Director of transport consultants TAS Partnership, John Taylor, has urged community transport operators (CTOs) against pursuing the Short Distance Exemption from ‘O’ licensing (introduced from 1 October 2019). Speaking at the CTA UK’s CT’19 event in Manchester earlier this month, John said: “The simple message is: don’t go there!” He warns that to do so […]
London’s second on-demand bus service has started. Entitled Slide Ealing, the service is provided by TfL, RATP and German technology firm MOIA. It will operate seven days a week, 6am to 1am, and cover an area from Southall in the west to the North Circular, and from the A40 down to Boston Manor in the […]
As plans for franchising Greater Manchester’s buses are consulted on, the regions bus operator partnership, OneBus, hit back. OneBus claims the franchising plans would lead to inflation-busting fares rises, higher taxes, plummeting passenger numbers and no investment to tackle the real barriers to bus use, according to documents made public as part of a consultation […]
This year is the 26th anniversary of the death of Claire Fitzgerald who died along with 11 of her friends and a teacher when the minibus she was travelling in crashed on the M40. The teacher had fallen asleep at the wheel according to the overwhelming evidence heard at the inquest. Prior to the collision, […]
Wrightbus has made its first delivery of vehicles since its acquisition last month. It has also now begun a recruitment process. With new owners the Bamford Bus Company in place, Wrightbus has delivered the first 36 units of a 55-bus order to First Group for use in Leeds, in a deal totalling circa £13 million. […]
All 20 coaches in the order are for Scania Irizar i6S models, of which 18 will be tri-axles with the remaining two based on 4×2 chassis. The 18 tri-axles will be built on Scania’s K 410 6×2*4 rear-steer chassis and equipped with Scania’s 410-hp engine and fully automated Opticruise gear selection system. Their Irizar i6S […]
The quest for high capacity in two-axle coaches is nothing new, with a target of 57 seats and a toilet the usual aim, most coachbuilders managing this within around 13 metres. Generally, above this number seat pitch becomes a compromise between capacity and comfort, creating a vehicle you’d avoid sending out for rugby supporters and […]
During a day when a month’s worth of rain fell within 24 hours in some places, it would be easy to be as miserable as the grey, frowning clouds delivering the downpour. But that is not the case for Richard Bamber, Managing Partner of family-operator Anthony’s Travel. Meeting him in the thankfully dry confines of […]