First Potteries honours area's past with Mainline interior design
First Potteries is to reintroduce the Mainline brand to buses in North Staffordshire in a collaborative approach between the operator, flooring specialist Altro, Best Impressions and Bus and Coach World. It will see the identity applied to 25 refurbished Wrightbus StreetLites.
Work on those buses is scheduled to be completed by Bus and Coach World by mid-April. They will carry a three-tone orange livery and be utilised on the operator’s 3 and 4 service groups in the north of Stoke-on-Trent and into Cheshire, and into Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Centrepiece of the interior work is development of a new flooring design that echoes the traditional tiled approach used in pubs, terraced houses and other buildings in North Staffordshire. The operator describes it as “a statement and perfect tribute to the Minton legacy from years gone by in the Potteries area.” It is installed as part of the refurbishment work by Bus and Coach World.
First Potteries Managing Director Nigel Eggleton (pictured, above) says that the project is “a great example of how, when you pull on the experience, ideas and industry knowledge to produce something a little bit different, you can achieve great things.”
Altro has used its Transflor Metris Custom digitally printed flooring to replicate designs created by Ray Stenning of Best Impressions. Altro New Product Introduction Manager David Brailsford says: “The designs came together to support the creation of a unique and stunning fleet of vehicles that really put the Potteries on the map.”
Adds Mr Stenning: “Local bus services are exactly that – local, bespoke and with an artisan bent.
"It was entirely appropriate to pay tribute to the great tilemaking traditions of the area and, using modern technologies, recreate a Minton-style floor for these buses that run right through the heart of the Potteries towns.”
The Mainline brand was previously used by First Potteries’ predecessor in the years following deregulation for a service that ran via all six towns of Stoke-on-Trent and which was a precursor to the current operator’s 3 group of services.
CPT to run industry-wide recruitment week in February
The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has announced it will run an industry-wide recruitment initiative next month to help tackle the current driver shortage.
Between 21-27 February the trade body will work with coach and bus operators to run open days and local recruitment drives in order to bring more drivers into the sector.
Members will be equipped with a "myth busting sheet" to fight negative perceptions, and an online map where potential recruits can find local operators. Press release templates will also be provided for use with local media.
An open session with Senior National Account Manager for passenger transport at the Department for Work and Pensions, Carl Widdowson, will be hosted as part of the initiative.
CPT says the recruitment week, which is being supported by the Department for Transport, will be central to encouraging more people to consider careers in the coach and bus sector.
"As we exit the pandemic and seek to grow the number of people travelling by coach and bus, to help us hit important net zero targets it is vital that operators have sufficient drivers to be able to run the services people need," says CPT Operations Director Keith McNally. "Many drivers once they enter the industry stay for decades and our recruitment week will help showcase the benefits of a career in coach and bus."
Adds Transport Minister Baroness Vere: "This industry initiative supports the wider work we’re doing to help people become bus drivers, including our measures to make 50,000 more coach, bus and HGV driving tests available each year."
CPT says there are currently around one in 10 driver jobs vacant across the sector.
Operators looking to find out more about the recruitment week should contact Mr McNally at [email protected]
Ritchies adopts Omnibus depot allocation software solution
Ritchies of New Zealand has adopted Omnibus's cloud-based depot allocation solution, OmniDAS, across its main depots.
OmniDAS will be used with planning and on-the-day driver and vehicle allocation processes to improve efficiency, cost management and collaborative working.
"We are confident that our depot controllers will gain valuable operational efficiencies which have been experienced in the network planning teams across the business," says Stephen Cruttwell, Implementation Manager at Ritchies. "This major investment in OmniDAS will provide access to leading-edge technology ensuring our allocators can react to on-the-day unscheduled driver events and easily access real-time driver and vehicle information to make the optimal business and customer service decisions.’
‘Having worked with the Omnibus team for three years and the great customer support we have received, for instance accommodating working out-of-office hours on their side due to the time differences as we rolled out the solutions, we are in good hands for the next phase."
Adds Aiden Proctor, International Client Manager at Omnibus: "We are delighted Ritchies has selected OmniDAS to support its future growth and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Having proved our scheduling solutions and demonstrated operational efficiencies to the business, this has further cemented our partnership. Our technology will play a key role in rebuilding patronage and providing a reliable service in New Zealand."
The operator has used the Omnibus scheduling suite since 2018.