Coach & Bus Week : Issue 1003

Wednesday September 14, 2011 Issue 1003 | £2.95 www.coachandbusweek.com

AWARDS:

This year’s UK Bus Awards shortlist announced p22

TECHNOLOGY: Update on Flybus mechanical hybrid programme p30

A sea of success: Bus Driver of the Year

COACH:

Van Hool to unveil new coach range at Busworld Kortrijk p12

BUS:

MP brands Stagecoach CEO a ‘King Rat’ in parliament p10

for recru i

JOB ADV tment EVERY WERTS EEK

p24

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THIS WEEK

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

EDITORIAL Publisher Jonathan Taylor 01733 293240 jonathan.taylor@rouncymedia.co.uk Editor Gareth Evans 01733 293243 gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk Industry Editor Meera Rambissoon 01733 293240 meera.rambissoon@rouncymedia.co.uk Technical and Minibus Editor Martin Cole 01733 293245, 07885 692144 martin.cole@rouncymedia.co.uk Art Director Keith Simpson Contributors Richard Charnley, Gabriel Conway, Alan Payling

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Damned if you do...

I

t’s a familiar situation – one I’m sure we all regularly face in life – yet nowhere is this truer than with two stories in this week’s issue.

Take the parliamentary bus deregulation debate on p10. Brighton & Hove (B&H) managing director Roger French freely puts his name and face out in public, yet some sections of society seem only too quick to criticise and insult him personally. Imagine if he behaved in the opposite manner, he’d be accused of being ‘faceless’. Then, if B&H lost money and services were being cut as a result, there would be vociferous complaints for that too. Yet because B&H is a profitable and award-winning business, it is derided. If two large operators vied for trade head to head in Brighton, there would predictably be calls for re-regulation to remove ‘over bussing’.

Quality is another example. If you create a bus partnership with the aim of raising service standards (see p6), you almost inevitably run the risk of adding

barriers to entry for smaller operators, who may not have the means to invest large sums. Thus, competition by definition is restricted. But then of course, by not stipulating minimum standards, the public complain about the lack of ‘easy access buses’ and the opportunistic re-regulation lobby dons its rose-tinted specs about ‘quality’.

This particular debate is also relevant to Brighton, where local independent The Big Lemon, which as yet does not run a low-floor bus, is campaigning to ease the criteria used for the quality bus partnership. Of course, as ever, politics are also playing more than their fair part.

Back to the parliamentary debate, I was struck by Norman Baker’s response to Andrew Gwynne who was, as ever, pushing for the wider implementation of London-style regulation. Is Baker a voice of reason? He rightly says there are two sides to the argument.

Gareth Evans Editor

CONTENTS 4

26

38

The latest from the industry in the UK and internationally

18

Hampshire independent bus operator marks its first birthday

30

Financial update and what it will be showing at Busworld Kortijk

All the new vehicles in operators’ yards across the UK

22

The latest stage of developments on the mechanical flywheel hybrid

32

Richard Charnley warns operators about copyright matters

Announcement of the shortlist for the leading award scheme

24

An Optare Spectra sporting Tanat Valley’s new bus livery

34

A lighthearted look at the industry.

Plus Gareth’s Diary!

Report on Sunday’s national final of the UK Bus Driver of the Year

The new ‘green’ bus wash at Abellio London is examined

All the latest people moves from across the industry

News

Deliveries

UK Bus Awards BDoY

Xelabus profile Flybus

The Big Picture

Battersea bus wash

Daimler interims

43

Open Platform

61

Last Stop

62

People

The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Coach & Bus Week are not necessarily those of the Editor or its publisher Rouncy Media Ltd.

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 | September 14, 2011

nEWS

“London is not quite the panacea that some people think.

We get queues of buses in London, many of which are empty, because they have, in some cases, been overprovided.”

Norman Baker MP Transport minister

BriEfly Harlequin Coaches of Throsk, Stirling has had its public service operator licence revoked with immediate effect after it cancelled its local services due to cash flow problems without permission from the traffic commissioner. Director Robert Adam and secretary Irene Adam were also disqualified indefinitely from applying for or holding an operator license without a public enquiry. The inquiry also blocked a new company, Adam’s Coaches Ltd with Mrs Adam the sole director and shareholder, from trading to prevent “pheonixism,” although she said the company had no intention of trading. The company had stopped trading on April 12, after its cashflow problems became so severe it could not afford to pay for fuel on the next working day. Mr Adam’s brother, Ian Adam, the transport manager and another operator, had no adverse findings against him.

The CPT is reviewing how it communicates with its members and is looking into social media. It is asking its members whether they would prefer information to be available on a Facebook page or through Twitter. CPT is also looking for feedback on the sorts of things its audience wants to hear about through said social media. If you have any thoughts on the direction the CPT should take, please contact John Major, CPT’s director of communications, at johnm@cpt-uk.org, or even through Twitter itself @ JohnMajorCPT. Arriva the Shires launched 13 new buses at its head office in Luton on Monday September 5. They will operate on routes 31, 100, 101 and 102.

Marketing manager Linsey Frostick said: “We hope this extra investment will make journeys with us more comfortable than before. This significant investment demonstrates we are committed to providing the best possible service for our customers who rely on us each day to get them from A to B.” Further details in next week’s issue. www.coachandbusweek.com

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News p10

Greener Journeys calls for growth agenda for bus New report and health study launched at House of Commons by bus coalition A rallying call for government support to unite behind a growth agenda for the bus sector was made by Greener Journeys in the shape of a new report. The report looking into transport funding was presented to parliament at the House of Commons, at an event hosted by Stephen Hammond MP with Norman Baker MP as key speaker, as CBW went to press (September 12).

The report argues the transport community has been pre-occupied with railways over the last few years and has left, by comparison, the mounting problems facing bus passengers firmly under the radar.

Greener Journeys – a coalition of the UK’s major bus companies – said the House of Commons Transport Select Committee has previously condemned the “parlous state of the nation’s bus services” and highlighted their concern that at least seven out of 10 local authorities have made - or are planning to make - cuts in local bus services, with talk of ‘bus meltdown’ in metropolitan areas.

Other main findings include: Buses are vital to the conditions necessary for economic growth; Buses provide an immediate low cost means of reducing carbon emissions from transport; Buses are crucial for tackling social exclusion; and Buses bring many wider positive health and environmental benefits to individuals and society.

The report was presented on the day that Greener Journeys released a study investigating the health benefits of walking as part of the bus journey. Participants were sourced from all areas of the UK and equipped with a pedometer.

They had to monitor and record the steps taken during a journey, which

involved using a car, and the same journey using a bus.

The study found catching the bus achieves half the government recommended daily exercise.

Data from 424 journeys showed that participants averaged a daily walking distance of nearly 1.3km when catching the bus, 2.5 times more than when taking the car.

The study comes at a time when the government advises short bursts of activity can add up to form the recommended 30 minutes, five times a week.

Author of the study, Dr David Lewis said: “Taking the figures from our study, someone who travels by bus daily will walk almost

National findings Return journey

Bus

Car

Distance walked (km)

1.3

0.3

Calories burned (cal)

62

16

*average statistics from study participants; one return journey (two trips)

The study found catching the bus achieves half the government recommended daily exercise

460km per year - that’s equivalent to walking 11 marathons. This would be of substantial benefit to the two thirds of British adults who, according to the 2010 Health Survey, do not achieve the recommended levels of exercise.

“This Greener Journeys study clearly demonstrates that using the bus instead of the car could enhance both personal and national wellbeing.”

Claire Haigh of Greener Journeys said the chance to exercise and burn calories may be a tipping point for commuters who are already concerned about the high levels of CO2 pollution produced by cars often occupied by the driver only.

“It’s not just health and the environment that will benefit.

Inactivity is conservatively estimated to cost the economy £10 billion per year and active travel – that includes walking – has the potential to reduce these costs substantially,” she said.

Greener Journeys is working with government and local authorities to accelerate the adoption of a range of pro bus and coach policies that will make it easier for people to make sustainable transport choices. It is calling on central government to protect BSOG from further cuts; local government to provide adequate road space for bus use and apply sustainable principles to land use planning policy; and HM Treasury to give incentives for consumers to travel by bus e.g. allow bus season tickets and travel cards to be paid for out of people’s pre tax income and to encourage salary sacrifice schemes.

The Greener Journeys coalition includes major operators Arriva, FirstGroup, Go-Ahead, National Express and Stagecoach, and has an ambition to shift a billion car journeys to the bus by 2014.

For more information visit www.greenerjourneys.com

12/09/2011 23:25

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 5

Dave Kaye departs NX

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport argues there is strong potential for scheduled coach services to greatly increase their contribution to inter-urban mobility. A prime example is Arriva the Shires-run Green Line service 797, which links Stevenage and Hatfield with London Victoria

Coach expansion key part of CILT’s vision for 2035 Expansion of scheduled coach services on trunk routes are needed over the next 25 years if the country is to meet the increasing demand for travel and population growth.

This is one of the key findings contained in a new report from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT), entitled Vision 2035. The report endeavours to forecast the evolution of the UK transport scene over the next quarter of a century, to understand the impacts wider social progress will have on the roles and demands placed on freight and passenger transport.

Produced by the CILT’s Public Policies Committee under the guidance of project leader, Michael Woods, it identifies the key policy instruments and investments required in order for transport facilities and operations to serve society as effectively as possible.

On the roads, the report argues there is strong potential for scheduled coach services to greatly increase their contribution to interurban mobility and this market could be really stimulated by 2035 if measures are introduced to reduce congestion, and to increase capacity on motorways and trunk routes. These include an expansion of hard-shoulder running,

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introducing many more highoccupancy lanes and dedicated bus and coach lanes on busy trunk routes, as have already proved successful in cities such as Brighton, London and between Bradford and Leeds.

Other key conclusions from the report include: The absolute necessity for increased public investment in transport infrastructure.

The prospects for new innovative high-tech developments designed to speed delivery, reduce carbon emissions and contain wasteful congestion.

The increased development of collaborative and partnership projects designed to enhance the efficiency of both freight and passenger operations.

Institute president, Peter Hendy CBE FCILT said: “The importance of efficient and economic transport operations in the way we live and for our industry in the future cannot be over-estimated. Effective transport will form a fundamental ingredient in our needs, welfare and prosperity, as our population grows and our economy develops.

“Vision 2035 has used the professional expertise of CILT’s membership of transport professionals to identify some of the options, challenges and prospects we face in planning our transport solutions for the future.

Hendy concluded: “CILT is convinced the nation needs an informed and constructive debate Vision 2035 represents our initial contribution to that process.”

Dave climbed the career ladder at North Western Trains and Great Eastern Trains before becoming operations director for FirstGroup’s UK bus division in 2004 and chief operating officer in 2008. Kaye left Firstgroup at roughly the same time as managing director of its UK bus division, Nicola Shaw.

Kaye is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport, Institute of Railway Operators and an Alumni of Harvard Business School.

Dave Kaye is set to leave National Express 10 months after taking up the role of managing director of its UK bus division.

A National Express Group spokesperson said: This is a purely personal decision and we wish Dave all the best for the future.

“Peter Coates will become interim managing director for UK Bus, with immediate effect. Peter has been with National Express since 1997 and was appointed as Finance Director to UK Bus in 1999.

He brings an enormous breadth and depth of experience of the UK Bus business to the role.

“A recruitment process for a new managing director for our UK bus business will begin in due course.”

Kaye has an extensive, 31-year career in the transport industry, which saw him start as a traffic clerk in West Yorkshire.

From there10:29Dave Kaye 7942_art_Layout 1 12/09/2011 Page 1

Make sure it’s Type Approved!

Type Approval will soon become mandatory for all minibuses and coaches.To find out how this affects you and your company please visit www.mellor-coachcraft.co.uk

Quality built for life

Download Vision 2035 from www.ciltuk.org.uk

www.coachandbusweek.com

12/09/2011 23:25

6 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

132

nEWS › BUSeS

The total fleet size of RATP-owned Bournemouth Yellow Buses

BriEfly A new iPhone app called ‘Herts Bus Info’ has been launched by Intalink, in partnership with local authorities and public transport operators in Hertfordshire.

The app allows users to receive up-to-date information on departure times and bus timetable details, while also displaying maps. Through the use of GPS, the app is able to locate the nearest bus stop to the user, or find a particular bus stop on the map. The app is available for download for iPhone, as well as any phone using Android, and costs 69p.

Sheffield Council has made more than £1 million over 19 months in fines from bus gate and bus lane enforcement at six sites. Money received each month in fines has increased by 36% compared with 2010, as cameras have been activated at an increased number of sites. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show between January and December last year, the council received £601,227 in fines - an average of £50,102 per month. In January this year, a number of cameras were also installed to monitor bus lanes on Queens Road and Granville Road. The total fines collected in 2011 up to the end of July stood at £478,156 - £68,308 per month on average.

We would like to apologise for the production error in last week’s magazine which led to the interview with trent barton managing director Jeff Counsell being repeated from the previous issue – in place of the ‘Operator Profile’ on Xelabus which now appears this week – see p26.

£0.69

The price of Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘Herts Bus Info’ app

Centro consults on Birmingham SQP Scheme should not be anticompetitive, says The Green Bus MD Centro and Birmingham City Council are proposing a Statutory Quality Partnership scheme (SQP) for Birmingham city centre.

The introduction of a SQP will secure the investment in bus priority, bus stops and other infrastructure improvements for at least the next 10 years. It will also secure commitment from bus operators to deliver high standards in both customer service and bus performance, helping to support the objectives of both Centro and Birmingham City Council to improve public transport provision.

When the scheme is introduced all of the 25 (or more) bus operators running services in Birmingham city centre must adhere to quality standards defined within the SQP before they can use the facilities in the city centre.

Ian Mack, managing director of The Green Bus which runs 30 vehicles in Birmingham said: “We were interested to receive Centro’s proposals and will be

responding to them fully. We support Centro’s general idea of improving bus services, but there are obvious concerns the net effect of this scheme will be to exclude some independent bus operators from Birmingham city centre within a very short timescale.”

Ian raised concerns over National Express (NX) being the dominant operator. “A serious and enduring effect of the proposals as drafted could be to perpetuate and to protect NX’s near-monopoly on bus services in Birmingham. Clearly, it would not be an acceptable outcome to the bus industry in the city.”

“If the scheme proceeds, Centro will clearly need to come forward with plans to fund it for independent operators, otherwise, it may exclude many of us at the expense of the region’s dominant provider. Buying additional new buses and upgrading engines costs money for which many firms may not have budgeted.

“The duty now falls on Centro to ensure the impact of this scheme, if implemented, is fair and not anti-competitive. The state

Ian Mack, MD of The Green Bus urges Centro to act with extreme caution

must act with extreme caution when proposing to confiscate business from some private sector companies and not others. Centro will need to conduct a detailed assessment of the bus operator winners and losers of its proposed scheme, and then bring forward plans to address any imbalance so the losers end up being in no worse an ongoing position than the winners.

“The SQPs will establish high standards of service in the city centre and improve liaison and co-ordination between operators, Birmingham City Council and Centro in tackling obstacles to improving journey times, reliability and punctuality.”

A spokesman for Centro said: “Centro and Birmingham City Council can only make the QPS if they are satisfied it meets a competition test as set out in legislation. We consider it meets this test but it will be revisited, particularly in the light of any further information or representations made during the consultation exercise, before the scheme is formally approved.”

A number of current services will be formally excluded from the SQP such as express coach services, the Ring and Ride service and school services.

A period of formal consultation on the QPS will run until December 2, 2011.

Operators in Birmingham can respond to the consultation, by emailing QPS@ centro.org.uk or writing to: Birmingham City Centre QPS Consultation, Centro, Centro House, 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD.

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

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12/09/2011 23:29

32m

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 7

SHARE WATCH

The number of annual bus passenger journeys in & out of Birmingham city centre

Lothian Buses launches hybrid �leet

STEVE HODGSON

Lothian Buses launched its £5m hybrid double decker fleet on Sunday (September 11).

The arrival of the 15 hybrids saw Edinburgh become the first city in Scotland to operate a fleet of this kind. Setting new standards for greener public transport in Scotland, the Enviro 400H diesel-

electric buses, manufactured by Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis, run on the city’s route 10, from Western Harbour to Torphin.

The £5 million investment, including a £1 million contribution from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund, is Scotland’s biggest single investment in green hybrid bus technology by a bus operator.

Lothian Buses says this latest investment confirms its position as a category leader in public transport and its commitment to both Edinburgh residents and creating a greener capital.

Ian Craig, managing director of Lothian Buses, said: “As a company

15 BAE Systems-powered ADL E400Hs have taken to the road

CPT workshop at Beaulieu The next CPT Workshop will take place on Tuesday, September 27 at the National Motor Museum Beaulieu, Hantsmpshire. The event includes exhibitions from CPT Supplier Members and presentations from Traffic Commissioner, Richard Turfitt, VOSA area manager Stuart Carter and members of CPT’s Operations Team.

The event starts at 1700 and runs through until 2045hrs, during which time a buffet and refreshments will be served.

Karen Tiley, London & Home Counties regional manager said: “This is a free event and is open to non members of CPT as a recruitment drive.”

For further details and to book your place, please email on karet@cpt-uk.org or telephone 020 7240 3131.

we are always looking for ways to offer greener and more sustainable travel. The new hybrid fleet is part of our continued commitment and investment to combat air pollution and to offer our passengers a lowcarbon public transport option.

“Our buses already deliver significant emissions savings.

However, the new fleet is a lowercarbon and lower-emission solution which will make a major and further contribution to reducing emissions in Edinburgh. Route 10 is one of our longer routes operating through two Local Air Quality Management Areas.”

Colin Robertson, CEO of Alexander Dennis, commented: “These vehicles bring cutting-edge technology to public transport and we are absolutely delighted the first all-hybrid, double deck fleet in the country will operate in our capital city. The specification demanded

by Lothian Buses is second-to-none and Edinburgh passengers can look forward to a first class environment providing a cleaner, quieter and noticeably smoother ride.”

The low carbon buses bring certified fuel and CO2 emissions saving of over 30%. They introduce a new era of proven, reliable, greener buses designed to tackle head-on both local air pollution issues and help Scotland achieve its ambitious carbon reduction targets.

Industry share prices at the close of the Stock Exchange on Monday, September 12.

Go-Ahead saw the sharpest rise and National Express the biggest drop.

Figures obtained from www.iii.co.uk

271.70p

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

341.95p

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

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Abellio London last week welcomed a delivery of nine brand new ADL 10.2m Enviro 200 single deckers to its Twickenham depot. The delivery follows the introduction of a new route 117, which Abellio London took over from Metroline on September 3.

The service operates between Staines, Ashford, Feltham, Hounslow and West Middlesex Hospital and will run with 22 drivers using eight of the new vehicles, with the ninth as a spare. Abellio said it is excited to have this addition to its fleet of services. The company operates 564 buses and employs over 1500 driver across its six depots in Central and West London, including one in Surrey.

12.62p

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

+14.00 on last week

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FTSE 100

5130

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

+27 on last week

www.coachandbusweek.com

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12/09/2011 23:29

8 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

nEWS › coaches

“We should work out a fair and proper way of enabling creative people to earn a living from their work, and the products of that work then be free for everybody to use.”

