30 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 7, 2011
£3
OpErAtOr prOfilE › xelabus
The return fare charged on Xelabus’ first commercial bus route, the X12 both PB Bus Marketing and some vehicles . “We are so grateful to the efforts of Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service. We would also like thank fellow operators and our many friends for their support and offers of assistance – we really appreciate it.” Speaking to CBW almost six months since the incident and uttering words which civilised members of society regard as text book examples of ‘broken Britain’, Gareth said: “Out of six buses parked at the front of the building, we managed to save three. The seat of the fire was close to the building. It’s an unfortunate fact that the vandal is known to both the police and the fire brigade but they say they can’t charge him because they’ve yet to find enough evidence.” The buses lost in the fire were Plaxton Pointer–bodied Dennis Dart ‘M321YOT’ and Alexander-bodied Leyland Olympians ‘E324MSG’ & ‘E327MSG’. “We replaced the buses with three super low floor Plaxton Darts – two of which carry Xelabus livery, while the third sports an all over ad, which is on a two-year contract. As a small firm we can’t afford to turn away income,” continued Gareth. “We want a standardised fleet – comprising Plaxton Darts and Alexander Olympians. The fact I’ve bought ex Lothian Olympians is down to Phil Stockley at Velvet Bus. I drove for him for a spell and experienced the type at first hand. “We now operate a dozen vehicles. We’ve applied to increase our O-licence authorisation to 10 discs. I’m amazed at our rate of growth in our first year.”
Business Mix
Xelabus has recently been successful and won a number of Hampshire County Council tenders. The four-year contracts start in October, one of which is the Sunday service on the ‘C’ route, while the remainder is school work. “The task is now to find something for those buses to do in between,” commented Gareth. “We’re also on the tendering list for other Hampshire areas. We’re looking at Portsmouth. My philosophy is to grab opportunities as they arise because you never know what’s around the corner.” Xelabus also operates a number of supermarket shopper services. “Our ASDA Totton and Tesco Winchester and Bursledon services www.coachandbusweek.com
Xelabus.indd 30
Xelabus operates a number of supermarket shopper services
“You’re never going to be a millionaire running open toppers but the key thing is it breaks even.” Gareth Blair MD, Xelabus
The operation of a coach was a short-lived experiement
have seen a good level of growth and our Eastleigh Town service has proved to be very popular,” explained Gareth. “Our X4 ASDA service from Fair Oak to ASDA Eastleigh has also seen strong ridership growth. The service has now attracted many regulars using it on a weekly basis. We have also recently introduced a commuter service to Southampton West Quay Monday to Friday, numbered X12, we are operating the service at peak times with low fares.” Among the new areas of business developed this year has been an open top bus tour of Southampton docks. Branded ‘Sea the City’, this uses ex Lothian Olympian ‘F357WSC’. “It’s been successful. You’re never going to be a millionaire running open toppers but the key thing is it breaks even,” said Gareth. “These ocean liners are huge. Getting up
close alongside them is a surreal experience. We’ve teamed up with port owners ABP who have allowed us to operate inside the docks.” Another new venture is the operation of a heritage bus for wedding hire on a commercial basis. “We’ve bought a Routemaster (RM) – ‘SMK679F’. There are very few others in the area who can offer a vintage bus for wedding hire and such like. We’ve had the RM for six weeks and it’s been out for four of those,” explained Gareth. “We hire the RM out for £500 per wedding and we get it. I’ve been told wedding cars charge £450 yet our RM has 76 seats. “My biggest thing with buses is cleanliness. I don’t want to put a dirty bus out. Even our tyres are painted at weekends. I run our buses like a coach company in terms of presentation. That’s why all our vehicles are fitted with
06/09/2011 01:32