Bus Ambassador

Busworld Europe returns to Brussels a year from today, and the first names on the 2027 exhibitor list have already been published. Tom Harrison (Bus Ambassador)

More than 80 coaches, buses and minibuses will be on show when Euro Bus Expo returns to the NEC next month, and Bus Ambassador will be there to bring you the highlights.   Euro Bus Expo The UK’s biggest coach and bus trade show takes place in Halls 17 to 19 at the NEC Birmingham from 3rd to 5th November. More than 200 exhibitors are expected, including 31 vehicle manufacturers, dealers and converters. Organisers say it will be the world’s largest collection of UK road-ready coaches, buses and minibuses, with several UK and global debuts.

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) has taken delivery of its first electric double-deck buses, with six Wrightbus StreetDeck Electroliner Gen 2.0 vehicles signed off and now at the company, ahead of entering passenger service later this year on Lilac Line 27 to Carlton. Nottingham City Transport NCT will host a launch event at Sneinton Market Square on Wednesday 14th October, from 10am until 3pm. Passengers and the local community can step aboard the buses and find out how they will change journeys on the Lilac Line.

Mellor has begun delivering 33 Strata Plus low-floor buses to replace West Yorkshire's AccessBus fleet, as part of a £6.5m programme run by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). Mellor Bus The order was awarded earlier this year, and Mellor says the ultra-low emission vehicles will be introduced progressively across the region. WYCA said the buses being replaced were between 11 and 18 years old when the programme was announced.

West Yorkshire's new Weaver Network buses are taking shape at the Wrightbus factory in Northern Ireland, with Mayor Tracy Brabin among those getting a first look at the fleet before they head to Yorkshire. West Yorkshire Combined Authority The vehicles are being assembled ahead of their rollout from spring 2027, when the Weaver Network comes into effect. Wrightbus won the contract to build almost 200 new electric buses in May, following a competitive process.

Transport for London (TfL) has unveiled 'Buses for London', a new publicly owned bus company for the capital, and named route 6 as the first service it will run.  Tom Harrison (Bus Ambassador) The company is due to launch in late 2027, with Park Royal Depot in west London as its first operational base. A further four routes will be announced over the coming year and are due to transfer from 2028. TfL says the company will let it test new approaches to reliability, safety, decarbonisation, customer experience and driver welfare. It also means any profits can be reinvested in the transport network. How London's Buses Work Today For readers outside the capital, London's bus system works differently from most of Britain. London was not part of bus deregulation in 1986. Instead, TfL plans the routes, sets fares and timetables, and pays private companies to run the buses. Operators bid for each route. Contracts generally run for seven years and pay the operator a set income ...

Edwards Coaches has been appointed to run TaithCymru , Transport for Wales's (TfW) new coach service linking north and south-west Wales, with north Wales operator Llew Jones as its partner. Transport for Wales From 25th October, TaithCymru will run nine return journeys a day between Bangor and Carmarthen railway stations. It will call at Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Dolgellau, Machynlleth, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth bus station and Aberaeron.

Seven British-built Treka CitySprint minibuses are entering service in the Liverpool City Region, giving the new franchised Metro bus network a compact option for routes where larger buses are not suitable. The vehicles are built on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis, with bodywork by Treka Bus at its factory in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. They have been delivered to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA). Three have gone to St Helens and four to Wirral. Treka Bus St Helens became the first part of the city region to bring its buses back under public control on 6th September. Wirral follows on 25th October 2026, and bus franchising will then be extended across the rest of the region throughout 2027.

Mobico Group has confirmed it has reached an agreement in principle to sell the net assets and operations of its West Midlands bus business, National Express West Midlands, to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The deal is expected to bring Mobico upfront residual proceeds of around £24 million, once deductions for transferred liabilities are accounted for.

Alexander Dennis has won an order for at least 207 low- and zero-emission buses from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority , days before the region starts running bus services under public control in St Helens.