Passenger vehicles in a busy city
Derby moves a lot of people by road. Its bus station is the hub for local services in and around the city, two routes from Derby run around the clock, and the city is on several national coach routes to places including Birmingham, Leeds and London. Whether a group is heading to a match at Pride Park Stadium, to the university's main campus on Kedleston Road, or to the cathedral and the Museum of Making in the old Silk Mill, part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, a coach or minibus that stops on the way affects every person on board.
Breakdowns with people on board
If a coach or minibus fails on the outer ring road, the A50 or anywhere in the city, the driver's priority is the group: hazards on, the vehicle tucked away from passing traffic as far as it will go, and everyone kept together somewhere safe. Then ring 01332 916028, day or night, and tell us where the vehicle is and how many passengers are aboard. We can advise the driver by phone while a technician heads out, and the aim is always to repair the fault where the vehicle stands. When that can't be done safely, we recover it, and your office gets the information it needs to arrange onward travel.
In the workshop
Coaches, double-deckers and minibuses go up on the same lifts as our HGVs at Calke Mill Farm, Ashby Road, Melbourne. Servicing follows the manufacturer's schedule and covers the systems passengers rely on without thinking about them: brakes and air, steering and suspension, electrics and lighting, heating and demisting, cooling and the drivetrain. Safety inspections and annual test preparation are carried out to the same DVSA standards as for goods vehicles, with brake performance checked every time and defects put right before sign-off.
Heating and demisting deserve a mention for any operator running early winter journeys out of Derby. A windscreen that won't clear is a visibility problem as much as a comfort one, and it is far better found in the workshop in October than on a dark morning with a full vehicle.
Planning around your diary
Passenger operators have peaks and quieter spells. Tell us when yours fall and we will plan servicing and inspections into the quiet weeks, so the vehicles are ready when the bookings are there. Planned work is booked on 01332 916028 for the workshop, open Monday to Friday, 07:30 to 17:00. Mixed fleets of coaches, minibuses and trucks can sit under one maintenance contract.
