Coach & Bus Week : Issue 1018

Wednesday January 11, 2012 Issue 1018 | ÂŁ2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

BUS:

Ashok Leyland raises its stake in Optare to controlling 75.1% p4

BIG QUESTION: Personalities outline their successes and fears at year end p46

COACH:

Parrys International celebrates buoyant annual open day p9

COMPETITION:

Industry gives its views as watchdog delivers its verdict p26

for recru i

JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK

Optare drops Solo mk1 for SR p4

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THIS WEEK

Coach & Bus Week is published by Rouncy Media, First Floor, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX Switchboard 01733 293240 Fax 0845 280 2927 Web www.coachandbusweek.com

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Optare & the ftrs

O

ptare has announced the end of an era with the ending of production of its original Solo model. Significantly, the design has been in existence for a staggering 14 years – and many argue it still looks the business.

In fairness to Optare, without access to sales figures, it would be unreasonable to pass judgement on the decision to reduce the available options on the Solo range. It is however, reasonable to assume a leaner product range will increase economies of scale and help to focus on its ‘core’ products, in theory at least. Is this part of Ashok Leyland’s influence? With the latter now owning 75% of Optare, further changes will undoubtedly be made in the coming months.

It should be noted however, that Optare continues to offer a diverse range of drivelines for ‘green’ buses, including potentially three types of hybrid, not to

mention fully electric EV and numerous alternative fuel options.

On a separate note, York has become the latest example of political meddling in our industry, more of which on p6 of this issue. I would like to draw your attention to popular industry blog omnibuses.blogspot. com. Perhaps one anonymous commentator hit the nail on the head: “It is a pity there has been so much politics in this. The Lib Dems were keen to have ftrs in York and encouraged First to introduce them. Now Labour does not want them. It shows how franchising would was taxpayers money big time.”

Of course, cynics may conclude the muchtrumpeted London model is also a text book example of the dangers of politicians getting their hands on practical matters like running buses. It’s enough to say bendy buses and Borismasters.

Gareth Evans Editor

CONTENTS 4

26

38

The latest from across the coach and bus industry in the UK

18

Watchdog delivers its verdict on long awaited competition review

30

Online VAT forms and the abolition of the statutory retirement age

...From tourist attractions and events. Plus ideas for group visits

20

The authorities check international coaches arriving in London

32

Heroics, retirements and charitable achievements behind the wheel

CBI believes Coalition ‘fat cat’ clamp down will come too late

22

An Arriva Buses Wales vehicle in the shadow of Chester’s big wheel

34

A lighthearted look at the industry.

Plus Gareth’s Diary!

Workshop equipment for Authorised Testing Facilities

A range of industry figures detail their achievements & aspirations

All the latest people moves from across the industry

News

Tour News

Business News

Essential Guide

CC Final Report

Operation Sharvor The Big Picture

The Big Question

Legal Update

41

Drivers

62

Last Stop

63

People

For all the latest industry news and information, register with us online at:

www.coachandbusweek.com www.coachandbusweek.com

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4 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

nEWS

BriEfly The popular Bristol Harbourside bus rally will take place on Sunday, June 10 - not May 20 as originally announced.

Unfortunately however, the revised date clashes with the acclaimed Barry Festival of Transport, which is organised by the Cardiff Transport Preservation Group and includes public access to the restored former National Welsh bus depot. More on the latter at www.ctpg.co.uk CPT has been informed by Network Rail that a new booking process for its Coach Road has now been introduced for all coaches arriving to set down or collect passengers at St Pancras International Railway Station in London. It is likely demand for access will significantly increase in the run up to and during the period of the Olympic Games this year and without a dedicated booking process for the industry, it will not be possible to guarantee space for operators on an ad-hoc basis. Those coach operators who wish to serve St Pancras International Station to set down or pick up passengers must now complete a formal booking form, which must then be emailed to CoachBookingsatStPancras@ Networkrail.co.uk. The booking form can be found at www.cpt-uk. org/_uploads/attachment/2115.xls Voith is to start series delivery of DIWA.5 transmissions for India following the showing of a Mercedes-Benz OC500 citybus at at AutoExpo in Delhi. Designed specifically for roll-out in the Indian market it provides market entry for Voith into the sector. Already in production for bus markets in South America, North Africa and Middle East countries, the O500M/U is already proven in operating environments with demanding conditions.

Versions for India will be produced to meet Euro 5 emissions critera and the manufacturers anticipate deliveries of around 100 units throughout 2012.

National Express West Midlands has increased all its fares, but it is trialing a £1 ‘City Hop’ ticket for journeys wholly with central Birmingham. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Ashok Leyland throws Optare a lifeline Ashok Leyland’s gains shareholder approval for Optare takeover after ADL interest fades Ashok Leyland has increased its stake in Optare plc to 75.1% as part of a refinancing agreement.

Optare shareholders approved the deal, which will provide a £12m credit line. The move received full support at a shareholders meeting on January 6, 2012. Optare chief executive Jim Sumner said it was a “vote of confidence.” Optare, which employs more than 500 people, had warned it would be unable to continue trading if the share placing failed to go through.

The refinancing provides a guarantee to support Optare’s re-banking and grants improved working capital facility for the business. At the same time, Ashok Leyland increases its stake through a £4m placing of shares, raising new equity. The existing contractual and statutory employment rights and pension rights of all Optare employees will be safeguarded.

Optare CEO Jim Sumner said: “This is great news for Optare’s customers, employees and suppliers by securing stability

and the long-term future of the business. The re-banking of Optare represents a critical milestone in the turnaround of the business and allows us to now complete the final phase of the three year plan which commenced in June 2009.

“In addition, our recent move to a new factory in Sherburn gives us the capacity and modern assembly facilities necessary to capitalise on the additional sales our deeper partnership with Ashok Leyland will undoubtedly deliver.”

John Fickling, chairman, said: “Given the global economic challenges we all face, this is a game changing deal for Optare. It ensures we can grow and prosper in an ever changing and demanding market place.”

Vinod Dasari, managing director of Ashok Leyland observed: “We see this as an important element in realising our vision of being among the top five bus manufacturers globally. We are confident going forward we will be able to accelerate technology sharing, develop future-ready products and increase our global footprint to fasttrack our growth in volumes.”

After the announcement,

Calls for investigation into McGill’s’ acquisition of Arriva Competition watchdogs have been asked to investigate McGill’s’ bid for Arriva West Scotland.

Labour MP Jim Sheridan has written to the Monopolies Commission about the Greenockbased firm’s £10m deal to buy its rival - effectively seeing McGill’s double in size and become the third biggest bus operator in Scotland.

The acquisition is expected to be completed between February and March this year.

However, Sheridan, who represents Paisley and Renfrewshire North, is concerned about the impact the takeover will have on his constituents.

He said: “I have been approached by a number of constituents who

Ralph Roberts confirmed McGills is confident of a positive outcome to the OFT investigation are concerned about this issue and the potential consequences of rising fares and diminished services.

“It is on that basis I have written to the Monopolies Commission, as there will be no effective competition to McGill’s in many

Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) considered a cash offer for its rival firm after requesting information from Optare, but ended its brief skirmish with Ashok Leyland, who said it had no intention of selling its shares in Optare “to anyone at any price.”

ADL said on December 28, 2011, it had asked Optare to open its books so it could decide whether to make a rival offer for the firm.

Optare’s shares rose by 50% at one stage but the prospect of a bidding war proved short-lived after Optare’s financial adviser told ADL that Ashok has no intention of selling up.

Optare says it has an order book worth £59m after it recently unveiled a contract to supply 190 of its Solo SR midibuses to Cape Town in South Africa (CBW1015).

Components will be supplied by Optare and assembled by South African firm Busmark 2000 at a new plant in Cape Town.

The current order book, which compares to £34m in January 2010, stands to get a further boost after the government’s recently announced third round of ‘green’ bus funding from April. areas of Renfrewshire.

“Having spoken to the trade union representatives of the employees concerned, I am equally perturbed by the initial proposals put forward by McGill’s, which could have a detrimental effect on long-term employees’ terms and conditions.”

McGill’s’ MD Ralph Roberts, confirmed the company had received an information request from the Office of Fair Trading.

“We are happy to assist with the request. We are confident of a positive outcome,” commented Roberts.

“The acquisition is most definitely in the interest of the people of Renfrewshire, who can look forward to the ability to travel on an enlarged Renfrewshire network and enjoy more reliable travel on newer buses driven by our friendly, customer-focused drivers.”

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January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5

“We have some great projects underway. For example, getting a joint understanding of poor punctuality – the greatest bugbear for passengers.”

Anthony Smith Passenger Focus

Optare will no longer go Solo Optare is to end production of the original Solo design and continue with the later developed SR model only.

First introduced 14 years ago, the Solo has sold over 4,000 units including those for export to Europe, North America and elsewhere. The first examples operated in the UK were delivered to Wilts & Dorset – which later became part of Go-Ahead - and remain in service today.

The Solo SR was launched in 2007 as a premium option with a distinctive new exterior appearance. It only sold in very small numbers but its popularity grew and a Optare says a significant proportion of orders now call for the SR design. The new 2012 Solo SR range comprises 7.1m, 7.8m, 8.9m and 9.6m variants, all available in the Slimline (2350mm wide) version. The 8.9m and 9.6m models will also be available in the

SeaFrance officially liquidated

SeaFrance has been officially liquidated by a French court and told to cease activity.

The Tribunal de Commerce decided the cross-channel operator’s future after the

wider 2500mm body width. All will feature curved side glazing and high specification interiors allowing up to 37 seats.

Optare says it has used this opportunity to redesign some of the bodywork components to take advantage of the benefits achieved on the recently released Tempo SR design which reduce both cost and weight.

Glenn Saint, Optare’s chief operating officer, said: “Moving to

The Big Question p34

the single body exterior and interior design will give all operators the benefit of the enhanced features of the Solo SR. The increased volume this creates will allow pricing to remain competitive with other products on the market.”

The SR models will be available with either Mercedes-Benz or Cummins drivelines allied to Allison transmissions. The MAN EGR option without requirement for AdBlue has been dropped.

The switch in production to a standardised Solo SR range is scheduled to take place this summer after current orders are fulfilled European Commission ruled a €200m (£176m) bailout by the French government was illegal.

The court said the offer by a cooperative of SeaFrance employees was unacceptable.

Eurotunnel has not ruled out a future bid for the cross-channel ferry firm and said it would “now be working to see what the fair value of the assets” were before making any decisions.

Sailings by SeaFrance between

Dover and Calais were suspended in November and the firm went into receivership in 2010.

The firm had three ferries sailing between Dover and Calais.

A SeaFrance spokesman said: “Despite the best efforts of all parties, the court concluded none of the options available to it were financially viable. Provision has been made to ensure all customers with pre-existing bookings will receive refunds.”

Operators defend fare increases UK bus operators have defended fare increases, while media outlets point out rises are above inflation.

First Cymru revised some fares at the beginning of this year, affecting all standard single and return fares and many day, week, month and annual tickets.

Kevin Hart of First Cymru, said: “We understand this will not be welcome news, but we need to revise our fares to ensure they adequately cover the cost of operating buses in this part of the world.”

Hart explained the rising fuel costs and the reduction in BSOG in April have led to the increases.

However, First Cymru has introduced a New Year Price Drop on services 44 and 400, which it competes with Edwards. The promotion runs until February 4.

The Guardian newspaper stated UK bus passengers faced fare rises in excess of inflation, with some areas seeing a 20% rise for an annual ticket, while single tickets have increased by 22%.

The paper claims customers in the Midlands are among the hardest hit, with Arriva adding £100 (20%) to the cost of an annual saver ticket covering the region and 40p (22%) for a single on the Cannock to Walsall service. Arriva Midlands’ MD, Bob Hind, said: “No one likes to increase prices, especially at such a difficult time, but, as everyone knows from their domestic bills, costs are steadily rising.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

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nEWS › BUSeS

20,000 The number of passengers Reays’ City Hopper buses carry a week

BriEfly Arriva Midlands is making it easier for concessionary pass holders to travel in South Derbyshire along with journeys to Leicestershire and Staffordshire before 0930hrs Monday to Friday.

Pass holders who would normally pay an adult single fare prior to 0930 on week days can now purchase a £1 Super Single Saver allowing them to make a single journey wholly within or from points in South Derbshires to any point in the Ashby, Burton, Swadlincote Local Saver Area.

Keith Myatt, marketing and communications manager of Arriva Midlands said: “We’re sure many 60+ concessionary pass holders will take the opportunity to travel before 0930 Monday to Friday at the super low price of £1 single in the extended Ashby, Burton and Swadlincote local saver area from Tuesday 3, January 2012. It’s a case of Twirlies get out early and bag even more bargains!”

Stagecoach Yorkshire has joined forces with a loyalty programme which offers gifts and treats to people who have collected points by buying tickets online. Anyone making an online purchase will be automatically invited to join the scheme. Once registered, customers will start receiving points which can be used to buy discounted travel passes. Stagecoach Yorkshire managing director Paul Lynch said: “We are pleased to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to benefit from this loyalty scheme. The project will provide a further incentive for people to try our greener, smarter bus services.”

Residents in Kingston in South West London got a chance to see the London mayor’s New Bus for London at a public exhibition. The bus, unveiled by Boris Johnston in Trafalgar Square last month, was outside the Guildhall in High Street, Kingston, on Saturday. Eight of the new buses will be introduced in the first half of next year and the first of them, operated by Arriva, will be on route 38, which runs from Victoria station to Hackney, East London. www.coachandbusweek.com

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York wants rid of ftrs City council considers following Boris Johnson’ lead over controversial artics Talks are being held about how to replace York’s controversial ftr buses, after the city’s council leader confirmed they are to be axed.

The Labour group which controls City of York Council vowed, in the run-up to May’s local elections, if it won power it would end an agreement with First York to operate the distinctive purple bendy buses.

The party said it was now seeking alternatives to the ftr as part of a proposed wider package of public transport improvements, which will be discussed at a meeting next week. The current agreement between the council and First for the ftrs, which run between the University of York and Acomb, expires in June.

The buses have been criticised in some quarters since their arrival more than five years ago, due to their size and claims they cause problems for other motorists and damage the city’s roads.

Labour pledged in its election manifesto to work towards scrapping the services, describing them as “a costly disaster” which had absorbed £1.5m of public money.

Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for city strategy said: “In May, we decided not to

renew the agreement between First and the council for the ftr.

“Discussions have been taking place about how to provide an acceptable replacement for users of the No. 4 services to the University of York and Acomb, and this is being discussed along with other possible public transport improvements.”

Next week, cllr Dave Merrett, will also be asked to approve a study into ways of improving to the quality, reliability and punctuality of York’s bus network.

Proposals include a city-wide survey to ask residents what they want from bus services, holding further surveys on buses and at key bus stops, consulting with parish councils, ward committees, residents’ associations and the 11 companies which operate bus services around York. The consultation will also include organisations such as Visit York, York Youth Council and York Independent Living Network.

Cllr Merrett said: “The council is committed to working with bus passengers, bus operators and key local stakeholders to develop and deliver a bus network which better meets the aspirations and needs of existing and potential new bus passengers.”

After the announcement, Dave Alexander, regional managing director for First in the North of England, slammed the city’s

First operates Mercedes-Benz artics on York’s popular park & ride route 8 but perhaps fortunately to date, this appears to have been missed by the city council in it’s apparently Boris Johnson-style political crusade

transport leader for revealing “private” discussions about plans to get rid of the controversial ftr buses, which could affect 60 jobs.

He said no alternative proposals had yet been developed and for the time being the ftr vehicles would continue to operate on the number 4 route between Acomb and the University of York.

Mr Alexander criticised cllr Merrett for trying to “claim victory” over the ftr decision.

Alexander said: “I am extremely disappointed cllr Merrett has chosen to make public the private discussions which have taken place between us, particularly as he is only too well aware of the job losses which would result from the withdrawal of ftr vehicles.

“The majority of the 60 staff working on ftr Service 4 in the city also live in the city and to claim victory for the removal of ftr has introduced a degree of uncertainty for our staff in a most insensitive manner.”

He said the ftr was a “groundbreaking concept which has been proven to stimulate growth in public transport demand,” adding: “We have been discussing a range of alternative uses for ftr in York and more generally ideas for the further development of the bus networks within the city. Throughout these discussions we have always been mindful of Coun Merrett’s and the Labour Group’s long held view that they did not wish to see the ftr vehicles continue to operate in York.

“At this stage no alternative proposals have been developed.

Any changes to the services are a decision which First will make and we do not require permission to continue to operate these vehicles in the city.

“First remains committed to providing a high quality bus network in York, with service 4 being one of its key routes.”

Cllr Merrett said: “I am due to meet with Dave Alexander next week which will give us an opportunity to clarify any misunderstanding which may have occurred. More importantly, we will continue the discussion about how we can continue to work together to support York’s residents.’’

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£1.5m 60

January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7

The amount of public money which has been invested in York ftrs

Number of jobs First says will be affected through withdrawal of York ftrs

Reays give freebies to waiting passengers

Conservative city councillor Judy Prest has tabled a motion for debate tomorrow, calling on Stagecoach to provide “seating, toilets and shelter for passengers’ use”.

Chris Reay, managing director of Reays, said: “It can be unpleasant waiting for your bus in the cold and in the dark, especially at this time of year.

“So we are glad to offer passengers a nice warm welcome at our travel centre in Devonshire Street, along with a free cup of tea or coffee and a newspaper to read

Reays is offering newspapers and free drinks to waiting passengers in Carlisle.

The Wigton firm launched its Carlisle City Hopper network in 2010 in competition with Stagecoach.

The rivalry has seen reductions in some fares and the launch of new routes.

Now Reays is offering waiting passengers complimentary tea and coffee at its travel centre in Devonshire Street, open on Mondays to Saturdays from 0900 to 1700hrs. They can also read a newspaper, take shelter from bad weather and use the toilets.

Many of Reays services stop outside including the 63 to Belle Vue, 63A, 64 and 64H to Morton Park, 64, 64A, 64H and 70 to Asda, and the 75 to Cotehill.

The move follows criticism of the lack of facilities at Carlisle bus station, which is run by Stagecoach.

Stagecoach anniversary bus sports EMMS livery

Stagecoach in Chesterfield is celebrating the upcoming 85th anniversary of East Midland Motor Services (EMMS) by sending one of its buses back in time.

Dennis Dart no.34720 has been specially painted in the livery of dark red and ivory used between 1956 and 1972 - the first time an anniversary bus has been painted in this style.

The freshly painted bus has already entered service, predominantly on services 50/50A Chesterfield-Eckington-Sheffield, although other routes in the Chesterfield region will be covered periodically as well.

EMMS was formed from WT Underwood in 1927 and operated from depots in Chesterfield, Clowne, Worksop, Retford, Shirebrook and Mansfield. The

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while they wait.”

Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire managing director Nigel Winter said no-one from the council had contacted him about the station prior to the motion being lodged, adding that he would be happy to discuss the matter with Mrs Prest.

Reays, which was named ‘top independent operator’ at the UK Bus Awards in London in November, said its City Hopper buses now carry almost 20,000 passengers a week.

