Meet the Brand: Pelican Bus & Coach
We catch up with Michelle Nelson from Pelican Bus & Coach to find out more about their brand and exhibiting at Euro Bus Expo, on stand V6
Tell us a bit about your company?
Pelican is the sole UK and Ireland importer and distributor of Yutong. Like many of our customers, Pelican is a fourth generation family business that places customer care at the heart of everything we do. Founded in 1919, three generations of the family currently work in the business. Our people are our greatest asset: from our 19 apprentices learning the business from the bottom up to the multitude of colleagues who have been with the company for many years.
Tell us about your latest product(s), service(s), promotions or launches visitors can hope to see on your stand?
Pelican Bus & Coach will have an outstanding stand at this year’s Euro Bus Expo 2024! We will be showcasing six Yutong vehicles, highlighting our commitment to innovation, quality and sustainability in the bus and coach industry. The vehicles will be: GTe14 Electric Intercity Coach; GT12 Touring Coach; TC9 Midi Coach; U11DD Double Deck Bus; E12 Bus and the E9L Bus.
But that’s not all – we are introducing a unique experience for visitors with our dedicated VR area. The VR headsets provide the opportunity to experience the Yutong vehicles driving stability and safety in different operating scenarios. This cutting-edge VR experience will take viewers through a high speed loop test, a comprehensive road condition assessment, a rain test and a test on how the vehicles handle steep inclines. Additionally viewers will be virtually guided through the Yutong vehicle assembly line, giving them an unparalleled, first-hand look at the meticulous safety measures which are prioritised in every aspect of the manufacturing process.
There is also the chance to win a 3,355 piece Yutong bus model kit in our daily draw. Simply leave your business card at our stand for a chance to take home this exclusive collectible. While you are there explore everything Pelican and Yutong have to offer, including our exciting VR experience.
Why is exhibiting at Euro Bus Expo 2024 an unmissable opportunity for you?
Euro Bus Expo is a premier event attracting key decision makers, operators and manufacturers and suppliers in the bus and coach industry. It offers the chance to build connections. Exhibiting at Euro Bus Expo allows us to showcase the new additions to the Yutong range.
Celtic Travel welcomes a PSVAR compliant Scania Touring
Celtic Travel of Llanidloes in Powys has taken delivery of a Scania K360NI with Touring bodywork at 10.9m, supplied by Scania UK.
It has 42 seats, each upholstered in a half-leather scheme and with lateral movement at aisle positions. Magazine nets and drop-down tables are also fitted along with USB charging points and a floor-level rear toilet.
PSVAR compliance has been specified partly thanks to a lift mounted above the drive axle to give no luggage bay intrusion. The coach further comes with a Webasto coolant pre-heater along with vulnerable road user side protection via radar.
Celtic Travel’s distinctive green and white livery including the Welsh Dragon has been applied and the coach is completed by a cherished registration mark and polished alloy wheels.
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ShuttleID extends school bus pass platform to local authorities
Digital school bus ticketing platform ShuttleID has launched a package that is specifically for use by local authorities (LAs). It includes various features aimed at those users and comes with a no-obligation 90-day free trial period.
The move allows ShuttleID to support LAs across whole home-to-school service networks. A decision to expand into that market follows what the supplier calls “an unprecedented level of interest” from LAs over the past year.
A number are already signed up with ShuttleID and others are trialling the system. It provides e-ticketing, payments, service alerts, reports, live vehicle tracking, and boarding notifications.
QR codes generated can be displayed on a smartphone or a ‘brick’ phone or printed. Drivers validate the pass via an app and data is available to the LA in real time.
Among the public bodies to have signed up is the States of Guernsey. The system was put in place there primarily to handle a recent surge in school bus demand. That has created difficulties with pupils being unable to board due to insufficient capacity.
The problem is mitigated by ShuttleID providing the States of Guernsey with a simple method of capacity control via the digital passes. Reporting is helping to identify ‘dormant’ passes, allowing officers to better allocate capacity to users on a waiting list.
Says Senior Passenger Transport Officer Jonathan Guilbert: “ShuttleID provides an effective way of managing seating capacity on services. It is simple to use, both from a driver as well as a back-office point of view.
“We find the reporting features within ShuttleID very useful. Technical support of the system is excellent with queries responded to quickly.”
Mr Guilbert adds that parents find the real-time tracking function beneficial, while when travelling to school, children need only leave home when they know the vehicle is near. “This is particularly useful in bad weather,” he continues. “Parents also report that they like boarding notifications so they can be informed when their child has safely boarded the bus.”
Northumberland County Council is a further LA to have commenced using ShuttleID after a successful trial. It is in the process of scaling up the system across its home-to-school network. Passenger Transport Officer Thomas Bunting says that the platform is proving to be “a real gamechanger.”
He adds: “The system has enabled us to transition from a point where we had little or no data on travel permit checks or usage to where we now have access to extensive data streams that we can use to improve delivery of the service and achieve cost savings.”
ShuttleID has also had a positive influence on student behaviour, he says. “While we have to date only had a limited rollout of the ShuttleID product, it is clear that it is already offering us a fantastic solution in terms of the management and tracking of school transport.
“As a result, we are intent on extending its use across the entire school transport network, not just on our contracted PSVs but taxi and private hire vehicles as well.”