Wise Words for You

Life-saving defibrillators are being fitted to part of the Plymouth Citybus fleet in a groundbreaking new charity partnership. Sixteen defibrillators donated by local charity Hearts Together, will be on board the company’s 16 Spark buses, which serve one of the busiest routes in Plymouth, with the aim to eventually have one on every single bus. They can be used to restart the heart in case of cardiac arrest and can raise survival rates from 6% to an incredible 74%. Plymouth Citybus has worked closely with local charity Hearts Together, who support patients, families and carers in the South West, to deliver the project. Defibshop, who are experts in their field, have also provided support and resources to assist this new venture.  This is the first scheme in the UK to place defibrillators on buses.  It will be officially launched on  Wednesday 16th October  - World Restart a Heart Day - with a display on the  Piazza in Plymouth City Centre . ...

Edinburgh has always been famous for not giving change on their buses. Lothian have now rolled out contactless payments across their services from Wednesday, July 24th July Commuters can now go contactless with a daily cap on fares - similar to the system already in operation in London - in a first for Scotland. Customers will simply board the bus and tap their cards against the reader to pay for their ticket. However, after three or more taps, the fare will be capped at the Adult day ticket price, so locals are not paying over the odds for travel. Nigel Serafini, Lothian’s Commercial Director said: “We are delighted to have launched city-wide contactless payment for our customers. With more and more of our transactions becoming ‘cashless’, it was important to recognise the demand for this capability across our fleet.” “This has been at the top of customers’ wish lists for some time and we’re pleased to be able to deliver an easy and convenient method of payment, which r...

Abellio has confirmed an order for 34 Caetano zero emission, electric buses to strengthen its fleet in London. The new buses will enter service from March 2020. This will be the first Caetano electric bus for the UK, reinforcing the already strong presence of the brand in this market. Abellio has ordered the Caetano e.City Gold in 10.7m form that offers a capacity for 60 passengers with complete low floor throughout. It is a 100% electric urban bus that includes zero emission heating and has been developed by CaetanoBus to fully comply with TfL’s latest specification. In addition, the new buses will include a number of features from the new TfL Bus Safety Standard such as a Camera Monitoring Systems to replace traditional wing mirrors, Intelligent Speed Assist, Acoustic Vehicle Alert System and a revised front design to improve pedestrian/vulnerable road user safety. The bus is part of a wider family of zero emission urban mobility vehicles developed by CaetanoBus, many of which ...

RATP Dev  has announced the sale of its subsidiary  Bournemouth Transport Limited  (trading as Yellow Buses and Yellow Coaches) to the management team led by David Squire (Managing Director) with Phil Pannell (Service Delivery Director) and Simon Newport (Commercial Director).  The associated non-trading company of  Vintage Yellow Buses Limited  was also included in the sale. “Our decision to step down from our commercial bus operations in the Bournemouth deregulated sector pertains to our strategic focus on our franchise operations in London, together with our sightseeing and coach businesses in Bath, London and the North West. Under the leadership of David Squire and his team, Bournemouth Transport has undergone a major transformation.  The agreement completed today will ensure the company has local ownership and management. We are delighted that we can enable Bournemouth Transport Ltd and its employees to pursue a promising way forward...

First Bus announced yesterday, its intention to sell the Bolton bus depot and operations to Rotala PLC. The intended sale would include the Bolton depot site, with 18 bus services transferring across to Rotala. The sale is expected to complete in the next few months and more than 500 employees who work for the Bolton bus operation will transfer to Rotala. First Manchester will continue to operate existing local bus services from the Bolton site until the sale is completed and customers should see no changes to their daily journeys throughout this period of transition. Going forward, First Manchester will focus its attention on the remaining bus services that primarily operate from the Oldham bus depot.  Vantage services will also continue to be operated by First Manchester. Following a review of its Manchester operations completed last year, First Bus took the decision to reduce exposure in Greater Manchester due to the current uncertainties in that particul...