Transdev Blazefield launched its latest fleet of high-spec buses in Burnley at the weekend, and it says that they will lift the bar further for bus passengers in and around the mill towns of East Lancashire
Transdev Blazefield unveiled a £4.5m fleet of 30 Optare Versas for its Mainline network in East Lancashire on Sunday (23 July), describing it as the largest ever single investment in new buses for the county.
Optare has customised the Versas to suit Transdev Blazefield following a public consultation into what Mainline users wanted, and its willingness to do so was part of the operator’s decision to stay with what it knows.
“We find that Optare is able to do what we want quickly, and I believe that the Versa is the best single-decker on the market,” says CEO Alex Hornby.
The 41-seaters have a range of passenger-friendly fittings. USB charging sockets are provided all round – including in the twin buggy and wheelchair bays – and 4G wi-fi is complemented by audio-visual next stop announcements.
Optare has carried out some minor remodelling over the offside front wheel to accommodate a large bin, while the first row on each side in the raised rear section has a small table with wireless charging pads.
Between them, Transdev Blazefield and Optare have come up with an impressive product, and the operator’s marketing machine ensured that the public turned out to see the buses at Sunday’s Burnley Bus Bash, which also raised money for Help for Heroes.
Mainline: Building a brand
The Mainline network accounts for around half of Burnley depot’s work and it is Transdev Blazefield’s busiest group of routes. At peak, 28 of the 30 Versas are required; 29 carry the Best Impressions-designed Mainline livery, and one is unbranded.
Transdev Blazefield has a history of buying from Optare and there is a further reason for that besides the manufacturer’s keenness to accommodate its wishes.
“The Optare of today is very different to how it was two years ago, and in particular the support has improved,” says Mr Hornby.
“As a major customer we are in a fortunate position, but I recognise a change since the arrival of Chairman Graham Belgum and Commercial Director Robert Drewery. When we say that we want to push the boundaries, Optare is on the same page as we are.”
Even so, he believes that manufacturers in general need to adopt a more car builder-like approach to specifying vehicles.
“When you buy a car, the dealership constantly tries to upsell. That’s not the case with buses; often it still feels like the operator has to take the lead.”
Public service
Part of Transdev Blazefield’s specification for the Versas is a clear screen behind the driver, rather than the more typical darkened glass. It’s a minor point, but Mr Hornby says that it’s part of the operator’s customer-based approach.
“Now everybody has a forward view and the driver is more visible,” he explains. “It’s similar to anti-assault screens; we don’t have them. I believe that when fitted, they can encourage confrontation.”
Despite one operator taking the decision to remove USB charging points after vandalism, they continue to form part of Transdev Blazefield’s offering.
It has seen a tiny number of them damaged on other buses, but they are a comparatively low-cost item to replace. “If a seat was damaged, no operator would say ‘we’re going to remove all of the seats so it doesn’t happen again’, so why would we do that with USB points?”
Re-setting the bar
Regardless of their specification, Transdev Blazefield has not purchased the Versas for Mainline to stay still patronage-wise. While the current climate doesn’t lend itself to the level of growth that new buses would have generated a decade ago, they still have a ‘wow effect’.
“Customers’ expectations are rising all the time and we must not only meet them, but exceed them,” says Mr Hornby. As an example, he uses the new buses’ double-glazing. It adds to their unladen weight, but the trade-off is no condensation in wet weather.
There are also five roof hatches; the Versa’s standard two roof-mounted emergency exits are retained, and three more standard panes of glass are added following good experience with a similar concept in some Wrightbus Gemini 3-bodied double-deckers elsewhere in the group.
The Versas are not yet equipped with contactless payment technology, but Mr Hornby confirms that it will be rolled out throughout Transdev Blazefield by the end of 2018.
Notably, it will be to the more advanced specification where users will tap in and tap out and be subject to fixed-period capping rather than using their card as a replacement for cash – and so Mainline passengers have even more to look forward to in the future than the new Versas.
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Transdev Blazefield’s history of upping standards dates back well over a decade, and it has continued to raise the bar with its new Versas.
Exactly how the group makes such a success of itself in East Lancashire, which contains some of the most deprived boroughs in the country, is a secret, but it does so nevertheless in a lesson to some similar areas elsewhere.
That success is undoubtedly down to more than hardware, nice as the new Versas are. Transdev expects high standards from its drivers – and based on Sunday’s experience, they deliver – and presentation is first-rate, as is printed publicity.
Together, all of these elements show that regardless of various pressures, where there is a will, there is still a way.
