Work is underway on a new £2m showroom and workshop in Castleford as Pelican grows its coach and bus business
Pelican Bus & Coach is making a £2m investment in a new showroom, offices and workshop in Castleford to support the ongoing growth of its Yutong business which is helping meet growing demand for zero-emission buses and coaches for local authorities and bus operators nationwide. Pelican said its new facility will enable it to quadruple its capacity as well as creating at least another ten jobs this year.
Demolition of the existing buildings has already begun, with construction due to be completed by November. Formerly a truck rental depot, the site was purchased by Pelican in 2020 and it is undergoing a major redevelopment to transform it into a new 20,000sq ft facility dedicated to fitting-out, commissioning and supporting new and used Yutong vehicles.
The new facility will complement the group’s existing showroom in Castleford which will continue to be used for some bus work and also as overflow space for Pelican’s nearby DAF dealership.
Designed with sustainability in mind, the new showroom will be equipped with a power supply for four high performance DC chargers in line with plans for it to become a publicly-accessible charging station for electric vehicles. It will provide capacity for work to be carried out on up to 20 buses. The investment coincides with Pelican signing a new long term distribution agreement with Yutong.
Richard Crump, Managing Director of Pelican Engineering, commented: “In recent years, Pelican has seen huge growth in Yutong sales as more and more local authorities and bus operators transition to clean zero emission vehicles. From zero vehicles in 2014, we are now approaching 1,000 Yutong buses and coaches sold in the UK, and this new facility is needed to enable us to fully support the increasing number of electric buses and coaches we are forecasting to achieve in the future.
“As a fourth generation British family business with a heritage dating back over 100 years, we are proud to be continuing to invest in growing our Yutong division. This new facility will create more jobs as well as strengthening our position as one of the leading suppliers of zero-emission large passenger vehicles across the UK.”
