Passenger lift retrofits on coaches have taken off for Volvo’s Truck and Bus Centre in Loughborough. But it has long served the market for a variety of work
When investing in accident damage repair, technical work, or the recent trend of installing passenger lifts, a reputable supplier is essential.
Seeing an increase in demand for lift conversions is Volvo’s East Anglia Truck and Bus Centre, based in Loughborough. This unique offering from the group is the only wholly-owned Volvo body repair facility in the UK. It has so far converted three coaches this year and at time of writing its workshop is engaged with a batch of eight vehicles from across the UK, with five more booked in for 2020.
Volvo Truck and Bus: Experienced in retrofit
Since the approaching deadline for the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) caused a stir within the industry, the workshop has reacted to customer demands and delivered three fully-converted vehicles to operators seeking retrofits.
So far, the shop’s focus has been on the Jonckheere product, for which it has found a ready supply of parts. But conversations with Bodyshop Manager Roy Scott, whose history has long been in specialist vehicle builds and quality auditing, reveal the business has a conclusive parts list and is ready to look at solutions for almost any make and model of coach.
Accident damage repair has long been the bread and butter of the workshop’s business, alongside vehicle repaints and an expertise in diagnosing and fixing electrical issues on bodies. The shop operates a frontline van, which carries out field-based work as required, while Roy himself commutes the length and breadth of the country to provide no-obligation estimates.
“operators not wishing to trade up serviceable vehicles for compliance with PSVAR may wish to consider professional retrofit as a cost-effective alternative”
The business began looking at lift conversions around four years ago. A Scottish operator had purchased a pair of brand-new vehicles and part of the specification was for disabled access. Before the customer took delivery, each was to be fitted with a side-mounted lift according to the sales agreement, with work carried out at Loughborough. Now, operators not wishing to trade up serviceable vehicles for compliance with PSVAR may wish to consider professional retrofit as a cost-effective alternative.
Retrofitting of lifts has long been the historic approach for accessibility and will no doubt continue to be a primary solution until such a time when legislative change guides the building of lift-ready or lift-equipped vehicles. In the meantime, the East Anglia centre’s active and conscientious approach to operators’ requirements offers an efficient solution to keep vehicles on the road during the uncertainty of coronavirus COVID-19. It is no secret that PSVAR compliance is keeping the wheels turning for operators, with increased reliance on rail replacement and educational work.
Attention fell heavily on the business’s retrofit work in October 2019, when the January deadline for PSVAR compliance loomed. “People started sitting up and paying attention at that point,” observes Roy. “Now with the drying up of tour work, this is a way for operators to keep their coaches on the road without trading up for new vehicles.”
The reason for Volvo’s initial focus in retrofit lift work being on the Jonckheere product is down to history. A number of years ago the Belgian coach builder supplied lift-ready bodies, which arrived in the UK with additional doors and seat tracking. While the offering has since been withdrawn from the market, parts are readily available and do not require a bespoke solution from Volvo. The result is that the Loughborough team can complete a lift conversion which is as close to factory fitment as possible.
Of course, the stumbling point of any conversion is the door. “Once we have a door, legislation and compliance is what matters,” Roy explains. “Visually, we believe a conversion should not devalue a vehicle. Since we are buying a product that Jonckheere has fitted in the past, by the time we have finished the conversion it does not look like an afterthought.
“Since nothing is bespoke, it has the added benefit that there should be very little downtime if the vehicle should return to us if it is involved in accident damage, or the body suffers any kind of mechanical failure.”
Lifts are supplied by Passenger Lift Services (PLS) and are boxed off to maximise available luggage space. The quality of finished conversions is first rate; each lift comes with the standard PLS two-year warranty when registered, while Volvo supplies a 12-month warranty for the conversion work on the body.
Streamlined process
Since the increase in demand for retrofits has consumed more of the workshop’s time, Roy has supervised a streamlining of operations to reduce downtime and achieve cost parity for the customer. This continues a trend of improved workshop efficiency that began around five years ago, and a period of 12 to 18 months where the workshop was re-organised to suit rolling conversion work.
