightbus, along with its partners, started work on the

project in autumn 2012, with one of the first KERS-equipped customer vehicles on display at the Low Carbon Vehicle Event at Millbrook in September last year.

The Flybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System uses a high speed flywheel to capture kinetic energy when the bus is decelerating. This stored energy is then transferred mechanically back to the wheels and used to accelerate the vehicle.

The Flybrid KERS unit itself is fitted parallel to the transmission on the driveline and is linked to the rear axle by means of an additional prop shaft.

The adoption of the flywheel technology has included work on both engineering and software integration, with extensive

support from Flybrid technology developers, Torotrak.

In service trials with Arriva, the day to day reliability of the technology on a route in Gillingham will be tested on the prototype vehicle to confirm both its operational potential and commercial viability.

Wrights Group Engineering Director Brian Maybin said: “We, along with our partners, have been working hard on this project for nearly two years now and we are excited to see the product in service with Arriva. Results have been very encouraging, with test track assessments confirming our predictions that the Flybrid system offers operator payback within five years.

“All partners have benefited

Arriva invests £45m in 232 new buses

Arriva UK Bus has announced an investment programme worth in excess of £45m in 232 vehicles to upgrade its fleet over the next 12 months.

The first wave of investment will see 62 Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) Enviro400 double-deckers go into service across the North West. The one and two year old single-decker buses they replace will be refurbished and redeployed elsewhere across the network in the Midlands, South East and North East. A further 47 Enviro400’s will enter service in the North West in the latter half of the year.

The following stage, due to

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The bulk of the investment is in ADL Enviro400s. ANDY IZATT launch in the autumn, will see six premium Sapphire and two interurban express MAX routes bolstered by the introduction of a further 56 Enviro400’s.

A further 28 buses, built to Sapphire’s specification, including environmentally-sourced leather

seating, power points and extra leg room, are on route for use on Durham’s route 6 and in Northfleet. These will be singledeck Wrightbus StreetLite Max vehicles manufactured with Cummins Euro 5 engines as well as Wrightbus’ Micro Hybrid

greatly from valuable learning that we have gained from the project to date and look forward with enthusiasm to the next stage, which will involve system optimisation, prior to commencing production in early 2016.”

Engineering Director at Arriva UK, Ian Tarran, commented; “Putting flywheel KERS technology into fare paying service is another exciting phase of this important project. The data and feedback from the vehicle’s operation on the Gillingham route will give us further insight into the longer term potential of, what hopefully will be, another cost effective technology to reduce carbon emissions and save on fuel costs.”

Technology. A further six of these StreetLite Max buses will be used elsewhere in the Arriva fleet.

The remainder of the investment will include the addition of 12 Wrightbus Hybrid StreetLite Midi vehicles for use in the Southern Counties, along with four smaller 8.8m StreetLite Micro Hybrids.

The Wrexham, Rhyl, and Luton depots will then benefit from the launch of a fleet of ADL Enviro200 midi buses.

The 2015 investment plan breaks down as follows: l 165 ADL Enviro400 l11 ADL Enviro200 l 12 Wrightbus 10.8m StreetLite Midi Hybrid l 34 Wrightbus 11.5m StreetLite Max Hybrid l 4 Wrightbus 8.8m StreetLite Micro Hybrid l 6 Optare 8.8m Solo

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 11 16/03/2015 18:21

NEWS › COACHES RO A D WATC H n THE ANTI-CLOCKWISE carriageway of the M25 between Junctions 21a and 20 in Hertfordshire, including the dedicated link road to the M1 northbound and Junction 21a anti-clockwise entry slip road will be closed overnight, between 2100 and 0900, on Saturday (March 21).

Traffic wishing to use the M1 northbound will be diverted via via Junction 21a, the A405 and A414. Traffic for the anticlockwise carriageway and Junction 21a entry slip road will directed via the A405 and A41. n THE M6 JUNCTION 1 (Rugby) – Junction 2 (Coventry) northbound is shut each night between 2200 and 0600hrs until March 31. n ON THE A1(M) between Junctions 1 (South Mimms) to 2 (Hatfield), narrow lanes and a 50mph speed limit are in place until Saturday, March 28. Additional overnight lane closures will be required Monday to Thursday between 2200 and 0500 and Friday between 2300 and 0600hrs.

Emergency crossover barrier gates are being installed. n WORK TO RESTORE two-way traffic on the A82 at Glen Gloy, near Spean Bridge, west of Crianlarich, is now underway.

Damage to the riverbank supporting the road by a landslide will be repaired, and 300m of road will be realigned, with the removal of two bends. n THE M50 is shut in both directions between Junction 2 (Ledbury) and Junction 4 (Ross on Wye) overnight 2000 – 0600hrs until March 27. n ONE LANE will be shut overnight on both carriageways on the A303 between Popham and Micheldever, Hampshire until March 31. Safety barrier maintenance will take place between 2100 and 0600hrs. n CARRIAGEWAY RESURFACING, lane closures and a 50mph speed limit will be in place in both directions of the M23 at Junction 9 (Horley) overnight, between 2000 and 0600hrs, until the beginning of April.

UK Coach Awards shortlist announced Fresh names to join familiar finalists at prestigious industry awards ceremony The finalists for the 2015 UK Coach Awards (UKCA) have been announced, as organisers and judges expressed admiration and praise for the quality of the entries this year.

People, projects and organisations are on the list, across categories covering the whole range of activities involved in the planning, promotion and operation of coach services.

The winners of five other awards will be announced at the Annual Presentation Ceremony on April 23.

UKCA Chairman Allan Edmondson said: “Many congratulations to all the finalists in this year’s awards. The judges had to make some really difficult decisions in what was a very strong field.

“Coach travel is all about working together to make every journey really special for our customers.

To achieve those standards, the industry relies on a whole raft of people and organisations to do their best to deliver.

“We’re really pleased to hear about best practice in all these areas from the people who really matter, and to be able to recognise and reward the commitment and hard work involved.”

The final results will be announced at the Annual Presentation Ceremony compered

by Carol Kirkwood, which will take place at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester on Thursday, April 23, when the awards will be presented by CPT President Bill Hiron.

COACH MARKETING - Large Companies • The ‘Moments’ Campaign, National Express • Digitally driven marketing strategy, Shearings Holidays

Coach Marketing - SMEs • 2014/15 Marketing Campaign, AW Eastons Coaches • Small Business Brand Awareness, Anthony’s Travel • Look What You Get!, Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel Coach Travel Programme • The 2015 Tour Programme, AW Eastons Coaches

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The UK Coach Awards will be held at the Mercure Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester on Thursday, April 23 • Great Britain and Europe 2015 by Coach, Air and Sea, Epsom Coaches • UK & Continental Coach Hoidays, Gardiners NMC • 2014 Christmas Programme, Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel • 2015 Touring Programme, Shearings Holidays Safety Innovation sponsored by ROSCO • Driving Out Harm, National Express • Cycling Safety Sticker Project, National Express • York Schools Partnership, York Pullman Bus Company

Top UK Coach Driver sponsored

by Traffilog • Gary Hipperson, AW Eastons Coaches • Christopher Wellman, Alfa Coaches

Top Express Operation • Express City Connect, Stagecoach East Scotland • The Oxford Tube, Stagecoach in Oxfordshire Top Large Fleet Operator sponsored by Evobus • Edwards Coaches • Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel • National Express • The Kings Ferry Ltd

Top Medium Fleet Operator sponsored by Volvo and Thomas Hardie Commercials • Alfa Coaches • Belle Vue Manchester

• Excelsior Coaches • York Pullman Bus Company Top Small Fleet Operator • Anthony’s Travel • Ingleby’s Luxury Coaches • Parrys International Tours • Woods Travel

Unsung Heroes sponsored by Backhouse Jones • Mark Durrant, Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel • Faye and Jodie Waring, Anthony’s Travel Young Coach Industry Professional • Charlie Hatcher, National Express • Kevin Walker, York Pullman Bus Company Awards to be announced on April 23 • Customer Service Award • Engineer of the Year • Service to the Coach Industry • Technology and Innovation Award There is no finalists’ list for these awards. The winners will be announced at the Presentation Ceremony.

UK Coach Operator of the Year, sponsored by A J Gallagher The winner of this Award will be selected from the winners of the Top Small, Top Medium and Top Large Fleet Operator awards and will be announced at the conclusion of the Presentation Ceremony.

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TfL: new Operating Coaches in London leaflet

Inverness coach bays to be made permanent An Inverness street will become a permanent drop-off zone for coach passengers – despite a warning of ‘chaos’ from a city centre councillor.

As previously reported in CBW, temporary coach bays have been in place near the cathedral on Ardross Street to cater for tourists visiting the city on tours since last summer.

Now the council is to start the process of turning the street into a permanent drop-off zone for tourists – and will also appoint a ‘coach ambassador’ jointly with Inverness Bid to monitor the street – according to The Press and Journal.

However, Cllr Donnie Kerr, Inverness Central, said that the street’s 11 bays were not enough to cope and there had frequently been ‘chaos’ when multiple coaches tried to drop off passengers at once.

He said that at one point last summer 26 coaches carrying cruise ship passengers had blocked the street, while he also called for greater enforcement to stop coaches parking in Ardross

Street overnight. He said that problems had been caused by cars being left in coach drop-off areas after the cut-off point of 1000hrs – and argued that other locations should be considered before granting a permanent order.

Earlier attempts to �ind a permanent drop-off ruled out locations at the St Andrew’s Cathedral car park, Church Street, Bank Street and Morrisons supermarket car park.

Mr Kerr’s ward colleague Janet Campbell supported his amendment saying she had “misgivings” about making Ardross Street a permanent drop-off.

However, the committee voted 10-7 in favour of starting the process of granting a permanent traf�ic order for Ardross Street.

Cllr Thomas Prag, Inverness South, argued that not starting the lengthy process of applying for a permanent road order would result in problems later down the line.

He said: “By postponing it all we would do is create a complication

later. We simply need to grasp the nettle.”

Reacting to the news, Paul White, CPT Director of Government Relations, Europe and Communications Manager for Scotland told CBW: “CPT has been working with Highland Council on a package of measures to improve coach facilities in Inverness. As such, we welcome the introduction of permanent coach drop-off bays on Ardross Street.

“CPT appreciates that Cllr Kerr would like greater enforcement to stop coaches parking overnight on Ardross Street but would add that greater enforcement is also required to tackle the problem of cars parking in coach bays.

“We would remind operators that overnight coach parking facilities are currently available in Inverness at the D&E Coaches premises on Longman Drive.

“Directions to this location and details on the procedure for booking overnight parking are available on the CPT Coach parking locator which is accessible on the CPT website.”

Revised logo for Jones Login Respected West Wales familyrun coach operator Jones Login has started applying an updated version of its familiar branding to its �leet.

The seemingly subtle change has involved adding a wavy turquoise stripe underneath the �leetname – but it has resulted in a modern funky twist. It comes in the year the operator, which is based at Login near Whitland, Carmarthenshire, marks its 50th anniversary.

Endaf Jones, Managing Director told CBW: “Turquoise has been one of our colours for the past 50 years – it was chosen by my uncle. I felt

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Bilingual branding includes the words ‘Quality Coach Travel’/ ‘Teithiau o Safon ‘ it was time to include the colour in our logo, while retaining it on the bodysides.”

Visit the �irm’s website at www. joneslogin.co.uk or call 01437 563277.

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Transport for London (TfL) has published a new 2015 edition of its Operating Coaches in London leaflet.

“This leaflet has been created for coach drivers and operators as a guide to parking restrictions and special parking arrangements for coaches in London,” TfL said.

“Some of the capital’s most popular destinations have special parking arrangements, which are highlighted in the leaflet. As always, the leaflet contains a list of key contacts and tips on driving legally and safely in London.

“A new, more customer-friendly TfL website has an improved coach drivers’ section which includes a parking map covering all of London, as well as more localised maps for the central area and tips for drivers visiting London. We hope this publication will be useful.”

A PDF version of the leaflet can be downloaded under the ‘Advice for drivers’ tab from www.tfl.gov.uk/ coachdrivers. Alternatively, call the coach drivers helpline on 0845 604 0770 for to get advice on parking and driver facilities. Lines are open during normal office hours.

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 13 16/03/2015 19:49

NEWS › INTERNATIONAL

Bozankaya unveils trambus Turkish manufacturer sees wider potential for its trambus vehicles TURKEY Following eight months of trials, Bozankaya is delivering 10 trambuses (trolleybuses) to Malatya Metropolitan Municipality.

The manufacturer says that the vehicles meet the need of environmentally-friendly, fast and reliable transportation and thanks to a low initial investment cost, ensures 65-70% savings in comparison with diesel-fuelled buses. In terms of durability, they have twice the service life.

Acting General Director of Bozankaya Group, Aytunç Günay, said: “Despite having technical similarities with the tramcar systems, the trambus systems whose initial investment costs are much lower, obviously differ from the other systems in terms of initial investment costs thanks to the fact that the vehicle prices are lower and

Malatya in Turkey is receiving 10 Bozankaya trambuses infrastructure requirements (rail, junction, signalling etc.) are less.

“Trambus provides about 75% advantage of saving energy in comparison with a conventional vehicle whose total weight reaches up to 40tonnes. Bozankaya Trambus is not only a good alternative for rail systems, but

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also it can work in an integrated way with rail systems.

“We are pleased to offer such an important electrically-driven vehicle through domestic production in Turkey. The anticipation suggests that electrically-driven engines will dominate the automotive industry.

Chariot e-bus makes German debut

GERMANY The Chariot e-bus has been on display at Germany’s electric vehicle trade show ElekBu 2015. The bus, which runs on an ultra-capacitor in place of batteries, can travel up to 20km (12.4miles) on a single, rapid charge and has been in operation for almost a year in Bulgaria. It has been working for Stolichen Elektrotransport under a year-long pilot programme in the city of Sofia.

Launched last May, the bus is seen as an environmentally friendly solution to resolve the city’s severe pollution issues where there are some of the highest concentrations of sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide in Europe.

It is the result of collaboration between Israeli-Bulgarian company, Chariot Motors and Chinese firms, bus manufacturer Higer and ultra-capacitor producer Aowei.

The trial route in Sofia has been assessed by the Belicon laboratory of the University of Landshut, whose research team monitored the energy performance of the bus during charging, driving and standstill ‘idle’ periods along the route.

Chariot says that the study

Our trambuses draw the attention of local administrations both on national and international platforms. We will soon start the export of our vehicles for which the technical committees from Greece, Brazil, Australia and Germany visited Turkey and witnessed their performance on-site.”

The Chariot e-bus has been operating in Sofia for almost a year shows that the e-bus consumes 0.95kWh/km over an average day compared to a regular battery bus operating on the same route, which would typically be expected to use 1.5kWh/km.

“The Chariot e-bus has been in operation for some time now and we have seen a significant drop in ongoing maintenance costs, in comparison with the other vehicles we have in operation, meaning there is real incentive for operators to invest in such technology, which is also a real hit with our customers,” said Ivo Vasilev, Deputy Director, Stolichen Elektrotransport.

Zwi Zimmerman, Chairman of Chariot Motors, added: “As the first www.coachandbusweek.com

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New Solaris Urbino wins design award

Karsan targets Western European market ITALY Karsan wants to export into Western Europe through a new subsidiary, Karsan Italy established especially in December 2014 for the sale of its vehicles. It has established headquarters for it in Turin.

Turkish manufacturer Karsan Otomotiv Sanayii ve Ticaret A.Ş. based in Akçalar, Bursa, specialises in the design, production and sale of vehicles for urban and suburban transport. It was originally founded in 1966 to produce light commercial vehicles. Koç Group assumed control of the company from 1979-1998, the Kıraça Group acquiring a majority shareholding in 1998.

100% Turkish-owned Karsan produces and sells Peugeot light commercial vehicles under a licensing agreement with the French manufacturer, as well as the Fiat Ducato. It also produces special vehicles such as ambulances, taxis, patrol vehicles

Scania tests wireless charging

electric bus on European streets that does not require traditional battery charging and can cover a range of 20km on a single, quick charge, the Chariot e-bus is a revolution in public transport.

“I am con�ident that together with the results seen in So�ia over the last year, and the profound research from the Belicon laboratory at the University of Landshut, the bus will be seen increasingly across European cities in the near future.”

Chariot claims that the e-bus is pollution-free in operation and has a carbon footprint half that of diesel buses. Producing 1kWh electricity in Bulgaria emits on average 0.56kg of CO2 (based on the existing energy mix) which results in 0.53kg of CO2 per 1km for the Chariot e-bus. www.coachandbusweek.com

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POLAND The recently-launched new Solaris Urbino has won the international iF DESIGN AWARD 2015. The joint work of Solaris’s engineers and the studioFT design agency from Berlin was assessed by a jury of 53 experts from more than 20 countries. They spent two days deliberating over almost 5,000 projects from all over the world.

The new Solaris Urbino had its world premiere during the 2014 IAA Exhibition in Hanover. It is a completely new design of city bus, which provides robust rigidity while being significantly lighter in weight says its manufacturer.

The construction of the vehicle is expected to lower fuel consumption and operating costs and has very distinctive aesthetics. High standards of comfort for passengers were achieved through a spacious and bright interior supported by good ride quality.

The whole vehicle is finished off with an eye-catching, but functional exterior design.

A vehicle Karsan is keen to sell in Europe is the Jest minibus. ANDY IZATT and 4x4s.

In the initial phase, Karsan Italy will sell the Jest, Atak and Star passenger vehicles. Jest is a sixmetre low-�loor urban transport minibus with a wheelchair ramp.

The eight-metre Atak has a capacity of 60 passengers while Star is a high-�loor vehicle with 29 seats. It’s said to be con�igured

SWEDEN Scania is the �irst in Sweden to test a wirelessly charged electric-hybrid city bus.

The bus will start operating on the streets of Södertälje, Sweden, in June 2016 as part of a research project into sustainable vehicle technology.

Scania is undertaking intensive research into various types of electri�ication technologies that could replace or complement combustion engines. Induction is among the options being investigated and would involve

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for intercity short range, shuttle and tourism services.

“We believe that the Karsan range is the right answer to the demands of the European markets for urban and suburban transport because they have been designed for the European markets,” said David Siviero, General Director of Karsan Italy. vehicles wirelessly recharging their batteries via what it describes as electri�ied roads.

Scania and the Stockholm-based Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) plan to test the technology in real-life conditions. The project will be run through their jointly operated Integrated Transport Laboratory research centre.

The Swedish Energy Agency will provide 9.8MSEK to realise the project. Other stakeholders include Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County Council and Tom Tits, the tech-oriented museum for children and youths.

At one of the bus stops there will be a charging station where the vehicle will be able to top up enough energy wirelessly from the road surface for a complete

journey in just six-seven minutes.

“The main purpose of the �ield test is to evaluate the technology in real-life conditions,” said NilsGunnar Vågstedt, Head of Scania’s Hybrid System Development Department.

“There is enormous potential in the switch from combustion engines to electri�ication. The �ield test in Södertälje is the �irst step towards entirely electri�ied roads where electric vehicles take up energy from the road surface.”

To build an infrastructure and convert bus �leets to vehicles that run exclusively on electricity will provide many advantages for a city. With a �leet of 2,000 buses, the city can save up to 50m litres of fuel each year. This means the fuel costs decrease by up to 90%.

The wirelessly charged Scania electric-hybrid city bus will go into passenger service next year

March 17, 2015| COACH & BUS WEEK | 15 16/03/2015 11:19

NEWS FOCUS › BUS PASSENGER SURVEY 2014

A passengerfocussed industry James Day reports from Manchester Central Library where Passenger Focus revealed the results of its 2014 Bus Passenger Survey Passenger Focus has released the results of its 2014 Bus Passenger Survey at a well-attended event at Manchester Central Library. The discussion looks set to be the last public event from Passenger Focus – the body is soon changing its name to Transport Focus.

Representatives from across the industry were present, including the likes of Martijn Gilbert from Reading Buses, Christopher Bowles from Stagecoach Manchester and representatives from local authorities and Bus Users UK. In the survey, which spoke to more than 47,000 passengers in the autumn of 2014, around nine in every 10 were satisfied with their bus services (88% across the 38 English areas covered and 92% in the four Scottish areas covered).

Across the big five operations, Go-Ahead came out on top, with an average of 90% overall satisfaction across its operations. It was followed by Arriva and Stagecoach on 88%, First on 86% and National Express on 85%, meaning the spread of results was relatively narrow.

In terms of value for money, 68% of Stagecoach passengers were satisfied, following by 65% at First, 61% at NatEx, 59% at Go-Ahead and 56% at Arriva. For punctuality, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead led with 78% satisfaction, followed

by Arriva (77%) NatEx (74%) and First (73%). 87% of Stagecoach passengers were happy with journey times, with Arriva and GoAhead achieving 86%, First at 84% and NatEx at 83%.

Passenger Director of Passenger Focus, David Sidebottom, said: “Passengers tell us that value for money is key to their satisfaction with a service, along with being able to get decent information and a friendly, helpful driver.

“When bus companies act on the findings in the survey it has a

direct result for passengers. Just this week I’ve been to the Isle of Wight where the bus company listened to what passengers said from our research, and reinstated a route with new, bigger buses plus cutting some fares.

“First Bus in the West of England Partnership area scored 61% for value for money – an increase from 33% two years ago. However nationally there is still room for improvement, with a wide range of value for money scores across the country. We call on operators to look at their colleagues with better scores to learn from them and make a difference to their passengers.”

The highlight of the day was a panel of politicians and industry figures discussing the future of the bus industry. Managing Director of FirstGroup’s Bus Division, Giles Fearnley, was the only representative on the event’s panel from a bus operator. First Bus had equalled its record in the survey, following a 5% rise from 2013, and also scored record value for money satisfaction, increasing 17% over two years to 65%.

He said: “I’m really pleased with our passenger satisfaction score – overall it’s another strong performance from First Bus. “We continue to see increasing numbers of customers using our services. Passenger satisfaction and increasing volumes clearly demonstrate that our transformation plan is on track.

“We’re working hard to improve service performance across the UK; we are fostering better and stronger partnerships with local authorities and other stakeholders; we’re investing in new vehicles and our customers are beginning to welcome and recognise the benefits of our mobile ticketing options.”

Debate time

After introductions, the panel, consisting of Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport (Liberal Democrat); Gordon Marsden, Labour spokesperson for

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Greater Manchester fared well in the survey in terms of value for money, though overall satisfaction was towards the lower end of the spectrum. JAMES DAY Transport; Giles Fearnley, MD of First UK Bus; Jon Lamonte, CEO of Transport for Greater Manchester and David Sidebottom, Passenger Director at Passenger Focus, assembled to address questions from the various delegates at the event.

The main topic of conversation seemed to be young people and how to encourage them to start using buses more, as well as the best way to implement franchising and if indeed it is appropriate for the entire UK bus industry.

Modal shift

The first question highlighted how attractive it is to use a car in Manchester, with few bus lanes and cheap parking. Jon Lamonte was asked how TfGM was working to get people to choose the bus over the car.

Jon Lamonte responded: “We have to take into account car usage and car parking, which is why we’ve introduced many things through our transport fund such as introducing Park & Ride at

Metrolink stations. However, we are also bringing in a lot of bus priority measures around the area, including a 25 mile section of dedicated busway.

“Greater Manchester benefits from the maturity of the combined authority in which we work, with all 10 districts working together on all issues. This is why we’ve been able to persuade government that we can achieve some of our devolution policies.”

Gordon Marsden provided his perspective on modal shift: “As always with these things there’s a push and a pull. We have made it very clear that we are not about declaring war on the motorist to promote the expansion of public transport.

“In metropolitan areas on the continent and in London, people who have cars choose not to use them, but modal shift in terms of people’s behaviour takes quite a long time.

“The whole point of franchising is to have that debate locally to see if it will work on a case by case www.coachandbusweek.com

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consultation. In York just over a year ago, we put off a service change because of feedback.

We’re now in the second year of passenger volume growth there. It’s well worth making sure you understand local needs. It takes time and a huge amount of resource, but certainly helps to get decisions right.”

Talking to non-users

basis. It’s not about the ludicrous situation where civil servants 200 miles away from a problem are trying to make detailed decisions about it.”

Baroness Kramer added: “I was on the TfL board when we brought in the congestion charge. We brought in 1,000 new buses ahead of bringing in the charge, in order to pick up the modal shift which was our goal.

“On the day we brought in the charge, the modal shift was 30%, which has sustained itself for quite a long time.

“Although it produced a significant additional bus service, it took the congestion charge to achieve that massive modal shift.

“We have to recognise that all of these factors are related. It’s one of the reasons why devolution is appropriate. You have to have controls and powers, because you can’t simply make a decision in isolation.

“Bus services can attract people by being more convenient, better priced, having good customer www.coachandbusweek.com

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service and catering for population growth. Smart ticketing will help that – I am still struck by how many businesses don’t know where their passengers are travelling from, where to and why.

To get significant modal shift takes more than a single factor.”

One additional way which modal shift was achieved in London was also highlighted – contactless bank cards. The banks have been encouraging use of the cards with ‘Contactless Free Fridays,’ allowing free travel if the cards are used.

This may well have convinced more people to use the London public transport network.

Baroness Kramer continued: “Very often when people talk about the London model, they talk about it as it’s a very low-cost model – it isn’t.

“In London we went with the simplification route, we felt that was important, but what is absolutely clear is one of the things you usually lose is discounted fares. The discounted fares are what creates complexity, and when

you go to a simple pricing it tends to be above that level.

Gordon Marsden added: “Travel on TfL may not be cheap, but you tend to go a lot further on a whole than on similar systems elsewhere.”

First fares consultation

Giles Fearnley was asked about the success of First’s fares consultation with passengers in Bristol.

He explained: “We learned that it’s well worth doing. My colleagues thought I’d lost my marbles when I announced the consultation, but we found that the public gave us a very mature set of views. People weren’t saying they shouldn’t pay anything, they were understanding that they needed to pay for the services.

“When we had to sell what we were doing to the public, and some passengers saw an increase in their fare, we were able to do it with confidence because we understood each other’s positions.

“On service changes now, our principle is that we have a full

It was pointed out that the Passenger Focus survey looks at people who already use bus services, not people who do not use the bus.

Ian Wright from Passenger Focus said: “We do focus on consumers, but we have done a study on people who no longer use buses or never use buses. We took on a tough challenge – we did it in Milton Keynes, the city of the car.

“Quite often, particularly for non-users, we challenge their perception. We pay for a few journeys and see if it changes their perception and it often does – they are not the old rickety vehicles that they thought they were.

Where it tends to fall down from a passenger point of view is it’s slower and a less direct route.

“It was very interesting in Milton Keynes because people were saying they had a great road network for cars, but why is it not great for buses? Perhaps it reflects on priority measures in place.”

Anthony Smith noted that there had been instances in Milton Keynes of young people not recognising bus stops and a general lack of information on service costs. A travel information centre has since been set up in a shopping centre.

Baroness Kramer spoke next.

She said: “While I want to see modal shift towards a more sustainable way of travel – I am an environmentalist and unashamedly so – but I am concerned about people who don’t make the journey they want to make because they don’t have any way of making it.

“That is where I think we have work to do, because one thing you can’t do under any bus system is have vehicles travelling around carrying fresh air.

“Perth in Australia did a study which showed many people were inhibited from using the bus because they didn’t understand how the system worked. There, they contacted people and if you responded, they sent somebody to your house to sit down with you and work out how you could make

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 17 16/03/2015 14:13

NEWS FOCUS › BUS PASSENGER SURVEY 2014 journeys. It was a very expensive way to do things, but it did work for them.”

Gordon Marsden said: “This issue about where you do your research I think is really crucial. The answer is complex as it depends which route you’re looking at.

“If I think about young people, we know the number of younger people who want to drive is falling, and the number who can drive is falling. There are also many young people who can drive, but can’t afford to. We can make some deductions there to pitch to young people.

“You also have the other groups of people where other models of transport could be life-changing for them and the service. I’m the president of Rideability in Blackpool, a community transport organisation for disabled people.

They are now working closely with Blackpool Transport to provide extra journeys.

“It’s a question of looking at the untapped market for people who can’t go out or are forced to use very expensive alternatives or inconvenient methods of transport.

I think there is a lot of work and innovation which could go into that.”

Giles Fearrnley added: “I think word of mouth is the most effective way to get people to try the bus – family members and so forth.

As satisfaction increases, usage spreads that way. We clearly use the vehicles themselves, sales and marketing to supplement this.”

Making buses cool

The Manchester Central Library hosted the event. JAMES DAY

The panel. (L-r) Giles Fearnley, Baroness Kramer, David Sidebottom, Gordon Marsden and Jon Lamonte. JAMES DAY

STATISTICS OVERALL SATISFACTION l AREA Top: South East Scotland (94%) City of York (93%), Nottinghamshire (93%) Bottom: Milton Keynes (83%), West England Partnership (84%), Greater Manchester (85%) l OPERATORS Top: Oxford Park & Ride (96%), Stagecoach Tayside & Central (95%), Anglian Bus (95%) Bottom: Arriva Milton Keynes (81%), Thames Travel (81%), Arriva Kent (84%) SATISFACTION WITH VALUE FOR MONEY l AREA Top: South East Scotland (78%) Greater Manchester (73%), City of York (71%) Bottom: Medway (45%), Kent

(47%), North East Scotland (52%) l OPERATORS Top: Lothian Buses (83%), First Suffolk (75%), Stagecoach Merseyside (75%) Bottom: Southern Vectis (37%), Arriva Kent (38%), Arriva Medway (44%) SATISFACTION WITH PUNCTUALITY l AREA Top: South East Scotland (88%) Tayside and Central (87%) Nottinghamshire (86%) Bottom: West of England Partnership (67%), Milton Keynes (69%), Essex (71%) l OPERATORS Top: Konectbus (90%), Oxford Park & Ride (90%), Stagecoach Strathclyde (90%) Bottom: Arriva Kent (65%), Arriva

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Milton Keynes (65%), Thames Travel (65%), SATISFACTION WITH ON BUS JOURNEY TIME l AREA Top: City of York (92%), Tayside and Central (92%), Tyne & Wear (90%) Bottom: Milton Keynes (82%), West Yorkshire (83%), Oxfordshire (84%) l OPERATORS Top: Anglian Bus (97%), Arriva Staffordshire (93%), Stagecoach Strathclyde (93%) Bottom: Brighton & Hove (81%), First – West of England Partnership (81%), Stagecoach Greater Manchester (82%) For the full results, visit www.passengerfocus.org.uk

Focusing more heavily on young people, the question of how to make buses cool was asked by a part-time youth worker and transport journalist.

David Sidebottom said: “One of the factors we focus on is the increasing use of WiFi on buses.

Talking to Edinburgh Tram’s passengers recently, we found 81% of them had access to a smart device, so WiFi has got to be the way forward.

Baroness Kramer took a different approach: “My party is committed to a youth concession. Quite frankly, nothing works as well as saving money for young people.

“We settled on a two-thirds concession, so there is a real incentive for the operator to actually meet the needs and carry young passengers. One of the problems with 100% concession is that it takes away all incentive to the operator, as it is really only cost to them to carry those passengers.

Gordon Marsden said: “The variability of the various schemes that go up and down the country at the moment is one of the problems.

It’s one of the reasons we think working together with local authorities in a franchise model will be effective.

“It is also about making people feel comfortable with their peers in that context.

“There are parts of the country which have attempted to address the ‘night-time economy’ with bus use and targeted young people in that respect.

“I regularly meet with young people in my constituency and it’s important to say that they don’t just want to talk about young people’s issues. They want to talk about issues which will affect them as they grow older.

“A better bus service, with an incentive, can help them to reach jobs or apprenticeship schemes.

That enabling power is as important as WiFi or other aspects of bus services.”

Jon Lamonte added: “In order to get young people to use buses, or anyone else for that matter, the buses need to be there for them to board in the first place.

“Protecting the network is quite important, which is why we subsidise certain routes and particularly night buses or weekend services.

“Of course we want WiFi, and like London, we have all our data as open data. We don’t want to be in the business of developing apps – there are people out there who are www.coachandbusweek.com

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NEWS FOCUS › BUS PASSENGER SURVEY 2014 Jon Lamonte said the city of Manchester was introducing many schemes through its transport fund to encourage bus use. JAMES DAY

at any time even with one person travelling on the bus. That is an improper understanding of an industry which operates on very thin margins by being highly efficient.”

far better at it than we are.

“For jobseekers in particular, we are doing a lot of work with job centres and have discounts for 24,000 job seekers to make sure they can get into jobs and for the first month at least have some form of sustainable travel to help them keep the job.

“We also need to pick up students and apprentices, and we do a lot of work with young disabled groups to say transport can be made easy and is a viable option.”

Tackling Congestion

Money

With over £500m of annual funding taken out of the industry (£200m from London) and the UK still in period of austerity, the question was asked as to how the industry would deliver improvements without more public money.

Jon Lamonte said: “While we are looking at franchising, we have to make sure there is a sound business case and we’re not going to lose a lot of money. We need to generate growth in patronage, as it may be the only way to pay for some of the improvements that are desired.

“We continue to invest in infrastructure, including bus stops and interchanges. We will carry on with that programme for as long as there are local growth funds we can use for that purpose.

“On top of that, we’re in the process of developing smart ticketing, which is the enabler for a lot of the improvements to

Ian Wright from Passenger Focus presented the body’s findings. JAMES DAY happen.”

Baroness Kramer said: “Money is tough and will continue to be tough. As a transport person it is sometimes frustrating to see funding meant for transport actually going towards other areas, but I understand that local authorities are faced with difficult decisions.

“We continue to put money into bus funds – the Green Bus Fund and Better Bus Area Fund for example – but I think it is tough for the industry.

“Increasing the number of passengers who are providing revenue is crucial. I don’t think anyone wants to see concessionary fares taken away, but there still needs to be a focus on trying to get more paying passengers onto buses.

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“Using the money more effectively is also important – the Department of Health and the Department of Justice spend a considerable amount of transport, for example – so we have some pots we could spend a lot better if it was more coordinated. We need to get a lot cleverer about it. We have a massive project out now called Total Transport, recognising that all kinds of government entities are paying for transport in one form or another but none of it is joined up.

“One of the things that worries me when we talk about franchising is that there is sometimes an assumption that commercial bus services make vast profits and that all you need to do is make it a regulated system like London and then you can serve anyone

A representative from Bus Users UK asked whether priority measures are the way forward for the industry.

Jon Lamonte replied: “They can be, but they’re not the panacea everywhere.

“The review into Liverpool’s bus lanes showed that some of them worked very well while others were active at the wrong times or in the wrong places. We need to think carefully about where we put priority measures in.

Gordon Marsden said: “I believe they have got an important role.

The secret of getting it right is not just sitting at a computer screen in an office, but also going out and talking to the relevant parties and being prepared to make adjustments, because people will respect you for making decisions based on changing elements on the ground.

“If you just pull up a drawbridge and say ‘we’re going ahead with it anyway,’ that’s when you get in trouble.”

Giles Fearnley concluded: “There are all sorts of measures which can help the bus industry, but all too often where these measures are not well designed they can merely disrupt all traffic.” n www.coachandbusweek.com

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PROFILEINSIDE › AIRLINKS TRACK AIRPORT › MERLIN SERVICES

Partnership not confrontation Our bus industry insider has found good evidence in Glasgow of the benefits that come from more partnership working between operators and the local transport authority

I

have just been alerted to another Government throwaway for St David’s Day – more devolution for Wales, and, surprise, surprise handing over decisions about the regulation of buses as part of that.

Not content with at least one Minister apparently refusing to meet bus industry leaders to discuss concerns about a potential Manchester Mayor abrogating such powers, we are away on this tack again, despite some platitudinous promises that Manchester was to be a one-off without even waiting to see the havoc it will wreak.

Just how much more unimportant and unloved are we as an industry expected to feel?

When you might have thought that our powerful adversary and the motorist’s friend, Eric Pickles was back in his box before the General Election, he has popped up again getting his latest ‘We mustn’t upset the motorist’ policy on to the statute book as he encourages them to disobey simple rules as their parking ticket expires.

He is taking away the power from Civil Enforcement Officers (Traffic Wardens to you and I) to enforce that simplicity in favour of giving the articulate motorist even more power to argue to get his fine quashed, let alone give everybody the populist right to argue about local parking policy as well.

I had been hoping to share with you some important information about the critical role of the bus in the urban economy, but it appears that local politicians now like to use the power of the gag when no decisions can be made for some 10 months in periods of four year office which include a General Election rather than just the normal five

Should First’s flagship route 1 serving the Dumbarton Road corridor in Glasgow be double-deck? ANDY IZATT month period prior to local elections.

Sadly that interesting research will therefore have to wait longer for a public airing.

I had promised to explore why I think the TfL (Transport for London) model is not appropriate for imitation elsewhere in the country.

To put those views in context, I conveniently found myself visiting a friend in Glasgow. It is one of the biggest urban conurbations, where SPT (Strathclyde Partnership for Transport) has in recent times dedicated itself to a more partnership approach. The area also has a major commuter rail network and a small directly operated Underground system.

The market in Strathclyde immediately post deregulation served its passengers very well with frequency and choice even if it put huge pressure on the infrastructure in Glasgow city centre streets, but this was to degenerate markedly with the mushrooming of large numbers of low calibre operators from the end of that decade onwards.

Now operations have consolidated to a degree and the product on the ground is looking much smarter.

Whilst I do not normally diarise my travel in this column, it is important to record that observed patronage and

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load factors were amongst the most encouraging I have seen recently and certainly compared well to past visits.

The quality of the product of the city and region’s major operator, First, which has ended up by accident of history with the lion’s share of the network, has ratcheted up several notches, helped no doubt by its significant investment in new premises as well as fleet.

I can only commend to it to consider converting its flagship Service 1 Dumbarton Road corridor to double-deck as despite operating seemingly reliably at a four minute or better combined frequency, you cannot enhance that further with single-decks without bunching them. I for one do not like standing for 20 minutes at a time and certainly further potential new customers cannot be won if they are expected to regularly do likewise.

I experienced no peak spare seats and many standees in my observations of this corridor in its Simplicity network.

In terms of SPT, its central area roadside infrastructure was of a high standard too with real departure times from stops (not the TfL “and every 3-11 minutes” with just first and last departures expressed more precisely), despite the continued

‘The quality of its manned multi-operator timetable enquiry service was also excellent’

Traffic Light Engineers’ contribution to congestion for which Glasgow has always been famed.

The job is carried out to an even higher standard in Buchanan Bus Station and I only marked down one stance display for invisible codes in the sight glass. The quality of its manned multi-operator timetable enquiry service was also excellent with only one (tendered!) service leaflet missing and I overheard confident and knowledgeable staff dispensing information. As one who is prone to make optional additional journeys when I discover what is available in this way, I think that South Yorkshire PTE has chosen a dangerous economy in discontinuing such a facility.

To complete my comparative snapshot, I visited both main city railway stations and found a ‘can do’ attitude in peak hour train despatch with heavily loaded trains.

It was particularly heart-warming to see a late-running train arrive at a crowded terminal platform with less than three minutes to scheduled departure and see it leave only 1 minute 20 seconds late after emptying and refilling and the crew changing ends.

Multi and individual operator and modal tickets have of course existed for years.

One last thumbs-up of this major conurbation’s transport system in action: I was never nearly run over by a bicycle nor did I see them regularly impede the progress of the buses or endanger anybody else by wilful disobedience of the Highway Code!

So how has this positive report emerged about operators, many of which would decidedly not have been described as ‘top drawer’ up to a few years ago, and a PTE body which was neither liked not much respected by those operators?

The answer has to lie in the fact that some people decided to sit down and make it be like that together, without bureaucratic need for franchising and with a high level of commerciality of service not achievable in a London system.

I shall pause for today and merely shake my head sarcastically at the significant delay and presumably rocketing invoices for public money being racked up by Nexus, it having been granted yet more time which I would not have given it to try and find a way to justify the unjustifiable in the face of the operator’s case for partnership. n www.coachandbusweek.com

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March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23

NEW VEHICLE › REPTONS SCANIA VAN HOOL ALICRON TX15

Reptons at

When it comes to specifying a new vehicle, Andy Repton of Reptons Coaches takes the process very seriously. He asked Andy Izatt to join him on his recent visit to Van Hool

A

ndy Repton of Bookham, Surreybased Reptons Coaches is buying the first Euro 6 Van Hool-bodied Scania for the UK through Moseley in the South, one of the associated Moseley companies. The 12.2m Alicron TX15-bodied K360EB (independent front suspension) is due for delivery in early summer.

While it will be a first for Moseley in the South and its Managing Director Allan Vaulter, it’s also a first for Andy whose previous preference has been for Volvo and DAF. He’s going for the new combination because of his strong preference for Van Hool, a coach builder he holds in very high regard, and because of the excellent support he’s received from Allan in the past.

Reptons Coaches is now in its 29th year and of an estimated 100 vehicles Andy has bought over the years, around 25% have been bodied by Van Hool. While most have been Volvos and DAFs, there was also a Bedford YNV. “Van Hool has a fantastic reputation with

everyone,” he explained. “The coach body is constantly evolving, but I still think it has the most modern look. Mine will have 53-seats with a continental door, but no toilet. A demountable toilet means you’re upping and downing the seating capacity and that takes time and ultimately can damage the bodywork.”

Keen to ensure that his Alicron is specified exactly as he wants, Andy made a second visit to the Van Hool factory at Koningshooikt near Lier in Belgium during the spring half term holiday to finalise the specification. With him was daughter Sophie who, although only in her early teens, is already taking a keen interest in the business. She has ambitions to be an engineer like her father and wants to take her transport manager CPC as soon as she can. With Andy’s assistance, Sophie was to make the key decisions on the saloon specification while they were at the factory.

Also on the trip was Andy Moore, Reptons’ Operations Manager and, at Andy Reptons’ very

kind invitation, myself. For the three Andys and Sophie, it was an early start catching the Eurostar from Ebbsfleet International bound for Brussels, but the train was a civilised and relaxing way of reaching the factory.

Inside Reptons Coaches

Andy Repton has worked hard over three decades to build his business into the successful enterprise it is today and his passion for coaching remains undiminished. He originally trained as a plumbing and heating engineer, but as soon as he’d completed his apprenticeship, he took the plunge and bought a coach, a Bedford YRT Duple 53-seater.

Andy is as meticulous now about the presentation of his vehicles as he has ever been.

That combined with a blue and cream livery that is instantly recognisable – so much so that others have copied or adopted it – means that his small fleet has a profile far beyond its size.

If you see one of his vehicles, look out for the wheel hubs and callipers painted blue. Not many operators show that attention to detail and Andy makes sure that everything that leaves the yard is smart, clean and tidy.

Combining that approach with friendly, approachable drivers that deliver dependable service has helped differentiate Reptons from the competition and built a loyal customer base.

It’s a close-knit team of just seven drivers so when long-serving George Frayne died earlier this year from pneumonia, his loss was deeply felt. “We miss him for the person that he was,” said Andy. “People like George aren’t around like they used to be.”

Andy, an astute entrepreneur, bought Bookham Coaches’ premises on Guildford Road, Bookham 11 years ago and took over the firm’s work, but didn’t acquire any vehicles. With a covered workshop, offices and plenty of hard standing that can accommodate significantly more vehicles than he would ever want to operate, it has proved an ideal base to operate

The Van Hool Koningshooikt factory near Lier extends across 55ha. ANDY IZATT

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‘Andy is as meticulous now about the presentation of his vehicles as he has ever been’ from in a part of the world where suitable property and prices are at a premium.

Newest coach in the current �leet is a 13.2-metre DAF (Paccar)-powered Van Hool Astron T916 integral that Andy bought new at the end of 2008. Although con�igured with 34 large cushion Royal ‘Grand Luxe’ recliners, grouped around demountable tables, a 48-seat con�iguration is possible by virtue of a slightly smaller sunken chemical toilet. As well as a well equipped kitchen at the rear discreetly located behind partitions, there’s a ‘between seats’ fridge and a storage cupboard with a worktop.

The T916 is the �irst choice for football team transport. Reptons used to work for several clubs, but these days it focuses on serving AFC Wimbledon. “They just love us,” said Andy about the club. “We have a really good working relationship. We do everything – the �irst team, reserves, youth team and supports. The club has a big following so we regularly hire in. The T916 is one of the busiest vehicles we have, but it still does a school run every day.”

When the T916 was new, Andy had an Icomera Moovbox M200 installed. As well as tracking, it delivers Ethernet, WiFi and GPS. While pictures from the onboard cameras can be transmitted back to the of�ice, the tracking is invaluable for checking on the vehicle’s progress and tracking has now been installed in much of the rest of the �leet. What Andy is �inding is that WiFi in particular is becoming increasingly important to his customers so that’s also being rolled out across the �leet.

A 49/53-seat Van Hool T9 Volvo B12B was bought �ive years ago from Stuart Rollins

Allan Vaulter takes down the specification details of what Sophie and Andy have chosen. ANDY IZATT at Norfolk operator, Dereham Coachways. The two Andys had actually made the journey to look at another vehicle advertised for sale, but it was the B12B that caught their attention and a deal was agreed. Low-mileage, it was in very good condition.

Most recent �leet additions have been a pair of Van Hool T9-bodied Volvo B10Ms. One is a 49seat executive acquired through York Pullman (YP). Andy and YP’s Managing Director Tom James are old friends. The other, a 53-seater, is a former Truronian vehicle. Two other B10Ms owned are a Plaxton Premiere 350 up-seated to 70 which is popular with schools, and a Van Hool T8 53-seater that was also acquired from York Pullman.

A pair of buses operated are an Alexander Dennis Enviro200 bought new in 2012 for Surrey County Council-contracted Monday to Friday route 478 (Guildford – Woodbridge/ Leatherhead), and an ex Countryliner Mini Pointer Dart (MPD) that’s a decade older and provides backup. Andy bought it from Peter Newman at Ensignbus after the Enviro200 was involved in a serious accident that put it out of action for several months. While the MPD needed attention to its bodywork, mechanically it was sound and after re-panelling and a repaint in-house, it is now a reliable and valued vehicle.

“The 478 was ideal for us,” said Andy. “The route passes in front of the garage and we were

Andy Repton’s last new coach was a DAF-powered Van Hool T916. GARETH EVANS

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NEW VEHICLE › REPTONS SCANIA VAN HOOL ALICRON TX15 able to build in a break for the driver so he could use the facilities here. The contract incorporates a school run as well.

“We decided to go for the route because we thought at the time that work might be getting short and it would give us stability. In fact we have been busier throughout the recession than before it. We keep the revenue from the route which I think is good because it’s an incentive to make sure it’s 100% right.

“All my drivers need to be able to drive anything and are happy to cover the bus service if necessary although it does have a regular driver. I’d be interested in doing another route if it fitted with what else we were doing.”

An eight-seat Ford Transit Tourneo has a regular school contract while a long-term restoration project nearing completion is a Plaxton Supreme-bodied Bedford YMT 53-seater that has sentimental value to Andy and is a reminder of the early days of the business.

“It’s painted,” he explained about the YMT. “There are just two windows still to go in. All the seats have been re-trimmed and we managed to source correct marble effect flooring from Canada. It’s amazing how many people who have seen the coach said it would be great for a wedding.”

Apart from the one connected to the bus route, regular school term commitments are five home to school contracts for Surrey County Council

A brief history Van Hool is an industry household name in the UK, and for that matter much of Europe and the US, yet in two decades of writing about the industry, I’d never been to the factory at Koningshooikt near Lier.

It proved to be an education – unlike any I’d been to before. I now understand why Andy Repton is so passionate about the product.

Van Hool NV, now a €500m turnover business, was founded in 1947 by Bernard Van Hool who with others built a body on an old army lorry. Of 22 original employees, six were family members including Bernard’s four eldest sons, Alfons, Jos, Denis and Paul. Denis who is still alive is the father of current CEO Filip Van Hool.

Van Hool en Zonen pvba was incorporated in 1954. Serial production brought a requirement for specific manufacturing machinery that was not available at the time so Bernard built what was required himself.

Three years later a longstanding commercial agreement was signed with Fiat that led to the latter’s engines and mechanical units

and another three for private schools. Timings make it possible to double up so there’s efficient use of vehicles. Serving three summer schools, working for organisations like the University of the Third Age, undertaking South West Trains emergency rail replacement – Effingham Junction station is close by – and squeezing

being incorporated into Van Hool vehicles.

The move into building tankers and semi-trailers took place in 1965 to compensate for what was then a downturn in bus and coach orders. It was also the year that the first coaches were bodied for the UK. Bernard handed day to day management of the business to his eight sons in 1969. He died in 1974.

Van Hool España in Zaragoza, which went on to become the now closed Tata Hispano, was founded in 1971. Van Hool-McArdle in Ireland was established the following year and continued until 1978. Van Hool en Zonen pvba became limited liability company Van Hool NV in 1976, but remained family-owned.

The legendary T8 coach was launched in 1983. An exclusive USA distribution agreement with ABC Bus Companies in Florida was signed in 1987 and Van Hool now has a 35% stake in that company.

LAG Bus in Bree, which built the EOS coach, was acquired in 1990.

A new look T8 was unveiled in 1991. A co-operative agreement with Greek bodybuilder, Sfakianakis was signed in 1994 and led to an order for 143 lowfloor buses for Athens. By the

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Lunch in Bernard Van Hool’s house: (l to r) Allan Vaulter, Dirk Lambrecht, Andy Moore, Sophie Repton and Andy Repton. ANDY IZATT in private hire as and when mean that the workload at Reptons can be quite intensive all year round.

So why buy a Scania Van Hool? Always careful about what he acquires, Andy made a point of talking to operators that were familiar with Scania and how it’s backed up to find out what

mid-1990s Van Hool was designing alternative fuel vehicles such as a hybrid midibus, a ‘bi-mode’ trolleybus and natural gas-fuelled bus. It was in 1995 that the T9 premiered.

Van Hool’s first fuel cell bus was unveiled in Dallas in 2005, its European equivalent following two years later. A whole range of diesel-electric hybrid buses was launched in 2009, the TX coach range following in 2011. The first vehicle manufactured at a newly opened factory in Skopje, Macedonia was completed in 2013.

Van Hool remains familyowned. The three factories at Koningshooikt, Bree where 150 are employed, and Skopje are now building around 1,500 buses and coaches a year. The main factory at Koningshooikt extends over 55ha of which 25ha are buildings and employs 4,000 people.

Skopje where 600 are employed is where the EX coach range launched last year is being built.

Production at the factory is 400 units annually, 100 for Europe, 300 for ABC in America. Van Hool announced an order from ABC last year for a 1,000 units and 700 of these will be built in Macedonia, the remainder in Belgium. Skopje

is an assembly plant employing lean manufacturing principles.

Its creation, a €40m investment, is recognition by Van Hool of the competitive pressures it now faces.

Koningshooikt isn’t like Skopje.

While Van Hool outsources where it can for its Belgium factory, because of the bespoke tailor-made nature of many of its products, a wide range of components are made inhouse. Consequently the factory is far more vertically integrated.

Van Hool says itself that a high degree of standardisation in its product range, a well-considered industrial flexibility and the craftsmanship of its employees are the cornerstones of its success.

To remain competitive, every aspect must be micro managed – a remarkable organisational and procedural achievement.

That Van Hool continues to be at the cutting edge of design is underlined by the recent announcement of 21 hydrogen fuel cell buses for the Europe-wide 3Emotion project.

As Public Relations Manager Dirk Snauwaert explained: “The Van Hool family is so close to the business they work in. They know the market and know their customers.”

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‘Another key factor in his final decision to buy was because it would be from Allan. “He’s a man of his word,” said Andy’

Coaches for customers around the world built on one production line. ANDY IZATT

Seats are manufactured depending on the vehicles in production. ANDY IZATT they thought before placing his order. The feedback he received was very positive although one did comment on the price of parts.

It might seem an obvious observation, but Andy emphasised the importance of talking to those who have actual operating experience.

Everyone it seems has an opinion, but it’s not always informed.

Andy has also taken time to look at the Euro 6 Scania in the metal and what immediately impressed was the amount of access to driveline units. As a man who enjoys his engineering and who does as much as possible himself – that includes bodywork repairs and painting – that’s important.

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Wiring looms assembled by hand, and then checked. ANDY IZATT

factor in his �inal decision to buy was because it would be from Allan. “He’s a man of his word,” said Andy. “Scania has made sure Moseley staff are fully trained so I know the back up is in place.”

A warm welcome

For Andy Repton and his group there was a warm welcome at the Van Hool factory from Allan Vaulter and Dirk Lambrecht (Sales Engineering UK and Scandinavia Bus & Coach) who would assist in �inalising the saloon speci�ication of the new coach. While that was taking place Public Relations Manager Dirk Snauwaert was kind enough to show me a �ilm that gave a comprehensive introduction to Van Hool and then another that detailed the new

factory that has been built in Macedonia.

