Tel/Ffôn: 01633 644745 Fax/Ffacs: 01633 644775 E-Mail/Ebost: [email protected] Web/Gwefan: www.monmouthshire.gov.uk Your Ref/Eich Cyf: Our Ref/Ein Cyf: PTU /1000/14 Date/Dyddiad:04/08/2014

Used Sales Companies.

Dear Sir/Madam ,

Re: Acquisition of used vehicles

Monmouthshire County Council is currently seeking expressions of interest for the purchase of used vehicles as per the specifications attached. If your company currently has any vehicles which meet the specification criteria as set out below we would be pleased to receive details of these with quotations on price by Friday 8th August 2014. We will then arrange to view these vehicles if they meet our requirements as soon as possible after this date with the option to purchase.

Please send details to [email protected] or [email protected] or alternatively by post to arrive by midday Friday 8th August 2014 to Monmouthshire County Council Passenger Transport Unit PO.Box 106 Caldicot Monmouthshire. NP26 9AN.

Yours Sincerely

Richard Cope Passenger Transport Manager Passenger Transport Unit Regeneration & Culture Directorate

Vehicle Specification:

We are currently looking to purchase the following used vehicles.

One 29 to 35 Seater Coach. Vehicle must be clean , have at least 12 months M.O.T. and be fitted with seat belts ,Air Conditioning, CD /Radio, luggage compartments,Tachograph,preferably with toilet( but may consider without.)LEZ Compliant. Manual or Automatic Gearbox Year of Manufacture: 2009 Upwards Purchase Price to be agreed.

One 70 seater coach with single seats with three point all age seatbelts. Year of manufacture 2009 upwards. Vehicle must be clean be fitted with a tachograph, manual or automatic gearbox , have luggage compartments, 12 months M.O.T. CD /Radio . Rack blowers or Air conditioning. LEZ Compliant. Purchase Price : To Be Agreed CCTV is desirable but not essential.

List of Companies that an expression of interest was sent to :-

Arriva Bus and Coach Sales Cleckheaton Yorkshire Auto Services Pontypool B.A.S.E Coach Sales Leyland Lancs Blythswood Motors Renfrew Scotland Bob Vale Coach Sales Andover Hampshire Dawson Rentals Group Rotherham Yorkshire Drew Wilson Coach Sales Carluke Scotland Edwards Coaches Llantwit Fadre Ensign Bus and Coach Purfleet Essex Evo Bus Coventry Ian Gordon Coach Sales Stair Ayrshire Irizar UK Worksop Notts John Hill Coach Sales Melton Mowbray King Long Coventry M.A.N. Coach Sales Swindon Mistral UK Knutsford Cheshire Moseley Coach Sales Pontefract Yorks Moseley in the South Wellington Nr Taunton Nigel McRee Coach Sales Loughborough Bus and Coach ( ) Sheffield Yorks Proctors Coaches Leeming Bar North Yorks Santander online company. Scania Bus and Coach Worksop Notts Stafford Bus Centre Cotes Heath Staffordshire Taylor Coach Sales Ely Cambridgeshire Ventura Coach Sales Lingfield Surrey Volvo UK. Warwick Yorkshire Bus and Coach Sales Hull.

Replies received from :-

B.A.S.E. Plaxton Bus and Coach Sales Dawson Rentals Group Arriva Bus and Coach Sales Moseley in the South

Vehicles Viewed at :-

Plaxton Bus and Coach Sales Dawson Rentals Group Arriva Bus and Coach Sales Moseley in the South

The vehicles at B.A.S.E were not viewed as they did not meet the basic specification asked for in the expression of interest.

The Vehicles viewed at Arriva Bus and Coach Sales was for the 29/35 seater requirement and also one vehicle viewed at Plaxton bus and Coach Sales and Dawson Rentals Group was for this requirement as well . After viewing and testing all these vehicles none of them were deemed suitable for our requirements as although they met the base specification they all had a number of issues that made them unsuitable for our purposes, so we did not purchase these vehicles on this part of the specification.

In relation to the 70 Seater Specification:-

Two vehicles were viewed at Moseley in the South one was an unregistered Fast Bus with a M.A.N. engine which met the specification but was not chosen because of the following reasons:-

The company that manufactures the vehicle had gone into administration so spare parts would have been hard to access and there would be no back up for this type of vehicle in the future.. The vehicle had two Exit doors one front and one central access which was a concern with safety for schoolchildren over and above the emergency exits. The vehicle had been fitted with a disabled internal lift which was missing barriers and parts and would have needed to be modified to fit in the number of seats. The seats fitted were plastic backed and a type which once damaged are difficult to replace . The distance between the seats was at a minimum and the seats were bench type not singular so the seat belts fitted through a channel and any maintenance on these would have been costly and difficult to complete without removing the seat. The vehicle had been standing for four years and was showing signs of rust around the locker areas . The vehicle lockers were very small and would not have taken a full load of cases or equipment. The vehicle on road test produced a number of rattles where the lift had been situated due to the refitment of the panels on the floor.

The second vehicle viewed was also a Fast Bus with an M.A.N. engine on a 59 plate but was only a 57 seat vehicle but was offered with a conversion to 70 this vehicle was not chosen because:-

The company that manufacturers the vehicle had gone into administration so spare parts would have been hard to access and there would be no back up for this type of vehicle in the future. The vehicle had two Exit doors one front and one central access which was a concern with safety for schoolchildren over and above the emergency exits. The vehicle lockers were very small and would not have taken a full load of cases or equipment. The vehicle was an ex demonstrator and was showing some signs of neglect to the internal bodywork and fittings. The cost was prohibitive to the age of the vehicle if converted.

The vehicles viewed at Plaxton Bus and Coach met the specification issued but were not chosen for the following reasons:-

The Three vehicles viewed at Plaxton Bus and Coach were all 2009 I shift Euro 5 :-

These vehicles were not chosen for the following reasons:-

All these vehicles had been working in Ireland on National express work and although they met the basic specification were showing a number of signs of very hard use.

Vehicle 1 : Mileage was 1,300,000 Kms Vehicle 2: Mileage was 1,426,000 Kms Vehicle 3: Mileage was 979,000 Kms

All these were extremely high mileage , the vehicles had been converted to 70 seats with a reasonable conversion but generally internally they were poor with plastic trims showing signs of wear , paint work chipped ,dashboard holes ,curtain rails missing, dents in the heating covers , general appearance .

The doors on these vehicles were wide access doors which are plug doors and have a tendency to give problems as the weight of the door on the ball joints makes them prone to wear quickly.

The vehicles were fitted with under step passenger lifts which when on road test rattled considerably and made the whole front end of the coach noisy.

On road test the one vehicle had a transmission noise and shuddered when changing gear. There was a slight oil leak on the engine of coach 2.

They were also quite highly priced for their age and condition. Although only five years old at the time of viewing were showing as vehicles you would expect to see of a greater age.

The vehicle chosen at Dawson Rentals Group was a 2009 Plaxton Panther I shift which was a vastly superior vehicle in all aspects. The mileage was reasonable at juat over 300,000Kms it had been well looked after and on road test was the best by far. The vehicle was very clean underneath and around the engine compartment and showed no signs of corrosion or body defects. There were no visible problems with the vehicle and its appearance was very good. The locker space was ample for our requirements.There was no visible damage to the interior and all lights and fittings were in good order. This vehicle was reasonably priced for its age and condition.

The last five vehicles purchased have all been with different companies listed below:- Dawson Rentals Group Plaxton Bus and Coach Prentice Coaches Scotland Stafford Bus Centre Edwards Coaches.

The vehicles were viewed and evaluated by Richard Cope Transport Manager and CPC Licence Holder and Huw Jones Operations and Commercial Manager Members are welcome to view this vehicle at any time or any of the other purchases we have made from different suppliers previously to this.