Richard Charnley

BriEfly This year’s CPT Coach Conference will be held on Tuesday November 1 at Volvo’s Warwick offices, the trade body has confirmed. The programme for the event, which is free to CPT members is all but finalised, with Deputy Senior Traffic Commissioner, Beverley Bell confirmed as the key note speaker. Full details will be published later this month, at which time the CPT will start taking reservations.

There will be overnight disruption for motorists on and around the M65 junctions 10 and 12 (Brierfield) and 7 and 8 (Accrington) beginning September 12. The closures will take place between 1900hrs and 0500hrs. At least one lane will remain open in each direction at all times. Short delays are expected. The work is part of a resurfacing scheme on the M65. The work between junctions 10 and 12 is expected to take 2 weeks, and the work at junctions 7 and 8 will last around six weeks.

Overnight road marking works along the A1 from Tritlington to Feltin, Northumberland are expected to create slight delays until September 26. There will be a 10mph speed limit north and southbound between 1900hrs and 0800hrs, due to a working convoy.

Carriageway resurfacing and other associated works are to take place on the M42 southbound from Junction 5 to Junction 4. The work will take place overnight from 2100hrs to 0600hrs, starting September 14 and finishing September 20, excluding the weekend. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

Starting on Monday, October 3, part of the A64 between Malton and Scarborough is to be resurfaced. A full weekend closure is currently scheduled to take place between Friday, October 7 and Monday, October 10. The work involves resurfacing two long sections of the A64 around Ganton and further west between East Heslerton and Sherburn. It will require the weekend closure of the A64 in both directions. www.coachandbusweek.com

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Open Platform p43

CPT WM conducts coach parking survey Energetic regional manager continues to lobby for the coach industry Phil Bateman, CPT West Midlands (WM) regional manager is continuing in his efforts to improve facilities for the coaching industry, as he conducts a coach parking survey of his region.

The survey quizzes local authorities on such matters as the number of coach parking spaces in a given town/city centre, whether there are any proposals to construct spaces this year or later, and whether these local authorities have a designated coach park.

“The coach is a unique form of transport, being greener than a train, a car, or an aeroplane. It is just the sort of transport which towns and cities should encourage as we all face up to austerity effects in our local economy,” he said.

The 2008 UK Tourism Survey noted that £1.2 billion is spent

annually as a result of a coach journey, equating to £189 per coach traveller, highlighting the significance of the coach as a travel medium and the lucrative nature of this business.

It is Bateman’s hope that this information can “be used to inform colleagues of coach parking and in any forward campaigns to improve the industry for communities and customers.”

“I am currently conducting a survey of the WM region, and am requesting information about coach parking in our largest towns and cities,” explained Bateman.

“Coaches are a valuable resource to the local economy; I am keen that CPT members contribute strongly to the region’s economic performance. However, in order to do this, the coach requires Local Government to create and deliver some infrastructure to enable the coach to deliver its full potential.

“I have asked Local Authorities

Oswestry boasts dedicated coach parking facilities next to the town’s restored railway station. A pair of Tanat Valley coaches are seen here Obituary

Mac McLean Mac McLean, previous owner of Southampton-based Watson’s Coaches, director of Lucketts Travel and Honorary Life Member of CPT, passed away in the early hours of the morning of September 9.

Mac was residing in a care home in Southampton and had been ill for

some time. An Alzheimer’s sufferer, he experienced a major stroke at the end of August from which he was unable to recover.

Ian Luckett, director of Lucketts Travel, kindly informed CBW of Mac’s passing. Ian explained that Mac was a very dedicated member of the CPT, and following Lucketts’ acquisition of Watson’s Coaches in 1984 he requested that he became a director of Lucketts as it

to spend a few minutes answering just four questions. The coach is a unique form of transport, being greener than a train, a car, or an airplane. It is just the sort of transport that towns and cities should encourage as we all face up to austerity effects in our local economy.

It is estimated that £1.2 billion is spent every year as a result of a coach journey, which is approximately £189 per coach traveller (Source: UK Tourism Survey, 2008).”

The survey asks every local authority in the WM region to identify: number of coach parking A The spaces which exist in their town/city centre today; proposals to construct B Any spaces in 2011 onwards; the local authority have C Does a designated Coach Park; & the local authority D Does know how many coach visits are made to your town/city in the 2010, if so what are the statistics.

“I hope we will be able to capture this information, which will then be used to inform colleagues of coach parking and in any forward campaigns to improve the industry for communities and customers. I am pleased to say that I am already receiving information from local authorities, with Solihull and Herefordshire County Council being amongst the first to respond,” Bateman concluded.

Visit the CPT website at www.cpt-uk.org E-mail Phil Bateman on philb@cpt-uk.org

allowed him to maintain his CPT connections.

Paying tribute to Mac’s “diligent and dedicated nature”, Ian said: “Mac spent a lot of time on CPT business and relished his connections with the industry.”

Coach and Bus Week would like to offer its condolences to the family of McLean, and pays tribute to a valued member of the industry community.

12/09/2011 22:02

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 9

IN PARLIAMENT…

Prentice Coaches invests £400k in new coaches East Lothian-based Prentice has invested £400,000 in three new coaches. A 51-seater exec and a 24-seater have already been acquired, with a 33-seater arriving by the end of September.

Prentice run a range of coaches, ranging from 24 to 70-seat sizes.

With regards to the new additions, Prentice’s 51-seat executive coaches all use a Volvo B12B chassis with Plaxton Paragon bodies, their 33-seat midi coaches use a Mercedes 816 chassis with Plaxton Cheetah bodies, and their 24-seat mini coaches are Mercedesbased conversions. Prentice have enjoyed a successful number of years, with profits growing by an average of 18.5% annually over the past decade. In that time the company’s fleet has grown from 9 to 15 vehicles.

The company celebrates its 20th year of operation this month.

Co-founder Ross Prentice said “We have worked tirelessly to grow, with the fantastic support of dedicated drivers and the loyalty of clients in a competitive market.

“Green initiatives and further

B9 Elites for new Stagecoach X7 service

A new luxury coach link to North East Scotland has been launched

by Stagecoach Bluebird and Stagecoach East Scotland.

The route is serviced by a fleet of six new Plaxton Elite-bodied Volvo B9s. On-board facilities include a

Stagecoach has introduced six new Volvo B9 Elite coaches to serve the X7 route

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investment are just part of our plans for another successful 20 years. We’re looking forward to reviving the role of coach travel in 21st century Scotland.”

Prentice claims that it has enjoyed consistent growth, even in the face of “huge challenges to the industry,” including difficult winter weather, the recession, and steadily rising fuel prices.

Prentice, who boast John Lewis and PricewaterhouseCoopers as long-standing customers also provide coach services to Loretto, Mary Erskine and Stewart Melville schools, and are looking to expand their education transport operations.

Prentice are keen to capitalise on impressive profit growth WC, a wheelchair lift, free Wi-Fi, leather seats and CCTV. The new coaches were unveiled on September 5 at Stonehaven Market Square and Arbroath Harbour.

The vehicles have been branded in the locally-known ‘coastrider’ theme, and are being used on the new X7 route between Aberdeen and Dundee, serving Stonehaven, Montrose and Arbroath providing a limited stop, direct coach link. The route operates hourly, Mondays to Saturdays and every two hours on Sundays.

A day’s travel on the X7 costs £12.50, with weekly tickets at £36.

Stagecoach Scotland MD Sam Greer, said: “The new vehicles offer a greener, smarter travel option, added luxury with leather seats, free mobile charging power points, climate control and panoramic views.

“The new ticket range also makes it even simpler and more cost effective to use the coach, with discounts to be seen by many who already rely on our services.”

The route began operation on September 12.

GPS SYSTEMS Angela Smith (Penistone and Stocksbridge, Labour) asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will develop a strategy for the installation for global positioning system tracking systems on bus fleets.

Transport Minister Norman Baker (Lewes, Liberal Democrat) replied: “In England, outside London, the installation of global positioning systems or other Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) equipment on bus fleets is a matter for the individual bus operator.

“Since April 2010 operators have been eligible for a 2% increase in Bus Service Operators’ Grant (BSOG) for each bus where AVL equipment is installed and operating.”

CONCESSIONARY FARES Lord Warner (Labour) asked Her Majesty’s Government what resources could be made available to improve the funding of adult social care by a range of measures including restricting free travel passes to people over 75 years of age; as well as winter fuel allowance and free TV licences.

Welfare reform minister Lord Freud (Conservative) replied: “The Government are preserving key benefits for older and vulnerable people and are committed to protecting the statutory entitlement for concessionary bus travel, ensuring that older people can maintain greater freedom and independence.

“In 2008-09, approximately £860 million was spent by local authorities on reimbursement to bus operators for statutory and discretionary concessionary travel schemes for older and disabled people in England.

“Trip rates among the over 60s from the National Travel Survey 2008-09 indicate that of those bus boardings per person per year by individuals over the age of 60, around 65 per cent are by individuals aged between 60 and 75; and around 35% are by individuals aged 75 and over.

“It could therefore be

estimated that (c) costs would be reduced by around £300 million per year if the scheme withdrew free travel passes to people over 75 years of age; and (d) costs would be reduced by around £560 million per year if the scheme restricted free travel passes to people aged 75 and over.

“Cost reductions would be smaller if local authorities replaced the removal of the statutory scheme with a local discretionary scheme.”

ORN OPERATION Tessa Jowell (Dulwich and West Norwood, Labour) commenting on the impact of changes to traffic signals, and the fear that they will significantly increase congestion throughout London said: “When the evaluation committee came, we were all on our very best behaviour, wanting to persuade the International Olympic Committee that London was the place to host the games. I know that the Minister was very much part of that evaluation visit.

“We were coming down Gower street, which is normally an area of considerable congestion leading down to Cambridge circus and Trafalgar square. It normally takes about 20 minutes to get from the top to the bottom.

“As the bus turned into the top of Gower street, all that I could see, right down to the bottom, were green lights.

“I feared that might seem implausible, so I suggested perhaps we might see one red light on our journey down. The point is that the conditions that the evaluation committee enjoyed will not prevail during the games themselves.

I hope that there will be close scrutiny of the impact of changes to traffic signals.

“Will the Minister also undertake to work with the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Mayor of London to ensure information about traffic signals is made public without further delay?

“That is necessary for precisely the same reason as my previous request: we need to prepare people for the degree of extra congestion that they may have to navigate around.”

www.coachandbusweek.com

12/09/2011 22:02

10 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

nEWS

Brian Souter is King of Rats, says Stringer 80% of deregulation has been awful, says Graham Stringer MP

The sixth annual “Big Bus Day” organised by East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) in association with Hull Museum of Streetlife proved to be another great success last Saturday, with over 3,000 visitors turning up. Although admission was free, sales and donations at the event combined to raise a total of over £1,200 for the NSPCC. There was also a small amount collected on the NSPCC stand itself. The event has been held annually since the first “one-off” in 2006 to celebrate EYMS’ 80th anniversary was such a big hit. Since then it has averaged 3,000 visitors each year, with almost £6,000 donated to the NSPCC. Popular attractions were the free open-top and vintage bus tours of the city. EYMS chairman Peter Shipp said: “We at EYMS all enjoyed the day. I think we now have a truly annual event on our hands so we shall1fix12/09/2011 a date for next yearPage very1soon.”

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Quality built for life

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Graham Stringer MP called Brian Souter and Stagecoach ‘King Rats of the British economy’ in a lively parliamentary debate on the bus industry on September 5.

Commenting on the 25 years of deregulation following the Transport Act 1985, Stringer (Blackley and Broughton, Labour), said: “By and large, it has been a very poor experience… I will not say everything about bus deregulation has been awful—most of it has been. If I had to put a figure on it, it would be approximately 80%. A great deal of it has been bad.

However, Stringer conceded: “Bus deregulation has been successful on radial routes in major urban conurbations, where peak service is often better than it was.”

“My main point is there will be cuts to an already reduced system,” he later added.

Asked if he agreed one of the faults of deregulation was it did not create a perfect market, Stringer said the large operators owned their garages and could afford to subsidise competition were there new entrants to the market, far from being perfect competition.

“I was talking about the profits of Go-Ahead but the profits of Stagecoach are truly staggering, especially when the economy is flatlining. They are up to £153m from £126m, which is an increase from 14.4% to 17.1%.

“In the friendly debates I have had with Brian Souter, he once called Gwyneth Dunwoody and me ‘dinosaurs’ because we believe in going back to a sane system of regulated buses. He even set up little models of dinosaurs. I do not know how many people in the Chamber remember the film made of the James Clavell book, ‘King Rat’.

When the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore was liberated by allied forces, there was one very fat prisoner among all the others, whose ribs were showing—they were starving to death.”

Stringer delivered his verbal blow: “At a time of austerity and the economy not doing well, Souter and Stagecoach are the King Rats of the British economy, doing enormously well out of public subsidy when everyone else is struggling. They are, in effect, subsidy junkies.”

Mike Weatherley (Hove, Conservative) praised the network, frequency and bus shelters of Brighton & Hove (B&H) and paid tribute to Roger French’s leadership. However, he argued more competition is needed to protect the interests of passengers in future and drew on difficulties between B&H and The Big Lemon (TBL), where B&H has announced fare increases due to rising fuel costs. Where TBL is in direct competition with B&H, the fare will be less at £2.50.

“TBL also encountered a barrier to extending competition in the city when it attempted to join the quality bus partnership… TBL has also encountered difficulties in publicising information and timetables,” he said. “Priority was given to B&H, the larger company. The attitudes and actions I have mentioned are obstacles to increasing competition. If one small firm has encountered such difficulties, how many more companies are experiencing problems around the country?”

Meanwhile, Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish, Labour) said: “We need to make it easier for PTEs and LTAs to enter into voluntary partnerships, SQBPs and a more balanced quality contract system.”

Responding to Gwynne pushing the London model, Transport minister Norman Baker, said: “It is not quite the panacea some people think. When competition started in Manchester, we heard there were queues of buses in the main street.

We get queues of buses in London, many of which are empty, because they have, in some cases, been overprovided, so similar problems arise with one operator—TfL. It is also the case that London buses are much more expensive to run.”

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MICHELIN Q&A

Ask the Michelin Man Around 30% of our work is done off road on building sites and around 60% of our journeys are only short. Do you think it would benefit us to have Energy tyres fitted to o urfleet?

Appropriate tyre choice is about striking the correct balance between numerous performance requirements such as; resistance to accidental damage, road handling, wet grip, rolling resistance and many others. In your case, even though you are not operating off road all the time, your tyres' resistance to damage should be a high priority. If you operate on well kept sites and the likelihood of tyre damage is low, then it might be possible to run a tyre from the Energy SaverGreen range, you would need to test a set and compare the cost of ownership with that of your current tyre. However, the operation you have described normally requires a regional or on/off road tyre, for example from the Michelin E or Y segments or the MultiWay range.

Remember that Michelin tyres, even those which are not in our Energy SaverGreen range, are designed with fuel ef;iciency in mind. It is also important to consider that tyre in;lation pressures and wheel alignment can have a considerable effect on fuel consumption relating to tyres, particularly if your vehicles are heavily laden.

For the best advice on all of the above matters, contact your local Michelin representative.

With the EU wishing to cut the overall level of tyre road noise, is this likely to reduce the numbers of economy brands being sold in the future?

The legislation that sets maximum noise limits for tyres (European Directive 2001/43) is already in force and has been since 2009. Any market changes as a consequence of this are likely to have already taken place.

The system of tyre grading (EC Regulation 1222/2009), which will come into force on 1st November 2012, includes a requirement to display the level of noise emitted by the tyre.

However, The grading system does not alter the speci;ication of maximum allowable tyre noise which is already in force.

Why do nearly all tyres come in black? Could I personalize my fleet with any colour of tyres?

It is possible to make tyre rubber in colours other than black but, at present, the vast majority of tyres are black. Some examples of coloured tyres are; BFGoodrich 4x4 Tyres with white sidewall lettering, white wall tyres which are popular in the US and also Michelin manufactured coloured tyres for the 1998 World Cup in France for the vehicles that transported the players. The production of coloured tyres in future would depend upon market demand.

0845 366 1535 www.michelin.co.uk/atmm

12 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

nEWS

New Van Hool TX to debut at Kortrijk Van Hool to launch TX and ExquiCity ranges at Busworld Kortrijk Busworld 2011 Kortrijk, October 21-26, will see Van Hool launch its TX range of vehicles. Models from the Alicron to the Astromega have been adapted in line with the latest trends in coach travel. Van Hool says it has re-examined the different facets of a coach and optimised them in line with feedback from operators, drivers and passengers.

The ExquiCity bus platform will also be presented for the first time.

Launched at the UITP exhibition in Dubai, it is a Multi Propulsion Platform which will serve as the basis for HQPT (High Quality Public Transport) projects.

Van hool’s TX coach range will be officially unveiled at Busworld Kortrijk

concept and technology of its vehicles at the very highest level, while setting new trends with the latest technological applications.

For the TX range all elements from climate control to driver’s position, from driving behaviour to ease The new TX range maintenance, from passenger Van Hool has constantly kept the 10:29 ofPage 7942_art_Layout 1 12/09/2011 1

Make sure it’s Type Approved!

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comfort to entertainment were subjected to critical studies and consequently optimised. The design, both inside and out, was adapted to the latest trends.

From Alicron to Astromega, all the coach types were renewed simultaneously.

The new shape and lights give the front a sporty and dynamic appearance, yet one of robustness and safety. The side is smooth and aerodynamic. An important safety advantage is the lowered window at the boarding door and the driver’s side. The rear pays attention to safety with LED light blocks and secondary lights.

Inside is a new dashboard with instruments and switches grouped more around the steering wheel.

The AS-Tronic’s gear lever has been moved to the dashboard so the driver has easy access to his/her ergonomic work position. An easily accessible knob combines a number of functions such as the operation of mirrors, interior lighting and heating. A colour screen keeps the driver fully informed of the operation of all technical elements and settings.

The guide/courier has an extendible worktop with integrated lighting as standard. The external connections for audiovisual applications have been grouped in an easily accessible and shielded location.

New luggage racks increase interior spaciousness, while the integrated LED lighting ensures even light distribution throughout the whole vehicle. The TX has been fully fitted with 19” video screens for improved viewing. New multisets include illuminated touch controls, integrated night lighting

and high quality loudspeakers. A new, internally developed climate control system with a number of sensors, separate zone control and an increased capacity guarantees even temperature distribution.

Van Hool has also engineered the complete range to include new generations of economic and environmentally friendly drivelines and is ready for integration of Euro 6 developments.

The familiar names Alicron, Acron, Astron, Astronef, Altano and Astromega remain and continue to be a reference to the height and design of the coaches.

Van Hool retains its flexibility with the new TX range. Many variations and options are possible.

A number of them can be seen and experienced in Kortrijk: a glass roof, luxurious seats, individual infotainment systems, and more.

On display will be a TX11 Alicron, TX16 Alicron, a TX16 Astron, a TX17 Astronef, a TX17 Altano and a TDX27 Astromega.

Many coach companies have already ordered TX vehicles.

The eXquiCiTy The new BRT vehicles aim to combine bus flexibility with tram efficiency to deliver luxurious, fast and efficient urban transport.

