Mellor hosted Shadow Transport Secretary Jim McMahon (pictured, left) at its facility in Rochdale earlier in August. As part of his visit, the MP for Oldham West and Royton experienced the manufacturer’s battery-electric Orion E minibus.
Mr McMahon was invited to visit Mellor’s factory by the OEM as part of its campaign against what it says is “big bus bias” in the government’s approach to delivering funding that has been allocated through the National Bus Strategy (NBS) for England.
Mellor has taken issue with the exclusion of small buses with a passenger capacity of less than 23 from the NBS funding streams, which it says will give local authorities less choice “when it comes to investing in more efficient, size- and cost-appropriate vehicles.” Labour has additionally pointed out that while the government has promised that money will go towards 4,000 zero-emission buses, it has made funding commitments for only 500 so far.
The OEM’s complaint was raised in the House of Commons by Shadow Transport Minister Sam Tarry earlier this year. Organisations including Bus Users, the Community Transport Association and countryside charity CPRE have also spoken up in support of Mellor.
Says Woodall Nicholson Bus Division Managing Director Mark Clissett (pictured, middle): “We were delighted to welcome Jim McMahon to our manufacturing facility in Rochdale.
“The Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and his colleagues have been highly supportive in our campaign against government’s big bus bias and they continue to be a strong voice in ensuring that all areas of society can benefit from zero-emission, size-appropriate buses.”
