Jones Coach and Bus Sales invests in sales and support
Jones Coach and Bus Sales and the associated Llew Jones Coaches business have continued to open parts, sales and service units at their base in Llanrwst. The work forms part of ongoing expansion at the England and Wales dealership for products from the Noone Turas range of small coaches and the Rosero Connect low-floor midibus.
The dealer says it has also grown its sales team and service engineer provision, and appointed a parts department manager to support the Noone vehicles, since agreeing the partnership with Brian Noone. Expansion has seen a considerable increase in yard space, while also now owned is an adjacent building that Jones plans to convert into a showroom in the future.
Work with Brian Noone sits alongside the continuing sale of used coaches, the carrying out of PSVAR conversions, and valuations. The dealership will exhibit jointly with Brian Noone at the Euro Bus Expo trade show, where a range of vehicles will be shown on a shared stand.
Says Jones Coach and Bus Sales Managing Director Steve Jones: “As an operator, I know better than anyone that the coach or bus you buy is only as good as the aftersales support and the availability of parts.
“When I first visited Brian Noone with my operator’s hat on, looking to add to the Llew Jones Coaches fleet, we were so impressed that it set in motion Jones Coach and Bus Sales becoming an approved dealer, where we are today.
“Feedback on the Turas range has been excellent. Those vehicles are in a class of their own, both aesthetically and in how reliable and comfortable they are to drive.”
Euro Bus Expo will be held between 1-3 November at the NEC Birmingham. Register for free tickets here. Brian Noone and Jones Coach and Bus Sales will be on stand J60.
Tranzaura develops digital maintenance platform further
Software-as-a-Service provider Tranzaura is developing its digital maintenance platform that captures drivers’ walk-round checks and unplanned maintenance into one that includes central management of all maintenance – planned and unplanned – in a single system.
The supplier says that its platform is already going from strength to strength in the London bus market. It accounts for an average of 113,000 items checked every day by drivers and a 55% market share for use of its app instead of paper for unplanned tasks.
Tranzaura has been present in the capital’s bus market since 2015. It adds that the “obvious” start point on the transformation journey was to digitise the driver walk-round check process and to take control of unplanned maintenance “in a way that engages end users and reduces defect reporting times.”
The enhanced product that adds planned maintenance will improve visibility of schedules, communication between drivers and engineers, and lower the cost of repairs, Tranzaura claims. It says that other benefits will include live defect reporting, photo audit trails, parts and inventory management, and full asset lifetime cost management.
With the latest step, Tranzaura has developed all end user decision support tools – for management, drivers, engineers and administrators – into a central system that is built on Microsoft Azure. Use of the Tranzaura app requires no installation at an operating centre and delivers what the supplier claims is increased efficiency, better vehicle reliability, high quality reporting and “more informed decision making.”
CEO Shane Mann has highlighted that a digitised maintenance system can result in significant financial savings. While reducing paper use and better communications form part of that, the most significant aspect is the potential to reduce spare vehicle requirements through improved planning.
Tranzaura was first introduced to the London bus market in 2013 by Metroline as part of an initial feasibility study initiated by the ComfortDelGro subsidiary. Go-Ahead London then became the first operator to deploy the platform, in 2019. Both businesses, along with RATP Dev Transit London, currently use this solution in the capital. It is also utilised by other operators outside London.
Says Go-Ahead London Chief Engineering Chris McKeown: “In 2017, we embarked with Tranzaura on a strategy designed to achieve workplace digitisation and the elimination of unnecessary paper use. We focused on two areas: The all-important daily pre-service vehicle check, and any potential defects during the remainder of the working day.
“Previously recorded via a pen and paper, Tranzaura worked with Go-Ahead London to create an intuitive app that guides our 6,000 drivers around all key vehicle checkpoints. The subsequent record is digitally uploaded onto a bespoke database and is accessible to the engineering teams at all 17 Go-Ahead London garages.”
Mr McKeown adds that the digitisation process was adopted quickly by colleagues and has enabled the operator to “demonstrate and measure compliance.” It also allows Go-Ahead London to engage with suppliers “from a greater position of accuracy and knowledge.”
RATP Dev Transit London Technical Manager Seb Harrington says that the Tranzaura app delivers “strategic long-term benefits.” It allows planning and engineering work to be tightened up as all defects are known of ahead of time. Access to defect history via a digital platform is also much more efficient than via paper, he adds.
Euro Bus Expo will be held between 1-3 November at the NEC Birmingham. Tranzaura will be on stand T58.
Katie Johnson joins First Travel Solutions senior team
Managed transport service provider First Travel Solutions has appointed Katie Johnson to the newly created position of Business Operations Director.
Ms Johnson joins from E.ON Energy, where she spent 14 years in senior operational and strategic roles including change leadership, digital operations and customer services. With First Travel Solutions she will be focused on improving the business’s operations as it continues to grow “to deliver the best experience for staff, clients and customers."
First Travel Solutions was recently awarded rail replacement contracts for the Avanti West Coast train operating company. Ms Johnson will be heavily involved in delivery of that work.
Speaking about the news, First Travel Solutions Managing Director Andy Scholey says: “After a quiet 18 months during the height of COVID-19 with many festivals, conferences and sporting events cancelled or closed to spectators, we took the time to look inward at our business and identify what we needed to take it to the next level.
“The newly appointed role of Business Operations Director means that we can utilise Katie’s award-winning customer service experience skills and change management knowledge to deliver the best solutions to our clients.
“We have several projects being delivered at the end of 2022 and into 2023 that Katie will ensure are created and managed with customer experience at the heart of them.”
Adds Ms Johnson: “I am delighted to be joining First Travel Solutions at such an innovative time for growth in this sector. First Travel Solutions is on a rapid growth trajectory to provide the best managed transport solution in the UK and I am ready to take the team to that next level in the excellence of operational delivery.”