Below are some short
articles from the Route One website.
In the first article they are reporting that Wrightbus has unveiled their open
top bus design which is aimed at Tour bus companies.
From Route One
Wrightbus
is currently building a new bespoke open-topper for a yet-to-be-named UK
customer.
To
be used on tourist sightseeing, it is on Volvo’s
B5 chassis and the structure has been redesigned to account for the
open-top section. The front section also has two opening sunroofs.
To
provide a glazed section in place of the thick A-pillar on the top deck, the
frontal structure has been redesigned.
The
changes also see a smaller destination
screen, with a glazed area above, making the design unique in sightseeing.
Also,
a special drainage system for water from
the upper deck has been designed.
Details
of the customer are expected to be announced shortly.
Next up we can see
that HCT Group have ordered 38 buses from Alexander Dennis; 21 of these will be
the Enviro400H City for their route 26 contract and 17 will be single deck
Enviro200's for their route W19 contract.
From Route One
ADL
has delivered the first of a significant order to HCT Group, for London
contracted routes.
HCT
Group - which has 600 vehicles - is taking 38
new double deck and midi buses.
The
multi-million pound deal sees 21
Enviro400H City hybrid double decks for route 26 (Hackney Wick-Waterloo)
and 17 Euro 6 Enviro200 midi buses enter service as a result of conquest route
wins by HCT, formerly known as Hackney Community Transport.
HCT
Group Engineering Director Steve Perks, says: “We have worked with ADL for many
years and always found that their vehicles deliver exactly what they promise.
Their parts and service support is also second-to-none so this really wasn’t a
difficult decision.
The
two-door Enviro200s for Route W19 (Ilford-Walthamstow) will be 9.6m with 25 seats, a wheelchair
location, and 38 standees.
As we approach the end
of the New Routemaster roll out we can see that the bus operators have a choice
of two bus types which hold the NRM features, these are the Enviro400H City and
the two door Volvo B5LH SRM (Son of Routemaster). The stylish Enviro400H City
is expected to enter service on route 26 by 25th June 2016. They are currently in service on
route 78 which is operated by Arriva London from Ash Grove (AE) Garage.
In other news,
Alexander Dennis will be building more buses as Go South Coast has signed a £10 million deal for 49 new buses.
From Route One
Go
South Coast has signed a £10m deal with
Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) that will see the introduction of 49 vehicles – including new-generation
double decks, midi buses and luxury coaches - during the next nine months.
The
move further enhances the Go-Ahead subsidiary’s reputation as a leading bus and
coach operator in Bournemouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, and in the wider
catchment area covering Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The
order includes 32 Euro 6 Enviro400
double decks. Of these, 17 are high-specification inter-urban buses with
tables on the upper deck, Wi-Fi, USB charging points, high-back seats, mood
lighting and wood-effect floors.
Three
will be fitted with multi-lingual commentary systems for tourist journeys to
Stonehenge, while a further dozen 10.9m
double decks will run on urban and inner-city routes in the region.
On
the single deck front, Go South Coast has ordered 12 high-capacity, 39-seat, 11.5m Enviro200 midi buses, plus one 8.9m Enviro200 that will join other
short-length vehicles operating on the Isle of Wight.
Completing
its acquisition programme for 2015-16, Go South Coast will also buy four
Plaxton luxury coaches for its Damory and Tourist brands. These will be
top-of-the-range 12.6m Elite vehicles
built on Euro 6 Volvo B11R chassis. They will have 51 seats, centre sunken
toilets and DDA-compliant lifts.
Says
Andrew Wickham, Go South Coast MD: “These state-of-the-art vehicles form part
of our on-going investment in modern buses and coaches that enhance the
customer experience.”
Adds
ADL Sales Director London and the South East Martin Brailey: “This business win
is the latest in a series of contract arrangements struck between ADL and
regional operations of the Go-Ahead Group and we look forward to that
relationship growing and flourishing in the years ahead.”
Lastly, we can see
that HCT Group highlights the bus
franchising model in Jersey in order to influence the debate on the Bus Services Bill in England.
From Bus and Coach
HCT
Group, which is a firm supporter of the bus franchising model, has published a
review of how the system in Jersey has been developed in an attempt to
influence the forthcoming debates on the Bus Services Bill for England.
The
report, ‘Practical Bus Franchising - The Jersey Model’, describes how Jersey
used a version of bus franchising with the aims of increased ridership, lower
costs, modal shift, and partnership-working with the operator HCT.
The
publication includes interviews with States of Jersey officials who were
involved in the franchising process.
“We
developed an approach that enabled us to really meet the needs of Jersey and
are proud of what we have achieved,” says John Rogers, chief officer,
department for infrastructure, States of Jersey. “We are happy to share what we
have learned with commissioners in the UK and have supported HCT Group to tell
our story.”
HCT’s
report argues that Jersey has seen impressive results from its franchising
process, including an increase in ridership of 32 per cent since 2013 when HCT
Group took over the service under its LibertyBus brand. It also claims there
has been an increase in customer satisfaction.
“It’s
no secret that we believe franchising has much to offer commissioners, the
travelling public and operators themselves,” says Dai Powell, chief executive,
HCT Group. “It is partly our experience in Jersey that leads us to this
position.
“We
have published the details of Jersey’s method not because we think it is a ‘one
size fits all’ solution, but because we believe that it’s a useful addition to
the thinking currently underway at authorities who are considering the implications
of the Buses Bill – we hope it helps.”
I have already
reported on the situation regarding the Bus Services Bill which you can read here.
That’s all I have to
report on for now.
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