Transport Focus presented the results of their Autumn 2016 Bus Passenger Survey (BPS) at a briefing hosted by Merseytravel in Liverpool. David Cole was there for Bus and Coach Buyer. As Huw Edwards prompted at this year’s CPT Dinner, the industry needs to shout more about its achievements and the high level of customer satisfaction […]
Blackpool Transport Services Ltd, the council owned municipal bus operation, has teamed up with Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) in a unique deal that could change the way that operators purchase vehicles in the future. I first heard about this collaboration when Richard Matthews, Sales Director, Retail Bus at ADL, introduced me to James Carney, Finance […]
The majority of sighted people are unlikely to contemplate, let alone understand, the difficulties that face blind and partially sighted people on a daily basis. Public transport can be a particular challenge and the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) has been working closely with operators to develop a Bus Charter in support of […]
One-coach operators buying brand new full sized coaches are few and far between. An exception is the Bewdley, Worcestershire, based company, Phillips International Travel, which operates its own tour and excursion programmes using a high specification vehicle that is replaced on a five year cycle. The latest acquisition stays true to the company’s traditions as […]
With a 10% larger footprint than last year’s edition, the Commercial Vehicle Show 2017 is set to be even bigger, attracting over 450 exhibitors. The free to attend trade event takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, from 25 to 27 April. A press event featuring some of the exhibitors was held recently, giving a preview […]
Last November, at the prestigious UK Bus Awards ceremony at The Ballroom on London’s South Bank, Stephanie Maher was crowned Young Manager of the Year. Steph, as she prefers to be called, is Operations Manager for National Express UK Bus and is mostly based at their Wolverhampton depot but has recently relocated back to their […]
If I had a prior relationship with a company as bad as that which I have had with the former King Long regime, the low point of which was being thrown off their stand at the NEC because one member of the team did not like what he had heard I had written in the […]
Driver telematics within the bus and coach industry isn’t a new initiative. Most operators have some system in place that analyses driver behaviour, often to the goal of improving fuel efficiency. However, these systems aren’t without their faults. SmartDrive think they have the ultimate solution to accurately capturing your driver behaviour to protect them, […]