The vehicle presented is a Multi Propulsion Platform, indicating it can be a trolley bus, diesel/electric hybrid bus, fuel cell hybrid bus or full electric propulsion vehicle.

The ExquiCity is offered as an articulated or bi-articulated bus.

TEP (Trasporti pubblici Parma) of the northern Italian city of Parma ordered nine ExquiCity trolley buses from Van Hool and Vossloh Kiepe. Deliveries start in mid-2012.

Mettis, the Metz public transport project, ordered 27 bi-articulated versions of the diesel-electric ExquiCity hybrid. The first vehicle will start a year-long test programme in the spring of 2012.

TMB Barcelona has also already ordered three ExquiCity dieselelectric hybrids in the bi-articulated 24m design. Delivery is planned from end of 2012.

Busworld Kortrijk takes place in Belgium between October 21 and 26. Visit www. busworld.org

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nEWS › international

50 NABI BRTs for Broward County New order will bring the total number of NABI buses in Broward’s fleet to 170 USA North American Bus Industries, of Anniston, Alabama, is supplying 50 articulated BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) buses to Broward County.

The initial delivery, which is already underway, will bring the total number of NABI buses in Broward’s fleet to 170. The latest order consists of both 40 foot and 60 foot BRT articulated buses.

“The current fleet of NABI buses in Broward County is providing Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding area with a dependable and efficient means of transportation.

The LFW and BRT are producing good results for our customers and the BRT buses are growing rapidly in popularity due to the highly advanced styling,” said Chris Dabbs, NABI’s regional sales manager.

All the new buses will have cleaner burning diesel engines and many will benefit from Allison Hybrid propulsion technology.

The new buses will include energy saving features such as electrified cooling and air-conditioning

componentry as well as passenger friendly seating.

Broward County is initiating specialised services to optimise the use of the BRT vehicles.

These buses with their advanced aerodynamic style will be easily distinguishable from the regular fleet buses. Many will have features such as Wi-Fi capability and individual charging stations for customer laptops and other devices, making the commute both pleasant and productive. Attracting

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riders to use its buses and relieving traffic is a natural progression toward achieving the County’s goal of enhancing the lives of Broward’s citizens and visitors. Broward County’s operating service area covers 410 square miles.

Timothy Garling, director of Broward County Transit Division said the new innovations and new vehicles will benefit the system and further their effort to provide the best services possible to passengers.

BRT buses are growing rapidly in popularity due to the highly advanced styling, according to Chris Dabbs, NABI’s regional sales manager

OekoGlobe 2011: MAN Lion’s City Hybrid honoured gERMAnY The panel of judges for the international environmental prize “OekoGlobe 2011” awarded the MAN Lion’s City Hybrid bus third prize in the category “Vehicle innovations in public transport”.

With its serial hybrid drive, the hybrid bus from MAN saves up to 30% on fuel and CO2 emissions.

Spokesman for the judges, Prof.

Dr. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director of the CAR Center Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen, announced the winners in Karlsruhe on September 6, 2011. The panel of judges consists of representatives from the automobile industry and transport and environmental policymakers.

The MAN Lion’s City Hybrid is

Groeneveld and Woerner sign LOI for partnership

MAN’s Lion’s City hybrid picks up another award for innovation already in day-to-day operation for several German and European transport authorities. Its external design, particularly the dome under which the electrical energy storage system is located, distinguishes the hybrid bus at a glance as a vehicle that is orientated towards

the future. The vehicle’s design has already been recognised, having been honoured with the 2011 red dot award.

Urban transport is the ideal sphere of operation for buses equipped with serial hybrid drive.

These solo vehicles of up to 18 tonnes are driven at low average speeds, accelerating no end of times to between 40 and 50 km/h, only to slow down again shortly afterwards for a stop. When they decelerate, conventional buses transform their great kinetic energy to heat: the energy is thus lost. The innovative MAN Lion’s City Hybrid recuperates its braking energy and transforms it into drive energy. With its automatic start-stop system, the hybrid bus is able to reduce its fuel consumption and emissions even further as city buses spend 25% to 40% of their operating time standing at bus stops or red lights.

EUROPE Groeneveld Groep B.V. in Gorinchem, the Netherlands, and Eugen Woerner GmbH & Co KG from Wertheim, Germany, have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish a strategic alliance.

The objective of the alliance is to seek mutual business opportunities through the exchange of knowledge, sharing products, combined development projects, enhancing purchasing power and sharing markets where applicable, while at the same time maintaining autonomy for both companies.

Groeneveld will concentrate on markets where it is strong: on and off-road sector, construction equipment and agricultural machines (everything with wheels or tracks), for installation of a wide variety of automatic maintenance and safety systems both in the aftermarket as well as for ex-factory fitment at OEMs in the truck, bus, trailer and construction equipment industry. Woerner will continue to primarily focus on expanding its current business - greasing and lubrication solutions for industrial applications, such as production machines and presses in the automotive industry.

200 MAN lowfloor citybuses for SMRT

SIngAPORE Singapore’s SMRT Buses is taking delivery of 200 complete buses based on MAN lowfloor NL 323 F chassis from the MAN Truck & Bus sales partner Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics). Deliveries began in August and will be completed by the end of 2012. All are 12m versions.

SMRT specified six-cylinder EGR diesel engines with an output of 235 kW (320 hp). The exhaust systems are equipped with MAN’s PM-Kat which make the buses Euro 5-compliant.

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nEWS › REGIONAL

nORTH

The West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority (Metro) has put forward proposals to reduce the scope of some of its subsidised services and make timetable alterations, as a response to local government spending cuts.

These proposals come as £4.5m is sought to be removed from subsidies across West Yorkshire by 2013. The services under review are in Bradford, Shipley, Bingley and Keighley and the surrounding areas.

Metro made the decision to carry out the review after the Department for Transport announced it would be cutting government funding for subsidised services in England, outside London.

Former Metro chairman and now Bradford councillor Chris Greaves claimed that the cuts would have an “absolutely enormous impact” for travellers.

“This is going to affect a lot of people, in particular everybody on the fringes, geographically, socially and economically. It will have a worse effect on the rural and poorer areas,” Greaves predicts, as approximately 50 routes within the Bradford area are facing being cut partially or completely.

Most of these will be early morning, late night or Sunday services which have too few passengers for Metro to subsidise, such as the 619 from the city centre to Bradford Royal Infirmary. Metro proposes to withdraw the service, which is costing it more than £5 per single passenger trip. An early morning 760 service from Greengates to Keighley may also be stopped, “due to low passenger use”.

Other routes which run to Bradford from Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Leeds-Bradford International Airport, will be reviewed next year or in 2013. Commercially operated routes, such as those by First and Transdev and so-called core services funded by Metro are not expected to be affected.

A member of Metro, councillor Geoff Reid argued that the authority was in a “difficult position”. In response to the problem, cllr Reid suggested the possible solution of creating transport hubs within Bradford. These proposals would involve city centre buses travelling to built-up areas including Shipley Market Place and Five Lane Ends in Eccleshill, where shuttle services would then take people to their final destinations. www.coachandbusweek.com

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KEY

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

EAST

A new hourly bus service from Stagecoach East between Ely, High Barns and the Princess of Wales Hospital which started on September 5 has been welcomed by the City of Ely Council.

This will double the frequency of buses on the route.

Transport representative councillor Philip Eden said: “We welcome the new 9A service, but hope it will be reliable, which is the most important thing. It will use a bus which has previously had to pass the level crossing, so we hope this will not result in hold-ups. I am sure Stagecoach will do all it can.”

The new bus service means the route 9 Littleport bus will have some route changes.

Mr Eden added: “Stagecoach has made these changes as a result of the unreliability of the Littleport service. The Littleport bus has been late getting back to Ely.” Stagecoach says there are minor time table changes on routes 9 and 11/12 following customer concerns about reliability on certain journeys.

It adds: “At the same time, new route 9A will run from Ely to High Barns and the hospital every hour, Monday to Saturday.”

SOUTH WEST

A £1.3m park and ride car park in Stoke Gifford, which has been open for three months, has only been used by 139 drivers.

The South Gloucestershire site has no bus service but it is planned to be part of a Bus Rapid Transit scheme which will take passengers into the Bristol city centre.

However, a £250m bid for funding submitted by the four West of England councils has yet to be confirmed by the Government, with a decision expected in December.

Council transport spokesman Brian Allinson, Conservative, said the problem had been down to a lack of timing between parking regulations coming into force and the park-and-ride opening.

He said: “Stoke Gifford is drowning in parked traffic and this park-and-ride should alleviate that.

“It would be wrong to say that everything is fine, and we are disappointed. People haven’t got used to using it and it’s just a slow start.”

South Gloucestershire Council’s Liberal Democrat group transport spokesperson Cllr Pat Hockey said: “They need to promote the park and ride. Nobody knows that it is there. It’s gone off half-cock and made the council look stupid.”

Following a negative reception from bus operators in Cornwall, a recommendation to reduce the subsidy paid to operators for concessionary travel is set to be delayed, as Cornwall Council voted to delay such cuts until April 2012. Should the cuts materialise, it could result in Cornwall’s bus network being put

out to tender.

Originally, a suggestion to reduce the concessionary travel subsidy from 73.5% to 43.9% was deemed unsustainable and likely to put bus routes under threat, as was a reduction to 50%. Operators claimed up to 70% of their routes could end up being affected by the reduction.

Mark Howarth, managing director of Western Greyhound, said severe consequences would have been inevitable in the face of such a massive loss of revenue. “Without this amendment I would have had to go back to my office and start to de-register some of my routes.

That would have meant job losses, not just at our company but for the people who rely on the buses to go to work.” According to Howarth, half of Western Greyhound’s passengers are concessionary card holders.

Cornwall Council currently provides support for about 60% of all bus journeys in Cornwall.

Thamesdown Transport’s new electronic fares system has been a success with Swindon bus passengers, with 20,000 smartcards issued since they were introduced in 2006 – 10,000 since the beginning of this year when the old magnetic cards were withdrawn.

The smartcard system gives passengers a ‘pay as you go’ system, with them paying electronically using SmartFare - avoiding the need to find the correct change. The smartcard can be topped up with credit as required.

The smartcard can also be used to hold a TravelPass for convenience and security.

Thamesdown’s managing director, Paul Jenkins, said: “To have reached this milestone is great news, particularly seeing as the amount of people holding our smartcards has doubled in just eight months.

“We’re always looking at ways to harness new technology and to make traveling easier for our passengers. The smartcard is the quick and easy way of paying for your bus travel, whether you want to make a one-off journey or regular journeys using a TravelPass.”

First has announced its bus services will start to use Weymouth’s new Relief Road in Dorset after the local authority ordered emergency work, the Dorset Echo revealed.

As previously reported, bus

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operaters re-routed their services away from the northbound Bincombe junction at Upwey when it opened last month due to safety fears, prompting Dorset County Council to make alterations to improve visibility and make it easier for large vehicles to pull out.

First, whose route 10 Weymouth–Dorchester uses the junction, says it is now happy with those changes and buses started using it on Monday (September 12).

The firm said it would continue to monitor the situation closely and reserves the right to change its position.

The move brings a bus service back to Upwey for the first time since March when the top of Dorchester Road was closed so work could start building the junction.

The county council was forced to provide a shuttle bus from

September 14, 2011 | 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 Gareth Evans at gareth.evans@rouncymedia.co.uk.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Upwey to Littlemoor for residents wishing to connect with north and southbound services.

A spokesman for First said: “We believe the changes made by the council, to remove part of the embankment, have greatly improved the line of sight for drivers emerging from the junction, as well as for other traffic approaching it from further down the hill. With this in mind we are pleased to announce we will restore service 10 to the area.”

A Dorset County Council spokesman said: “After completion of the alterations to Bincombe junction, we have now had further discussion with the bus companies.

Wilts and Dorset has not yet come to a decision on whether Service 183 will use Bincombe junction.

The Dorchester Road shuttle service finished on Saturday (September 10).”

2011 n September 14 - 15 UK Bus Awards Annual Conference & Short-List Announcement.

Rutland Square Hotel, Nottingham www.ukbusawards.co.uk n September 15 Association of Trainers AGM. Wembley. Call julia@ asot.org.uk. n September 18 Showbus. RAF Duxford, Cambridgeshire. rally@ showbus.com. www.showbus.com n September 18 Bedford OB 72nd Anniversary Get-Together. Tredegar Park, South Wales. 01633 891262. www.bedfordob.com n September 21-22 Group Leisure & Travel Trade. NEC, Birmingham.

01908 613323. www.leisureshow.com n September 27 Omnibus Society - presentation by Steve Telling. London Regional Transport’s offices, 55 Broadway, London. www. omnibussoc.org

n November 22 SMMT Annual Dinner. Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London. 0808 1788818. annualdinner@smmt.co.uk

n October 2 Cat and Fiddle Cycle Challenge. Contact John Johnson at john@johnsonscoaches.co.uk

n November 29 UK Bus Awards.

Hilton Park Lane, London. www.ukbusawards.org.uk

n October 5-6 Coach and Bus Live. NEC. 01926 833052. www.coachandbuslive.com

2012

n October 9 Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust Annual Open Day. Fordneuk Street, Glasgow. www.gvvt.org n October 16 Bus & Classic Vehicle Rally. Oxford Bus Museum, Long Hanborough, Witney, Oxfordshire. www. oxfordbusmuseum.org.uk

Southern Vectis took over responsibility for safely delivering the Isle of Wight’s special educational needs children to school on September 2. This sensitive task was carried out for many years by Wightbus, all of whose crews, along with some of their buses, have transferred to GoAhead Group-owned Southern Vectis (SV). SV assumed responsibility for all school buses to mainstream schools last September, and subsequently employed displaced drivers. The final twenty eight staff, bar one retiree, have moved to SV, including pupil escorts and the management team. At its peak Wightbus was employing 38 bus drivers and 10 pupil escorts.

Also moving across to SV is the Dial-a-bus service, and the remaining local bus journeys operated by Wightbus for IW Council.

Marc Morgan Huws, divisional director for SV said: “We’re pleased to welcome the Wightbus staff to our team, where their specialist knowledge and experience will strengthen our team of over 300 staff. Some of the Wightbus team have worked for us before and our staff know them well.

Wightbus brings a great team of dedicated, experienced and professional staff, committed to delivering the best for their customers.”

Returning to SV after a long spell is Jonathan Lamb, Wightbus manager.

He said: “It’s definitely the end of an era and we leave the Council with many happy memories. SV will be taking over our depot in Carisbrooke, where we are currently neighbours. Five of our buses have been bought by SV, and many of our drivers will still be seen in familiar haunts.”

Pictured here are staff posing during August for a final photo with one of their Wightbus vehicles.

The 55-mile ‘Cat and Fiddle Challenge’ charity cycle ride will take place on Sunday October 2, which is being organized by John Johnson (pictured) and Karl Moseley. Entry is £15, with all proceeds in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust

n Oct 18-21 Course on Bus and Crew Scheduling. Birmingham. courses@qv-associates.com. Call QV Associates on 01905 613527.

n January 26, 2011 CPT Annual Dinner. Hilton Park Lane, London. www.cpt-uk.org n March 14 – 15 Best of Britain and Ireland (BoBi). Travel Trade Forum. NEC, 01926 834796. www. bestofbritainandirelandevent.co.uk n April 19-21 Busworld Turkey.

Istanbul Expo Center, Turkey www.busworldturkey.com/en/ index.html n April 24-26 CV Show. NEC, Birmingham. 01634 261262. www. cvshow.com

n October 20 2011 Trapeze UK User Conference. Radisson Hotel, Manchester Airport. 0844 561 6771. www.trapezegroup.co.uk

n May 22-23 ALBUM Conference.

– Forest Pines Hotel, near Brigg, North Lincolnshire. www.album-bus. co.uk

n October 21-26 Busworld.

Kortrijk, Belgium. www.busworld.org

n September 20-27 IAA Commercial Vehicles. Hannover. +(00)49 30897842. www.iaa.de

n October 23 The Very Best of London Buses. The first event at the new London Bus Museum (Cobham) at Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey. www.lbpt.org

n November 6 – 8 2012 Euro Bus Expo. NEC, Birmingham. 01926 834790. www.eurobusxpo.com

2013

n November 6 Lincolnshire Road Transport Museum Open Day. Running day with stalls and opportunity to see workhops. 01522 500566 http://www.lvvs.org.uk/

n May 26-30 UITP Congress & Exhibition. Palexpo, Geneva. www.uitp.org. +(00)32 2673 6100

n November 7-10 World Travel Market. ExCeL, London. www.wtmlondon.com

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 | September 14, 2011

nEWS › BUSINESS

£0.04

The saving per litre a fixed price fuel card can, on average, acheive on the UK pump price

BriEfly More than half of UK businesses feel they are on-track to make most of the £2bn London 2012 Games windfall, a survey shows. Figures from Visit Britain suggest the influx of visitors next summer will contribute an extra £2bn to the UK’s travel, hospitality and leisure industries.

Figures from professional services giant, Deloitte, suggest 55% of businesses in the sectors have made the necessary preparations to thrive during the crucial time, though more than a third remain ill prepared. Staff availability recurred from the findings of the survey as the single biggest headache for employers, and just 14% of respondents have made necessary adaptations to their rosters to ensure key staff availability during the Games.

The chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has called on politicians in Wales to provide “focused leadership” to help create private sector jobs. Speaking in Cardiff, Sir Philip Hampton said leaders in Cardiff Bay needed to change attitudes towards business.

He argued lessons could be learned from the way in which the old Welsh Development Agency had changed business attitudes to Wales. “If you take the WDA, it did a fantastic job in the 1990s,” he said. “It was active and got people here and got Wales known as a place to invest. That sort of focused leadership is needed regionally or nationally… It is not about going back to old ideas but looking at old examples of how we can change attitudes. Jobs are going to come from the private, not the public, sector,” he said.

The Scottish government has been making the case for control over business tax. The SNP said devolving corporation tax would give Scotland the powers it required to boost the economy.

However, treasury minister David Gauke cautioned there were “risks”, and warned costs of the policy were higher than forecast.

The Treasury warned costs for administering a separate system combined with implementing new IT expertise would be ‘significantly higher than the SNP indicated. www.coachandbusweek.com

BusinessNews.indd 18

Businesses turn down work due to fuel costs The Fuelcard Company urges government to review levels of tax applied to fuel Over 35% of transport businesses have been forced to turn down work due to escalating fuel costs, according to research by fuel card reseller The Fuelcard Company.

In a poll of 1,480 of the company’s fleet customers, over a third (528) admitted high fuel costs were leaving some jobs unprofitable with several admitting work is turned down on a daily basis. All questioned agreed the price of fuel is crippling the industry with some quoting 15%

loss of income due to fuel price increases in the last three years.

“Businesses across the UK are feeling the squeeze as fuel prices continue to soar,” warned The Fuelcard Company’s sales and marketing director, Jakes de Kock.

“The UK ‘s fleet companies are the backbone of the UK economy providing an essential service as road transport is usually the only way goods can get to their final destination.”

The survey also highlighted the measures taken by fleet companies in reducing fuel spending over the last 12 months with a “worrying” 17% reducing the number of

The continued fuel price increase has hit small and medium sized businesses particularly hard, says Jakes de Kock - The Fuelcard Company’s sales & marketing director

FSB: don’t ‘water down’ banking reform National chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), John Walker, has written an open letter to the prime minister urging him not to ‘water down’ proposals on banking reform, due to be released as CBW went to press.

