Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has awarded the first of its re-regulated bus network contracts to Diamond Buses and Go-Ahead Group. Go-Ahead’s Go North West operating company beat off competition from eight other operators bidding to run bus routes in both Wigan and Bolton from 17 September 2023. The buses will be part of Manchester’s […]
Daimler Buses intends to offer electric coaches with its Mercedes-Benz and Setra brands by the end of the decade. The manufacturer has teamed up with research institutes and experts from the industry to form the Electrified Coach project (ELCH in short). The project is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. […]
A joint venture company between the Go-Ahead Group and UGL, U-Go-Mobility, has been awarded a contract to operate buses in Sydney by Transport for New South Wales. The contract worth approximately $500 million, to be split 50-50 between the two partners. Under a seven year deal with operations beginning in July 2023, U-Go Mobility will […]
VDL Bus & Coach has appointed Richard van den Dungen as Commercial Director. Van den Dungen succeeds Marcel Jacobs in the position following his departure last June. As Commercial Director, Richard will focus on managing the commercial organisation at home and abroad, among other things with the aim of securing and improving long-term customer satisfaction. […]
Carousel Buses’ PickMeUp demand responsive transport (DRT) service has made 10,000 journeys since its launch ten weeks ago. Operating in High Wycombe, PickMeUp is made possible with to funding from Buckinghamshire Council via the government’s Rural Mobility Fund. Users of the service can summon minibuses via an app to pick them up at a ‘virtual […]
The plan to charge coaches for access to Cambridge (B&CB 1641, 9 December 2022) has drawn a barrage of criticism from coach operators and trade associations. In its consultation exercise, the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s (GCP) ‘Making Connections 2022’ sets out a huge bus investment plan of £50m a year followed by, in 2027, a congestion […]
A virtual-reality bus driving-simulator is now in place at National Express West Midlands. Using the DriVR machine’s fully immersive 360-degree image, bus drivers can dive into a variety of driving scenarios including severe weather, driving in the dark and emergency braking. It is designed to simulate a real-life trip out on the road, without the […]
Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) has announced that 90% of parts ordered online via its AD24 platform are now delivered the next day. The annual amount spent online on parts has also increased by 228% since 2019 as the manufacturer reveals it has seen a seismic shift in how operators are purchasing parts thanks to benefits […]