August 12 2020
This week’s blog post is brought to you by John Randerson, Managing Director at Mellor Bus. John has written about the challenges facing the road transport sector, futureproofing passenger transport, and Mellor Bus becoming a member of CPT.
The challenges which 2020 continues to pose for our society and economy are unprecedented. The road transport sector is of course, no exception. Road passenger transport - much like our rail counterpart - has been hit hard by the pandemic as falling passenger numbers and a huge increase in home working reduces commuter travel, making previously busy routes, less viable.
Conversely, the pandemic has shone a light on the dire need for the very transport links which are now under threat. Reliable transport links which serve cities and those which support rural communities and vulnerable people for whom bus travel remains a necessity, must continue despite Covid-19.
The pandemic also poses opportunities for our sector to rise to the environmental challenge we all face and play our part in ensuring carbon emission reduction targets are hit. The passenger transport industry is well placed to answer the need for sustainable travel. We have the engineering expertise, the manufacturing capabilities and the understanding of customer requirements to create an inclusive, environmentally sustainable transport solution - whether people return to work in cities, or continue to work in a more dispersed, home-based environment.
For Mellor, the longevity of passenger travel lies in our industry’s ability to offer the right solution for the specific travel need, working closely with our customers to ensure they have the right equipment to make all routes viable; maximising the efficiency of traditional powertrains while pioneering the fully electric models which will shape our future.
Becoming members of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) gives the Mellor team the opportunity to lend our voice to these important conversations at a national level.
Mellor was fortunate enough to resume operations at our Rochdale manufacturing facility at full capacity in May, with the required PPE measures in place. Since which time we have maintained supply to customers throughout the UK - despite the challenges the pandemic posed, business is thriving.
We look forward to working with the CPT to lend a manufacturer’s point of view to these ongoing challenges, and help members work toward the solutions which will ensure the future health of our evolving industry.
Find out more about Mellor Bus https://www.mellorbus.com/our-history/