SHARE WATCH

Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on January 9. BAE Systems enjoyed the greatest proportional rise and Optare plummeted sharply with the biggest proportional drop. Most figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk

289.20p

Price: Year High: 574.37p Year Low: 257.70p

333.45p

Price: Year High: 416.90p Year Low: 305.36p

1357.0p

Price: Year High: 1540p Year Low: 1034.p

221.10p

Price: Year High: 272.10p Year Low: 203.85p

Reays’ fleet includes Plaxton Primos Clowne, Retford and Shirebrook depots closed in the 1990s and the Worksop and Mansfield depots are today part of Stagecoach East Midlands, while Chesterfield is part of Stagecoach Yorkshire.

Bus 34720 was specially painted in the Chesterfield paint shops and unveiled to the public earlier in December when the bus was driven to the ‘Christmas Cracker’ event at the Museum of Transport in Manchester.

Stephen Read, operations manager at Stagecoach Chesterfield said: “Until 1956 the livery was the famous chocolate, biscuit and cream and it was this livery which was used for previous celebrations in 1977, 1992 and 2002.

“This time, however, we thought it would be novel to go for a livery not previously represented, yet still in the memory of many of our customers.”

After 1972 the livery changed to the nationalised National Bus Company’s corporate ‘leaf green’, switching in 1986 to two-tone green and cream before arriving at the Stagecoach corporate style in 1989 and its subsequent variants .

268.45p

D&G to return to Hanley D&G Bus is extending its Monday to Saturday daytime journeys on service 85 from February 13, to include Stoke and Hanley.

Existing times from all stops between Crewe and Newcastle under Lyme will remain unchanged, but there will also be an extra earlymorning Monday to Friday journey from Crewe to Hanley at 0550hrs.

The route will serve Hartshill, Stoke town centre, Stoke station, College Road and Hanley.

The service will restore the link between the city centre and Weston, Betley and Madeley as well as give an alternative between Crewe and The Potteries.

The extension will see D&G operate in competition with First between Keele and Stoke station and between Crewe and Hanley.

D&G’s day ticket is £3.70, while a FirstDay ticket is £4.90.

The Cheshire Travelcard will be available throughout the extended route.

Price: Year High: 268.45p Year Low: 158.30p

0.38p

Price: Year High: 6.75p Year Low: 0.38p

39.50p

Price: Year High: 43.50p Year Low: 24.90p

95.00p

Price: Year High: 99.57p Year Low: 66.86p

14.12p

Price: Year High: 16.60p Year Low: 5.75p

+19.60 on three week

+10.50 on three week

+33.50 on three week

+4.80 on three week

+3.30 on three week

-1.00 on three week

+0.50 on three week

+0.00 on three week

+2.62 on three week

FTSE 100

5612

Price: Year High: 6,105 Year Low: 4,790

+247 on three week

www.coachandbusweek.com

09/01/2012 23:39

8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

nEWS › coaches

BriEfly There will be overnight closures around Junction 34 of the M1 at Tinsley from this week until the end of March. Most of the work will be carried out between 2000 and 0600hrs. The main carriageway of the motorway will remain open but the northbound exit slip from the M1, A6178 Sheffield Road, A631 Bawtry Road, A631 Shepcote Lane and the A6178 Tinsley roundabout itself will be subject to lane and full carriageway closures at times. There will also be occasional overnight lane closures along the southbound carriageway of Tinsley Viaduct.

Diversions and advance signing of closure dates will be in place. The northern Junction 34 interchange at Meadowhall is not affected by the works.

Durham City Coaches has a new up-to-date website giving full details of its excursions, tours and coach hire information.

The North East operator gives customers the chance to request a brochure, choose a coach from its extensive fleet and send off a coach booking form. The smart new site includes detailed information of its theatre breaks, as well as its tours and excursions for 2012. There is also information on its January Deal and ‘2 for 1 Offers’. Visit www. durhamcitycoaches.co.uk A £126.4m scheme to transform a section of the M6 in Birmingham to a managed motorway will get underway between April and June 2012, subject to completion of a statutory process. The work will take place between junctions 5 and 8, and is aimed at cutting congestion, making journey times more reliable and improving safety through the use of variable mandatory speed limits and opening the hard shoulder as an extra traffic lane.

The project is phase three in a programme to deliver managed motorways to the M6. The system is already in place between junctions 4 and 5, and junctions 8 and 10A, and drivers can expect this section to be finished in 2014-15. For details about the M6 junction 5 to 8 managed motorway scheme, visit www.highways.gov. uk/roads/projects/23385.aspx www.coachandbusweek.com

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Coach holiday growth expected as fuel rises Rise in fuel prices drive people to coach trips says CTC vice chair Jane Duffelen, vice-chairman of the Coach Tourism Council, and director of Shaws Coaches of Maxey, has responded to an AA survey revealing 40% of motorists are aiming to use less fuel this year.

“Drivers are clearly being forced into cutting their motoring by the high price of fuel and, for many, this will impose difficult constraints on their lives,” said an AA spokesman.

Duffelen explained her members have reported coach holidays are proving increasingly appealing for the younger “empty nester” market.

She said: “Although they have a car, they are choosing to leave it at home and relax on a coach break.

“I’m no different to anyone else; I drive a car and can appreciate how fuel and other costs including insurance have shot up in recent years. People are now thinking twice before hopping into the car, especially for holidays and short

Shaws Coaches has an excellent reputation in the Peterborough area

Paris parking changes The CPT Coaching Team has received the notification from Pass Autocar Paris concerning certain changes to registration and charging structure for the parking of coaches in the French capital.

The Board of Paris decided at its meetings on September 26-27, 2011, on the following changes to the Pass Autocar (translation from French): of a “Pass Eco 1 Creation Autocar” which allows subscriber companies using coaches in Paris, compliant with the latest anti-pollution standards, to have an immediate discount of 10% to 20% on the parking-unit cost; minimum Euro 2 The standard for eligibility for

the Subscriber Pass pricing will be Euro 3; revisions of the 3 Annual pricing schemes for the Pass Autocar; to the titles 4 Modifications of several passes for “better understanding” (for example the “Pass 24 heures” will become the “Pass Jour/Nuit”); of subscriber tariff 5 Creation relating to multiple parking periods, satisfactory with the observed practices; rule specifying the 6 New starting date of the validity period of Subscriber Pass units, allowing 90 days of validity for the purchased units; pricing rule more 7 New favourable when the deadline is not respected for a daily pass; increase when 8 Rate purchasing a daily pass on site is fixed at €15;

breaks.

“It’s partly about cost and partly about stress. To drive to Cornwall and back takes six or seven hours each way and will cost at least £120 in fuel alone. A five-day Cornish coach tour from this area will cost from about £360 per person, and that includes excursions, hotels and dinner each night.”

However, Duffelen says Shaws Coaches, based at Maxey near Peterborough, is seeing the effect is most noticeable in the day trip market.

She said: “On a day trip, of course, the proportion of the cost going on fuel for the car is much higher. Coaches consume the equivalent of 200 mpg per person and, equally importantly, leave everyone free to snooze or take in the views instead of one member of the family being hunched over the steering wheel, stressed out.”

There is also evidence that less people will be holidaying abroad this year, which again will benefit the coach tourism market. Advisory firm Zolfo Cooper, in its Leisure Wallet Report, found that about two-thirds of Britons say they will stay in the UK in 2012.

The penalty in case of Pass Autocar ticket loss is fixed at €130; of eligibility to 10 Conditions the School Pass Autocar are extended to the transport of children by authorized bodies for the whole year; 50% discount awarded 11 The to the Disabled Pass Autocar and the School Pass Autocar are extended to the supplementary hours, when the hour limits of the Pass Autocar are overrun.

Measures 1 to 3 will take effect from May 1, 2012, allowing you to take them into account in your business activities for the New Year.

Measures 4 to 11 became effective from January 1, 2012.

9

More information may be obtained on the Pass Autocar website at http://pass. cbconseil.com/index.php

09/01/2012 20:24

January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9

“We understand that this is a complex and varied market and so we aren’t advocating a single ‘one size fits all’ solution.”

Jeremy Peate

Competition Commission Final Report p26

Parrys open day takes £50k in deposits Parrys International held its annual open day on Sunday (January 8), attracting 2,500 people to its site in Cheslyn Hay near Wolverhampton.

The operator, which offers UK and overseas holidays, also received a record £50,000 of deposits for reservations in just five hours.

One of the star attractions was a new Van Hool TX, which had people queuing for a sneak preview all day. Visitors were eager to see the new features which have been incorporated into the coach.

Significantly, the TX made its UK public debut at the event.

It was not the exact vehicle Parrys will own, which is being delivered to the operator in March.

However, as exclusively reported

Walton Swift in liquidation

Sunday saw the UK public debut of Van Hool’s TX coach (pictured in the background) at the ever-popular annual open day at Parrys International in CBW recently, Parry’s will be the first owned in the UK, and the operator will be the second worldwide to own the new model.

Managing director Dave Parry told CBW: “It all went very well.

It was an exciting day and the

garage was full all day. I think everyone experienced maximum benefits.”

Guests at the open day included Hilton and Marriott hotels, as well as Wolverhampton Speedway, which is sponsored by Parrys.

Preston-based operator Walton Swift Ltd has gone into liquidation.

The firm, which operated from Longridge Road, provided bus and coach private hire for a range of customers including schools and professional football clubs.

However, the business built up heavy debts and has been forced to call in liquidator Unique Debt Solutions Ltd in Bolton.

Walton Swift was formed in 2005 following a merger of Walton Taxis Ltd and Swift Taxis (North West) Ltd. According to the firm’s website it served Premier League football clubs, as well as rugby and cricket teams and their official supporters’ clubs. It also provided school transport, airport and ferry terminal transport.

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nEWS

National Express expecting growth in all divisions UK Bus division should see margins return to above the industry average National Express Group PLC (NX) has released a pre-close trading update for the year ending December 31, 2011, with revenue and profit growth in 2011 expected in every one of its divisions. Trading across the group remains strong and full year profit is expected to be in line with the Board’s previous expectations.

2011 should see NX’s UK Bus margins restored to above industry average levels. Growth in commercial passenger revenue is expected to be 4%. Commercial passenger numbers have recently returned to growth in the West Midlands. Over a 12 month period, NX will have introduced around 250 new buses, replacing 15% of its fleet. NX has also invested in on-bus technology, smartcard ticketing and targeted marketing.

Revenue growth in the core NX coach network is expected to exceed 5% in 2011, with airport, long-haul and London commuter services performing particularly well. New services have helped to achieve this, such as new airport routes linking Leeds, Manchester

and Liverpool airports, and new Gatwick Airport routes. Initial sales of senior citizen coach concession discount cards are progressing well, with over 35,000 cards already sold as part of a plan to mitigate the impact of the removal by the UK government of the half-price concession from November 1, 2011.

Transport revenue growth for the group in Spain is expected to be 5% in 2011. Growth in the intercity division “continues to reflect

Over a 12 month period National Express UK Bus will have introduced around 250 new buses, replacing 15% of its fleet, which is 100% low floor

IRU to host bus and coach workshop on intercity travel The International Road Transport Union (IRU) is organising a bus and coach workshop on European intercity travel, as governments and policy-makers are actively seeking a safe, green and affordable intercity transport alternative for all citizens.

Brussels , says the IRU, is on the eve of a green revolution as politicians and administrations shift their transport policy priorities and increasingly move towards green and affordable bus and coach intercity travel. In response to this rise in demand, the IRU will hold a workshop on “Long Distance Bus and Coach Transport in Europe: (re)Discovering the Wheel”, in Brussels on February 29, 2012.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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the excellent competitive position of coach travel in the current economic environment.” In the urban division, where the majority of business is under long-term fixed contract to city councils, NX has seen a continuation of strong service demand.

Significantly, the North American school bus business is expected to broadly double the 2009 operating profit level this year.

Revenue growth for the full year

The workshop will give MEPs, transport ministers and leading company managers the opportunity to debate the future of long distance European intercity travel by bus and coach, take a detailed look at specific case studies from Spain, Norway, Italy and Germany, and discuss lessons to be learned, challenges and opportunities of opening intercity travel market to private bus and coach companies.

The deepening economic and financial crisis has led an ever increasing number of European governments, such as those in France, Germany and Sweden, to increasingly consider bus and coach

travel as their preferred policy alternative, to ensure affordable yet safe, green and efficient intercity mobility for all citizens, at the lowest costs for society.

Experience has shown that European countries such as Spain and Norway, which have opened their intercity travel market to private bus and coach businesses, have achieved spectacular results, benefiting both customers and businesses alike, in terms of higher service quality and steadily increasing ridership. In Norway, ridership on long distance bus and coach lines in Norway has more than doubled in five years, attracting most of these new passengers from cars, rather than from competing train and air services.

Private bus and coach travel offers today the optimal policy

is expected to be 8%, following a successful start to the new school year and a significant increase in charter revenues during the year. Budgetary constraints on school boards continue to drive interest in conversion to outsourced bus operations. The previously announced acquisition of Petermann Partners Inc. is progressing through regulatory clearance, with an expected completion date in late January 2012. NX says it continues to selectively explore new opportunities within its target markets.

Rail division revenues are expected to grow by 6% in 2011.

Dean Finch, group chief executive, said: “National Express is finishing 2011 in excellent shape.

We are growing revenue and profit in all five of our divisions.

We continue to invest in new fleet and offer exceptional value to our customers, enhancing the quality of our services at prices our passengers can afford.

“As recent passenger growth has shown, our customers value our competitive pricing during this period of economic uncertainty.

This strong foundation, coupled with a clear cost focus and the operational flexibility of our business, leaves us well positioned to pursue new opportunities to deliver value to shareholders in the future.”

NX will announce its results for the year ending December 31, 2011 on March 1. and customer mobility alternative, in particular in intercity travel in Europe, where over 90% of all trips are below 100 kilometres, on the condition, however, that businessfriendly policies, legislation and infrastructure are provided.

The IRU’s workshop will serve as a platform to discuss the pros and cons of using buses and coaches for European intercity travel as well as placing collective passenger transport by bus and coach at the heart of the policy and business debate on viable alternative modes of transport.

The workshop takes place at the Softel hotel in Brussels and is free to attend but delegates must register online at www.iru.org which has details of the workshop programme and surrounding events.

09/01/2012 20:14

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For more information nAsk the Michelin Mano: Call 0845 366 1535 Follow on twitter @MichelinTruckUK Visit www.michelin.co.uk/atmm

12 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

nEWS

Call for talking buses to come to Scotland Scottish Conservative leader backs Guide Dogs campaign Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is calling for the Talking Bus initiative to be brought to Scotland.

The system involves audible on-board announcements stating the current stop, next stop and final destination, similar to those in place on Brighton & Hove and Thamesdown buses.

Ruth Davidson said: “Those who travel by train will be used to the regular announcements and messages telling passengers what the next stop is, and the train’s destination. This is of enormous help to rail users – and of particular assistance to those with visual impairments.

“But I believe this use of technology could be extended to help even more people by being extended to buses.

“Buses play a vital role in enabling disabled people, including

Buses play a vital role in enabling blind or partially-sighted people to live more independent lives, says Ruth Davidson

Exmoor coastal bus route under threat

The famous 300 service which follows the Exmoor coast between Minehead and Lynmouth is under threat of withdrawal from Somerset County Council.

Quantock Motor Services runs the route, often using an open-topped double decker, and managing director Stephen Morris says he’s bewildered the county council is considering withdrawing its subsidy.

He said: “The problem is all the services we run west of Minehead are cross-subsidised by money we make on the 300 over three months in summer.

“Part of the issue here is this was always considered a socially desirable service and, despite the fact the economics aren’t commercial, the county council issued a contract to operate the 300 service and pay them to so do.

“We are three years into that seven-year contract, and on the strength of that we bought a new bus and refurbished an existing one. Now the council seems to www.coachandbusweek.com

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those who are blind or partiallysighted, to live more independent lives. But the worry of not being sure if you have got on the right bus, where you are on your journey, or when your stop is coming up, puts many people off using them.

“Guide Dogs is campaigning for a change in the law to make audio and visual information – including audible announcements of the current stop, next stop and final destination – available on board bus and coach services across the UK. “This will enable blind and partially-sighted people to use buses with confidence, and improve the experience of bus travel for all passengers. I back this call and add my voice to the many bodies campaigning for the introduction of Talking Buses to Scotland.”

Quantock Motor Services runs route 300 using open-top double deckers in the summer months, as pictured here at Minehead by Ann Evans think it can just walk away. We’ve invested heavily.

“It brings a lot of people in – it’s good for business on Exmoor.

Hikers love it. It gets national exposure and brings huge publicity to the area.”

Mark Sanders, who co-owns a pub and restaurant on the route of the service, said: “We rely on it to bring our team to work, as well as diners to our door. Tourists love this picturesque route, many residents rely on it and traders benefit from

it. It is a unique and beneficial tourist attraction to the area.

“What’s most disturbing for us is we’re about to grow – we are building careers and have two management positions available for two young people from Minehead who don’t drive. It could mean these guys don’t have a career here.

“We understand in winter months it’s difficult from a commercial perspective, but in terms of what it offers to our area, this bus service goes so much further.”

Norfolk votes no for blind enhancement Norfolk County Council has decided not to spend £30k providing free bus travel for blind people before 0930hrs.

Blind people had argued they were placed at a disadvantage after a non-statutory hour from 0830 and 0930hrs was withdrawn due to budget cuts. Last month, the council’s cabinet scrutiny committee agreed the controlling cabinet should consider restoring that hour for the blind. However, at a cabinet meeting on January 3, members decided not to do so.

John Welsman, transport policy development officer at Guide Dogs for the Blind, said: “The council should see this concessionary scheme as a social responsibility.

The bus is the transport of choice for the majority of the blind and one of few options they have available.”

Dan James, sustainable economy officer for Exmoor National Park Authority, said: “The 300 coastal link service, as well as the 401 Exmoor link for which funding is also proposed to be withdrawn, are popular services which enable people of all abilities and backgrounds to enjoy the wonders of the national park in a sustainable manner.

“The 300 service is one of the most iconic journeys in the region, if not beyond, and provides a vital link to the South West Coast Path.”

Somerset County Council’s cabinet member cllr Harvey Siggs said: “It’s a difficult decision, but we just will not have the finances to keep subsidising services as we do. Subsidies can be as much as £11 per passenger on some routes.

“There will still be an extensive bus service in Somerset with specialised services for the elderly and vulnerable, vital links to education and health and no changes to the most popular and important routes on the network.”

The consultation ends on Friday (January 13).

For more details visit www.somerset.gov.uk/ bussurvey, or call 0845 345 9155. The “Save the 300” petition is at www.theculbone.com

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nEWS › international

Volvo targets India with new launches Range now includes new coaches and India’s first tri-axle bus InDIA Volvo launched a new range of citybuses and coaches in India on December 29. The new products are aimed at raising standards in both market segments. The new coach is aimed at the second tier of routes and cities in India. Present at the launch were Hakan Karlsson, President, Volvo Bus Corporation and Akash Passey, MD and CEO, Volvo Buses in South Asia.

