Rossetts raises its bus and coach game

Rossetts Commercials has celebrated its 10^th anniversary as an Evobus (UK) sales and service partner by opening a new MoT testing lane at its Worthing headquarters.

The £180,000 development spells good news for operators of passenger-carrying vehicles (PCVs) across the South-East.

Rossetts runs a dedicated bus and coach workshop at the dealership on Meadow Road Industrial Estate. Its three, specially-trained technicians already serve some of the region’s biggest and best-known firms – several of these are based at Gatwick Airport, while others send their vehicles to the south coast from as far as London.

Inspectors from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency began testing passenger-carrying vehicles of all marques, as well as trucks, in the Dealer’s newly-developed Authorised Testing Facility earlier this month (June).

“The new ATF bay adds another string to our bow, and underlines Rossetts’ commitment to providing bus and coach operators with a ‘one-stop shop’ after sales service,” says Worthing Site Manager Stuart Tizzard. “It is sure to increase the appeal of our dedicated PCV offering to new as well as established customers.”

Stuart’s assertion has already been confirmed by the early decision of Crawley Luxury Coaches, a company to which Rossetts had only sold parts previously, to get its fleet of 75 vehicles MoT tested in the Dealer’s new ATF.

Director David Brown said: “Our nearest DVSA testing station at Lancing is closing next year so we needed to make alternative arrangements. We had several options but have decided to give Rossetts a chance because they came up with the best package.”

The Crawley Luxury Coaches fleet includes 14 Mercedes-Benz coaches as well as six minibuses – a combination of Vario and Sprinters – that also wear three-pointed stars.

“We used to run only Swedish-built vehicles but are now favouring Mercedes-Benz,” continued Mr Brown. “We’ve visited Rossetts’ dealership in Worthing and were impressed with the facilities. The opening of their new testing bay means they are going to be getting a lot of additional business from us, so the opportunity is definitely there for them to show what they can do.”

Initially, MoT tests will be undertaken at Worthing on two days per week, but Rossetts plans to move to three-day operation as soon as possible.

The Dealer has also won praise from another Gatwick-based operator, Airport Parking & Hotels, which runs up to six Optare buses into the airport from a car park five miles away at Copthorne.

“It’s a very intensive operation, with a bus leaving every 10-12 minutes,” said Operations Manager David Evans. “But thanks to Rossetts’ excellent back-up breakdowns are rare. Its team are friendly, professional and look after us very well; when inspections and maintenance are due they provide a collection and delivery service, which is particularly useful.”

Rossetts Commercials, which is also the Mercedes-Benz truck and van dealer for Surrey and Sussex, was awarded its EvoBus (UK) bus and coach franchise in 2006. This makes it responsible for the sale and support of Mercedes-Benz and Setra buses and coaches. However, the Dealer’s specialist technicians also service and repair passenger-carrying vehicles by other manufacturers.

For more information on Rossetts’ dedicated bus and coach back-up, contact Stuart Tizzard on 07803 716472 or Contracts Manager Tony Hewins on 07876 441275.