Transpora Group

[father_jack]

UPDATE: We have received confirmation that services 23, 25, 90, N2, X10 and X91 (WESTlocal) are running as normal today.

From Travelwest today https://x.com/travelWESTeng/status/1811789929967407290

 

[Callum15632]

Transpora seem to be running the 25 today

 

[contrex]

Transpora seem to be running the 25 today

It has been a bit all over the place recently. Timetable has always been a bit of a Booker Prize entry. Last week I used the 25 to come back from Eastgate with a heavy load of shopping. I asked the driver if the Sevier Street inbound stop was still out of use (roadworks for new pedestrian crossing I think). 'No' was the reply, so I got on on and was dropped at that stop, where half a dozen people were waiting to board. Next day I made the same journey and said to a different driver 'It's OK for Sevier Street?' ' No way', he said, 'Out of use until the 24th. I'd lose my job if I stopped there'.

Transpora seem to be running the 25 today

Have you seen any?

 

[Callum15632]

It has been a bit all over the place recently. Timetable has always been a bit of a Booker Prize entry. Last week I used the 25 to come back from Eastgate with a heavy load of shopping. I asked the driver if the Sevier Street inbound stop was still out of use (roadworks for new pedestrian crossing I think). 'No' was the reply, so I got on on and was dropped at that stop, where half a dozen people were waiting to board. Next day I made the same journey and said to a different driver 'It's OK for Sevier Street?' ' No way', he said, 'Out of use until the 24th. I'd lose my job if I stopped there'.


Have you seen any?

No but it is tracking on bustimes.org.

 

[contrex]

No but it is tracking on bustimes.org.

Outbound 0800 service 'on time' at Lodge Causeway!

 

[LordCreed]

But you wrote that 1 hour before the first outbound off the Centre (0800), and 30 minutes before the first inbound (0730) off the Straits?

The tracking for that bus started at 6:53: https://bustimes.org/vehicles/alto-1299-yx23ota

 

[Callum15632]

But you wrote that 1 hour before the first outbound off the Centre (0800), and 30 minutes before the first inbound (0730) off the Straits?

It started tracking at 6:53am.

 

[contrex]

It started tracking at 6:53am.

Yes. All looks good. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[-Colly405-]

Big Lemon have tweeted

x.com

x.com

We have been made aware that Transpora Bus South West has ceased operations overnight. While the future of the business is clarified we will operate services X10, 25, 60, X91 and Arthur David staff buses to normal timetables
and

x.com

x.com

Yes, we have some of their buses on hire for this, alongside some of our own

 

[embers25]

How many companies have ceased trading involving Rhys now?

 

[Mollman]

Everything looks fine in the North West, Bus times has 6 vehicles tracking on the 24 Fleetwood - Blackpool

 

[CBlue]

How many companies have ceased trading involving Rhys now????

How many haven't!

I remember a friend getting his CPC about 15 years ago and looking into setting up his own bus firm. Going by his explanation of costings in the pub (his plan was to obtain a cheap 'decker from Ensign's bargain bin, running school contracts and local private hire) it seemed like a very stressful way to burn a lot of money. Financially things are only tighter now than they were then for any operator....

 

[Leyland Bus]

The open top tour is running in Manchester including a white E400 open top, so is it only the South West business that's affected?

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

According to the Government website Transpora North West was renamed Transporabus North West yesterday with Philip Higgs as director. He is also director of Manchester Bus Tours, Londoner Buses and London Bus 4 Hire.
Rhys Hand is showing as director of Transpora Travel Solutions based in Bristol.
So it looks like some effort has been made to separate the businesses and Blackpool and Manchester are continuing - presumably London as well if anyone can confirm?

 

[dvboy]

Stagecoach are stepping in to run the 25 in Bristol from Monday

Service 25 Bristol from Monday 15th July
13 Jul 2024​

Following the news of Transpora’s exit from the Bristol bus network we have been discussing with WECA ways we can help.

We are delighted to be able to step in and serve the community at short notice to ensure a continued bus provision and announce that from Monday 15th July Stagecoach will be operating the Monday to Sunday service 25 between the City Centre and Fishponds via St Werburghs & St Pauls. This will be operated on a commercial basis.

Customers who have a pre-paid weekly ticket will be able to continue to use this up to the date of expiry.

Click here for timetable

Service Disruption Updated 13 Jul 2024, 15:07

ServiceUpdatesArticle

www.stagecoachbus.com

 

[WibbleWobble]

According to the Government website Transpora North West was renamed Transporabus North West yesterday with Philip Higgs as director. He is also director of Manchester Bus Tours, Londoner Buses and London Bus 4 Hire.
Rhys Hand is showing as director of Transpora Travel Solutions based in Bristol.
So it looks like some effort has been made to separate the businesses and Blackpool and Manchester are continuing - presumably London as well if anyone can confirm?