In the letter, Walker urges the prime minister not to prejudge the findings of next week’s publication

of the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) report and not to make decisions based solely on the views of a small, albeit highly influential group.

The ICB report was commissioned by the government to honour a pledge in the Conservative Party general election manifesto in which it said it would ‘reform the regulation and structure of the banking system’.

In recent weeks the banking lobby has predictably claimed proposals would have a detrimental effect on the economy. However, as the letter points out, a recent survey has found that 71% of influential City figures believe that it would be

vehicles in their fleets, which in turn reduces the number of drivers required.

“The continued fuel price increase has hit small and medium sized businesses particularly hard with many forced out of business,” continued de Kock. “Support is needed to keep these businesses afloat and we urge the government to review levels of tax applied to fuel.”

He said clear fleet companies were already doing as much as they could to reduce the cost of driving with 13 % introducing fuel efficiency driver training and 56% sourcing cheaper fuel. A fixed price fuel card can, on average, save between 3p and 5p per litre on the UK pump price. Fuel card resellers, such as The Fuelcard Company, are able to offer such discounts through the sale of ‘Bunker’ fuel, similar to wholesale.

“Exclusive discounts apart, considerable time and cost savings can be made via more streamlined administration that offers greater efficiencies into the bargain,” added de Kock. “Electronic data reports delivered weekly to clients become a key management tool, as the exact fuel usage per vehicle is shown. A HMRC approved consolidated VAT invoice of all business fuel spend is provided to card users, ensuring businesses claim back 100% of VAT on business fuel expenditure.” a bad idea if the government took no action.

Furthermore, Walker questioned how the most recent debate – led by the banks – has omitted to talk about the issue of competition.

“Having commissioned a report into the banking sector, it is very disappointing that the government is now looking to water down the findings before the ICB has even reported,” said Walker. “We were promised radical reform, but it now appears that this has been downgraded to ‘light touch’ regulation after 2015, if we are lucky. This is simply not good enough.

“Small businesses have had

12/09/2011 22:40

35%

Transport businesses forced to turn down work due to rising fuel costs

£2bn

Contribution by Olympics visitors next year to UK travel, hospitality and leisure industries (Visit Britain)

Apprenticeships – a proven way to fill skills gaps in our economy, says Cable

Government pledges to scrap apprentice red tape The government has pledged to “sweep away” red tape deterring employers from taking on apprentices.

Ministers announced a package of measures to make it easier for firms with government contracts to train apprentices. Payments will be simplified, contracts streamlined and a number of data returns and audit requirements will be eliminated.

Business secretary Vince Cable said: “Apprenticeships are proving an increasingly effective training route for young people and companies. They are a proven way to fill skills gaps in our economy.

That’s why we are boosting the number of apprenticeships and putting them at the heart of our skills for growth strategy.

“Too many businesses have been put off by overly-complex procedures and unnecessary layers a tough time at the hands of the banking sector – with more than a third of businesses missing their growth opportunity as a result of being refused credit.”

Walker concluded: “The Government courted businesses with promises of reform and it is time that they stood by those promises. Without urgent and radical reform the banking system will never change and those businesses needing to help pull the recovery onto firmer ground will be left to struggle.”

To view a copy of John Walker’s letter to David Cameron, visit www.fsb.org.uk

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 19

of paperwork. We’ve worked with business to cut bureaucracy and ensure the benefits for employers, learners and the economy are maximised.”

Skills minister John Hayes said he is determined more employers and learners should have the opportunity to benefit.

“Where red tape and bureaucracy deters employers from taking on apprentices, we’ll sweep it away,” he said. “It will give firms access to the skills they need to thrive, creating new jobs and new growth, and give many more individuals better prospects and the chance to gain a real stake in society.”

Susan Anderson, CBI director for education and skills policy, said: “Cutting bureaucracy will support even more businesses to become involved and these recommendations set out the right path for reform.”

BlOg of the week

HOW yOU CAn HAvE it All: StOp p*****g ABOUt And tAKE ACtiOn

It’s one thing to design and build a great business but what about the entrepreneur’s private life, asks Robert Craven on www. businesszone.co.uk. Robert shows MDs and owners how to grow their sales and profits and how to do so in recessionary times.

We seeM TO hAVe gOT IT All WROng: I spent last week in the company of an exclusive set of managing directors of growing businesses. While the agenda was specifically around growth, profit and sales, the real issue was around prioritising, decision-making and quality of life.

In the words of one of this group of highly successful entrepreneurs, “If I am brutally honest with myself then I have to confess that business success and wealth doesn’t seem to have made me happier.” An honest man. And after a rather expensive meal with rather expensive wine everyone opened up and confessed that things weren’t as rosy as they appeared.

In the cold light of day, hangover and all, the group were up for confronting these issues head on. A no-nonsense approach was required. If they can design, set up and grow these great businesses then shouldn’t it be possible to do the same for their personal lives?

How complicated can it be? Be clear about what you want. Where are you now?

Where are you going? Where do you want to be? How are you going to get there? Stop p***ing about!

Take massive bloody action. End of.

A shOCK TO The sysTeM: yOUR fUneRAl: “If you were to die right now, what would people say about you at your funeral?” What they say (good, bad, indifferent) is simply a consequence of how you have been living your life. So, to figure out how you would really like to live your life, write down what it is that you would want people (your partner, children, friends, work colleagues) to say about you, at your funeral.

The radical reform promised appears to have been downgraded to ‘light touch’ regulation after 2015, says John Walker

A sIMple exeRCIse: Write down where you would like to be in three years’ time. Take a blank A4 sheet of paper and create

a three-by-three matrix where the columns represent ‘your business’, ‘your career’ and ‘your private life’. The rows are titled ‘In three years’, ‘In one year’ and ‘Right now’. In each of the nine boxes, write down, say, five clearly defined and measurable goals for where you want to be in your business/ career/private life (in three years, one year and right now).

figure out how you would really like to live your life, urges Robert Craven MAKIng IT hAppen: Most of us ‘get away with murder’ in our business and private lives; we aren’t accountable to anyone. We can choose goals and ignore them at will.

So, take an hour out of your busy (fool) schedule. Sit down with a blank sheet of paper and do the hard work. Sort out what is really important in your life. As I say, the principle is simple: look at where you are now and make the tough decisions (trade-offs). Decide your goals and be prepared to pay the price.

Next, take massive action.

You will be measured by your actions. Be clear about what is most important to you. Focus on it.

What is your over-arching goal for the next week? And for the next month?

Look for the most appropriate way to make this happen.

Depending on your preference, you can go for the DIY option or get yourself a coach or mentor or sign up to a mastermind group.

Whatever you go for make sure that you are accountable for your actions to someone; this will help you take the necessary steps.

Stop messing about. You never know when the funeral speeches will be required. www.coachandbusweek.com

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20 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

DELIVERIES

BAYLISS Kent-based Bayliss Executive Travel has recently taken delivery of a new Volvo B13R 13.8 metre tri-axle 9700.

The new Bayliss coach features 57 leather trimmed passenger seats, with leather head rests and three point safety belts, an internal toilet, two TV monitors, servery, CD/ DVD player, reversing camera

and satellite navigation.

The vehicle is supplied in white and features the Bayliss company logo on the livery. It is powered by Volvo’s Euro 5-compliant, 13 litre diesel engine, rated 460hp, coupled to a Volvo I-Shift gearbox.

“It’s the build quality of the vehicle that did it for us,” explained company owner Alistair Bayliss. “We had a Volvo 9700 back in

2007, but our new B13R is a much better all round vehicle because a lot of the technology has been simplified.”

“Passenger safety and comfort is our number one priority,” continued Alistair Bayliss. “The B13R is the ideal vehicle for our club class travellers. It has all the features we required and its currently running on our cruise terminal contracts in Dover, but we’ll also be using it for private hire.”

BRITANNIA PARKING Britannia Parking of Bournemouth has taken delivery of two new seatbelted 9.5m Streetlites.

The buses, which are rented from Mistral Bus and Coach, are fitted with Cummins Euro 5 engines, Voith gearbox with integrated hydrodynamic retarder, Mobitec destination equipment and have digital

FACT FILE

CHASSIS/BODy Volvo B13R/

Volvo 9700

EngInE Volvo 13 litre diesel

460hp

TRAnSmISSIOn Volvo I-Shift SEATS 57 SpEC Touring SUppLIED By

Volvo Bus 01926401777 www.volvobus.com/bus/uk

BERKELEY COACHES Paulton-based Berkeley Coaches added a new Volvo Plaxton Panther to the fleet for the 2011 summer season.

The new Panther is a 12.8m two-axle vehicle.

Underneath the coachwork is a Euro 5 Volvo B9R chassis incorporating a rear mounted Volvo D9B 9.36 litre engine delivering 380bhp and Volvo I-Shift automated gearbox.

Euro 5 is achieved through SCR technology. Berkeley Coaches has also specified Alcoa Dura-Brite alloy wheels with Euro-liner trims.

The coach features 57 Politecnica GTV reclining seats with all age three point seatbelts trimmed in black and grey moquette with grey leather headrest inserts and piping. A matching courier seat is installed in the Plaxton’s entrance with

tachographs fitted. They have independent front suspension and a four bag rear suspension system.

Each bus seats 37 with the standard Lazzerini Practico Seats, with the ability to hold 37 standing and a maximum capacity of 70. The vehicles have a wheel forward door position.

Britannia Parking operates and manages car parks across the country. Based in Bournemouth it operates a private commuter bus

contributing to a reduction of three quarters of a tonne in the unladen weight against the equivalent previous generation model.

The Pow family founded Berkeley Coach and Travel in 1923. The fleet has focused on durable heavyweight vehicles for many years, and currently stands at 16.

This consists mainly of Volvo based vehicles, including a Plaxton-bodied B12B delivered new in 2005.

FACT FILE

the driver benefiting from a Grammar fully adjustable seat. The vehicle has a rear offside exit and is capable of being upseated to 61 if required.

Customer comfort is maintained through the specification of climate control with a roof mounted

Thermo-King air conditioning unit, dark tinted glazing and Webasto heating. The Interior soft trim including curtains continues the grey theme, matching the Panther’s light grey mouldings.

Entertainment is provided by a dash mounted DVD/ Radio/PA system with a

forward mounted drop down monitor. The Plaxton Panther coachwork is finished in Berkeley Coaches current metallic silver scheme with vibrant blue relief and company branding.

Plaxton’s body structure has been refined for these next generation Panthers,

CHASSIS/BODy Volvo B9R/ Plaxton Panther EngInE Volvo D9B 9.36 litre 380hp TRAnSmISSIOn Volvo I-Shift SEATS 57, upseats to 61 SpEC Thermo-King air con, Politecnica GTV reclining seats SUppLIED By

Plaxton Coach Sales 01723 581500 www.plaxtonlimited.co.uk

Tel: 01353 773000 Fax: 01353 773001 Email: info@mcv-uk.com

www.coachandbusweek.com

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September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 21

Have you taken delivery of a new vehicle and want to tell the world about it?

Email all the details and pictures to cbwinbox@ rouncymedia.co.uk

service for a large local employer. The new Streetlites will be used for this service which brings passengers in to work from surrounding towns in addition to operating lunchtime shopper buses and an interoffice shuttle.

Britannia Parking was founded in 1989. Owned and controlled by its directors, the company has membership to both The British Parking Association and the industry’s Approved Operators Scheme.

Mistral has previously supplied the firm with Optare Solos.

FACT FilE

CHASSiS/BOdy Wrightbus

Streetlite

EnginE Cummins Euro 5 TrAnSmiSSiOn Voith gearbox SEATS 37 SpEC Tachograph & seatbelted SUppliEd By

Mistral 0800 781 4144 www.mistral-bus.com

INTRODUCING

TAW & TORRIDGE Taw & Torridge Coaches Ltd of Okehampton, Devon, has recently taken delivery of a matching pair of Van Hool T916 Astron 13.2m tri-axles.

Constructed to EC vehicle type approval and with an overall body height of 3.73m, they are equipped with 480bhp (353kw) MAN D2676 LOH27 12.4Ltr EEV engines with EGR & CRTec particulate filters, along with 12 speed ZF AS-Tronic gearboxes with Intarders. The fuel tank holds 705 litres.

The coaches feature ABS and ASR traction control, cruise control, independent front suspension and an electronic-hydraulically steered tag axle fitted with Alcoa Dura Bright alloy wheels.

Each coach is fitted with

V

a dash mounted monitor switches between interior surveillance and reversing camera mode.

Xenon headlamps (dipped and main beam) with LED rear and daytime running lights are employed.

Pavement floodlights illuminate the nearside and entrance/exits and centre aisle have fibre optic strip lighting clearly marking step edgings for passenger safety.

57 ‘Body Luxe’ seats with contrasting leather trim to headrests and piping, adjustable footrests, seat back tables and magazine nets. Courier seats also recline and swivel. Overhead storage has locker doors while the pantograph luggage locker doors within the wheelbase are centrally locked. The centre continental exit is power operated and a centrally located vacuum

system aids cleaning.

For passenger comfort there is an air conditioning system, Webasto thermo 300 pre-heater, washroom/ toilet compartment, a floor mounted hot drinks station and two fridges.

Entertainment comprises audio/DVD multimedia including CD/DVD/MP3 capability - displayed through three monitors. Bluetooth connectivity is provided and

e olution

FACT FilE

CHASSiS/BOdy Van Hool T916

Astron

EnginE MAN D2676 LOH27

480bhp 12.4 litre

TrAnSmiSSiOn ZF ASTronic

12-speed

SEATS 57 SpEC CD/DVD/MP3/CCTV SUppliEd By

Moseley in the South 01823 653000 www.moseleysouth.co.uk

• NEW GENERATION • NEW DESIGN • NEW IMAGE

DESIGNED TO LEAD. BUILT TO L AST. Sterling Place, Elean Business Park, Sutton, Ely, Cambs CB6 2QE Telephone: 01353 773000 Fax: 01353 773001 E-mail: sales@mcv-uk.com www.coachandbusweek.com

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and nes o

22 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

UK BUS AWArdS › shortlist

UK Bus Awards short-list announced Bus Awards shortlist reflects industry’s commitment to growth and innovation

T

he short-list has been announced for the 2011 UK Bus Awards, containing 98 people, projects and organisations selected from more than 250 nominations to go forward to the final judging and mystery traveller checks.

Congratulating all the shortlisted entries, UK Bus Awards chairman John Owen commented: “In these difficult and uncertain times, we’ve been both surprised and delighted by the number and quality of entries for the 2011 UK Bus Awards.

“The combination of rising fuel prices and cuts in public spending are making life particularly difficult for everybody involved in bus service provision at the moment.

Even so, our judges were really impressed by the commitment to quality and innovation shown by bus operators, local authorities and their partners in this, the Awards’ 16th year,” he continued.

“Over 5 billion passenger journeys are made by bus every year, and the industry has a huge amount to offer in delivering the Government’s key transport policy objectives. The finalists in this year’s awards are contributing hugely with their bright ideas and their commitment to customer service. They are paving the way for the future success of an industry which remains firmly at the heart of our national life.”

The short-list includes representatives from virtually all sectors of the bus industry, with Stagecoach heading the list with 22

www.coachandbusweek.com

UKBAshortlist.indd 22

The shortlist: AWARdS foR INdUSTRY PEoPLE CHRIS MoYES MEMoRIAL AWARd foR ToP NATIoNAL BUS dRIvER n Paul Ferry Arriva North East n ian Grebby trent Barton n Jane Greenacre First south Yorkshire n tony horler oxford Bus Company n stephen o’hara lothian Buses n trevor owen stephenson’s n Kevin Wood trent Barton ENgINEER of THE YEAR sponsored by institute of road transport Engineers n John Bickerton First UK Bus n James Wood First Manchester YoUNg MANAgER of THE YEAR sponsored by the Chartered institute of logistics and transport n sarah Anderson stagecoach East scotland n Andrew Edwards First Bristol n Graeme leslie stagecoach Bluebird n Ben Wakerley First london

UK Bus Awards: a brief history

UK Bus Awards (UKBA) was founded in 1996 and is run by an independent, special purpose, not-for-dividend company.

The UKBA Scheme is designed to recognise and reward excellence and good practice in a wide range of disciplines associated with the operation, design and promotion of bus services. Its mission is also to use the inspiration of the winning projects to inspire others to emulate the winning schemes, projects or organisations.

The 2011 UKBA will be presented at a lunchtime ceremony on November 29 at the London Hilton.

Before deciding the winners, finalists in the operating categories will be checked by ‘mystery travellers’ to ensure service delivery is up to the mark.

The shortlist for the competition was announced today (Wednesday) at a ceremony at the Rutland Square Hotel in Nottingham, before an audience of more than 60 representatives of shortlisted organisations and other stakeholders. The announcement formed part of the UKBA Annual Conference, which offers bus industry representatives an opportunity to hear more from those who are leading the way in quality and innovation, including winners of previous years’ Awards. The conference included guest speakers and a visit to Nottingham, officially Britain’s least car-dependent city, and winner of the 2010 UK Bus Award for Transport Authority of the Year. places, followed by FirstGroup with 11, Arriva on nine and Go-Ahead Group on seven. The municipal companies have 10 final places between them, RATP Dev four, with Transdev and National Express Group two each. Independently owned operators have a total of 17 places - including trent barton (4), Epsom Group (2) and Johnsons of Henley-in-Arden (2).

Also represented are Western Greyhound, Courtney Coaches from Wokingham, DRM of Bromyard and Reay’s Coaches from Cumbria.

There are 10 places in the final stages for local authorities, including PTEs and TfL. Other organisations represented include Metroline, Abellio, Heathrow Airport and property developer Arnold White Estates with one each.

UNSUNg HERoES AWARd sponsored by Carlisle support services n rick halsall Arriva North West n rita Kendrick Arriva Yorkshire n Malcolm Morgan First hampshire & Dorset n Arthur Pearson oxford Bus Company AWARd foR SERvICES To THE BUS INdUSTRY there is no short-list for this award. the winner will be announced on November 29.

