After almost four decades husband and wife team Alan and Celia Phillips are stepping aside to make room for the second generation.
It was an emotional yet happy occasion last Friday (3 March) when Bewdley-based Phillips International Travel held the launch and naming of its latest coach. However, it was an event that took on greater significance, signalling a new era with confirmation that management of the 37-year-old Worcestershire operator has transferred to the second generation.
Staged at the impressive local authority owned Wyre Forest Hose in Kidderminster, the launch was for invited guests. Civic dignitaries were joined by long-standing customers, suppliers, and members of the trade press who gathered in the Council Chamber prior to being introduced to the latest member of the fleet.
No stranger to new
Phillips International is no stranger to new coaches, having switched 20 years ago from a strategy of steady fleet expansion with secondhand purchases, to a policy of acquiring one new coach every five years. It simultaneously slimmed down its operation to concentrate on its own tours and excursions, using a single full-size coach plus one minibus used for feeders.
It was a move that co-founder Alan Phillips readily accepts was a turning point in the firm’s fortunes, though it required Alan and Celia to commit to the bulk of the driving duties.
Although the latest vehicle, a Plaxton Elite-bodied Volvo B11R powered by a 430bhp engine coupled to an I-shift gearbox, continues that policy, its arrival follows a significant change in circumstances.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 8 March 2017 - Issue 680 من routeONE magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 8 March 2017 - Issue 680 من routeONE magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Vehicle Parts and Accessories
Replacement parts will always be necessary, even for the most well maintained fleet.Consider investing in aftermarket accessories to reap the long-term benefits.
Decker Is Cooking on Biogas as a First
Interest in biogas-fuelled buses has grown recently thanks to Scania and ADL’s partnership to develop the Enviro400 CBG. The first are with Reading Buses and we find out how they perform.
Elite: One Coach That Satisfies Two Tasks
Tim Deakin drives the first restyled Plaxton’s Elite of which Acklams Coaches took the first one to enter service.
Real Life on Real City Buses
What’s it really like for everyday wheelchair users on buses? We make an undercover visit to Norwich to find out
Get Your Ship in Shape
A change to the Ogden tables means that insurance premiums are rising by at least 10-15%. What can you do to protect yourself?
Volvo Still Leader of the Pack
Many small operators know the feeling of excitement that comes with the arrival of a new coach. With the 17-plate now here, one of the first to enter service is continuing a Staffordshire firm’s relationship with Volvo, its favoured supplier
Now It's Your Turn
After almost four decades husband and wife team Alan and Celia Phillips are stepping aside to make room for the second generation.