Gareth Evans sets the scene for this year’s Association of Local Bus Company Managers conference, which is being hosted by Scottish independent operator McGill’s in Glasgow
The team at McGill’s is all-set for this year’s ALBUM (Association of Local Bus Company Managers) conference, which takes place in the centre of Glasgow on May 14-16.
As you’ll read in Ralph Roberts’ ‘Face to Face’ interview, plans for the event were firmly in place, only to suffer a major setback when the original venue was hit by fire – meaning the organisers have pulled out all the stops.
The result remains an exciting line-up of speakers, with topical issues on the table for discussion and a good range of operators and suppliers booked to attend.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Driving Stability out of Uncertainty.’ Speakers and their subjects include:
- Ralph Roberts – Opening address;
- Colin Robertson, – Manufacturing in uncertain times;
- James Backhouse – Franchising and its implications;
- Andy Eastlake – Low Emission Zones;
- Mark Prowting – Insurance in a changing environment; and
- John Clarfelt – What does the future of ticketing look like in the UK?
By subscribing you will benefit from:
- Operator & Supplier Profiles
- Face-to-Face Interviews
- Lastest News
- Test Drives and Reviews
- Legal Updates
- Route Focus
- Industry Insider Opinions
- Passenger Perspective
- Vehicle Launches
- and much more!
Heritage fleet
A perhaps little-known element of the McGill’s operation is its heritage fleet – and it is hoped at least some examples may be available for conference delegates to inspect. The collection includes:
- A 1950 Guy Arab bought new by McGill’s;
- A 1977 Alexander Y-type-bodied Leyland Leopard, which is owned by Ralph; Roberts personally. The vehicle is currently under restoration at Johnstone depot;
- A Mercedes-Benz 709;
- A 2002 Dennis Dart – the first SLF bought by McGill’s; and
- A Hispano-bodied Volvo B7L. The latest addition to the heritage fleet, it’s the sole example of its kind in the UK;
- Commenting on the collection, Ralph enthused: “If nothing else, we can show politicians the evolution of buses from the 1950s, 70s, 90s, 2000s and the present day with our latest new Mercedes-Benz Citaros.”
A fleeting look at McGill’s vehicles
- 85 Optare Solo
- 70 ADL Enviro200
- 30 Mercedes-Benz Citaro
- 26 Wrightbus Eclipse Urban bodied Volvo B7RLE
- 18 Plaxton Pointer-bodied Dennis Dart
- 16 Wrightbus Cadet-bodied VDL SB120
- 14 Mellor Strata-bodied Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- 11 Wrightbus Eclipse Gemini-bodied VDL DB250
- 10 Wrightbus Pulsar-bodied VDL SB120
- 8 Caetano Levante-bodied Scania K340
- 7 Wrightbus Merit-bodied VDL SB120
- 6 ADL Enviro300
- 6 Scania OmniLink
- 5 Bluebird Orion-bodied Fiat Ducato
- 5 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter City 45
- 5 Wrightbus StreetLite
- 4 Wrightbus Commander-bodied VDL SB200
- 2 Plaxton Premier-bodied Volvo B10M
- 2 BMC Hawk
- 1 ADL Enviro400
- 1 Plaxton Primo
- 1 Plaxton Panther-bodied Volvo B12B
- 1 Transbus Pointer-bodied Dennis Dart training bus
About McGill’s
McGill’s is Scotland’s largest independent bus operator, celebrating 85 years in business this month.
Beginning in 1933, McGill’s now has over 450 vehicles and operates in excess of 110 routes across Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Glasgow city centre.
Now with around 850 employees, McGill’s says it prides itself on its modern and effective transport network, which includes the latest ticket and bus technology. Headquartered in Greenock, other depots include, Barrhead, Inchinnan, Johnstone and Coatbridge – the latter being a new depot opened two years ago.
A Scotland top 500 company, McGill’s supports over 750,000 journeys every week and provides an essential method of transport across the West of Scotland.
For more details, visit www.mcgillsbuses.co.uk
[/wlm_ismember]