Cityfox Bus

[richw]

A bankrupt I believe can’t hold any regulated position

 

[randyrippley]

A bankrupt I believe can’t hold any regulated position

he'd hardly pass the financial repute test...

 

[RustySpoons]

I still can't fathom why 'Foxstar' existed in the first place. I suppose it could have been a runaway success and by now they could have expanded, but if they weren't willing to pay for the buses or ticket machines there'd only be one outcome.

The CityFox Taxi side of things seemed to be doing quite well on its own, slowly expanding, having built up relationships with Firstbus and running the My First Mile project, as well as uni shuttles and rail replacements. So why would you then ruin it all by playing bus company?

Even googling Rhys' name would be enough to put off any potential employers in the industry offering any sort of employment.

 

[Mwanesh]

Seems he is working as a controller .

A controller who cant drive a bus. I bet the guys there dont know who he is . I may need to pop into Andover in the coming weeks .

 

[DaveLondon]

A controller who cant drive a bus. I bet the guys there dont know who he is . I may need to pop into Andover in the coming weeks .

What is the basis for stating he cannot drive a bus? He was driving his Solo on Bristol rail replacement work a few months back. David

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

What is the basis for stating he cannot drive a bus? He was driving his Solo on Bristol rail replacement work a few months back. David

Was he actually driving?

 

[freetoview33]

Was he actually driving?

To be fair I have seen him driving a bus, when he got the E400 for the Babcock work a week before he went bust!

 

[RustySpoons]

To be fair I have seen him driving a bus, when he got the E400 for the Babcock work a week before he went bust!

Was that not the Streetdeck demo?

I wonder if the new E400 talk was also the work of fantasy? If he wasn't paying for the existing buses I'm not sure brand new deckers could be financed using the same method...

Who has got the Babcock contract now?

 

[freetoview33]

Was that not the Streetdeck demo?

I wonder if the new E400 talk was also the work of fantasy? If he wasn't paying for the existing buses I'm not sure brand new deckers could be financed using the same method...

Who has got the Babcock contract now?

Probably was!

 

[RustySpoons]

For anyone interested...

One of the ex-Fox B7RLEs appears to have found a new owner.

https://flic.kr/p/TMiTLG

 

[DJames]

It looks like he's now working for Wheelers.

 

[njlawley]

Phil Stockley also brought one of those coaches to the event.

 

[Jordan Adam]

It looks like he's now working for Wheelers.

Phil Stockley also brought one of those coaches to the event.

Wheeler's... The company that sold a almost brand new Enviro400City to a unknown buyer in Japan. Allegedly so they could strip it apart and "copy" the design.

 

[RustySpoons]

It looks like he's now working for Wheelers.

So guessing (as many people commented previously) Ovvio Group is just another made up fantasy company. Unless we're meant to believe Wheelers is part of Ovvio.......

 

[RustySpoons]

Wheeler's... The company that sold a almost brand new Enviro400City to a unknown buyer in Japan. Allegedly so they could strip it apart and "copy" the design.

Do you have any more info on that, sounds very intriguing?

 

[Jordan Adam]

Do you have any more info on that, sounds very intriguing?

The vehicle in question (SN17 MTJ) wasn't even a 6 months old when they sold it! It was put up for sale because they could fit seat belts in it, the buyer from Japan had it shipped over there allegedly to strip it and copy parts. It does come across as very strange and makes you wonder why they'd invest in a expensive new vehicle like it only to sell it months later. Although given that's it's Wheeler's perhaps i shouldn't be as shocked...

Some strange stuff happens in the bus industry! That's for sure.

 

[RustySpoons]

Very odd. You'd have expected with the huge cost of a new bus they'd have done their research beforehand regarding fitting seatbelts. Or even specified them from new!

 

[Jordan Adam]

Very odd. You'd have expected with the huge cost of a new bus they'd have done their research beforehand regarding fitting seatbelts. Or even specified them from new!

I'd agree. However as i say it is Wheeler's we're talking about. They have a history with this sort of thing!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Very odd. You'd have expected with the huge cost of a new bus they'd have done their research beforehand regarding fitting seatbelts. Or even specified them from new!

