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Newspaper apologises to Solus Coaches for wrongly naming them in a news article

21/10/2009 By Kate L Owen 1 Comment
Newspaper issue apology to coach hire company

Staffordshire Newspaper, Burton Mail, have issued a public apology to Solus Coaches Ltd after they wrongly named them as the company involved in an investigation following an accident. The incident in question occurred when a school boy fell from a moving coach during a school run.

We also covered the story here at Coach Broker News under the headline “Coach Hire Company investigated after teenager falls from moving coach.” However we would also like to extend out apology as it has now been established that Solus Coaches were not involved in the incident at all and are in no way under investigation.

In a public apology published by the Burton Mail they say, “We are happy to set the record straight and apologise to Solus Coaches for any confusion caused.” The newspaper has also gone a step further and is making a donation to St Giles Hospice, Wittington by request of the coach company.

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Coach Hire boss removed from own company

07/10/2009 By Kate L Owen Leave a Comment
A coach hire firm owner has recently been removed by VOSA

A Coach Hire boss from Sussex has been removed from his own company after he was found to have been involved in an illegal document scandal. Donald Ham, the owner of Ham Travel based in Flimwell, has been forced to resign from his position within the company by Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown.

Mr Ham’s underhand dealings were revealed after Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA) found that documentation submitted to them by Mr Ham was false. A public inquiry was then launched and the full scale of the problem was uncovered.

The main areas of concern for authorities included issues relating to inaccuracies with time sheets and inconsistencies with the company’s work schedule. The investigation uncovered a raft of other problems with Ham Travel’s records which indicated that the company may have allowed drivers to operate outside of the working time regulations. 

After failing to produce 3 months worth of log-ins from 2007 for a court hearing in July of this year, Ham Travel was in danger of having its licence removed which would have forced them to cease trading. However an agreement has been reached which states that the coach hire firm may continue to operate under the condition that Mr Ham has no involvement whatsoever in the running of the company.

In a statement released by the Traffic Commissioner it is stated that “Donald Ham shall play no active part as a partner in the day to day business of Hams Travel, and in particular the supervision of employees, ensuring compliance with drivers’ hours legislation and scheduling drivers.”

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Transport and Traffic news

20/03/2009 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

A local school has become the latest supporter of a scheme to provide an ecologically-friendly addition to a new bypass scheme in the north-east of England.   Green Scheme

The A69 Haydon Bridge bypass will see nearly 56,000 trees and shrubs planted along its route, which is sure to bring a smile to the faces of road users in their car hire.

As National Tree Week approaches, Shaftoe Trust First School will give each one of its pupils the chance to participate in the planting programme.

The Highways Agency project manager for the scheme Graham Dakin said: “There are so many trees, shrubs and hedgerow plants that need to go in to help complete the work on the A69 bypass.

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Second-hand cars in demand

05/03/2009 By Kate L Owen Leave a Comment

The credit crunch has seen an increase in the number of motorists looking for second-hand vehicles, according to new research.   Second hand cars

Figures from Sainsbury’s Finance show that the majority of car buyers intend to look for second-hand models over the next six months.

A survey found that 5.1 million drivers plan to buy a used vehicle, including those previously used for car hire, before the end of February.

Buyers are looking to spend an average of £5,000 each – or a combined total of £25.5 billion. This is an increase of the £22.76 billion buyers planned to spend on second-hand cars between March and August.

Steven Baillie, from Sainsbury’s said: “Our research suggests that in the current difficult economic climate, those looking for a car are increasingly turning to the second-hand car market as opposed to purchasing a brand new model.”

He added that buyers who are “prepared to haggle with the seller over the price they pay” are likely to save even more on a second-hand vehicle.

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Yorkshire drink driving ‘text message’ campaign launched

27/02/2009 By Kate L Owen Leave a Comment

Drivers in North Yorkshire could receive a text message from the police this Christmas, in the hope of encouraging them to arrange car hire home. untitled

Road safety campaigners are intent on following up the success of their 2007 drink driving campaign, utilising the latest mobile technology this year.

Police will send the text messages via Bluetooth to motorists in target areas, which may encourage those driving under the influence to pull over and book a taxi home.

John Everson, 95 Alive Road Safety Partnership coordinator, told the York Press: “We hope it will act as another deterrent and prove to drivers that police are looking to catch drink-drivers.

“Last year’s campaign was a great success, but there is still a hardcore who don’t get the message.”

The Road Safety Partnership aims to save one in three lives each year through its campaigning.

It has targeted safer roads throughout York and North Yorkshire by the end of 2010.

The agency was formed in November 2004 and has targeted reducing the number of incidence of killed or seriously injured children by 60 per cent in line with government targets.

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Negative feedback for Manchester C-Charge

02/02/2009 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

untitledPlans to introduce a congestion charge in the centre of Manchester have received only a lukewarm response from local motorists, with many expressing their staunch opposition to the proposals. 

In a move that could significantly increase the attractiveness of coach hire among fans of city centre shopping, local authorities are keen to follow London‘s example and impose a daily charge on motorists entering into the designated zone.

However, according to research from Ipsos Mori, of the 81,000 people polled, some 25,813 were opposed to the plans, with just 14,675 expressing a positive response to them.

While the anti-congestion charge campaigners, led by the Stop the Charge coalition, have welcomed the findings, those in support of the initiative feel that the multi-billion pound scheme is still on track to be introduced within the next few years.

One spokesman for Stop the Charge told the Manchester Evening News: “The consultation shows those who know the roads best, drivers who cross the charging zones five days a week, say traffic is just not bad enough to warrant a congestion charge.”

Since its introduction in Central London, the congestion charge has been credited with freeing up the capital’s most famous thoroughfares for public transport and pedestrians, with many shoppers now relying on coach hire to bypass the charge and save money on their trips into the centre.

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New coach insurance scheme launched

30/10/2008 By Kate L Owen Leave a Comment

A new insurance scheme specifically for bus and coach companies has been launched. New Coach

The new programme has been set up by insurance broker Belmont International in conjunction with the GreenRoad Safety Centre and aims to reduce driver premiums over time.

Coach and car hire drivers at participating companies will be offered continuous real-time training to improve driving skills, which will provide the insurer with better fleet risk management data to negotiate better premiums.

David Hinton, deputy managing director at Belmont International remarked that the new scheme could be beneficial during the financial downturn.

He said: “At a time of financial uncertainty, with the potential for higher insurance premiums and fuel costs, we have been looking for ways to reduce the impact on our clients.

“With our GreenRoad proposition we have secured the support of leading insurers which will enable the delivery of this product and on going risk management advice.”

The scheme will focus on coach companies with a fleet of up to 100 vehicles.

Figures released by the Department of Transport show that the number of uninsured drivers on the UK’s roads has fallen by 0.7 per cent over the last two years.

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Lorries to get safety mirrors

22/10/2008 By Tracy Wilcox Leave a Comment

lorriesAuthorities in London have today called for all lorries to be fitted with safety mirrors to reduce the risk of collisions with cyclists.

The London Assembly made the announcement following reports that nine cyclists have died in the capital so far this year as a direct result of lorry collisions.

Unlike coaches and private car hire motorists, heavy goods vehicles are thought to be less able to see cyclists on the road due to a combination of factors including the drivers position in the cab.

Joanne McCartney, assembly member, said: “This Assembly supports the use of ‘safety mirrors’ by HGVs which increases the ability of lorry drivers to be aware of cyclists.

“The Department for Transport estimates that a year’s delay in putting these measures in place could cost 18 lives in the UK.”

This follows an announcement from the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who has also called for a rephrasing of traffic lights across the capital to ease traffic congestion.

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