James Day provides minibus highlights from Coach & Bus UK 2017
While Coach & Bus UK is the smaller of the two biennial NEC coach and bus shows, there was still plenty on offer for minibus operators.
The usual minibus section of the show floor had a number of different vehicles on offer, while several operators invested in significant stand space to promote their ranges. Their attendance seemed to pay off, with companies quickly announcing new deals they had made at the show. What follows are some of the highlights for the minibus sector this year.[wlm_nonmember][…]
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Auto Cuby
A new face at the NEC this year was Auto Cuby, a Polish minibus builder, which was established in 1993. Having produced vehicles for a number of European markets and even exported as far afield as Japan, the company is now looking to make an entrance in the UK. All the vehicles on the stand were in left-hand drive though, because the company has produced right-hand drive vehicles before for Japan, it is setup to provide them for the UK market already.
As well as promoting its vehicles, Auto Cuby was seeking a dealer at the show to distribute them in the UK. It provisionally estimated that the first of its vehicles could enter service within six months.
The vehicles on the stand were mostly based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, though there was one example built on an Iveco Daily. The VW Crafter and Transporter T5 are also available as base vehicles.
The Daily on display was to Auto Cuby’s Tourist Line specification, designed mostly for touring work and luxury travel. With a 31+1+1 seating layout, its specification included the ZF Hi-Matic gearbox, leather seating with three-point seatbelts, a pair of 17-inch monitors linking to a DVD player, a panoramic windscreen with electric blinds and interior LED illumination.
One of the Sprinters on the stand was a second Tourist Line bus, but was a prototype High Deck (HD) version. The vehicle had been both raised and widened to add a substantial amount of extra luggage space, as well as to increase the size and spacious feel of the interior.
The Auto Cuby range includes the mobility-focused Special Line, equipped with fold-away seating and wheelchair lifts. It also offers a bus product in the City Line, which is available on the Sprinter and offers several configurations. It is low floor and DDA-compliant, with a wheelchair access ramp either at the front or rear depending on how the vehicle is configured.
A VIP Line vehicle is also available as a range topper, with potential specifications including games consoles, panoramic roof and 40-inch monitors.
EVM
A hive of acitivity, it was perhaps no surprise when EVM Managing Director Danny Mc Gee told CBW this year’s show was the “best ever” for the firm.
“Our stand was busy throughtout the two days,” he added. “Last year was certainly not the best, yet the previous year was a landmark. I’ve no idea what the science is.
“It’s what we do now and for the rest of the year that matters. We’ve definitely had a lot of interest, which we’re confident will turn into sales.
“A stream of people kept looking at our Low Floor Sprinter City 25. That was our star, followed by the extended 19-seater.”
EVM show vehicles included a 19-seat extended X-Clusive, which was available for sale; a 16-seater VIP standard Grand Tourer for White’s of St Albans; a 16-seater X-Clusive for Anthony’s Travel; and a Low Floor Sprinter. Table-top wireless charging was also launched at the show.
Danny concluded: “All in all, it was a good show, one where our products were well-received. A big thanks to all for visiting us.”
GM Coachwork
A lightweight Peugeot Boxer conversion featured for GM Coachwork. The 17-seater had been built to remain under 4.25 tonnes, making it advantageous for volunteer drivers. GM recently had the Boxer conversion EU whole vehicle type-approved.
Paul Barber, Minibus Sales Manager at GM, said: “We’re looking at the new VW Crafter and the MAN TGE.
“We’ve ordered a Crafter to build as a demonstrator, which we’re hoping will be ready in the next month or so.”
London Hire
Once again London Hire exhibited at the event this year, with a Treka Van in London Hire livery appearing on its stand in the minibus area.
The vehicle is designed to be flexible, with the rearmost seats able to shift forwards to make space for a wheelchair position. The now familiar London Hire heart seat upholstery could also be seen, which helps the company to keep track of seats which customers take out of the vehicle more easily, as well as improving the interior look. The branding is a Camira Fabrics design.
The company claims to have the largest fleet of accessible vehicles in the country, amounting to around 800 vehicles. Of these, all of the 16-seater coachbuilt and 15-seater van conversions the company obtains are built by Treka Bus.
London Hire is a vehicle and driver operator as well as a rental company, which John Shier, Area Sales Manager, described as a massive growth area for the business. The company also provides bodyshop services to widen its scope.
Mellor
The pace of growth at Mellor has been impressive over recent years, and this year the manufacturer showed the confidence in its line-up with a stand of its own.
Two vehicles appeared on the stand – an example of the highly successful Strata, a widened and Mercedes-Benz approved Sprinter bus build which has drawn orders from major bus operators like Arriva, and a VW Transporter-based Tucana II. Whilst the new version of the Tucana was launched last year, this example was displayed with a service bus layout, showing that it could be used in that application, along with the Orion and Strata vehicles Mellor has been promoting as lower cost small buses for bus routes with lower demand.
The company has now secured a third European distributor, and Managing Director John Randerson explained that the company was working on expanding its Rochdale factory to meet the increasing demand.
“We’ve been in negotiation with the premises next door for the best part of this year, and subject to finalising the remaining details we should be completing the purchase in late 2017,” John said.
“The sole reason is we need the space. We have scope to expand and in amalgamating the two sites we should gain two additional production lines. This will also allow us to dedicate one line to electric vehicles.”
At the event, McGill’s placed an order for 20 Strata low floor buses. The vehicles are expected to be deployed on a range of routes throughout Inverclyde and Renfrewshire, with the first deliveries being made in December and continuing through and into January 2018.
Sandy Easdale, Owner of McGill’s, said: “We came to purchase the Strata today for the fantastic fuel economy it gives us and the excellent aftersales support programme offered by Mellor.”
Ralph Roberts, Managing Director for McGill’s, added: “We have been evaluating two Mellor Stratas of the same specification since the vehicle’s launch last year and found it ticks all the right boxes for us in terms of its fuel economy, durability, build quality and the level of door-to-door support we receive – they don’t just sell it and then forget about it.
“In addition to the operational parameters, the passengers like the look and interior facilities, particularly the 2+2 seating, which gives a traditional feel to a small bus, along with the smooth ride provided by the Sprinter chassis.”
Minis to Midis
The largest minibus line-up at the show was brought by Minis to Midis, which had eight vehicles populating one of the biggest stands at the show, along with an additional Turas 900 outside.
The decision to bring such a large presence to the show was vindicated almost immediately, when Sales Manager Richard Brooks sold a Noone Turas 700 28-seater to Gordon Pearson, Director of Wow Scotland Tours of Inverness. The vehicle will be built to his specification and is expected to arrive in March 2018, with a new 18 registration plate.
Many of the new developments at Minis to Midis have been covered extensively by CBW over recent months, but the company did still have a surprise up its sleeve in the form of a previously unseen 37-seater version of the Noone Turas 900. The vehicle is still based on the Mercedes-Benz Atego 1021 10.5 tonne chassis, but it has been extended by 30cm to allow space to seat an additional four passengers comfortably.
Aside from this extra capacity, the vehicle is essentially the same as the usual Turas 900, though an extra panel of glazing can be noticed by a keen-eyed observer which gives away its extended length. The vehicle retains an impressive six cubic metres of rear luggage space, along with some sizable side lockers, with the 10.5 tonne chassis offering plenty of usable capacity even with the extra four passengers onboard. The vehicle had already been sold and displayed the Tony Doyle Coach Hire Livery. The Irish operator is a long-standing Noone customer.
Robert Noone, Aftersales Operations Manager at Noones, explained: “It had been on the cards for a while for us to build a 37-seater Turas 900, but after consultation with Tony, he said to us that if we built one, he would buy it.
“We’re now going to build the vehicle as a mainstream product. It has already had huge interest from Irish customers.
“We anticipate that a lot of operators will take it as a 33-seater and take advantage of the extra legroom. We would deliver it in a 33-seater layout, but still provide the extra four seats. This allows the vehicle to be easily turned back into a 37-seater for a second life or in the off-season, without the operator having to purchase four more seats and track down the same trim used on the vehicle.”
Other vehicles on the Minis to Midis stand included a Turas900V (now sporting Johnson Bros Tours livery), Turas700 33-seater, Turas500 16+1 seater and Turas600s.
Nu-Track
Nu-Truck showcased a new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter version of its City Lift minibus, which has traditionally been built on a VW Crafter.
The 4.8m 22-seater vehicle has a gross vehicle weight of 5.5 tonnes. While 22 passenger seats is the maximum supported, it has been delivered as a 16-seater to allow driving under a D1 licence, and it can also be configured to carry up to six wheelchairs.
The company is also working on a narrow version of its Fiat Ducato-based City Dash. It is intended for use on feeder services and special needs transport, and is expected to carry somewhere between nine and 11 passenger seats. Nu-Track is targeting a release at the turn of the year.
Project Insight
The Westfield autonomous pod made an appearance on the Project Insight stand, promoting an autonomous vehicle partnership.
The collaborative project aims to further develop and trial level five autonomous vehicles (i.e. vehicles which do not require a driver or even driving controls) for operation at low speeds in pedestrian areas.
According to the partnership, the pod is intended as a last mile urban transport vehicle which provides the missing link between transport hubs and major destinations. It has already been used as a bridge between an airport terminal and car park at Heathrow Airport, one of the five organisations forming Project Insight.
Westfield Technology Group is also involved as the producer of the pod, along with Fusion Processing, which builds the sensor sets and electronic controller which navigates the vehicle. Conigital provides an advanced human machine interface which aims to allow blind and partially sighted people to interact with the vehicles, as well as supporting the fleet management system. Finally, Birmingham City University is helping to manage the trials undertaken by the project, such as in the Midlands Connected Autonomous Vehicle Cluster, or MCAV.
Swansea Coachworks
Swansea Coachworks had an increased NEC presence this year, presenting four vehicles. This included the first new Iveco Daily build that the company has brought to a coach and bus show.
Perhaps the most unique of the vehicles was a Starline Party Bus specification. Built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the interior more closely resembled that of a limousine than a minibus, with large screens, numerous lights and champagne flutes.
Another VIP vehicle was an as yet unnamed eight-seater Sprinter specification, which had a more traditional VIP layout with a no expense spared feel. The interior included leather seats, tables, two monitors, with one connected to a game console, fridges and USB charging points.
The Iveco Daily on show was designed for more standard touring work. Like many convertors, Swansea Coachworks has taken the opportunity to use the acclaimed ZF Hi-Matic gearbox on the vehicle. The 16 reclining passenger seats were trimmed in leather and moquette, and the vehicle was equipped with roof-mounted air-conditioning, along with a rear Eberspächer heater.
TBC Conversions
TBC brought one of its VW Crafter conversions to the event, which was one of its remaining stock Crafters before the company transitions to the new version of the vehicle, which will not share a production line with Mercedes-Benz.
The example on the stand was a 16-seater wheelchair accessible vehicle, which could be reconfigured to carry six wheelchairs. It also has EU Type Approval.
The company said it plans to build on and test a 3.5 tonne new Crafter just after Christmas, and is eagerly awaiting the five tonne to follow. It is likely to consider building on the MAN TGE too, which is also coming off the new Crafter production line.
Treka Bus
Two Treka Bus vehicles appeared in the minibus area, one sharing a stand with Phoenix Seating and another in London Hire livery, both of which were examples of the company’s Treka Van specification available on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or VW Crafter.
The example on the Phoenix stand was to a new specification for Dawsonrentals, featuring 22 Phoenix Blenheim seats. The interior of the vehicle, even down to the roof lining, had been designed to be entirely wipe-clean.
The vehicle included a small addition, which has been added across the Treka range – a plug towards the rear intended for use with a Doorsafe safety feature from PLS. This is a barrier which prevents someone from falling out of the rear of the vehicle while a passenger lift is lowered. The plug is fully wired into the vehicle whether Doorsafe is specified or not, allowing the operator to plug and play if they change their mind at a later date.[/wlm_ismember]