Who hasn't bought something they can't afford and then desperately try to sell it to recover?

That is, after all, why Mr Hand is bankrupt.

 

[Mr Manager]

Having met this slippery (Insert word of choice here) on 2 occasions he came across as someone who knew it all but in reality we all know different. I have the following questions.

1. Who Bankrolled the original start up and subsequent "Operations"
2. If Rotala have filed a personal Bankruptcy against Reece that means he must have been a Sole Trader rather than a Ltd Company ? Unless Reece gave a written personal Guarantee of monies. In which case what did he put up as collateral ?.
3. What happened to the Monies from the Financial Standing required for any company regardless that was proved to be available should it be needed when the Licence was originally granted ?.
4. The CPC Holder for any company in front of the Traffic Commissioner will take the biggest kicking rather than the director. In cases like these it is normally a disqualification from holding office for quite a lengthy time with the possibility of being ordered to resit the CPC exam.
5. Fuel. Most fuel card companies and Bulk Suppliers want payment on 7 or 14 days in cases of companies with good financial ground and good cash reserves you can get 21 or even 30 days credit. I wonder who supplied Reece and his companies and on what terms and what accounts where used to get credit terms.
6. In regards to the Newport Operation can any former employee supply info as to the average takings per bus per day and base this on forecasts done by Reece when planning the operation. This sort of info will be asked for should it go to a PI to ascertain if from the off That it was and would never have been sustainable.

Would be nice if Reece came on and answered peoples questions but i feel that will not happen as he knows the kicking he would get on here now he has been found out.

 

[richw]

1
3. What happened to the Monies from the Financial Standing required for any company regardless that was proved to be available should it be needed when the Licence was originally granted ?.
4. The CPC Holder for any company in front of the Traffic Commissioner will take the biggest kicking rather than the director. In cases like these it is normally a disqualification from holding office for quite a lengthy time with the possibility of being ordered to resit the CPC exam.

3. It’s pretty much a paper exercise every 5 years unless you get called to a PI. As long as you’ve got it when you apply and when renewing it goes unmonitored in between unless subject to PI. About £15k I believe for 3 vehicles

4. Mr Siddaway of course has history of disqualification. I can’t get it to link properly on this device, but google brings up details of his past misdemeanours, when he ran Cornwall Busways.

 

[Dai Corner]

Mr Siddaway of course has history of disqualification. I can’t get it to link properly on this device, but google brings up details of his past misdemeanours, when he ran Cornwall Busways.

Here you go.

https://cbwmagazine.com/cornwall-busways-loses-appeal/

An appeal by Cornwall Busways Ltd against a licence revocation and fine has been dismissed.

The operator had its licence revoked for failing to operate the number 29 service from St Austell to Bodmin. The operator had refused to operate the service during the 56 day notice period because a competing service had been introduced by Western Greyhound, which it claimed had been ‘fast tracked’ despite the council not requesting it and was being operated illegally. He said service was 29 was ‘losing £5,000 a week’ as a result.

However, Traffic Commissioner Nick Jones said commercial factors could not be considered for a short notice cancelation and revoked the licence, fining the company £300.

Nicholas Siddaway, the sole director of the appellant company, had attempted to surrender the O-licence prior to the public inquiry, which was refused by the traffic commissioner.

The grounds for appeal were that the Traffic Commissioner was bound to accept the surrender of the licence and that he therefore had no power to revoke the licence or to impose a penalty, and that the actions of the Traffic Commissioner for the West of England and her office put the Appellant in a position where it had no alternative but to cease to operate service 29.

The tribunal said that the operator could have reasonably foreseen the competition and that there was not sufficiently compelling material to call into question the judicial decision to allow Western Greyhound to vary its service at short notice. The appeal was therefore dismissed, though the operator has said it will publically campaign to discredit the system.

 

[richard13]

The PI into Snowdonia Travel is on todays N&Ps as follows:

Public Inquiry (79571) to be held at Cardiff Magistrates Court, Fitzalan Place, Cardiff CF24 0RZ, on 5 July 2019 commencing at 10:30
PG1143169 SI SNOWDONIA TRAVEL LIMITED Director(s): RHYS HAND CITYFOX HOUSE, UNIT 3, CHAPEL STREET, BRISTOL, BS2 0UH
Art. 8(2) & (3) - Consideration of Community Authorisation
S111 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 111 (The Transport Act 1985)
S17 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 17 (The Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981)
S26 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 26 (The Transport Act 1985)
S28 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 28 (The Transport Act 1985)
Sch.3 - Consideration of Transport Managers Repute under Schedule 3 (The Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981)

That seems a longer list of offenses to be considered than standard, but I am no transport expert. I also don't know the penalties possible.

There is also the matching TM inquiry:

TM Public Inquiry (Case ID: 420465, Public Inquiry ID: 89325) for NICHOLAS RONALD SIDDAWAY to be held at Cardiff Magistrates Court, Fitzalan Place, Cardiff CF24 0RZ, on 5 July 2019 commencing at 10:30 Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009

 

[richw]

Are they normally held at a magistrate court? Looking at others ones they don’t appear to be.

 

[Dai Corner]

Are they normally held at a magistrate court? Looking at others ones they don’t appear to be.

I think Cardiff Magistrates Court is the Traffic Commissioner's preferred venue for PIs in south east Wales. He also uses Welshpool Law Courts in mid Wales. The hearings are nothing to do with magistrates, they're just a suitable venue.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The PI into Snowdonia Travel is on todays N&Ps as follows:

Public Inquiry (79571) to be held at Cardiff Magistrates Court, Fitzalan Place, Cardiff CF24 0RZ, on 5 July 2019 commencing at 10:30
PG1143169 SI SNOWDONIA TRAVEL LIMITED Director(s): RHYS HAND CITYFOX HOUSE, UNIT 3, CHAPEL STREET, BRISTOL, BS2 0UH
Art. 8(2) & (3) - Consideration of Community Authorisation
S111 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 111 (The Transport Act 1985)
S17 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 17 (The Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981)
S26 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 26 (The Transport Act 1985)
S28 - Consideration of disciplinary action under Section 28 (The Transport Act 1985)
Sch.3 - Consideration of Transport Managers Repute under Schedule 3 (The Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981)

That seems a longer list of offenses to be considered than standard, but I am no transport expert. I also don't know the penalties possible.

There is also the matching TM inquiry:

TM Public Inquiry (Case ID: 420465, Public Inquiry ID: 89325) for NICHOLAS RONALD SIDDAWAY to be held at Cardiff Magistrates Court, Fitzalan Place, Cardiff CF24 0RZ, on 5 July 2019 commencing at 10:30 Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009

Looks like the usual offences of failure to operate bus services according to the registration allied to the revocation of licenses and the disqualification of the license holder.

Probably won't look too kindly on Mr Siddaway as he does have previous. Mr Hand might be more leniently treated but only by degrees. I'm sure that we will be watching with some interest.

 

[Dai Corner]

Are these Public Enquiries truly public? In other words can anyone turn up to observe and expect to be welcomed by the officials (if not by the subjects)?

 

[carlberry]

Are these Public Enquiries truly public? In other words can anyone turn up to observe and expect to be welcomed by the officials (if not by the subjects)?

3.6 The inquiry is open to members of the public and any other interested parties. The traffic commissioner will consider, on request, whether to hear certain sensitive evidence in private session, e.g. financial information or personal medical information.

From the following PDF:
https://assets.publishing.service.g...ata/file/545045/guide-to-public-inquiries.pdf

 

[Mwanesh]

Rhys wont come here .He knows he will be slaughtered . Wheelers may need to be careful if he is banned from transport jobs for a while .

 

[Dai Corner]

3.6 The inquiry is open to members of the public and any other interested parties. The traffic commissioner will consider, on request, whether to hear certain sensitive evidence in private session, e.g. financial information or personal medical information.

From the following PDF:
https://assets.publishing.service.g...ata/file/545045/guide-to-public-inquiries.pdf

Thanks. I may pop along if I'm free that day.