A growing number of operators whose businesses are built on full-sized coaches are buying minicoaches for their fleet, evidenced by new sales in this sector growing while coach sales are shrinking. The king of the road for minicoaches has, for some time, been Mercedes-Benz’ nimble Sprinter, mostly as van conversions, to create upwards of 16 […]

The government will fail to deliver on time the vehicle data system promised for Clean Air Zones in Birmingham and Leeds, and has also reneged on its promise to provide a CAZ payment system, burdening councils with the cost. Both Birmingham City Council and Leeds City Council say they had been on track to implement […]

Van Hool has collaborated with Dutch operator Koninklijke Beuk to design and produce a funeral coach. The vehicle has been developed on the basis of Van Hool’s EX11L and is designed to provide the deceased with a serene and intimate mode of transport on their final journey, accompanied by mourners. The tailor-made vehicle has the […]

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has launched his ten-year plan for the city’s transport network. In it, the Mayor recommends franchising as its preferred option for the bus network. The assessment will be considered by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on Friday 28 June. The GMCA will decide whether to proceed with the scheme […]

A lack of funding has meant coach hire app, Snap, has ceased operating. Its website states it has suspended the business. Speaking to Bus and Coach Buyer, the company’s CEO, Thomas Ableman, said: “Securing the funding needed has taken longer than required.” All outstanding bookings made through the app have been cancelled and customers have […]

Optare hosted the latest meeting of CILT’s (Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’s) Busmark group. The tour of the  manufacturer’s Sherburn-in-Elmet factory was the highlight of the gathering  of members from the organisation’s benchmarking club for the coach and bus industry. Whisking attendees to the plant from the venue of the meeting was an Optare […]

PLEASE NOTE: To see all the images in a gallery, click on the title image above The objective was straightforward enough, get from Cockfosters to Heathrow following the Piccadilly line. Simple, should take about an hour and a half, except that we decided to do it by TfL bus. From the team that brought you […]

Municipal bus operations could return to Scotland, according to a report in the Scotsman newspaper. This would remove a legislative stumbling block for Aberdeen Labour group’s plans to buy First’s Aberdeen operation (see B&CB 1534, 14 June 2019). MSPs have voted to lift a ban on creating municipally-owned bus services, proposing to amend the Scottish […]