Look at innovative service is among features in the latest issue of miniplus, specialising in small PCVs
Passenger numbers of Oxford Bus Company’s minibus-operated PickMeUp demand responsive transport service have exceeded expectations, says MD Phil Southall.
The pilot was launched on 25 June with six Mercedes-Benz Sprinter City45s in Oxford’s eastern arc.
It delivers new radial public transport links to complement existing bus services to the city centre and it uses technology from US company Via to aggregate ridesharing opportunities.
Such is the level of demand for PickMeUp already, OBC’s challenge now is to manage it effectively, says Mr Southall. He was speaking to miniplus, a sister title to routeone and available online at www.miniplus.co.uk.
Key to establishing PickMeUp is refining the aggregation process to ensure that minibuses run full, and OBC is confident that it will mature into a commercially-viable product. A number of innovative ridership generation ideas are in operation, all of which are examined in miniplus, and OBC is already looking at expanding the initial fleet of six minibuses.
Also covered in the latest issue of miniplus is Iveco’s versatile and competitively-priced Daily Line minicoach, which is offered in partnership with supplier PHVC. A mid-range model, it is targeted at applications where luggage space is key.
Additionally, the transition of the Swansea Coachworks business into Ilesbus UK is featured. Ilesbus is a Turkish company and its UK subsidiary intends to offer small coaches based on the Sprinter, Daily and other base vehicles with a maximum of 38 seats.
Other topics include a look at a minibus developed by French company e.Go in conjunction with German giant ZF that has an option for full autonomy, Mellor’s expansion at its Rochdale plant, how Cogent Seating has grown and how software company QRoutes can simplify route planning for special education needs transport.
miniplus is available online and it is also free in hard copy form to operators that are eligible to receive routeone.