TECHNICAL ANd PRofESSIoNAL AWARdS ACCESSIBILITY: THE CLAUdIA fLANdERS MEMoRIAL AWARd sponsored by the tAs Partnership and Guide Dogs for the Blind n City of Edinburgh Council – talking Bus stops n National Express West Midlands – Disability Consultation n National star College – liFt n Nottingham City Council – linking the Journey n transport for Greater Manchester – Callaghan house Project ENvIRoNMENT AWARd sponsored by heathrow Airport n First london – the hydrogen Fuel Cell Project & lea interchange Depot n FirstGroup UK Bus – the DriveGreen Programme n Johnsons Coach & Bus travel –

12/09/2011 23:00

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 23

Electric Bus Trial n Oxford Bus Company – Environmental Policy and Practice n Stagecoach Group – UK Bus Sustainability Strategy n Stagecoach in Oxfordshire – Introducing Electric Hybrid Buses to Oxford n Transport for London – West Ham Bus Garage EurEka! award for MarkEting initiativEs sponsored by CBS Outdoor n Brighton & Hove – Integrated Bus and Train Travel Made Simple n Centro – The ‘Theo’ Summer Campaign n East Yorkshire Motor Services – Petuaria Express n First Manchester – Change Your Spots n Plymouth Citybus – Dennis Dart Project n Stagecoach West – Route 66 innovation award sponsored by Alexander Dennis n Arriva UK Bus – m-ticketing n Centro – Centro’s Smartcard Initiative n Norfolk County Council – NCC’s EBSR Success Story n Reading Buses – New Tickets for the New Decade n Stagecoach Group – StagecoachSmart n Yellow Buses – Operator Journey Planner Making BusEs a BEttEr ChoiCE n City & County of Swansea – Swansea Bus Station n Heathrow Airport – Free Travel Zone n Metro (West Yorkshire PTE) – Smaller Bus Stations Programme n National Express – Safer Travel Partnership n North Somerset Coaches – Nailsea and Blackwell Local Bus n Reading Buses – Taking Premier Routes to the Next Level n Stagecoach Bluebird – Jet 727 n Transdev Blazefield – Route 36 Ideas in Action MarkEting ExCEllEnCE award n Reading Buses – Ticketing Initiatives n Stagecoach East Kent – The Canterbury Triangle n Stagecoach UK Bus – StagecoachGold n Stagecoach West – Greener Journeys n Stagecoach Yorkshire – Creating Passenger Growth in Sheffield n Trent Barton – red arrow - red instead

n Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel n Reays Coaches uk Bus oPErator of thE yEar sponsored by Belmont International and QBE Insurance The winner for this award will be chosen from the winners of the Top City, Top Shire and Top Independent categories, and the winner will be announced on November 29.

arriva’s Md of uk Bus Mike Cooper shows the m-ticket innovation Putting PassEngErs first award sponsored by Passenger Focus n Arnold White Estates – Dash Direct, Leighton Buzzard n Arriva North East – Quorum Business Park: A Partnership for Growth n Centro – Walsall’s Voluntary Multilateral Agreement n Lothian Buses – Customer Service n Stagecoach UK Bus – CitylinkGold n Trent Barton – Putting Passengers First: A Customer Obsessed Culture transPort authority of thE yEar award There is no short-list for this award, the winner of which will be announced on 29 November. oPErating awards toP ExPrEss oPEration sponsored by Volvo Bus n First UK Bus – Greyhound UK n Stagecoach East – X5, Cambridge to Oxford n Stagecoach East Scotland – Fife Express Operation n Stagecoach in Oxfordshire – Oxford Tube toP national Bus dEPot n Nottingham City Transport – Gotham n Stagecoach South West – Torbay n Stagecoach West Scotland – Kilmarnock n Transdev Blazefield – Burnley

Jane greenacre has been shortlisted for top national driver

shortlisted for Engingeer of the year is firstgroup’s James wood toP City oPErator sponsored by BAE Systems n Arriva Merseyside n Lothian Buses n Nottingham City Transport n Stagecoach Manchester toP shirE oPErator n Reading Buses n Stagecoach East Midlands n Stagecoach South n Stagecoach West n Thamesdown Transport n Western Greyhound n Yellow Buses toP indEPEndEnt oPErator sponsored by Scania n Courtney Coaches n DRM n Ipswich Buses

up for the Environment award is first london for the fuel cell project

london awards thE transPort for london award for london Bus garagE of thE yEar n Clapton, Arriva London North n Lea Interchange, First London East n Epsom, Quality Line n Cricklewood, Metroline n Hounslow Heath, London United n Putney, London General thE lukE rEEs-PullEy CharitaBlE trust award for toP london Bus drivEr sponsored by Transport for London n John Anderson Epsom Coaches Group: Quality Line (Epsom) n Stephen Appiah Go-Ahead London General (Merton) n John Gibbs Arriva London (Norwood) n Dalmar Ibrahim Abellio London (Camberwell) n Gary Jones London United Busways (Fulwell) n Ray Purcell Arriva London (Tottenham) n Frank Tumfo Stagecoach London (Leyton) n Yvette Tomlin Stagecoach London (Catford) award sponsors: Alexander Dennis, BAE Systems, Belmont International & QBE, Carlisle Support Services, CBS Outdoor, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK, Coach & Bus Week, Guide Dogs, Heathrow Airport, Institute of Road Transport Engineers, Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust, Scania, The TAS Partnership, Transport for London, Volvo Bus Media Partners: Coach & Bus Week Patrons: Arriva, FirstGroup, Go-Ahead Group, RATP Dev, Stagecoach Group, VeoliaTransdev sponsors: Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers, ALBUM, Best Impressions, Classic Bus, Passenger Transport, Wrightbus supporting organisations: Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, Bus Users UK, Institute of Transport Administration, pteg www.coachandbusweek.com

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24 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

BUS drivEr Of tHE yEAr

Driving home success Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans reports on the 45th annual final of the UK Bus Driver of the Year

T

he weather was anything but kind on Sunday – as high wind and rain battered Blackpool’s North Shoreline. However, the atmosphere was every bit as welcoming and good natured as ever at the national final of the UK Bus Driver of the Year.

First Cymru’s Derek Wright was crowned Bus Driver of the Year.

This was a great result for the operator, whose other driver Martin Sleeman gained fourth place.

Meanwhile, Andrew Syes from Arriva Yorkshire was Runner Up Bus Driver of the Year and fellow Arriva driver, John Birchall, who works for the North West & Wales operating company, achieved third place.

A significant new ‘player’ this year was Warrington Borough Transport (WBT). Operators making a welcome return after an absence of a few years included GoAhead London, Blackpool Transport and National Express Coaches, with a driver each from Sipson Road and

Start Hill (Stansted) depots.

Bill Holmes, competition secretary told CBW: “Entries were significantly up this year.

Contrasting with last year’s figure of 98, 117 contestants were due to take part this year but in the end we had 112.

“Overall, I would describe 2011 as a highly successful event. It was marred only by the weather and the work carried out at the south end of the prom, which led to progress of journeys being impacted by the need to shunt.”

Operators kindly supplying vehicles included Arriva North East, Arriva Yorkshire, Blackpool Transport, First Manchester, Stagecoach Manchester, Stagecoach North West, First Manchester, National Express West Midlands (NXWM), Transdev Blazefield, Bluestar UniLink and WBT. Providing added interest and some might say challenge, in the normal sea of single-deckers, were no fewer than three doubledeckers from NXWM, Stagecoach Manchester and Stagecoach in Chesterfield.

Tail swing is a hazard at one of the bus stop manoeuvres (above left); A steward measures the distance from the ‘kerb’ (above right); Dominated by Blackpool’s unmistakable skyline, drivers negotiate the course (top)

From left: Driving through the cones; Measuring at the bus stop pull-in manoeuvre; This driver has correctly stopped the rear of the bus in the ‘green zone’ www.coachandbusweek.com

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112 15 The actual number of contestants at BDoY

The number of minutes a driver is allowed to complete his/her journey

1

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 25

operator debuted at BDoY this year – Warrington Borough Transport

Stewards discuss the performance of a driver (above left); The line of buses with drivers waiting their turn made an impressive sight (above right)

The winners: BeST NeWcomer The Ticketer Shield and £50 Cash Award Peter Diffey Bournemouth Transport comPeTiTor iN moST coNSecuTive NaTioNal FiNalS The Dawsonrentals Shield and £50 Cash Award Derek Brown First Glasgow YouNgeST NaTioNal FiNaliST The Mistral Group Shield and £50 Cash Award Patrick Quigg First Glasgow

Memorial Shield and £50 Cash Award Derek Wright First Cymru BeST Driver cPc KNoWleDge TeST reSulT The Impact Training Solutions Shield and £100 Cash Award rafal Biesiadecki Arriva London BeST HigHWaY coDe TeST reSulT The FWT Shield and £100 Cash Award Derek Wright First Cymru

£500 cheque Derek Wright First Cymru SecoND-HigHeST-PlaceD FirSTgrouP comPeTiTor The FirstGroup Shield and £250 cheque martin Sleeman First Cymru HigHeST-PlaceD go-aHeaD grouP comPeTiTor The Go-Ahead Trophy and £500 cheque mark lawry Wilts & Dorset SecoND-HigHeST-PlaceD go-aHeaD grouP comPeTiTor The Go-Ahead Shield and £250 cheque rosemary cullen Unilink

olDeST NaTioNal FiNaliST The Gordon Asbury Cup and £50 Cash Award rodney curtis Rotala

HigHeST-PlaceD comPeTiTor From a muNiciPal comPaNY The ALBUM Trophy and £500 cheque leon Wells Ipswich Buses

BeST comPeTiTor From a DePoT iN eNglaND The Giles Fearnley Shield and £50 Cash Award andrew Sykes Arriva Yorkshire

HigHeST-PlaceD arriva comPeTiTor The Arriva Trophy and £500 cheque andrew Sykes Arriva Yorkshire

BeST comPeTiTor From a DePoT iN ScoTlaND The Kathleen Stark Memorial Shield and £50 Cash Award John Black National Express Dundee

SecoND-HigHeST-PlaceD arriva comPeTiTor The Arriva Shield and £250 cheque John Birchall Arriva North West & Wales

SecoND-HigHeSTPlaceD loNDoN BuSeS comPeTiTor The London Buses Shield and £250 cheque afonso carvalho Go-Ahead London

BeST comPeTiTor From a DePoT iN WaleS The Donald Macdonald

HigHeST-PlaceD FirSTgrouP comPeTiTor The FirstGroup Trophy and

HigHeST-PlaceD NaTioNal exPreSS comPeTiTor The National Express Trophy

HigHeST-PlaceD loNDoN BuSeS comPeTiTor The London Buses Cup and £500 cheque rafal Biesiadecki Arriva London

and £500 cheque John Black National Express Dundee

Boxall Medallion, donated by the UK BDoY Council Derek Wright First Cymru

SecoND-HigHeST-PlaceD NaTioNal exPreSS comPeTiTor The National Express Plaque and £250 cheque Darren Dunbar National Express West Midlands

ruNNer-uP The Compak Trophy and £750 cheque, donated by Compak Ramps; The Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers’ Union Trophy and £250 cheque; The Motor Transport Trophy andrew Sykes Arriva Yorkshire

HigHeST-PlaceD STagecoacH comPeTiTor The Stagecoach Trophy and £500 cheque James Wright Stagecoach Oxford SecoND-HigHeSTPlaceD STagecoacH comPeTiTor The Stagecoach Shield and £250 cheque John Quarrel Stagecoach North West THe vicePreSiDeNT’S cuP Best-presented bus in use at the National Final First manchester BuS Driver oF THe Year 2011 The Coventry Trophy, donated

by Coventry Road Accident Prevention Council; The GreenRoad Award £1,000 cheque; The Unite Trophy and £500 cheque; The John

THirD Place The Volvo Bus & Coach Cup and £500 cheque; The Best Impressions Trophy and £250 cheque; The Coach & Bus Week Cup John Birchall Arriva North West & Wales FourTH Place The Optare Trophy and £300 cheque; The GoSkills Cup and £200 cheque martin Sleeman First Cymru FiFTH Place The Scania Trophy and £150 cheque; The McKenna Shield and cash award of £100 James Wright Stagecoach Oxford comPaNY aWarD The Brian Evans Memorial Trophy, donated by Tangerine Training First cymru www.coachandbusweek.com

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OpErAtOr prOfilE › xelabus

Building a bus business Coach & Bus Week’s Gareth Evans talks to Gareth Blair, 32, co-director of Xelabus, the Eastleigh-based independent bus operator which is a about to celebrate its first year of operation

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any who work in the bus and coach industry have at some stage in their lives harboured a desire to own and run their own operation. It’s an industry which generates a great deal of passion.

While it’s easy to dismiss some individuals as mere ‘anoraks’, few industry professionals truthfully escape picking up at least some of that enthusiasm, no matter how hard they try.

Gareth Blair, who at 32 years old, is co-director of Hampshire independent bus operator Xelabus, is one such individual ‘living the dream’, as it were.

“I believe I’m one of the younger owners of a bus company. It’s something I’d always wanted to do,” explained Gareth. “My careers advisers look puzzled at me when I said I wanted to work in the bus and coach industry.”

Recalling his early interest in the industry and expressing a view which many will doubtless identify with, Gareth said: “As a child I was never the ‘cool kid’ at school because I wasn’t interested in football. Don’t get me wrong, life wasn’t all about buses – I enjoyed motorsport too. I would attend rallies at weekends but other children would play football.

However, now I’m the one who is www.coachandbusweek.com

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running my own business while some of my contemporaries are out of work.”

Having left school in 1996, Gareth attended Southampton City College, where he studied for a GNVQ in business and marketing.

However, he admits he was “still unsure at that stage whether I wanted to go into the bus industry”.

Gareth took up the story: “I worked in a Halfords branch but decided it was not for me. I then worked for the Hendy Ford dealership in the parts department, before moving into the leasing and fleet department, which I really enjoyed. It involved managing 1,500 cars and HGVs. I got my provisional HGV licence. Sadly the fleet side of the business was sold and ended up being run by accountants. That was seven years ago.

“I left Hendy on the Thursday and got married on the Saturday. After enjoying a two-week honeymoon, I started working for dad at a time when PB Bus Marketing still had offices at Barton Park. The Tesco contract was also new at that point.”

Gareth still works full-time for PB Bus Marketing but said it has always been his intention to run a fleet of vehicles.

Why was the name ‘Xelabus’ selected? At first glance, it sounds like something almost Roman or of curious overseas origin. However, the story is a far more poignant one.

“I lost my son Alex when he was

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OpErAtOr: Xelabus lOCAtiOn: Eastleigh, Hampshire flEEt: 12 COntACt: 023 8027 5000 www.xelabus.info

Gareth admits to being proud of what has been achieved in the year since Xelabus took to the road

aged three to a terrible cancer. It was one of those occasions when you have to sink or swim. I wanted to make Alex proud – he was mad about buses and, indeed, vehicles in general. As a result, the name of the company is Alex spelt backwards,” explained Gareth.

“PB Bus Marketing funded by CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence). I went away for a week’s intensive study in the Bristol area. The deal I agreed with dad was that if I passed my exams, he would buy me a couple of buses. I wasn’t expecting to pass. Out of four candidates, only two of us passed.

It involved sitting five exams in a day. I did it through the CILT (Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport), which I would thoroughly recommend.”

Gareth continued: “True to his word, dad bought me a pair of ex Lothian Alexander-bodied Olympians, which had latterly been in service with Preston Bus, and which were acquired via Ross Newman at Ensign Bus.” Even prior to the acquisition of the first vehicles, the company name had already been decided and likewise the livery.

“The origin of the livery is historic – it’s Hants & Dorset, but our version works on a modern bus. A lot of people say it looks right and smart whether it’s applied on a 20-year old Olympian or a 10-year old Dart.

“The reason I own 51% of the business is my name is on the O-licence. The remaining 49% is owned by my father, Phil. When we started, we had two buses and four discs.

“The Olympians were supplemented by two of dad’s collection of preserved ex

Southampton Citybus vehicles – namely, an East Lancs-bodied Olympian and a 1995-registered step-entrance Plaxton Dart.

Significantly, they helped bring money in through the door. The set up costs of a bus company are extortionate.”

All ran well until Saturday March 12 this year when the firm’s depot fell victim to an arson attack – as reported in CBW977.

At the time, Xelabus director Phil Blair told CBW: “We’ve lost three excellent buses to what’s been associated as an arson attack.

There’s no reason to believe it’s an electrical fault – none of the vehicles had any problems – this was purely an act of mindless vandalism.

“I read with sadness in your magazine stories of this nature happening to others but it’s completely different when you fall victim to it.”

Mr Blair said the seat of the fire was in the Dart. “Fortunately the wind was blowing away from the building, which is home to

“I lost my son Alex when he was aged three to a terrible cancer. It was one of those occasions when you have to sink or swim. I wanted to make Alex proud – he was mad about buses, so the name of the company is Alex spelt backwards.”

Gareth Blair Director, Xelabus

www.coachandbusweek.com

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£3

OpErAtOr prOfilE › xelabus

The return fare charged on Xelabus’ first commercial bus route, the X12 both PB Bus Marketing and some vehicles.

“We’re 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 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

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Xelebus 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 Director, Xelabus

The operation of a coach was a short-lived experiment

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 have fitted with

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51% 76 The Xelabus share holding owned by Gareth Blair

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 29

The seating capacity of the firm’s Routemaster, ‘SMK679F’ age of smart phones.

Clearly proud of the team, Gareth said: “I like to involve our drivers.

We have regular team meetings.

After all, the drivers are the ones who are out there day in, day out.

They’re 100% committed. Have the team behind us is vital .I don’t like the ‘them and us’ idea – it’s just that some of us have more legal responsibilities than others.

“I’m 32 and most of our drivers are in their 40s and 50s. A number of them call me ‘son’ yet I’m their boss. I take the mick as much as they do of me,” he mused.

Concluding, Gareth said: “I’m proud of Xelabus. I don’t take too much notice of what other operators may think. That’s not to have a hard nosed attitude.”

maintained by Sparks Commercials in Totton. They’re a great company to deal with. They’re very efficient.”

As for suppliers of consumables, Gareth commented: “We don’t currently have a tyre contract in place but we’re looking into having one in 2012. We get discount prices on forecourts from Esso for our fuel at the moment. However, we hope the new depot will have on-site fuelling to reduce costs.”

The fleet is fitted with Centrad destination gear. Gareth described Geoff Cross as “a great guy”. “We’re very pleased with Geoff’s blinds.

We’re now looking at fitting CCTV to our school contract doubledeckers,” he added.

“I’m still on a learning curve in this industry,” admitted Gareth.

“I’ve dipped my to in the water by registering one return express commercial bus route between Eastleigh and Southampton at around half the return fare (£3) of another local operator and our service also runs direct.

“With the start of the new academic year, upon arrival in Southampton, the bus on that service will go on to work a school contract, so it will pay for itself.

“Subsidies are nice but you’ve got to be brave sometimes and take the commercial risk.

“Obviously being part of a marketing company, it’s natural for us to have our own publicity, such as at-stop information, paper timetables etc. A key thing is having a good website, particularly in an

Gareth Blair Director, Xelabus

Ex Lothian open-topper (above) and former Southampton City Bus and ex Lothian Olympians respectively. The livery is shown to good effect (below)

“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 have fitted with wheel trims” wheel trims.”

However, it would be wrong to portray Xelabus’ first year of business as a total success story – as Gareth readily admits.

“We did buy a coach. Going back to my childhood, with its sloped front end, I’ve always liked the Plaxton Excalibur body. We painted it up but the problem was we had to mix EU and domestic drivers hours rules. It caused a headache, which we didn’t need. To be perfectly honest, the coach proved to be an expensive toy to stand on the forecourt. Another mistake I made was the coach wasn’t LEZ (Low Emission Zone) compliant.

All schools in this are want to go to London, so we traded it in with Ensign for four Darts.”

The Future

Turning to the future, Gareth said: “We operate from a site in Eastleigh, but we’re currently in negotiation on another site. Our vehicles are

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tECHnOlOgy › flybus

Flybus set for launch Coach & Bus Week’s Martin Cole reports on latest developments on the Flybus system, a potentially significantly less costly route to hybridisation than current electric hybrids

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he Flybus consortium says it has reached a significant milestone with the successful integration of prototype hardware into an Optare Solo Midibus.

The Flybus system, potentially a significantly less costly route to hybridisation than current electric hybrids, employs a Ricardo Kinergy flywheel as the energy storage medium and a Torotrak continuously variable transmission (CVT) as the means of transferring energy between the wheels and the flywheel.

The entire installation is mounted on the existing transmission’s Power Take Off facility. “The recovery and reuse of kinetic energy during stopstart drive cycles is a priority for bus operators, not just because of the positive impact on emissions but also because it reduces fuel costs and brake wear,” says John Fuller, Product Leader for Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) at Torotrak.

“Electric hybrid systems are expensive, often doubling the transaction cost of a bus. Initial cost estimates suggest the Flybus system could be available at a fraction of the cost of an electric hybrid, while simulation results indicate fuel savings comfortably in excess of 10%. With the completion of the mechanical design and installation phase of the programme, we are now ready to start evaluating the fuel economy benefits on the vehicle itself.” www.coachandbusweek.com

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Flywheel hybrids, just like electric hybrids, recycle the kinetic energy which would otherwise be wasted when the vehicle brakes.

As the bus decelerates, the CVT transfers energy from the vehicle wheels to the flywheel, spinning it up to speeds of around 60,000rpm.

As the vehicle pulls away from rest, the CVT returns energy from the flywheel to the wheels, reducing the engine power requirement and hence lowering fuel consumption.

A key enabler of this technology is the Torotrak CVT, which can transfer in excess of 60kW of power in a package weighing less than 10Kg. High levels of efficiency, together with ‘torque control’ – in which torque rather than ratio is controlled – make the technology an ideal fit for a flywheel drive.

The second key enabler is Ricardo’s Kinergy flywheel, which uses a compact and low cost

“The recovery and reuse of kinetic energy during stop-start drive cycles is a priority for bus operators.”

John Fuller Torotrak

Above: Working prototype of the Flybus drive system. Left: The installed system in an Optare Solo. Right: The compact dimensions of the flywheel hybrid unit simplify installation - retrofit option is a key aim magnetic coupling to transmit torque to the flywheel while providing the required stepup gearing. Its magnetic drive facilitates flywheel operation within a sealed vacuum, eliminating the need for inefficient mechanical gearing and rotating seals. The result is a system which exhibits very low levels of power loss. ”The CV industry has a real appetite for an affordable and packagable hybrid system,” explains Fuller. “The continued advances in flywheel hybrids make them an

increasingly attractive alternative to conventional hybrid systems. This next stage of the programme will begin to show their capability in the real world.”

Part-funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board as part of its Low Carbon Vehicles initiative, the Flybus consortium brings together engineers from bus maker Optare, engineering consultancy Ricardo and traction drive technology specialist Torotrak. Automatic transmission supplier Allison Transmission Inc is

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also participating in the project on a self-funded basis.

The consortium presented the prototype flywheel hybrid transmission at this year’s Low Carbon Vehicle event last week at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby.

Flybus chose not to show the complete vehicle, but removed the prototype transmission system completely for display at the event.

Torotrak’s project controller, Pasqualino De Palma, said trials with the system were proving very positive so far and over the course of the next few months it would be fine-tuned to increase efficiency. He said the aim was to have the project vehicle complete its efficiency testing at Millbrook, on the industry standard 159 route simulation test, before the end of this year.

He anticipated the final results would indicate the system had an immediate viability which would ensure it paid for itself over a much shorter period than current hybrid options – possibly adding between £10,000 - £20,000 to the cost of the bus. He pointed out the project’s aim was to prove the viability of the system but warned finding a means to market it might not be so simple. Essentially the system attaches to an Allison gearbox using a third party coupling to connect with the Torotrak CVT. The CVT is linked directly to the flywheel system which is a Ricardo unit. This immediately brings in issues over who would ultimately be responsible for supporting the installation – would the task of systems integrator fall to Optare, Allison, Torotrak or Ricardo?

Certainly, customers would need to have confidence over support issues for their investment and want to know who to call if there was a reliability issue or malfunction.

Some safety issues also need to be resolved, mainly surrounding the flywheel. It develops considerable inertia from its rotational speed of 60,000rpm. This poses fears about where it should be mounted for protection of passengers on the vehicle should the unit, which develops one megajoule of energy, self destruct.

If the system is as efficient as predicted, can be determined not to be hazardous and a sensible means of bringing it to market can be established, it will bring far greater affordability to the hybrid market and provide a huge stimulus for hybrids in general. www.coachandbusweek.com

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THE BIG PICTURE

Welsh border independent operator Tanat Valley Coaches has unveiled a new livery for its bus service and contract vehicle fleet - as pictured by operations foreman Phil Bradley near the firm’s Llanrhaeadr-ymMochnant headquarters on Saturday, September 3. The first vehicle to sport the new livery is Optare Spectra ’R871MDY’, recently acquired from Stafford Bus Centre (dealer) and which latterly saw service with Eastbourne Buses. In the coming months, the existing white with orange and yellow stripes livery will be replaced on the remainder of the bus fleet.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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infrAStrUCtUrE › Bus wash

Abellio Battersea keeps green and clean Abellio’s Battersea depot was revamped and opened last May by Boris Johnson and aims to be one of the greenest depots in London. Coach & Bus Week’s Meera Rambissoon reports on its rainwater harvesting system and its green bus wash

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ost of us grimace at the sight of rain especially when the great British summers have kept true to form, but at Abellio’s Battersea depot in South London, rain plays a key feature as the primary source for its bus wash.

This means little reliance on mains supplied water and not only that, a bacterial wash which is free from chemicals, is used to clean the buses – both these features help Battersea in doing its bit for the environment.

The depot itself is built on sustainable roots. Standing on the site of the old Victorian depot, which was originally used for train stabling, a new facility was opened last May by London mayor Boris Johnson. Dave Hillier, engineering manager for the depot points out the facility was built on the crushed railway buildings, previously in place.

Operations director Steve Perks, explained when the new premises were built, a rainwater harvesting system was integrated on the roof.

After collection from the roof, the water is cleaned using UV www.coachandbusweek.com

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filtering and stored in three 9,000 litre tanks which have been lodged deep underground, from which it is pumped into the bus wash. There is a further 14,000 litres of storage within the bus wash system, which together with the 19,000 litres total available to the bus wash provides 41,000 litres of stored water at the site. “It’s a big, big hole in the ground,” said Steve. “But you wouldn’t know it was there.

“The water is collected and recycled using reclaim equipment,” he continues. “Not all the water is retrieved when we do the reclaim but we get 90% of it back and we clean it using hydrocyclone and carbon filters – it’s a bit like a Dyson vacuum or garden pump filter – and it feeds back into the wash. The remaining 10% is topped up.”

Commenting on the key benefit of the system, Steve says: “We practically don’t use any water supplies. Recycling bus wash water isn’t new but what we’ve noticed is how the water harvested from the roof stagnated and started to smell.”

This problem is eradicated by the use of the bacterial, PH-neutral product used in the bus wash, called Nu-KleenSmell which the depot has been using for the last

Top: Efficient and environmentally friendly bus washing at Abellio.

Above: Steve Perks

“There is so much rain water, we get over flow. We had been running the garage for nine months and one summer it stopped working. The rainwater had lasted that long” Steve Perks Operations director

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7

Number of routes operated at Abellio’s Battersea depot

540 9,000 Number of drivers at Abellio’s Battersea depot

Capacity of each of three rail water storage tanks at Abellio’s Battersea depot

Abellio:

a brief history

Abellio is a wholly owned subsidiary of NS (Dutch Railways) and was previously called NedRailways until its name change in 2010. It operates in the UK rail market through its Merseyrail and Northern Rail businesses, and operates bus and rail contracts in several federal states in Germany through Abellio Deutschland and bus contracts in the Czech Republic through Probo Bus. Abellio entered the UK bus market in June 2010 by acquiring National Express’ bus operations Travel London and Travel Surrey, now operating under the names Abellio London and Abellio Surrey. With 1,600 employees, Abellio London and Abellio Surrey operate 507 buses on 71 routes across Central London, South London and the Surrey region, and carry over 270,000 passengers per day.

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September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 35

two and a half years. It is produced by a company called Innu-Science who supply Nu-KleenSmell to all Abellio’s six London depots and also to bus services run by South Yorkshire PTE. The company also supplies biologically based cleaning products to public buildings, offices and bathrooms through Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene Supplies.

“The products are environmentally friendly – not chemical but biological and non-hazardous,” explains Amy Dyall, Innu-Science’s key accounts manager. Dirt or ‘bad’ bacteria on the buses are a food source for the

good bacteria in the product, which is inactive in its concentrated state.

It is packed with enough food in its dormant state, and when mixed with water and introduced to food on the buses, the product is activated.

The supply of the rainwater doesn’t appear to be a problem – far from it. “There is so much rain water, we get overflow,” says Steve.

“We had been running the garage for nine months and one summer it stopped working. The rainwater had lasted that long.”

Underground pipework connects the tanks to two reclaim units, which sit next to the

www.coachandbusweek.com

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infrAStrUCtUrE › Bus wash

bus washes. They connect to two of three bus washes; for the third, water is pumped overhead and a third reclaim unit will be built.

The existing units were introduced in 2009 and used without rainwater harvesting but to pump Nu-KleenSmell. Amy explains the product is automatically diluted at the right ratio and goes straight onto the buses from the reclaim unit. Although it requires topping up from time to time, Amy says: “There is an ongoing positive effect and cycle and the product continues to be active. When you get up to the right level, you can reduce the dosage manually.

“In the winter season, when the buses are dirtier, topping up is needed but in summer the on-going effect works slightly better.”

Amy adds: “Because NuKleenSmell is non-corrosive, it is OK to be pumped through the system unlike chemicals.”

Highlighting a key advantage, she enthused: “Because the product is PH neutral, it balances the system and you don’t get streaking which used to be a major problem.”

Abellio was one of the first companies to use Nu-KleenSmell in the UK – with Walworth and Beddington depots using it from 2009 as well as Battersea. The

Innu-Science: a synopsis

Innu-Science is a global biotechnology company specialising in research, development, production, and distribution of professional high performance cleaning products. Its UK headquarters are in Surrey.

Over 20 years ago, it began developing ‘Green’ products - and has more of these certified by EU Ecolabel than any other European manufacturer. Its products are found in most sectors of industry from health to transport - including key customers such as Montreal Metro in Canada and RTL, SNCF, Transpole and Veolia in France.

The company provided all cleaning products for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and has recently been trialled by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For more information about the company and its products visit www.innu-science.com/eng www.coachandbusweek.com

BatterseaBusWash.indd 36

Top: 90% of wash water can be reclaimed and recycled. Above left:Reclaim system automatically doses organic concentrate. Above right: Dave Hillier.

Below: Water reclaim and pumping equipment neatly housed above the underground tank system alonside the automatic wash installation

product will be introduced to Abellio’s remaining three depots in London – Twickenham, Hayes and Byfleet in the next four months.

Dave confirmed he had encountered no problems at all with the system and product.

However, he confessed: “It’s a good idea to shut the window during the bus wash.” He used to work at GoAhead and took a group of school children through the wash. “I had a window open and I got told off because all the kids got soaked!”

The product is supplied not through Innu-Science itself but through a cleaning company called Dynamique. Abellio previously used a company called Resource through which Innu-Science made contact with Abellio.

Would Dave recommend using rainwater harvesting systems to other depots? He says unless the depot is new built, it would not necessarily be cost effective indicating a site like West Ham may not lend itself to such development.

“You can use the Innu-Science product,” he adds. For example, at Abellio’s depot in Byfleet, which is a lot smaller, the bus wash isn’t automatic and Nu-KleenSmell is applied using a squeegee.

Amy says Nu-Action, a similar product, is used for the interior of buses and to keep the garage clean. Plumbed into the wall, the dosing system is used for filling up buckets. With this system Dave says it’s a matter of using old-fashioned “elbow grease”.

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38 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

mAnUfACtUrEr UpdAtE › daimler interims

Daimler Buses copes with fluctuating markets

Mercedes-Benz claims the new Travego is the first Euro 6-compliant coach and it is to make its public debut at Busworld Kortrijk in October www.coachandbusweek.com

Daimler.indd 38

I

n the first six months of this year, Daimler Buses sold 18,308 Mercedes Benz, Setra, and Orion brand buses and chassis worldwide (JanuaryJune 2010: 19,226). The manufacturer has posted revenues of slightly more than €2 billion (January-June 2010: €2.22 billion).

“Thanks to our global presence, Daimler Buses can easily deal with disparate economic developments in different regions,” said Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses, at the press conference during

the run up to Busworld 2011. “At the moment, we are, for example, benefiting from the dynamic growth being experienced by markets such as Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey. This growth enables us to partially offset the continued low demand in Europe and North America. The most important thing, however, is Daimler Buses continues to lead the way in the bus sector. And we will therefore continue to rigorously follow this path.”

In the first half of 2011, the bus markets developed in very different ways. Demand increased

appreciably in Latin America, India, and Turkey, leading to substantial market growth. In the key growth market of Brazil, Daimler’s bus division maintained sales at last year’s high level, selling a total of around 8,900 units. Daimler Buses became market leader in the country, with a market share of over 43%. Sales in Mexico even increased by about 27% - to more than 1,430 units. Daimler Buses posted its highest growth in South America in Argentina, where vehicle sales rose by 24% to around 2,000 units. In Turkey, Daimler Buses delivered almost

12/09/2011 17:11

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 39

The new Travego Edition 1 is claimed to meet Euro 6 emission levels

reason for this is simple: Budgetary constraints in the public sector resulted in significantly fewer purchases.”

Despite the difficult market conditions in Europe, Daimler Buses saw sales in the intercity bus and coach segments increase.

Compared to the same period last year, sales of Mercedes-Benz and Setra brand vehicles rose slightly by 3% to 2,145 units, due primarily to high sales figures in Turkey. Several major orders for city buses, including the delivery of 300 Mercedes-Benz Citaros to Singapore, have helped consolidate the results for the first half of the year.

In full-year 2011, Daimler Buses expects global demand will primarily come from Latin America, India, and Turkey. At the same time, the bus manufacturer does not yet expect the European market to experience a major rebound.

In view of this situation, Schick predicted: “Daimler Buses has for many years focused on pursuing a global strategy with the clear goal of achieving growth in traditional as well as in new markets. We will reach this goal due to our outstanding products, continuous efficiency increases, and the fact we have the best employees in the industry. I’m therefore convinced we will remain the number one company in the bus business and attain a positive overall result in

“With sales of approximately 32,000 units, the first generation of the Citaro was Europe’s most successful city bus of all time.” twice as many travel coaches to customers as in the first half of last year, increasing sales to just under 700 units.

The picture is different on the European and North American bus markets. In both of these regions, the challenging economic developments of 2009 and 2010 continue to affect bus sales. With regard to Europe, Schick stated: “The economic crisis of 2009 continues to impact the European bus business, especially in the city bus segment. We’ll reach the low point this year — two years later than in other sectors. The

Daimler.indd 39

Special anniversary livery marks Setra’s 60 years of innovation

2011, despite it being a challenging year for buses.”

To enable Daimler Buses to continue to set the pace in traditional markets and forge ahead with its strategic pillar for “Growth in established markets,” the unit has thoroughly enhanced its product range’s flagship vehicle. The new Mercedes-Benz Citaro citybus (CBW987), was unveiled in May. With sales of approximately 32,000 units, the first generation of the Citaro was Europe’s most successful city bus of all time. Daimler Buses is building on this success story with the new vehicle, which sets new standards for quality, safety, efficiency, comfort, and design. In addition, the new Citaro is very convincing when it comes to fuel consumption and service.

Growth markets

In Latin America, Daimler Buses is focusing its further growth on the chassis business and consistent expansion of its product range.

These chassis from Mercedes-Benz comply with local Euro 4 and Euro 5 emission limits.

With regard to its strategic pillar for “Growth in new markets,” Daimler Buses is giving India priority because it is an important future market. In terms of coaches, Daimler Buses has been co-operating with the Indian body builder firm Sutlej since 2007. Daimler Buses will achieve further growth in India with a new generation of city buses, which it will introduce to the market in early 2012.

According to Schick, the socalled Next 11 countries, such as Indonesia, also offer potential for profitable growth. “The Indonesian market has already been recording strong growth over the last few years through the modernization of urban bus fleets and infrastructure,” he said. “In fact, market volume will nearly double over the next eight years. Our market share in the country is about 40% and we’re very confident we’ll be able to benefit from growth there in the coming years as well.”

In the area of “Technological leadership,” Daimler Buses continues to be the driving force in the bus sector. North America, for example, is home to the world’s biggest fleet of hybrid buses (more than 3,000 units), all of which come from Daimler Buses. In Europe, more than 50 Mercedes-Benz Citaro BlueTec Hybrid urban

www.coachandbusweek.com

12/09/2011 17:10

40 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

mAnUfACtUrEr UpdAtE › daimler interims

buses will be in operation by the end of the year in cities such as Stuttgart, Hamburg, Krefeld, Dresden, Muelheim, Rotterdam, and Milan. In addition, 11 fuel cell buses will enter operation before the end of the year.

Daimler Buses at Busworld 2011: The first Euro 6-compliant coach is supplied by Mercedes-Benz!

Daimler Buses will present a total of 13 Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus and coach models at Busworld in Kortrijk, Belgium, the largest bus show of 2011. The Mercedes-Benz stand will celebrate the world premiere of the Mercedes-Benz Travego “Edition 1”, which is the first coach to meet the Euro 6 emissions standard. Featuring a new and powerful BlueEfficiency engine, a new transmission, and a new driver area, the coach will also boast the Attention Assist safety system, which is found in no other travel coach in the world.

Just as spectacular as the new Travego is the new-generation Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban bus, which will be having its motor show debut at Busworld in Kortrijk.

Mercedes-Benz Buses will also celebrate the 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile

by Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler by introducing the attractive “125! years of innovation” special edition www.coachandbusweek.com

Daimler.indd 40

Top: The new Citaro. Above: Omniplus - a wide range of support services.

Below: European Bus System of the Future concept from Daimler Buses

model of the high-deck Tourismo travel coach. The Sprinter City 77 — the current flagship vehicle of Mercedes-Benz’ minibus line-up — will also be represented at the stand. The vehicle is 8.7 metres long and can transport up to 40 passengers.

The Setra brand will be represented at the bus show by eight vehicles from all three of its production series, thus demonstrating its leading position in the travel coach and regular service intercity bus segments.

Highlights of the show at the Setra stand will include the successful ComfortClass 400, and the MultiClass 400 S 415 H high-floor bus and S 416 H. The focus inside is on an innovative, state-of-the-art infotainment system for satellite TV and radio. Screens are built into the backs of the passenger seats, as well as behind the driver, at the entrance, and into the back wall of the onboard galley. The image from the driver camera can be connected to these screens as well. In addition, Setra will present the S 415 GT-HD “Final Edition” to the trade visitors at Busworld. The vehicle has highquality interior appointments as well as a comprehensive equipment package and exclusive side trim made of brushed stainless steel.

To mark its 60th anniversary, the Setra brand presented the limited “Special Edition” vehicle in a number of different equipment variants at the beginning of the year.

