Alliance & Leicester and Alexander Dennis target school bus market

Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank (ALCB) and Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) have announced that they are to join forces in a unique joint venture which will see the bank and manufacturer target the School Bus market.

ADL will supply a full range of low floor, fuel efficient school buses, which Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank will provide to local authorities on a low cost, fixed term rental basis. The joint offering means local authorities will be able to offer safe, modern and reliable school transport that is cost-effective and low maintenance. Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank has an existing two year relationship with ADL, which has seen the bank purchase ADL buses for their rental fleet.

Rob Hallworth, Head of Bus and Coach Finance at Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank said: “The school bus market is huge and in recent years it has suffered from a lack of investment in terms of vehicle quality. We have seen a number of schemes being trialled by a number of local authorities throughout the country and as a parent myself I am pleased to see a greater level of focus on the quality of vehicles being used on school routes. The decision to partner with ADL to offer this unique service is based on the range of low floor, fuel efficient school buses which ADL have developed. As the biggest bus manufacturer in Britain, ADL already work with many public sector organisations and we believe their vehicles, together with our specialist finance solutions will prove to be a real success.”

Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank is a leader in bus and coach finance and with over 10 years’ experience and a dedicated bus and coach sector team. The bank’s rental scheme offers a range of benefits including variable rental periods, improved cashflow, fixed price rentals, low initial payments, immediate delivery and specialist relationship managers. At the end of the rental period there is the option to upgrade to a newer model. There is also an optional fixed parts and service contract supported by ADL.

Commenting on the new joint venture, David Brown, Local Authorities Sales Manager at Alexander Dennis Limited said: “With the co-operation of Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank, we are pleased to be able to market the School Bus products with so many varied and conducive acquisition methods, which A& L are well skilled in offering to local authorities and their local operators of school contracts.”

ADL have developed a range of buses and coaches purpose built to provide fully accessible, safe transport for up to 60 seat belted children. These vehicles offer:

Versatile seating layouts
Removable seat to allow a larger number of wheel chairs to be carried
Choice of wheel chair positions
Safe, low and wide step-free entrances
Sophisticated and modern designs
Between 29 and 60 seats with M3 seatbelts
Up to 30% more fuel efficient than other manufacturers
Strong, rigid corrosion-free, lightweight, aluminium body structures – up to
2 tonnes lighter than the competition, with no compromise in durability
Fully Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant