Shrewsbury-based Minsterley Motors has snapped up a new MCV eVoRa single-decker bus on a rental deal facilitated by Asset Alliance Group in support of a new business win.
Lee Jones, Director at family-owned Minsterley Motors, says: “We’ve worked with Asset Alliance Group for the past couple of years. Usually, we’ve taken vehicles from them on hire purchase, as our assets typically have a long service life and it’s a good way to finance them.
“However, the option for a two-year bus rental was perfect for a new park and ride service we’re delivering for Shropshire Council.
“We’ve been able to align the rental period with the contract length, which has allowed us to grow our business, without the risk of having excess capacity in a few years’ time.”
Featuring Shropshire Council’s newly introduced blue and lavender park and ride livery, the new bus service commenced on October 1st (2024). It runs six days a week (Monday to Saturday) between Eco Car Park and Ludlow town centre, with fares capped at £1 to encourage use.
Built using the Volvo B8RLE chassis, the PSVAR-compliant passenger vehicle has an overall capacity of 84 people with 38 seated. It is fitted with seatbelts, and seat USBs to allow customers to charge their electronic devices.
Complying with recent changes to legislation, the bus is also fitted with a system providing audible announcements and a visual display to identify the route, upcoming stops and any diversions.
Paul Fairbanks, Business Development Manager, Bus & Coach at Asset Alliance Group facilitated the deal.
“We’ve worked with Paul and Asset Alliance Group for a few years now,” adds Jones. “They are approachable, straight-forward to deal with and have a good knowledge of the bus and coach world, including the practicalities of running a business within it.
“The option to rent, on top of the wide range of financing options Asset Alliance Group offers, was ideal. It allowed us to take on this opportunity and meant that the council had a brand-new bus for their newly launched service.”
Minsterley Motors’ roots go back to before the Second World War. It has had a link to the Jones family throughout the years since, with Lee’s father John Jones and sister Hayley Middleton both directors.
The transport operator has more than 30 vehicles, and a 50/50 split between service and private hire work. It provides both school and public services, and, via five touring vehicles, undertakes coach tours and private hire jobs too.
