The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) annual ride and drive gathering returned to North Weald airfield in Essex on 29 July, with the event blessed by excellent weather and a turnout of over 150 operator and supplier members.
A selection of vehicles from Dawsongroup Bus and Coach, EVM, Jones Coach and Bus Sales, Pelican Bus and Coach, and Volvo Buses UK and Ireland were on site and available to drive around an off-road course within the airfield. PSV Transport Systems also supported the event.
In an indication of the industry’s ongoing trajectory, three of the vehicles available to try – an EVM e-Cityline minibus, a Volvo BZL single-deck bus and a Yutong GTe14 coach – were battery-electric, with each attracting interest and behind-the-wheel sampling from visitors, including some who had never driven a coach or bus before.
Of others on site, Dawsongroup Bus and Coach attended with a high-specification, long-wheelbase Alexander Dennis Enviro400. A representative says that the model in such a form continues to be popular in smaller numbers with operators for which coach is their key market, with the high capacity on offer being a selling point.
In addition to its e-Cityline, EVM displayed both AOS-branded midicoaches offered by the supplier in the Grand Toro and the Visigo. The former – with its engine behind the front axle and cost-effective nature – remains the most popular of the two, but the larger Visigo continues to generate interest, a representative of EVM says.
For Jones Bus and Coach Sales and its presence as supplier of the Noone Turas range of smaller coaches in England and Wales, a Turas 900S on DAF LF chassis was most prominent, but it was joined by a Turas 500S built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter base vehicle
The minicoach is one of two on order for Whites Coaches and is to the customary high specification of the St Albans operator. The Turas 900S, meanwhile, remains the only vehicle in its class to be built on the DAF LF chassis, and despite its front-engined layout has been lauded as having a ‘big coach’ feel.
Pelican used the opportunity to display the Yutong GTe14 tri-axle battery-electric coach. A spot behind the wheel was heavily in demand, but the demonstrator – which was first seen in late February – has now covered over 30,000km, most recently visiting Trentbarton. A brief drive of the coach showed that it is nimble despite its over-18,500kg unladen weight.
Volvo Buses UK and Ireland complemented its BZL single-deck demonstrator with an MCV Evotor-bodied B8R coach. That vehicle, despite having an I-Shift gearbox, has push-button control rather than the customary I-Shift selector, and is for Richmonds Coaches of Barley.
Volvo is seeing strong demand for the B8R Evotor combination and continues to look for a solution to enable continued production of the 9700 and 9900 coaches on B13R chassis. It does not rule out working with a new bodybuilder partner to deliver on that aspiration after an end to its planned collaboration on the two models with Sunsundegui.
Also present was the National Express mobile driving simulator, which welcomed guests including Senior Traffic Commissioner (TC) Richard Turfitt. Mr Turfitt was also seen behind the wheel of the AOS Visigo in what he says is his first time driving a PSV. His jaunt in that coach passed without incident.
Mr Turfitt will step down as Senior TC after completion of his current term, which ends in around 10 months’ time, but he intends to remain as a TC. CPT CEO Graham Vidler – accompanied by his two sons – also got behind the wheel of the Enviro400 on site.
Nearby was a First Bus driver training bus via which attendees could put their skills to the test. The contest was won by Cozy Travel Director Brad Powell, who received a bottle of champaign to recognise the achievement.
Food, including a barbecue, added to the social atmosphere of the ride and drive, with the good turnout on a Monday afternoon indicating that it remains a core part of the CPT diary.
