Obituary Adrian Wickens, latterly Bus Planning Manager at Volvo Buses, has died suddenly while on a walking holiday in France Adrian, who retired in 2015, was a Volvo Bus stalwart, having worked at the company for 42 years. He was also chairman of the SMMT Bus & Coach section for ten years and was heavily […]
Registrations decline in first quarter. Double-digit drop for double- and single-deckers, but minibuses bounce back. New bus and coach registrations fell 4.5% in the first quarter of 2018, according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures. There were 1,793 PCVs hitting the UK’s roads in the period. This is the fifth consecutive quarter […]
After European success, German coach distruptor aims for over 1,000 daily connections for the States European intercity coach operator, FlixBus, is bringing its business model to the United States. Five years after its first European routes, FlixBus is to run services between US cities including LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson on 31 […]
With a recent delivery of 16 ADL Enviro400H double-deckers for Abellio London, the alliance between the operator and the manufacturer has strengthened. The new hybrids will boost the Abellio London fleet towards the 800 mark, with a staggering 85% of those being made by ADL. Business between the two companies now totals over £100m since […]
Reading Buses CEO, Martijn Gilbert, is to leave his post at the end of July. Martijn is to take up the role of MD at Go-Ahead Group’s Go North East operation, based in Newcastle. He is to take over from Kevin Carr, who is set to retire. Martijn has held his role at Reading since […]
Go-Ahead owned Oxford Bus Company is to launch what it describes as the UK’s most ambitious demand-responsive bus service. Launching on 25 June, the PickMeUp service will enable residents, workers and students in a 12.2 square mile area around Oxford to request a bus pick-up within minutes at a virtual bus-stop using a new mobile […]
FirstGroup is trialling what has been described as the UK’s first cross-modal public transport. The new mode of transport is being tested in Bristol’s Henleaze and Westbury Park regions. First has joined forces with Bristol-based technology start-up Esoterix Systems to deliver the service. The pilot started on 15 May and sees people using a hackney-style […]
Trade body’s consultation response says DfT guidance for local journeys and for ‘less than cost’ operations are deeply flawed The Confederation of Passenger Transport has slammed proposed distance limits in guidance for Section 19/22 regulation as ‘wrong in principle and unworkable in practice.’ Responding to the Department for Transport’s consultation as it tries to rectify […]