Bennetts Coaches of Gloucester (pictured, above) has continued its success at the National Express Operator Partnership Awards in 2024 by claiming victory in the Network Operator of the Year category for the third consecutive year among several other accolades. Now in their 16th year, the Awards recognise the role played by partner operators in delivery of the National Express scheduled coach network. For 2024 the presentation evening was held at the Best Western Plus Windmill Village Hotel in Coventry. Recognised as Driver of the Year was Loris Wharton (pictured, below, second from left), of ..read more

Whittles Coaches of Kidderminster has returned to Irizar UK for a second integral coach in the form of an i6S Efficient tri-axle. The 14m newcomer has 63 seats and follows an i6S integral delivered in 2023. Each position is equipped with USB charging points, magazine nets and drop-down tables. The coach is PSVAR compliant, with a Masats lift above the drive axle and Hanover destination displays. A centre sunken toilet and a drinks machine adjacent to the courier seat are also fitted, while entertainment is via a Bosch Smart Series CD player and DAB radio combined with twin monitors from Actia ..read more

East Yorkshire Buses has branched into North Yorkshire with seven routes which are operating as the North Riding brand. The Go-Ahead subsidiary is collaborating with North Yorkshire Council to replace services previous run by Reliance Buses and York and Country Buses. Among the North Riding fleet will be two new buses. The routes, which were launched earlier this month, will pass some of North Yorkshire’s best scenery and serve attractions and locations such as Castle Howard, Ripon Malton, Kirkbymoorside and Vangarde Retail & Leisure Park. According to Go-Ahead, the aim is to “create an ef ..read more

Pauls Coaches is recruiting for an Operations/Compliance Manager to be based on the Staffordshire/Cheshire Border. Full time Operations/Compliance Manager for our depot based on the Staffordshire/Cheshire Border. Your duties would include: – Driver management/compliance with tru-tac analysis including walkaround checks. Working with workshop for planned maintenance/MOT/Defects scheduling. Vehicle & Driver scheduling and allocation. PCV driving licence required. Experience in a similar roll would be advantageous. Salary £35-£40K p/a depending on experience. Closing date 31st May 2024 Please ..read more

Brownrigg’s Coaches of Egremont in Cumbria has added an Iveco Daily with Erener Revolution bodywork to its fleet, supplied by EVM. It has 29 seats that are finished in synthetic leather. Three-point belts, drop-down tables and magazine nets are fitted, along with aisle-side folding armrests. A courier’s position is provided, while the driver’s seat is upholstered in real leather. PSVAR compliance comes thanks to a lift mounted and large additional door behind the drive axle, while Hanover destination displays are fitted at the front, side and rear. Luggage storage is in a rear boot with an ele ..read more

Wrightbus has taken a further order from Germany for its Kite Hydroliner hydrogen fuel cell-electric single-decker, calling for 46 examples to go to Cottbusverkehr in the eastern city of Cottbus. The manufacturer has already recorded sales of the same vehicle type to Regionalverkehr Koln in Cologne for up to 60, Saarbahn in the Saarland region for 28, and West Verkehr in North Rhine Westphalia for 12. Further European orders are in the pipeline, Wrightbus says. It claims to be the continent’s fastest growing bus manufacturer and is currently building 22 vehicles per week, with 1,000 zero-emiss ..read more

Any driver that removes a digital tachograph card from the head unit and then continues to drive an in-scope vehicle should be dismissed in all barring the most exceptional of circumstances, Traffic Commissioner (TC) Miles Dorrington has said. Mr Dorrington’s words are within a written decision following a Public Inquiry on 21 March involving Bouden Travel and its Transport Manager (TM) Sophie Baugh. The TC notes that driving an in-scope vehicle without a tachograph card inserted “is the equivalent to a road safety critical S-marked maintenance-related prohibition,” and he is scathing of what ..read more

The number of bus trips and distance travelled per person in England outside London did not increase in 2022-23 compared to 2022, according to mid-period estimates from the government’s yearly National Travel Survey (NTS). In the year ending June 2023, the average person outside the capital took 23 bus trips per year – the same as for the 2022 calendar year. This was 28% down on the 32 trips per person in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on travel habits. It was a similar story for distance travelled on buses outside London. Figures showed this remained at 120 miles per ..read more

First Bus has opened a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) charging hub for the public at its Summercourt depot in Cornwall. The facility is believed to be the first UK bus depot to offer consumer EV charging and follows a £1 million investment from First Bus to provide charging infrastructure to the area. The hub comprises eight rapid chargers, payment via contactless card with no app or signup required, rapid charging rates of 150kW, and on-site rest facilities. The chargers at Summercourt are also being made available to local businesses following a model used by First in Glasgow and Leicester ..read more

The decision to revert some roads back to a 30mph speed limit in Wales has been met with support from some quarters of the bus sector. Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates confirmed in the Senedd yesterday that the adjustment of roads away from the default 20mph limit would begin in September. The controversial introduction last September of the new default limit for urban roads had been unpopular with some bus operators, leading to timetable changes and service revisions. How many roads return to 30mph will be for local councils to decide in the coming months. However, the biggest indication ..read more