Member Article

TotalKare marks 30-year Arriva Bus and Coach partnership

A next-generation Van Hool coach was the star of the show at an event to mark a 30-year partnership between the UK’s specialist provider of heavy-duty-vehicle-lifting solutions and Arriva Bus and Coach.

The team at Halesowen-based TotalKare wasted no time in lifting the new EX16M 1.7meters off the ground to showcase its T8AC mobile column lifts, with all invited guests safely looking underneath the 13.3m long coach.

Delegates were able to walk the entire length of the coach to view the underneath of the two-axle vehicle, which boasts DAF’s Euro 6 compliant MX-11 six-cylinder engine and the ZF Ecolife automatic transmission – packing 435hp and 2100Nm of torque.

TotalKare Managing Director David Hall was delighted to see the Van Hool EX16M lifted high on the company’s T8AC mobile column lifts and said that it was a fitting symbol of a 30-year partnership.

“We were very excited to welcome both the Van Hool EX16M and guests from Arriva Bus and Coach for a special day that represented both the history and the future of the partnership.”

David added: “We have been working with Arriva Bus and Coach for more than three decades now and it has relied on us to provide a range of heavy-duty vehicle lifting solutions, which has enabled it to service and repair thousands of vehicles over the years.

“And now it has very kindly brought the next-generation coach technology for us to take a good look at, highlighting how our innovative lifting solutions continue to meet the future needs of the sector.”

As well as seeing the Van Hool EX16M being lifted, delegates were also given a guided tour of TotalKare’s headquarters and saw presentations on the T8AC mobile column lifts that are ideal for two, three or four-axle vehicles and have adjustable forks to suit different wheel sizes.

The company currently has eight sets of lifts in use by Arriva Bus and Coach at its workshops in Wellingborough and Cleckheaton, raising more than 25 different vehicles across its four-post mobile column lifts and scissor table lifts.

All are covered by extensive servicing and maintenance contracts, ensuring products are operating efficiently and that any repairs are completed quickly and with minimal downtime.

Andrew Cullen, Commercial Director at Arriva Bus and Coach, said: “I am delighted that we were able to showcase the new Van Hool EX16M with the support of TotalKare. The partnerships we have with trusted and highly-respected organisations, such as Totalkare and Van Hool, have underpinned the success we have enjoyed in the past and will continue to be integral to our future plans.

“There is always great interest in the industry when Van Hool release a new coach into the UK and we are extremely proud to be the exclusive dealership for the EX. This coach is a gamechanger and we are delighted with the reception it has received.”

TotalKare was recently bought out as part of an MBO led by David Hall, Chairman Mike Lord and Directors James Radford and Peter Geobey.

The MBO is the part of a strategy to strengthen its market-leading position as a provider of heavy duty workshop solutions, including four and two-post lifts, forklifter ramp systems and a comprehensive suite of ancillary products.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .