Sadly, operators cease trading virtually every week, whether through unfavourable trading conditions, bankruptcy or retirement, many of them having made a major contribution to their local community. Ashley Wakelin’s Wheels operation stopped trading at the end of November last year upon his retirement. For Ashley, running buses and coaches has not always been about earning […]
It is customary for Daimler Buses to hold a pre-Busworld press conference in Stuttgart to provide information on the exhibits it will show in Kortrijk. This year, the event was preceded by a visit to the manufacturing plant at Hosdere in Turkey, one of the biggest in Western Europe, which is celebrating 20 years in […]
With the VDL Futura FHD2 selling well in the UK and Europe and the mid height Futura FMD2 taking off to the point that it now accounts for 20% of Futura sales, VDL has turned its attention to the double deck market with the unveiling of the Futura FDD2 coach. It had been promised at […]
In a move designed to strengthen its commitment to the UK market, Van Hool has concluded an agreement with Moseley for the distribution of the Van Hool integral coach range equipped with DAF engines along with the continued availability of the Scania chassis with Alicron body. This will give Van Hool two major distributors in […]
The International Coach of the Year is the Euro6 version of the Iveco Magelys Pro, the flagship of Iveco’s coach range. It was chosen from a very strong field of candidates following the staging of the Coach Euro Test at Plovdiv in Bulgaria in mid June. A full report on that event appeared in Bus […]
In its second year, the Buses Festival at the Heritage Motor Centre (HMC), Gaydon had to cope not only with major works taking place on and outside the site but also the vagaries of the British summer which brought periods of torrential rain by mid afternoon. Fortunately, there are plenty of covered displays within HMC […]
Journalists were invited to an event at Leicestershire’s spectacular Belvoir Castle, hosted by Sharpe’s of Nottingham and Arriva Bus and Coach Sales. Their relationship has been forged over a number of years, and the purchase of five Van Hools, and the occasion provided an opportunity to view some of the fleet and meet representatives from […]
Prepare to scream because I’m about to talk about the demise of the Mercedes-Benz Vario again, a subject that we have returned to repeatedly over the past couple of years. Its disappearance left something of a void in the small coach market that the various manufacturers and dealers have filled in a variety of ways. […]