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Friday, 22 November 2019

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Older people resorting to taxis as bus routes cut OLDER people and families in West Yorkshire are increasingly having to use taxis to get around due to cuts to bus services, it has been claimed.

Coach and Bus Week

• Crime drops on West Midlands public transport networkCrime on the West Midlands public transport network has fallen by 5% in the last six months, says TfWM. The drop is in crimes recorded on bus, rail and Metro trams between April and September 2019 and compared to figures for the same period last year and is set against a national backdrop of rising crime.
• Go-Ahead London bus depot wins international green energy awardA £20m project to create the UK’s first all-electric bus garage has won international acclaim after The Go-Ahead Group was awarded one of the world’s most prestigious environmental accolades.
• First suffers £118m loss in half-year to SeptemberDespite doubling its debts on the same period last year, FirstGroup is trading ‘in line with expectations’ according to its latest half-year results, which were released on 14 November.
• McGill’s fined after Public Inquiry and told to hire more TMsA £75,000 fine is issued for poor punctuality alongside numerous undertakings, after concerns are sparked by route monitoring and a wheel loss incident
• The road to success: Perfecting the art of bus schedulingWhat can make or break a bus operator? The buses themselves – quite possibly. The staff – almost certainly. But for most operators arguably the most critical of all factors is actually timetable scheduling, argues Gavin John, Scheduling Solutions Manager at Trapeze Group
• Stertil Koni manufacturer of choice for First Cymru wash bay upgradeFirst Cymru recently decided to replace an old wash bay lift at its Port Talbot depot with a new model from the same manufacturer: Stertil Koni. Despite having seen many years’ service at the depot, the old lift had continued to work reliably, making First’s decision for a replacement model straightforward.
• Labour to re-nationalise bus services if electedLabour Leader Jeremy Corbyn revealed at yesterday’s CBI Conference that, if elected, a Labour government would allow councils to take full control of their bus services.
• Wrightbus recommences vehicle deliveries under Bamford ownershipWrightbus has delivered its first new vehicles under the new management of Bamford Bus Company, following the firm’s collapse and subsequent sale to entrepreneur Jo Bamford.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Coach retrofit funding on CPT government wish listThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has set out its priorities for the next government that will allow coaches to continue to deliver vital services and help them to contribute to air quality improvements. It includes provision of coach retrofit funding to assist with the upgrading of existing vehicles to Euro VI standards.
• Oxford Tube to see ‘significant’ improvementsStagecoach has announced that its Oxford Tube express coach service between the university city and London will see “significant improvements” from 6 January.
• Electric double-deckers for three more TfL routesTransport for London (TfL) has revealed that three more routes will be converted to operation with battery electric double-deckers, with a combined PVR of 52. The news was contained in TfL’s latest contract awards notification, issued last week.
• First Leeds orders nine Yutong E10 electric busesFirst Leeds had placed an order for nine Yutong E10 battery electric buses with Pelican Bus and Coach.
• Leeds CAZ now includes retrospective fundingLeeds City Council (LCC) has opened a further £3m funding round for the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ). It captures operators of coaches and non-scheduled buses that will enter the CAZ once it is introduced on a still to be determined date in 2020.