A variant being shown at Kortrijk will be the TopClass S 416 HDH with displaced seating.

Omniplus provides a unique range of bus-related services, including professional maintenance and repair work, efficient driver and service training programs, a broad selection of pre-owned vehicles, and customized financial services. Omniplus operates more than 600 authorized service centres in Europe, making it the largest bus-specific service network on the continent.

In Kortrijk, the service brand will present several new offers for bus operators, including a new, graduated ServiceCard concept, and the BusMobility package, which provides all-round breakdown assistance in 40 European countries.

Thanks to a dense network of service centres, the mobility package minimises the customer’s financial risks and ensures downtimes are short no matter when a breakdown occurs.

12/09/2011 17:12

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25/08/2011 15:46

OpEn plAtfOrm › RICHARD CHARNLEY

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 43

Picture this: a free for all Richard Charnley offers his views on the past, present and future quandaries, and curiosities, arising from copyright law A few weeks ago, CBW carried a warning from Phil Orford of the Forum of Private Business about copyright on the pictures operators may be using in their websites. His message was that, whether you did it yourself or you contracted a design company to create the site for you, you the operator will be liable if permission to use the images has not been obtained from the copyright owner.

There are some powerful organisations which run huge image banks (Getty Images was one such referred to in the story) and they have sophisticated software which trawls the internet day and night looking for unauthorised users of their material, which they follow up with aggressive determination.

This is an example of the way that the work of creative people has traditionally been safeguarded, and the principle is one which I have generally supported throughout my life.

When the product of your labour is something abstract – a photograph, a tune, a painting, a business proposal, even a magazine column – how do you ensure that you get recognised for your work? Copyright has always ensured that due reward accrues to the creator. After all, how would you like it if a group of passengers just helped themselves to one of your vehicles for the day without payment?

And we accept it in other areas. Don’t we all pay our Performing Rights Society (PRS) fees so we can have radios in our coaches? I did know an operator, however, who had an original take on this. He was a classical music loving owner-driver who regarded his radio/cassette player as being for his benefit and not that of his passengers. When the PRS rang him to try to elicit a subscription fee, he asked, “Who gets the money?” “Oh, the composers”, they replied.

“Well”, he said, “I only listen to Mozart, and he’s dead, so I’ll keep my money.”

Personally I always disapproved of people who copied recordings for their friends, thus depriving the artists of their fees, and whilst the likes of the Rolling Stones may be already wealthy beyond measure, humble session musicians and record company technicians depend on fees from those record sales, and the record companies traditionally spent a lot of money nurturing new artists.

However, I’m beginning to question my previous beliefs, and part of the reason for that is the story of the humble freight container.

Malcolm McLean was born in North Carolina,

OpenPlatform.indd 43

CDs should not be copied. Copyright laws ensure due reward accrues to the creator, says Richard

“How would you like it if a group of passengers just helped themselves to one of your vehicles for the day without payment?” and in 1934 he bought a truck and went into business. By 1956 he was running the biggest trucking company in the American South, but he was exercised by what a laborious business it was, loading and unloading cargoes of oddsized wooden crates. Having puzzled over how to make the process easier for 20 years, it was after he bought a company operating some rusty tankers that he first began to experiment with steel crates that could be transferred from ship to truck to train and back again. With the standard shipping container, the cost of loading and unloading freight dropped, in 1956, from nearly $6 a ton to only 60 cents, and with that enormous drop in costs, the products we buy are cheaper in real terms than ever in our history.

But brilliant as the invention of the shipping container was, his genius was in recognising that, in order to be globally successful, it had to be universal. And that meant that the key element – the locking mechanism by which cranes can pick up and lower the containers - had to be standardised. And to get it into world-wide use, anybody had to be able to make the containers and the equipment for handling them.

So he refused to patent his idea, and the world changed forever.

Another example is in something we use every day: the internet. The guiding principle from first inception was that it should be a free and open system, and whether you approve or not, it has transformed our lives. Now imagine where we would be if someone owned the rights to

the internet, and only allowed licensed users on payment of – almost certainly – substantial fees.

Today it would probably be just a facility for large corporations and technical specialists.

Since the arrival of digital transmission of information, the old structures are crumbling.

We’ve seen once successful record companies like EMI and record stores like HMV suffering from plummeting sales while people download and file share to their hearts’ content. The great irony is that a few years ago, when all the money was in recordings, musicians were fighting a losing campaign to “Keep Music Live”. Now that record sales are no longer the great cash cow, the bands are going on tour to earn their pay and their records are loss-makers used to promote the live concerts.

Is it still appropriate for record companies, publishing houses, image libraries and the like to go scrabbling around desperately trying to chase payments from people happily using their material without their permission? They are beginning to look like people running around in a monsoon trying to catch all the raindrops. Most people would probably regard a record or a book as theirs to do with as they wish once they have bought it, and find the idea of not being allowed to share it with others as nonsense.

Of course, the creative people who produce the pictures, music, books and films we enjoy need to be properly rewarded for their endeavours, and perhaps this is what needs to be addressed. We should work out a fair and proper way of enabling creative people to earn a living from their work, and the products of that work then be free for everybody to use.

Then, like the internet and the freight container, the world would enjoy the benefits far more widely than if a few people clung on to the ‘rights’ for the benefit of an elite.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this column, please send your payment to…

Richard Charnley runs If It Moves, a travel, logistics and transport management services consultancy based in Leamington Spa. He can be contacted on 01926 88 8283. ric.charnley@btinternet.com If you want to let off some steam, just tap away at the keyboard and send your rant (or carefully-reasoned views) to cbwinbox@rouncymedia.co.uk, or fax 0845 280 2927. Make ‘Open Platform’ the subject line. Alternatively, send your missive to: CBW, 3 The Office Village, Cygnet Park, Forder Way, Hampton, Peterborough PE7 8GX www.coachandbusweek.com

12/09/2011 17:24

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44 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

BUS STOPthe place to buy and sell

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

Coach Operators Wanted Excel Conversion Executive 16 seat Mini-Coach with brand new (not re-con) power unit supplied & fitted by Mercedes Benz Glasgow on 22/08/2011, 2 years Mercedes Parts & Labour warranty, full leather seating, 12 reclining, 4 fixed at rear, Eberspacher air-con and saloon heating, DVD and monitor, full draw curtains, large boot, electric front windows & mirrors, MOT Apr 2012, £35,000 + VAT – Available Now.

Crusader Holidays Ltd are looking to partner with experienced coach tour operators to undertake UK and Continental tour work for the remainder of this year and 2012.

If interested, please contact Michael Davis or Martyn Burke Tel: 01255 425453; email michael@crusader-holidays.co.uk or martynburke@crusader-holidays.co.uk

tel: 07789 860346 email: michael@discoverscotlandtours.com

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Minibus World

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11 plate Ford Transit 17 seat bus COIF, PSV and tacho £24,995

2008 Peugeot Boxer 17 seat wheelchair accessible minibus, COIF, PSV, one owner, fsh, electrics £19995

09 plate Ford Transit 17 seat minibus wheelchair accessible, 35k miles, fits 2 chairs, underfloor lift £23,995

LDV Convoy 17 seater choice of 2 from £3,995

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p45_CBW_1003

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September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 45

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

Get Results!

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Call Lara Odumosu NOW on 020 8320 1351 (temporary contact number due to office move)

Leon’s Coach Travel has for sale

F O R D S PA R E S Used: Engine axle complete, set of springs.

New: Kingpins, brakeshoes, clutch cylinders, foot valves, front hub seals (inner and outer), hub seals, one handbrake expander, wheelstuds, front brake adjuster complete, handbrake valves, rear brake adjusters, axle set front and rear shoes, 2 x trackrod ends.

Contact Leon on 01785 244575

OFFER FOR SALE DUE TO FLEET UPGRADE

2004(04) IVECO BEULAS EL MUNDO, 51 seats, auto, full exec £82,000 now ..............£76,000 2003(53) IVECO BEULAS STERGEO, 49/53 seats, auto , full exec ..............................£75,000 2003(52) DAF SB300 VAN HOOL T9, 51/53 seats, auto, full exec .................................£79,000 2002(52) SCANIA K124 VAN HOOL T9, 49 seats, comfort shift, full exec ......................£75,000 2002(02) SCANIA K114 IRIZAR, 49 seats, comfort shift, full exec £68,000 now ............£63,000 (All coaches are in excellent condition with low miles, base white with removable transfers)

PART EXCHANGE CONSIDERED ON ALL ABOVE 2003(03) MERCEDES 311 CDI, 8 seats, MOT Feb 2012 .................................................£3,995 1998(S) IVECO DAILY 2.8 diesel, 15 seats .......................................................................£2,995 1998(S) FORD TRANSIT 2.5 diesel, Jumbo XL, 17 seats ................................................£1,995 SOLD 1991(J) MERCEDESS 814D, 29 seats New MOT ...............................................................£3,250 OLD ALL PRICES ARE PLUS VAT

For more details contact Steve or Russ 01884 252646 or 07702 626542

2006 SETRA S415 GT.HD (EURO 3) & 2006 SETRA S416 GT.HD (EURO 3) Equal specification on each vehicle: A 48 seater with leather headrests, M-Benz engine 12 speed ZF-As tronic, with approximately 390,000 & 400,000 Km, with TCS, ESP, aircon, centre toilet, servery, fridge, continental door, seatbelts, crew seat and onboard vac. Excellent condition, owned, operated, and maintained by us from new.

2006 S415 GT HD - £102,000.00 + VAT 2006 S416 GT HD - £110,000.00 + VAT We would consider contracting with purchaser to undertake tour work.

For further details please contact: Martyn Burke, MD on 01255 689000 or by email martynburke@crusader-holidays.co.uk or Mark Brooks on 01255 221830 email MarkBrooks@crusader-holidays.co.uk

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

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Last one to clear at £26,000

2007 PLAXTON PRIMO

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ZF 6 speed manual, Caetano Enigma body, 49 seats, centre toilet, MOT June 2012.

Cummins ISBC engine, repainted white, Hanover destination, MOT August 2012, one only at £28,000.

1995 M REG DENNIS DRAGONS

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2 door London spec, last few remaining, to clear at £16,000 plus tyres.

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One available at £47,000

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OPEN TOP BUSES A SPECIALITY - B

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

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One only at £26,000.

Plaxton President bodies, LEZ post 2012 with traps, single door converted and 72 seats.

Cummins / Allison, Marshall bodies, 37 seats, LEZ post 2012 with traps, from our own fleet and very tidy. £6,000 each.

Cummins C series engine, ZF 6 speed manual gearbox, Wadham Stringer body fitted with 70 seats with belts and air-con.

One only.

1998 REG DENNIS DART SLF’S

2000 W REG DENNIS DART MPD’S Cummins/Allison, Plaxton bodies, 8.8m, 29 seats.

1999 V REG DART

2000 W REG VOLVO B7TL’S

1995 DENNIS JAVELIN

Mercedes engines, Slimlines, 2.34m wide, 7.8m long, 24 seats, Hanover LEDʼs.

2006 OPTARE SOLO’S

- BRITAIN’S BIGGEST BUS DEALERS

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

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NEW PRE-REGISTERED FORDS (11) 2011 Ford Transit 17 seat medium roof, 2.4tdi, air-con, tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, fogs, colour coded bumpers, ONLY 3,000 miles £23,750

W at NE se 17

(60) 2011 Ford Transit 15 seat 2.4 tdci minibus, tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, silver £18,995

(10) 2010 Ford Transit 12 minibus 2.2tdci 115ps tacho, air-con, Bluetooth, parking sensors, in silver, 1,400km £17,495

(10) 2010 Ford Transit 9 seat Shuttle Bus 2.2 tdci 140ps, air-con, sat-nav, Bluetooth, parking sensors, in silver, delivery miles only £17,995

FORD TRANSIT MINIBUSES (08) 2008 Ford Transit 15 seat minibus, high back seats with three point belts, tacho, 41,000 kms £14,750

(08) 2008 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi, tacho, high back seats with three point belts, 33,000kms only, COIF/PSV £15,200

SOLD

(06) 2006 Ford Transit 17 seat 2.4tdi minibus high back seats with three point belts, tacho, in white £8,995

LDV MINIBUSES New LDV Maxus 17 seat minibus 2.5 diesel, LWB, twin side loading doors, 2 year mechanical warranty, COIF/PSV £16,995

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

SOLD

(03) 2003 LDV Convoy 17 seat 2.4tdi LWB Hi Roof, COIF/PSV with new test £3,995

OTHER MAKES (08) 2008 Renault Traffic Sportive 9 seat LL29 dci, 31,000 miles, in silver £10,750

Peugeot Boxer 3.5 ton 17 seat School minibus diesel 2.2 120ps six speed, COIF/PSV. Choice of colours £21,995+VAT

5 3.

n to

OTHER MAKES (55) 2005 Chrysler Grand Voyager 7 seat Auto 2.8 diesel, DVD, heated seats, radio/CD, electric mirrors, electric windows, one owner from new with FSH, silver, 67,000 miles £7,750

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS (58) Fiat Doblo 1.4 petrol, 3 seats, low floor, lightweight ramp, E/W, C/L, CD, 19,000 miles £9,995

(07) 2007 Volkswagen Crafter 8 seat 2.2 diesel inboard lift, fully tracked floor, rear heating, 48,000 miles £13,995 (07) 2007 Fiat Dobol 1.4 petrol, lightweight ramp low floor, 5 door, ABS, air bag, air con, electric reels, E/W, PAS, radio/ CD, C/L £6,995 (05) 2005 Renault Master SWB 2.5dti, electric wheelchair lift, E/W, rear saloon heating, full aircon front and rear, three rear saloon passenger seats, privacy glass, 10,000 miles only £10,500

SOLD

(05) 2005 Renault Master LWB 13 seat minibus 2.2 HDI, 13 high back seats, tracking for 3 wheelchairs, inboard lift floor, rear heating, side step, 21,000 miles, FSH £10,500 (04) 2004 Mercedes Sprinter 413cdi minibus 2.2 diesel, front entry drop step with power door, inboard Clearway lift, fully tracked floor to take 4 wheelchairs, rear heating, 77,000 miles £9,995 (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

Contact Graham Thatcher – email: sales@minibussales.co.uk

Tel: 01633 485858 Mobile: 07866 443304

Pembridge House, The Park Business Centre, Plough Road, Goytre, Penperlleni, Nr Usk, South Wales NPA 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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2011 (11) FORD TRANSIT 9 SEAT SHUTTLE BUS 115PS TWIN SIDE LOAD DOORS INK BLUE £17,495

2006 (06) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MEDIUM ROOF WHITE 115PS COIF/PSV 63,000 MILES £8,995

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

P9 BJT

REGISTRATION PLATE FOR SALE – £500

NEW MERCEDES SPRINTER TOURLINE 516CDI ALTAS CONVERSION 17 SEAT MINICOACH £56,995

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

VANFIT & LDV PARTS STOCKIST

(PONTYPOOL) LTD

for all 3 vehicles CAN SELL SEPARATELY

£90,000

07 (57) IVECO DAILY 50C15 16 SEATS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE COIF/PSV 50,000 KM £25,995

2010 (10) FORD TRANSIT 17 SEAT MINIBUS MEDIUM ROOF WHITE 115PS 23,000KM £18,995

09:36

8 seat limousines in bronze metallic paint. All vehicles are registered May 2004. One owner from new. 2.3 ltr petrol engine, 6 speed automatic gearbox, ABS brakes, PAS, radio/CD player, electric windows, electric powered and heated mirrors, heated rear screen, air con, alloy wheels.

Hearse also capable to carry 2 bearers. All vehicles under 20,000 miles each. Limousines suitable for wedding cars.

NEW MAXUS 17 SEAT MINIBUS 120 PS LWB H/R PANAROMIC WINDOWS COIF £16,995

12/9/11

One Saab 95 Coleman Milne Hearse Two Saab 95 Coleman Milne Stretched

p00_CBW_1003_Autoserve Page 1

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551876-1000-Heatons

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HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN 01942 864222 THE NORTH WEST’S PREMIER MINIBUS SALES, SUPPLYING NATIONWIDE FOR OVER 40 YEARS 06 RENAULT TRAFFIC SWB highroof, covered 15,000 miles, good quality conversion, SLD with cassette step, 6 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon fully automatic Clearway tailift, totally showroom condition in everyway £10,995

07 RENAULT TRAFFIC LWB highroof, only covered 18,000 miles, 5 highback seats plus wheelchair spaces, twin SLDs, electric side step, Ricon internal tailift, lots of Unwin tracking fitted, Unwin Innotrax flooring system, totally immaculate in everyway, 35,000 miles £12,995

56 RENAULT MASTER MWB covered 36,000 miles, 6 highback passenger seats plus wheelchair spaces, Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, SLD with electric step, totally showroom condition inside and out £12,495

05 IVECO 40C14 MWB, covered only 11,000 miles - yes 11,000 miles, front low step entry, 8/10 highback passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, Ratcliffe internal tailift, good quality conversion, tremendous value for money £10,995

54 VAUXHALL MOVANO MWB covered 35,000 miles, Ricon fully automatic internal tailift, twin SLDs with cassette step, lots of Unwin tracking, non slip floor, saloon heater, 4/8 passenger seats, totally out of the box as always £10,495

03 IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 15/16 highback passenger seats, only covered 50,000 miles, lots of Unwin tracking, external PLS fully automatic tailift, Powerdoor front entry, choice of 2, excellent value £9,995

03 MERCEDES SPRINTER 413 CDI 15 highback passenger seats in coach moquette, 3 point belts, covered 60,000 miles, Triptronic transmission, powerdoor front entry, external cassette tailift, fully colour coded, Mellor coachbuilt £9,995

54 PLATE IVECO 50C13 IRIS BUS 16 highback passenger seats, 3 point belts, full air conditioning, panoramic tinted PSV’d windows, front low step entry, only covered 54,000 miles, one owner, looks excellent, excellent drive, excellent value, 12 months PSV test, ready to work £10,995

06 MERCEDES SPRINTER 411 CDI only covered 60,000 miles, with 16 highback passenger seats, belts, lots PSV’d 3 point of Unwin tracking, side full height entrance door, full carpetlined, external Ratclliffe fully automatic cassette tailift, sound system, saloon lights, twin roof lights, a truly nice example of this popular minibus, excellent value £15,995

06 CITROEN RELAY SWB, covered 52,000 miles, good quality Gowring conversion, Ricon internal fully automatic clearway tailift, 4 seats plus 2 wheelchair spaces, unmarked, silver metallic, SLD with cassette step, excellent value £6,995

07 MERCEDES VITO 111CDI LWB only covered 24,000 miles, 8 passenger seat,s twin SLDs, air conditioning, full electric, pack totally showroom condition inside and out, excellent value £11,495

59 IVECO 45C15 covered 64,000 miles, 18 highback passenger seats in coach moquette with contrasting headlining, lugguage racks, reading lights, forced air, Powerdoor front entry, walnut dash, side skirts, top quality Onyx conversion, excellent value £26,495

07 IVECO 45C14 LWB, 16 high back passenger seats, lots of Unwin tracking, luggage racks with forced air PSV’d reading lights, powerdoor front low step entry, external PLS cassette tailift, saloon heater, tremendous value £17,995

08 VW TRANSPORTER SHUTTLE SE 77,000 miles, 8 highback passenger seats, full air conditioning, full electric pack, stunning silver metallic, totally showroom condition, excellent value £12,750

08 MERCEDES 515 UVG modular coachbuilt, 16 highback passenger seats, complete flat PSV’d floor, powerdoor front entry with low step entry, external PLS fully automatic tailift, automatic transmission, above average miles, one owner, FSH, less than a 1/3 of new price, PSV tested, must be a bargain £19,995

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

08 IVECO 50C15 IRIS BUS 15 highback Cogent seats in coach moquette, quick release seats, lots of Unwin tracking, Ricon internal fully automatic tailift, powerdoor front entry, full plant on tinted windows, automatic transmission, only covered 46,000 miles, one charity owner, totally showroom condition inside and out, vast saving on new price £20,995

54 CITROEN RELAY LWB highroof fitted with 7 highback seats plus wheelchair spaces, good quality conversion, external PLS tailift, SLD with cassette step, covered 70,000 miles £5,995 WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

Where can you find these?

