Near empty buses running on routes may, despairingly, be a familiar sight in some parts of the country, particularly rural areas. Although these services provide a vital service to those who rely on them, cost cutting pressures on local authorities mean they often fall victim to budget cuts, threatening their existence. This is causing accessibility […]
The Boxing Day operation of free bus routes in west Cumbria by the Workington Transport Heritage Trust (WTHT) is a well established event in the heritage calendar. In its early years, it provided a number of local services around Workington which were the only buses operating in the area on that day. Subsequently, the introduction […]
An ‘Obsidian’ jewel in the yard of Step 1 Travel of Horncastle, Lincolnshire is it’s new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 516 Bluetec mini-coach, converted by Excel Conversions. Chris Peat met with Step 1 Travel proprietor Philip Heath to inspect this new vehicle. He also took the opportunity to see some more of Phil’s fleet and talk to […]
Fresh paintwork is something that benefits vehicles new and old, whether to breathe new life into an older vehicle or as part of an upgrade of a newer vehicle to a higher specification for a more premium service. You may have read about refurbishers and paintshops that can carry this work out, but what about […]
Shearings Leisure Group has appointed Richard Calvert as its new CEO. The appointment follows the departure of Denis Wormwell at the end of 2016 to pursue a non-executive career. Richard will join the company in spring 2017, with Gary Speakman, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy CEO, continuing to lead the business on an interim basis […]
The Supreme Court has published its judgement in the case of First Group Plc vs Paulley, a wheelchair user heard on appeal from the Court of Appeal. In a statement accompanying its judgement, the Supreme Court stated, ‘The issue in this appeal is the reasonable adjustments which a bus company is required to make to […]
£1.2bn is to be spent on the roads in the 2017 to 2018 financial year. The money is intended to improve roads, cut congestion and improve journey times. It includes £75m which councils can bid for to repair and maintain local infrastructure such as bridges, street lighting and rural roads. One of the schemes given […]
From 29 January, First Manchester is to add a new Vantage route to the services it operates on Manchester’s guided busway, which was launched in April 2016. The new V3 Vantage service will run hourly every day, between Manchester Royal Infirmary and Leigh. The V1 and V2 Vantage services will continue, but there will be […]