“While I’ve been here there were certain elements of how we undertook day to day tasks which needed modernising. In turn, in certain areas, that has helped us with workshop efficiencies,” he explains. “A considerable amount of time and effort was spent reorganising the workshop, laying out equipment, and analysing processes. We really homed in on how we could manage the most effective ways of working and deliver that benefit to operators.”
“there is nothing in terms of vehicle conversion or repair that Roy says the workshop will not consider undertaking”
Creating a lean way of working is not a task that lends itself easily to coach and bus products, which, crudely speaking, do not unbolt and bolt back together in the same manner as other vehicles. But at Loughborough the team foresaw the increase in demand and got to grips with a process which will help get vehicles back on the road in as timely a manner as possible. The current commitment is a six-week lead time on the doors from the point of order, with everything scheduled through to year’s end.
As work started back in October and the vehicles were completed in early 2020, technicians had been working on one vehicle each when undertaking the conversion work. This was changed to ensure vehicles could be turned out sooner. “We broke it down to a bulleted list of what task needs to be done on each vehicle from the moment it arrives in the workshop. By working on multiple vehicles at once, a technician can carry out the same task across each body one after the other. One task might be window removal, another the removal of seats. All in all, it’s a superior method of working.”
Discussions are now under way with door specialists and suppliers to expand the workshop’s offering, with a universal door a potential on the horizon. The workshop has submitted dimensions required with various body types to European suppliers. Roy says the team are willing to investigate the feasibility of any conversion.
End-to-end solution
Those looking to Loughborough for their conversion, repair or electrical work have the added benefit that staff are dedicated coach and bus technicians with long lengths of service. “We’re like a family. Our staff have a keen eye for detail and the highest standards,” says Roy.
Part of that is helped by the customer confidence in the Volvo name. Roy recognises that the East Anglia centre has to continue delivering on that confidence. “Communication during the process is one of our priorities. We will keep the customer up to date on how the conversion is going and supply photos of the progress. We recognise that every minute a vehicle is in the workshop is a minute it could be out on the road working.”
Feedback from the finished product has been wholly positive so far. Stoke-on-Trent operator Hollinshead Coaches was among the first three to offer a vehicle for conversion, with the work completed at the beginning of August.
“We had it converted for the same reason as everybody else,” explains Director Stephen Haydon. “PSVAR compliance is going to be necessary whether you like it or not, and operators that are looking to broaden the amount of work they can do – rail replacement and such – will have to have it.”
Stephen says he has been deeply impressed by the quality of the conversion carried out at Loughborough. “Communication and customer service is really good. I would definitely recommend them to other operators. It’s worth spending a little extra for that level of service.”
Legislation is the final hurdle to a finished product and unless Roy is 100% happy that a conversion can be undertaken, he will be open and honest about the reality of completing work. Vehicles are supplied on delivery with an Accessibility Certificate, which Volvo applies for provided the vehicle was built to European Directives. Otherwise, a full PSV type approval certificate to meet DDA rules will be required.
Following that, vehicles are tilt-tested then presented to test with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. “The vehicle is collected from us, ready to go straight into service with all the necessary paperwork,” Roy says.
In addition to the lift retrofits, which Roy anticipates will eventually dwindle as more lift-ready vehicles come into the market, operators should continue to keep the workshop in mind for its longstanding expertise in other areas of vehicle repair.
In particular, it has for years been the go-to for electrical repairs for many operators, owing to Volvo’s long dealings with multiple coach bodies. “We are renowned for being able to resolve problems with electric and ancillary equipment,” Roy says. “We also do accident damage repair, electrical diagnosis repair, and ancillary fitments such as CCTV and destination boards.”
In fact, there is nothing in terms of vehicle conversion or repair that Roy says the workshop will not consider undertaking. “We are eyes wide open here and will react to any operator’s requirements,” he adds. “If we believe it can be done, we will rise to the challenge and do it.”
Contact Volvo Truck and Bus East Anglia
Tel: 01509 217700
Email [email protected]
