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Friday, 25 September 2020

Times Online

• National Express has recovery timetable [subscription]National Express has been operating at just half its usual rate but relief that the situation is no worse than that and should improve gave some succour to investors.

Coach and Bus Week

• Ulsterbus Tours to close as Translink targets £20m in cost savingsTranslink’s long standing coach unit to close in order to maintain front line services
• End of an era as UK’s last conductors outside London face redundancy25 years after they were re-introduced, Stagecoach has brought to an end what is believed to be the last use of bus conductors outside London. The firm announced last week that after temporarily withdrawing crew operation on its Tayway 73 service at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, they will not be returning. The 73 runs up to every 10 minutes between Arbroath and Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital via Dundee city centre, using a fleet of route-branded Enviro400MMC hybrid double-deckers.
• Bus Users investigates attitudes of passengers in latest surveyFollowing the change in government messaging encouraging people to return to public transport, Bus Users has carried out a survey to find out how passengers feel about getting back on board. The survey attracted 440 responses, and asked people about their use of coach and bus services before and after lockdown, and their attitudes towards face coverings.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Stephen Walsh takes up Optare Regional Sales Manager roleOptare has appointed Stephen Walsh (pictured) to the position of Regional Sales Manager for Scotland and East of England.
• Sunak’s ‘missed opportunity’ for coach industry support: CPTThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision to introduce a Job Support Scheme, but it says that Mr Sunak has “missed an opportunity” to further help the coach industry.
• Heavy vehicle testing review by DfT and DVSA gets underwayA review of heavy vehicle testing has commenced, with Department for Transport (DfT) and DVSA officials having already met with stakeholders.
• Wales Bus Emergency Scheme extended to financial year endThe Welsh Government has extended the Bus Emergency Scheme in Wales to the end of the current financial year with an allocation of a further £84.6m of funding. The additional money will allow bus provision to be sustained at current levels and help to develop “enhanced levels of service” ahead of a wider adoption of partnership working.
• Brand the Bus competition returns for third year runningThe Oxford Bus Company’s (OBC’s) annual Brand the Bus competition is back by popular demand for a third year running.
• Aura Air ramps up for 1,000+ COVID-19 filter systems to be fitted in UK coaches by year endAfter its spectacular launch success, Aura Air is hoping to become the industry standard for coronavirus COVID-19 protection on UK coaches.
• Long-term bus funding deals needed for recovery, says UTGLong-term government funding settlements for the bus industry and an expansion of the powers of city region local transport authorities (LTAs) are required if services are to recover from the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the Urban Transport Group (UTG) has claimed.
• New Deputy Managing Director appointment at RotalaRotala has appointed Matt Rawlinson as its new Deputy Managing Director for the business’ north-west operation.