CPT President Ian Luckett wrote in a recent blog: “…as operators we need to keep up the pressure on our elected representatives but equally it is imperative we get involved with our local authorities”. Ian was referring to the Government’s Air Quality Plan, in which local councils have been charged by Government to come up […]
There are plenty of Sprinter conversions around which take the bulletproof van base and give 16 seats. So why go the coachbuilt route? Mellor Coachcraft has been ambitious in the last couple of years, with a suite of products which include the Strata HF – a conventional, high-floor, wheelchair-accessible minibus. Like its lowfloor sister, the […]
Twenty years ago, in 1997, more than 165,000 coaches boarded ferries out of Dover laden with people keen to see ‘The Continent.’ By last year, that total had halved, to just 87,000 coaches. That picture may be explained in part by the advent of Le Shuttle, which definitely ate into the short-sea ferries’ share of […]
You’d be forgiven for thinking the ‘Bus’ part of the show logo had fallen off, Conservative Conference style, when this year’s big exhibition opened. Bus builders were notable by their absence, but the outcome was a focus on coaches and some of the most interesting products in years. Nor did this seem to the detriment […]
In this review, we’ve cherry-picked the highlights of the event. Continued from part 1. EVM’s lowfloors hit the mainstream EVM have had a bumper year with increased UK and Irish sales, higher production and a growing export business. Of particular success have been the Community and CityLine products which offer direct wheelchair access. Increasingly sales […]
Van Hool is set to be the first manufacturer to introduce an electric coach but it will launch on the North American market in 2019. Van Hool and Proterra, an American battery technology company, are expecting the venture to create a 100% electric-powered coach with 300km range and says it will be primarily used for […]
The Mercedes Benz Tourismo is the best-selling coach in Europe and has made an increasing impact on the UK market since it was launched here. Now there is a new generation of the model with many more options, some of them exclusively right-hand-drive, which Daimler Buses hopes will further entrench the model’s appeal. For those […]
The new Levante III launched at this week’s Coach and Bus UK show by Caetano is one of the most innovative coaches of the year. The Portuguese-built vehicle is completely re-engineered and has a raft of new features designed in conjunction with National Express, whose operators will be the main customers for the 14.9-metre tri-axle. […]