Optare has received a conditional offer of £1.5m in funds from the fourth round of the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). The RGF is provided through the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) to support projects and programmes to create economic growth and sustain private sector employment. The bus manufacturer is one of 102 […]
A new independent body is being established in Scotland to help drive up standards in bus travel and promote the needs of passengers to transport policy makers. Bus Users Scotland will be working with partners across the country including the Scottish Government, local transport authorities and bus operators to support passengers and improve services. The […]
FirstBus claims it will become the first company in the bus industry to provide its drivers with specific training designed to help people who are blind or partially sighted to confidently use the bus. The operator will begin this training for each of its 17,000 UK drivers from September. To provide this tuition, it has […]
CPT has reminded its members of fines in France for using sat navs that detail speed camera locations. Camera location alerts should be disabled when in the country. It advises the removal of French camera data from navigation devices during any software upgrade.
The European Parliament (EP) has voted to support the testing of commercial vehicle wheels fitted onto non-standard axles as part of the EU Roadworthiness Package. This has also been endorsed by the DfT. The safety issue has been led by Motor Wheel Service Distribution (MWSD) and saw the company’s MD, John Ellis, presenting expert testimony […]
Chalkwell is celebrating 20 years of offering commuter services from Sittingbourne to London. It was in July 1993 that the Sittingbourne based operator began providing an alternative choice of commuting to London with three coaches. In 2000, it extended the area it covered to include Rainham. Four and a half years’ ago it commenced running […]
Turkish bus builder, BMC, is to be put up for sale according to press reports from Turkey. The company was seized by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), Turkey’s body managing fund management and insurance, earlier this year. A sale of BMC to a new owner is expected to bring back interest from the Turkish […]
First Glasgow’s zero tolerance approach to combating vandalism has produced some ‘dramatic improvements’. Broken windows have been reduced from 8,000 ten years ago to just 750 for last year. According to the operator, forging close relationships with the police, the introduction of CCTV to the majority of the fleet, running anti-vandalism programmes and better engaging […]