Wakefield-based Pelican has expanded its Green Loan and Sustainable Trade Instrument Facility from HSBC UK to £93.5 million, facilitating the supply of up to 600 battery electric buses from Chinese manufacturer, Yutong. Jamie McCullough, Corporate Relationship Director at HSBC UK, said: “Pelican’s growth highlights the pivotal role UK businesses have to play in the shift […]
Leger Shearings Director Ian Henry has become a non-executive and, with his wife Kathleen, have become minority shareholders. CEO Liam Race, CFO Andrew Oldfield, and CPO Chris Plummer become majority stakeholders. For the past 30 years, the business has been led by Ian Henry, who is appointed Non-Executive Chairman. The executives have steered the Group […]
Operator and coach preservationist, John Brenson, died in Basildon Hospital on 30 October after a short illness. He was 88. Born Albert John Pratt but always known as John, he was the second son of Harry and Marjorie Pratt. Hailing from Rayleigh in Essex, his father moved to Brentwood and worked for the City Coach […]
National Express West Midlands has launched a trial of new drivers’ seats from West Bromwich-based Chapman Seating. The trial follows a pledge by Women in Transport, Women in Bus and Coach, and other organisations including National Express West Midlands, to accelerate improvements to bus drivers’ working environments as part of a new gold standard for […]
Women in Bus and Coach has launched a new campaign to tackle period poverty across the industry. The initiative challenges all major bus and coach garages, along with support offices and industry partners such as manufacturers across the UK, to become Period Positive workplaces by the end of 2025. This ensures employees have free and […]
Synectics Security, a security integration for transport infrastructure and vehicles, is rebranding to Ocular Integration (Ocular) under new leadership. The rebrand reflects the company’s independence and focus on delivering the latest technical solutions and innovations for protecting buses and other public transport, as well as the people who use them. It also sees the appointment […]
Operators used to tell me that midicoaches were something of a niche. That their customers actually wanted a ‘proper coach’ and that a vehicle with 35 seats was a bit of an oddball. The coach industry has moved on, and there are now few operators who’d be without a coach which bridges the gap. There […]
Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon advised FirstGroup on its recent back-to-back acquisitions of Andersons Travel and Lakeside Coaches. FirstGroup is a longstanding client of Burges Salmon, which also acted for the group on its recent acquisitions of Ensignbus and York Pullman. The firm also supported the group on its national bus fleet and infrastructure […]