Harris Bus and Coach UK selects Worksop to host headquarters
Harris Bus and Coach UK has selected Worksop for the location of its headquarters, with a showroom and office and support facilities due to open there in March.
The premises will allow the supplier of Higer products to begin delivering its V-10, V-12 and V-14 coaches and Azure battery-electric buses into the UK. An initial order of 45 of those vehicles is in hand.
At Worksop, Harris Bus and Coach UK’s headquarters will additionally provide aftersales support and parts distribution. Parent Harris Group says that the creation of a dedicated bricks and mortar base underscores its “commitment to establishing Higer as a credible alternative to incumbent manufacturers.”
In Ireland, where Harris has already established a Higer presence for diesel coaches and battery-electric buses, the brand saw a 200% year-on-year increase in sales in 2025.
That saw Higer claim second place for market share in last year’s coach market in Ireland as the brand outsold several more established manufacturers. Such success acts as a catalyst for UK entry, Harris says.
The Dublin business adds that it expects to challenge for leadership of the Irish coach market in due course. Managing Director of Harris Bus and Coach in Ireland Willie Daniels notes how the dramatic increase in market presence there “represents a breakthrough moment for Higer.”
He adds: “To outsell established brands in our first full year of serious market presence validates everything we believed about the product and the opportunity.
“Operators are responding to the combination of quality, specification and value that Higer delivers. These are not budget coaches – they are premium products competing directly with the established players, and the 2025 results prove operators recognise that."
Higer coaches for the UK – the two-axle V-10 and V-12 and the tri-axle V-14, with model names representing nominal lengths in metres – will be sold in what the dealership terms base and touring models.
They will sit alongside the Azure battery-electric bus at two lengths, with Harris Bus and Coach UK Managing Director Bill Laidlaw having previously shared how expansion of that range is part of a five-year plan for Higer products in the UK. A V-14E battery-electric coach is among planned additions.
Adds Mr Laidlaw: “We are not entering the UK market tentatively – we are coming with proven products, success in Ireland behind us, and the determination to establish Higer as a genuine alternative to the traditional marques.”
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Transfer 45 joins Whitegate Travel fleet
Whitegate Travel of Northwich has welcomed a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a Transfer 45 conversion to its fleet, supplied by EVM UK.
It has 22 seats with three-point belts and folding armrests to the aisle. Each position is finished in black synthetic leather with diamond stitching. Access is via a manually sliding door with a grab rail, a modesty panel and an underfloor electric step.
Original Mercedes-Benz windows all round are retained, as are the 270-degree rear doors. In-dash and saloon air-conditioning is fitted along with heaters in the passenger area.
Also present are two full-length luggage racks with passenger service units. A reversing camera that feeds to a multimedia unit with a 10-inch touch screen is included, as are USB charging points in the side walls. Tarabus non-slip wood-effect flooring completes the interior.
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Corbel of London welcomes Yutong GT14 tri-axle pair
Corbel of London is among further early recipients of the Yutong GT14 diesel tri-axle model, with two of the type having been supplied by Pelican Bus and Coach.
The operator ordered those vehicles when the GT14 was at the development stage, with its confidence in the product coming via good earlier performance from the smaller but similar GT12.
Each of the new arrivals has 61 seats along with USB-A, USB-C and 240-volt power sockets. PSVAR compliance has been specified, with a passenger lift over the drive axle and silver LED displays.
Power is from the DAF MX-13 engine developing 483bhp driving through a ZF EcoLife automatic gearbox. One of the new arrivals is finished in Corbel’s distinctive pink and white scheme. The other trades pink for grey and has Wembley City Coaches fleet names.
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