Show time

Saturday 7th November 2026

It’s been Bus and Coach Show time again at the NEC in Birmingham this week, and although I went along once again to see what’s new, I struggled to see much change from the jottings I made after the last Show, held two years ago in 2024.

As usual, vehicle manufacturers all had their latest models on display with lots of coaches looking impressive but for those interested in buses, it was all a bit underwhelming, although two new names from overseas (to me) were present, one offering a rather strange design of a bus.

However, it was noticeable some overseas bus builders have amended (and improved) the design of their latest battery-electric double decks, especially the front ends, most notably Yutong, seen below on a bus bound for Nottingham City…

… and BYD’s BD11A and BD11B (for TfL), although these still come across as a bit ugly to my unappreciative eyes.

Furthermore, in both cases the impression you get as a passenger boarding these vehicles is one of being hemmed in as you pass the rather large blocked off area over the nearside front wheel which I assume hides some extensive battery components.

The two new manufacturers displaying vehicles which I hadn’t seen before were another Chinese company called Zhonhtong (“a Member of SDHi Group”) with an uninspiring shaped double deck…

… and the Australian company, Custom Denning, displaying a single deck battery-electric bus…

… with a less inhibiting entrance but still offering a perception of it being a long way to reach a seat.

Back in the home market, Alexander Dennis had one of the smart looking Enviro200EVs on display from a batch of 13 recently delivered to Falcon. These are a more traditional shaped bus and for me, much more pleasing on the eye…

… and nice to see some seats at the front of the bus too, and not such an inhibiting nearside.

However, my one gripe at the layout of these (and it applies to other modern day bus models too) is the new tendency to block the forward nearside view for passengers by installing a monitor above the accessible space, and sometimes a large one at that.

I appreciate a display facing a passenger who may be sitting in a wheelchair in this space is now a legal requirement but with a bit of ingenuity this could still be achieved without blocking the forward view for those sitting further back in the bus.

Alexander Dennis also had an Enviro400 in a commemorative centenary livery for Weardale Motor Services on display on which someone had let rip with a paint brush and some red paint.

Over on the Wrightbus stand the display featured its Streetdeck BEV Electroliner 2.0…

… with one destined for First Bus and another for TfL work. The interior of the latter is complicated by the centre door but the First Bus version had the benefit of offering a number of tip-up seats in the forward section of the lower deck, albeit with a number of handrails too.

Pelican had a number of buses on display including a Yutong E10 destined for Stagecoach…

… and a “GT12 Luxury Touring Coach” for Celtic Travel which looked very smart.

This year’s Show inevitably had a “Technology Zone”…

… where all those names no-one had ever heard of or even dreamt about, 20, 30 or 40 years ago are now an increasingly pivotal part of the industry.

It was good to catch up with Tom Quay who sold his hugely successful ‘Passenger’ tech business, having become the leading provider of websites and apps across the Industry, to a global tech company called “masabi”. They are “a platform and team built for transit” and offer “True SaaS” which their website tells me is “not a legacy system hosted in the cloud — a platform built from the ground up for transit, updated 3,000+ times per year without agency effort.” Thank goodness they’ve retained Tom as an ‘Advisor’ so non-technophiles like me who struggle with what on earth such things mean can have it explained in language I do understand.

Another old favourite displaying their latest products was Lewes based Hanover, a company which has gone from strength to strength as it’s used the latest technology to improve the visibility of destination displays, particularly on bright sunny days where old style versions are worse than useless. I didn’t have the heart to tell them the 29 doesn’t go to London Bridge, but good to see the team there again. And also interesting to see how there are other businesses offering similar products too including ‘aesys’ whose website tells me are a “world leader with over 40 years of passion in communication systems and display technologies”.

The ability for technology to monitor driving standards was just beginning towards the end of my career and I see that Green Road, one of the leading providers, is still doing its stuff including a suitably green clear spaced stand to visit.

Ticket machine manufacturers have changed dramatically over the years I’ve been attending these Shows. The days of the Almex and Wayfarer duopoly have long passed with Ticketer becoming the dominant force in the Industry…

… but now being challenged by Transmach, both of whom were displaying their latest products.

Many of the companies displaying their wares have come along since my retirement so my knowledge of what they actually offer and how vital it is in today’s fast pace world of change is sadly beyond me. I’ve heard of, and understand the key role companies like Zenobe now perform as battery-electrics become the norm…

… and City Swift is making a name for itself in helping companies with the management of vast amounts of data that technology now provides. The days of ledgers, filing cabinets, pens and paper have long gone.

Other names are new to me but I’m sure today’s managers in the industry are grateful for what they can do to support the Industry.

Technology was also the theme of some of the Masterclasses held in a ‘theatre’ in one corner of the exhibition hall.

The session on AI proving particularly popular.

Away from the Technology Zone, two names I am familiar with due to using their products in my travels are Trueform (not the shoe manufacturer from my schooldays, but ..) the company that “develops and harnesses leading technology and advanced manufacturing techniques to create innovative, market leading products for public spaces”.

As more and more transport authorities look to improve the streetscape with improved facilities including Transport Hubs etc etc it’s good to see the company promoting its varied products also suitable for the wider public transport industry.

It was also good to see Thorntons displaying their excellent refurbishment skills once again as these play an important role in giving passengers a quality product to travel in even though the age of the vehicle may be hidden.

And finally it was good to see Ray Stenning and some of the Best Impressions team again and hear about the latest ideas they’ve come up with to entice passengers on board including a commission from some Train Companies to promote access to tourist destinations by train, but also, crucially, finishing their journeys by bus where trains don’t provide direct access, including one from South Western Railway as illustrated below.

Let’s hope, with SWR being part of the ever growing DfTO, it’s something the new GBR could commission for the whole network.

Over on the other side of the Hall it was also good to see Andi North (and his Fruit Bowl marketing business) again and hear about the latest product he’s developed called ‘zest’ which can transform data direct from BODS (Bus Open Date System) to generate timetables and maps automatically.

As I walked to the Hall where Euro Bus Expo was being held (which, as always, seems to be in the furthest Hall from the railway station at the NEC – you’d think a Bus Show would offer a shuttle bus to and from the station, rather than just the car parks)…

… I spotted another Hall was holding an event to celebrate Entrepreneurs and thought how, 40 years ago, that would have been how bus industry managers saw themselves attending the Bus & Coach Show of that time as deregulation became the new theme. But trekking back to the station having toured the “over 200 exhibitors” in Euro Bus Expo 2026 I was reassured and delighted to see entrepreneurism is certainly still alive and well in the bus and coach industry.

Roger French

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