The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Ride-and-Drive event returned to North Weald Airfield in Essex on 28 July, with vehicle and visitor numbers in 2025 well above those seen at last year’s event.
Having been jointly planned by CPT Regional Manager Karen Tiley and Lodges Coaches director Robert Lodge since 2012, the gathering this year drew what Ms Tiley says was 206 attendees from across the operator and supplier fields. That was around 25% up on 2024.
The weather smiled on events, while a ‘bar bus’ sponsored by C9 Recruitment and a nearby food stall ensured visitors were fed and watered. Business concierge Sparoh also lent its support to the gathering.
Operators National Express, Stephensons of Essex and NIBS Buses additionally backed proceedings, the former with its mobile driving simulator and Stephensons with a member of its training fleet that visitors could try their hand in around a laid-out course.
Fifteen vehicles were present for test drive around a circuit on the airfield. Those products extended from large tri-axle coaches from Daimler Buses UK, Pelican Bus and Coach and Scania UK to the 12-seat Karsan e-JEST battery-electric microbus as part of a five-strong EVM UK line-up.
Also showcasing its mini and midicoach range, EVM provided an example of each of the AOS Grand Toro and Visigo, a Ferqui Sunrise mounted on an Iveco Daily chassis, and a coachbuilt Grand Tourer on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Besides the e-JEST, other bus products were an Alexander Dennis Enviro200 brought by Dawsongroup Bus and Coach, and a Mellor Strata Plus from Asset Alliance Group. Both of those show versatility in their interior fit-out options.
Jointly presented by Irizar UK and Mistral Finance was an Irizar i6S Efficient integral, with Mistral Finance majoring on the rental options it can provide for that model that it says are growing in operator interest.
At the biggest end of the coach spectrum, Daimler Buses UK entered a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo L, while present and of a similar length was a Yutong GTe14 battery-electric from Pelican, complementing smaller GT12 and TC9 models.
Scania showed both two- and three-axle examples of the Touring coach alongside a Scania Irizar i6S Efficient.
Completing the vehicles present were a preserved Bristol VR double-decker that was once a member of the local Eastern National fleet, a similarly restored Optare Vecta on an MAN 11.190 chassis in Black Prince livery, and a Leyland Leopard with Alexander body in Strathtay colours that was recently driven to Rome and back by its owner.
He got into the spirit of things by later entering it into the ride-and-drive, with several visitors taking the opportunity to put the semi-automatic vehicle through its paces.
