After visiting the VCS85 event, I took the opportunity to sample the BYD double deckers that Metroline are running on TfL route 98 from Holborn to Willesden. It’s a route of three parts; the whole length of the West End shopping experience on Oxford Street; Edgware Road, amajor arterial route and suburban streets from Kilburn […]
Transport Focus presented the results of their Autumn 2016 Bus Passenger Survey (BPS) at a briefing hosted by Merseytravel in Liverpool. David Cole was there for Bus and Coach Buyer. As Huw Edwards prompted at this year’s CPT Dinner, the industry needs to shout more about its achievements and the high level of customer satisfaction […]
Edwards Coaches is opening a new multi-million pound depot in Avonmouth following it being awarded a ten year National Express contract to run services in the south west of England. The operator is seeking to recruit 100 drivers as well as five engineers, five supervisors, five customer service personnel and five administrative staff for the […]
Two new traffic commissioners have been appointed by Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling. Colonel Tim Blackmore OBE and Simon Evans will be traffic commissioners for the North East and the North West respectively and will take up their new roles from May 2017. Tim will fill the post vacated by Kevin Rooney, who took over the […]
Blackpool Transport Services Ltd, the council owned municipal bus operation, has teamed up with Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) in a unique deal that could change the way that operators purchase vehicles in the future. I first heard about this collaboration when Richard Matthews, Sales Director, Retail Bus at ADL, introduced me to James Carney, Finance […]
Arriva has launched a new minibus service in Kent called ArrivaClick. The on demand service takes multiple passengers heading in the same direction and books them into a shared vehicle. It works via an app for iPhone or Android, with users selecting pick up and drop off points and being guaranteed a seat. It currently […]
In 2016, the bus division of the Daimler Group achieved the best return on sales in the industry at 6.2%. Daimler Buses increased its earnings by 28% to €258m/£224.89m (2015: €202m/£176.08m). The division’s earnings were therefore substantially higher than in the previous year. At approximately 3,000 buses, the Setra brand posted record unit sales in […]
As part of the recent second annual Disabled Access Day, Stagecoach has been working to encourage disabled people, their friends and families to visit somewhere new and try public transport to get there. Activities the operator planned during the event included ‘Try A Bus Day’ at a number of Stagecoach bus companies, offering people with […]