March 2020 Issue 412 LIVE driving towards a greener future Bold zero emission commitment from National Express Are You Bidding for Electric Bus Funding? Pelican are here to assist and advise you with your funding bid With 101,000 zero emission electric buses and coaches in operation worldwide, our tried and tested products are already making significant environmental improvements in towns and cities. Give Pelican Bus and Coach a call to find out why Yutong is the fastest growing bus & coach brand in the UK 01924 227722 www.pelicanyutong.co.uk Offering you more, for a great deal less comment Bus and Coach Professional is published by Plum Publishing Ltd Editorial Steve Rooney Leadership on zero [email protected] Advertising emissions Jo James [email protected] Sue Rooney [email protected] FOR quite some time we have been writing about the need for the industry Production to seize the opportunity and claim the high ground when it comes to climate Nigel Greenaway change and the imperative to move to ultra low and ultimately zero emission Contact address: vehicles. So it was especially pleasing to see a very bold commitment made by Bus and Coach Professional one of the major groups, and not just targeting its buses, but also encompass- Plum Publishing Ltd, ing its coach operations. Unit 4 Marshbrook Business Park National Express has pledged not to buy any more diesel buses and is aim- Church Stretton ing to identify manufacturing partners that will help it deliver zero emission SY6 6QE coaches with early trials of EV technology, and presumably other solutions, including hydrogen. Telephone: 01694 731510 Zero emission buses are already here. Yes, we need all the major groups to www.busandcoach.com commit to buying them in large volumes; but for coaches it is still early days Every care is taken over the accuracy with a few lone beacons shining out, including Yutong’s EV coach which of material in Bus and Coach had a starring role during the general election campaign. Professional but the publishers cannot For the wider coach sector, National Express’ latest commitment is be held responsible for any errors or very significant. The economics of coach manufacture mean that it needs omissions. substantial orders, typically from the express market, to drive change. Of Views and opinions of contributors course, not all the innovations that work for National Express routes will to Bus and Coach Professional are not wash through to traditional private hire and coach tour work, but it does at necessarily those of the publishers least provide a potential pathway towards zero emission in coaches. who cannot accept responsibility for such contributions. If you would like At last month’s Coach Tourism Association Conference in York, one of to amend your mailing details or no the key topics discussed was the environment, with delegates welcoming the longer wish to receive the printed message that coaches, even diesel ones, offer significant carbon emission magazine, please just contact us as advantages over competing modes, particularly because of the fact that a per the above details. full coach takes so many cars off the road. But this is a temporary situation; Letters and articles may be submitted as the numbers of electric cars begin to grow, this argument will have much to the editor at the address above. less force, and the coach sector at some point needs to identify its own zero © Plum Publishing Limited 2020 emission pathways. If you’re attending the British Tourism & Travel Show at the NEC, I will be very happy to tell you more. @busandcoach_com Follow commentcontents news greenbus CPT seeks support National Express from government in aims to lead the way wake of COVID 19. on zero emission buses and coaches. news greenbus ADL wins new Yutong’s first Enviro200 order Scottish order for from trentbarton. E12 with McGill’s. international aircon FlixBus’ seventh Recognition for Irish birthday heralds firm leading way on further expansion. noise control. analysis passenger info Next stop for UK Technology public transport solutions to investment - electric enhance passenger bus revolution. information systems. news CPT seeks support from government in wake of COVID 19 CPT chief executive Graham ‘social distancing’ strategy Vidler has written to buses and/or uses its powers to limit minister Baroness Vere to the use of public transport,” highlight the challenges says Vidler in the letter, “and faced by bus and coach will have a significant eco- operators during the current nomic impact on both the bus Covid 19 virus outbreak. and coach industry at a time Vidler has called on the when we are crucial to deliv- department for transport to ering sustainable transport back the industry in the light which can help to tackle social CPT chief executive Graham Vidler. of