Wednesday 8 April 2015

Swift Taxis ~ End Of The Coach Fleet?

Regular readers of the blog will have noticed that our fortnightly feature on the East Of England Traffic Commissioners' Notices and Proceedings Report was not published as intended 1st April 2015

Eurocoach (Bunbeg) bodied Mercedes Benz Vario AE07NZC on a Swift operated Seafront Circular in July 2011
There is a significant reason for this in that the only entries relevant to our area concerned the impending cancellation of all of Swift's four services operated by a full sized coach. They are
  • 10  Operating between Spowston and Broadland High School - effective 21st July 2015 
  • 291  Operating between Roys of Wroxham and Roys of Wroxham via Aylsham and Reepham - effective 27th August 2015
  • 292  Operating between Squires Road, Halvergate and Roys of Wroxham - effective 25th August 2015
  • TR3  Operating between Acle and Potter Heigham - effective 24th August 2015
  • TR4  Operating between Ormesby and Norwich Castle Meadow - effective 17th August 2015
I had deliberately delayed the posting of the above information in the hope that in the meantime I could have received some form of comment from the company

Four of the Swift Taxis vehicles featuring in the on line sale during August 2011
It seems almost certain that the operation of Swift's full size coaches will be coming to an end by the end of August. The writing was on the wall earlier in the year when we revealed that the company had lost almost all of their schools contracts

More of the coaches appearing in the on line sale in August 2011

The decline in the use of the larger vehicles started in August 2011 when Swift Taxis aficionado Joe Leathers Watson made me aware of an on line auction being held by Bedford-based W & H Peacock. All ten vehicles were sold with further incremental coach sales following between then and now

Swift's only double decker in the fleet was this Jonckheere Monaco bodied Volvo B12BT SE51DZV
Last week we were looking at the demise of another local independent Caroline Seagull, will we see the loss of yet another Great Yarmouth operator running full sized coaches? Whilst they may cease to operate them, I expect the Swift name will continue to be seen on their minibuses and taxis

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