New guidance from DfT says tendered contracts make S19 operators commercial . . . and some drivers need full licences and DCPC Community transport operators have been plunged into crisis by new guidance from the Department for Transport, which says Section 19 and 22 operators CANNOT run openly-tendered contracts and, in some circumstances, may need […]

Rotala has acquired Hansons Local Buses of Lye, near Stourbridge. The deal was completed on 28 July 2017 and the exact values of the deal were not disclosed. There are no redundancies as a result of the take-over. There are around 50 staff at the acquired company. In the immediate future, there are expected to […]

Transdev Blazefield’s bus app, VAMOOZ, has been launched on Reading Buses. The move comes as part of a partnership between the two operators. Originally released by the northern operator in May this year, the app features a list of trips being run by the company, which users can browse. They can either sign up to […]

The Government has announced that toll charges on the Severn crossings will be scrapped at the end of 2018. Among the 25 million journeys annually across the bridge are a large number of coach tolls at £20. It is estimated the change will bring £100 million in to the Welsh economy. Opened in 1966 at […]

Coaches parking in Canterbury have been getting a rude awakening from council wardens, who have been issuing £200 fines for not displaying ‘No Smoking’ signs. By law, all coaches and buses need to have the ‘No smoking’ signs displayed where all passengers will see them – typically as window or seat stickers. Canterbury City Council […]

Plans for Cardiff’s new bus station have been put on hold after the developer claimed the offices and flat which are part of the scheme may not be viable. The original plans included private flats and office space near the entrance to Cardiff Railway Station but developer Rightacres now says that, as a minimum, the […]

So much is happening within the Irizar Group these days that regular visits to Spain are required in order to keep up with them. No longer is it just a case of taking in the main factory at Ormaiztegi, there is the integral mechanisation facility too, and this time journalists were the first to be […]

Mark Self has dropped me a line, after reading our ULEZ/CAZ extravaganza, highlighting the machinations of operators over the route to Euro 6. Aiming leftfield, Mark points out that, while diesel cars now garner the kind of reaction once reserved for dog mess, their petrol equivalents are regarded as ‘clean,’ simply because NOx and particulate […]