For the last 30 years, Frank Riola has been at the heart of the bus and coach seating business, yet his initial involvement was largely coincidental. Proudly Italian in origin, he was christened Francesco and came to Cambridgeshire at the age of ten in 1964. Not only does his company, Abacus Tubular Products, supply seats […]

Following our story on the changes to the Dartford Crossing and some of the concerns raised by a number of operators regarding this (B&CB 1305, 5 December 2014) I’ve been speaking to Nigel Gray, Project Director Dart Charge at the Highways Agency and Simon McBeth of SANEF, an Operations Advisor to the Dart Charge Project. […]

I can’t believe that it is a year since I penned the last of these Reviews but my rapidly reducing diary assures me it is. So what sort of year has it been: rather quiet actually, as it often is in a year before a General Election but even more so this time probably because […]

All British driving licenses (including PSV licenses) are to display the Union Flag, Transport Minister, Claire Perry, has announced. Anyone applying for a new licence or changing their personal details will be issued with a licence showing both the British and European Union flags. The changes will apply to motorists in England, Scotland and Wales. […]

First has introduced 16 new Wrightbus StreetLite MicroHybrids in Tameside, Greater Manchester. The new buses each cost £150,000, are fitted with Euro5 engines and the manufacturer says they are 30% more fuel efficient. The interiors have been designed to make the bus journey as relaxing and convenient as possible, with features such as increased legroom […]

Sittingbourne based Chalkwell has announced that Kent, Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance will continue to be the company’s charity for 2015. Representatives from the business visited the Air Ambulance base at Marden where the announcement became official. The company presented the charity with a cheque for £2,500 from its various fundraising activities since the company […]

First bus has introduced a new £10 week ticket for people aged 16 to 18 across Greater Manchester from 5 January 2014. The introduction of the new FirstWeek 16-18 ticket is based upon market research conducted by the operator to identify ways to attract more young people onto bus services. As a result, it is […]

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has contributed to six local good causes from its Charities Fund, a scheme that collates donations on its employees’ behalf from their monthly or weekly pay. As a company, NCT then matches the staff contributions, which this year amounted to £4,750. The money will go to the Douglas Bader Foundation, Nottinghamshire […]