It was Busworld over the last week. I didn’t go, as there was the pressing matter of a League One football match to attend, but I am reliably informed that the displays and exhibits had a heavy focus on net-zero and hydrogen and battery-electric coaches, as well as the more ‘traditional’ Euro VI diesel examples.
When my father was buying a coach 25 years ago, a quick trip to the Volvo agent was all that was required. It would have some in stock, and before you could say 53 seat Volvo Van Hool with a demountable toilet, the deal was done. You would be home in time for afternoon schools.
In 2023, that simply is no longer the case. How do you future-proof your purchase, or even get something that can be delivered before 2025?
The days of cascading vehicles down the fleet are long gone. Our record for whipping out two seat pairs and putting the toilet back in was just over an hour. I do not know a single person who does that anymore, and I cannot see any of my tri-axles eventually ending up on one of our rural home-to-school routes.
We are already in essence running two separate fleets – one for holidays and private hire, and another for home-to-school services.
I was always cautious around 70-seaters. If I am honest, I still am. But over the past couple of years, I have bought three new ones. To say that they have earned their money is an understatement, but they cannot do a school run and then do an 0900hrs U3A job for older people to the theatre. They simply are not made for that work.
When I buy, I like to have something quickly. A two-year wait is a long time, and my requirements may have changed by then. Back to my 70-seaters: I would never have placed an order for them and waited two years. I saw a gap in the market, bought them, and away we went.
I’m not bright enough to be able to see what may be a good revenue earner in late 2026. I know I will need a new front-line touring coach, but will it need to be zero-emission? Will the infrastructure and range be enough? Should I stick with Euro VI? Will I be allowed into major cities with a diesel in five years, no matter the emission level?
Our predecessors never had these decisions to make. We used to agonise over whether we should have 57 seats, or only 53. When I am spending over £300,000 on a new vehicle, I need to be certain that it will still be earning a profit in three to five years’ time.
I have not yet ordered for 2023, 2024 or 2025. So if anyone knows of a trusty B10M with a demountable toilet for sale, we will see if we can break the hour mark to have the seats out and the toilet in!