The three new models take the firm’s bus range to 10 different products and reinforce its decision to raise safety standards by introducing enhanced Front Underrun Protection (FUP) and Frontal Impact Protection (FIP) systems across all its coaches.

Hakan Karlsson said: “Three months ago we promised we would play a bigger role in the progress of the Indian bus industry and announced an investment of INR 400 crore. We now have a product range to take us there. Our focus remains to drive quality of life and with our current range we will be

Van Hool wins large American order

BELGIUM Van Hool has won two orders from ABC, its American distributor, for a total of 510 vehicles.

The manufacturer is building 210 coaches in Belgium, and is also setting up a foreign plant to make 300 “low-cost” vehicles.

By the end of January, Van Hool will have decided on the final location of the manufacturing plant abroad, where it plans to build the vehicles over a period of three years.

Filip Van Hool, Van Hool’s executive director, said: “Thanks to the efforts of our experienced and flexible employees and the fact that we custom-build vehicles to suit our customers’ needs, we have acquired a unique position www.coachandbusweek.com

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spreading the Volvo experience to a larger market in the country. We have defined a clear role for India in the future – as one of the largest markets in the group, a global hub for selected models, local product development and which uses the synergies we hold as a group in India. Today, we can proudly say we have set our foundation.”

Akash Passey said: “We now have the local competence and experience to raise the momentum of change manifold. This is just as we expand our market access and raise standards and expectations.

We are on our way to reaching our vision of a $1bn company with 5,000 buses produced each year. Importantly, with every new product we are touching areas of national and human value – improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, attractive public transport, safer and more comfortable travel.”

The new models are: The Volvo 9400PX – the first tri-axle 14.5m coach for India built on the new lightweight PX platform. Aimed at

intercity operation it is claimed to provide better grade ability and acceleration as well as enhanced stability and larger luggage space.

It features Volvo’s 11-litre 370bhp engine, I-Shift gearbox and a steerable tag-axle for better road handling and manoeuvrability.

Volvo 7400XL is India’s first tri-axle bus with a steered axle. At 14.5m it offers high passenger capacity and high operational efficiency; The Volvo 9100 coach is a global introduction for Asia, produced in Asia. This new coach is an integral part of Volvo Buses’ ambition to drive up the quality of transport across the country to more cities and routes.

The complete Volvo Buses range in India now includes: n Volvo 9400PX Multi-axle at 14.5m, PX platform & 11-litre engine n Volvo 9400XL Multi-axle at 13.7m with 9 litre engine n Volvo 9400 with 9-litre configuration n Volvo 9400 with 7-litre configuration n Volvo 9100 n Volvo 7400XL citybus n Volvo 7400 citybus n Volvo 7400CNG citybus n Volvo 7400Semi-Lowfloor citybus n Volvo 8400 Commuter citybus.

Van Hool says it aims to play a significant role in the US low cost market on the world market. Our products are recognised as being highly innovative. We sell vehicles which have more to offer than others and, as a result, are very labourintensive.

“In America the “low-cost” vehicle segment is growing very quickly. Our very healthy ambition is to play a significant role in this

and thus retain and even expand our position on the global American market. Without this important foreign investment Van Hool’s position on the American market was under threat.”

Van Hool currently employs more than 4,000 people worldwide, most of whom work in plants in Koningshooikt and Bree.

Solaris expand to five European countries POLAnD Polish bus manufacturer Solaris has expanded its sales team to a further four European countries – the Benelux countries and Slovakia.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, Solaris is represented by Bus & Coach Trading SA and headed by managing director Pascal Debaille, who has sold buses and coaches for a major European brand in both countries.

Solaris’s agent in the Netherlands is MTC Groep BV, which provides services to Dutch public transport fleet operators. Hüseyin Taskent and Nelson Gutierrez will lead the team at MTC. In Slovakia, Solaris already supplies fleets in cities such as Bratislava and Košice, with customers being served from the Czech Republic. Solaris has now opened a local sales subsidiary, Solaris Slovakia s.r.o. It is managed

by Lubomír Melichar, whose previous experience includes work for Košice City Transport, where he ran Solaris low-floor city buses.

DICV to step up its bus building

InDIA Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) is hoping to compete with Tata and Ashok Leyland with a new range of buses.

The new range will complement the firm’s existing high-end Mercedes-Benz luxury buses already sold in India.

“A strategic discussion on [the] launch of these buses is going on.

India is seen as too huge a market to be overseen,” said Marc Llistosella, DICV’s MD and CEO. “Research on the bus platform is already on in Europe. We have the platforms, but just need to modify them for local conditions.”

DCIV will shift its focus towards its new bus range after the launch of its BharatBenz truck range, which is planned to go ahead between July and September 2012.

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nEWS › REGIONAL

SCOTLAnD

A community bus which was deliberately set on fire is to be replaced after a local campaign.

The vehicle owned by the St Machar Parent Support Project was used by children with special needs, pensioners and new mums until it was destroyed by vandals.

However, the Stewart Group, a local business and their clients rallied round to get a new minibus.

Marylin White, support project coordinator for the charity, said: “This is the best Christmas present ever and wonderful news for everyone connected with St Machar Parent Support Project and the local community.

“The disruption caused by the loss of the bus was felt by many charities and support organisations.

We’re delighted the community rallied round to support us just as we were beginning to despair. We can’t thank the businesses enough.”

nORTH

A temporary bus service from Pocklington to York has been extended for more than a year.

The service, which was secured

by East Riding of Yorkshire Council in September following its withdrawal by East Yorkshire Motor Services, will now continue until March, 2013.

York Pullman and City of York Council made arrangements to continue the morning and afternoon commercial service of the 195 route, which was renumbered the X36, with help from local parish councils.

The temporary service was due to end next month, but a review by the authorities and consultations with bus users has led to the extension of the contract.

The service will be part-funded

by Pocklington Town Council as well as the parish councils of Melbourne, Seaton Ross, Bielby, Newton on Derwent and Sutton on Derwent.

Cllr Symon Fraser said: “With the support of local ward members and the commitment of the parish and town councils affected, East Riding of Yorkshire Council is delighted to announce that the X36 service will continue.”

MIDLAnDS

A car park in Mansfield has closed to make way for the Nottinghamshire town’s £11.6m bus station.

The facility on Station Road will www.coachandbusweek.com

RegionalNews.indd 16

building, as there are no extension works to be carried out.”

A decision on the plans is expected to be made by the council in February.

KEY

SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND REP OF IRELAND NORTH WALES MIDLANDS EAST LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST

serve five million passengers each year and replace the current station on Rosemary Street.

Mansfield District Council said the new station will be located in the heart of the town and encourage people to use public transport, and should be completed by spring 2013.

Facilities at the new enclosed glass building will include a waiting area with plenty of seating, toilets, a baby changing area, shops and refreshments.

There will be a staffed travel information office, electronic timetable information, CCTV cameras linked to the town centre system and automatic doors separating the waiting passengers from buses.

FirstGroup has shelved plans to build a new depot in the Potteries.

The operator will be staying at its present depot on Liverpool Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, despite putting forward plans to move to a site on Lower Milehouse Lane in Knutton, which would have held 103 buses.

Instead, a planning application has been submitted to Newcastle Borough Council for permission to make a raft of improvements to the existing building.

More than 50 households around Lower Milehouse Lane complained about the plans, with worries about the increase in traffic and pollution.

However, Paul De Santis, network

EAST

manager of First Midlands, said: “Staying at Liverpool Road was always our preferred option. We put in the application for Lower Milehouse Lane in order to keep our options open.”

There are now plans to re-roof and re-clad the existing depot and add new vehicle and pedestrian doors, as well as put up a new fence at the front of the site and repair the vehicle parking areas.

The planning application states: “The aim of the proposed scheme is to successfully keep FirstGroup’s existing bus fleet on the current site.

“The site will continue to be used as it is now, with the benefit of being a safer, more secure site, by providing a new fence and gates and by the re-applying of safety lining to the site.”

Extra security will also be added to the site, to help prevent further damage to the company’s vehicles.

The application continues: “The current site is an open site and several security issues have occurred with damage to buses overnight which have then caused delays to bus services.

“Local police officers attend the site frequently and a number of incidents have occurred recently.

“A CCTV post and camera would be installed to help deter crime and also to record damage which occurs on the site to assist the police.

“The proposed redevelopment on the site will not impact on the size and scale of the existing

First East has contacted the University of East Anglia (UEA) to confirm it is reducing routes 21/22 route from Monday, January 16.

Passengers have expressed fears this could make it harder to travel into the city and catch connecting services to the university. Concerns have also been raised about the replacement number 40 UEA Circular route to serve the university. An internal message to UEA staff revealed the new service will run in term time only, leaving people without buses at Christmas, Easter and during the summer.

Routes 21/22 currently run throughout the year between the city centre and the UEA, via the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, from 0552hrs to midnight, but will now only make stops between the city centre and the hospital. The number 40 circular route will operate from 0726hrs until 1015 and 1515 to 1850. It will depart the university and stop at Dodderman Way, Harpsfield, Dereham Road and Jamieson Place before returning to the UEA. First spokesman Chris Nice said information about passengers’ travel patterns was gathered before the decision was taken, including talking to people. He said: “Our analysis showed us the majority of passengers were travelling to and from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and passengers travelling to the university found the service less attractive, often choosing to alight early rather than face the loop through the hospital.

“Following this analysis we made the decision to make some alterations and provide a more tailored service for passengers travelling to the university.”

Norfolk County Council says the routes 21/22 are fully commercial and receive no cash subsidy from the authority.

Councillor Bert Bremner, University ward member and Norwich City Council cabinet member for planning and transport, said: “This change may work for First but I am certain people who rely on the 21/22 to get to and from the university will be disadvantaged.”

09/01/2012 20:53

Police officers in Northamptonshire are being allowed to travel on Stagecoach buses for free.

Northamptonshire Police warmly welcomed Stagecoach Northampton’s gesture allowing officers on duty to travel free in the county.

Throughout the county Stagecoach staff welcomed officers on board, allowing them to travel free – on production of their warrant card.

Stagecoach Northampton operations manager, Colin Briton said: “This arrangement is on the understanding that the police come to the assistance of staff and the travelling public should the need ever arise. The police are more than willing to co-operate in ensuring our buses are safe to travel on.”

John Chatley of Northamptonshire Police said: “The support of the bus company for the force and local community safety by allowing police officers and PCSO’s to travel free is greatly appreciated.

“The force encourages its police officers to use public transport wherever possible and Stagecoach’s assistance is valuable to us in many ways and very warmly welcomed.”

Inspector Dave Rayfield of Northampton Police added: “This is

January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 17

Coach & Bus Week takes a look at the big issues where you live in our round-up of the regions. If you’ve got a local issue you would like us to cover, contact James Day at james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

a great opportunity to make officers more accessible to the public.

“It will also provide immediate support for Stagecoach personnel should an issue arise.”

2012

SOUTH EAST

West Sussex County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, Pieter Montyn, has approved the decision to withdraw subsidies for 10 bus routes.

The services will be withdrawn or reduced over the next nine months unless a new operator comes forward to run them commercially.

Mr Montyn said: “Decisions to reduce spending are never easy to make but we are in a position where changes must be made.

“We are continuing to work with bus operators and the local community to look for ways to keep services running where possible.

“We have already seen some examples of routes continuing on a commercial basis and we are hopeful more opportunities can be identified.”

As reported at the time, the council announced last year it would be reducing in three phases the subsidies it gives to bus companies to run certain routes, in order to save £2m.

n January 14 CPT North Western Region Annual Dinner. Southport Theatre & Covention Centre. Contact Phillipa Sudlow, CPT NW regional manager email phillipas@cpt-uk. org or call 01925 229497. n January 26 CPT National Dinner. Hilton Park Lane, London.

020 7240 3131 www.cpt-uk.org n January 28 Excursions 2012.

Alexandra Palace, London. www. excursions.org.uk n February 4 Mid Anglia Coach Operators Association Dinner Dance. The Bedford Lodge Hotel, Newmarket. Contact Bridget Paterson on 01638 780066 or email sales@nealstravel.com n March 14-15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www.

bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n March 15 Volvo Bus social evening in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust’s Warwickshire Appeal.

Century Court House, Warwick. Pam Matthews 01926 414 553 or e-mail pam.matthews@volvo.com n March 18 Leyland National 40th Anniversary. Organised by the Leyland National Group, Nationals on static display and working in service.The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Leyland. www.leylandnational

group.co.uk

n March 31 ‘M&D and EK 60’.

Kent Showground on the A249 near Maidstone. www.arrivabus.co.uk/ MDEK60, contact mdekbusclub@ gmail.com n April 14 Paul S Winson Coaches Running Day. Loughborough and local area. www.busrunningday. co.uk, contact info@busrunningday. co.uk

FirstGroup has donated 20 of its buses to showcase winning self portraits created by pupils in Aberdeen in an art competition. The competition, entitled My Future Aspirations, challenged youngsters to create a self portrait expressing their future career hopes, along with a short written narrative to support their entry. The winning 12 entries, on display at Aberdeen Art Gallery, now feature as large vinyl advertisements on the sides of 20 First buses in the city. Overall winner, James Mitchell, said: “It’s brilliant that my portrait is on display at the Aberdeen Art Gallery, but it’s absolutely amazing to see it on the side of a bus.”

First donated the advertising space, worth more than £10k, to help showcase the competition and lend support to Maggie’s, which is raising funds for a new cancer support centre at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Sale proceeds from Thorpe Molloy Recruitment’s calendar, which features the winning 12 entries, will be donated to Maggie’s.

n April 19, 2012 UK Coach Awards. Ramada Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel in Manchester, 0870 900 1450. www.ukcoachawards.co.uk n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey.

Istanbul Expo Center, Turkey. www.busworldturkey.com/en/ index.html n April 21-22 UK Coach Rally.

East of England Showground, Peterborough. 01753 631170. www.coachdisplays.co.uk n April 24-26 CV Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01634 261262. www.cvshow.com

The Bedford OB Get-Together will take place between Friday and Sunday August 3-5 at South Cerney Airfield in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Pictured here is one of Lodges Coaches immaculately restored Bedford OBs at Showbus 2011, complete with its toast rack sides n May 22-23 ALBUM Conference.

– Forest Pines Hotel, near Brigg, North Lincolnshire. www.albumconference.co.uk n August 3-5 Bedford OB GetTogether. South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester, GL7 5QB. Contact the organiser Tim Wootton by email on tim@tjcs.freeserve.co.uk. Visit http://www.bedfordob.com/ n August 27 The National Association of Road Transport Museums gala day. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n September 8-9 UK Bus Driver of the Year, Blackpool. Call competition secretary Bill Holmes on 01303 251462. www.bdoy.co.uk n September 20-27 IAA Commercial Vehicles. Hannover. +(00)49 30897842. www.iaa.de n October 14 Midland Red Centenary of the Reintroduction of Motorbuses. The Transport Museum, Wythall, near Birmingham. www.wythall.org.uk n November 6-8 Euro Bus Expo.

NEC, Birmingham. 01926 834790. www.eurobusxpo.com n November 20 UK Bus Awards – provisional date. www. ukbusawards.org.uk

2013 n May 26-30 UITP Congress & Exhibition. Palexpo, Geneva. www.uitp.org. +(00)32 2673 6100. n October 18-23 Busworld Kortrijk. www.busworld.org

Do you have an event to promote? Send details to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

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18 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

nEWS › TOURISM

2008

The year the Beatles Story at the Albert Dock site trebled in size

BriEfly A la Ronde, in Exmouth, Devon, is a unique and quirky 16-sided 18th century house overlooking the Exe estuary. It is home to fascinating collections and interior decoration which includes a feather frieze and a shell-encrusted gallery. Coach parking for one coach is 20 yards from the house entrance, with additional minibus parking. Group admission is £6.20 each, with guided tours at an extra £4. Visits last around two and a half hours, and could be combined with a stop at Exmouth seafront or Bicton Park. For more information email alaronde@nationaltrust.org. uk or call 01395 265514.

Kensington Palace in London will re-open in March after a £12m investment. A new permanent exhibition explores the life and reign of Queen Victoria, giving visitors the chance to learn about her first day as Queen, her relationship with Prince Albert and their family life. Jewellery, mourning clothes and other personal objects will be displayed in the room where Victoria lived as a child. The Palace will also hold a temporary summer exhibition from May called Jubilee, telling the story of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. The Palace will re-open to the public on March 26. New facilities will include public gardens, gift shop, café and a £1m Clore Learning Centre. The Palace will be open daily 1000 1700hrs; 2012 admission prices to be confirmed.

Newcastle ScienceFest is hitting the city between March 8 and 15, 2012. There will be an eclectic programme for all ages which will feature robots, sleep experiments, food taste tests and optical illusions. The event takes place at several venues including the Life Science Centre, Northumbria University and the Great North Museum. Groups of 10 or more gain free entry for one in 10 people. There is also priority entry, free coach parking (first come first served basis), free driver entry, tailored meal packages and familiarisation visits. Group bookings must be made in advance through the bookings hotline on 0191 243 8223. www.coachandbusweek.com

TourNews.indd 18

RHS shows brighten up the capital this Spring RHS Art Show to include exclusive Hampton Court Palace Florilegium Society exhibit Royal Horticultural Society is hosting a number of events in London in 2012.

The RHS London Orchid and Botanical Art Show will take place at RHS Horticultural Halls, Greycoat Street and Vincent Square on March 16 and 17, with a special evening preview on March 15.

Specialist growers from across the globe will be exhibiting a

spectacular array of exotic and rare orchids to highlight the importance of orchid conservation in the wild.

Exclusively for 2012, Hampton Court Palace Florilegium Society will be exhibiting part of its botanical art collection. This will be the first time the collection has left the grounds of the Palace.

Tickets are £8 per day, or £5 for RHS members, and £12 for the evening preview combined with either day visit.

The show is open between 1000 and 1700hrs on March 16 and 17,

while the evening show starts at 1830hrs and lasts two hours.

The RHS Great London Plant Fair will take place on April 10 and 11.

People can stock-up on plants and receive advice from RHS experts on ways to replenish their frost-bitten gardens, while top traders will be selling tools and other essential gardening implements.

Opening times are 1000 – 1900hrs on April 10 and 1000 – 1700hrs on April 11. Tickets are £8 for the first day and £5 for day two, while RHS members get in free.

For groups of 10 plus there are special rates available for both events.

Coach drivers receive free entry and there is free coach parking.

The famous Chelsea Flower Show will again take place this year, between May 22 and 26, although the above coach and group privileges do not apply. Parking is £35 per day, and companies must apply for a police set down/pick up permit in advance.

An enthusiast appreciates the colourful flowers on display

Contact Ed Horne on 0207 8213356, or edhorne@ rhs.org.uk. For information on the Chelsea Flower Show, email chelseacoaches@rhs.org.uk

New gallery for Hastings’ Old Town

Charming Yorkshire manor house

A new £4m art gallery will open in Hastings on March 17, 2012.

The Jerwood Gallery will display the Jerwood Foundation’s collection of 20th and 21st century paintings, on public display for the first time, including works by Sir Stanley Spencer, and L S Lowry.

The gallery is part of a £9m redevelopment of the Stade, a historic area in the Old Town area of Hastings on the south coast.

Seven coach bays are located on the seafront in the Old Town.

Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council are also creating 21 additional coach parking spaces on Falaise Road and eight additional spaces Sea Road.

East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley, West Yorkshire, is an intimate manor house with a garden, duck pond and picnic area.

Group rate is £4.70 per person.

Guided tours are available at an extra £1 each for groups of 10 to 30.

Coach parking for one coach is 250 yards from the entrance, although no double-deckers are allowed due to overhanging trees.

The tea room offers a discounted menu if booked in advance, and can house 55 people, although there is additional seating on site.

The gallery will be home to the Jerwood Art Collection The gallery will open with the UK’s first retrospective of the works of Kent-based artist Rose Wylie, who has been awarded the 2011 Paul Hamlyn Prize for Visual Arts.

Admission charges to be confirmed.

A visit to the gallery could of course be combined with a stop at the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings, or even the Blue Reef Aquarium.

For more information visit www.jerwoodgallery.org

Email carla.weatherall@ nationaltrust.org.uk or ring 01535 607075.

09/01/2012 20:28

January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 19

£9m 1690s Investment into the Stade, an area in Hastings’ Old Town

The decade the main block of Newby Hall was built

Beatlemania alive in Liverpool

The Beatles Story is a popular attraction based at two Liverpool sites, Albert Dock and Pier Head.

Highlights include a recreation of the Cavern Club, audio tours with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Cynthia Lennon, and the White Room – a tribute to John Lennon.

In 2008 the Beatles Story Albert Dock trebled in size, and extended to the Pier Head, housed in the new Mersey Ferries Terminal in 2009.

For parties of 10 or more, the attraction offers a group discount for advance bookings.

Pier Head is home to the Fab4D experience - an innovative and exciting multi-sensory experience and also houses a special exhibitions centre.

Groups are advised to spend a half day visiting both sites, although tickets are flexible and valid for 48 hours.

Parties of up to 80 can be catered for in the Fab4D experience, although groups of all sizes are allowed in the main Albert Dock attraction.

For more information visit www.beatlesstory.com Email groups@beatlesstory.com for group bookings.

dEAlS OF THE WEEK Encore Tickets has released its rates for West End shows in 2012, which includes top value group deals.

Singin’ In The Rain opens on February 4, 2012, at the Palace Theatre. The company is offering seats for groups of 10 plus for £35 each and groups of 40 plus for £29.40, if booked before February 15, or £45 and £39.50 after. Tickets are for Monday to Friday evenings and Wednesday matinees. For senior groups of 10 plus, prices are £29.50 for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Wednesday matinees.

Aldwych Theatre will host classic musical Top Hat from April 19. Groups of 10 plus are £35 each if booked before the beginning

diESEl priCES

A view of the mansion from its impressive gardens

Group benefits available at North Yorks’ Newby Hall North Yorkshire’s Newby Hall is a mansion and Grade I listed building dating back to the 17th century.

Visitors can view the sculpture gallery and tapestry room, still in its original condition. The grounds feature herbaceous borders and woodland walks, as well as an array of gardens, a children’s adventure area and a miniature railway.

Other attractions include the sculpture park, shop and plant centre and garden restaurant.

Coach parking is free and adjacent to the entrance pavilion. Drivers and couriers enjoy free entry and a complimentary meal voucher.

The restaurant offers morning

of March or £39.50 after, valid for performances Monday – Friday evenings and Thursday matinee.

Sweeny Todd, starring Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, opens at the Adelphi Theatre from March 10.

Group rates are £39.50 for groups of 10 plus when booked and paid for before January 27, valid for Monday – Thursday evenings and Wednesday matinee or £31.50 only for performances between July 1 and September 6. n For more information email groups@encoretickets.co.uk or ring 020 74921525 Bennetts Water Garden in Weymouth, Dorset, is an eight acre site which holds national and international collections of water lilies, flowering from late spring through to autumn.

The gardens feature a series of ponds and lakes surrounded by wetland plants, native trees, palms, wild plants and flowers.

coffee, lunches and afternoon teas with self-service. For pre-booked groups table service is available.

Groups of 15 or more can benefit from discounted entry plus free entry for group leaders.

For entrance to the house and garden, adults pay £11.20, OAPs £10.70 and children and disabled £8.50. For the garden only, adults pay £7.70, OAPs £7.20 and children and disabled £6.20.

The estate is open between March 31 and September 30, 2012.

Call 0845 4504068 or visit www. newbyhallandgardens.com

Singin’ In The Rain is one of the musicals Encore can offer deals on They are a “Site of Nature Conservation Interest” due to the abundant wildlife. There is also a family nature trail tailored towards younger visitors.

Groups of 15 plus benefit from discounted admission, while groups arriving in one vehicle (e.g. coach, minibus) enjoy extra discounts.

Cost per litre in pence: Great Britain Sweden Belgium Italy Germany Ireland Netherlands France Czech Republic Greece Portugal Austria Hungary Spain Slovenia Poland Luxembourg

140.90 136.28 129.02 127.65 125.52 123.55 123.55 123.47 118.94 118.77 117.83 116.38 114.63 109.30 108.36 104.40 104.26

HOlidAy pOUnd £1 will get you: Euro Switzerland (Franc) Norway (Kroner) Hungary (Forint) Czech Republic (Koruna) Poland (Zloty)

1.21 1.47 9.28 382.05 31.18 5.44

Adults pay £5.75 standard group rate or £4.75 ‘coach’ rate, while children pay £3.25 standard group rate or £3 ‘coach’ rate.

The gardens are open between April and September, 1000 – 1700hrs, apart from Saturdays.

There is free coach parking on site. n For more information visit www. waterlily.co.uk National Trust is offering members of the travel trade a free pass which allows two people free admission to over 300 properties and gardens throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The pass will enable coach operators to visit as many places as possible in order to sample attractions and create itineraries to help plan a perfect group visit. n To obtain a free year’s pass, call 0844 8002329 or email traveltrade@nationaltrust.org.uk www.coachandbusweek.com

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20 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

nEWS › BUSINESS

4.4%

The fall in the number of car registrations made last year

BriEfly Car registrations fell 4.4% in 2011 to 1.94 million, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has said. It is the lowest number of registrations in more than a decade. The fall in demand for new cars, which continued in December with a 3.7% drop compared with a year earlier, contrasts with a strong rise in UK car production in the last six months. Diesel and other nonpetrol cars continued to gain market share last year. Car registrations remain 25% below their peak of 2.58 million, recorded in 2003. It is only the second time the figure has dropped below two million mark since 2000; the other occasion being the recession year of 2009.

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has hosted a roundtable discussion with business leaders to hear about how they offer young people work, training and apprenticeships and discuss the Youth Contract. The aim of the Youth Contract is to ensure all jobless young people are earning or learning again before long-term damage is done. Over three years, the Youth Contract will provide at least 410,000 new work places for 18 to 24-year-olds. Clegg also launched new website - dwp.gov. uk/youth-contract for employers across Britain to sign up to the contract. John Cridland, CBI directorgeneral, said: “We sincerely hope that employers of all sizes looking to hire staff will see the Youth Contract as a real incentive to invest in our young people.”

Activity in the UK service sector, which includes transport, grew in December at its fastest rate since July, according to the latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI). The PMI for December was 54.0, up from 52.1 in November. Any figure over 50 indicates the sector is growing. But confidence about the future remains subdued, with business expectations matching September’s two-and-a-half year low. The report’s author, Chris Williamson, described conditions as “surprisingly buoyant”. “The December survey rounds off a reasonable fourth quarter for the service sector,” he said. www.coachandbusweek.com

BusinessNews.indd 20

Cameron’s crackdown on ‘fat cat’ pay criticised Shareholders will be voting after money has been paid out, says CBI Prime minister David Cameron has faced a backlash from business leaders after he promised to give shareholders new powers to veto extravagant payouts to failed executives.

Cameron’s attack on City excess just ahead of the bonus season and his plans to introduce more checks on undeserved bonuses were derided as flawed and unworkable.

He promised moves within weeks to give extra powers to shareholders, notably a binding vote on top salaries, to curb the practice of authorising “golden parachutes” to departing executives, and to require companies to provide more details of managers’ salary packages. But business groups pointed out, by the time shareholders would get to vote on multi-million-pound bonuses at the company AGM, the money would already have been paid out to executives.

“Binding shareholder votes would simply be shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted,” said John Cridland, CBI directorgeneral. “Shareholders would only be voting after the problem has happened.”

Downing Street sources meanwhile suggested the power for shareholders to block exorbitant pay-offs would be applied only

Prioritising business will reverse slowdown

The UK has “the talent and energy” to avoid being part of the “inevitable slowdown” in the Eurozone, but can only do this if it makes boosting business growth a priority, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) director general John Longworth.

“We are living in momentous

to newly appointed executives rather than managers on existing contracts, meaning it could take years for the sanction to bite.

The CBI has questioned the idea of allowing shareholders to intervene in executive-pay decisions. It said it preferred the use of claw-back schemes

Binding shareholder votes would simply be shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, says the CBI’s John Cridland

Excessive growth of payment, unrelated to success, is crony capitalism, says David Cameron times with slow but seismic shifts in the world economy,” he said. “A slowdown across the eurozone is inevitable, but Britain need not suffer a similar fate. We simply cannot afford to compromise on economic performance. Britain does have the potential to recover and make its way in the world.

We have the talent, the energy, and the enterprise. All we need is an environment that puts business first. Boosting growth in our businesses will boost the economy and let Britain lead on the international stage.”

Longworth added: “In the face of economic concerns, and the debt

to recover cash from poorly performing managers and said executives should be paid realistic salaries in the first place.

Cameron told BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show that he knew executives picking up huge cheques even when their companies had failed made “people’s blood boil”.

He said: “What I think is wrong is pay going up and up when it is not commensurate with the success companies are having.”

The prime minister said some managers were worth a £2m salary because they helped the economy to expand and created jobs. But he added: “Excessive growth of payment, unrelated to success, frankly ripping off the shareholder and the customer... is crony capitalism and is wrong.”

Cameron signalled that business secretary Vince Cable will soon set out plans to: give shareholders the power to vote on levels of executive pay; enable shareholders to block unjustified dismissal packages for departing managers; require companies to be more transparent about executives’ rewards by publishing clear details of pay packages, including salary, share plans, retirement schemes and other perks.

The moves would require legislation, which would be included in the Queen’s Speech in the spring. crisis in Europe, businesses across Britain, large and small, are busting a gut to find new markets and grow their firms. That’s why we all have to recognise that business is a force for good. It is at the centre of the economy, and it is only business that can create recovery and deliver all the good things we want, like education, healthcare and pensions.”

Longworth said the chancellor is right to stick to plans to reduce the deficit but measures can be taken such as the reversal of the “punishing” 5.6% rise in business rates due in April 2012, and a reduction in employer NI

09/01/2012 23:06

250,000 197 The number of new work experience placements through the government’s Youth Contract

The number of days to go until the 2012 London Olympics

62% of small firms believe the Games will have no long-term positive impact on their business while 7% believe they will see overall benefit

Olympics legacy damp squib for small firms Six in 10 small firms believe the London 2012 Games will not have a positive impact on their business in the long term despite David Cameron saying the UK is “on track” for a lasting legacy, the Federation of Small Businesses said this week.

The FSB’s ‘Voice of Small Business’ Survey Panel shows 62% of small firms believe the Games will have no long-term positive impact on their business, despite promises that the legacy of the London 2012 Games will continue for years. Only 7% of small businesses believe the Games will benefit their business overall, and a quarter (25%) expect a negative impact on their business.

The FSB is concerned that when

Business needs to be prioritised, says the BCC‘s John Longworth contributions.

“We must build an enterprise culture in Britain and help people to employ themselves so that one day

BusinessNews.indd 21

January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21

the bid for the London 2012 Games went through, it was sold on the basis that is would create a long legacy for the country, yet small businesses do not believe that they will benefit from this. The FSB is calling on the government and Olympics Authorities to ensure small firms are aware of how they can reap the benefits of the Games.

“It is worrying that 200 days before the Olympic and Paralympic Games are set to begin, small businesses think it will not benefit their business,” said John Walker, FSB national chairman.

“This is even more worrying considering the London 2012 Games was sold on the basis of its legacy. We all know times are tough, but 2012 is a year of big events which small firms should be able to benefit from.

“The government and Olympic Authorities must help show small businesses how they can reap the rewards from one of the biggest sporting and tourism events the country has seen for years.” they will employ others. Politicians have shown a level of resolve and determination to help business succeed this year. However, they have been nowhere near radical enough and have not been able to tackle the culture which deems business and wealth creation as negative.”

Longworth concluded: “The government can restore UK business confidence. Facilitating the flow of credit to viable businesses, improving our planning system, and an overhaul of our infrastructure and skills system, will tackle the barriers to expansion too often cited by businesses.”

BlOg of the week

10 tipS fOr SUCCESSfUl CASHflOW mAnAgEmEnt

Tim Whitehouse, founder of Caprica Online Accountants, offers his top tips on how busineses can to effectively manage their cashflow on the Business Zone website www.businesszone.co.uk No small business owner needs to be told that maintaining a healthy bank balance is vital. Follow these simple cashflow management tips to minimise stress and ensure you always have enough cash to run your business effectively: A CAsh Buffer: 1 BuiLd Work out your average outgoings for one month. Consider this amount to be the minimum level of cash you need in the bank at any one time and make yourself believe you can never let your bank balance go below this amount. The month your clients all decide to pay you late it may mean the difference between your business surviving or failing.

BAnk 2 sCheduLe TrAnsfers AT The sTArT Of eACh mOnTh: At the start of each month schedule all your known outgoing BACS payments.

You will easily be able to see where crunch points are likely to occur and be able to plan accordingly. direCT deBiTs: 3 use This won’t be possible for all businesses, but if you can, bill your clients a fixed amount each month and collect it through direct debits.

Knowing you are going to receive a specific amount on a particular day of each month takes away a lot of the uncertainty and stress of cash flow management. Your clients will also appreciate the predictability.

YOur suPPLiers On 4 PAY Time everY Time: Get into the habit of always paying your suppliers on time. Exactly on time!

As well as generating goodwill which could really benefit you in future price negotiations it builds up a buffer which can be drawn upon if times get really hard. reCeivABLes On 5 revieW A WeekLY BAsis: Every week look at payments which are due from your clients. If you use modern online accounting software then it should take you no time at all to see what’s outstanding. If any amount is overdue then don’t be shy about phoning up and asking

for immediate payment. Sadly, if you aren’t firm then your clients will take advantage.

A CrediT CArd 6 use Whenever YOu CAn: If any suppliers require immediate payment then use a credit card and add a 30 to 60 day delay to when the money leaves your account.

But do pay off your credit card in full every month and avoid paying extra for the privilege of using a credit card.

YOur indusTrY’s 7 knOW sTAndArd PAYmenT Terms: Make sure you know the standard payment terms for your industry. If it’s normal practice to bill 50% in advance of performing any work then insist upon this. If you don’t know what is normal for your industry then ask your accountant.

The CAsh 8 fOreCAsT imPACT Of GrOWTh: It may seem counter-intuitive but nothing sucks up cash like growth; it’s often the fastest growing small businesses which have the biggest cash flow problems. If you win a significant new client or see an opportunity for a new service then work with your accountant to forecast the likely cash flow impact.

Aside TAxes: 9 seT Be disciplined and set aside cash every month for the next VAT and Corporation Tax bill. Ask your accountant to give you a conservative estimate as part of their monthly reporting.

If your accountant doesn’t do this then use accounting software such as KashFlow, which keeps a running calculation of VAT and allows you to easily run a profit and loss report. If you pay 20% corporation tax then set aside 21% of your year to date profits in a savings account. disCOunTs fOr 10 Offer PrOmPT PAYmenTs: If your payments terms are normally 30 days then offer clients a 1%-2% discount for paying within 10 days.

As a source of cash this is likely to be much cheaper (and far more available!) than a bank loan. A similar solution is to sell your sales invoices to lenders, traditionally it has just been banks working in this market but new services like MarketInvoice are currently trying to open the market up to a wider investor base. www.coachandbusweek.com

09/01/2012 23:06

22 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

eg

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

› WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

A Mercedes-Benz Citaro is raised using Stertil Koni wireless mobile column lifts

Fixing your fleet VOSA are closing a number of their test facilities in the near future, which will leave a gap in the market to be filled by private companies, better known as Authorised Testing Facilities - or ATFs. Coach & Bus Week looks at how suppliers are using innovation and competitive pricing to help fill the void www.coachandbusweek.com

EG.Workshop.indd 22

T

his week’s Essential Guide examines how two suppliers are looking to make setting up a workshop as easy and practical as possible for operators. Each offers a variety of products from several manufacturers.

Stertil Koni offer wireless mobile column lifts, removing tripping hazards and restrictions on mobility, as well as allowing the devices to be used outdoors. The intelligent system only uses power to raise the vehicle, saving energy and reducing downtime due to charging.

Commercial Garage Equipment offer goods from high quality, trusted manufacturers at very competitive prices. The company will see through the installation of the hardware from start to finish and has already seen large orders from firms such as DHL and Babcock.

STErTIL KONI In 2006 Stertil became the first lift manufacturer in the UK to sell mobile column lifts without cables.

Stertil-Koni now produce their innovative wireless mobile column lifts in 7,250 kg (ST1073), 8,200 kg (ST1082 + ST1082 Earthlift), 10,000 kg (ST1100) and 17,500 kg (ST1175) capacities per column.

All Stertil-Koni mobile column lifts are equipped with a hydraulic lifting system with electronically controlled synchronised levelling system. Parts susceptible to wear, such as spindles and nuts, are absent.

Together, the result is a vehicle lift with an exceptionally long service life, a long maintenance interval and a very short ascent/ descent time.

The Stertil-Koni mobile lifting columns are among the fastest lifting columns in the world.

The mobiles are protected against overloading by a

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eg

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

› › WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

hydraulic pressure relief valve.

The mechanical locking device works independently from the lifting system, and is always active therefore additional supports such as axle stands are not required.

The synthetic runner wheels are self-lubricating, making them maintenance-free. Stertil gives a lifetime warranty on this runner wheel system (parts only).

There are various options available for Stertil-Koni mobile column lifts, such as lighting, remote controls, special lifting pads, axle supports and miscellaneous crossbars.

Battery life is prolonged due power only being used to raise the vehicle - therefore less time is spent recharging the lift.

Stertil Koni recently supplied London United with three sets of four ST1073 wireless mobile lifts which were installed at the company’s Twickenham garage, to help maintain its 885 vehicle fleet which offer services to over 155 million passengers.

Keen to evaluate the options available for garage lifting equipment, London United conducted an in-house assessment of products from leading manufacturers. After extensive testing, Stertil Koni’s ST1073 wireless mobile column lifts were confirmed as the preferred product.

The ST1073 won on speed of lifting, user friendliness and the number of lifting cycles per full charge.

Their performance and reliability has quickly led to a further order being placed for an additional set of four identical lifts to support operations at London United’s Fulwell garage.

Robert Tarrant, engineering manager at London United’s Twickenham Garage said: “I was very interested in the benefits of wireless lifts and wanted to be sure we purchased the correct equipment. We evaluated a number of leading products and the Stertil Koni mobile lifts out-performed the others on all counts. In particular we compared lifting and descent times and the number of lifts before they required charging.

“Deciding factors were the inbuilt safety features - particularly the independent locking pawl, along with the ID-Key required to synchronise the lifts prior to use (as this eliminates unauthorised usage). Once installed, the benefits were self evident, so when our Fulwell depot required an additional set of lifts they came to www.coachandbusweek.com

EG.Workshop.indd 24

Commercial Garage Equipment offers VOSA approved ATF lanes Twickenham and assessed the lifts for themselves and consequently purchased an additional set of four.”

E: lifts@stertiluk.com W: www.stertiluk.com

COmmErCIAL GArAGE EqUIpmENT Commercial Garage Equipment (CGE) offers the installation of ATF (Authorised Testing Facilities) lanes at a claimed 20% less than rival firms. With VOSA sites closing and the private sector needing to step up, now is a great time to capitalise.

CGE have a dedicated team of project managers to see through the completion of lanes from start to finish, for use in ATFs and general workshops. Plan drawings are provided free of charge and CGE is now offering a full service for constructing pits in workshops nationwide.

Either traditional inspection pits or fully compliant ATF pits alongside long versions as seen at ministry test stations, can be supplied. With the latter, CGE looks after the supply and fitting of jacking beams, shakers and

emission analysis equipment. “We can even supply the necessary signs if required,” CGE managing director Roger Cox revealed.

The ATF lanes come complete with radius plates, play detectors and pick jack, and are supplied with a VOSA-approved Bradbury brake tester, all for prices starting from £70,000.

Pits are made from high strength prefabricated steel sections and comply with all safety regulations.

CGE has been appointed sole distributor for the high quality products of Austrian manufacturer IME-Autolift, as well as main distributer for Bradbury Commercial Braketesters, who have been in the industry for 111 years. With such quality products, customers need not worry about CGE’s competitive prices resulting in uncompetitive quality.

According to Roger, “these are premium quality products at a very competitive price. All the range is good, but the IME-Autolift scissor jack is a particularly fine piece of equipment – I’m very excited about it.”

Equipment catering for everything from three to 80 tonnes

is on offer, though 20 tonne lifts are most popular. The 20 tonne scissor lifts are priced at £23,950, while the 26 tonne column lifts sell for £10,950.

Many customers prefer to go for scissor lifts, Roger said. “Scissor lifts score on the fact you can use them for steam cleaning vehicles. The electrics can be sited away from the lift itself, which can’t really be done with column lifts. In addition, scissor lifts can be sited outside, so long as the electronic controls are carefully covered.”

Column lifts have the advantage of being relatively portable, and can be used around the workshop as required. Both four and six-post platform lifts can be supplied.

CGE has teams of engineers at the ready to fit the lifts, if customers require. The same applies to inspection pits, another area in which the firm can offer a complete service, from planning to sweeping up afterwards. “I think a lot of operators want someone to come and do the whole job. We have the lowest possible overheads so we can keep prices extremely competitive. As far as putting in pits is concerned, we can save the customer around a third of the prices our competitors charge”.

“Another major part of the business is supplying commercial vehicle brake testers. These can be supplied new, or fully reconditioned, with both options offering new software to the purchaser’s requirements,” added Roger. “We realise many customers have to be careful with their costs, and as I’ve said, with our own low overheads we are a very good position to help.”

All equipment comes with a year’s guarantee, which Roger feels is essential to give customers peace of mind.

The firm began by offering refurbished vehicle lifts, but now as Roger says, things have moved on, with DHL, Flights-Hallmark and Babcock Engineering being among the customer base.

As Roger concluded: “Things are definitely moving on, but as always we are determined to supply customers with exactly what they are looking for. Our prices and availability are both excellent and we pride ourselves in the level of experience and service we offer.”

T: 07538 219194 W: www.commercialgarage equipment.co.uk

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COMPETITION COMMISSION › FINAL REPORT

The Competition Commission has its final say The Competition Commission’s final report concluding its inquiry into the bus market finally arrived the week before Christmas. Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon sets out the headline remedies and gathers responses from the field

T

he bus industry has welcomed a tweaking of its current framework for running bus services, as the Competition Commission (CC) published its final report in the week before Christmas, after CBW went to press.

It’s eagerly awaited conclusion puts an end to what has been a long inquiry into competition within the bus market and sets out proposals which it believes represent the most important changes to the industry since deregulation.

The CC believes greater competition is the key to improved services and concluded there are many areas where operators face little or no competition, leading to passengers facing less frequent services and, in some cases, higher fares than where there is some form of rivalry. The way some local authorities tender for supported services can also restrict competition.

The CC also noted a domination by the “Big Five”, commenting that despite there being about 1,245 bus firms in England, Scotland and Wales carrying 2.9 billion passengers a year, the five largest operators carried 70% of those passengers. Head-tohead competition said the CC, is uncommon and on average the largest operator in an urban area runs 69% of local bus services.

The remedies The CC has identified a number www.coachandbusweek.com

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of factors which it concluded “restrict entry and expansion into local areas by rivals and otherwise stifle competition” and outlined a package of measures designed to “tackle these factors and open markets up in future.”

Increasing the number of effective multi-operator ticketing schemes, by giving LTAs additional powers to introduce and reform schemes on terms which make them effective and attractive to passengers. The CC is recommending changes to the Ticketing Block Exemption to assist this process.

Introducing restrictions on bus operators making changes to service frequency - to discourage ‘over-bussing’ and other short-term actions to destabilise competitors.

CPT’s simon Posner is pleased the CC has come to a conclusion but wants to look closely at proposals

Traffic Commissioners introduce and enforce a Code of Conduct to prevent unacceptable behaviour. The CC has recommended TCs be given powers to introduce temporary restrictions on service changes when municipal operators are subject to a sales process to preserve future opportunities for competition.

Ensuring new entrants and competing operators can get access to bus stations managed by other operators on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

The Department for Transport (DfT) update its best practice guidance for Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) on tendering for supported services and the Scottish and Welsh governments develop suitably tailored guidance to enable LTAs to maximise the value for money obtained through the tendering process.

LTAs to be given power to obtain information about services being deregistered and the right to disclose information in such detail as they consider appropriate, having regard to its nature, to potential bidders for subsequent tenders.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) applies a high priority to identifying bus mergers between competing operators, takes a cautious approach in exercising its discretion not to refer small mergers and updates its competition guidance for the industry.

Local bus operators will review their competition compliance training, making use of the guidance available to them, and impress upon their employees that real competition compliance is an important part of the culture of their organisation.

LTAs consider the potential for tailoring partnerships between LTAs and operators as a means of increasing competition within their local areas; and the OFT establish a regular forum with LTAs and other stakeholders to ensure such partnerships are subject to effective competition scrutiny.

The DfT, as part of its review of the BSOG in England, looks at ways to incentivise operators to participate in the above measures.

This recommendation may also be of interest to the Scottish and Welsh Governments should they decide to undertake a similar review, suggested the CC.

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2.9bn 1,245 69% The number of passenger journeys the industry carries a year

The number of different operators in the bus industry investigated

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Local bus services run by the largest operator in an urban area on average

A final word:

from inquiry chairman, Jeremy Peat

Competition is healthy, according to the CC, but don’t little fish alway get eaten by the bigger ones?

The CC will now take the formal steps to introduce an order ensuring equal access to bus stations and looks to the DfT, Scottish and Welsh Governments and the OFT to take forward its other recommendations.

ALBUM response Mark Howarth, ALBUM chairman generally welcomed the report but said at 526 pages, time would be needed to read through the detail. “ It is good to see that tweaking of the existing system was preferred and that franchising is not recommended as a way forward. I am particularly encouraged these recommendations have been included to protect municipal operators through the sales process which was a point strongly made by ALBUM. “I am pleased to see the support for multi-operator ticketing and note local operators will need to “rise to the challenge”.

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ALBUM also supported the partnership approach with LTA’s but cautioned: “it takes two to tango” and it was important LTA’s equally delivered.

“We hope the government will see this as an endorsement of the existing system, albeit with some minor modifications, and then we can have a vital period of stability ahead, where we can concentrate on delivering improved services to the public to enhance patronage and try to deal with the threats posed to bus passengers by the cuts in BSOG and local authority funding and the flawed travel concession reimbursement scheme,” concluded Mark.

CpT response “This has been a long and time consuming process and, whilst we cannot say we agree with all the Commission’s findings, we have got there in the end,” said CPT chief executive, Simon

“Competition and potential competition can drive standards up for passengers - that was the intention behind deregulation.

We have seen evidence how competition can, for example, increase service frequencies but the reality is, in too many areas of the country, competition has stagnated and the incumbent providers know they face little in the way of serious challenge.

As such, the incentive to increase services, innovate and even lower fares is absent. on the occasions when there are outbreaks of rivalry, they don’t tend to last and passengers are quickly returned to something like the status quo without any enduring improvement in services.

We have also seen direct evidence in one case of operators in the north-east of england seeking to avoid competition with each other in order to protect their own ‘territories’.

What we want to do is open these markets up to sustained competition and remove the factors preventing and inhibiting companies - large and small taking on the existing provider. In turn, the local operators will know they have to up their game in the face of a realistic challenge. The potential for new approaches and innovation will bring passengers benefits resulting from competition between operators We believe encouraging greater competition in the market is the best way to rectify the problems we have identified. providing more effective multi- operator ticketing schemes, ensuring fair access to bus stations, measures addressing operator behaviour, strengthening the tendering process, close scrutiny of bus mergers, and encouraging ‘competition-friendly’ partnerships between local transport authorities (LTAs) and bus operators will all help achieve this.

We understand this is a complex and varied market and so we aren’t advocating a single ‘one size fits all’ solution. We have designed remedies we believe can work together to address the problems we have found and can be applied by those on the ground. There is no reason for this industry to be

exempt from competitive forces that benefit customers in other markets—it is perfectly feasible for competition to exist within the regulatory framework as it does elsewhere. our measures now need to be backed up by the competition authorities keeping a close eye on the sector so, for example, what are seen to be small local acquisitions or mergers do not undermine our attempts to create greater competition. We expect, following publication of this report, local bus operators will ensure their employees understand the importance of rigorous competition compliance.

We are not opposing franchising if others such as LTAs decide to introduce it for their own good reasons. However, we are not recommending franchising in response to the problems we have found. We think greater competition is the key to improved services.

LTAs have a vital role to play—and we haven’t sought to tell them how to meet their other responsibilities.

What we’ve set out is to do is outline the most positive ways in which they can help improve the end product for the passenger through competition.”

Jeremy peat

“We believe encouraging greater competition in the market is the best way to rectify the problems we have identified.”

Jeremy Peat CC inquiry chairman www.coachandbusweek.com

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COMPETITION COMMISSION › FINAL REPORT

Posner. “Our members have worked long and hard to ensure the commission had all the information at its fingertips. There is always room for improvement and we will now have a closer look at the changes the report has suggested.

“The single biggest message to come out of this process indicates while measures need to be taken to further open up the market to competition, the current commercialised framework for delivering bus services is what serves the passenger best.”

Simon welcomed the CC not recommending franchising as a remedy. “The commission has clearly stated the problems it did identify would not be solved by recommending franchising – this has been a long held industry belief. They recognised the business of delivering bus services is complex and varied – a view which we also share. Operators will now study this very full report in detail.”

Simon concluded: “With this lengthy inquiry having reached its conclusion, we hope for an early signal from Ministers which will end the uncertainty in how bus services are delivered. We now look forward to working in partnership with all our stakeholders to deliver even better passenger services”.

pteg response pteg expressed its “disappointment” the CC “has chosen to take a strong ideological line based on promoting bus wars in Britain’s busiest cities, ignoring passengers’ clear preference for integrated urban public transport with smart, simple ticketing”. pteg also dismissed the “CC’s bus war hopes as largely the stuff of fantasy as its remedies were too weak to stand a realistic chance of upsetting existing local monopolies.”

Although finding the report’s overall central argument weak, pteg welcomed the CC’s finding that it was “legitimate” for local transport operators to seek to introduce Quality Contracts and it would not wish to prevent local transport authorities from introducing them.

The report’s recommendations on ticketing fall well short of guaranteeing passengers the smart, simple and integrated ticketing they wanted but could, potentially, lead to multi-operator ticketing, priced in a more competitive way. pteg believes “the devil will be in the detail”.

Jonathan Bray, director of the pteg Support Unit, commented: www.coachandbusweek.com

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Jonathan Bray: disappointed at lack of support for franchised operations

“It’s perhaps no surprise that [the Competition Commission] continue to dream of a day when the streets of every city will be a free for all of competing bus companies. It’s not a vision we share.”

Jonathan Bray pteg

Comment:

“The clue is in the name with the Competition Commission, so it’s perhaps no surprise they continue to dream of a day when the streets of every city will be a free for all of competing bus companies. It’s not a vision we share as we believe what passengers really value in big urban areas is what they get in London – integrated public transport with smart and simple ticketing. We believe our city streets should be served by a high quality and cohesive bus networks not turned into gridlocked bus battlefields.

Nor has the CC’s vision any realistic chance of coming true based on this set of remedies.

“However, in amongst all the dogma there is some hope for passengers because the CC has pulled back from preventing us from using the legal tools we already have – up to and including enforceable partnerships and the franchising of networks. There are also some potential ways forward on multi-operator ticketing. We look forward to working with OFT and the DfT to see how some of the more useful elements of this report can be taken forward.”

Maria eagle response Shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle MP, said bus deregulation has failed and the rest of the country now needs London-style powers to

getting the CC’s final report feels like the culmination of playing a rather long game of pass the parcel. We’ve had various layers of wrapping to get through: the pre-provisional findings, provisional findings, provisional findings on tacit co-ordination, provisional decision on remedies and an addendum of evidence on market segregation and operator conduct focusing on the north east. eventually, it is no real surprise to hear the CC is not satisified with the current level of competition in the bus market and the package of remedies seems to pull no rabbits from the hat and suggests no dramatic changes to the status quo, rendering the grand statement from the CC, “twenty-five years after bus services were deregulated in the UK (excluding london and northern ireland), the CC’s proposals to open up the market will represent the biggest change in the industry since that time” considerably inflated.

While pteg is hugely unimpressed by the report for its weak remedies and not pushing forward franchising, the industry can in many respects breathe a sigh of relief. While restrictions to service changes may prove limiting, there appears at first glance to be nothing too contentious and operators have so far welcomed the multi-operator ticketing proposed, the nearest the report comes to any form of Quality Contract. However, the industry might well wince to see the suggestion to government to looks in its review, at ways of using Bsog to incentivise the CC’s proposed measures. now aside from the 500 plus pages of the report to plough through, all eyes will be on government to see what happens next as the ‘we are waiting for the final report of the Competition Commission’ mantra ministers have been trotting out over the last year when asked for its policy views and plans, will no longer apply.

plan services, in responding to the CC’s report.

“It’s time passengers across England were able to benefit from a properly managed, integrated transport network with smart ticketing and regulated fares. The reality is, bus deregulation outside London is a dogmatic experiment which has failed. While Transport for London has been able to introduce the Oyster card, specify bus routes, set fare levels and integrate bus and train services, the rest of England has been left behind.

A combination of the government’s cuts to funding for local bus services and the inability to specify specific routes has already seen a fifth of all supported bus services face the axe this year.”

Maria concluded: “The rest of the country now needs strong integrated transport authorities, as London has now, with the powers to regulate local bus services in a way that can best deliver the local services on which so many people rely.”

CBt response The Campaign for Better Transport criticised the report for being too concerned with competition and neglecting the needs of passengers.

CBT campaigns director Richard Hebditch said: “What matters for passengers is having a regular, reliable bus service to where they want to go with simple and affordable tickets. The CC’s report is too focused on whether there is competition, not on whether passengers are being served well. We think what matters for passengers is ‘do bus services work in practice?’Not just in theory.

In contrast, the CC basically says ‘never mind the practice, does it work in theory.’”

Richard continued: “Passengers want good bus stops, clear information about all the services in an area and simple, affordable tickets they can use across services.

This simply requires bus companies and local councils to work together but the CC shows its suspicion of co-operation by calling for greater supervision of partnerships between councils and bus operators. Those areas with good bus services are not necessarily those with most competition, and the place which has seen the biggest rise in passenger numbers is London where Transport for London contracts with bus companies to run the services it thinks are needed.”

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inSigHt › coach enforcement

Operation puts coaches under the microscope On a cold December morning, members of the Safer Transport Command, the Metropolitan police, Commercial Vehicle Unit and VOSA gathered for Op Sharvor: a stop and search of all coaches, drivers and passengers on international runs in Victoria with a view to clamping down on criminality. Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon reports

B

ulleid Way in Victoria sees its fair share of comings and goings, with coaches arriving, setting down, picking up and departing but last month on a chilly Winter’s morning there was more activity than usual as Operation Sharvor, or Op Sharvor as it’s more commonly known, took place.

The operation was designed and implemented to tackle criminality at Victoria coach station which receives coach services from Europe into London. Op Sharvor has been deployed on 11 occasions since February 2010. It is a partnership operation and has a number of aims and objectives which include preventing knives and other weapons coming into the UK from Eastern Europe via Victoria coach station and is a proactive searching operation.

Weapons are being carried into the UK by organised gangs for use in criminal activity. Human trafficking and drugs smuggling are also high up on the list.

Partners include the Metropolitan Police, the Safer Transport Command (which oversees policing on London’s transport network for the Metropolitan Police Service and is funded by and works in partnership with Transport for London), the United Kingdom Borders Agency (UKBA), VOSA, HMRC, the Serious

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and Organised Crime Agency, (SOCA), and human trafficking’ agencies and charities.

During a 10-hour period on August 26, 2010, 26 people were arrested or formally warned for offences varying from simple cannabis possession, to international drug importation.

A number of coaches have been served with prohibition orders and deemed unsafe for travel.

“The first operation took place in February 2010. We’d identified there were aspects of criminality exploiting the international coach network into London,” explained Sergeant Kenny Ivy. “We run on average one or two a

month, starting at 0600hrs usually.

We have operated at all times of the day and night and days of the week, and find more stuff in the early morning. Only international vehicle runs are checked and coaches coming via Victoria coach station are diverted through Bulleid Way. First of all a tool looks under the coach and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are used to scan in the registration which is then checked against multiple databases to see if it comes up with an issue.

“In essence passengers and luggage are screened for any sort of criminality. In the past, we have found drugs, quite excessive

VOSA and Police (above); Operation Sharvor specifically targets international coach services only. An Irish vehicle is seen here (above right)

amount of weapons, knives, CS spray and significant evidence of human trafficking – both adult and children – and movement of significant amounts of cash in and out of the country. We use technical equipment and drugs to identify some of these crime types.

“Passengers are asked standard questions to ensure they are here for genuine reasons and are inconvenienced as little as possible but to identify those who are here with criminal intent.”

Coaches are searched simultaneously and the safety aspect of the vehicle is passed onto VOSA which is present, and to the Met’s Commercial Vehicle Unit.

VOSA deals with the mechanical side and the CVU deals more with

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the drivers.

While nothing awry had been discovered by 1000hrs on the morning of the operation, Kevin said: “Some results are pretty frightening where safety regimes are not as tight as in the UK.” Explaining the difference in UK regulation compared to Europe, a member of the CVU said: “Now if a driver has not had a rest in France, we can’t deal with it – we can if it’s current and in the UK but powers coming through in the New Year will change that. The majority of vehicles are non-UK registered vehicles, with only a few from the UK. “Drivers are reasonable enough.

A lot of them have been through the process several times so they understand it. There aren’t many

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“Sometimes we use the ANPR tool used by the police to see if a driver has fake insurance or a fake license – if that’s the case then there’s a very good chance the rest of the operation isn’t going to be right either.”

Sergeant Kenny Ivy

vehicles cleared where we don’t get issues with tachographs, for example, and we might only issue a warning but they are still not given the all clear.

“VOSA, we understand, is now spreading its specific training to PSV vehicles as a result of the figures the organisation is getting on this operation.”

A traffic engineer for VOSA said there isn’t normally a problem with UK vehicles: “Checks on UK vehicles can take place all day but we normally don’t pick up any defects.

One day we could find all sorts of problems and sometimes there are relatively few. Usually they are things the driver has not spotted and may not have done when he should have – such as seat belts

or emergency door not working properly.

“Sometimes we use the ANPR tool used by the police to see if a driver has fake insurance or a fake license – if that’s the case then there’s a very good chance the rest of the operation isn’t going to be right either.

“Drivers hours themselves are a problem – Romanian and Eastern European drivers are the ones who are driving all hours under the sun, probably because they are new. The Dutch, Irish and Polish are pretty good. We get a lot of Eurolines services and big bus companies.

“We look at whether drivers are driving correctly and we examine drivers’ hours and whether wheels are falling off the coaches!”

www.coachandbusweek.com

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THE BIG PICTURE

This week we thought we’d quite literally show you a ‘wheelie big picture’. Standing in the shadow of Chester’s festive big wheel, Arriva Buses Wales-operated Wright Cadet-bodied VDL SB120 no.2637 (CX07CSF) awaits departure from stand 5 at the city’s Bus Exchange.

A healthy queue of customers from across the age spectrum have started boarding the bus, which is working route 10 to Connah’s Quay. On Sundays, the service is operated by First. The wheel itself, which stands 33 metres (100 foot) tall, opened on December 7 and was operational until New Year’s Eve. According to a report in The Chronicle on Friday (January 6), the big wheel will return to the city for at least a further two Christmases after more than 250,000 people visited Chester’s Winter Wonderland, netting £2.2m towards the city centre economy.

The photo was taken by editor Gareth Evans at 1625hrs on the cold afternoon that was Wednesday, December 28, 2011 while visiting the city with some friends and former colleagues from his native Welsh borderland.

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tHE Big qUEStiOn › Achievements

2012:

Prospects in the face of austerity?

As 2011 came to a close and the industry looks ahead to the New Year, Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans and Meera Ramissoon asked some of the key figures in the UK coach and bus industry for their particular memories of the past year and their hopes for 2012 1 2 3 4

What do you consider to be your best personal achievement of 2011?

What do you consider to be your best business achievement of 2011?

What are you looking forward to in 2012?

What are your prime concerns for 2012?

Simon PoSner CPT chief executive the willpower to renew my Arsenal 1 Having season ticket despite Arsene Wenger’s continued refusal to consider either the back four or goalkeeper to be positions of any importance. a range of additional 2 Introducing benefits to our members, including the complianceplus programme and the CPT/DKV Euro Service scheme. the new Transport Secretary 3 Hearing saying, “Simon – Government has decided to try and stop helping the coach and bus sector for a while, so we’re going to leave you alone for 12 months.”

Ministers bow to pressure 4 Transport directing BSOG away from our passengers and paying the grant to local authorities. Local Authorities continue approving planning applications for major builds without taking into account the needs of coach passengers and drivers.

Ben ColSon managing director of norfolk Green through the year with health, and 1 Getting I think (but my colleagues will doubt), sanity, intact. www.coachandbusweek.com

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There is no doubt that it was the purchase of First’s West Norfolk business in June. It led to much heart-searching as we had always played the role of the underdog, and we think we had done so quite well. But to be the top dog instead was quite a challenge, and one with which we are still coming to terms. It makes us much better placed to face the future uncertainties.

42 or more years in the industry, I 3 After am looking forward to taking the first of a number of steps towards retirement, by cutting down to a mere six day week, and spending more time with my cat. No Working Time Directive here, please note, Mr European President. will be a major challenge. By April, in 4 2012 just eighteen months, 20% of our pre-First acquisition turnover would have disappeared due to public funding cuts, and even before the 2012 tranche has gone we know of another to go in April 2013. Then there’s BSOG being cut (and maybe an announcement of the remainder being redirected to local authorities), and dealing with the outcome of the complete mess that is concessionary reimbursement – something that the secretary of state for communities and local government, when visiting this county, described as a “dog’s breakfast”. On top of that, two new major superstores opening on the edge of town ready for next Christmas which retail consultants reckon will wreck town centre trade. Where was Mary Portis when this was agreed? So, that’s a minor, rural, local backwater agenda to be addressed and, unlike the plcs, we have nowhere else to go. 2012 will be tough, but good fun, but we start from the firmer footing of the First acquisition. And that other prime concern – what to do on the seventh day each week!

2

Anthony Smith’s business achievements for 2011 include getting Passenger Focus’ bus passenger satisfaction survey established as ”the way to do it”

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www.coachandbusweek.com

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tHE Big qUEStiOn › ACHIEVEMENTS

DAviD BROwn chief executive of Go-Ahead Group leaving Transport for London 1 Between (TfL) as the managing director surface transport and arriving at Go-Ahead I trekked up to Everest Base Camp and then to a peak called Kala-Patthar, which is at 5,600m but totally dwarfed by Everest and Nuptse. The view of the Himalayas from the peak was absolutely awesome. business is going really well, helped 2 The by people making the transition to public transport through a combination of factors such as the quality of the services and the high cost of driving. We are constantly striving to improve the business and the customer experience; the roll out of the Go-Ahead smartcard called ‘the key’ has therefore been one of our best business achievements this year.

The key was the winner in the technology category of this year’s National Transport Awards. This was a great achievement for everyone in the Group responsible for implementing the key. The award came near the end of a busy year during which we started to roll the card out more widely across our bus operations.

Smartcard ticket machines have been installed on nearly 2000 buses in our fleet, and in Oxford, passengers can take advantage of Oxford SmartZone a multi-operator scheme run by us and Stagecoach. Nearly 300,000 passengers a day are using the key now and I am convinced it will be a key factor for us in driving revenue growth and improving the customer experience. a Londoner and someone heavily 3 As involved in the Olympic preparation whilst at TfL it has to be the London Olympics.

I am positive that the London Olympics will be great for London and the UK as a whole, with the world focused on Britain for a few remarkable weeks in 2012. Go-Ahead is playing a part in the Games, providing Olympic transport in Weymouth and London as well as transporting Games visitors on our normal bus routes across the capital and providing the majority of public transport trips for the Games into the Capital through our train services at Southeastern and Southern. There’s a lot of focus on the transport issues at the moment but I’m sure that the euphoria of the event will pull everyone through. are encouraged by the fact that 4 We people are making the switch to public transport but I would prefer it to be happening as a consequence of a vibrant economy. So, my biggest concern would be economic stagnation.

We must as a nation avoid talking the economy, and British firms in particular, down. I’m hopeful that the Olympics will give us an economic boost and feel good factor.

iAn JOnes director, Backhouse Jones on levels of sleep even Mrs 1 Surviving Thatcher - with four hours only a night would struggle with following the birth of my delightful second daughter - Tallulah - in March. launch of our fixed fee per vehicle per 2 The month subscription scheme. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Colin Robertson says ADL secured almost 50% of the UK bus market, a prime example being Oxford Eight hours sleep and the brand plays on as we widen the professional services offered

by Backhouse Jones to PCV operators. speaking AFTER an audience has 4 Finishing finished listening.

3

Cpt CeO simon posner (above left); Go-Ahead Group CeO David Brown (above right); and norfolk Green MD Ben Colson (below)

“We are encouraged by the fact that people are making the switch to public transport but I would prefer it to be happening as a consequence of a vibrant economy. So, my biggest concern would be economic stagnation.”

David Brown Chief executive, Go-Ahead Group

stephen JOseph chief executive officer of Campaign for Better transport the last of my children off to Uni 1 Getting and slowly rediscovering social life. involved in highlighting the value of 2 Being buses on the national media through the Save our Buses campaign on Local Sustainable Transport 3 Decisions Fund and Better Buses Funding Government’s plans for the planning 4 The system which may still undermine public transport and create car dependence.

JOnAthAn BRAy director of pteg support unit scary question. My convoluted trip to an 1 Aisland in Russia in the White Sea without speaking any Russian. in the privileged position of 2 Being having such a great team at the pteg (Passenger Transport Executive Group) Support Unit. I’m proud of the way we punch well above our weight. Being better than the CC at doing the arithmetic on the cost of market failure in the bus industry was particularly cool. It’s also been a real pleasure to see people develop in their roles whilst continuing to do the right thing of taking on challenging issues rather than taking the easy option of swimming with the tide (because, as the saying goes, only dead fish swim with the tide). ultimately unstoppable momentum 3 The behind devolution in England outside London will both accelerate and become more focussed so our city regions can face the future

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with the same confidence that London and Scotland already do on transport, and much else besides. wider economic travails the nation 4 The faces means the areas we represent take an even bigger hit in 2012 than they did in 2011.

Also, I will spend too much time in meetings or behind a desk.

ANthoNy Smith chief executive of Passenger Focus the Passenger Focus team cope 1 Helping with a major re-structuring and budget cut.

We have come out the other side in good shape, continuing to be useful and making a difference for passengers.

Passenger Focus’ bus passenger 2 Getting satisfaction survey established as the way to do it. Now being used by bus companies and government is established a crucial benchmarking measure of comparative passenger satisfaction. Doing our first work on coach passenger satisfaction. making a difference for bus 3 Really passengers, using research as the driver for change. We have some great projects underway.

For example, getting a joint understanding of poor punctuality – the greatest bugbear for passengers. Also an even bigger and better Bus Passenger Survey. economy. I sense the worst has not yet 4 The happened. Ordinary folk may be hard hit.

It may lead to more service reductions and an investment famine. We just do not want to get into a cycle of decline.

RiChARd GRey managing director, Greys of ely my head down and working hard 1 Keeping to build our brand image, keeping my business successful in hard times to continue our family business and provide a good workplace for my staff. year has been really good for Grey’s 2 This with CoachMarque accreditation, the Google Best of British Web award and then finally our Local Business award, all of which we are very proud of. challenges and opportunities which 3 The the year ahead will bring and hopefully the launch of some new ventures. many, if not all , the costs to our 4 Like business, from the obvious rises in fuel to staff remuneration packages; keeping our business on an even keel and growing it in the difficult times is going to hard, but achievable and therefore keeping costs down is going to be key.

ColiN RoBeRtSoN chief executive of Adl this all-consuming business 1 2 In it’s often very difficult to separate business life from personal life. They are to a great extent inextricably linked, one merging with the other. From a business perspective, 2011 was a terrific year for ADL. We secured almost 50% of the total UK bus market and grew our presence significantly in export territories,

BigQuestion2012.indd 37

notably in North America, Hong Kong and New Zealand, all of which are offering further exciting opportunities in 2012 and beyond.

The net result is that in the past three years we have increased turnover by 110% and are on target for further growth this year (2012). That measure of success hasn’t come easy. It is the result of a huge effort over the past four to five years, particularly in terms of listening to our customers – we call it “walking in their shoes” – understanding the issues which matter to them; analyzing data, which enables us to separate fact from fiction; putting in measures on quality, delivery, reliability, after market support, and ensuring our buses and coaches “do what it says on the tin”.

I believe we have raised the bar in terms of all these issues, so the trick now is to stay in front and to raise the bar still further. We have just spent almost £1m on sophisticated new technology which enables us to track, record and analyze vehicle performance – and improve still further our response times. In parallel we have a very significant new product development programme underway, so we aren’t short of things to do in the afternoons.

ian Jones (above left). Colin Robertson (above right) says 2011 was a terrific year for Adl

“The Olympic Games will give the bus industry a short-term boost.”

Colin Robertson Chief executive, ADL

Behind our business growth strategy lies another designed to bring our very best and brightest young people to the top and to give them new opportunities as business leaders.

There is something particularly rewarding in people development programmes which result in young men and women emerging as the leaders of the future, particularly if they have been stuck in silos (single functions) for a number of years. In parallel with this we have also introduced new apprenticeships across all of our manufacturing facilities and that too is tremendously encouraging. Add to this the fact our peers, both inside and outside the industry have recognised our achievements in the form of high-status awards and all-round I would have to suggest that 2011 was an encouraging year, certainly one in which ADL made real progress. short, it’s going to be another 3 4 In challenging year and one in which I expect ADL to rise to the occasion. The economy still continues to struggle and I don’t expect any serious turn-around in the near future. We can also forget any sort of stimulus package from Europe, so it will be down to Westminster and the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to kick-start new initiatives in support of the manufacturing sector and new product / technology investment. Green Bus Fund 3 is obviously good news.

The Olympic Games will give the bus industry a short-term boost in terms of orders and support packages designed to keep the massive public transport fleet on the roads but, to be frank, we need all the support we can get, either short or long-term, as we are all investing heavily in Euro6 which will become mandatory from January 1, 2014.

In addition, we cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal in terms of advancing green technology. ADL is committed to “the journey” and we are now on the brink of a further breakthrough which will take us towards a 50% reduction in fuel and CO2 emissions. That target is now in our sights and we intend to achieve it sooner rather than later.

Ben Colson says his best business achievement was the acquisition of First’s West Norfolk operations www.coachandbusweek.com

09/01/2012 20:11

38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

LEGAL UpdAtE

In association with

Get ready for VAT online The following sets out HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) proposed changes to VAT return filing, registration and deregistration.

VAT regisTrATion If your business makes taxable supplies exceeding £73,000 in a 12-month period, you must register for VAT purposes.

Otherwise, you can register voluntarily.

Once your business is registered (or required to be registered), you must account for VAT on the goods or services which you supply. You are entitled to credit for any VAT on goods or services wholly used by your business in making taxable supplies.

Since April 1, 2010, businesses with a VAT exclusive turnover of at least £100,000 and newly-registered taxpayers have had to file tax returns online and pay for VAT electronically.

online VAT filing & elecTronic pAymenT Online filing and electronic payment are due to be made mandatory for businesses with a turnover of below £100,000 from April 1.

HMRC estimates the changes will affect around 785,000 businesses (50% of which already

file online voluntarily). The changes will apply: 1. For all accounting periods beginning on or after April 1, 2012; and 2. For any payments made on or after April 1.

In assessing whether a business has a turnover of below £100,000, the figure is taken as at December 31, 2009.

HMRC intends to write to all businesses affected in February 2012, explaining the changes and exemptions. If your business wants to claim an exemption you will have to write to HMRC, explaining your reasons and providing any supporting evidence.

paper-based VAT filing will become a thing of the past for small operators

Response to the abolition of statutory retirement A survey of employers’ attitudes to the abolition of the statutory retirement procedure suggests the majority of employers are doing without a default retirement age. The survey of senior HR professionals in the UK, reveals, among other things, only three per cent of employers intend to retain a default retirement age, and 22% believe they now have less capacity to take on younger employees.

The survey’s results are included in a report, ‘A retirement revolution - Life after the default retirement age’. Other findings include: www.coachandbusweek.com

LegalUpdate1.indd 38

Following the introduction of the changes, if your business does not have an exemption and continues to file paper returns, you will be subject to a penalty of between £100 and £400. HMRC has stated that penalties for businesses whose turnover remains under £100,000 are likely to be at the lower end of this scale.

HMRC will not issue penalties for businesses affected by the rules which fail to file online and/ or pay electronically for accounting periods ending before March 31, 2013.

Your business should start making preparations for the move to online filing and electronic

46% of employers felt the phasing out of the default retirement age will have a negative impact on their business, making it harder to manage older employees out of the business; 86% of employers are letting employees over the age of 65 continue in the same role; nearly half of employers are considering flexible working arrangements for over 65s; 76% of respondents have not given line managers any additional training on retirement conversations; and

11% of employers recognise the potential benefit of retaining experienced employees more easily.

The Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Age Provisions) Regulations 2011 mean any purported retirement dismissal notified since April 6, 2011, if not objectively justified, amounts to age discrimination.

Transitional provisions mean retirements notified before April 6, 2011, but taking effect after it, may be lawful, but only if the employee reached 65 by October 1, 2011.

Therefore the last possible date on which an employee could have been retired under the old provision was October 1, 2011. Employers should be careful to comply with all transitional provisions or face a claim for age discrimination.

payment as soon as possible. A guide is available from HMRC.

online VAT regisTrATion & deregisTrATion HMRC intends to introduce an enhanced and streamlined online service for VAT registration, deregistration and variations of business details (for example, a change of address) in October 2012.

HMRC also intends to remove the VAT registration threshold for businesses established solely outside the UK. This is due to take effect from October 2012.

Although online registration is not compulsory at this stage, your business should familiarise itself with the systems and, if possible, use them once they are launched. HMRC states that written notification will not be refused but may lead to a relative delay (for example, in the issue of a VAT registration number).

Moving VAT dealings online is part of a wider government initiative to actively encourage the use of digital channels for public services.

It is likely online registration and deregistration will become mandatory in the future.

Please contact Jennifer Bell at Backhouse Jones, call 01254 828300, or email jennifer. bell@backhouses.co.uk For further information please contact Steven Meyerhoff on 01254828300 or e-mail steven@backhouses. co.uk Backhouse Jones acts for clients in the private and public sector, both national and international operators from one to several thousand vehicles. Backhouse is absolutely “industry specific”. Whilst the company can trace its heritage to 1819 it only represented its first Road Transport Operator in 1930. The explanation for this is that the first transport act was only introduced in 1930. n Contact 01254 828300. Visit www.backhousejones.co.uk

09/01/2012 20:44

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January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 41

DRIVERS

Send your driver news and stories to james.day@rouncymedia.co.uk or call 01733 293 244.

Driver seriously injured after oak falls on bus Six-foot in diameter fallen oak tree so large it also damages nearby building A Stagecoach South bus driver suffered serious injuries when a large oak tree fell on his vehicle during strong winds in Surrey.

The man suffered head and chest injuries and had to be cut free from the bus after the tree, which was 6ft in diameter, struck the Dennis Dart in Witley, Godalming, on January 3.

Surrey Police said the driver had been taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London. His colleagues revealed the following day that his injuries were not life

Shrewsbury’s last Midland Red man retires

A bus was pulled by staff at Arriva Midlands to celebrate the retirement of the last former Midland Red employee at the firm’s Shrewsbury Garage.

Robert Davies, who recently celebrated his 65th birthday, joined Midland Red in November 1965 and has driven his bus for the last time after 46 years of service.

Mr Davies was honoured by past and present colleagues in a special tow-the-bus ceremony at the town’s Ditherington depot.

He joined the firm at the age of 18 as a conductor before finding his niche as a driver at the age of 21.

He said: “It’s been a very enjoyable job and it might take some adjusting on Monday morning when I realise I don’t have to come into work, but I’m sure I’ll manage.

“One of the things I always enjoyed was the amount of people you met from all walks of life and there’s always been a good bunch of people working here, too.”

Mr Davies admitted driving a bus was easier when he first started.

“I don’t think there was as much stress back then but the vehicles are certainly a lot better and warmer.”

Drivers.indd 41

threatening, though they were of course still serious.

Two passengers on board the bus at the time of the incident, which happened on the A283 Petworth Road, were unharmed, according to Stagecoach. CBW understands they were sitting on the back seats of the vehicle and hence escaped injury.

The tree also damaged a nearby building.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “The incident took place at 0825hrs on January 3, when a large oak tree, measuring 6ft across, fell on the Stagecoach bus.

“The driver, who was freed by fire crews, has suffered serious injuries

and he was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting.”

The force said the A283 had been closed in both directions to allow emergency services to deal with the incident.

A Stagecoach spokesman said: “We can confirm that a bus operating on route number 70, between Haslemere and Guildford, was involved in an incident on White Hart Road in Witley.

“Two passengers were travelling on the bus and neither have sustained any injuries.

“Our first priority and thoughts are with our driver and his family at this difficult time.”

Steve Choules is congratulated by Reading Buses CEO James Freeman

Reading Bus driver is hero of the hour It was getting dark when experienced bus driver Steve Choules, 52, drew up at a bus stop in Elm Lane, Reading, on his 21 route.

A male passenger at the stop asked for Mayfair which wasn’t on the 21 route between Reading and Lower Earley.

Steve, who has been a driver for 23 years, recognised the young man as a customer on a different route, who he usually saw with a carer.

“He said he didn’t have any money and had lost his bag - he was very, very confused,” said Steve. “I

was seriously concerned about his safety as he was clearly lost and without his carer.”

Out of earshot of the man, Steve diplomatically called his traffic office.

“I asked for someone to meet me at Broad Street Mall to put the passenger on the right bus and look after him. We subsequently learned he had got home safely.

“He must have got on the wrong bus to end up in Elm Lane and his safety was my prime concern.

“I am just relieved the incident had a happy ending.”

Steve was nominated by Reading Buses’ driver performance manager Sharon Harris for a special award at the company’s annual awards.

Sharon said: “Steve was our hero of the hour.”

To advertise on this page, contact client manager Harley Denham on 01733 293 249 or e-mail harley.denham@ rouncymedia.co.uk

Santa Bus for air ambulance Bus passengers taking the 701 Judds service between Peterborough and Whittlesey were pleasantly surprised to see Father Christmas behind the wheel of the regular Northern Counties-bodied Dennis Dart.

The inside of the bus was decorated with a tree, tinsel and lights to carry the Christmas spirit through the Fens.

Jason Stimson (36), has carried out his own festive tradition for the last four years to raise money for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. He has raised more than £1,500 for the charity since 2007.

He told the Peterborough Evening Telegraph: “This is the fifth Christmas I have worked with Judds, so it is the fifth time I have dressed up.

“It started when I joined the firm and asked if I could decorate the bus, as we don’t swap between drivers.

“The boss said it was fine and suggested I dressed up. I believe it was said as a joke, but I thought, why not?

“In the first year I was Santa, the second a passenger dared me to dress as a fairy – which was not a pretty sight – the third year I dressed as a Christmas pudding and the last two years I have dressed as Santa.

“I normally start a couple of weeks before Christmas and people are always asking if I will be dressing up at Christmas. People who have not seen me before are always shocked when they see me – but are always generous and donate some change.

“I hang a stocking in the bus for people to donate in, and I normally get about £300 every year.

“The reaction I get from people, especially the children, makes it all worthwhile for me.

“I chose the air ambulance because it is a charity which everyone might need at some point in their lives, and they don’t get any funding - it all has to be raised through charitable donations.”

Stephanie Judd, from Judds Travel, said: “We are delighted Jason has dressed up as Father Christmas again and we hope it raises lots of money for charity.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

09/01/2012 20:40

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42 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell

To advertise on these pages for as little as £20 just call 020 8320 1351 Optare Toro

Mercedes-Benz 0815 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 28 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts, powered entry door, air conditioning, double glazed windows, luggage racks with individual passenger reading lights and adjustable air flow blowers, radio/CD & PA system.

£45,500 +VAT NOW £41,000 +VAT

UNVI GT

Mercedes-Benz 0816 Vario chassis with rear air suspension, 29 passenger seats with 3pt lap and diagonal seat belts and leather headrest inserts, courier seat, dark tint double glazed windows, air con radio/CD & PA system, DVD player and monitor, grammer luxury heated driver seat, full draw curtains, large boot space and side lockers.

£69,950 +VAT NOW £66,950 +VAT

Call Dougie at Haggis Adventures on 0131 554 9192

Get Results!

Network Warrington have the following vehicles for sale

Advertiseyour CoachorBus hereforas littleas

£20.00 aweek!

Call Lara Odumosu on 020 8320 1351 2005 Volvo B12B Jonckheere Mistral

370,455 km, air conditioned, automatic I-shift gearbox, 53 seats plus courier, just serviced, in excellent condition and can be viewed by appointment (Ireland). £80,000

Donoghues Coaches : Niall 00353 87 2059145, Noel 00353 87 2654787 info@donoghuescoaches.com www.donoghuescoaches.com

Dennis Dart SLF 10.8m 1999, Choice of 6, Cummins 6BT, Allison AT545 4 speed auto, Marshall body, 40 seats.

Contact Damian Graham (Engineering Director) Warrington Borough Transport Ltd Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington WA4 6PT. Tel 01925 634296

Dennis Plaxton R Series Due to fleet replacement, we need to sell up to 5 of the following and don’t mind which 5!

2003: 2 x 49/53 seats with WC, 3 x 53 seats 2004: 5 x 53 seats 2005: 1 x 49/53 seats with WC, 2 x 53 seats All are well maintained, low mileage examples (approx 62,000km per annum) with long MoT, air conditioning and AStronic gearboxes.

Owned by us from new and used on our own holiday programme. All over cream. Can be sold with patterns of 2012 tour work if required. Viewing at Thos. Hardie Commercials, Red Scar, Preston.

Priced to sell at £47,000 (03 reg), £58,000 (04 reg) and £74,000 (05 reg) plus VAT (£3,000 premium for WC). Sorry no part exchange.

To view contact Tom Smith, Operations Manager, Alfa Travel on 08451 305777

Telephone Lara Odumosu on 020 8320 1351 or email lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk

553368-1019-Pembridge

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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS

OTHER MAKES

New Ford Transit 17 seat 4.3ton 135ps minibus. From £20,595 + VAT

FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES (55) Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi minibus, high back seats with three point belts, air-con, tacho, 77,000km, COIF/PSV £8,995

(53) 2003 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4 td minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, air-con, COIF/PSV £6,995

(02) Ford Transit 3.5 ton, 15 seat minibus, 2.4 tdi, high back seats with three point belts £2,995

Peugeot Boxer 17 seat wheelchair accessible 2.2 diesel 120ps with six speed gearbox, COIF/PSV. Choice of colours. £23,500 + VAT (07) 2007 Peugeot Boxer 17 seat 3.5 ton minibus, 2.2 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, rear row of seats on tracking, 18,000 miles only £10,495

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS (07) 2007 Volkswagen Crafter 8 seat 2.2 diesel inboard lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, 48,000 miles £13,995

LDV MINIBUSES (57) 2007 LDV Maxus 15 seat minibus, high back seats with three point belts £7,495

(03) 2003 LDV Convoy Maxi XLWB 17 seat mini-coach, 2.4 Tdi, front entry drop step, luggage racks, rear heating, wide aisle, rear row of seats removable, New PSV £6,995

OTHER MAKES

(57) LDV Maxus LWB 9 seats tracking to take two wheelchairs, inboard lift, 49,000 miles, £9,995

(06) Fiat Ducato LWB, high roof, panoramic windows, inboard tail lift, 6 seats plus wheelchair tracking, 42,000 miles £10,995

New Renault Master 17 seat LM35/ 2.2di 125ps, six speed, satnav, tacho, fully tracked floor with removable seats £21,995

(54) 2005 Renault Master 13 seat wheelchair access minibus, inboard Ricon lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, electric side step, 56,000 miles £8,995

(10) 2010 Renault Trafic 9 seat LL29, twin side loading doors, air-con, alloys, tail gate, 50,000 miles £11,995

(04) 2004 Mercedes Sprinter 413cdi minibus 2.2 diesel, front entry drop step with power door, inboard Clearway lift, fully tracked floor to take 4 wheelchairs, rear heating, 77,000 miles £9,995

(07) Peugeot Boxer 17 seat 3.5 ton minibus, high back seats with three point seat belts, 27,000 miles £8,995

(53) 2003 Mercedes Vito 108 cdi 2.2 diesel, 6 seats, low floor with lightweight ramp, tracking for two wheelchairs £5,995

(09) 2009 Renault Master 16 seat minibus, tacho,high back seats with three point belts, 35,000km £15,650

(53) 2003 Iveco Daily 16 seat minibus, front entry drop step with power door, wheelchair tracking, under floor tail lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £9,995

(08) 2008 Renault Master 17 seat minibus 2.2 diesel, high back seats with three point belts, 61,000 miles £9,750

Y 2001 Renault Mascot 2.8 diesel, 16 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, front entry drop step, fully tracked floor to take five wheelchairs, under floor lift, rear heating, COIF/PSV £7,750

Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304 Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk

Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales 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%

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DOUBLE DECK E 1997/8 VOLVO OLYMPIANS Seatbe exampleslted no available w

LEZ

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COMPLIANT

COMPLIANT

Volvo engines, Euro 2, 78 seats, converted to single door, new COIF, tyres included, UK registered ready to work.

7.8m, Slimline, Mercedes engine, Euro 4, 27 seats, Hanover LEDʼs all round.

Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX400 bodies, DDA compliant or upseated to 80 seats.

1999/2000 T/V/X REG DENNIS TRIDENTS

8.9m, Cummins / Allison, Hanover blinds, 29 seats, full DDA.

2007 OPTARE SOLO

2009 ADL ENVIRO 200

2005 55 PLATE DENNIS DART SLF

ZF automatic, Northern Counties body, 48 BELTED seats, repainted white, MOT 09/12.

1995 M REG VOLVO B10M

Cummins ISB engine, Plaxton Pointer 2 body, 37 seats, Hanover LEDʼs, long MOT.

1995 M REG DENNIS DRAGONS

2001 MERCEDES 814 VARIO

Cummins/Voith gearboxes, Duple Metsec bodies, recent floors and 92 coach seats.

Manual, 31 seats, belts fitted, MOT 04/12.

2001 DDA COMPLIANT DENNIS DARTS

Plaxton Pointer 2 dual door bodies, 31 seats, CCTV, particulate traps fitted, LEZ 2012 compliant, only £6,500 each plus tyres (£375)

2001 Y REG DART SLF’S

Cummins/Allison, LEZ compliant for 2012 with traps to Euro 4, CCTV, Alexander ALX200 bodies with either 30 seats and 2 doors or 34 seats converted to single door, ramps, DDA certified and compliant. 10.8m 37 seaters now available.

OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY - B

Juliette Close, Purfleet Industrial Pa Telephone 01708 865656 Fax: 01708 864 Visit our website for current sto

121768-1019-Ensign:Layout 1

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K ER SPECIALIST 1994 K REG VOLVO OLYMPIAN

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Northern Counties low height bodies, Volvo engines, good selection with long MOTs.

2001 Y REG DENNIS DART MPD’S

Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies, 29 seats, LEZ compliant post 2012 with traps, DDA compliant, long MOTʼs.

1998-2000 S / V / W reg Darts with Plaxton Pointer 2 bodies, 31 seats, dual door, DDA compliant, exhaust traps fitted so reduced tax, huge choice at an unbelievable £4,500 each plus VAT and tyres (£375).

ZF 6 speed manual, Plaxton Paragon bodies, 50 seats.

2000 W REG VOLVO B10M

1998 S REG DENNIS DART SPD

Cummins / Allison World Series gearbox , Pointer 2 body, 41 seats.

ZF auto, Van Hool body, 49 seats with centre toilet and door, only one available.

Cummins / ZF, 40 seats with 3 point belts, Hanover LEDʼs, new MOT.

2008 58 PLATE ENVIRO 300

£7000 just spend on recon engine, MCV Evolution body, 40 seats, DDA, Hanover LEDʼs.

1999/2000 DENNIS TRIDENTS

Euro 4, Cummins/Allison, MCV body, 9m, 32 seats, special narrow version, only 2.4m wide.

1999 V REG DENNIS DART MPD’S

1992 J REG LEYLAN OLYMPIANS

Cummins/Voith, LEZ compliant with traps, Plaxton President bodies, 62 seats or 70 when converted to single door.

Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.

2003 VOLVO B12B

2007 MAN 14.220

2007 DART MPD

Fitted with new Iveco Euro 3 engines in 2008, ZF gearboxes, Alexander bodies, tachoʼs and long MOTʼs.

- BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BUS DEALERS

rial Park, Purfleet, Essex, RM15 4YF 708 864340 e-mail: sales@ensignbus.com ent stock at www.ensignbus.com

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THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL OFFERS...

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2011 (11) FORD TRANSIT 9 SEAT SHUTTLE BUS 115PS TWIN SIDE LOAD DOORS INK BLUE £17,495

58 08 VAUXHALL VIVARO SPORTIV 9 SEAT W/CHAIR ACCESS, STANFORD CONVERSION, ON BOARD LIFT £15,750

55 05 FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT 115PS, COIF/PSV 73,000 MILES £7,995

2010 (60) RENAULT TRAFFIC 9 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE DELIVERY MILEAGE £24,995

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NEW MERCEDES SPRINTER TOURLINE 516CDI ALTAS CONVERSION 17 SEAT MINICOACH £69,995 NOW AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING

Tel: 01495 757111 Mob: 07850 739446 (Haydn) or visit our website www.minibussales.biz to view the above stock

06 (06) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS MEDIUM ROOF WHITE 115PS COIF £8,995

2006 (55) LDV CONVOY ELWB MINI COACH 17 SEATS 90PS EXCEL CONVERSION COIF/PSV TACHO £11,995

2010 (10) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS MEDIUM ROOF WHITE 115PS 23,000KM £19,995

17:04

07 (57) LDV MAXUS 7 SEAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESS INBOARD LIFT £10,995

9/1/12

08 (08) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS SILVER COIF £14,995

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553591-1019-Heatons

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HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN 01942 864222 THE NORTH WEST’S PREMIER MINIBUS SALES, SUPPLYING NATIONWIDE FOR OVER 40 YEARS 08 IVECO 50C15

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PSV’d

COMPLIANT

04 MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI 15 passenger seats, low floor service bus, Karl Koch conversion, digital destination, cctv, very very clean, 12 months PSV test, triptronic transmission, excellent value £10,995

Covered 19,000 miles, good quality Iris bus conversion, 16 highback Cogent seats all on Unwin tracking, full cant rail PLS, fully automatic external tailift, front low step entry, full air con, full panoramic tinted windows, sound system, saloon heater, totally totally showroom condition inside and out – why buy new? £23,995 WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

READY TO WORK

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

04 MERCEDES VARIO 814 XLWB fitted with 10 highback seats would up seat to 28 or 2 seats plus 8 w/chairs, complete flatfloor, external PLS fully automatic tailift, powerdoor front entry, automatic transmission, an excellent example, COIF’d, tremendous value £12,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PSV’d 08 FORD TRANSIT 110 URBAN BUS 9 seat wheelchair accessible, twin SLDs, air conditioning, alloy wheels, totally immaculate m1 minibus category, above average miles with full service history, a late minibus for £8,495

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

55 IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 16 highback passenger seats in moquette, 3 point belts, complete flat floor, powerdoor front entry, plant on glass, complete flat floor, external PLS fully automatic tailift, lots of Unwin tracking, showroom condition inside and out, excellent value £11,995

READY TO WORK

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

LEZ

PSV’d

PSV’d

Coachbuilt with 16 highback seats or would up-seat to 24, low miles, complete flatfloor, powerdoor front entry, external PLS fully automatic tailift, totally immaculate and excellent value for money £10,995

PSV’d

COMPLIANT

54 MERCEDES VARIO 614 with 15 highback passenger seats, complete flat floor, powerdoor front entry, external PLS tailift, analogue tacho, fully colour coded, totally immaculate in every way. low miles, excellent value £12,995

02 MERCEDES VARIO 814 31 highback passenger seats, complete flat floor, automatic transmission, only covered 80,000 mliles, external PLS fully automatic cassette tailift, powerdoor front low step entry, totally immaculate inside and out, will come with 12 months PSV test £13,995 LEZ

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

COMPLIANT

READY TO WORK

05 RENAULT MASTER MWB, covered 34,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal tailift, SLD with cassette step, totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value, choice of 6 - 54, 05, 56, 07 & 09 From £9,495

54 PLATE IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 16 highback passenger seats, 3 point belts, full air conditioning, panoramic tinted windows, front low step entry, one owner, looks excellent, excellent drive, excellent value, 12 months PSV test, ready to work, choice of 5 From £9,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

PSV’d 06 RENAULT MASTER 8 high back passenger seats, only covered 27,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tail lift, side loading door with side step, showroom condition £12,995

08 IVECO 40C12 good quality Iris Bus conversion, covered 60,000 miles, one local authority plant on, panoramic windows, 16 highback passenger seats, 3 point belts, full air conditioning, Euroliners, totally showroom condition inside and out £16,995

55 CITROEN DISPATCH only covered 15,000 mliles, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, 3 seats plus wheelchair, twin SLDs, special electric seat, totally showroom condition inside and out £4,995

02 VOLVO B7R PLAXTON PREMIER One family owner, automatic, 53 highback reclining seats plus courier with lap belts, air conditioning. Very genuine coach. New stock £29,995

Let us take the stress out of the purchase of your next minibus, leaving you to concentrate on running your business.

1, PSV tested. 2, Tacho fitted. 3, Finance options if required – 36, 48, 60 months low deposits, etc. Details on request. 4, Delivered to your premises. 5, Tail lift certificates.

Where can you find one of the largest stock of wheelchair accessible/conventional minibuses? Ready to work, combining this with over 50 years of experience in the industry. Just one friendly phone call to Wayne or Philip will simplify your job.

HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN

ALL PRICES PLUS VAT We guarantee quality vehicles, right prices, no pressure sales. Come and have a coffee while you browse at your leisure. Junction 23, M6 or 20 miles from Manchester/Liverpool airport.

52 Bickershaw Lane, Abram, Wigan, Lancashire WN2 5PL

Tel: 01942 864222

SEE ALL OUR STOCK ON OUR WEBSITE www.heatonsmotorco.co.uk

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Southdown PSV

01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk

2006(06) ADL ENVIRO 200 SLF 8.9m 29 seats. £45,000 + vat each – choice of two.

2004 (54) DENNIS DART SLF PLAXTON MPD 8.8m 29 seats £29,950 + vat

2003 (53) DENNIS DART SLF PLAXTON MPD 8.8m 29 seats £35,000 + vat

2003 (03) MAN 18.280 SLF IKARUS 12m 42 seats. £24,950 + vat.

2000 (W) DENNIS DART SLF PLAXTON MPD 8.8m. 29 seats £9,750 + vat each – choice of three

1999 (V) DENNIS DART SLF PLAXTON SPD 11.3m 41 seats £8,750 + vat.

2000 (X) DENNIS DART SLF PLAXTON 10.1m 31 seats £9,750 + vat each choice of two

2000(V/W/X) VOLVO B7 SLF ALEXANDER or PLAXTON Refurbished 10.1m 72/74 seats + belts. £POA + vat.

1996 (N) SCANIA L113 SLF WRIGHTS 12m 41 seats £8,950 + vat.

2000 (V) VOLVO B7TL SLF ALEXANDER 10.1m 60 seats £19,950 + vat.

1996 (P) VOLVO OLYMPIAN ALEXANDER 9.8m 78 seats £14,000 + vat.

1999 (V) DAF DB250 NORTHERN COUNTIES Playbus/exhibition/hospitality £OFFERS

• FINANCE AVAILABLE – SUBJECT TO STATUS • PART EXCHANGE POSSIBLE

Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN

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Mini Coach Sales

BRAND NEW MERCEDES OPTARE TORO 32 high back seats, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

BRAND NEW MERCEDES OPTARE SOROCO 19 high back reclining seats, 3 point belts, A/C, D/G, forced air, reading lights, power door, large boot.

BRAND NEW MERCEDES BENZ 513CDI EVM CLASSIC 19 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks and A/C.

2010 10 REG IVECO 50c15 IRISBUS 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks, power door and under-floor wheelchair lift.

2008 58 REG MERCEDES BENZ 1022L SITCAR MARLIN 33 high back reclining seats incorporating leather headrest inserts, armrests and seat back tables, A/C, double glazing, fridge and power door.

2007 07 REG FORD TRANSIT 14 seats, 3 point belts.

2006 06 MERCEDES 814D PLAXTON CHEETAH 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights D/G, power door.

2005 05 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, large luggage boot.

2005 55 REG MERCEDES 814D VARIO PLAXTON CHEETAH 29 high back seats, 3 point belts, forced air, reading lights, D/G, power door and large boot.

BARGAIN BUS STOP 2002 52 REG RENAULT 10 SEATS + RAMP 2003 03 REG MERCEDES 413 CDI SPRINTER 16 high back seats, 3 point belts, luggage racks.

1999 V REG MERCEDES 814 BEAVER 33 high back seats, 3 point belts, power door, 12 months test.

2001 51 REG RENAULT 8 SEATS + RAMP

Steve Peach Tel: 01302 770863 Mob: 07836 551020 Email: steve@connaughtpsv.co.uk

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January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 53

2002 (02) Dennis Dart Marshall

10.2 metres long, purpose built from Marshall factory. Very low mileage – 23,000 kms.

This is a super low floor bus with a fold-out ramp so no access issues, there is centre spot lighting, auxiliary heating and a quiet-run diesel generator, the interior is spotless and suitable for a multitude of uses.

Will come with a new MOT.

ÂŁ14,950.00

View all stock online: www.staffordbuscentre.com Email: martin@staffordbuscentre.com Tel: 01782 791774 Mobile: 07803 222552

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2003 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PROFILE Registered Dec 2003, double glazed tinted glass, Cummins 275 engine, 6 speed manual gearbox, 49 seats, toilet & washroom, ready for immediate use, MoT tested, 120,000 miles, choice of two. £P.O.A

Straight from MOD

VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER

Dec 07, low mileage, 7 seats, quick release tracking for wheelchair use. £12,500 + VAT

MERCEDES VARIO 612

1998, 20 new seats, wheelchair lift on wheel tracking, 20 new seats.

Choice of 6.

TRADE SALE OR SEPARATE

06 MAN EVOLUTION

14/220, 37 seats, SLF automatic, wheelchair ramp, superb condition throughout, fully MoT’d. £45,500 Part exchange considered

1995 DENNIS JAVELIN PLAXTON PREMIER HIGHLINER 53 recliner seats, 290 Cummins, automatic, continental door, toilet, full years MoT, must be seen. £POA + VAT £19,500

BERKOF RADIAL 1998

CAETANO (SALVADOR) 1998

53 seats, seats, Cummins 53 Cummins 300 300 engine, ex ex council, engine, council, manual box, box, air cond, manual cond, MoT, veryMoT, low mileage, full years very low mileage, super condition. super condition. £POA £19,500

57 seats, in white, Cummins 245 engine, MoT Sept 2012, very clean vehicle. £19,500 + VAT

MERCEDES VARIO

1996 DENNIS JAVELIN

1998, fitted 5 cylinder engine, 20 new seats, wheelchair lift, low mileage, manual box, full MOT, nice clean bus.

£ 9,500 + VAT

10 metre, new MoT, 41/47 seats, 220 Cummins, 6 speed box, new stretch panels, repainted.

Choice of 2. £POA + VAT

BMC AIRPORT BUS

32 seats, 220 Cummins, new MoT this week.

QUICK SALE WANTED.

£15,000

1996 VOLVO PLAXTON PREMIER HIGH LINER

B10 engine, 14 months test, 70 seats, tinted double glazing with curtains & continental door, must be seen. £POA

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IVECO SERVICE BUS

67 seats (moquet), new 2006, only 12,000 miles since new, Vihixel body, auto gearbox, air-con, MOT full year, LEZ, must be seen, superb condition.

PLAXTON PARAGON

1995 PLAXTON PREMIER

02 SETRA

£65,000 + VAT PX considered.

B10 engine In excellent condition throughout MOT

£16,000

48 reclining seats plus courier seat, air-con.

£49,500 + VAT

49 seater Full air conditioning, Manual 6 speed gearbox Full year MOT

£45,000

Part exchange considered

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56 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

London United Busways Ltd CLEARANCE SALE – Don’t miss this opportunity to pick up a bargain Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.7m Single door 35 Seated 25 Standing T/V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system Manual ramp, Cab Air con, From £9,999.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.7m 31 Seated 27 Standing T/V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system, Power ramp, Cab Air con, Single door conversion available.

From £4,999.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer 2 SLF 10.2m 27 Seated 30 Standing V reg (1999) LEZ compliant Look CCTV system Power ramp, Cab Air con, Single door conversion available From £4,500.00 + VAT + Tyres (£250)

Contact Joseph Sage 0208 400 6680 Email Joseph.sage@lonutd.co.uk

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January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 57

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES AIR CONDITIONING

ENGINES

Crewe Engines Ltd MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS

WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES BUILDINGS

CHECKPOINTS

Direct from the UK’s No.1 for 30 years

HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available For further information phone

TO PURCHASE CHECKPOINT/DUSTITE loose wheelnut indicators or to locate your nearest stockist:

BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime

www.checkpoint-safety.com

Tel: 01524 271200

ELECTRONICS

VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES CRAIG TILSLEY

Suppliers of Reconditioned

DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS Tel: PUMPS Works: 01782 791524 Moorfields Ind. ETC 01782 791527 Est. Cotes Heath, Fax: 01782 791316

Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY

SPECIAL OFFERS

GARAGE EQUIPMENT

Specialists in Used Commercial Garage Equipment

BWS 0117 953 0381 www.bwsequip.co.uk

email: bwsequip@hotmail.com

FUEL SAVING

Getyourbusiness noticed!

AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshere foraslittleas£30.00 aweek!

‘Stop Fuel Theft’ Prevents access to tank, while allowing unrestricted filling Prevents trash being put into tank Wide range to suit most coach and bus fuel tanks

Contact JBL Mechanical Engineers Green Fields • Stanton • Shrewsbury • Shropshire SY4 4LR

To book your slot contact Ian on 01733 293254 or email ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk

Tel: 01939 251 351• Fax: 01939 251 051 Mobile: 07831 332 913

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58 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES INSURANCE

SEATING

REGISTRATIONS G £750 20 PXV 40 OXW 60 NJX 70 NNX 90 PXL PJZ 88 RJZ 66 RJZ 77 SJZ 22

SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’

£350 £99 £99 £50 ACZ 686 CXZ 2228 MNZ 1195 AXZ 5617 AJZ 484 CXZ 2229 ONZ 1171 AXZ 5618 CJZ 323 HIG 9350 REZ 3379 CRZ 8340 JBZ 484 HIG 9360 RUI 2117 CXZ 2215 KBZ 737 IFZ 2291 SEZ 7608 CXZ 2216 KCZ 505 IFZ 2292 SUI 8847 DRZ 5652 KDZ 929 KIG 1901 SUI 8848 DRZ 5653 NUI 636 KIG 1902 TJZ 1118 IFZ 2314 SBZ 515 MJZ 6749 TJZ 1119 IFZ 2315 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange

£50 JIG 8031 JIG 8032 KIG 1321 KIG 1322 RNZ 1201 RNZ 1202 RNZ 1203 TUI 3638 TUI 3639

Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771

Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ

SEATING

ERGONOMIC SEATING SPECIALISTS

Full range of Static, Mechanical and Air Suspension seats available for Coaches, Service Buses, Vans and Trucks

Prices from £150+VAT

G G G G G

Hand Rail Padding Next Day Delivery Seat Belt Installations Double Deckers Seat Belted Seat Belt Supplies Securon Amsafe/Safetex Fasching ISRI Reflex Schneeweis Orion plus many

MCF GWR Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban more

(No carriage charges)

Parts Hotline - Graham White

12 Murray Place, Righead Ind Est, Bellshill ML4 3LP Tel: 01698 845352 • Fax: 01698 844325 Email: TScottco@aol.com

graham@bhiuk.com 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com www.bhiuk.com

Fax: 01522 689922

The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers

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January 11, 2012 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES SNOW CHAINS

TYRE EQUIPMENT

TRAINING

Driver CPC – Farrow Training UK Ltd

Driver CPC Training available in West Midlands, Worcestershire and Shropshire at a time and place to suit you.

Get Legal - Get Trained

www.trainingforcpc.com Tel: 07970 853663 TRIM

P.L.TRIM LTD Quick Repairs

COACH & VEHICLE TRIMMERS

Quality retrims or repairs at affordable prices

Also available: Side wall carpet, PVC gear level gaiters & Trim fabrics and foam

Tel/Fax:01253 696033 • Email: enquiries@pltrim.co.uk • www.pltrim.co.uk

VEHICLE SPARES

Trevor Wigley & Son Bus Ltd

TW FULLY LICENSED END OF LIFE VEHICLE CENTRE TW REDUNDANT AND SCRAP VEHICLES TAKEN TW PROFESSIONAL, EFFICIENT SERVICE TW ALL REQUIREMENTS CATERED FOR TW VARIOUS SPARES AVAILABLE TW CONTACT US FOR FULL AVAILABILITY

Getyourservices noticed!

AdvertiseyourProducts &Serviceshere foraslittleas£30.00 aweek!

To book your slot contact Ian on 01733 293254 or email ian.gillis@rouncymedia.co.uk

Call 01226 723147 Night Service 01226 716479 Fax 01226 700199 Email wigleys@btconnect.com

www.twigley.com

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PROMOTION

LARA

020 8320 1351 lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk

000000-GT&CW1011-CoachesEtc

27/9/11

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Here is your chance to experience a full cruise at a very special price.

Exclusively for you from Coach World and Coaches Etc. Prices starting at £399 for a balcony cabin for a full 7 days Mediterranean cruise on board MSC Flagship Splendida MSC Cruises continues to astound with its cutting-edge ʻFantasiaʼ class of cruise ships. After the success of MSC Fantasia we were immensely proud to introduce her sister, MSC Splendida, a cruise ship where technology and comfort are spectacularly combined. Futuristic, yet retaining its classic simplicity and elegance. A cruise ship that promises the ultimate cruise experience.

MSC Splendida also features 4 swimming pools, a squash court, a Formula 1 simulator and much, much more... there are 5 restaurants to chose from, and 13 bars, as well as a magnificent theatre where top class shows take place very night, a large casino and plenty of shops.

This trip gives you the chance to experience the luxury of a balcony cabin.

Balcony Cabin Outside with Balcony

All beds can be both single or double (on request). Spacious wardrobe. Bathroom with shower or tub.

Interactive TV. Telephone. Availability of internet connection by your own laptop (on payment). Mini bar and safe. Air conditioning. Size: approx 22 square metres.

Sailing Dates: 28th January 2012 sailing from Genoa Italy

25th February 2012 sailing from Genoa Italy

Ports en route: Genoa, Barcelona, at sea, Casablanca, Gibraltar, Valencia, Marseille, Genoa

Ports en route: Genoa, Barcelona, at sea, Casablanca, Gibraltar, Valencia, Marseille, Genoa

Prices including flight only £599 per person on the 28th January and £649 on the 25th February and this is unbelievable, but no single supplement !!!!!

Or travel by coach stopping en route in the magnificent Park Inn Macon Hotel, on a dinner, bed & breakfast basis for just £525 per person on 28th January and £569 on 25th February, or arrange your own flights and pay just £399 on 28th January and £439 on 25th February.

Theses prices are for a balcony cabin with either flights or coach travel included, and are amazing, so to book now before the cabins sell out please call Richard or Tasha on 0208 665 5561 or email Richard@coachesetc.com There is limited availability so please call us as soon as you can

There are also some free places for group organisers who meet the criteria so get a group together and get on board.

62 | COACH & BUS WEEK | January 11, 2012

Seen something funny? Send it to gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk, fax 0845 2802927 or write to: Last Stop, Coach & Bus Week, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX

Monday, December 19 My last press day of 2011.

Thankfully it all goes reasonably well. Together with some of my team, start a much-needed twoweek holiday, even if I do say so myself.

Tuesday, December 20 Our new bathroom floor is fitted. The project is now all but complete. Next home DIY job is the study.

In the run up to Christmas, we were fortunate to receive a plethora of Christmas cards in the CBW office from readers and our many industry friends alike. Some of these cards were rather more distinctive than others…

Stagecoach South’s card shows Santa reading a book entitled “101 reasons why a bus is better than a reindeer.”

Certainly, we at CBW had high praise for the book, with our review, “A Triumph!” written on the back. Judging by the “Vol 1” written on the book’s spine, we can expect more of the same next year. The “book” also came with a rather nice magnetic Stagecoach bookmark, although several members of our editorial team at first mistook the ADL Enviro 400 double-decker pictured (with the no doubt highly sought after registration plate “GR8 BU5”) for an old Nokia 3310 mobile phone…

Drinking and (bus) driving…

“I would like to share an experience with you about drinking and driving. As you well know, some of us have been known to have had brushes with the authorities on

Dilbert

our way home from the odd social session over the years. Well, I have done something about it: a couple of nights ago I was out for a few drinks with some pals and had a few too many whiskeys as well as beers and some rather nice claret; but knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I’ve never done before - I took a bus home. I arrived back safely and without incident which

was a real surprise, since I had never driven a bus before and am not sure where I got this one.”

This was a joke which was doing the rounds on email this Christmas, and certainly raised a few laughs.

We should stress that this is a joke and we do in fact not condone driving a bus, let alone a car under the influence, although we must say riding the bus home instead after a few to drink is a much brighter idea.

Thursday, December 22 Catch a Stagecoach Peterborough bus into town. The driver is particularly friendly and exchanges pleasantries with everyone when they board and disembark. Make a note to myself to drop the local management team a line commending him.

Spend the evening at the CBW works night out in Peterborough.

The atmosphere is most pleasant.

It’s enough to say a good time is had by all.

Wednesday, January 4 Formally start back in the office.

With the IT server being upgraded, I’m effectively forced to carry out a much needed sort of paperwork for recycling. So much for getting ahead of myself eh?! Still, it’s a job which needs to be done.

Having spent part of my holiday furthering ‘Operation Clearout’ at home and ‘back home’ with my parents, my colleagues find it amusing that I’m spending my first day back in the office doing the same.

Thursday, January 5 A full day in the office. Get some computer-based work done, even if I’m unable to access my work emails. Tap away on my laptop.

Friday, January 6 Having managed to work around the system upgrade, which is perhaps best described as the IT equivalent of a building site, crack on with subediting. We work well as a team, with friendly office banter. However, with progress earlier in the week having been hampered, a weekend of working on CBW beckons.

www.coachandbusweek.com

LastStop.indd 62

10/01/2012 00:23

RECRUITMENT

CoNTaCT Harley Denham 01733 293249

harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk

Colin Moore joins CPT’s operations team from Arriva London The Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) has appointed Colin Moore in its operations team as Operational Technical Executive, with particular responsibility for enhancing CPT’s compliance manual.

He joins CPT from Arriva London where he was an engineering manager.

He has over 30 years of engineering experience, having started his career with London Transport as an apprentice fitter, and has since progressed through a number of engineering roles.

He said: “A major part of my new role is to ensure that all our members are kept up to date with the newest and latest technologies that will affect our industry through our website and CPT’s Compliance

Manual which is available only to our members. This will result in ensuring that CPT continues to work closely with all government bodies and suppliers.

“I look forward to working with our regional managers and our members. With my background firmly set on the engineering side of the industry I hope my experience and knowledge will help enhance the service CPT gives to our members.”

Simon Posner, chief executive of CPT, said: “We are always looking at ways to help improve the support we can give to our members. With Colin agreeing to join our team, he will bring his considerable engineering knowledge and expertise which will greatly benefit all our members.”

Assistant Operations Manager Redwing Coaches require an experienced Assistant Operations Manager to help manage our Traffic Team at our Head Office in Herne Hill, South London.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, you will assist with all aspects of Scheduling, Allocation and Service Delivery of our fleet of 59 coaches, ensuring the companyʼs high standard of customer service is maintained.

A team player with a proven track record is essential, along with a high level of management and people skills and an ability to work under pressure. The successful candidate will have a sound knowledge of EU Drivers Hours Regulations.

PCV Licence essential. Good knowledge of London, UK and Europe would be an advantage. You will be required to work shifts including weekends. Salary negotiable according to qualifications and experience.

Please send your CV with covering letter to: Nigel Taylor Operations Manager Redwing Coaches 10 Dylan Road, London SE24 0HL Or by email to nigel@redwing-coaches.co.uk Closing date: 3 February 2012 www.coachandbusweek.com

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