A1A Travel
Encyclopedia
A1A Travel is an independent bus company based in Birkenhead
on the Wirral Peninsula
in England
. For the development of the company's quality objectives, a quality management system
registered to ISO 9000
status was installed. A1A Travel employs approximately 35 people.
President body, the company moved to their current depot in Birkenhead
in 1998.
The business grew slowly over the subsequent years, focusing on being a bus company. The fleet peaked at around 20 vehicles of which the majority were used for public service.
The fleet of the company has varied throughout the years and has included a variety of different types of buses including, various Dennis Dart
s of the step-entrance, SLF 10.7m and MPD 8.8m varieties with Plaxton Pointer
and Alexander bodies, Daimler Fleetline
, Mercedes Benz 814, Optare Solo
, Optare MetroRider
s, a Volvo B10M
Coach, LDV Convoys, Iveco Daily.
on the Wirral. However, all of these were re-tendered to other operators in July 2010, with the majority going to Eazibus and a few going to Arriva North West
.
These changes left A1A with only two scheduled local services requiring one bus each, these being the hourly 107 and 207, running from Mossley Hill Hospital or Penny Lane via a circular route taking in Dingle
, Liverpool city centre (Great Charlotte Street) and Liverpool Women's Hospital
. These services had initially been taken on as Merseytravel contracts, but converted to commercial operation in 2009.
In several stages, Stagecoach Merseyside
took over operation of the 107 and 207, initially taking on the Saturday service, later also operating the weekday service during Wirral school holidays, producing the odd situation in which the operation of a route wholly within the City of Liverpool
was determined by the school holidays of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
. Finally, from Tuesday 13 September 2011, Stagecoach assumed full operation of the routes, with plans to replace them from October 2011 with a new half-hourly service 83 on the eastern part of the circular route.
As of 13 September 2011, A1A Travel now operates only school services and private hires, with no scheduled local services remaining.
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. For the development of the company's quality objectives, a quality management system
Quality management system
A quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
registered to ISO 9000
ISO 9000
The ISO 9000 family of standards relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organizations ensure they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders . The standards are published by ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and available through National...
status was installed. A1A Travel employs approximately 35 people.
History
A1A travel was founded by Barbra and John Ashworth in the early 1980s and started with only one minicoach which was a Ford with PlaxtonPlaxton
Plaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
President body, the company moved to their current depot in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
in 1998.
The business grew slowly over the subsequent years, focusing on being a bus company. The fleet peaked at around 20 vehicles of which the majority were used for public service.
The fleet of the company has varied throughout the years and has included a variety of different types of buses including, various Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s of the step-entrance, SLF 10.7m and MPD 8.8m varieties with Plaxton Pointer
Plaxton Pointer
The Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m...
and Alexander bodies, Daimler Fleetline
Daimler Fleetline
The Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis built between 1960 and 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and from 1973 until 1980 in Farington, Lancashire, England. However, the last complete vehicle did not enter service until 1983...
, Mercedes Benz 814, Optare Solo
Optare Solo
The Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
, Optare MetroRider
Optare MetroRider
The Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
s, a Volvo B10M
Volvo B10M
The Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
Coach, LDV Convoys, Iveco Daily.
Services
Until July 2010, the company operated mainly contracted local bus services for MerseytravelMerseytravel
Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...
on the Wirral. However, all of these were re-tendered to other operators in July 2010, with the majority going to Eazibus and a few going to Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
.
These changes left A1A with only two scheduled local services requiring one bus each, these being the hourly 107 and 207, running from Mossley Hill Hospital or Penny Lane via a circular route taking in Dingle
Dingle, Liverpool
Dingle is an inner-city area of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is located to the south of the city, bordered by the adjoining districts of Toxteth and Aigburth...
, Liverpool city centre (Great Charlotte Street) and Liverpool Women's Hospital
Liverpool Women's Hospital
Liverpool Women's Hospital is NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, England. The Trust uses the Single Transferable Vote voting system to elect its Members' Council.-History and architecture:...
. These services had initially been taken on as Merseytravel contracts, but converted to commercial operation in 2009.
In several stages, Stagecoach Merseyside
Stagecoach Merseyside
Stagecoach Merseyside is a major operator of bus services in the English city of Liverpool and in the surrounding area of Merseyside. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group...
took over operation of the 107 and 207, initially taking on the Saturday service, later also operating the weekday service during Wirral school holidays, producing the odd situation in which the operation of a route wholly within the City of Liverpool
City of Liverpool
-Aircraft:* City of Liverpool , an Imperial Airways Armstrong Whitworth Argosy that crashed in 1933 in what is suspected to be the first ever occurrence of aerial sabotage-Locations:* Liverpool, a city in the north west of England...
was determined by the school holidays of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...
. Finally, from Tuesday 13 September 2011, Stagecoach assumed full operation of the routes, with plans to replace them from October 2011 with a new half-hourly service 83 on the eastern part of the circular route.
As of 13 September 2011, A1A Travel now operates only school services and private hires, with no scheduled local services remaining.
Fleet summary
| Single Deck, Step Entry | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chassis | Count | Body type(s) | Image(s) | Notes |
| LDV Convoy LDV Convoy The LDV Convoy is a panel van that was manufactured by LDV Limited between 1997 and 2006.The Convoy was a development of the Leyland DAF 400 Series, which in turn was based on the Freight Rover 300 Series... |
10 | LDV Convoy LDV Convoy The LDV Convoy is a panel van that was manufactured by LDV Limited between 1997 and 2006.The Convoy was a development of the Leyland DAF 400 Series, which in turn was based on the Freight Rover 300 Series... / Concept 16-seat |
Fleet Numbers 5, 6, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 | |
| Mercedes-Benz Vario Mercedes-Benz Vario The Mercedes-Benz Vario is a heavy van manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. Originally launched as the T2 in 1986, the Vario gained its current name when it was facelifted in 1996. The T2 van itself succeeded the Mercedes-Benz L van series.The bodyshell remained relatively unchanged since production... 0.814 |
2 | Plaxton Beaver 2 | Fleet Numbers 1 and 2, used on private hires and school contracts | |
| Ford Transit Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term... |
1 | Ford | Fleet Number 8 | |
External links
- http://www.mistral-group.com/about-mistral/latest-news/more-solo-for-a1a-travel/
- a1atravel.co.uk an unofficial website about the company