No longer able to offer MAN-engined integrals, Van Hool has been offering three Scania body on chassis combinations as alternatives to its main DAF-powered integral coach range since last year. As Dirk Snauwaert explained, badging the Scanias as Altano, Astronef and Astromega integrals rather than the more traditional brands associated with body on chassis, re�lects the emphasis now placed by all European manufacturers on selling complete vehicles. The Alicron-bodied Scania has remained an option in Ireland through Westward Scania and that’s what is now being made available through the associated Moseley companies in the UK. Dirk Snauwaert emphasised that Van Hool’s strength was its ability to listen and respond

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NEW VEHICLE › REPTONS SCANIA VAN HOOL ALICRON TX15 woodwork department where a bewildering range of items are produced – everything from floors, steps, racks, lockers and seat backs. “It’s what customers want,” said Dirk. “Our vehicles can operate at 35-40 degrees centigrade in southern Europe or at minus 10-15 degrees in the north. That’s when plastics start to crack.

Wood doesn’t.”

Upstairs in the wiring shop there were reels of wire hanging from the ceiling with staff measuring and cutting what were required using bench-mounted measuring strips. That way, nothing was wasted. Wiring looms were being assembled by hand and then individually and carefully checked. After viewing seat assembly, there was just time to walk through vehicle final finishing on the ground floor. Only after they have been painted, is glass installed and interiors fittings including seats. The variety

The EX range will be Macedonian-built, but initial vehicles are Belgian. ANDY IZATT

Van Hool is fulfilling a contract from Florida-based ABC for a 1,000 coaches. ANDY IZATT to customers and react to changing market conditions. One challenge has been meeting the needs of increasingly cash-strapped local authorities for high quality public transport that enhances the image of their city or region and also reduces emissions. That’s why Exqui.

City was developed, a BRT-type vehicle that can be propelled by any one of a range of environmentally-friendly propulsion systems in addition to diesel such as hybrid, fuel cell, batteries or even configured as a trolleybus.

More than 100 Exqui.Citys have now being sold and they can be seen operating in Metz, Barcelona, Parma, Geneva, Luxemburg, Malmö, Martinique and Bergen. Available in 18m articulated and 24m bi-articulated options, a Compressed Natural Gas-based version is a new alternative that’s now being offered in conjunction with Scania.

“The experience is here,” said Dirk about Van Hool. “We don’t just have people working here who have 25-30 years’ service. Some have 45-50 years. Beautiful, tailor-made engineering is behind the success of this business. Our 28 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 024_028_CBW1180_Reptons@VanHool.indd 28

strength is in the mix of product we can offer.

Filip Van Hool (Van Hool’s CEO) is responsible for all of that.”

I joined the others for lunch in founder Bernard Van Hool’s house, an island of tranquility at the centre of the factory complex.

No one lives there now, but it’s used for corporate entertaining and is maintained in beautiful condition.

Afterwards Dirk Snauwaert gave me a quick tour of the main factory building, and with it, an insight into the micro managed control that enables Van Hool to efficiently build such a mix of product concurrently. Every part or component has its own code and what is required is carefully computer documented and identified at every stage of the build process.

The range of jobs fulfilled by the 4,000 staff at the factory is around 130.

After walking through coach and bus production and painting – chassis preparation and assembly takes place in a different building – we passed the welding school where college students are trained. Then we were in the

‘Andy’s philosophy of life is simple. “Do your best in all you can do in this world,” he observed. “It’s important to have friends in this business. Get to know people” of vehicles and customers was breathtaking.

An Exqui.City could be next to a Megabus Van Hool Astromega and a TX45 coach for Google in America.

It was then time to rejoin the others and find out what had been decided for Reptons new Alicron. Andy looked pleased with the outcome and the choices that Sophie had made.

Flooring will be grey and the ‘Grand Lux’ seats will be in blue moquette with blue leather piping and headrests. Lighter blue, pleated fulldraw curtains were also chosen. Andy wouldn’t have blinds because they rattle too much. Side casings will be in a different shade of blue.

Saloon racks are to have locker doors. The fridge is to be relocated from the front of the coach where Andy felt it might be an obstruction to the stairwell of the continental exit. A 240v inverter is to be installed and there will be five power points. Andy’s choice of vehicle GPS tracking will also be factory fitted.

“I knew that Van Hool would have what was right for us,” he said. “They’ve always got a solution. They go the extra mile. The quality is superb.”

Andy’s philosophy of life is simple. “Do your best in all you can do in this world,” he observed.

“It’s important to have friends in this business.

Get to know people. Yes, there are times when I get frustrated, but that’s life. I still enjoy what I do.”

I’m very grateful to Andy for inviting me along and to both Andys and Sophie for being such excellent company. It was definitely a day to remember. n www.coachandbusweek.com

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March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 29

PASSENGER PERSPECTIVE › NXWM ADL MMCS

Come on you reds After spending a day riding them, Phil Tonks shares his initial impressions of National Express West Midlands’ new ADL Enviro 400MMCs for the high-profile Stourbridge to Birmingham corridor

S

ocial media had been buzzing over the weekend with ‘leaked’ pictures of not only the arrival of the buses, (spotted coming down the motorway) but also receiving route branding. The first few would be out in service on Monday (March 9).

I caught one in Stourbridge, resplendent in its new two-tone red livery, some comparing it to the halcyon days of long-gone predecessor Midland Red, others to a Transport for London style. Either way, it is certainly eye-catching, with its Lothian-esque cream stripe.

Two National Express West Midlands (NXWM) staff were loitering by the door, handing out free vouchers for Daysaver tickets in the coming weeks, and whilst regular users didn’t particularly bat an eyelid, it certainly turned heads out on the road.

Ride quality is superb. I went upstairs to listen for inevitable rattles and squeaks, but I didn’t come across any. The seats feature new colourful moquette, and the whole bus feels lighter and brighter to ride on. Sitting at the front, there is more visibility with smaller panels between front and side windows.

Engine noise is minimal and leg room (even for me at 6’7”) was adequate.

Inevitably there will be teething trouble.

I soon heard on the grapevine that one had broken down a mile up the road in nearby Lye Cross.

Upstairs, I couldn’t hear the bell when pressed – although the usual ‘bus stopping’ sign is illuminated. The front air vents are of the same design as the older Enviro400s, which sadly means that some passengers will feel the need to poke things inside them such as chewing gum, etc.

There are no audio or visual announcements, although an upper deck screen is in place, so maybe these are coming later. And what about WiFi and power points? None on here, but I suspect the high-specification ‘Platinum’ product (due later this Summer) – NXWM’s version of Arriva’s Sapphire and Stagecoach Gold – may well feature such luxuries.

A new emergency window features a pushbutton (Safe T Punch) to eject the glass – I wonder how long it will be before someone tries it…

Overall, the bus is a stunner. It feels like a good, solid product from a passenger’s perspective. I just hope they can be kept in a good condition for what will be a demanding life on one of the West Midlands’ busy corridors into Birmingham. n

30 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 030_031_CBW1180_NXWM Phil Tonks.indd 30

BACKGROUND

NXWM rolls out its first Enviro 400 MMCs

National Express West Midlands (NXSM) has placed its first Enviro 400MMCs into service on trunk route 9 from Birmingham to Stourbridge. Pensnett Garage is receiving 22 of the vehicles, with 15 specifically branded for service 9. They are displacing six-year old Enviro400s on the service, some of which are moving to Perry Barr garage.

The move comes as part of NXWM’s longterm agreement with Alexander Dennis Ltd, which will see 171 new buses enter service this year, including 58 ‘Platinum’ vehicles – NXWM’s new high-specification product. The longer-term five-year deal is worth £100m and will see around 600 buses enter service across the NXWM, Coventry and Dundee fleets. The first buses on the 9 hit the road on Monday, March 9. PHIL TONKS

The otherwise airy interior is darkened by the contravision branding over the rear window.

PHIL TONKS

The MMCs are the first buses to carry the NXWM’s new two-tone livery.

GEOFF GIRLING

Smaller panels between front and side windows means better visibility. PHIL TONKS www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 19:53

The Safe T Punch system fitted in lieu of a hammer or opening window. PHIL TONKS

The air vents are of the same design as the Enviro400.

PHIL TONKS www.coachandbusweek.com

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The buses carry understated individual names – this one being Alana. PHIL TONKS March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 31 16/03/2015 11:05

REVIEWS › BOOKS

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Down Leyland Atlantean memory lane Printing images large gives them impact, helping to distinguish a new picture book on the PDR version of the Leyland Atlantean A new title from Made in Britain Publications is Leyland Atlantean PDR

by Les Simpson, priced £13.95. The format of this book, limited to 750 copies, is A4 landscape which lends itself to what is a compilation of 68 full page colour images of PDR series Atlanteans.

There’s a rear view of a Yorkshire Woollen vehicle on the back cover and a brief introduction outlines the historical context that saw the development of what went on to be a best selling rear-engine design for

Leyland.

All of the images are of good quality, an impression that’s helped by the format of the book. Many of the pictures place vehicles in street scenes that also give an insight into a bygone Britain although, frustratingly there’s no indication as to when they were taken. Dublin is not forgotten, nor is Portugal or Australia.

The front cover image of a Standerwick motorway coach at Victoria Coach

retail price of £1.95 each. They’re blank inside so a message can be tailored for any occasion. Availability is from Les himself or from selected Ian Allan Bookshops. Trade discounts available to retail outlets and he also does commissions.

Station is particularly well chosen.

Les self publishes. He also produces a wide range of transport themed greeting cards with a recommended

An untypical West Country operator As Laurie James explains in Lavington & Devizes Motor Services (L&DMS) from Amberley Publishing, price £12.99, L&DMS was not a typical West Country rural independent bus operator.

Across Britain, many village-based concerns made the gradual transition from carrier to running buses and coaches, with many of those originally using horses progressing to motorised propulsion either just before, during or after the end of the First World War. In general, they ran one or a few modest services to the nearest town(s), often only on popular days such as that when the market was held. By contrast, L&DMS quickly established from 1920

a daily network of bus services across a large part of central and west Wiltshire.

“The firm’s founder Fred Sayer had been driving buses (and possibly trams) since the mid-1900s, a time when motor omnibuses were in their infancy,” says Laurie in his Preface. “His motor engineering expertise and his business acumen made him something of an entrepreneur whose expanding operations attracted interest from wealthy local investors. This was a time when country folk were broadening their horizons in terms of needing to travel locally and also taking the

opportunity of the new-found desire and ability to enjoy affordable pleasure trips to the coast and countryside by charabanc.”

You’ve probably never heard of L&DMS. It was wound up voluntarily in 1937, so this is the story of an operator from a very different age and a world that very few of us are old enough to remember. It’s quite an achievement researching and writing about a subject such as this, but as the author says, the story is as much about changes in the way of life as it is about the developing bus industry in rural Wiltshire.

Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP. Tel: 01453 847800, Email: sales@amberleybooks.com, Website: www.

Amberley-books.com

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ONLINE

Made in Britain Publications, 37 Roach, Dosthill, Tamworth, Staffs, B77 1LN. Tel: 07542 285836, Email: transportphotos@btinternet. com, Website: www.made-in-britain-cards.co.uk

Another handbook from Steven Knight

Another book from Steven Knight is the Delaine 1890-2015, which lists all the vehicles operated by this well known family firm. Copiously illustrated, it maintains the A6 portrait format used by his other books, is 44 pages and is priced £5.95.

To place an order send a cheque made payable to ‘Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire Transport Review’ to Ken Pudsey, LEYTR Secretary (SKM), 159 Clee Road, Cleethorpes, NE Lincolnshire, DN35 9HY. Please add £1.25 postage for the first book ordered.

For multiple orders, check with Ken. www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 13:58

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Duoflex Ltd Special deals on re-trims using stock moquette

Tel: 01280 701366 . Fax: 01280 704799 Email: info@duoflex.co.uk . www.duoflex.co.uk

www.coachandbusweek.com

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 33

LEGAL UPDATE › EMPLOYMENT LAW

What constitutes a disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010?

Steven Meyerhoff, a Solicitor and Director at Backhouse Jones talks about the complex issues surrounding the definition of a disability set against the need for employers, who are duty bound to make reasonable adjustments, for an individual who has a disability

T

he issue of disability is a complex one in employment, particularly in circumstances where the company is unaware of the alleged impairment. An employer who has a “disabled” employee has many legal obligations which will include a requirement to make reasonable adjustments.

What amounts to a disability?

The definition of disability is contained in section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 which states a person has a disability if they suffer from a “physical or mental impairment” which has a “substantial and long-term effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

The elements of this definition are considered as follows: l “Substantial” is more than minor or trivial; l “Long-term” means 12 months or more; and l “Normal day-to-day activities” will include activities which a person carries out in their normal lives which is affected by mobility, manual dexterity, physical coordination, ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects along with speech, hearing or eyesight amongst others.

Whilst these elements of the definition may be easier to determine, what amounts to a “physical or mental impairment” can be more difficult to establish.

Certain conditions or illnesses are deemed to be a disability. These include blindness and elements of severe sight impairment or partial impairment, severe disfigurement, cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis.

However, excluding these limited conditions, it is for the courts to determine whether a condition amounts to a disability or not.

There have been a number of cases in which the courts have set out what may constitute a disability. However, given the definition outlined above, this can be fact-dependent and a condition or illness which may amount to a disability in one case may not amount to a disability in another case.

One example of this is “depression and anxiety” which the tribunals have previously confirmed may amount to a

34 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 034_CBW1180_Legal Update.indd 34

Certain conditions or illnesses are deemed to be a disability, including blindness and elements of severe sight impairment or partial impairment. GUIDE DOGS UK disability, but this will not be the case for each individual which suffers from the condition. This adds to the confusion of employers who are duty bound to make reasonable adjustments for an individual who has a disability.

Another example of what the courts consider may amount to a disability is outlined by the recent decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Kaltoft vs.

Municipality of Billund. This case involved K who was employed as a child minder in a small Danish town. K had 15 years service, but he was dismissed purportedly on the grounds of his weight. K weighed approximately 25 stone and was perceived to be extremely or morbidly obese in accordance with his BMI. K brought a claim in the Danish courts following his dismissal on the ground that the actions were discriminatory. The Danish courts referred the question to the ECJ to determine whether EU law prohibits discrimination on the grounds of obesity and whether obesity may qualify as a disability under discrimination legislation.

In respect of the first question the ECJ confirmed that there is no provision of EU law that would prohibit discrimination on the grounds of obesity. However, when

dealing with the second question, the ECJ held that obesity may amount to a disability if it hinders effective participation in working life.

So what are the practical implications for us in the UK? As employers will be aware, there are frequent news articles dealing with the issue of obesity within the UK and therefore this case may have direct relevance.

As a result of the ECJ’s decision, obesity in certain circumstances could amount to a disability and therefore an employee may qualify for protection under Equality Act. Employers must proceed with caution and consider whether reasonable adjustments can be made to assist an individual in their working lives, where they may be considered obese.

Failure to do so could have grave consequences as a successful claim for discrimination has no cap on the level of compensation that an employee may receive. If an employer is concerned about an employee who is obese legal advice should be sought at the earliest opportunity.

Tribunal limits rise

The statutory rates of pay and Tribunal compensation limits are to increase next month. From April 6, 2015 the maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal will be £78,335 (up from £76,574) or 52 weeks’ pay – whichever is the lower figure.

A week’s pay (used for tribunal awards and calculation of statutory redundancy pay) will be capped at £475, increasing from £464.

From April 5 statutory rates for maternity pay, paternity pay, adoption pay and new shared parental leave pay will increase to £139.56 per week (from £138.18 per week). The statutory sick pay rate will increase to £88.45 per week. n

l Please note this article does not constitute legal advice.

For enquiries on all related matters please contact the Backhouse Jones Employment Team on 08450 575 111 or email steven. meyerhoff @backhouses.co.uk. Visit Backhouse Jones’ website at www. backhousejones.co.uk. www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 19:52

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We welcome contributions for this column. Please email your missive to gareth.evans@coachandbusweek. com or by post to The Editor, Coach and Bus Week magazine, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough, PE7 8GX. Alternatively, feel free to use the ‘private message’ function on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/coachandbusweek and Twitter @CBWtweets.

INBOX NEWS › XXXXXX

London coach parking: a passionate plea from a tour guide May I add to recent about LETTER comments coach parking and of the pick-up/set down week points in central London? I am a tour guide but many of my drivers aren’t in London often enough to be up-to-date on the latest round of diversions, banned turns, set down/pick-up restrictions, coach park closures etc.

New Convent Garden (Battersea) is a huge 24/7 parking area which I’ve never known to be full. Its future is under threat as the whole area is to be redeveloped. I can’t see where the many dozens of displaced tour and scheduled coaches are going to park. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the capacity of New Covent Garden wasn’t bigger than all the others combined. The need for a replacement coach park to ensure adequate levels of both parking and pick-up/set down facilities has never been greater.

The new cycle superhighway will cross all of central London and not just a bit of the Embankment – it has

a north-south relation as well. Coach pick-up/set down facilities on the Embankment will be limited to some bays by Westminster Pier. These will be difficult to reach and leave.

A new proposal is to ban the right hand turn from Northumberland Avenue so drivers will have to enter Embankment as far east as Blackfriars. When leaving the bays drivers will be faced with a banned left hand turn onto Westminster Bridge and forced to circuit Parliament Square if heading south of the river. So if having arrived at the Embankment bays and there is no vacant place available, a long and time consuming journey will be necessary to ‘go around’ and try again. In the meantime our customers are waiting in the rain. I wonder if this is a disingenuous way of making it difficult to use the Embankment coach bays, thus reducing usage to fit the reduced capacity.

Roadworks don’t just mean temporary loss of bays but on two occasions recently St Paul’s churchyard has been closed meaning

customers on tours got only a distant glimpse of one of London’s main landmarks. The utilities that dig up the road are answerable to shareholders so do the job as cheaply as possible. It’s the rest of us that pay the price. How much work is going on at many roadworks at 1600hrs on a Friday? Not much was going at St Paul’s at 11 in the morning and when I enquired they said materials had been delayed in traffic – which was at a standstill because of the self-same roadworks.

Endless traffic delays and uncertainties over pick-up/set down points and parking cause frustration and stress for drivers, guides and group leaders. I know of some foreign groups that went to London several times during their stay now go only once and instead visit some of the other many attractions in the South East where coach access is less frustrating. Nevertheless day after day I see groups of up to 80 going into venues at £20-£40 per head. It’s not just the big venues, theatres and hotels in London that are starting to lose, but the smaller organisations and specialised events. To inform decisions about our future planning we need to know now whether London has a declared policy of deterring coaches or has a funded plan to ensure lost facilities are replaced and remain adequate for an industry that makes a vast contribution to the economy of the capital.

Vic Blandford-Corp Local Knowledge Tours, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex

Alliance needed to tackle central London problems I have just read the ‘opinion’ article from Sue Reynolds on the problem with central London and would like to make the comments with regard to the coach/bus issue on the red routes.

Could we not have an alliance with these groups as the issue is not when we can or cannot pick up passengers but the reckless action from the current Mayor to reduce not only the space to park but the road layout of the capital.

I am not sure if this issue has been raised in the past but I believe this scheme will not benefit the majority of the people of London but the small minority who use the bike as their mode of transport.

Simply put, how many passengers use the bus service in Central London compared to the maximum number of cycles on the road? I am sure that the number of bus users greatly outnumber that for bikes – yet they are the ones that will have longer delays as the bus has to take extra care on the junction through the superhighway, better known to me as the road to nowhere.

Robert Pressley, Operations Director, Angela Coaches, Southampton

Tracking down a Fleetline I’m trying to track down a bus which was last reported in North Wales. It’s a sister vehicle to my Fleetline – which is registered ‘OCU870R’ – and could have some useful parts to help with its restoration.

The vehicle in question is registered ‘OCU801R,’ an Alexander-bodied Fleetline which was/is owned by Woolley of Llanedwen, Anglesey.

The DVLA shows it has a current SORN, so hopefully it’s not been scrapped.

Are you or any of your readers able to find out if they still have it, or where it might be now? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

MODELS MAY VARY

All letters of the week will receive a limited edition diecast model manufactured

by Corgi. Write in now and your opinion could get you this fantastic model.

If you can help, please contact me by email on bfso@yahoo.co.uk.

36 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 036_CBW1180_Inbox.indd 36

Terry Wightman, By email

Preserved Alexander-bodied Fleetline ‘OCU870R’ which was once operated by Sunderland Busways.

NEIL HESKETT

It should be noted that the opinions and views expressed by authors within CBW are not necessarily those of the Editor or its publisher Coach & Bus Week Ltd.

www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 19:55

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The essential read for Minibus Operators

March 2015

MINIBUS Many of these minibuses are based at the homes of Marks Passenger Services’ drivers

Operating from home

L

et me begin by introducing myself – I’m James Day, and I’m delighted to have been appointed as Editor of Minibus. I’d be very interested to hear about any news, developments or vehicle deliveries you may have, and you can reach me via email at jamesdayedit@gmail.com.

Moving on to my visit to Marks Passenger Services this week (see p48), there were a number of things which struck me.

It’s a great operation, something which is re�lected in its phenomenal growth rate, and it’s not afraid to offer any service it is good at to the wider industry. The company has been converting its own minibuses since day one, so it offers this service to other operators. The fact that it deals primarily with the disabled and special needs markets means its staff need to have a heightened level of training. It does this in-house, and offers this training externally.

One of the aspects of the business which I found particularly astute is the fact that despite it being a large operator now (77 minibuses and counting) with a sizable yard with more

www.coachandbusweek.com

039_CBW1180_MINIBUS_Opener.indd 39

than enough room for a �leet twice that size, many of the vehicles are based at their drivers’ homes, since all the vehicles have 16 seats or less and are relatively easy to park.

The savings this arrangement must deliver could be phenomenal. This goes both for the drivers themselves, who don’t need to drive to the depot to collect the vehicle at the start of the day, and the business in terms of fuel and vehicle maintenance from reduced mileage.

I also suspect this arrangement means Marks Passenger Services doesn’t need to employ as many drivers. Mark told me they employ around 80, barely more than one per vehicle.

Of course, this approach requires a signi�icant amount of trust.

Mark was very keen to stress how much he owes his success to his workforce, and it is this trust which allows him to rely on his drivers to not drive the minibuses on personal errands or call in sick when they are perfectly able to work.

James Day MINIBUS Editor

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | 39 16/03/2015 19:10

MINIBUS › NEWS

Traffic Commissioner calls for improved minibus standards from Middlesbrough taxi firms Kevin Rooney slams the city’s industry after several licence revocations and application refusals Middlesbrough’s taxi trade has been warned about the standard of its minibus operations, after three firms had their licences revoked and two applications for new licences were refused.

Kevin Rooney, Traffic Commissioner for the North East, also suspended one operator’s licence indefinitely and issued a formal warning to another, following public inquiries in Middlesbrough and Leeds. He said his experience of taxi firms running minibuses revealed the

need for urgent and significant improvement in their approach to safe and legal operations.

He added: “I have dealt with 10 operators at public inquiry in the last month and taken action against seven of the businesses.

“Operating a minibus is something that cannot be taken lightly. It’s not good enough to fill in an application form, get the licence and then ignore or neglect the operating standards.

“The rules are there for very good reasons – to keep passengers and the roads safe and to make sure there is fair competition in the industry. Vehicles should be kept in a roadworthy condition.

Drivers can’t drive tired and must

be able to show they have taken proper rest.

“It’s all too common for people who run minibuses as a part time business – usually alongside a full time taxi service – to either fail in these duties or take their eye off the ball.”

The recent actions undertaken

by Kevin Rooney include: l Euro Cars (Middlesbrough) – Licence revoked and operator disqualified until January 2016 – Vehicles had been prohibited for defects, maintenance records were missing or incomplete and a vehicle had travelled over 10,000km with a defective steering joint. l Blueline Travel

Vlad Services receives EVM Elegance Sprinter

London-based Vlad Services has taken delivery of a new Euro 6 EVM Elegance 16-seater Sprinter from EVM’s Sales office in Horsham, West Sussex.

The Sprinter is based on the Euro 6 516 Cdi 163BHP common rail direct injection diesel engine, with transmission provided by a sevenspeed G Tronic gearbox.

The saloon features 16 Executive 110 seats, which include three point seatbelts, folding armrests to the isle side with reclining back rest. They are finished in twocolour real leather.

Climate Control is provided by in-dash air-conditioning and Eberspacher saloon airconditioning, ducted through the

CallConnect breaks passenger number records

The Euro 6 minibus includes tinted glazing for passenger privacy rack and exiting through passenger service units.

For entertainment, the vehicle features a Mercedes-Benz audio 10 upgrade Radio/SD and saloon speakers integrated in passenger service units. A PA system with mic and bluetooth ready is also installed, along with an iPod input socket.

40 | COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | March 17, 2015 040_041_CBW1180_Minibus_News.indd 40

(Middlesbrough) – Licence revoked – One vehicle was stopped with a significant tyre defect. The driver had the incorrect type of licence to carry passengers. l Khan’s (Stockton-on-Tees) – Licence revoked from April 18, 2015 – Vehicles on the licence had an ‘appalling roadworthiness history,’ though there had been improvements leading up to the hearing. l East Coast Travel (Middlesbrough) – Licence suspended – Vehicles had been found with mechanical defects, there were significant and multiple failures with recordkeeping by drivers and the operator had not met licence undertakings. l Boro Cars (Middlesbrough) – Formal warning with undertakings – The firm’s minibuses had picked up 14 prohibition notices for defects in a two year period. Two of the prohibitions were recorded as

Two full-length brushed aluminium luggage racks stretch the length of the saloon with fulllength strip lighting.

As with all EVM minibuses the vehicle is completed to European whole vehicle type approval and comes with full three year Mercedes Benz Unlimited mileage Chassis Warranty.

Rising passenger numbers have fuelled a record-breaking year for Lincolnshire County Council’s CallConnect bus service, Spalding Today has reported.

Passenger numbers rose to more than 322,000 in 2014, the biggest annual total since the service launched almost 15 years ago, representing a 5% growth in passenger numbers compared to 2013.

As the CallConnect bus service moves into 2015, plans for developments and improvements include a new integrated online booking system, enabling customers to check service availability and to book and manage their journeys online, as well as a new real-time vehicle tracking facility.

There are also plans to continue refreshing the vehicles to improve the CallConnect fleet.

www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 19:57

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being safety critical. l Mohammed Kabir Shabir (Ingleby Barwick) – Application refused – Failed to meet the primary occupation test. l Ibrar Iqbal (Ingleby Barwick) – Application refused – Failed to meet the primary occupation test and did not satisfy the requirements for maintenance arrangements. l Tollesby Travel (Middlesbrough) – Licence granted with undertakings – Subject to a number of commitments around recordkeeping. l Mahboob Hussain (Middlesbrough) – Licence granted with undertakings – Subject to commitments around record-keeping. l North East Cars Ltd (Middlesbrough) – Application granted in reduced form for six vehicles – Original application for 13 vehicles but it was unlikely the firm would meet the licence undertakings for that size of fleet.

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Show-spec Sprinter delivered to Road Safety Support

Road Safety Support has received a Sprinter Mobility 45 which was showcased at Euro Bus Expo 2014. The vehicle was supplied by EvoBus UK. Operating in Billericay, Essex, but attending road safety conventions throughout the country, Road Safety Support serves as an independent not-for-profit organisation, providing specialist services to local authorities and emergency services.

The Euro Bus specification Sprinter Mobility 45 will serve as a transport vehicle for ministerial dignitaries to road safety events.

The minibus includes accessibility features such as an Unwin flat floor system paired with Nmi quick release seat fittings, wheelchair anchorage side tracking and rear-mounted ramp spotlights.

This is coupled with a luxury specification including woodeffect flooring, full Tempmatik air-conditioning and dark tinted

The high-spec Sprinter was displayed on the EvoBus stand at EBE 2014 windows.

The 18+1 seat Sprinter makes two specification firsts with the addition of a remote controlled PLS underfloor lift – which EvoBus claims is unique to the UK minibus market – and full leather upholstery with roof-mounted DVD media system, suited for on-

CTA roadshow booking open Indcar delivers ROADSHOW DATE VENUE

Peterborough Scotland Pudsey, Leeds Croydon Northern Ireland Wales Bath

June 2 June 4 June 11 June 23 June 25 June 30 July 1

Peterborough Football Club Venue TBC – likely to be Edinburgh/Glasgow Pudsey Civic Hall Croydon Park Hotel Ramada Hotel, Belfast Venue TBC – likely to be South Wales Bath Cricket Club

Bookings are now being taken for Community Transport Association (CTA) roadshows across the UK. The roadshows have been held since 2008 in a variety of venues across England, and will this year travel to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The CTA Annual Roadshows provide CTA members and nonmembers with the opportunity to meet with CTA staff, trustees and corporate supporters. They will examine the big issues in community transport and how the sector is responding.

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Participants can also find out the latest on transport policy, planning and delivery and receive updates on CTA services.

The events are also a chance to network and to meet other organisations with whom the CTA works closely.

All the events are free to members and lunch is provided – they will run from 1000 to 1530hrs.

Bookings for all England venues can be made online at http://www.ctonline.org.uk/events/ cta-events

board PowerPoint displays.

Power is delivered by a Mercedes-Benz OM 651 DE 22 LA 95kW Euro 6 engine coupled with a 7G Tronic-Plus automatic gearbox.

Safety specification includes full three-point seatbelts, lane assist and Parktronic reversing camera.

100th MOBI

Indcar has delivered the 100th MOBI vehicle.

The MOBI model was first presented to the market in the Busworld Kortrijk Fair in late 2013.

Almost 1.5 years later, Indcar has confirmed that following a positive response in the French, Italian and Scandinavian markets, it delivered MOBI number 100 to a French operator.

The MOBI model and its versions (low entry and urban) are manufactured at the production plant in Romania, which Indcar inaugurated in July 2013.

The opening of this factory in Romania allows Indcar to consolidate existing markets and in the near future, the company expects to expand its sales network to new markets in Eastern Europe.

Currently, the MOBI model is manufactured on the Iveco Daily 70C chassis. It is offered in three

Indcar’s Low Entry MOBI possible configurations and with two lengths of eight and 8.5 metres.

The MOBI model for intercity or school services offers a total maximum capacity of 33 seats.

The new Euro 6 model, the Low Entry MOBI with 31 seats, is due to be unveiled in April. This model includes front space available for a wheelchair and a double front access door.

The Urban MOBI version is also manufactured in the Romania plant and offers up to 26 seats.

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | 41 16/03/2015 19:57

MINIBUS › NEWS FOCUS

Renault unveils innovative new technology Renault plans to introduce compact electric motors to improve EV efficiency, a petrol/LPG option, a ‘mild hybrid’ option for the Master and is developing two-stroke diesels for smaller LCVs. Martin Cole reports

T

he ‘Innovations@Renault’ event in Paris provided a platform for the company’s Co-operative Innovations Laboratory (LCI) – a think tank uniting engineers, designers and customer survey specialists, to deliver insight into how Renault powertrains and propulsion systems might evolve in the next few years.

Key developments are a new compact electric motor and a new turbocharged petrol engine adapted for use with LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), both of which are scheduled for introduction this year. Looking further ahead, Renault and its partners are looking at a mild hybrid diesel prototype (HYDIVU project) for the Master van, a diminutive two-stroke diesel engine (POWERFUL project) and a small electric delivery vehicle based on the Twizy (VELUD project) as the basis for clean, low-cost urban mobility.

‘HYDIVU’ – Mild-Hybrid diesel

The ‘HYDIVU’ (Hybrid Diesel for LCVs) research prototype aims to reduce fuel consumption and running costs for high-mileage business users. It is based on the Master van powered by Renault’s ENERGY dCi 165 Twin Turbo diesel engine, and has been engineered in conjunction with a number of European partners.

It integrates a 48-volt (10-12 kW) starter motor and alternator-type electric motor mounted on the gearbox to deliver additional torque and reduce the load on the combustion engine. Its positioning, as close as possible to the wheel, promotes greater efficiency by allowing maximum recovery of energy during deceleration and braking. This ‘free energy’ is stored in the 48-volt battery.

The power unit also features what Renault calls ‘Downspeeding’ – longer gear ratios which reduce engine revolutions when cruising to lower fuel consumption. The twin turbo system

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with variable geometry has been specially adapted to the concept.

Renault claims significant levels of torque are available from just 1,000 rpm, and driveability is consistent across the entire rev band. Internal friction has been reduced through innovations like the steel pistons and fuel injection pressure has been raised by 25% to 2,500 bar to reduce emissions.

These three technologies result in a fuel consumption reduction of up to 10%.

POWERFUL

Two-stroke diesel engines offer thermal efficiency of around 50% while four-stroke diesels struggle to reach 35%. The difficulty, until now, has been in adapting two-stroke technology for an engine small enough for automotive use, which Renault is aiming to solve with its ‘POWERFUL’ (POWERtrain for Future Light-duty vehicles) project.

The two-cylinder engine is just 730cc and weighs 40kg less than a 1.5-litre dCi diesel. This 730cc unit is both super-charged and turbocharged and produces between 35kW and 50kW (48hp-68hp) with 112-145Nm of torque from 1,500rpm.

Initial tests are encouraging, although the performance needs to be improved before Renault could consider introducing it. The engine is being developed with 18 industrial, scientific and academic partners.

‘VELUD’

With urban deliveries in mind, Renault has produced its ‘VELUD’ (Electric Vehicle for Sustainable Urban Logistics) project, based on the Twizy, in conjunction with a number of academic and civic partners. It is intended as a ‘final miles’ solution to take cargo loaded

The powertrain intended for light-duty vehicles

into a small trailer from pre-defined zones to their final delivery point using intelligent fleet management. It could also be used for a minibus engaged in a city or town centre shuttle service.

The compact electric motor, designed and made entirely by Renault, delivers similar performance to existing motors but is around 10% smaller. Built in the Cleon plant, it is a synchronous unit with a wound rotor and delivers 65kW (88hp) and 220 Nm of torque.

Renault has switched from macro-module stacking to fully integrated modules, assembled closely so no external power supply cables are necessary. The junction box and integrated Chameleon charger (as fitted to ZOE) are contained within a single Power Electronic Controller, which is 25% smaller than existing systems.

The motor is now air-cooled, simplifying the system with only the Power Electronic Controller cooled by water. Improved electronic management reduces charging times using the 3kW and 11kW flexi-cable, while a redesigned inverter improves efficiency and reduces power consumption.

Dual-fuel petrol/LPG engine

Renault’s new dual-fuel petrol/LPG engine promises 25% lower fuel bills and 10% lower CO2 emissions than a comparable petrolonly power unit. It is a three-cylinder engine featuring a turbocharger, engine Stop&Start, brake energy recovery and an eco-mode, and it is compliant with Euro 6 emissions regulations.

The advanced technologies realise a fuel consumption reduction of 20% compared to a previous-generation LPG engine. n

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16/03/2015 19:41

THE BIG PICTURE This attractive shot of a Marks Passenger Services Mercedes-Benz Sprinter near Lincoln Cathedral was taken as the company was rebranding itself from Marks Specialised Transport. The stunning cathedral is also proudly featured as part of the operator’s silhouette livery, which includes many attractions from the county. To read more about the rapidly-expanding and versatile minibus operator, see our operator profile on page 48.

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16/03/2015 19:41

MINIBUS INSIGHT › SCHOOL MINIBUS DRIVING

From doubledecker to school minibus driver David Saffer, an award-winning writer from Yorkshire shares his experiences of moving to Hertfordshire, learning to drive a red London double-decker bus and now fitting his writing around driving a school minibus

F

or two decades I’d been a writer but if anyone had said to me 12 months ago I’d be penning this article on driving mini buses I could justifiably have looked at them quizzically.

Back in February 2014, I resigned as a journalist at a regional newspaper in the North of England after 12 years’ service, as I was about to embark on a new chapter of my life.

The reason was simple. With my better half, Deborah, commuting to London each week and our kids having flown the nest we’d decided to relocate to a sleepy village in Hertfordshire.

The big question in our now two-strong

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household was how I’d occupy my working week.

As a freelance sports writer in Yorkshire I’d developed many contacts but moving on to a new region I was acutely aware that it would take time to develop new openings.

Gaining a PCV licence

With that in mind, I hatched a back up plan.

However, training to become a bus driver with London Sovereign Limited, though exciting as a prospect, was way outside my comfort zone – and that was putting it mildly.

Yes, I had plenty of support and heartfelt slaps

on the back wishing me luck, and I felt that I was an accomplished safe driver, but could I really handle a double-decker bus?

In reality, though extremely keen, I had no idea if driving any bus was a viable option.

That said, I’d applied and passed a four-stage interview process, and four months into life down south, despite making inroads to the world of journalism, I began the craziest journey (pardon the pun).

A four-month stint at London Sovereign’s Edgware Garage brought a mix of emotions I’d not envisaged as I passed the five required exams to gain my Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) license prior to learning the 183, 252, 292 and 324 routes around North London.

My training, organised by a wonderfully encouraging character aptly for the role called Stirling Moss, had been intense, entertaining, exasperating and ultimately rewarding in equal measure.

And I revelled in the challenge of driving through areas that had just been names to me in the A-Z. Suddenly Arnos Grove, Borehamwoood, Burnt Oak, Colindale, Golders Green, Harrow, Kingsbury, Pinner and Stanmore were now familiar territory.

During my time with London Sovereign, by and large I enjoyed the job immensely.

I welcomed an unwritten camaraderie between bus drivers on the road and the interaction with passengers, but a major downside was a 24-day rota bus drivers had to adhere.

The schedule meant that covering sport on three out of four weekends was a thing of the past.

Yes, I knew the score before I took on my driving role, and had absolutely no regrets getting my license as it meant regular work.

Long and, at times, unsociable hours had never worried me but my love for sports writing had taken a back seat and one Saturday in early August on Golders Green Road the issue inevitably came to a head.

As passengers climbed aboard my 183 bus, I noted the time was 1500hrs when pre-season football matches were kicking off.

My heart sank and I knew that I had to move on.

Driving single and double-decker buses had come at the cost of writing, which was something I had totally underestimated.

Moving into minibuses

Staying in the bus industry on a part-time basis whilst taking up my chosen profession again was my objective, and returning home I duly typed ‘bus driver’ into Google on my computer.

One of my favourite sitcom actors, Richard Wilson, famous for his portrayal of Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave was known for his quip: “I don’t believe it!” His popular saying summed up exactly how I felt.

Opportunities galore for mini bus school runs jumped out at me, and within days, I’d been

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David with Jeremy Reese, owner of The Little Bus Company offered a spare driver role at a company in Harlow. Though pleased, I evaluated my options, as I wanted a driving job closer to home and on weekdays only. I was not trying to be awkward, I had just identified the work-life balance I was after.

And a little more research found a job at Barnet-based Star Bus Company Ltd. Operating a transport service in the London area and surrounding counties, my role seemed ideal,

handling a single or double-decker vehicle but I quickly adapted to the task on my daily Colindale to Brent Cross trek. Before long, I was on a new route between Watford and St Albans, which was more suitable to my home location.

And swapping my tailgate bus for one geared to carrying six pupils with varying special needs was a breeze.

The M1 and country roads were now my domain and driving the vehicle was

‘Collecting my tail-lift mini bus, I found transporting three pupils in wheel chairs with the aid of a carer, who taught me the route, hugely rewarding’

as I took on a school run for pupils with special needs.

Training included gaining certificates in first aid, wheelchair handling and evacuation procedures.

Collecting my tail-lift mini bus, I found transporting three pupils in wheelchairs with the aid of a carer, who taught me the route, hugely rewarding.

Taking my passengers to school proved a stark contrast to the double-decker days when I was horrified at times how mums with pushchairs treated wheelchair users.

It would take an internal announcement to budge the pram-pushing mums, but now I was driving a vehicle set up to safely transport pupils to school.

Naturally the bus was different in terms of

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046_047_CBW1179_Minibus_ David Saffer.indd 47

straightforward.

However, though I enjoyed my job, the timing of both school runs had not been ideal.

I wanted an earlier start prior to a late afternoon run in order to optimise my writing time, so my search started for a new opening.

Thankfully, I was in an industry where driver movement was commonplace.

My arrival at The Little Bus Company was down more to good fortune than Google as one morning on route to St Albans I happened to be following one of the 22-strong Little Bus fleet of vehicles.

Noting the telephone number on the bus I discovered that a vacancy was available with the bonus that the base was close to home.

Following an interview and driving assessment, I made the final move of my year-long quest to

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find the best driving job.

Founded in 1994, the Elstree-based company provided minibus and coach hire for a plethora of occasions, including theatre trips, outings and airport runs in London, the Home Counties and around the UK. After route training with an experienced driver, I started a school run last September on an 18-seater Iveco Irisbus to a Japanese primary school in Hendon.

Collecting a teacher from school as chaperon, from day one, this run was a pleasure, even though I was in another new arena in terms of driving.

The Finchley Road and surrounding side streets of Swiss Cottage, St Johns Wood, Hampstead and Temple Fortune was a certainly a technically challenging area.

During my double-decker days, cyclists, ‘white van’ drivers and motorcyclists were equally major hazards. This part of town though for me saw cyclists move to top spot. Weaving in and out of traffic with no regard to vehicles of any description, I lost track of the number of riders with no helmet or reflective clothing and in fading light dressed in black.

It was beyond my comprehension how cyclists felt this was a safe way to ride.

Come the New Year and my request for an early start and late finish came to fruition when I was offered a route in Barnet.

And I could not wait to learn the new route on a 15-seater Renault Master, which took in elements of my days with London Sovereign as I crossed the 183, 251 and 292 routes. Seeing everyday single and double-decker buses I’d driven along with drivers I’d got to know all those months ago felt like I’d come full circle. Best of all, I was driving a bus, route and rota that matched my ambitions.

Conclusion

The past year has taken a leap of faith from employers, all of whom I’m indebted to for giving me a chance to prove myself in a new arena.

Before I embarked on this career change, I was unaware of the many opportunities across the industry for drivers.

I remember during my initial bus training being informed that once qualified, you could work as frequently as you desired whether with coaches or buses of varying sizes.

You accepted this information in good faith but until you are in the position of finding your place in the industry, you cannot envisage what that actually meant.

Strike action and pay discussions have been at the forefront of recent political debate, I was also acutely aware of the impression many misguided people had about drivers.

My experience is that drivers have a central role in society and I aim to tell their story.

I am proud to be a part of a bus industry that is enabling me to dovetail my work as a writer and driver. n

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | 47 16/03/2015 19:58

MINIBUS OPERATOR PROFILE › MARKS PASSENGER SERVICES

More than meets the eye

L

incoln-based Marks Passenger Services has seen meteoric growth since it was established in 1998.

From an operator of a single minibus, the company grew to have a �leet of around 40 vehicles in 2009 and has almost doubled in size since, in spite of the economic climate.

The business is run by husband and wife team Mark and Jo Hueso. After a warm welcome from the couple, along with the rest of the staff who were present, I sat down with Mark in his of�ice with a strong tea to learn more about the family business.

“We come from very humble beginnings,” Mark began. “I was an ex-soldier with dodgy back who was doing joinery for several years. I spent more time off work than on work.

“I needed a job where I could manage my own time, so I bought a black cab. I did it for eight months but decided it wasn’t for me. However, I did enjoy working for St Barnabas Hospice and with people with disabilities.

“In 1998, I sold the black cab and bought an F-reg petrol 12-seat minibus. I took all the seats out, installed an approved �loor system and we’ve never looked back.”

Today, the business has 77 vehicles and

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Marks Passenger Services is a minibus operator with roots in the disabled passenger market which has grown dramatically in 17 years to have a fantastically diverse service offering. James Day meets Director Mark Hueso to �ind out more

around 150 staff, 80 of which are drivers, with the rest consisting of passenger assistance and of�ice and workshop staff.

Expanding services

Five years ago, virtually all of the work carried out by the business was for the disabled market. Now, this work represents about 80% of the company’s work. The other 20% consists of transport for weddings and funerals, airport transfers, days out and race days, amongst other things.

“The disabled market is still our core business,” Mark said. “It’s something we take great pride in and is what our staff are generally hired for.

Lincolnshire Council is still our primary client. As far as we’re concerned they’re our employer and we will bend over backwards to make sure they and the end user are happy.

“We don’t require job applicants to have any quali�ications. We prefer that they are normal everyday nice people, and full training is provided for them, including �irst aid training.”

The training side of the business has grown so much that it has become another service offered by the company.

“We can deliver various types of training throughout the county and beyond,” Mark explained. “We’re approved Unwin wheelchair safety trainers and an improved

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16/03/2015 19:43

LEFT: The company uses a number of Mercedes-Benz-based vehicles

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centre to deliver Driver CPC. “We train some people here – we have our own training facilities with a purpose-built training room – though we also travel all over the place. We’ve got a lot of our own staff to continuously be training and it’s a growing part of the business now other companies realise we deliver training externally. We have no problem with teaching others to deliver service how we deliver service.

“All of our staff are blanket trained for everything, even though County Council requirements are contract specific. This gives us flexibility and allows us to cope with all kinds of situations.”

A quality fleet

The vast majority of the vehicles at Marks Passenger Services are from Ford, MercedesBenz or Renault, though Mark has a clear preference.

“Our preference is Ford – we’ve found over the years that they have proven to be the most reliable and cost effective vehicle for us to operate.

“We also have two cars on fleet which we use for small jobs, such as transporting one person with special needs, though generally the work we target is minibus work and upwards.”

Mark is doing his best to keep the average age of the fleet low, though with such a high pace of expansion this can prove challenging at times.

“We’re bringing in a three year vehicle policy – we try to run vehicles to three years old. This March we’ve already acquired four brand new vehicles, but this is just expansion – they’ve not

Directors Jo and Mark Hueso. The company’s silhouette livery can be clearly seen here really replaced anything.

“Unless we’re running a factory-built minibus, we convert everything else. All our wheelchair accessible vehicles are converted in-house.

“We don’t buy basic vehicles. We’ll always buy vehicles with as much spec on them as we can for the driver and customer’s comfort. We tend to have air-conditioning, electric doors where available and so on.”

Mark also briefly entered the full size coach market, though he decided it wasn’t the right direction for the business.

“We had a 33-seater coach, a Mercedes-Benz Sitcar Merlin, and a 57-seater Mercedes-Benz.

I had always planned to become an operator of larger vehicles. However, we quickly realised it wasn’t what we’re good at. That sector of work is a whole different kettle of fish.

“I would contemplate going above 16-seaters if it was for a contract rather than just to have a bigger vehicle on fleet, but I wouldn’t go up to full-size coaches again.”

Making the most of mileage

The company is proud of the service it provides to the disabled market in Lincolnshire

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All of the vehicles in the Marks Passenger Service fleet range from five to 16-seaters. This gives the business a great deal of flexibility in terms of where the vehicles can be based.

“A lot of our fleet is geographically positioned,” Mark explained. “Many of our drivers operate from their home address, subject to parking facilities. Because our vehicles aren’t huge we can often use regular car parking facilities.

“By being as efficient as possible with our mileage, we can achieve substantial cost savings for all concerned.”

This approach is also very beneficial for drivers, who are able to save a significant amount of money by not having to drive themselves to the company’s base to collect

their vehicle, though they are not permitted to use the vehicles for personal use and the majority of the fleet are fitted with trackers.

Asked whether drivers keeping vehicles at home helped the business to expand its area of operations, Mark replied: “Absolutely – we are a county-wide operation. We are looking to expand our company outside the county, but that will involve buying other depots.

It’s something we’re always looking at, but we’re also constantly expanding our existing operation and micro-managing it to keep it maintained to a very high standard in a difficult market.

“We haven’t compromised anywhere across the build, other than possibly on our margin.”

Expanding the premises

Marks Passenger Services has just expanded its operation to a three-quarter acre site, which will have additional workshops and a new covered washdown facility with water recycling technology, along with additional hard-standing for parking. It is clear the business has plenty of breathing room for the future. It could comfortably grow to double its current size with the expansion space available.

With the expanded workshop facilities, Mark hopes to offer an expanded vehicle conversion service to the wider market: “We have converted our own vehicles to a high standard for many years and we are now more than happy to put our name to our finished product to go out on the open market. We want to develop the external vehicle conversion part of the business.

“We have for many years done a handful of conversions each year for other people. With the new workshops, we’re hoping to produce one or two vehicles a week for external clients.

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK MINIBUS | 49 16/03/2015 19:43

MINIBUS OPERATOR PROFILE › MARKS PASSENGER SERVICES We’re actually doing that for ourselves at the moment, but I would like to convert other people’s vehicles. It will involve hiring some more staff to manage it.”

Rebranding the company

Two years ago, Mark decided to rebrand the company from the established name of Marks Specialised Transport to its current name of Marks Passenger Services. While serving the disabled passenger market still represents the bulk of the business, the new name needed to reflect that the company has much more to offer.

“Because Marks Specialised Transport has been so successful, we couldn’t just get rid of a name, but I’ve always been mindful that calling it that name doesn’t really say what we do. When we rebranded, we made the services we deliver more apparent to a wider market.

“We do lots of airport transfers, race days and executive work. We’re not generally known as a taxi firm, but we do lots of eight-seater upwards transport to all manner of places in wellpresented vehicles.

“We’re also strict about staff uniform – we ask our staff to maintain standards on all levels, from vehicle maintenance to their own presentation.”

Part of the reason for the rebrand was to help the company market itself better. It has a great deal more to offer than just transporting passengers.

“If we let ourselves down in any way it’s that we’re not telling enough people about the services we offer,” Mark stated. “It’s something we’re concentrating on this year and are getting better at. We’re so much more than a special needs operator.

“We can provide the service, the vehicles, build vehicles, train manpower and provide manpower. Our workshops are also open to the public, so they can get vehicle servicing here or we can convert vehicles for other operators.

“We’re also approved Unwin trainers and

The company’s new workshop and vehicle conversion facility.

JAMES DAY

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One of the company’s brand new Ford Transits.

JAMES DAY stockists and suppliers of their products, including the installation. There are only a handful of approved Unwin trainers in the country and we’re very fortunate to be one of them.”

The livery of the vehicles has also been developed. The vehicles now have an eyecatching silhouette of Lincoln on the side. “It doesn’t matter where you go, people look at it,” Mark enthused.

“We’re standardising the livery across the fleet.

We have a handful of vehicles with original livery, but 90% of fleet uses the latest livery and we’re sticking to it. It’s attractive and it works.”

As for the bee logo, which has existed for longer than the silhouette livery but was recently redrawn, Mark said: “I decided we needed a logo to give us some kind of branding, and in a moment of inspiration I decided on a busy bee.”

A hands-on family business

Marks Passenger Services is a family business.

Mark’s sister is the fleet manager. His oldest son is currently at university training to be a doctor, but he is a CPC holder and was the operator’s Training Manager. His youngest son is in charge

of sign writing and various other training manager duties.

While the growth of the business tends to keep Mark back at base, he does still go out driving on occasion and is very much a handson director.

“If required and I am operationally able I will go out, though my duties usually keep me at base. I spend time doing everything from maintaining vehicles and building vehicles in the workshop to running every day transport operations. We like to get out on the ground to make the staff feel supported.

“Also, austerity has built instability into contracts. You don’t get awarded four or five year contracts anymore – they are constantly getting changed. That means you need flexibility in your workforce which sometimes means you need all hands on deck.

“On the occasions that I do get out on the ground, kids who have never met me are so over the moon that they have Mark himself on the bus. It’s a really nice feeling.

“The occasions I get out of the office, generally at prime time for school contracts, I am flabbergasted by how many of our vehicles are out there. I’m proud to have built up the company so much from such humble beginnings. Jo and myself both consider ourselves very fortunate.”

A great team

Mark credited much of success his company has enjoyed to his employees.

“I have to say we owe most of our success to having such a fantastic workforce, who go above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. We’re privileged to work with such great bunch of people. If it wasn’t for the staff wouldn’t be where we are now.

“Despite the occasional moments of stress and panic, we’ve had a very exciting and rewarding journey over last 17 years”. n

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DELIVERIES

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

BRENT THOMAS COACHES Brent Thomas Coaches has taken delivery of a new Volvo B11R with Jonckheere bodywork. The operator has more Euro 6 coaches ordered for later in the year.

The operator, based in Tonypandy, South Wales, has specified Volvo for many years, which was key in influencing its decision to select Volvo coaches again.

Brent Thomas Coaches sold one of its tour coaches to make way for the B11R. The first trip for the coach was to Edinburgh, accompanying the rest of the Volvo touring fleet.

Brent Thomas from Brent Thomas Coaches commented: “We have a long-standing relationship with Volvo which made it an easy decision to specify the B11R to join our touring fleet. Having sold one of

NN CRESSWELL COACH HIRE Mistral Bus & Coach PLC has supplied Evesham-based NN Cresswell Coach Hire Ltd with a new 8.9-metre belted Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200.

The vehicle will be used on the Rural Four service, which operates from 0730-1800hrs on most days.

The operator was established in 1960 and runs

our coaches, we needed a replacement within a short period of time and Volvo was quick to respond and the B11R was delivered to us shortly afterwards.

“We are particularly looking forward to seeing how this coach performs in terms of fuel economy, as we have heard positive feedback and Volvo has a proven track record.”

The new B11R is a twoaxle coach specified with the Volvo D11K, 11-litre Euro 6 engine connected to the Volvo I-Shift gearbox. It stands at 12.8 metres long and includes 53 passenger seats.

Jo Standbridge, Volvo Bus Regional Sales Manager, added: “Brent Thomas Coaches has been a loyal Volvo customer for years, when buying new

local bus services, day trips and school services.

Today the business is owned and operated by the founder’s daughters Mary Shephard and Elizabeth Everatt. The business has grown to employ 20 members of staff providing a service to Evesham and the surrounding areas.

Sue Everatt commented: “The Enviro200 is a welcome addition to our fleet. It provides first class transport for passengers on our

52 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 052_CBW1180_Deliveries.indd 52

in association with

GOODSIR COACHES vehicles for its touring fleet.

We are pleased that we could respond quickly in supplying the B11R within a short time frame.

“We look forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with Brent Thomas Coaches and are pleased to be able to deliver more vehicles that have been placed on order for later in the year.”

FACT FILE

BODY/CHASSIS: Jonckheere Volvo B11R ENIGNE: Volvo D11K 11-ltr Euro 6 TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift SEATS: 53 SUPPLIED BY: Volvo Coach Sales 02476 210250 www.volvobuses.com/bus/ uk/en-gb

(head)

(head)

Goodsir Coaches of Holyhead has taken delivery of an exdemo Setra 416 GT-HD coach.

Built to a high specification, the 13-metre tri-axle vehicle seats 49 in Setra Voyage Supreme seating with part leather-fabric upholstery and increased legroom.

The specification includes dual 19” monitors, air conditioning, overhead service controls and tinted privacy glass.

Other features for passenger convenience include a fitted toilet and boon kitchen. Stylish exterior additions to the Setra coach include colour-coded wheeltrims, xenon headlights and roosewood gold metallic paintwork.

The vehicle has a generous driver-orientated specification, including a leather steering wheel, dual armrests and a fuel consumption indicator.

Power is delivered by the Mercedes-Benz OM 457

LA 315 kW Euro 5 engine paired with an eight-speed PowerShift gearbox. The Setra’s safety specification includes traction control and an electronic stability program.

Based in Holyhead, Anglesey, Goodsir Coaches specialises in touring holidays and private hire.

Its fleet includes a previous Setra and Mercedes-Benz Tourismo. Goodsir Coaches also takes advantage of its close proximity to main ferry ports, providing regular excursions to Ireland.

FACT FILE

BODY/CHASSIS: Setra 416

GT-HD ENGINE: Mercedes-Benz OM

457 LA 315 kW Euro 5 TRANSMISSION: Eight-speed

Powershift SEATS: 49 SUPPLIED BY: EvoBus UK 02476 626000 www.evobus. co.uk

commercial service Rural Four, operating six days a week between Willersey, Broadway, Childswickham, Badsey and Evesham.”

FACT FILE

BODY/CHASSIS: ADL Enviro200 ENGINE: Cummins Euro 5 TRANSMISSION: Allison SEATS: 29 SUPPLIED BY: Mistral Bus &

Coach 01565 621881 www.mistral-bus.com

www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 11:17

p53_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:48 Page 1

M O C .

T E K R A M S U COACHANDB FOR SALE

VEHICLES

Contact Gemma Ireland

Tel: 01733 293247 Fax: 0845 280 2927 Email: gemma.ireland@coachandbusweek.com

GREAT VALUE FOR OPERATORS *NEW* EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS, FROM LLOYD MORGAN GROUP

UNLIMITED ONLINE vehicle adverts on coachandbus market.com

Up to 4 PRINT ADVERTS for vehicles for sale in Coach&BusWeek magazine

HALF PRICE RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING IN Coach & BusWeek magazine

3 ANNUAL DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS to coachandbus week.com

THE NO.1 WEBSITE FOR BUYING AND SELLING YOUR VEHICLES (Marketplace) - Copy Deadline - 12 noon Friday week prior to publication. (Main) – Booking and Copy Deadline 12noon Monday week of publication 2006 ADL East Lancs Esteem

2001 Alexander

2005 Bova Futura FHD 14.430XE Tri-Axle

63 reclining seats, leather headrest inserts, individual footrests, courier seat, curtains, air con, CD audio, video & monitor, double glazing, manual, intarder, Webasto.

2004 Bova Futura FHD 14.430XE Tri-Axle

63 reclining seats, leather headrests, individual footrests, courier seat, curtains, air conditioning, CD audio, wired for DVD, double glazing, manual, intarder, Webasto.

25 seats, automatic, air con, manual front and back destination, electric middle ramp, CCTV cameras, assault screen, LEZ compliant.

37 seated, new MOT, DDA.

£POA

£POA

£POA

£5,500 + VAT

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

Peakes Coaches – 07773 793239

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

2002 Bova Futura

1996 Caetano Optimo

2003 DAF DB250 Plaxton President

2003 DAF DB250 Alexander ALX400

DAF engine, air conditioned, twin monitors, DVD, toilet, boiler, fridge, Eminox-LEZ, 49 seats, green cloth trim, manual gearbox, ready to go, MOT March 2015.

• MOT January 2015

• 18 seats

• Good runner 65 seats + 26 standees, DAF euro 1V / Voith, conversion to single door available.

£3,500 + VAT

65 seats + 26 standees, DAF euro 1V / Voith, conversion to single door available.

£13,500 + VAT – CHOICE

L.J. Edwards Coach Hire 07974 369570 / 01323 440622

£13,500 + VAT – CHOICE

L.J. Edwards Coach Hire 07974 369570 / 01323 440622

Southdown PSV 01342 711840 bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk

Southdown PSV 01342 711840 bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk

1998 DAF SB3000

1998 DAF SB3000 VanHool

2006 DAF SB4000 VanHool Alizee T9

2003 DAF SB4000 VanHool Alizee T9

13 berths sleeper coach, static AC/heating, 240v, normal band bus stuff, towbar, MOT Feb 2015, good condition for age.

67 seats, 3 point height adjustable seat belts, CCTV, automatic.

ZF auto, 42/49 seats + courier, rear mounted toilet and servery with fridge, luggage nets, seatback tables, carpets and air conditioning. Choice of 2, low mileage, MOT to February 2016.

£40,000 + VAT

£9,500 + VAT

£19,000

ZF auto, 51 seats + courier, centre sunken toilet, coffee machine, fridge, centre carpet and air conditioning, low mileage, available with 12 months MOT.

01487 843333 / 07834 97751 david@sunfunholidays.co.uk

Smith & Sons – 01828 626262 info@smithandsonscoaches.co.uk

£105,000

£65,000

Dalesman Coaches - 01943 870228

Dalesman Coaches - 01943 870228

1996 Dennis Lance

2004 Dennis Enviro 300 Service Bus

1998 Dennis Dart ALX200

2003 Dennis Dart

47 belted seats, excellent condition, long or new MOT, excellent reliability, choice of three vehicles, 2nd owner from new, ex Brighton and Hove.

44 seats, automatic gearbox, LED front, side & rear destinationm front manual ramp, DDA compliant, MOT until May 2015.

37 seats or 33 plus 1 wheelchair, manual ramp, Cummins engine, Allison auto gearbox, power door, new MOT, very tidy.

Cummins/Allison, Plaxton Pointer body, 47 seats with 45 belted, test 30th June 2015, immaculate throughout, spare gearbox also included.

£4,500 + VAT

Offers invited – need space for new vehicles!

£POA

£24,995

Peakes Coaches – 07773 793239

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

Drew Wilson Coach Sales 0141 248 5524

Whitegate Travel Tel 01606 786833 / 07841 110426

p54_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:49 Page 1

VEHICLES

Call Gemma Ireland Tel: 01733 293247 E: gemma.ireland@coachandbusweek.com

2006 Ford Transit

Dennis ‘R’ Series Plaxton Panther

1999/2001 Dennis Tridents

58 plate Enviro 200

53 reclining seats, 3 point seat belts, courier seat, plug entrance door, air con, radio/PA/CD audio, DVD and monitor, AS-Tronic intarder, LEZ compliant.

80/85 seats, Voith gearboxes, ISC Euro 3 engines, LEZ compliant, can be DDA with 78 seats, choice of 3.

£5,495 + VAT

£POA

From £14,000 + VAT

£52,500

Whitegate Travel Tel 01606 786833 / 07841 110426

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

Steve Hayes – 0161 946 9255 steve.hayes@manct.org

Centaur Coaches

2006 Ford Transit 430E

2004 Ford Transit

16 seats, side loading door, 3 point seat belts, rear emergency exit, radio/cassette, tachograph.

29 seater, manual ramp, Hanover destination equipment all round, new MOT, in white, ready to go.

01322 625370 / 07957 162388

FORD TRANSIT 115 17 SEAT BUS OCT 2011 61 REG PSV, COIF AND TACHO ONLY 39K MILES READY TO WORK

16 seats, side loading door, 3 point seat belts, rear emergency exit, radio/cassette, tachograph, MOT till Oct.

16 seats, side loading door, 3 point seat belts, rear emergency exit, radio/cassette, tachograph MOT September 2015.

£5,495 + VAT

£4,950 + VAT

UK Minicoaches – 01902 631507 sales@ukminicoaches.co.uk

Whitegate Travel Tel 01606 786833 / 07841 110426

Ford Transit 17 seat minibus

2005 Iveco Daily

Immaculate condition throughout, in-dash air conditioning, recent new clutch and flywheel.

8 seats with 3-point seat belts but certified for 16 seats, external wheelchair lift, power door, MOT Nov 2015.

£13,950 + VAT www.staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01785 811139 07803 222552 staffordbus@btconnect.com

2009 Iveco Plaxton Panther

2007 Iveco 45C14

ZF auto, 61 seats, Euro 5, A/C, 3 point seat belts, crew seat, reverse camera, huge locker space, Webasto, good condition, MOT April 2015.

Excel conversion, 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, power door, reverse camera, drop step, drivers locker, large boot, coach back end, Siemens digital tacho, test Jan 2016, private plate.

£7,950 + VAT

£POA

£14,950 + VAT

Andy.Bates@chalkwell.co.uk Tel: 01795 423982

01487 843333 / 07834 97751 david@sunfunholidays.co.uk

Whitegate Travel Tel 01606 786833 / 07841 110426

2009 Iveco Library Bus

2008 Iveco Eurorider Beulas Cygnus

NEW Iveco Sitcar Voyager

£25,000 + VAT

Euro 5, superb example, as new, all keys and manuals, only 29,000 miles warranted, direct council, viewing on site in Manchester.

53 seats + courier, 3 point seat belts OR 49 reclining seats with ONE wheelchair position, wheelchair lift, fridge, continental door, cruise control, digital tacho, integral retarder, automatic.

25 seat luxury midi coach, Lazzerini reclining seats + courier + driver, air con, manual gearbox + retarder, double glazed tinted windows, with curtains, power door, radio/PA and CD, luggage space of 4 m3.

£POA

£POA

L.J. Edwards Coach Hire 07974 369570 / 01323 440622

Tel: 0161 223 3882 juliej@stoodley.co.uk

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

Moseley Distributors Ltd Tel: 01236 750501

2008/08 LDV Maxus 3.5T 95 LWB (Euromotive) Welfare

2009 Levante

W reg MAN Noge

6 seater, internal AMF-Bruns chair lift, full tracking, Eberspacher, AVS, A/C, 103K.

National Express specification, disabled access lift, Alcolock, automatic, reclining seats with leather trim, air con, washroom, powered lockers, radio & PA, air-suspension driver’s seat.

37 seats, c/w rear toilet, recent full re-spray, 199,020kms, MOT June 2015.

£11,500

keith.cabincoaches@gmail.com

2002 Iveco Beaulas Automatic gearbox, air conditioned, twin monitors, DVD, toilet, boiler, fridge, 49 seats, Euro 3, MOT March 15.

£25,000 o.n.o.

2007 LDV Maxus LWB EHR 15STR

14 seats + driver, digital tacho, 3 point seatbelts, headrests, side loading door, COIF at cost.

£4,995 + VAT

£6,495 + VAT

UK Minicoaches – 01902 631507 sales@ukminicoaches.co.uk

B&L Coaches 0208 363 8572 or 07971 785390

2009 MAN 18.400 Beulas Cygnus

2000 MAN VanHool EOS 90

53 seat + crew seat, air con, sat nav, Astronic gearbox, new MOT, choice of 3.

D L O

S

£89,950

48 reclining seats plus courier, WC/washroom, double glazed windows, forced-air ventilation, radio/CD and PA system, clean condition, MOT Jan, 640,000 kms.

Tel: 01202 741439 info@seaviewcoaches.com

Coachtraders – 01501 744000

£21,500

£89,000 – 2 AVAILABLE

£16,950 o.n.o.

Lewis Coaches Ltd 02476 449944

Call James 07903 089408 or John 07768 493335

2003 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 411 CDI

2005 Mercedes Benz UNVI Esker Radia

White, semi-auto, 16 seats, ‘53’ reg, electric side door and step, well maintained, MOT 15/02/16.

Cherished number plate will be retained by us.

£4,500 + VAT o.n.o.

Manual, 22 seats + courier, 3 point belts, air conditioning and large boot, excellent condition, low mileage and available with 12 months MOT.

Tel: 01326 378100 Email: office@otsfalmouth.co.uk

Dalesman Coaches - 01943 870228

£32,500

p55_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:50 Page 1

www.coachandbusweek.com 2008 Mercedes 813

D L O

2010 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 515cdi

S

UNVI Vega conversion, 16 seats, large d/g windows, A/C, saloon forced air, large boot space, deep drop boot, 190k miles, good condition, new test, can repaint at extra cost.

Euro 4, 24 seats with 2 tables, air-con, power door, tow bar, Eberspacher heater and air suspension, year’s MOT.

£26,000 + VAT

Hailstone Travel - 0845 388 3848

New EVM Sprinter X-Clusive

VEHICLES D L O

New EVM Sprinter Classic

New Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516cdi

22 comfort class seats, auto gearbox, power entry door, double rear doors, in-dash and saloon AC, saloon heater, 3 stage entry step, luggage racks.

19 seats, power door, panoramic d/g windows, in-dash A/C, saloon forced air, large luggage space, bulkhead and deep drop boot, 3 yr unlimited mileage warranty.

S

£24,950 ono + VAT

£POA

Coachtraders – 01501 744000

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

Coachtraders – 01501 744000

WANTED

2005 (55 reg) Mercedes Vario 814 LWB

• Late model coaches, up to 7 years old.

• Good quality, sensible mileage vehicles.

• From 29 seats up to 70 seats.

• Finance cleared and balance paid direct.

19 reclining seats, quality conversion, air-con, large boot, LEZ compliant Euro 4, 281,000km, FSH, owned from new, MOT Nov 2015.

Mercedes Vario 813 Beaver 3

£POA

Automatic, Plug type power door, coach back, large drop boot, in-dash and saloon a/c, 16 executive class seats in leather, 2 saloon tables, panoramic windows, double glazing, monitor and DVD. Available soon.

Automatic, white, SDB with Beaver 3 styling to front, 28 passenger seats all with lap diagonal belts, only 46,000 miles, Siemens tacho, Telma foot and column retarder, MOT May 2015, power front door, under floor rear access lift.

POA

£40,000 NO VAT

Call 01236 750501

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

Colin Alexander – 07894 483737

jim.tweedie@moseleydistributors.co.uk

Rainham Coach Co Ltd, Kent 01634 852020/07850 657653

2000 Mercedes Vario 614

2005 Mercedes Sprinter 413 CDI

2009 Mercedes Benz Sprinter Minicoach

1999 Mercedes Vario Plaxton Cheetah

16 seat, air con, mood lighting, London compliant, PSV MOT, COIF, extended rear, huge boot, in superb condition, one owner, loads of history, alarm, reverse sensors etc, panoramic windows, ready to go staight to work.

24 seater, power door, private plate, manual, 3 point belts, low mileage, wood dash kit, very good condition, drives great, long PSV MOT, COIF.

£8,000 + VAT – MAY PX

£12,500 + VAT

01404 47502/07790 966667 parnell-coaches@supanet.com

01404 47502/07790 966667 parnell-coaches@supanet.com

WANTED MERCEDES COACHES

£16,995 + VAT

16 moquette seats, automatic, manual entry as well as saloon sliding door, luggage racks, full drawn curtains, double rear doors, monitor/DVD.

£27,500 + VAT

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

29 seats, PSV MOT’d, drives well, manual gearbox, 3 point belts etc, bodywork straight but paintwork a little dull, original interior, may PX.

£10,750 + VAT

01404 47502/07790 966667 parnell-coaches@supanet.com

2002 Mercedes Beaver 2

NEW Mercedes Atego Indcar Next

33 seater, auto, 3 point belts, racks, boot, drives well, new tyres, brakes etc, in good condition, very nice interior, wood dash, etc, may PX.

Available in two weights 10 tonne / 4 cyl engine (33 passenger seats) and 12 tonne / 6 cyl engine (33-37 passenger seats), power doors, air con, radio P/A, CD.

1999 to present year,16 to 35 seats, finance settled, with or without MOT, accident damage etc.

Contact Tim for an immediate decision

Tel: 01404 47502 / 07790 966667 Email: parnell-coaches@supanet.com

£13,999 + VAT

£POA

01404 47502/07790 966667 parnell-coaches@supanet.com

Moseley Distributors Ltd Tel: 01236 750501

2008 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 515 CDI

2002/02 Mercedes 814 Vario Plaxton Beaver 2

2003/03 Mercedes Sprinter 413 CDI UVG Treka

New EVM Sprinter

29 seater, automatic, tacho, big MOT, power door, 283k miles.

17 seater, welfare/accessible, Sprintshift, front entry, power door, COIF, tacho, MOT, 160,000kms, very good all round order.

£11,950 + VAT

£7,450 + VAT

B&L Coaches 0208 363 8572 or 07971 785390

B&L Coaches 0208 363 8572 or 07971 785390

5 Series Euro 6, manual gearbox, metallic silver, standard entry door, saloon sliding door, saloon privacy glazing, decorative curtains, 17 high back seats in automotive trim, 3 pt safety belts, MB air con front &rear, colour coded bumpers & trim. Available soon.

New Mercedes Benz Sprinter Grand Tourer

2009 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 515

7 speed G Tronic auto, power door, panoramic saloon side windows and windscreen, powered elevating boot door, large boot and side lockers, 19 leather seats + driver + courier, air con.

Manual gearbox, 252,000 miles, white, manual entry door, double rear doors, large drop boot, full draw curtains, 16 moquette seats, air con front & rear, luggage racks.

£POA

£25,000 + VAT

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

Auto gearbox, saloon heater, 10 leather seats, tables, in-dash & saloon air con, EVM bodystyling, MOT till April 2015, 130,000 miles.

£40,000 + VAT

£20,000 + VAT

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

1995 Mercedes 711

2006 Mercedes 815 Unvi Riada

24 seats, power door, private plate, COIF PSV MOTd until July, drives well, 3 point belts, boot, etc, good runner, pretty good condition.

29 seats with 3 point belts.

£2,999 + VAT

£39,000

01404 47502/07790 966667 parnell-coaches@supanet.com

Smith & Sons – 01828 626262 info@smithandsonscoaches.co.uk

p56_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 13:37 Page 1

VEHICLES

Call Gemma Ireland Tel: 01733 293247 E: gemma.ireland@coachandbusweek.com

Mercedes Benz UNVI Cimo

New EVM Sprinter 516 Classic

2000 Neoplan Starliner N513 Tourer

Optare Tempo Dual Door Bus

Atego chassis, air suspension, 33 seats with 3 point belts, courier seat, air con, double glazed, radio/CD/PA, large luggage capacity, new test.

Euro 6, GTronic gearbox, white, new EVM Plug type door, saloon privacy glazing, decorative curtains, 22 seats, Euroliner wheel trims, EVM chrome pack, Mercedes Benz saloon air con. Available soon.

60 leather seats, comfort shift, resprayed, PSVD & seatbelt cert, toilet with hand dryer, sink, 3 x TVs, satnav, DVD, fridge, air con, electric sunroof, alloys.

Ex London Transport, 28 seats, 48 standing, lowering suspension, wheelchair ramp, air con, electronic destination, LED lighting, full 12 months test.

£52,000

£54,750

£24,000 NO OFFERS

£29,995

Mayfair Coaches - 0207 603 1111

EVM Direct – 0845 5205160

Call Carl on 00353 86857 0885

Priority Hire – 01905 821843

2009 (58) Optare Versa

2007 Renault Master

2008 (58) Renault Master

1999 Renault Master

10.4m, 34 seats + 22 standees.

KFS Liberty body, 14 seats or 2 seats and 5 wheelchairs, ramp at rear doors, MOT Sept 2015. Auto.

Choice of 2.

KFS Liberty body, 14 seats or 4 seats and 5 wheelchairs, air con, CD player and digital tachograph, ramp at rear doors, auto. MOT April 2016.

Rohill body, 17 seats or 9 seats and 3 wheelchairs, fold out ramp, power entrance doors and destination equipment, MOT October 2016.

£38,500 + VAT – CHOICE

£9,950 + VAT

£10,950 + VAT

£2,200 + VAT

Southdown PSV 01342 711840 bussales@southdownpsv.co.uk

Andy.Bates@chalkwell.co.uk Tel: 01795 423982

Andy.Bates@chalkwell.co.uk Tel: 01795 423982

Andy.Bates@chalkwell.co.uk Tel: 01795 423982

1996 Scania K113 VanHool

1999 Scania K124 Irizar Tri-axle

55 seats, radio/DVD, alloys, towbar, A/C, retrimmed, well maintained, ready to go, private plate NOT included

51 seats, AC, radio/DVD, fridge, toilet, Webasto, on-board wash facility, recent tasteful retrim, MOT Aug 2015, smart attractive well maintained coach, private plate NOT included.

Scania Irizar Century K114

1996 Scania Irizar Century

53 seats (no toilet), ZF auto, 480,000 km, good tyres, good condition, ready for work, LEZ Eminox exhaust, recent service. Sale due to purchase of another coach.

67/70 seats, luggage racks, curtains, 3 point belts, reading lights, power door, double glazing, ZF automatic gearbox, DVD monitor, tinted windows, Telma Retarda, air conditioning, underfloor lockers.

£13,995 + VAT

£17,500 + VAT

Bennett Coach Travel Tel: 01626 335100

Bennett Coach Travel Tel: 01626 335100

2006 Scania K114 Irizar Century

Wheelchair accessible, ZF auto, 65 seater plus courier, air con, fresh white paint, Euro 4 Eminox system, ready to work

£57,500 o.n.o.

Tel: 0151 355 8888 carvercoaches@btconnect.com

2009 Scania K340EB Caetano Levante

2001 Scania L94UB Wright

Reclining seats, air con, washroom/toilet, ZF manual, CD/radio/PA, CCTV, reverse camera, double glazed, curtains, alloy wheels, full service history, front PLS wheelchair lift.

44 seats, automatic ZF gearbox, LED front, side & rear destination, front manual ramp.

£POA – CHOICE OF 9

£12,995

Lewis Coaches Ltd 02476 449944

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

2002 Scania Irizar K114

49 seat executive, WC, AC, 7 speed C-Shift, to be sold with new MOT, excellent condition.

£46,000

£17,500 + VAT

Cabin Coaches Tel: 07725 252402

Drew Wilson Coach Sales 0141 248 5524

2005 Scania Irizar PB K114

2006 Scania K114 Irizar Century

2002 Scania VanHool K124

ZF auto, 13.2m tri axle, LEZ compliant, new MOT, 53 part leather seats, centre sunken toilet, 2 x TVs & DVD, immaculate condition.

Automatic, 49 seats + courier + driver, centre sunken WC, continental door, air con, radio P/A, CD player, wired for monitor and DVD, double glazing & curtains, new MOT.

49 seat executive, WC, AC, 7 speed C-Shift, MOT 30/9/15, excellent condition.

NOW £31,000 + VAT

£59,950 o.n.o. + VAT

£POA

NOW £32,000 + VAT

Kingdoms Tours Ltd 01884 252646 / 07702 626542

Tryers Coaches 01257 480979 sales@tyrerscoaches.co.uk

Moseley Distributors Ltd Tel: 01236 750501

Kingdoms Tours Ltd 01884 252646 / 07702 626542

p57_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:51 Page 1

www.coachandbusweek.com

VEHICLES

2013 Scania Irizar i6

1992 Setra 215 HD

• 12.5 metre • 53 seats • Toilet • Air conditioning • DoFR March 2013 • MoT March 2016 £POA

53 seats, MAN engine, MOT Nov 2015.

2001 Setra 315 GTHD

49 seats, full exec, Merc V8, LEZ compliant, MOT Apr.

£4,750 ono

£27,000 ono

Call Ken – Belle Coaches 01728 830414/07887 898425

Call Ken – Belle Coaches 01728 830414/07887 898425

2003 Setra 315 GTHD

2011 61 plate Sitcar Marlin

2005 Sunsundegai

49 seats with courier and toilet, private plate, owned from new. Choice of 5

49 recliner seats with retractable belts, DVD + 2 monitors, centre toilet, centre power door, boiler + dash fridge, air con, Eminox exhaust for London 2015, Mercedes engine & gearbox, good condition, test until September 2015.

33 seat + guide, finished in Moquette and leather, carpeted, A/C, PA & DVD, MOT Oct 2015, 123k kms

Talisman 01206 252472

2008 Setra 415GTHD Euro 4

£95,000 + VAT

£35,000 + VAT o.n.o.

£85,000 + VAT

Full executive specification, ZF automatic, based on Volvo B12M, 49 reclining seats, moquette trim, crew seat, air con, sunken mid WC, DVD, radio & PA, air-suspension driver’s seat.

Chiltern Travel 07768 215058 tboorman@outlook.com

07730 486708 paul.watson9@btconnect.com

Grange Travel – 01474 357743 info@grange-travel.co.uk

Lewis Coaches Ltd 02476 449944

2002 52 Plate Super Pointer Darts

2001 Y Reg Tridents

2011 Vauxhall Vivaro Combi LWB Tecshift

2008 VDL Futura FHD 127.365

Very well maintained, massive boot via lift up tailgate rear, bodywork in very good condition for mileage.

53 reclining seats, courier seat, plug entrance door, double glazing, air con, radio/PA/CD audio, DVD and monitors, centre toilet, water boiler, fridge, continental exit, Webasto, reverse camera, cruise control, digital tacho, retarder, automatic.

42 seats, DDA compliant, Cummins ISB engines, Voith gearboxes.

Cummins C series engines, Voith gearboxes, Plaxton President bodies, 78 seats.

£POA

FROM £18,000 + VAT

EnsignBus – 01708 865656

EnsignBus – 01708 865656

2010 VDL Futura FHD 127.365PR

53 reclining seats, seatback tables, courier seat, plug door, double glazing, air con, radio/AP/CD audio, DVD & monitors, centre sunken toilet, water boiler, fridge, continental exit, Webasto, reverse camera, cruise control, digitacho, retarder.

£60,000 – 4 AVAILABLE

£11,995 + VAT

£POA

UK Minicoaches – 01902 631507 sales@ukminicoaches.co.uk

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

Volkswagen T5 Bluebird

2011 VW Crafter CR50 TDI L MAXI H-R

2009 Bluebird Tucana

Accessible minibus with COIF and tacho, direct from council, 80,000 miles, Class 5 or PSV MOT.

16 seats, front entry, luggage racks with blown air and reading lights, show curtains and large boot area.

£POA

£7,995 + VAT

£28,495 + VAT

12 seats (plus driver) removable for access to wheelchair points, 2 owners from new, automatic, double side entrance, full height rear doors, side and rear ramps, lowering rear suspension, tacho, climate control, alloys, Cant tracking, rear storage.

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

Chiltern Travel 07768 215058 tboorman@outlook.com

UK Minicoaches – 01902 631507 sales@ukminicoaches.co.uk

Lakelands Hospice 01536 747755

2013 Volkswagen Transporter

2005 Volkswagen

58 reg Volkswagen Crafter x2

8 seats, manual gearbox, air conditioning, 3 point inertia seat belts, plain silver with no previous livery.

Low floor disabled access vehicle, suitable for wheelchairbound and able bodied passengers.

White, 2461cc, auto gearbox, wheelchair accessible, underfloor tail-lifts, FSH, long MOTs.

£13,500

2006 Volvo B12M

£13,995 + VAT

I-shift, LEZ compliant, Hanover LEDs, 12.8m, 50 seats, air-con, servery and toilet, 3 point belts thoughout.

£21,500

£6,000 – 2 AVAILABLE

Ventura Sales 01342 835206

Lewis Coaches Ltd 02476 449944

Steve Hayes – 0161 946 9255 steve.hayes@manct.org

EnsignBus – 01708 865656

2004 Volvo B12B

1998 Volvo VanHool B10M

Volvo B10M Jonkheere

1993 Volvo B10M VanHool

53 seats with lap belts.

70 seats, 3 point height adjustable seat belts, CCTV.

Manual, new MOT, TV & DVD, air conditioning & Webasto,48 seats, rear floor mounted toilet, immaculate condition.

49 seats, air-con, long or new MOT, v.g.c., not ex-National Express.

£39,500 + VAT

Peakes Coaches – 07773 793239

£20,000 o.n.o. + VAT

Tryers Coaches 01257 480979 sales@tyrerscoaches.co.uk

£POA

£8,000

£15,000

Smith & Sons – 01828 626262 info@smithandsonscoaches.co.uk

Smith & Sons – 01828 626262 info@smithandsonscoaches.co.uk

p58_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:52 Page 1

VEHICLES

Call Gemma Ireland Tel: 01733 293247 E: gemma.ireland@coachandbusweek.com

1998 Volvo B10M Enigma

1998 Volvo B10L/ Alexander Ultra

2001 Volvo B10M Berkhof Axial

2000/2001 X/Y Reg Volvo B7TLs

50 reclining seats, TV/DVD, PA, fridge, hot drinks servery, air con, Webasto, alloys. Last one remaining.

49 recliner seats with retractable belts, DVD + monitor, centre toilet and door, Volvo engine, ZF gearbox, test until August 2015.

43 seats (39 belted), ZF auto, other seat-belted Volvo service buses available due to fleet upgrade.

£12,500 + VAT o.n.o.

£9,500 + VAT

£23,750 + VAT

80 seats, Voith gearboxes, Euro 2 engines with traps, or full Euro 3 with traps, Plaxton President bodies, can be DDA with 78 seats.

07730 486708 paul.watson9@btconnect.com

Call 01691 780212 or visit www.tanat.co.uk

Snowcoach Holidays 01727 866177 / 07831 612125

EnsignBus – 01708 865656

1998 Volvo B10M Plaxton Premiere 350

White, MOT expires 05.06.15, well maintained, 49 seats, great condition, original Wallace Arnold interior.

Cherished number plate will be retained by us.

Volvo B12B Sleeper

ZF auto, 14 berth sleeper, Euro 4 LEZ, static AC/heating, 240v, alloy wheels, normal band bus stuff! MOT June 2015, good condition for age.

FROM £20,000 + VAT

2003 Volvo B12M Jonckheere Euro 3

2008 Volvo B7

48 x 3 point belted seats + crew, air con, saloon mounted WC, rear continental door, MOT November 2014.

Euro 5, 43 seats, 30 standing, DDA, RPC, Esteem bodied buses. Choice of 4.

£11,995 + VAT o.n.o.

£19,500 + VAT

Tel: 01326 378100 Email: office@otsfalmouth.co.uk

01487 843333 / 07834 97751 david@sunfunholidays.co.uk

£POA – NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED

Nigel McCree - 07817 542113

Heritage Coaches Tel Russell – 01403 711238

2008 Volvo B7RLE/ Plaxton Centro

1999 Volvo B7R Plaxton Prima

1999 Volvo B6BLE/ Wrights Crusader

2011 Volvo B9R Plaxton Panther

37 seats (recent refurb), ZF auto, MOT until April 2015.

Available due to fleet upgrade. Destination blind not included in sale.

Automatic, 12.8m, 61 seats + courier + driver, power entrance door, 3 point belts, leather headrests + piping, rear continental door, radio P/A, CD player and air con, LEZ compliant, MOT Sept,157,519km.

45 seats (42 belted), ZF auto, 2 available, 1 MOT’d until Dec 15, 1 MOT’d until Feb 16.

Available due to fleet upgrade.

70 re-trimmed coach seats, 3 point seat belts, luggage racks, forced air ventilation, reading lights, 6 speed manual, Telma retarda, 174,969 kms, radio/ cassette, excellent condition.

£78,500 + VAT

£55,000 + VAT

£25,000 + VAT

£9,500 + VAT

£POA

Call 01691 780212 or visit www.tanat.co.uk

Drew Wilson Coach Sales 0141 248 5524

Call 01691 780212 or visit www.tanat.co.uk

Moseley Distributors Ltd Tel: 01236 750501

Due to fleet replacement, we have the following vehicles for sale:

1994 Volvo B10M Plaxton Premier 350

Volvo B12B Plaxton Paragon - I-Shift Gearbox 2007 (Euro IV): 5 x 49/53 seats £69,000 + VAT 2008 (Euro V): 4 x 49/53 seats £84,000 + VAT

All are well maintained, low mileage examples (approximately 62,000km per annum) with reclining seats, 3 point seat belts, air conditioning and demountable toilet with hot/cold water boiler and fridge (unused additional seats to increase seating to 53 included in price). Owned by us from new and used on our own holiday programme. All over cream. Price includes new MOT. Sorry no part exchange facilities!

49 reclining seats, lap retractable belts, toilet, ZF auto, tachograph, power door, aisle carpet, radio/ CD, air con, newly retrimmed seats, repainted white.

CHOICE OF 2 – £9,000 + VAT

Drew Wilson Coach Sales 0141 248 5524

1997 Volvo B12R Jonckheere Monaco

71 reclining seats including lap belts, courier seat, powered centre entrance door, air con, radio/PA/cassette, DVD and monitors, toilet, servery unit, fridge, Telma retarder, cruise control.

To view contact Neil McMurdy - Alfa Travel on 01257 248003 (Direct Line)

2005 Jonckheere Mistral Volvo B12B

13 metre, 53 retrimmed seats with 3 point belts and centre toilet, air con, will be supplied with new MOT.

£47,500 + VAT

Chiltern Travel 07768 215058 tboorman@outlook.com

Volvo B10M

Volvo B10M

Volvo B10M

53 seats, several M reg coaches available.

55 seats, two available.

57 seats.

£POA

£POA

£POA

£POA

Tel: 01823 653000 Moseley in the South

Howard Snaith - 01830 520609 howardsnaith@btconnect.com

Howard Snaith - 01830 520609 howardsnaith@btconnect.com

Howard Snaith - 01830 520609 howardsnaith@btconnect.com

Volvo B7 Optare Esteem

2006 Volvo B12M Berkoff

VOLVO OLYMPIAN ALEXANDER BODY 1998 WITH PVT PLATE FITTED WITH 78 SEATS WITH BELTS MOT AUG 2015 READY TO GO £9,950 + VAT

Euro 5 – RPC, 43 seats, 30 standing, fully DDA compliant, choice of 4 available – would do a bulk deal.

£78,500 & VAT

Round & About – 01293 852032

51/53 seat executive, WC, AC, auto, LEZ, MOT 12/11/15, excellent condition.

NOW £57,000 + VAT

01884 252646 / 07702 626542 Kingdoms Tours Ltd

www.staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01785 811139 07803 222552 staffordbus@btconnect.com

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Beulas Mythos 13.2m / 13.7m / 14.4m Super high – 3.78m + air conditioning MAN RR4 chassis 440bhp / 480 bhp

MOSELEY (PCV) LTD Elmsall Way, Dale Lane South Elmsall Pontefract West Yorkshire WF9 2XS

Tel: 01977 609000 Fax: 01977 609900 enquiries@moseleycoachsales.co.uk www.moseleycoachsales.co.uk

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Ensig DOUBLE DECK 2002 52 PLATE SUPER POINTER DARTS

2006 MERCEDES VARIO 814 32 seats with 3 point belts, manual, LEZ compliant, rear wheelchair lift, very low mileage, COIF, long MOT.

42 seats, DDA compliant, Cummins ISB engines, Voith gearboxes.

2002 DENNIS DART SLFs

1995 VOLVO B10M

10.7m, Cummins ISB Euro 3 engines, Allison gearboxes, airport spec.

ZF manual, Plaxton Excalibur, 53 seats.

2002 02 PLATE DENNIS TRIDENT

2001 Y & 51 PLATE VOLVO B7TLs

Cummins ISC Euro 3 engines, Plaxton bodies, DDA and LEZ compliant, 78 seats.

Volvo Euro 3 engines, Voith gearboxes, 80 seats non DDA or 76 seats DDA, LEZ compliant.

2001 MINI POINTER DART

2004 54 PLATE OPTARE SOLO

8.8m, 29 seats, DDA and LEZ compliant.

2005 55 PLATE DAF SB4000s

Mercedes engine, M920, 33 seats Hanover destination, DDA compliant.

2002 DENNIS DARTS

ZF automatics, LEZ compliant, Van Hool Alizee, 12.4m long, front lift, air con, DDA compliant, Hanover LEDs, 55 seats.

Cummins Euro 3 / Allison, Plaxton Pointer bodies, dual door, 30 seats, DDA and LEZ compliant, can be converted to single door.

ABS fitted – ideal driver trainers

1999 V REG DENNIS TRIDENTS

2002 52 PLATE DENNIS DART SLF

Alexander ALX400 bodies, Cummins C series engines, Voith gearboxes, 80 seats.

Cummins ISB engine, Allison gearbox, Plaxton Pointer body, 10.7m, 37 seats, Hanover LEDs, new MOT.

OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY -

Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 8 Visit our website for current s

704845-1180-Ensign.qxp_Layout 1 16/03/2015 13:44 Page 2

nbus

K ER SPECIALIST 2005 54 PLATE DENNIS DART SLFs

1999 V REG DENNIS TRIDENTS

Cummins C series engines, Voith gearboxes, Plaxton President bodies, 75 seats.

Cummins ISB Euro 3 engines, Allison gearboxes, Plaxton Pointer bodies, 37 seats.

1999 T REG DENNIS TRIDENTS

Cummins C series engines, ZF gearbox, East Lancs bodies, 74 seats, long MOT’s

1999 T REG DENNIS TRIDENT

Cummins C series / Voith gearbox, East Lancs convertible open top, 78 seats.

2007 ENVIRO 200

Cummins Euro 4 , Voith gearbox, East Lancs body, 9.4m, 26 seats, DDA and LEZ compliant.

2001/2002 DENNIS TRIDENTS

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.

2001 & 2002 DENNIS TRIDENTS

ISC Euro 3 engines, DDA and LEZ compliant, Alexander ALX 400 bodies, 62 seats dual door or can be upseated and converted to single door.

2000 X REG VOLVO B7TLs

Euro 2, LEZ compliant, Plaxton President , CCTV, dual door 62 seats or single door 74 seats. £9,000 + VAT

1998 S REG VOLVO OLYMPIAN

Volvo Euro 2 engines, 76 seats, ZF gearboxes, part open top.

2001 Y REG TRIDENTS Cummins C series engines, Voith gearboxes, Plaxton President bodies, 78 seats. £18,000 + VAT

2002 MINI POINTER DART 2002 Mini Pointer Dart, Cummins ISB engines, Allison gearboxes, 8.8m long, 29 seats, DDA compliant.

2003 DENNIS TRIDENTS Voith gearboxes, Alexander ALX 400 bodies, can be 76 seat DDA or 80 seats non DDA, these can be seatbelted.

- BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BUS DEALERS Park, Purfleet, Essex, RM15 4YF 8 864340 e-mail: sales@ensignbus.com t stock at www.ensignbus.com

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BEN WEAVER PSV

PSV

PSV

D L O

S 2007 07 MERCEDES 816 33 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE BUS 4.25 turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, silver, cerificate of initial fitness, analogue tachograph, PSV, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 10 wheelchairs, electric b-fold front door, 172,000 kilometers/107,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT or PSV, fully serviced to RTA standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 23,995 + VAT

2010 10 PLATE FIAT DUCATO MAXI 40 3.0 JTD 160PS KSF FREEDOM STEP ENTRY LOW FLOOR WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 3.0 turbo diesel 160ps euro 5 engine, semi automatic, 1 local authority owner from new, rear air suspension to allow easy access for wheelchairs, COIF for 16 passengers, PSV, digital tacho, fold out rear access ramp, low entry side step, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, full size side entry door, panoramic glass, 49,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 22,495 + VAT

2006 06 PLATE MERCEDES BENZ 616CDI SPRINTER LOW FLOOR ACCESSIBLE SERVICE BUS 2.7CDi turbo diesel 160ps engine, 6 speed automatic, double electric front access plug entry doors, rear emergency exit door, fold out wheelchair access ramp, low floor with tracking for upto 3 wheelchairs, COIF for 15 seated plus 1 wheelchair or 13 seated plus 3 wheelchairs, analogue tachograph, PSV tested, ex local authority owned, 166,000 miles, very good condition supplied with 12 months PSV, fully serviced to RTA standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £17,995 + VAT

2008 57 PLATE VOLKSWAGEN CRAFTER FRONT ENTRY WELFARE BUS 2461cc TDI turbo diesel 161ps, 6 speed automatic gearbox, white, rear air conditioning, underfloor rear wheelchair lift, fully tracked, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, digital tachograph, electric front entry plug door, AVS electric side entry step, CD player, electric mirrors, rear blinds, currently fitted with 13 seats but 8 more can be to make 21 seats inc driver, 92,000 kilometers/57,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 16,495 + VAT

PSV

2004 54 MERCEDES 814 PLAXTON BEAVER 2 33 SEAT WELFARE BUS 4.25 turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, yellow/green, COIF, analogue tachograph, PSV, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 10 wheelchairs, electric bi-fold front door, destination boards, 492,000 kilometers/307,000 miles, VGC, supplied with 12 months MOT or PSV, fully serviced to RTA standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 13,495 + VAT

PSV

2003 03 MERCEDES VARIO 814 33 SEAT WELFARE BUS 4.25 turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, currently yellow, waiting for white respray, Certificate of Initial Fitness for 30 seats, currently fitted with 28 seats, analogue tachograph, PSV, Ricon underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 10 wheelchairs, electric bi-fold front door, Leicester Carriage Builders conversion, 230,000 kilometers/144,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months MOT or PSV, fully serviced to RTA standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 12,495 + VAT

PSV

2007 07 PLATE IVECO DAILY 50C15 AUTOMATIC FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR MINIBUS 3000cc turbo diesel, automatic, COIF, digital tachograph, PSV, electric front entry plug door with fold out step, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, flat floor, currently fitted with 10 seats but additional seating can be added to make into 16 passenger seats, LEZ compliant, ex local authority owned, 121,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 11,795 + VAT

PSV

2008 08 PLATE NEW SHAPE MERCEDES SPRINTER 311CDI LWB 11 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2200 CDi turbo diesel 110ps, 6 speed manual gearbox, white, Frank Guy conversion, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 3 wheelchairs plus 8 passengers, uplift skylight, CD player, electric mirrors, currently fitted with 10 passenger seats but 4 more can be added to make 14 passengers, 172,000 miles but looks and drives like 72,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 13,295 + VAT

PSV

2007 07 PLATE IVECO DAILY 50C15 AUTOMATIC FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR MINIBUS 3000cc turbo diesel, automatic, COIF, digital tachograph, PSV, electric front entry plug door with fold out step, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, flat floor, currently fitted with 10 seats but additional seating can be added to make into 16 passenger seats, LEZ compliant, ex local authority owned, 97,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 12,495 + VAT

PSV

2005 55 PLATE MERCEDES BENZ 614 VARIO 20 SEAT MINICOACH Onyx conversion, analogue tachograph, certificate of initial for 19 passengers, PSV’D, electric plug front entry door, coach style velour seats, overhead luggage racks, large boot, uplift skylight, waiting for full respray, can be painted into any colour of your choice, supplied with 12 months PSV, fully serviced to RTA standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 10,995 + VAT

PSV

2006 55 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T5 16 SEAT WELFARE BUS WITH COIF TACHOGRAPH AND PSV Bluebird Tucana conversion, 2.5 TDI, white, automatic, COIF for 15 passenger seats or 5 wheelchairs plus 2 seated, PSV, analogue tacho, air con, gross vehicle weight 3800 kgs so can be driven without a D1 licence, fold out rear wheelchair ramp, tracking for up to 5 wheelchairs, electric front entry, LEZ compliant, 1 ex local authority owner, 81,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 9,495 + VAT

BEN WEAVER commercIals

2008 58 PLATE FORD TRANSIT XLWB JUMBO HIGH ROOF 11 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.4 turbo diesel 115ps, 6 speed manual gearbox, frozen white, tracking for up to 5 wheelchairs, currenlty fitted with 8 passenger seats but can be made up to 16 passnger seats, 65,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 13,295 + VAT

2007 07 PLATE IVECO DAILY 50C15 AUTOMATIC FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR MINIBUS 3000cc turbo diesel, automatic, COIF, digital tacho, PSV, electric front entry plug door with fold out step, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, flat floor, fitted with 10 seats but additional seating can be added, remote central locking, electric windows, CD player, LEZ compliant, ex local authority owned, 76,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 12,995 + VAT

PSV

PSV

2007 07 PLATE IVECO DAILY 50C15 AUTOMATIC FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR MINIBUS 3000cc turbo diesel, automatic, COIF, digital tacho, electric front entry plug door with fold out step, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, fitted with 9 seats but additional seating can be added, remote central locking, electric windows, CD player, LEZ compliant, ex local authority owned, 100,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 12,495 + VAT

2007 57 PLATE IVECO DAILY 45C15 9-16 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR MINIBUS 3000cc turbo diesel, white, digital tachograph, electric front entry plug door with fold out step, Access under floor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 5 wheelchairs, currently fitted with 12 seats but additional seating can be added to make into 15 passenger seats, CD player, LEZ compliant, ex charity owned, 106,000 kilometers/65,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 11,995 + VAT

PSV

2005 05 MERCEDES VARIO 814 16-24 SEAT WELFARE BUS 4.25 turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, Frank Guy conversion, green, Certificate Of Initial Fitness for 16 passengers, analogue tachograph, PSV, PLC Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 8 wheelchairs, electric bi-fold front door, fold-out side access step, 169,000 kilometers/105,000 miles, ex local authority owned, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to RTA standards, 1 months parts and labour warranty £ 10,495 + VAT

2005 55 PLATE MERCEDES SPRINTER 416CDI 16 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2200 CDI turbo diesel 160ps, 6 speed Sprintshift automatic gearbox, red, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, fully tracked, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, 107,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 9,995 + VAT

PSV

PSV

2005 55 PLATE VOLKSWAGEN LT46 16 SEAT WELFARE FRONT ENTRY MINIBUS 2.5 TDI White, 5 speed manual gearbox, analogue tachograph, manual front entry plug door, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 6 wheelchairs, 3 foldaway seats, currently fitted with 8 passenger seats bus 7 more can be added to make into a 15 passengers seat bus, 1 ex local authority owner, LEZ compliant, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 9,495 NO VAT

2006 06 PLATE VOLKSWAGEN LT46 13 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5 TDI, silver, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 3 wheelchairs, electric plug side entry door with electric access step, digital tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, LEZ compliant, 104,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 8,495 + VAT

2005 05 PLATE VOLKSWAGEN LT46 16 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5 TDI, white, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, fully tracked throughout, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, COIF, PSV, electric plug side entry door, analogue tacho, LEZ compliant, 66,000 miles, one local authority owner from new, very good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 8,495 + VAT

Gower Street, Sheffield, S4 7JW Tel: 0114 275 7076

www.minibuses.co

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commercials PSV

2006 55 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T5 16 SEAT WELFARE BUS WITH COIF, TACHOGRAPH AND PSV Bluebird Tucana conversion, 2.5 TDI, COIF for 15 passenger seats or 5 wheelchairs plus 2 seated, PSV, tacho, air con, gross vehicle weight of 3800 kgs so can be driven without a D1 licence,rear wheelchair ramp, tracking for up to 5 wheelchairs, electric front entry, LEZ compliant, 166,000 miles, fitted with 7 passenger seats but 8 more can be added, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour £ 8,495 + VAT

PSV

2004 54 PLATE IVECO DAILY 65C15 25 SEAT WELFARE BUS WITH TACHOGRAPH COIF AND PSV 2800cc turbo diesel, white, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 8 wheelchairs, currently fitted with 22 passenger seats, 2 more can be added, analogue tacho, Certificate of Initial Iitness for 22 passengers, PSV, overhead luggage storage 1 local authority owner from new 93,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 7,995 + VAT

PSV

2003 53 PLATE MERCEDES SPRINTER LWB 313CDI WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.2 CDI turbo diesel 130ps, silver, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 5 wheelchairs, LEZ compliant, 132,000 miles, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty. £ 6,595 NO VAT

PSV

2003 (03) IVECO DAILY 65C15 23-25 SEAT WELFARE BUSES Analogue tacho, PSV, COIF for 22 passengers, PSV, 2800cc turbo diesel, white, Access underfloor rear chairlift, tracking up to 8 wheelchairs, 1 local authority from new, excellent condition, 12 months PSV and MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,295 +VAT

PSV

2003 03 PLATE IVECO DAILY 65C15 12-24 SEAT WELFARE BUS WITH TACHOGRAPH COIF AND PSV 2800cc turbo diesel, white, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 8 wheelchairs, currently fitted with 12 passenger seats plus drivers companion 10 more can be added to take 22 passengers, analogue tachograph, COIF for 22 passengers, PSV, 1 local authority owner from new, 215,000 kilometers/134,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 5,795 + VAT

2002 02 PLATE (ON PRIVATE REG) MERCEDES SPRINTER 411CDI 17 SEAT MINIBUS/MINICOACH 2.2CDi turbo diesel, 5 speed manual gearbox, silver, certificate of initial fitness, analogue tachograph, PSV, overhead storage with reading lights and forced air, curtains, sunroof, CD player, 313,000 miles, good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,495 + VAT

PSV

2004 53 PLATE FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT WELFARE MINIBUS White, 2.4 turbo diesel 125 p,s 5 speed manual gearbox, UV Modular conversion, Certificate of Initial Fitness for 12 passengers, PSV, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, electric plug front entry door, 1 ex local authority owner from new, LEZ compliant, 133,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,295 + VAT

PSV

2003 53 PLATE FORD TRANSIT 11 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS White, 2.4 125ps turbo diesel, Certificate of Initial Fitness for 10 passengers and 2 wheelchairs, PSV, Ratcliffe internal rear wheelchair lift, tracking for 2 wheelchairs, 82,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV/MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 5,795 + VAT

PSV

2006 06 REG IVECO DAILY 40C14 13 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 3000cc turbo diesel 140ps, 6 speed manual gearbox, white, COIF for 12 passengers, analogue tacho, current PSV expires 3rd April 2015, tracking for 4 wheelchairs, Ricon underfloor rear wheelchair lift, LEZ compliant, fold out side door, access step, 4200kgs gross vehicle weight so can be driven without a d1 licence, 151,000 kilometers/94,000 miles, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,795 + VAT

2005 55 PLATE IVECO DAILY IRIS 45C13 13 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS Analogue tachograph, electric front entry plug door with low access step, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift, tracking for upto 4 wheelchairs, 189,000 kilometers/118,000 miles excellent condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,795 + VAT

PSV

PSV

2004 54 PLATE FORD TRANSIT 16 SEAT WELFARE MINIBUS White, 2.4 turbo diesel 125 ps, 5 speed manual gearbox, Chassis Developments conversion, Certificate of Initial Fitness for 15 passengers, PSV, analogue tachograph, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, electric plug front entry doo,r 1 ex local authority owner from new, LEZ compliant, 100,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,495 + VAT

2004 04 PLATE FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT WELFARE MINIBUS White, 2.4 turbo diesel 125 ps, 5 speed manual gearbox, Chassis Developments conversion, Certificate of Initial Fitness for 15 passengers, PSV, analogue tachograph, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, electric plug front entry door, 1 ex local authority owner from new, LEZ compliant ,79,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 6,495 + VAT

PSV

PSV

2003 53 PLATE IVECO DAILY 65C15 16 TO 23 SEAT WELFARE BUS WITH TACHOGRAPH COIF AND PSV 2800cc turbo diesel, metallic light green, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 8 wheelchairs, currently fitted with 16 passenger seats, 6 more can be added to take 22 passengers, analogue tachograph, COIF, PSV, overhead luggage storage, 132,000 kilometers/82,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 5,995 + VAT

2004 53 PLATE IVECO DAILY 65C15 16 TO 23 SEAT WELFARE BUS WITH TACHOGRAPH COIF AND PSV 2800cc turbo diesel, metallic light blue, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 8 wheelchairs, currently fitted with 10 passenger seats, 6 more can be added to take 22 passengers, analogue tachograph, COIF, PSV, 214,000 kilometers/134,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 5,995 + VAT

PSV

2003 53 PLATE IVECO DAILY IRIS 40C13 15 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS Analogue tachograph, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, 2.8 turbo diesel 6 speed manual gearbox, white, panoramic glass, front entry door, Ratcliffe underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, LEZ compliant, 166,000 kilometers 103,000 miles, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 5,695 + VAT

PSV

2002 52 PLATE VOLKSWAGEN LT46 16 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5 TDI, white, Ricon underfloor rear wheelchair lift, fully tracked throughout, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, certificate of initial fitness, PSV, analogue tachograph, panoramic glass, LEZ compliant, 226,000 kilometers/141,000 miles,1 local authority owner from new, excellent condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 5,295 + VAT

PSV

D L O

D L O

S

2002 VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER 2.5TDI LWB 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.5 turbo diesel, blue, Ricon internal rear wheelchair lift with fittings for 1 wheelchair, twin side loading doors, just had the following engine work carried out by ourselves due to water pump failure: new water pump, both timing belt kits replaced, new head gasket and head bolts fitted, eplaced camshaft and 3 valves, previously supplied by ourselves, very good condition, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month warranty CASH PRICE £ 4,695 NO VAT

S 2002 02 PLATE IVECO DAILY IRIS 40C13 17 SEAT FRONT ENTRY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2.8 turbo diesel, 6 speed manual gearbox, white, certificate of initial fitness, analogue tachograph, PSV, panoramic glass, electric front entry plug door, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for upto 6 wheelchairs, LEZ compliant, 150,000 kilometers 95,000 miles, very good condition, supplied with 12 months PSV or MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 months nationwide parts and labour warranty £ 4,395 + VAT

2003 03 REG IVECO DAILY 45C13 11 SEAT FRONT ENTRY LONG WHEEL BASE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE MINIBUS 2800cc turbo diesel white, white, Access underfloor rear wheelchair lift, tracking for up to 6 wheelchairs, tachograph, LEZ compliant, currently fitted with 11 seats but can be made upto 17, 200000 kilometers, 124000 miles, supplied with 12 months MOT, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards, 1 month nationwide parts and labour warrantry £ 4,095 + VAT

All vehicles supplied with 12 months MOT/PSV, fully serviced to Good Garage Scheme standards and 1–3 months nationwide parts and labour warranty

2001 Y REG LDV CONVOY 17 SEAT HIGH ROOF MINIBUS Ford 2.5 diesel engine, Ford 5 speed manual gearbox, white, very very good condition for its age, last owner has had this bus since 2002, MOT’d until 6th October 2015, 77,000 miles. £ 1,695 NO VAT

p68_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 13:10 Page 68

The

Stafford Bus Centre Specialist Bus & Coach Sales FORD TRANSIT FACTORY 16/17 SEAT BUS 59 reg with 38K miles, tacho, new COIF and PSV MOT £12,950 Various PSV Transits 57-61 reg available

MERCEDES SPRINTER 616 CDI 56 & 06 reg 24 seats and full DDA spec 1 and 2, manual gearbox, very rare £18,950

ADL ENVIRO 300 2006 56 REG. SLF BUS - dual use options, with 60 x 3 point belted seats, LDuse on bus services or SO school contracts.

PHONE FOR SPEC AND PRICE DENNIS DART CAETANO CUTLASS. Step entrance with 38 LD contracts etc. £3,450 SOschool seats and 3 point belts. Ideal FORD TRANSITS 15-17 seats, available for short term rental. Rent for one week, month or year. Up to you.

Always available.

Phone for details MERCEDES 413D SPRINTER 2004 04 REG. Extra long body D boot, COIF and long OLheight with 16 seats and hugeSfull MoT. £11,950

68 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015

VEHICLES AVAILABLE FOR SHORT AND LONGER TERM HIRE

www.staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01785 811139 07803 222552 staffordbus@btconnect.com MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER 2 2002 52 reg 28 seats on tracking destination, etc £10,950

MERCEDES 413 CDI UVG TREKA 2005 55 reg 16 h/b seats, tacho etc, PSV test to Sept 2015, only 90K miles £12,950

VOLVO OLYMPIAN ALEXANDER BODY 1998 PP 78 seats with belts, August test, ready to work £9,950

FORD TRANSIT T430 2010 60 reg 16/17 seats, extra high roof, with COIF and PSV test, great value at only £10,950

MERCEDES 814 VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER 2 2004 54 REG. Fitted with 20 seats on tracking, and up to 10 wheelchairs, SOLDgearbox, power door, PSV, COIF and MoT, manual destination etc. long wheel base so could go to 32 seats. £14,950 IVECO DAILY 45 15 LWB HIGH ROOF 2005 55 REG. 16 seats wheelchair accessible with power door, new MoT £5,950 DENNIS DART PLAXTON SUPER POINTER. 47 fully belted D L seats, ideal for schools SO £9,450 DAF PLAXTON PREMIER 1996 PP. Fitted with 55 seats, automatic gearbox, new MOT upon sale £9,950

VW CR50 WITH STANFORD CONVERSION 2007 07 REG. Very expensive and high spec conversion by Stamford who are recognised as the best in the industry, fitted with 14 high back seats with 3 point belts, Palfinger Hideaway tail lift and capacity to carry up to 9 passengers and 2 wheelchairs, it has only covered just over 60k miles from new and is in outstanding condition, all paperwork and spare keys, ready to go £17,950 OPTARE SOLO M850 2000 W REG. One remaining with 23/25 coach seats with ramp, DDA etc £4,950 VDL SB180 2010 59 REG Cummins 6 ISB engine with MCV Evolution body, only 20k miles £POA

www.coachandbusweek.com

701915-1180-DrewWilson.qxp 16/03/2015 12:43 Page 1

DREW WILSON coach sales

1998 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PREMIERE 320 57 coach seats, Cummins engine, MOT March, 417119kms, radio cassette, 6 speed ZF manual gearbox, power door, double glazed, tinted windows, tidy retrimmed interior. £9,950 + VAT

2004 FORD TRANSIT 15 seats, 3 point belts, manual., radio.

2010 AYATS BRAVO DOUBLE DECKER 83 seats plus crew seat, 2 side entry doors, carpets, UK COIF, toilet, fridge, TV/DVD, servery, AS Tronic gearbox.

POA

£190,000 + VAT

2004 VOLVO B12M PLAXTON PANTHER 55 reclining seats + crew seat, 3 point belts, curtains, aisle carpet, forced air heating, reading lights, luggage racks, manual., power door, re-trimmed seats. £43,500 + VAT

2000 DENNIS JAVELIN CAETANO ENIGMA 53 seats, lap retractable belts, luggage racks, reading lights, forced air heating, curtains, manual.

2002 IVECO MAXIM 29 coach seats, lap retractable belts, crew seat, power door, manual gearbox, forced air, reading lights, curtains, radio cassette.

POA

1997 SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 51 reclining seats, toilet, lap retractable belts, crew seat, comfort shift, double glazing, tinted windows, power door, air con, repainted in white, tidy condition, 199,039kms. £7,500 + VAT

2003 VOLVO B12M JONCKHEERE MISTRAL 50 leather coach seats, manual, 3 point belts, curtains, rear toilet, CD/radio, monitor, forced air heating, reading lights, power door. £37,000 + VAT

£12,000 + VAT

2000 MERCEDES HISPANO

49 seats, semi automatic, lap retractable belts, centre toilet, forced air heating, reading lights, TV monitor. £19,950 + VAT

1995 VOLVO B10M CAETANO ALGARVE II 70 seats, 3 point belts, manual gearbox, lap retractable seatbelts, luggage racks, floor vents, reading lights, radio/CD, new MOT. £19,000 + VAT

1999 MERCEDES BEAVER 2 31 bus seats, lap belts, luggage holder, manual, power door.

2010 MERCEDES CHEETAH 33 coach seats, 3 point belts, tinted and double glazed panoramic windows, power door, forced air heating, reading lights, Euroliners, repainted white, boot, side locker, new MOT. £80,000 + VAT

1999 IVECO BEULAS STERGO E

51 recliners with belts, crew seat, luggage racks with reading lights, power door, manual gea box, rear floor mounted toilet, long MOT, 840,000 kms. £13,000 + VAT

POA

2006 MERCEDES VARIO 814D OPTARE NOUVELLE SR 29 coach seats, 3 point seatbelts, large boot, air con, luggage racks, forced air, power door, new MOT, genuine 22,6000 km, absolutely mint condition inside and out, PX considered. £32,000 + VAT

1995 VOLVO B9M VAN HOOL ALIZE 38 reclining seats, rear floor mounted toilet, manual, double glazed, tinted windows, power door. New MOT, rear servery, air conditioning, new paint. £1,000 + VAT

1989 VOLVO B10M VAN HOOL 57 seats with lap retractable belts, luggage racks, reading lights, forced air heating, manual, crew seat, power door.

121,446kms, new test, new retrim, repainted in white. £3,500 + VAT

2002 TOYOTA OPTIMO 23 reclining seats, power door, analogue tacho, radio/cassette, luggage racks, forced air heating, reading lights, MOT’d. £9,500 + VAT

1998 MERCEDES CHEETAH 32 seats with 3 point belts, luggage racks, curtains, aisle carpet, forced air heating, reading lights, power door, CD player, walnut dash. £15,000 + VAT

CHOICE OF OVER 350 VEHICLES • OPEN 7 DAYS 08.00-18.00

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.DREWWILSON.CO.UK Tel/Fax: 0141 248 5524 • Mob: 07764 200444 • Email: drew@drewwilson.co.uk Mob: 07827 325474 • Email: graham@drewwilson.co.uk

p70_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 14:30 Page 70

Nigel McCree 16 seater, luxury minicoach, air con, mood lighting, London compliant, PSV MOT, COIF, extended rear, in superb condition, one owner from new, drives excellent, loads of history, alarm, reverse sensors etc, top spec vehicle, panoramic windows,

WANTED: MERCEDES COACHES

2005 Optare Solo M780SL • Merc power • 21 belted seats (3pt) • 16 Standees.

• Wheelchair floor tracking to take more than 1 wheelchair • MOT 02-05-2015

£26,000 + VAT ovno Tel: 01805 938036 Mob: 07817 542113 Email: nigel@nigelmccree.com Insurance Insurance Stock updated weekly on the website:

www.nigelmccree.com

1999 to present year, 16 to 35 seats, finance ready to go staight to work. £14750 settled, with or without MOT, accident damage, etc. – IMMEDIATE DECISION

Call Tim 01404 47502 or 07790 966667 Email: parnell-coaches@supanet.com

SHORT OF CASH? RE-FINANCE YOUR VEHICLES WITH US – CALL 07808 856390

Heathrow based commercial vehicle superstore Up to 50 buses always in stock – prices start from £4,995 Contact: 01784 256 255 www.wheelsvancentres.co.uk

VAUXHALL MOVANO MWB 2.3 9 seats, wheelchair lift, one owner £21,995

10 reg VW CRAFTER CR50 5T 2.5 TDI 16 seat, wheelchair lift, 54,000 miles £22,950

MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 15 seat, wheelchair ramp, 103,000 miles £19,995

CHO

ICE

20 MERCEDES-BENZ ATEGO 1523L Mobile library, one council owner from new £11,995 70 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015

MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER 413 CDI 17 seat, air conditioning, semi-auto £19,995

OF

FORD TRANSIT 17 seaters – choice of 20 From £7,995 www.coachandbusweek.com

707218-1180-Chalkwell.qxp 16/03/2015 09:31 Page 1

1997 Volvo Olympian

1999 Dennis Dart SLF

2001 Mercedes 814D

Volvo engine, Alexander body, 78 seats and 16 standees, Hanover equipment front side and rear, MOT June 2015

33 seats with 19 standing and various combinations including wheelchair space, Hanover destination front side and rear, manual wheelchair ramp, fully DDA compliant with accessibility certificate, choice of 5, MOT May and July.

27 seats with 3-point belts, LEZ compliant, manual, MOT April 2016.

£5,995 + VAT

£6,250 + VAT

£14,950 + VAT

2003 Scania Irizar Inter Century Retrimmed and repainted, LEZ compliant, 53 seats, automatic, MOT Nov/Dec 2015.

£43,000 + VAT

2003 Scania Irizar Inter Century

2002 Renault Master

2002 Mercedes 814D Vario Beaver 2

Retrimmed and repainted, LEZ compliant, 53 seats, automatic, MOT Nov/Dec 2015.

Rohill Harrier body, 16 seats or 8 seats and 2 wheelchairs, ramp at front power doors, MOT Oct 2015.

Owned from new, 33 highback coach seats, three point seats belts, Hanover destination, manual, luggage racks, boot, power door, LEZ compliant, MOT Dec 15.

£43,000 + VAT

£2,750 + VAT

£14,950 + VAT

Chalkwell Garage & Coach Hire

Tel: 01795 423982 Email andy.bates@chalkwell.co.uk

705017-1180-Pembridge.qxp 16/03/2015 12:08 Page 1

minibus & wav sales (11) 2011 Peugeot Boxer 3.5ton 17 seat 2.3 diesel, tacho, air-con, high back seats with three point belts, tracking to take one wheelchair, easy clean floor, 25,000 miles £15,495

(13) 2013 Peugeot Expert Teepe 2.0 diesel six speed, wheelchair accessible, lightweight ramps, twin side doors, air-con, red, 5,500 miles only £16,995

(61) 2012 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.3 diesel engine, six speed, high back seats with three point belts, easy clean floor, COIF/PSV £13,995

(62) 2013 Citroen Berlingo, automatic, 8,000 miles only, low floor, lightweight ramp, electric reals, high spec £12,850

(61) 2012 Renault Master SL28 7 seat automatic 2.3 diesel, six speed, tracking for two wheelchairs, inboard lift, sat-nav, air-con, electric windows, central locking, 9,500 miles only £17,495

(13) 2013 Renault Trafic LL29 Sport, 9 seats, sat-nav, Bluetooth, six speed, 29,831 miles £16,950

New Peugeot Boxer 16 seat 3.5 ton and 17 seat wheelchair accessible minibuses, 2.2 diesel 120ps, six speed gearbox LEZ COMPLIANT From £24,750 + VAT

(60) Ford Transit 9 seat wheelchair accessible, Ricon internal lift, tracking for two wheelchairs, rear heating £13,995

Electric Peugeot Boxer E Monarch automatic 13 seat minibus, twin side doors, fully tracked floor, road fund exempt, white, 1,600 miles only £19,995

(05) 2005 Renault Traffic 1.9 diesel, six speed manual gearbox, 4 seats plus wheelchair access, lightweight ramp, air-con, electric windows, blue, 53,000 miles £6,495

Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304

Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales NP4 0AL – 10 minutes from M4 motorway.

Viewing by appointment only Finance Contract Hire and Finance Lease Available. We deliver Nationwide. All vehicles prepared to VOSA standard COIF/PSV specialist

All above prices are subject to VAT @ 20%

p73_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 13:12 Page 73

The

Stafford Bus Centre Specialist Bus & Coach Sales FORD TRANSIT FACTORY 16/17 SEAT BUS 59 reg with 38K miles, tacho, new COIF and PSV MOT £12,950 Various PSV Transits 57-61 reg available

MERCEDES SPRINTER 616 CDI 56 & 06 reg 24 seats and full DDA spec 1 and 2, manual gearbox, very rare £18,950

ADL ENVIRO 300 2006 56 REG. SLF BUS - dual use options, with 60 x 3 point belted seats, LDuse on bus services or SO school contracts.

PHONE FOR SPEC AND PRICE DENNIS DART CAETANO CUTLASS. Step entrance with 38 LD contracts etc. £3,450 SOschool seats and 3 point belts. Ideal FORD TRANSITS 15-17 seats, available for short term rental. Rent for one week, month or year. Up to you.

Always available.

Phone for details MERCEDES 413D SPRINTER 2004 04 REG. Extra long body D boot, COIF and long OLheight with 16 seats and hugeSfull MoT. £11,950

www.coachandbusweek.com

VEHICLES AVAILABLE FOR SHORT AND LONGER TERM HIRE

www.staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01785 811139 07803 222552 staffordbus@btconnect.com MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER 2 2002 52 reg 28 seats on tracking destination, etc £10,950

MERCEDES 413 CDI UVG TREKA 2005 55 reg 16 h/b seats, tacho etc, PSV test to Sept 2015, only 90K miles £12,950

VOLVO OLYMPIAN ALEXANDER BODY 1998 PP 78 seats with belts, August test, ready to work £9,950

FORD TRANSIT T430 2010 60 reg 16/17 seats, extra high roof, with COIF and PSV test, great value at only £10,950

MERCEDES 814 VARIO PLAXTON BEAVER 2 2004 54 REG. Fitted with 20 seats on tracking, and up to 10 wheelchairs, SOLDgearbox, power door, PSV, COIF and MoT, manual destination etc. long wheel base so could go to 32 seats. £14,950 IVECO DAILY 45 15 LWB HIGH ROOF 2005 55 REG. 16 seats wheelchair accessible with power door, new MoT £5,950 DENNIS DART PLAXTON SUPER POINTER. 47 fully belted D L seats, ideal for schools SO £9,450 DAF PLAXTON PREMIER 1996 PP. Fitted with 55 seats, automatic gearbox, new MOT upon sale £9,950

VW CR50 WITH STANFORD CONVERSION 2007 07 REG. Very expensive and high spec conversion by Stamford who are recognised as the best in the industry, fitted with 14 high back seats with 3 point belts, Palfinger Hideaway tail lift and capacity to carry up to 9 passengers and 2 wheelchairs, it has only covered just over 60k miles from new and is in outstanding condition, all paperwork and spare keys, ready to go £17,950 OPTARE SOLO M850 2000 W REG. One remaining with 23/25 coach seats with ramp, DDA etc £4,950 VDL SB180 2010 59 REG Cummins 6 ISB engine with MCV Evolution body, only 20k miles £POA

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 73

706682-1180-Connaught.qxp_Layout 1 16/03/2015 13:45 Page 1

Brand New coach-built Mercedes 516 CDi Euro 6 Ferqui Soroco 19 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, AC, DG, reading lights, power door, tow-bar and boot.

Brand New Coach-built Mercedes Atego Ferqui F5 34, 36 or 38 high back seats, 3 point belts, air conditioning, double glazing, reading lights, power door, curtains, large boot. Orders now being taken.

D L O

S

Last available for March delivery - Brand New Mercedes 516 CDi coach-built Ferqui Soroco 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, DG, curtains, power door, large boot, metallic paint.

D L O

S

2011 Mercedes 516 CDi Sprinter Auto 16 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, AC, forced air, reading lights, curtains, large boot.

2010 Mercedes 516 CDi Soroco 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, DG, forced air, reading lights, power door and large boot.

2010 Mercedes 515 CDi Soroco 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, DG, forced air, reading lights, power door, metallic paint and boot.

2009 Mercedes 515 CDi coach-built Ferqui Soroco 16 high back seats. 3 point belts, AC, DG, curtains, power door, large boot.

2008 Iveco 40C12 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, curtains, drop step, coach back end.

2007 57 Reg Mercedes Soroco 16 high back leather trimmed seats, 3 point belts, AC,DG, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

2005 Mercedes Benz 413 CDi Sprinter 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, curtains, drop step and boot.

1999 S Reg Mercedes 814 Plaxton Beaver 33 seats, 3 point belts, power door, manual gearbox, new test.

D L O

S

2006 56 Reg Mercedes 413CDi Soroco 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, AC, forced air, reading lights, curtains, power door & large boot.

Steve Peach Tel: 01405 814064 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: info@connaughtpsv.co.uk Web: www.connaughtpsv.co.uk

707226-1180-Moseley South.qxp 15/03/2015 09:07 Page 1

BUS & COACH

IN THE SOUTH LTD.

Available from April/May 2015

The all new “Indcar Next” Luxury Midi Coach 12 Tonne Automatic or Manual 10 Tonne Automatic or Manual Call us for further details of specification options & availability

2010 SCANIA K360 OMNI EXPRESS AUTOMATIC & EURO EEV EMISSION LEVEL • 51 Reclining seats • 3 point seat belts • Seat back tables • Individual footrests • Courier seat • Rear floor mtd toilet • Continental exit • Powered door • Radio P/A CD audio

• DVD & monitor • Fridge & boiler • Double glazing • AIR CONDITIONING • Reverse camera • Alloy wheels • Retarder • Digital tacho

2006 VOLVO B12BT BERKHOP AXIAL 100 ‘I’ SHIFT - EURO 4 PM • 72 Reclining seats • Lap belts • Seat back tables • Courier seat • Powered door • Crew door • Double glazed • AIR CONDITIONING • Radio/PA/CD • DVD & monitors • Toilet compartment

• Servery with fridge • Hot & cold water • Blaupunkt sat-nav • Ski box • Drivers bunk • Alloy wheels • Luggage racks • Integral retarder • Cruise control • Digital tachograph • Eminox exhaust

Summerfield Avenue, Chelston Business Park, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9JF

2008 IVECO BEULAS CYGNUS AUTOMATIC & EURO 4 & W/CHAIR ACCESS • 53 Reclining seats • 3 point seat belts • Courier seat • Power plug door • Double ºglazing • Air conditioning, • Radio/CD/PA • DVD & monitor

• Dash mounted fridge • WHEELCHAIR LIFT N/S (seating reduced to 49) • Rear continental exit with powered door • Retarder • Digital tachograph

TOYOTA CAETANO OPTIMO V EURO 5 – LOW MILEAGE • 22 Reclining seats • 3 point seatbelts • Leather headrests • Footrests • Magazine nets • Drivers door

• Double glazing • AIR CONDITIONING • Reverse camera • Radio/PA/CD audio • Euroliner wheel trims • Digital tacho

www.moseleysouth.co.uk @MoseleySouth

/moseley south

2008 VDL BOVA FUTURA FHD 127.365PR AUTOMATIC – EURO 5 • 53 Reclining seats • Leather headrests • Courier seat • Double glazing • AIR CONDITIONING • Centre sunken toilet • Continental exit • Water boiler & fridge situated at toilet top

• Audio & DVD • Twin monitors • Reverse camera • Digital tacho • Retarder • Cruise Control • Auto transmissION • Retarder • Digital tacho

1998 DENNIS JAVELIN BERKHOF RADIAL L.E.Z COMPLIANT • 53 Reclining seats • Courier seat • Plug entrance door • Double glazing

• Audio equipment • Manual transmission • Dinex CRT exhaust system

Telephone (01823) 653000 Fax: (01823) 663502 Email: sales@moseleysouth.co.uk

707166-1179-Eurotaxis FP.qxp 09/03/2015 12:45 Page 1

07970 096 262 2005 Volvo B12M VanHool Alizee T9

D L O

2000 Mercedes Setra S315 GTHD

New MOT, 49 seat executive coach with DVD, A/C and 2 screens, LEZ and automatic, 527k kms.

MOT May 2015, manual gearbox, 48 seats, centre toilet, 706k kms.

£59,995

£17,995

S 2003 Mercedes Setra S315 GTHD

2003 Mercedes Setra S315 GTHD

1 years MOT, 48 seats, LEZ compliant, manual gearbox, centre toilet, DVD screens, 756k kms.

48 seats, LEZ, MOT November 2015, manual gearbox, 401k kms.

£27,995

£27,995

2005 Mercedes Setra S315 GTHD

2004 Volvo B12B Sunsundegui Sideral

LEZ, auto gearbox, A/C, LEZ, 48 seater, MOT August 2015, 659k kms.

LEZ, auto gearbox, MOT Sept 2015, 2 flat screens, centre toilet, A/C, 515k kms.

£45,995

£32,995

2003 Volvo B12B Sunsundegui Sideral

2004 Mercedes Setra S415 HD

LEZ, manual gearbox, MOT Sept 15, centre toilet, 2 flat screens, 464k kms.

MOT Apr 15, 680k kms, 48 seats, LEZ automatic gearbox.

£25,995

£42,995

www.eurotaxis.com

p77_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:57 Page 77

AUDIO & VIDEO

CMS BRADFORD - WEST YORKSHIRE

Coach Multimedia Systems

AUDIO/VISUAL/SECURITY SYSTEMS, LCD/LED MONITORS, DVD/HDD PLAYERS, REAR VIEW CAMERA SYSTEMS, MICROPHONES, CCTV, DIGITAL/SATELLITE SYSTEMS, USB CONNECTIVITY ALL SYSTEMS PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF THE UK WITH 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Phone: 07933 47 48 48 Email: Andy.Baxter@coachmultimediasystems.co.uk www.coachmultimediasystems.co.uk

ENGINES

• Audio / PA systems • Video-on-demand systems • Monitor & DVD systems • Hands-free mobile phone kits • Reversing cameras and sensors • Multi or single language systems • CCTV • Alarms, tracking and cruise control • SkyTV systems • GPS commentary systems

E & E Potts Ltd

DIESEL ENGINE RECONDITIONER

UK and Ireland Distributor

www.autosound.co.uk Tel: 0044 (0)1274 688990 Unit 4, Lister Street, Dudley Hill, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 9PQ

BUILDINGS HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

CHECKPOINTS

Specialists in Cummins, Perkins, Caterpillar, Mercedes Commercial, Volvo, MAN, DAF, Scania.

With over 50 years in the Engine business, E&E Potts are renowned for the efficiency of our Engines. Our Engineers have over 80 years of combined Diesel Engine building experience.

All Engines are Dynamometer and Smoke Emissions Tested.

Full Engines, Long Engines and Short Motors available.

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 www.coachandbusweek.com

Cylinder Heads, Blocks, Crankshafts, Camshafts, Pistons, Turbochangers, Gaskets and Bearings always in stock.

Call us today on 0161-737-4666 Email: eepottsltd@aol.com Engine House, New Thomas Street, Salford, M6 6WF

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 77

p78_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 12:59 Page 78

Call Caroline Hallam Tel: 01733 293488 E: caroline.hallam@coachandbusweek.com

CLASSIFIEDS ENGINES

EQUIPMENT

MAN VOLVO CUMMINS SCANIA DAF ETC

REGISTRATIONS

GARAGE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Specialists in Brake Testers & Column Lifts www.bwsequip.co.uk BWS (0117) 9530381

£750 99 HXY AXZ 70 KIG 80 LAZ 39 LIG 59 PHZ 66 SBZ 38 UKZ 40 XIL 46

£350 AHZ 919 DKZ 494 GJZ 585 IDZ 373 PCZ 939 UKZ 202 WDZ 848 XBZ 404 XIB 494

£50 EXZ 5661 EXZ 5662 GXZ 8664 GXZ 8665 HXZ 1701 HXZ 1702 HXZ 1703 IRZ 5560 IRZ 5561

£50 JFZ 8751 JFZ 8752 LIG 7571 LIG 7572 MIG 9582 MIG 9583 OIG 3715 OIG 3716 OIG 3717

£50 OIG 3718 PFZ 4270 PFZ 4271 PFZ 4272 RHZ 5651 RHZ 5652 SHZ 8232 SHZ 8233 SHZ 8234

£50 SHZ 8235 VJZ 8502 VJZ 8503 VJZ 8504 VJZ 8505 WJZ 2931 WJZ 2932 WJZ 2933 WJZ 2934

Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ Tel: 028 6638 7124 · www.speedyreg.co.uk · sales@speedyreg.co.uk

GARAGE EQUIPMENT

REPAIRS

COMMERCIAL GARAGE EQUIPMENT

VOSA AUTHORISED TESTING FACILITY Commercial Garage Equipment Midlands Ltd (CGE) are one of the main providers of ATF Lanes to the CV Market ATF lane includes: - CAD drawing - Civil work - Brake tester approved for all classes - Prefabricated steel pit - Headlight tester - Play detectors - Radius plates - Pit jacks / jacking beams - Optional class 4 / 7 testing - Gas & smoke analyser

Above: Various stages of completion of an ATF Lane at Aldridge Transport, Launceston

Other equipment supplied: - Commercial scissor lifts - Galvanised commercial scissor lifts - HGV 4 post lifts - Brake testers - MOT bays (all classes) - Prefabricated steel pits - Inspection pits - Gas & smoke - Jacking beams - Car lifting equipment - Column lifts - Civil work with drawings - Leasing & finance available

REFURBISHMENT

LOW COST QUALITY RESPRAYS

T: 01386 244758 M: 07538 218194 E: sales@commercialgarageequipment.co.uk W: www.commercialgarageequipment.co.uk

Caroline Hallam

GARAGE EQUIPMENT WANTED

5(48,5(' ONE 7 TONNE PRO LIFT COLUMN OR FULL SET CONSIDERED Please Contact Silver Fox Bus Co. Ltd. on 01895 257557 78 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015

Coaches from £900 Service buses from £750 Minibuses from £600 Deckers from £950 Quotes on any other vehicles on request

Buscare Warwicks

T: 01733 293488 F: 0845 280 2927 E: caroline.hallam@coachandbusweek.com

SEATS & TRIM

Email: j.chandler1946@btinternet.com

All aspects of coach interior re-trim carried out to a high standard at competitive prices!

ALL VEHICLES FINISHED IN CERAMIC 2K PAINT – EXTRA HARD WEARING

Tel: 01253 696033 info@westcoasttrim.co.uk Burton Road, Blackpool FY4 4NW

Day 07774 485310 Night 01789 296884

www.coachandbusweek.com

p79_CBW_1180.qxp 16/03/2015 13:01 Page 79

www.coachandbusmarket.com

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TRAINING

SEATBELTS

cts

Whalley Centre for Transport Studies

CPC Management Courses “Everyone knows someone who has done their training at Whalley”

Tel: 01254 248177 Clitheroe, Lancashire info@whalleytransportstudies.co.uk

www.whalleytransportstudies.co.uk

TYRE EQUIPMENT

tel: 01522 689911 fax: 01522 689922 parts: graham@bhiuk.com installations: installations@bhiuk.com

www.bhiuk.com TRAINING

VEHICLE INSPECTION TRAINING

C. T. T.

PCV/PSV Courses for Minibus, Bus & Coach Train for your D1 or D Licence

We offer CPC Periodic Training and Initial Module 4 Training tel 01525 370862 email cttlimited@aol.com www.cttlimited@aol.com

www.coachandbusweek.com

If you would like further information please call 01543 897505

Specialist vehicle Inspection training with optional IRTEC

Visit our website: www.lloydmorgangroup.co.uk

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 79

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CLASSIFIEDS

Call Caroline Hallam Tel: 01733 293488 E: caroline.hallam@coachandbusweek.com

VEHICLE SPARES

Trevor Wigley & Son Bus Ltd

Passenger and Commercial Vehicles Recovery Dismantlers Parts Sales

TW FULLY LICENSED END OF LIFE VEHICLE CENTRE

OUR SERVICES:

TW REDUNDANT AND SCRAP VEHICLES TAKEN

• Refurbishment

TW PROFESSIONAL, EFFICIENT SERVICE TW ALL REQUIREMENTS CATERED FOR TW VARIOUS SPARES AVAILABLE TW CONTACT US FOR FULL AVAILABILITY

• Recovery • Testing

• Repairs

• Engine/gearbox rebuilds • Fault finding

• Buying & selling vehicles

DISMANTLING/SPARES: • Reconditioned engines • Reconditioned gearboxes • Engine spares • Windows

• Windscreens • Seats

• Export to foreign markets • Repairs

• Finance repossession and storage

Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com

CALL: 01226 727 769 Bus sales: www.geoff-ripleysbuscoachsales.com Geoff Ripley, Boulder Lane (off Shaw Lane), Carlton, Barnsley S71 3HJ

Mob: 07912 103 497 or 07711 750 434 Fax: 01226 727 607 Email: geoff-ripley@btconnect.com

www.twigley.com

MARCH 2015 grouptravelworld.com £3.95

Patriotic Planes Enjoy an inspirational collection of historic aircraft, vintage vehicles and stunning garden scenery at the Shuttleworth Collection

80 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015

PLUS

BRITAIN’S HERITAGE RAILWAYS

Driver incentives for touring groups

Itinerary planning for rail enthusiasts

www.coachandbusweek.com

03

O King Richard III reinterment O Theatre Interview: Orlando James – Shakespeare in Love O UK Coach Awards preview

COACH FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS

9 772048 339008

www.transporttravelclub.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

Bus book club

West Yorkshire Combined Authority launched on Thursday, March 5 the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Book Club which enables passengers to share books with fellow travellers.

The system is very simple: if passengers find a book while waiting for, or travelling on, a bus or train in West Yorkshire, they can take it, read it, hopefully enjoy it and then leave it for another passenger to enjoy and so on.

Books will have a label that will make it clear it’s part of the scheme.

WYCA Transport Committee Chairman, Cllr James Lewis, said: “Passengers frequently tell us that travelling by bus or train gives them the perfect opportunity to enjoy a book. We’ll be leaving some books around to get things started, but anyone can leave

a book for others to read, enjoy and return.”

Bestselling novelist, Barbara Taylor Bradford, said: “I am delighted to support the West Yorkshire Combined Authority reading initiative.

“I often read on my travels, whether on planes, trains or in cars and find the journey goes a lot quicker as a result.

“I hope people embrace the initiative and are able to share with others the wonderful joy a great read can bring.”

Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, actor and author Alan Bennett said: “It’s a very good idea I hope it goes very well, I wish there’d been books lying around on buses when I was a boy – pick up a book it might change your life!”

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Wilts & Dorset’s Centenary Celebrations take place on June 14, 2015

2015

albumconference2015.com

■ March 18-19 Young Bus Managers Network Conference Nottingham. www.

■ June 7 Southdown Centenary Rally Southsea Common www.southdown100.co.uk

youngbusmanagers.org.uk

■ March 25-27 Busworld Asia Suzhou International Expo Centre, China. www.busworld-asia.com

Ghost bus A driverless TTC bus was caught on camera rolling a few feet through the bus parking area at Toronto’s Bathurst Station.

In the video, which was posted to YouTube, an empty and dark TTC bus rolls through the slush-filled parking area in the west-end station before hitting a parked TTC truck. Upon impact, the bus’ side-view mirror falls off, landing in the slushy snow.

Brad Ross, head of TTC communications, told CTV Toronto that the operator of the bus failed to apply the proper brakes on the bus, when he left the vehicle to use the washroom.

No one was injured, and the bus suffered minor damage.

1

■ March 28 South East Bus Festival Kent Showground www.facebook.com/southeast busfestival ■ April 14-16 CV Show 2015 NEC Birmingham 020 7630 2102. Email enquiries@cvshow.com www. cvshow.com ■ April 18-19 UK Coach Rally Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire 01753 631170. www.ukcoachrally.co.uk ■ April 19 Spring Bus and Coach Gathering (formerly Cobham Rally). London Bus Museum. 01932 837994

Watch the video at: youtube. com/watch?v=k6-IHGDJr_s

Bus stop breakdown

■ April 23 UK Coach Awards Mercure Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester. www.ukcoachawards. co.uk ■ April 26 Keighley double depot open day Transdev Keighley Depot and Keighley Bus Museum. www. keighleybus.co.uk www.kbmt.org. uk ■ April 26 Delaine Buses Heritage Running Day 01778 422866. www.delainebuses.

com.

■ May 2-4 Llandudno Transport Festival Bodafon Fields, Llandudno, North Wales. info@llantransfest. co.uk; www.llantransfest.co.uk

The best way to beat the cold is to dance your troubles away – according to this man spotted in Cleveland, Ohio. The video posted on vimeo.com shows the unknown man breaking out some impressive dance moves whilst waiting for a bus at a snow-covered bus stop. Watch the video at https://vimeo. com/120356179 www.coachandbusweek.com

081_CBW1180_Last Stop.indd 81

■ May 3-4 Friends of King Alfred Buses Running Day Winchester www.fokab.org.uk ■ May 11-13 ALBUM AGM & Conference Carden Park Hotel, near Chester www.

■ June 14 Wilts & Dorset Centenary Event, Guildhall Square, Salisbury www.salisburyreds.co.uk/ service-updates/wilts-dorsetcentenary-celebrations/ .

■ June 21 Welsh Coach Rally National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. For details, call Ashley Lovering on 07814958379.

■ June 28 Wessex Transport Society Bus Rally Lorry park, Ringwood, Hants. Contact Mike Caldicott 01202 293245 or email mikepenny.wts@gmail.Com ■ August 2 Thames Valley 100 Celebrating the centenary of the start of bus services between Reading and Maidenhead by the forerunners of the Thames Valley Traction Company. www.tvagwot.org.uk ■ August 23 Buses Festival Heritage Motor Museum, Gaydon.

01780 755131 www.busesfestival. com ■ September 5-6 UK Bus Driver of the Year National Final Blackpool.

www.bdoy.co.uk

■ September 9-10 Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle Event Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire www.

cenex-lcv.co.uk

■ September 30-October 1 Coach & Bus Live 2015 Halls 19 & 20, NEC, Birmingham www. coachandbuslive.com ■ October 16-21 Busworld Kortrijk Kortrijk, Belgium http:// kortrijk.busworld.org

Send your event details to gareth.evans@ coachandbusweek.com

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 81 16/03/2015 14:10

M O C .

S B O J S U B D COACHAN in association with

THE LATEST RECRUITMENT

Contact Ian Gillis Tel: 01733 293484 Email: ian.gillis@coachandbusweek.com

DEADLINES Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm

VACANCIES

KEY FT Full-time PT Part-time TEM Temporary APP Apprentice

Drivers Bus Driver, Driver, FT, Saint Peter Port, Buses.gg Coach Drivers, Driver, PT, Edinburgh, City Circle UK Coach Drivers, Driver, PT, Hayes, City Circle UK Coach Drivers, Driver, FT, Edinburgh, City Circle UK Coach Drivers, Driver, FT, Hayes, City Circle UK Bus Drivers, Driver, FT, London, London United D1 licenced driver, Driver, FT, Paris, Express Airport Transfers (UK) Ltd Coach and Bus Drivers, Driver, FT, Lincoln, P C Coaches of Lincoln Ltd London Bus Drivers, Driver, FT, London, Metroline Casual Chauffeur Drivers for Home Departure Service, Driver, PT, Wales, Titan Transport PCV Coach Driver, Driver, FT, Hayes, City Circle UK Limited

HealTh & Safety

The industry’s rECRUITMENT hub

FULL LISTINGS ONLINE Bus Driver, Driver, FT, Hertfordshire, UNO Coach Drivers Wanted, Driver, FT, Westonsuper-Mare, Bakers Dolphin Coach Driver, Driver, PT, London, Lewis Coaches Trainee Bus Drivers, Trainee Driver, FT, London, London United

engineers/Mechanics Fleet Engineer, Engineering, FT, Epsom, London United Air-Conditioning Engineer, Engineering, FT, Iver, Falcon Coachworks Engineers, Engineering, FT, London, Metroline

Head of Safety and Risk, Health & Safety, FT, Twickenham, London United Fire Suppression Engineer, Health & Safety, FT, Iver, Falcon Coachworks Garage Risk Manager, Health & Safety, FT, London, London United

operations Operations Manager, Operations, FT, Wakefield, Tiger Blue - Huddersfield & Honley Commercial Assistant, Operations, FT, Sunderland, Stagecoach North East Driving Instructors (PCV), Operations, FT, London, London United Traffic Manager, Operations, FT, Sittingbourne, Chalkwell Coach Hire & Tours Head of Commercial, Operations, FT, Wakefield, Arriva Yorkshire Communications Officer, Operations, FT, London, Metroline CPC Holder/Transport Manager,

FirstGroup appoints Wolfhart Hauser as Chairman FirstGroup plc announced that Wolfhart Hauser will succeed John McFarlane as Chairman following the Annual General Meeting on July, 16 2015, at which time John will retire from the Board. Wolfhart will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman Designate on May 18, 2015.

For the past 10 years Wolfhart has been CEO of Intertek Group plc, the international quality and safety services provider and FTSE 100 constituent.

Under his leadership, Intertek has developed from a medium-sized group of separate testing businesses into an integrated global organisation with over

38,000 employees and operations in more than 100 countries. Wolfhart will step down from his role as Intertek CEO and board member on May 15, 2015.

Wolfhart is a Non-Executive Director of Associated British Foods plc and of Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. He was previously a Non-Executive Director of Logica plc.

Drummond Hall, Senior Independent Director, said: “After a rigorous process the Board is delighted to announce the appointment of Wolfhart Hauser as Chairman of FirstGroup. He has a strong track record of driving profitable growth and value creation in a large

82 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 083_087_CBW1180_People_Recruitment.indd 82

John McFarlane, who will be succeeded by Wolfhart Hauser international organisation, as well as significant board experience in major UK listed companies. We are very pleased to be able to attract an individual of Wolfhart’s calibre and experience to help guide the Group’s continued development.

“On behalf of the Board and everyone at FirstGroup I would like to

Operations, PT, South West Wales, Traffic Manager, Operations, FT, London, London United Staff Manager, Operations, FT, London, London United Assistant Commercial Operations Manager, Operations, Tem, London, London United

Purchasing Fleet Procurement Manager, Purchasing, FT, London, Go-Ahead

senior Management Operations Co-ordinator, Senior Management, FT, Hayes, City Circle UK Operations Manager, Senior Management, FT, Hayes, City Circle UK General Manager, Senior Management, FT, Hayes, City Circle UK

To view these and more of latest industry jobs visit www.coachandbusjobs.com

thank John McFarlane, who has made a significant contribution during the tenure of his Chairmanship. We will continue to build on this progress as we go forward, and we wish him every success as Chairman of Barclays.”

Wolfhart said: “I am pleased to be joining FirstGroup and I look forward to working with the executive team and the Board to improve the Group’s returns, resilience and growth prospects to levels befitting its leading market positions in the UK and North America.”

Commenting, John McFarlane said: “With Wolfhart as Chairman, I will be leaving FirstGroup in capable hands.

He has an exemplary track record of sustained value creation and is a highly seasoned non-executive director. I wish him and all at FirstGroup well for the future.” www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 18:29

More jobs available online – see our website

ASSISTANT COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS MANAGER (SIX MONTHS FIXED-TERM POSITION) HOUNSLOW HEATH RATP Dev London’s Private Hire and Commercial Services are looking to expand. We want to move into other markets of coach operations in the UK and Europe as well as develop and promote our presence within the commercial services sector and private hire business with schools, colleges, and universities. So far the business has been successful in bidding for contracts. As a result of this we require support in managing these contracts and also the work load generated in the busy summer period.

tŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ Ă ƐŵĂůů ĂŶĚ ĨƌŝĞŶĚůLJ ďƵƐ ŐĂƌĂŐĞ͕ ŝƚ ǁŝůů ďĞ LJŽƵƌ ǀŝƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ ĂŶĚ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚĂďůĞ ĂƫƚƵĚĞ ĐŽŵďŝŶĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƐŬŝůůƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŝůů ƉůĂLJ Ă ŵĂũŽƌ ƉĂƌƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐŵŽŽƚŚ ĂŶĚ ĞīĞĐƟǀĞ ǁĂLJ LJŽƵ ĂůůŽĐĂƚĞ ĚƵƟĞƐ ĂŶĚ ǀĞŚŝĐůĞƐ ƚŽ ĚƌŝǀĞƌƐ͘ zŽƵ ǁŝůů ĂůƐŽ ŚĂǀĞ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ Ă ƐƵƉĞƌǀŝƐŽƌLJ ƌŽůĞ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ Ă ůĂƌŐĞ ƚĞĂŵ ƉƌĞĨĞƌĂďůLJ ǁŝƚŚ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŚŽƵƌƐͬƐŚŝŌ ƉĂƩĞƌŶƐ͘ ĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂďůĞ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ŽĨ ďŽƚŚ ŽŵĞƐƟĐ ĂŶĚ ƵƌŽƉĞĂŶ ĚƌŝǀŝŶŐ ŚŽƵƌƐͬƌĞƐƚ ƉĞƌŝŽĚ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ĂƌĞ ĂůƐŽ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ͘

We are therefore looking to increase our management team by offering this new and exciting opportunity to someone who is interested in developing within a management role. You will be taking on a newly created position and playing a key part in the development and success of our Private Hire and Commercial Service. Your main responsibility will be to support our Private Hire and Commercial Operations Manager in the day to day running of the service which will include managing staff absence and attendance.

Other responsibilities will include preparing route maps, monitoring and logging lost mileage and managing and monitoring various systems such as CCTV and our ticketing system.

KŶ Ă ĚĂLJ ƚŽ ĚĂLJ ďĂƐŝƐ͕ LJŽƵƌ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƐŬŝůůƐͬĂǁĂƌĞŶĞƐƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ Ă ǀŝƚĂů ŝŶŐƌĞĚŝĞŶƚ ŝŶ ŚĞůƉŝŶŐ LJŽƵ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ LJŽƵƌ ƚĂƌŐĞƚƐ ĂŶĚ ŐŽĂůƐ͘ dŽ ŚĞůƉ ƵƐ ƌĞĂĐŚ ŽƵƌ ƚĂƌŐĞƚƐ͕ LJŽƵ ǁŝůů ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ďĞ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ƵŶƐƵƉĞƌǀŝƐĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ LJŽƵƌ ŽǁŶ ŝŶŝƟĂƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ďĞ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ƐŽƵŶĚ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐ͘ ^ƚƌŽŶŐ ĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ĚĂƚĂďĂƐĞ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĂƌĞ ĂůƐŽ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ͘ W s ůŝĐĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĂŶƐƉŽƌƚ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌLJ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĂŶ ĂĚǀĂŶƚĂŐĞ͘ ƌŝŐŚƚ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞ͘

dŽ ĂƉƉůLJ LJŽƵ ǁŝůů ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ƐĞŶĚ Ă Đ͘ǀ ĂŶĚ ĐŽǀĞƌŝŶŐ ůĞƩĞƌ ĞdžƉůĂŝŶŝŶŐ ŚŽǁ LJŽƵ ŵĞĞƚ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƌŽůĞ͘ &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƚŽ ĂƉƉůLJ͕ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ Ă ŵĞŵďĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ,Z ĞƉĂƌƚŵĞŶƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĞŵĂŝů ĂĚĚƌĞƐƐ recruitment@lonutd.co.uk. ůŽƐŝŶŐ ĚĂƚĞ͗ ϯϭ DĂƌĐŚ ϮϬϭϱ Reference number: LUB706

www.coachandbusweek.com

083_087_CBW1180_People_Recruitment.indd 83

March 31 Closing Date:

2015

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 83 16/03/2015 18:29

CONTACT Ian Gillis T: 01733 293484 E: ian.gillis@coachandbusweek.com

DEADLINES Booking: Monday 5.00pm Full artwork: Monday 5.00pm

we are recruiting in Guernsey...

CONTACT Ian Gillis T: 01733 293484 E: ian.gillis@coachandbusweek.com

bus drivers wanted

make a difference to Guernsey’s bus service

Do you have a passion for customer service and want to make a difference all day every day?

CT Plus currently has opportunities to join our dedicated team operating our Buses.gg service.

Be part of driving your island wide bus service - If you have a full, PCV licence and are interested in working from our depot in Guernsey, we would be delighted to hear from you. čÃà ÃÌ> Vi V> Li «À Û `i` Ü Ì w ` } accommodation.

For an application pack or further information please contact our HR Manager, Nikki Withe, at nikkiwithe@hctgroup.org.

No agencies thank you.

84 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 083_087_CBW1180_People_Recruitment.indd 84

www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 18:26

More jobs available online – see our website

London Opportunities City Circle was founded in 1999 and from our initial 6 vehicles we have grown to operate a fleet of 58 and employ nearly 100 employees across 3 sites in London and Edinburgh.

This growth is due to our company ethos of always providing the highest levels of service to our incoming tourist and corporate customers. Our intention is to continue with this philosophy in order to substantially grow the business over the next 2 years.

We realise that the people in our business have got us to where we are today and now need to recruit additional like-minded individuals to achieve our future ambitions. Phase I is to recruit the best people within the industry who flourish under the challenge of aspirational growth, and we now invite applications for the following positions.

Phase II will include newly developed roles within all areas of our company. In advance of these roles being published we would like to invite expressions of interest from dynamic experts stating their achievements to date in their chosen fields and how you would add your professional flare and expertise to the business.

General Manager Applicants will have experience of dealing with the day to day operation whilst ensuring quality control and customer service levels are maintained. The role will be responsible for managing all aspects of service delivery, customer focus awareness, compliance and staff under your control.

The business needs a General Manager who will not be afraid to question and challenge performance; bring change management experience from both an operations and commercial perspective. This role is a highly visible commercial appointment and one that will offer autonomy and scope to a creative individual who is a natural leader with an obvious entrepreneurial flair and comfortable in a client facing role.

Operations Manager Applicants will have experience of dealing with the planning, organising, coordinating the day to day operation whilst ensuring quality control and customer service levels are maintained. The role will be responsible for scheduling the drivers and vehicles whilst ensuring and improving the performance, productivity, efficiency and profitability of the business through the provision of effective methods and strategies.

The successful candidate will ensure full compliance of EU driver and working time directive regulations and hold or plan to obtain national and international CPCs.

Operations Co-ordinator We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with experience of assisting in the planning, direction and coordination of the day-to-day operation by handling the logistics and supervision of the driving team. We are seeking applicants who would like to develop their skills in this hands-on role to drive forward our commitment to customer service.

All roles require proactive, effective and resilient organisers accompanied with strong people skills and the ability to lead.

To be part of this exciting opportunity then please send your CV and covering letter detailing your current remuneration package to recruitment@citycircleuk.com or HR Department, City Circle UK Limited, West London Coach Centre, North Hyde Gardens, Hayes, Middlessex, UB3 4QT.

www.coachandbusweek.com

083_087_CBW1180_People_Recruitment.indd 85

March 17, 2015 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 85 16/03/2015 18:26

GET YOUR VACANCY SEEN

BY QUALITY CANDIDATES

PRINT

ONLINE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

With our combined print, digital and online packages at one all inclusive price Contact: Ian Gillis T: 01733 293484 E: ian.gillis@coachandbusweek.com

86 | COACH & BUS WEEK | March 17, 2015 083_087_CBW1180_People_Recruitment.indd 86

www.coachandbusweek.com

16/03/2015 18:26

More jobs available online – see our website

Cardiff Bus donates £6,000 to charity partner enjoy fulfilled lives.”

Cardiff Bus has run a series of initiatives to support partially sighted and blind people such as taking part in the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) ‘Stop for me, Speak to me campaign’ which involved drivers

boarding a bus and paying for a ticket whilst wearing ‘SIM specs’, glasses that simulate sight impairment. The bus operator also installed next stop audio and visual announcements on its new fleet of buses to help people who have visual and audio impairments.

Peter Heath, Cynthia Ogbonna, Kieran Harris, Gareth Mole and David James Cardiff Bus has donated over £6,000 to its official charity partner.

The bus operator presented a check for £6,029.16 to Cardiff Institute for the Blind (CIB) after it was chosen as the company’s charity partner for 2014.

The charity, which is currently celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, provides local services and lifelong support, so that blind and partially sighted people in South Wales can enjoy fulfilled lives.

Staff from the company ran a series of fundraising initiatives which included a sponsored cycle ride and a Christmas raffle, where prizes were donated by Cardiff Bus’ stakeholders.

The bus operator also donated £1 for each annual employee survey that was completed.

Funds raised will now be used by the charity to continue to provide advice and support to blind and partially sighted people to maintain or improve

www.coachandbusweek.com

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their physical and emotional wellbeing and reduce the number of falls and accidents. The charity will also use the money to increase confidence and self-esteem for those who are blind or partially sighted.

Cynthia Ogbonna, Managing Director at Cardiff Bus, said: “As a large organisation in Cardiff, we believe it is important to help the local community and charities. There are many worthy charities but we have worked with Cardiff Institute for the Blind before and have seen the difference they make to people’s lives and we wanted to help them continue making this difference.

“We are delighted that we have been able to raise a considerable amount of money for the charity, which has been down to the commitment and generosity of our staff. We have many passengers who are partially sighted or blind and we’re glad we have been able to help a charity that enables them to

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