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

2010 RENAULT MASTER MWB, 6 highback passenger seats plus wheelchair spaces, Ricon internal tailift, Unwin tracking, air conditioning, 2,000 miles only, this is as new as you would find giving excellent value and saving £16,495

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

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

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

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

HEATONS MOTOR CO. WIGAN

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

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

Tel: 01942 864222

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

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September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 55

Volvo Olympian N, P, R + S reg Choice of Northern Counties or Alexander bodies 72/78 seats

• Full preparation to include: • Overhaul body and panel prep + full repaint any solid colour • Re trim if needed • New seat belt installation and cert by market leaders, Barry Hall Installations • NEW MOT • Ready in time for new term if you order quickly

FROM £14,950.00 FINANCE AVAILABLE

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

BUS & COACH SALES

BUS 2001 2000

LEY DAF NUTRAK 24 SEATS MERCEDES 614 WELFARE BUS 16 SEATS

COACH 2006 SETRA S416 TRI AXLES 49 SEATS A/C 2005 DENNIS R CAETANO ENIGMA 49 SEATS A/C

2004 2004 2004 2003 2003 2002 2001

SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C VOLVO B12 CAETANO 49 SEATS A/C SCANIA VANHOOL 49 SEATS A/C SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C VOLVO B12 CAETANO 48 SEATS A/C SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C SCANIA IRIZAR CENTURY 49 SEATS A/C

TO VIEW CALL DANNY 07979 295668

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Quality Coach Sales

56 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

1 x 1996 Dennis Javelin Berkhof 53 Seater

1991 Leyland Olympian Northern Counties, Cummins L10 ZF gearbox, 78 seats, Front Hanover LED fitted. Very tidy. £5,500+VAT

New MOT & Spray £12K Plus VAT

1999 T Reg Mercedes Benz 814D Dennis Darts SLF Seat Belted: 1997 Plaxton Pointer 1. 39 seats fully belted with Tachograph, Hanover LED front, side & rear fitted.

Bargain at £9,500+VAT each.

Norvelle 20 Seat Executive Coach, 20 Red Leather Seats With Tables If Desired With Toliet & Kitchen Area, Large Boot, & Air Conditioning New MOT & Plain White. Amazing Coach £23K Plus VAT

www.SDRcoachhelp.com 24 Hrs 0844 576 3300

Dennis Darts SLF: 1997-8, Plaxton Pointer 1 & 2 bodywork, 36-38 seats.

Hanover LED front, side & rear fitted. Bargain at £7,500+VAT each.

Dublin Bus

OFFER FOR SALE BY TENDER

‘RV’ BUS – 38 x Volvo Olympian / Alexander ‘R’ Double Deck Also: 3 x Mercedes-Benz 709D Minibuses with ʻEuro Coachʼ bodywork, featuring Mercedes Benz OM364 engines with Allison AT545 fully automatic transmission & Telma electric retarder. Vehicles are converted to “Ticket Bus” configuration.

Original seating capacity: 23

(1999 –Volvo D10A245 /Voith 863.3 & ZF4HP500 Mixed Examples)

These vehicles are to be withdrawn from the Dublin Bus fleet over the coming months (Minibuses currently off service) ALL VEHICLES ARE SOLD AS SEEN

To request a tender form and to make arrangements to view the vehicles please contact: Mr. Paul Duffy, Procurement Dept, Dublin Bus, 21 Phibsboro Road, Dublin 7, Ireland Telephone +353-1-7033474 Facsimile +353-1-8303126 Email: paul.duffy@dublinbus.ie Closing date for receipt of completed Tenders is 17:00 on Friday 16th September 2011.

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Southdown PSV 01342 711840 www.southdownpsv.co.uk

2003 MAN 18.280 SLF IKARUS 12m. 42 seats £29,950

1999 DART SLF PLAXTON 31 seats. £9,500

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 57 XXX BVDUJPOFFST DP VL .&35):3 . 0 5 0 3 "6$5*0/4

XXX BVDUJPOFFST DP VL .FSUIZS 5ZEGJM $' 4) 7HO

21/< $8&7,21 ,1 (8523( 72 6(// $// )/((7 9(+,&/(6 0267 :,7+ 6(59,&( +,6725<

$PBDIFT .JOJCVTFT .POEBZ QN 8FEOFTEBZ QN 4BUVSEBZ QN 7JFXJOH )ST #FGPSF 4BMF o 'VMMZ "JS $POEJUJPOFE o $PGGFF #BS $BGFUFSJB

Over 150 Minibuses / Coaches / Welfare Buses Weekly All Vehicles Direct Fleet Many With COIFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, PSVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Wheelchair

Access Lifts & Ramps

1996 SCANIA SLF WRIGHTS 42 seats. £9,950

2000 VOLVO B7 SLF PLAXTON 64 seats £27,500

)RUG 7UDQVLW 7 &RQQHFW 7RXUQHR 0LQLEXV F Z :KHHOFKDLU 5DPS

0HFHGHV 9LWR 7UDYHOLQHU 6HDW 0LQLEXV

0HUFHGHV 6SULQWHU &', 6HDW $XWRPDWLF 0LQLEXV

)RUG 7UDQVLW 7 7'&, 6HDW 0LQLEXVHV

0HUFHGHV 6SULQWHU &', 6HDW $XWRPDWLF 0LQLEXV

Easy Live Phone Bidding with Delivery to your Door at Cost

2000 VOLVO B7 SLF ALEXANDER 72 seats/belts. £POA

1999 DAF DB250 NCME EXHIBITION/HOSPITALITY. £32,500

)RUG 7UDQVLW 7 7'&, 6HDW 0LQLEXVHV

)RUG 7UDQVLW 7RXUQHR */; SV 7'&, 6HDW 0LQLEXV

9RONVZDJHQ 7UDQVSRUWHU 6HDW 6KXWWOH %XVHV

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/'9 0D[XV 36 7' 6HDW 0LQLEXVHV

/'9 &RQYR\ 7' +LJK 7RS 6HDW 0LQLEXVH

Finance Available & Most vehicles with FREE Warranties

Prices plus VAT @ 20%

Southdown PSV Silverwood Snow Hill Copthorne West Sussex RH10 3EN

)RUG 7UDQVLW 7 7'&, 6HDW 0LQLEXVHV

5HQDXOW 0DVWHU 7 /:% 0LQLEXVHV F Z 5DPSV

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p65_CBW_993_CoverPage copy

4/7/11

18:33

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PROMOTION

LARA

020 8320 1351 lara.odumosu@rouncymedia.co.uk

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September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 59

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES BUILDINGS

HEAVY DUTY STEEL BUILDINGS

ENGINES

We Repair or Replace

VISCOFANS FOR TRUCKS & BUSES

Nationwide Delivery/Collection

Bus Workshops - Secure Storage Supplied any width, any length Building to BS5590 - Doors high enough for Double Deckers - Finance available

For further information phone

BLUELINE BUILDINGS 01709 578333 anytime

CRAIG TILSLEY Tel: 01782 791524 or 01782 791527

Fax: 01782 791316

Moorfields Industrial Estate Cotes Heath, Stoke-on-Trent ST21 6QY

MOST CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

Technical Services UK Ltd

Tel: 01274 877770 Fax: 01274 865534 www.viscofans.com

Unit 6 Scandinavia Court, Chain Bar Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire BD19 3QW

Suppliers of Reconditioned DAF MAN MERC, VOLVO SCANIA, GARDNER LEYLAND, CUMMINS ENGINES CYLINDER HEADS CRANKSHAFTS CRANKCASES CAMSHAFTS PUMPS ETC

Crewe Engines Ltd MERCEDES ENGINE SPECIALISTS

WE ALSO RECONDITION ALL MAKES OF BUS & COACH ENGINES Direct from the UK’s No.1 for 30 years

VOLVO - CUMMINS - SCANIA MAN - DAF - IVECO FULL FITTING FACILITIES

SPECIAL OFFERS

GARAGE EQUIPMENT

Don’t forget to mention that you saw it advertised in

Specialists in Used Commercial Garage Equipment

BWS 0117 953 0381 www.bwsequip.co.uk

email: bwsequip@hotmail.com

ELECTRONICS

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60 | COACH & BUS WEEK | September 14, 2011

ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS &SERVICES SEATING

REGISTRATIONS G £750 33 WXE 40 NXA 40 OXW 70 NNX 90 PXL 99 WNX PJZ 88 RJZ 66 RJZ 77

SPEEDY REGISTRATIONS CO LTD G ‘Buy with confidence – CNDA Member’

£350 £99 £99 £50 KIW 696 HIG 4497 ONZ 1171 AXZ 9177 MCZ 949 HIG 4498 PEZ 9824 AXZ 9178 MUI 797 JHZ 6118 REZ 3378 BXZ 8324 NUI 656 JNZ 5986 REZ 3379 BXZ 8325 SBZ 545 JNZ 5987 RUI 2117 CRZ 4816 UIW 161 MHZ 9958 SEZ 8950 CRZ 4817 VIW 979 MJZ 6748 TLZ 1202 DRZ 1305 YIB 202 MJZ 6749 TUI 2772 DRZ 1306 YIB 303 MNZ 1182 UEZ 1920 DRZ 1307 We Buy for Cash, also Part Exchange

£50 IIG 9293 IIG 9294 JIG 8071 JIG 8072 JIG 8073 SUI 9701 SUI 9702 TUI 1651 TUI 1652

Tel: (028) 6638 7124 Fax: (028) 6638 7771

Millwood, Lisbellaw, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland BT94 5HQ

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 TYRE EQUIPMENT

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

MCF Fainsa Vogle Keil Politecnica Esteban + many more

The UK’s No1 Seatbelt Installers Call the Experts: 01522 689911 Email: info@bhiuk.com www.bhiuk.com

September 14, 2011 | COACH & BUS WEEK | 61

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: A manic press day. Keith’s back is giving him trouble but as ever, his dedication never fails, so he works from home.

Tuesday: A hectic day in the office writing and organising matters.

Wednesday: A busy day in the office.

Diesel locomotive ‘Criccieth Castle’ with the shuttle as it prepares to leave Porthmadog, with the high water level on the landward side of the famous Cob, the embankment which runs across the Glaslyn estuary. Note the ‘destination blind’ in the locomotive’s cab window - ‘Bus Replacement Service’

Rail bus replacement service We’ve all heard of, and indeed, some of us are intimately familiar with the operation of rail replacement bus and coach services. However, the popular coaching attraction that is the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales has broken the norm by operating a ‘bus replacement service’.

The Ffestiniog Railway (FR) reacted quickly to the flooding affecting many parts of Snowdonia on Tuesday, September 6.

Dilbert

The regular bus link between Porthmadog and Pont Croesor, which is operated by local reputable independent Express Motors (previously profiled in CBW), was unable to run due to the roads being underwater. Undaunted, the railway, which dates back to 1832, put on a bus replacement rail service – which the FR believes is among the few occasions a train has ever been used as an emergency bus replacement... Do you know to the contrary? If so, please drop us a line.

For details about the Ffestiniog and its other railway, the Welsh Highland, visit www.festrail.co.uk

Not making the grade on school bus A friendly Stagecoach managing director shared this with his friends on Facebook, which he credited to one of his staff: “I was on the bus today and a group of youths were giving it F in’ this, F in’ dat, F in de other. Not exactly swearing, they were just talking about their exam results.”

It certainly made us chuckle here at CBW. Have you got any tales of school runs – or indeed, the wider general public? We’d love to hear.

Thursday: I’m woken at 0700hrs by shouts of “Police!” My fiancée & I jump out of bed and to the window only to find a sea of police at a house three doors away. More than 30 officers have descended on our normally quiet close for a drugs raid. However, my car is parked in a bay near the house concerned, so am unable to leave for work immediately. After a male is arrested & herded into the back of a van, I ask politely ask if I’m alright to drive to work. “Your car’s not damaged, it’s safe,” a friendly CID officer replies, to which I can’t help but swiftly muse: “Well it has had all you guys guarding it.” They chuckle and wave as I head off.

Unlike what you see on TV, police are still on site until 1600hrs.

Callum makes his debut with the editorial team.

Friday: Another hectic day in the office. I take a phone call from a possible new addition to advertising team, who within hours is interviewed.

Leave the office an hour later than planned. My fiancée & I head ‘back home’ to the Welsh borderland in the evening.

Saturday: Attend my cousin’s wedding in Whittington, near Oswestry.

Entirely unbeknown to me, the wedding transport is a delightful Bedford OB hired from Boultons. I duly snap some pics for possible ‘Big Picture’ use. I introduce myself to friendly driver Bill, who says he enjoys reading CBW and who seems pleasantly taken aback to meet me. He duly transports some of the party to Sweeney Hall for the reception. www.coachandbusweek.com

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RECRUITMENT

Knapman joins MWS Motor Wheel Service has appointed Peter Knapman as its finance director.

Knapman, from Manchester, previously operated as a finance professional offering freelance advice to a wide selection of SMEs throughout Europe including Polish engineering firm, Europower SP z o.o. and Italian automotive exhaust specialist, Klarius Srl. The appointment came on the same day as John Ellis, MD of Motor Wheel Service, announced the firm’s plan to increase turnover from £7m to £20m in the next five years.

One of the main thrusts of the expansion plan is to increase sales of forged aluminium wheel, xlite in Europe and worldwide through a series of distribution partners. xlite was recently registered as a worldwide brand thanks to

CONTACT Harley Denham 01733 293249

harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk

an exclusive 10-year trademark agreement between the company and manufacturer, Wheels India.

Ellis said: “The possibilities for xlite are enormous, with plenty of scope for growth and increasing market share through a stream of promotion, not just on price but the overall operating benefits of running HGVs and coaches on a forged aluminium wheel.

“To achieve this we need the right team. Peter brings a wealth of financial knowledge and European experience. He will be an asset.”

Your First Choice for Recruitment

CBW’s well-established recruitment portfolio attracts candidates across sales, marketing and management, delivering not just quantity but quality candidates, providing exceptional value for money.

In addition to our unrivalled print-based product, at no extra cost recruitment adverts are also automatically placed online at www.coachandbusweek.com, where they remain on view until a position’s closing date.

Peter Knapman

CBW and www.coachandbusweek.com combine to create the ultimate recruitment solution, guaranteeing your vacancy is seen by every job seeker that matters from sales agents to board level.

To get your vacancy seen by quality candidates, call Harley on 01733 293249 or email harley.denham@rouncymedia.co.uk

TENDER NOTICE Applications are invited from suitably qualified organisations for an exciting and innovative contract being tendered by Hammersmith & Fulham Council (LBHF) for Assisted Special Needs Passenger Transport and local authority transport-related services.

As part of our tri-borough partnership, Westminster City Council (WCC) want to access the contract from the outset, via a Side Agreement, and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) wish to have the option of joining it when their current arrangements expire in December 2013. All three Authorities are excellent-rated Councils committed to consolidating their management to provide better value for money services to residents.

Recipients of the services required will predominantly be children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and vulnerable adults.

The core services required by LBHF and WCC from day one of the contract include: • • • • • •

home-to-school assisted transport for children with SEN; home-to-day care centre assisted transport for vulnerable adults; transport for young people aged 16-25 with learning difficulties; the scheduling, route planning and timetabling of this transport; the provision of vehicles and staff for this transport; a managed service of the supply chain where any of these services are not directly provided by the successful Contractor or Consortium.

There are also a number of additional special needs and local authority transport-related services that we would like to see as costed options as part of the contract, and details of these are provided in the Outline Descriptive Document and Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) that will be sent to organisations expressing an interest in applying for the contract.

It is our intention to commence the contract 4th September 2012 for a period of 7 years, with an option to extend up to a further 2 years.

In addition to RBKC, the London boroughs of Camden and Lambeth also wish to be named on this notice as having the option of joining the contract later, should they choose.

Organisations interested in applying should note that: • the estimated annual joint value of the LBHF and WCC services required is approximately £7.3m. Should RBKC join in 2014, this would increase to around £9.8m pa.

• applicants with a financial turnover of less than £20m are unlikely to pass the Pre-Qualification stage, unless they are part of another group and able to confirm a Parent Company Guarantee.

• bids from Consortium are welcome, so long as the Consortium has a Lead Contractor.

• the procurement will follow a 2-stage competitive dialogue process.

• award of the contract will be on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender, taking into account quality and cost.

• the contract will involve a large scale TUPE transfer and applicants will need to demonstrate experience of handling similar transfers.

Interested organisations need to apply for the contract through the following London Tenders Portal address: www.londontenders.org, following which they will be sent a PQQ and Outline Descriptive Document. Requests for further information must be made through this portal no later than 30th September 2011, and completed PQQs must be returned through it no later than 03.00 (3 am) 7th October 2011.

www.coachandbusweek.com

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SUBCONTRACTING The Star Bus Company is looking to work in Partnership with fellow quality contractors in the Hertfordshire and North London areas to service one or more of our contracts.

The value of the work could be substantial and would be for a fixed period.

If you wish to register your interest then please email info@starbus.co.uk with the subject heading SUBCONTRACTING. Please include in your email the name of your company, name and contact number of the prime contact for us, type of vehicles you could supply, number of vehicles in your fleet and any other information you wish to include.

We will request additional information before awarding any work.

We require service providers of passenger assistants, PCO drivers and PCV drivers.

Vehicle requirements would be for saloon cars, MPVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, accessible cars, mini-buses up to 8 seats, mini-buses 9-16 passenger seats, tail-lift mini-buses, accessible welfare buses, service buses/coaches.

Executive contractors also sought.

Due to expansion we have two key appointments to fill:

Operations Manager

This role involves ensuring the smooth running of a mixed fleet comprising 20 vehicles covering private hires and contracts.

The successful candidate will manage the schedules and ensure legal compliance is met, and of course maintain the high standard of service we offer.

Shift work and some weekend work and an on call rota is all part of the role, PSV licence and CPC preferred.

Reservations Assistant Manager

Your role will to be part of our very busy reservation section, dealing directly with customers and ensuring that our bookings are accurate and efficient.

The Job involves giving out quotes and checking availability. You will have great customer service skills and IT literacy.

For both positions previous experience in a similar role will be required plus knowledge of Distinctive Systems Coach Manager software.

To apply email Info@coachesetc.com enclosing your C.V. Call 07500 049061 www.coachandbusweek.com

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