Transporabus South West is a separate entity which is what the Bristol operation (and former Poole depot) are under - this is the former Altonian business, which Companies House shows changed name just yesterday (as happened with Transporabus North West)...

12 Jul 2024

Company name changed altonian coaches LIMITED\certificate issued on 12/07/24 Change of name by resolution Change company name resolution on 2024-07-11

.... and to which Rhys Hand was officially de-listed as a director and shareholder earlier in the week:

08 Jul 2024	Cessation of Rhys Dennis George Hand as a person with significant control on 8 July 2024
08 Jul 2024	Termination of appointment of Rhys Dennis George Hand as a director on 8 July 2024

I assume the Transpora Travel Solutions is the bit that deals with event services, working alongside Coach Event Services/Mayflower in Southampton.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Ah okay, I forgot about Altonian. The plot thickens!!

 

[anthony263]

There's more going on here than what's been said. I got to Give credit to stagecoach and the big lemon as well as transpora's drivers who have worked through last night to keep things running today.

 

[DaveLondon]

Transporabus South West is a separate entity which is what the Bristol operation (and former Poole depot) are under - this is the former Altonian business, which Companies House shows changed name just yesterday (as happened with Transporabus North West)...

.... and to which Rhys Hand was officially de-listed as a director and shareholder earlier in the week:

I assume the Transpora Travel Solutions is the bit that deals with event services, working alongside Coach Event Services/Mayflower in Southampton.

It is interesting to note that Transpora no longer runs the open top Routemasters in London. The service has gone from their website.

 

[richw]

Transpora seem to be running the 25 today

No but it is tracking on bustimes.org.

Outbound 0800 service 'on time' at Lodge Causeway!

The tracking for that bus started at 6:53: https://bustimes.org/vehicles/alto-1299-yx23ota

It started tracking at 6:53am.

Yes. All looks good. Sorry for the confusion.

It was Big Lemon using in a Transpora bus hired in.

I gather the Big Lemon engineers worked all night getting them inspected as required before being permitted to operate on a different operators licence. Management up all night putting actions in place at big lemon

 

[Marcus Fryer]

It was Big Lemon using in a Transpora bus hired in.

I gather the Big Lemon engineers worked all night getting them inspected as required before being permitted to operate on a different operators licence. Management up all night putting actions in place at big lemon

Presumably Big Lemon were also operating the other Transpora routes? And this will be continuing next week, apart from the 25?

 

[richw]

Presumably Big Lemon were also operating the other Transpora routes? And this will be continuing next week, apart from the 25?

Big lemon have confirmed they will be operating the routes on Monday, when talks will take place with the local authorities on the future of the routes

 

[Marcus Fryer]

Big lemon have confirmed they will be operating the routes on Monday, when talks will take place with the local authorities on the future of the routes

Thanks. I would imagine that at least the X10 and the 60 will continue in some form. Not so sure about the 23 and 90.

 

[father_jack]

Not so sure about the 23 and 90.

With the duplication both these routes more or less provide I think the final bell may have rung.

 

[CBlue]

How long did Foxstar/Cityfox or whatever it was called run for?

Transpora SW seems to have lasted 18 months or so, is this the longest lived iteration so far?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

With the duplication both these routes more or less provide I think the final bell may have rung.

There's relatively few areas that are unique to these routes so I think you're probably right.

The changes in various directorships are of interest. However, it was notable that Mr Hand was never involved as a director of the main Blackpool business. So what you had is:

	Transpora Group 13592429	Transpora Transport Solutions 14216695	Transpora SW 05184044	LondonBus4Hire 04744572	Manchester 07804276	Transpora North West 06002703 and Coastliner Buses 06072889
Rhys Hand	Director but ceased to have significant control 08 Jul	Director	Director until 08 Jul		Director until 08 Jul
Philip Higgs	Director until 08 Jul		Director	Director	Director	Director

This latest episode has some strong echoes of the FoxStar/CityFox debacle. In fact, the whole "group" seemed much more a virtual badging of different bits and pieces of operation rather than anything with any substance. The pen portrait of Rhys Hand for ECT Group is really quite enlightening; this is not to perform some sort of character assassination but perhaps to understand the mindset of this individual.

Rhys joined the Board of Trustees in December 2023, bringing considerable expertise in front-line passenger transport operations gained during a packed 15 year career.

He eschewed the formal education system in favour of building real life experience, applying his entreneurial skills to develop a number of start-up businesses while still in his teens, most notably a taxi business with a fleet of almost 100 vehicles.

His real passion has always been for the bus sector so Rhys went on to undertake a series of management roles for some of the bus industry’s household names as he looked to broaden his experience and knowledge. Ultimately this led him to HCT Group, helping to manage Hackney Community Transport’s response to the pandemic and then helping improve operational and performance processes within TfL red bus operations before going on to a stint as Interim Regional Director for the North of England. Rhys' time at HCT gave him insight into the deeper purpose of public transport as an enabler of social inclusion and as a tool to fight deprivation and isolation.

However, the entrepreneurial spirit never quite leaves, and Rhys is now CEO of his own business once again – Transpora Group – a rapidly growing bus operator rooted in his home city of Bristol but with sites throughout the country from Bournemouth in the south to Blackpool in the north as well as operations in London.

I'm no psychologist but perhaps provides some insight into why certain things have happened.

The reason I say this is two fold. One is that it provides some reason (but not exclusively) for why this ventures for all their promotion etc have failed in the manner that they have. Secondly, it means we will see Rhys Hand reappear somewhere else...

How long did Foxstar/Cityfox or whatever it was called run for?

Transpora SW seems to have lasted 18 months or so, is this the longest lived iteration so far?

It's a fair point. Again, the issue as I have mentioned above is what was CityFox. The taxi business seemed to be some sort of asset-light franchising/promo. Then you had the Snowdonia Travel/CityFox bus aspect that seemed be around in some form from late 2016 but the Newport adventure lasted about 5 months.

It was interesting revisiting the Cityfox thread on here from 2018...

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

It is interesting to note that Transpora no longer runs the open top Routemasters in London. The service has gone from their website.

If you mean the 15H between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill, this was running yesterday. Noted RM1650 in use yesterday afternoon, carrying a fair load eastbound. The only open topper in the fleet is RM644 on loan from Metroline for the summer.

 

[LordCreed]

If you mean the 15H between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill, this was running yesterday. Noted RM1650 in use yesterday afternoon, carrying a fair load eastbound. The only open topper in the fleet is RM644 on loan from Metroline for the summer.

Transpora had their own London tour. Not sure when it ended though.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Transpora had their own London tour. Not sure when it ended though.

Only one I am aware of was a Christmas Lights tour at the end of last year. Used a preserved open top Atlantean and open top Enviro 400

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

There's relatively few areas that are unique to these routes so I think you're probably right.

The changes in various directorships are of interest. However, it was notable that Mr Hand was never involved as a director of the main Blackpool business. So what you had is:

	Transpora Group 13592429	Transpora Transport Solutions 14216695	Transpora SW 05184044	LondonBus4Hire 04744572	Manchester 07804276	Transpora North West 06002703 and Coastliner Buses 06072889
Rhys Hand	Director but ceased to have significant control 08 Jul	Director	Director until 08 Jul		Director until 08 Jul
Philip Higgs	Director until 08 Jul		Director	Director	Director	Director

This latest episode has some strong echoes of the FoxStar/CityFox debacle. In fact, the whole "group" seemed much more a virtual badging of different bits and pieces of operation rather than anything with any substance. The pen portrait of Rhys Hand for ECT Group is really quite enlightening; this is not to perform some sort of character assassination but perhaps to understand the mindset of this individual.



I'm no psychologist but perhaps provides some insight into why certain things have happened.

The reason I say this is two fold. One is that it provides some reason (but not exclusively) for why this ventures for all their promotion etc have failed in the manner that they have. Secondly, it means we will see Rhys Hand reappear somewhere else...


It's a fair point. Again, the issue as I have mentioned above is what was CityFox. The taxi business seemed to be some sort of asset-light franchising/promo. Then you had the Snowdonia Travel/CityFox bus aspect that seemed be around in some form from late 2016 but the Newport adventure lasted about 5 months.

It was interesting revisiting the Cityfox thread on here from 2018...

Also Londoner Buses which Rhys Hand never seems to have been involved in

LONDONER BUSES LTD​

Company number 07911453
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DETHERIDGE, Martin Charles​

Correspondence address25 Jews Row, London, England, SW18 1TB
Role ACTIVEDirectorDate of birthMay 1961Appointed on24 April 2024
NationalityBritishCountry of residenceWalesOccupationDirector

HIGGS, Philip Karl​

Correspondence address25 Jews Row, London, England, SW18 1TB
Role ACTIVEDirectorDate of birthAugust 1967Appointed on16 January 2012
NationalityBritishCountry of residenceEnglandOccupationDirector