Connexions Buses and Ellisons Travel are further PSV operators to be accredited by DVSA as members of its Earned Recognition scheme.
Tockwith-based Connexions – which is authorised to run 40 vehicles – became part of Earned Recognition on 4 March, with Ellisons, based in St Helens and with an authorisation for 61 vehicles, following two days later.
They are the third and fourth members of the coach and bus industry to have been accepted in 2024, with Maynes Coaches having joined in January and Williams Coaches in February to give a clean sweep of businesses in the passenger sector onboarded this year so far as being SMEs.
Connexions Buses Managing Director Craig Temple says that the business has spent over a year working towards Earned Recognition accreditation, although he notes that the biggest challenge in successfully completing all requirements is paperwork related.
Mr Temple has credited teams led by Operations Manager Steve Scott and Engineering Manager Tom Swiers for the achievement. “It has no doubt been helped because our team is fairly young, and easily adapts to change,” he continues.
“We already did all of what was required, but it was a case of documenting everything, something that larger operators are usually better at,” he explains.
Connexions’ maintenance management has also long satisfied Earned Recognition requirements. It uses Distinctive Systems’ VMS platform for planning, which Mr Temple says is “very easy to use.” He adds: “We will use it to more of its full potential as time progresses.”
Mr Temple has added a hope that more councils and other authorities consider Earned Recognition accreditation when awarding contracts. In guidance around joining the scheme, DVSA notes that being able to prove membership when tendering should be seen as a benefit and indicative of the business concerned being “an exemplary operator.”
Analysis of the Agency’s list of Earned Recognition members as of 8 March shows that coach and bus accounts for 91 of the 410 passenger and freight O-Licences that are accredited by the scheme.
Those 91 PSV operators capture a total authorisation of 24,280 vehicles, although in some cases the number authorised by each O-Licence is significantly more than the fleet in use by the business.
