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UK's token turn-out at Euro coach show
EUROPE'S 24th International Week of the Coach and Bus, held last week in the Province of Liege in Belgium, attracted participants from Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, West Germany, Finland, Sweden, Yugoslavia — and a token presence from Great Britain.
The vast number of Continental coaches accentuated the differences between Britain's large coach operating industry and the industry from the rest of the European community.
Europe's current vogue is for the angular "square-box" look brought about by the current practice of using glued-in glazing for the sidewindows. The one entirely British participant at the rally was a 12-metre Leyland Leopard with a Plaxton Viewmaster body. This coach, operated by Tatlocks of Manchester, did not appear at all out of place with the majority of Continental machinery and the Plaxton body shape was eye-catching in a less obtrusive way than, many of its counterparts.
The Viewmaster Leopard with its high floor and reclining seats looked as if it was built to work, while still providing a high standard of passenger comfort and providing safety and far better value for money than any of its full-size Continental counterparts.
The International week included seven events, including drivers' skills and vehicle standards tests. Technical tests included check of the quality of the coach suspension (measured with a vertical acceleration meter) and braking and acceleration tests.
The relevance of these and other tests, although scientifically judged, apply to coaches not subject to British construction and use regulations, which do particularly limit the scope for British sponsored participants. Competitors lined up for bodywork concours sect included city buses, sclmini-bus and touring executive coaches. I ticipants included a numb€ articulated executive coac with facilities that mak first-class air liner seem fru A Neoplan jumbo cruiser cluded a hotel-type recept area downstairs that seer more suited to a first-cl motel than to a coach.
This Neoplan was supei equipped although a num of features such as wrou shelf-handles and the like IA obvious potential accid hazards.
This European rally cluded sections for welf and school minibuses French specifications an number of new city I changes. While low st heights were in evidence th was a definite lack of the t: of practicality needed to mt buses and coaches viable well as beautiful.
It was good to see a cou of British entrants at the ra although its organisers ml no particular moves to invo the British industry.
The International Week the Coach for Britain ser particularly to accentuate • differences which, despite EEC, exist between passen; transport in Britain a Europe.
In particular, new legis tion designed for highly si sidised Continental bus ope tions and small specialis coach operators may irrelevant to British operatl or, at worst, severely dams them.
• Noel Millier