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Hired-in buses

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MotCO

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Reading Buses magazine, I often see in the bus fleets section that Arriva and Stagecoach hire buses from Ferrymill Motors or Mistral. Why do they have to hire buses from these companies - don't they have any spare buses amongst all the fleets they have? Surely it cannot be cost effective to hire in when there must be surplus buses.
 
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plannerman

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I think for these the word 'hire' is used loosely - they're repairers, so they'll effectively be courtesy vehicles being used while the operator's own vehicle is under repair, presumably 'free of charge' (the cost will be buried in with the repair cost)
 

Teflon Lettuce

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Often a company will hire in a vehicle or 3 when they win a contract at short notice, either because they're having to wait for the vehicle ordered for that service to be delivered or because they know that they've lost a contract that will end soon so the increase in PVR is very short term...

of course there are also the times when VOSA {or whatever it's called this week} turn up and prohibit a large number of vehicles in one go {and that does happen.. even to the biggest companies despite what they'd like you to think}
 

Jordan Adam

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Often a company will hire in a vehicle or 3 when they win a contract at short notice, either because they're having to wait for the vehicle ordered for that service to be delivered or because they know that they've lost a contract that will end soon so the increase in PVR is very short term...

of course there are also the times when VOSA {or whatever it's called this week} turn up and prohibit a large number of vehicles in one go {and that does happen.. even to the biggest companies despite what they'd like you to think}

Cough cough cough "Mushroomgate" on Orkney recently saw a number of vehicles prohibited!
 

TheGrandWazoo

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Can think of a few instances that echo Teflon’s comments just in the South West

Webberbus were stripped of the Taunton P&R contract with virtually no notice so whilst some new StreetLites were diverted for the first fortnight, hired fleet was needed after that

Delays to the new Kernow deckers meant that older fleet was dying on its feet. Rather than spending thousands on replacing engines and gearboxes on knackered Tridents that were due for scrapping, they hired in deckers from Ensign

Western Greyhound collapsing overnight meant a massive increase in PVR - First ended up hiring some fleet from Ensign that was being used by WG
 

pemma

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Often a company will hire in a vehicle or 3 when they win a contract at short notice, either because they're having to wait for the vehicle ordered for that service to be delivered or because they know that they've lost a contract that will end soon so the increase in PVR is very short term...

of course there are also the times when VOSA {or whatever it's called this week} turn up and prohibit a large number of vehicles in one go {and that does happen.. even to the biggest companies despite what they'd like you to think}

In instances where an operator goes out of business they'll likely be an emergency contract which is only short term and needs to start immediately and then the local authority will put it to tender properly meaning initially it's operated by an operator who can get buses and drivers at very short notice and longer term it goes to whoever is willing to run it for the lowest subsidy.
 

Stan Drews

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Ferrymill Motors have a small fleet of buses and coaches that they provide to operators whilst their vehicles are in being repaired after accident damage, usually where a Third Party has been at fault. Therefore, the replacement vehicle cost will be borne by the Third Party’s insurer.
 

GaryMcEwan

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Ferrymill Motors have a small fleet of buses and coaches that they provide to operators whilst their vehicles are in being repaired after accident damage, usually where a Third Party has been at fault. Therefore, the replacement vehicle cost will be borne by the Third Party’s insurer.

Usually its FM31 to FM34 that get sent to operators which are some form of Wright Eclipse be it Volvo or MAN. Don't think I've seen any other type be sent to operators.

I know Stagecoach usually get the Wright's when a one of their vehicles is sent for repair.
 

RomeoCharlie71

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I'm sure Ferrymill also have two Plaxton Panthers, or at least they did, and they were on loan to Arbroath depot a few years back for the X7 service whilst an Interdeck or two were away for repair.
 
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