Taxibus First again with New Fleet
Eleven of the Transit 350 long-wheelbase 13 seater diesels are now on the road in Essex. Chelmsford Taxibus has won a reputation as one of the UK's leading specialists in transporting children and adults with special needs. It is contracted to Essex County Council and also provides back-up for Essex's ambulance services and private hire work. As with previous Chelmsford Taxibus conversions, the new Transits have been adapted by specialist bodybuilder Stanford Coachworks of Stanford-le-Hope. Supplied from the factory with twin side-loading doors, they are fully glazed, ply-lined and trimmed, additional roof ventilation is fitted and tracks to accommodate up to 11 Abacus high-backed saloon seats are added in the back. Rear wheelchair access is via a 2.5m Clearview portable ramp. The vehicles, which have the flexibility to carry 13 passengers, 10 with one wheelchair or four with four chairs, are fully compliant to European M2 level. Stanford Coachworks will soon begin work on modifying a further 35 Ford Transit 12-seater minibuses to carry wheelchairs for Chelmsford Taxibus. "A lot of thought has gone into the layout of the new Transits and they are unique - nothing else short of a midi-coach could do what they do, and it shows in our residual values, "says Chelmsford Taxibus' founding director Kevin Knightbridge. "People queue up when we come to sell because you can't buy vehicles like this off the shelf. It's the perfect spec - when we showed the new Transits to Essex County Council, they just went 'wow!'." Chelmsford Taxibus' vehicles are bought outright and normally sold after three years, having covered 80-100,000 miles. "We've looked at vehicles from other manufacturers over the years, but there's nothing else on the market that can cover all our needs," says Mr Knightbridge, who has been impressed by the refinement of the new Ford Transit. "It's lovely, and with the 2.2 engine it's so much quieter and smoother than before. The gear selection has been made easier and it drives more like a car than a van - in fact it's more comfortable than some cars. "That's important for the passengers, but also for the drivers who may be in the vehicles for up to 11 hours a day. They love them." Kevin Knightbridge also finds Transits cost-effective. "We couldn't manage without the tremendous support we get from Ford," he says. "Using its vehicles won't break the bank, and access to parts is always good." Servicing and repair is carried out by Dovercourt Ford of Chelmsford. Chelmsford Taxibus has been all-Ford ever since it began in 1980 with a mixture of Sierras and Granadas. Today it operates 110 vehicles, 85 of which are Transit minibuses, almost all wheelchair-accessible. It also runs 25 cars and MPVs, mainly new Ford Focus, C-Max, Mondeo and Galaxy, for its minicab and chauffeur services. Sister-company Excellent Connections operates another 100 Ford passenger vehicles at UK airports.