a potential downturn in deprivation, rising congestion passenger numbers on both and the climate emergency. public service both during buses and coaches. “In order to ensure that the and after any Coronavirus “This downturn will be sector can withstand such outbreak, government sup- further compounded if the economic impact and con- port is imperative.” government implements a tinue to provide an effective www.cpt-uk.org Transdev to invest in Witchway and Cityzap TRANSDEV has placed a cities across the north,” says £5.3million order for 19 ADL Transdev CEO Alex Hornby. Enviro400MMC buses with “We will show that by creat- 14 for its Witchway service, ing buses that people will be linking Burnley and Raw- proud to be seen on, we can ADL demonstrator on Cityzap route. tenstall with Manchester, offer the right solution needed and the remaining five for its to help reduce harmful emis- we look forward to working Cityzap route between York sions and congestion. with the Transdev team to and Leeds. “Already, 40 per cent of deliver Britain’s best-selling Transdev says its new customers travelling with us double-deck bus in a unique vehicles will offer a pres- on Cityzap are new to buses, specification that will be tige experience to make its having switched from the train sure to delight customers.” buses a place where people or the car, and these amazing Transdev says features want to be seen – while per- new buses will help us to build which are proving popu- suading more customers to on that. lar on its current fleet of 13 switch to the bus instead of “This major investment will ADL Enviro200 single-deck driving or taking a train. also see the Witchway receiv- buses will form part of its “We’re thrilled again ing its fourth batch of brand- latest interior design which to be investing in new new buses in 20 years.” is inspired by customer buses, which will deliver an Alexander Dennis chief research and will include advanced level of customer executive Colin Robertson free wi-fi, USB and wire- experience on two of our adds: “We are delighted that less charging for mobile most popular brands, help- Transdev has chosen Alex- devices, audio visual next- ing us to continue grow- ander Dennis to design and stop announcements and ing our share of the overall build another fleet of amaz- double-glazing throughout. travel market into our local ing buses for the North, and www.transdevplc.co.uk news Improvements for Keighley’s Aireline service Alex Ross-Shaw (left), City of Bradford metropolitan council; with The Keighley Bus Company general manager Alan Isherwood (right) and Calverley and Farsley councillor Peter Carlill. THE Keighley Bus Company is expecting a new layout at the junc- at the heart of plans pays off and improving its Aireline route link- tion of New Line and Harrogate attracts new customers, and with ing Keighley, Saltaire and Shipley Road in Greengates to help speed every bus able to remove 75 or more with Leeds, with additional buses up journey times as our buses will cars from our roads, the more peo- added to the service, more seating no longer be held up by turning ple using them means delays and capacity and increased frequencies. traffic on the junction. Work to pollution caused by congestion are “We’re delighted to announce build the new junction may lead to reduced. our plans to build on the amazing some short term delays this year, “These improvements, com- success of Aireline, which has really and to make sure the service is as bined with improved infrastruc- taken off since we introduced our resilient as possible we’ll run an ture schemes such as at New Line Yorkshire-built buses [Optares] extra bus on Aireline to help keep and Harrogate Road which we filled with features suggested by the service on time.” are investing in through the West those who know best – the people Kim Groves, chair of both West Yorkshire-Plus Transport Fund, who travel with us every day for Yorkshire’s Combined Authority are helping us achieve our shared work or leisure,” says The Keigh- and its Bus Alliance, adds: “The targets of increasing bus patronage ley Bus Company general man- success of these services shows that and combating climate change.” ager Alan Isherwood. “We’re also putting passengers’ requirements www.transdevbus.co.uk/keighley ELECTRIC HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS Switch on to Eberspächer for a perfect temperature whatever the weather Simple to use, effective in performance and reliable in operation, Eberspächer has developed both high voltage electric heating and air conditioning solutions. A WORLD OF COMFORT www.eberspacher.com – 01425 480151 jn1252_168x245_electric_systems_bcp.indd 1 26/02/2020 11:54 news ADL wins new Enviro200 order from trentbarton ADL has announced an order to follow at the start of 2021.