Optare Share Discussion Threads

[cougar99] 11/11/2014 23:03

Guildford based family owned Safeguard Coaches is celebrating success at the coach and bus industry’s premier awards event after being named Small Bus Operator of the Year.



Tim Matthews, Head of UK Sales at Optare, said, “ We are thrilled that Safeguard Coaches have been recognised in this way and are pleased to announce that we will be supplying yet another Optare Versa to cope with the increasing number of passengers travelling on the bus services provided by this award winning company.”

[steve517499] 11/11/2014 11:25

Cougar --- those 12 are already in service with Quality Line.

Nice rise today -

[m.t.glass] 11/11/2014 08:07

If Optare plan to sell more than a token number of electric buses around the world, they had better get their act together quick


Press Release of FDG Electric Vehicles Limited (00729.HK)

(10 November 2014, Hong Kong), FDG Electric Vehicles Limited (the "FDG Electric Vehicles", "FDG" or "Company", Stock Code: 00729.HK) is pleased to announce that the electric vehicle production base of the Group located in Kunming National Hi-tech Industries Development Zone (KMHNZ) of Yunnan was officially put into operation on 8 November and the pure electric vehicles self-developed and manufactured by the Group including public bus series, mid-size bus series and commercial vehicle series....

"..Hangzhou production base is also expected to commence the production of mid-size buses, commercial vehicles, mini SUVs and luxury electric vehicles in the first half of 2015, with a production capacity of 100,000 units to provide more choices for the market...."



(FDG also own a chunk of Smith Electric Vehicles, which is about to attempt a US listing again). Website

[cougar99] 10/11/2014 17:02

TfL speeds introduction of ultra low emission buses

Around 310 Euro VI buses will be in service on London's roads by the end of this year. This breaks down as follows: diesel single-deck Optare Metrocities (circa 12)......

[cougar99] 10/11/2014 16:57

Stagecoach Orders Electric Vehicles for Inverness

[cougar99] 10/11/2014 16:54

Courtney’s of Finchampstead, Berkshire, has added two 11.7m Optare Versa hybrids to its fleet with support from the government’s Green Bus Fund.

[kimoldfield] 07/11/2014 11:33

I don't expect Optare to have produced as many vehicles by the end of this financial year as last but I can live in hope! I just wish that the PR department would wake up; lots of tweets from contributors at the Euro Bus Expo, how many from Optare? ah, you already know the answer!

[jsbach123] 07/11/2014 08:25

Total built according to the Annual Report last financial year was 351 Kim so hope for 30 per month until the end of this financial year (but maybe fewer as we do not know how many have been built and exported in the seven months to date).

Wouldn't it be nice if the Press and PR Manager shared some information about how the recent attendance at major trade events went?

However, I fear volume for the remaining months of the year will not achieve a number sufficient for the company to break even and I continue to worry about how monthly losses are being funded.

[kimoldfield] 06/11/2014 19:00

Oh yes, you are quite right JSB! However, I much prefer my figures so I will totally ignore yours haha! Actually, 198 is not too shabby for Optare if, and it is a huge if, they could average 25 new registrations for the rest of their financial year. I am ever the optimist!

[jsbach123] 06/11/2014 18:12

I make it 198 registrations financial year to date (seven months)but can somebody check this total? The July table numbers were I seem to remember published incorrectly labelled as October number.

[jsbach123] 06/11/2014 17:55

Kim you seem to have forgotten that SMMT numbers are calendar years and Optare numbers are financial years so this financial year is not 264 but many, many fewer I think - I'd make a new running total but not on full internet access at the moment.

[kimoldfield] 06/11/2014 17:26

Nothing on the Optare site about this!:-

[kimoldfield] 06/11/2014 16:45

You are probably right m4. I wonder if there was any interest shown in the DD at the Eurobus Expo? Something that we would have to learn from Bus & Coach or Route One, certainly not from Optare's PR Department!
I still hold a few OPE for sentimental reasons!! 😀

[m4rtinu] 06/11/2014 15:59

Kim - that is an improvement. Coincidentally - 43 is also the number in the SMMT summary for new 8.5-12t buses. It could be that they are all the Optares. They need to be getting sales in other categories ie 12-16t. Bit early for DD.

PS: as mentioned before I have sold, but clearly not detached yet.

[kimoldfield] 06/11/2014 15:12

264 registrations year to date compared with 251 for the whole of last year.

[kimoldfield] 06/11/2014 15:11

43 new registrations in October. Not bad! There were 15 last year.

[jsbach123] 05/11/2014 08:32

Fickling uses language in a new and interesting way referring to the 'success' of the company: shareholder value destroyed, debts higher than ever before, liabilities exceeding assets, majority foreign shareholder, and multimillion pound losses declared every year for the last five years. Saint must shoulder at least part of the responsibility for this disastrous progress and the losses caused to shareholders but it is Fickling who, if he had any feelings of decency or responsibility, should resign IMHO.

[m.t.glass] 05/11/2014 07:43

Glenn Saint, Optare chief technical officer is leaving the company for a new venture developing electric vehicle technologies for the automotive industry. Saint, who has been with the company for 17 years says: “The nature of my new venture developing green technologies means I will continue to work closely with Optare in the future”.

John Fickling, non-executive chairman, adds: “Glenn has contributed greatly to the success of Optare during his time here helping to develop our environmentally friendly vehicle range. We wish him every success in his new venture”

Ken Anderson, who runs Ashok Leyland’s European Technical Centre, will be joining Optare on an interim basis as head of engineering. Anderson has 30 years experience in the automotive industry and has worked on a number of development projects with Optare.




Here is how he was described in 2010:

Optare commercial director GLENN SAINT has been promoted to the company’s board while retaining his current responsibilities. Saint (46) has over 28 years experience in the transport industry.
Saint worked for Rolls Royce followed by a number of years in the rail industry before joining Optare in 1997. During his time at Optare he has also held the posts of technical director and manufacturing director.

[spekky] 04/11/2014 15:09

That bus was touring Leeds today,bit of a slap in the face for OPE.
However,I recently saw bbc north running a story about all York buses being electric by 2017/18 and it was an Optare they were travelling on.

[m.t.glass] 28/10/2014 09:18

As thread host, I would love to see Optare dig itself out of the hole that it's in. But I too find it hard to see how they get beyond the vast sums of interest that are gushing out on their debt, when there is too little trickling in to counter it. There is a thread listing companies considered risky because of debts that exceed the market capitalisation by more than 1:1 -- with Optare the debt/cap ratio exceeds 6:1

I don't imagine that Ashok Leyland will be content to merely plod on. I imagine some kind of major shake-up is more likely.


PS: I have belatedly included Optare on my 'Indian Stocks & Funds' thread, on account of the majority indian involvement.

[jsbach123] 27/10/2014 14:14

Have you read the accounts 4screws?

Do you think that the company will achieve the £80 million sales it has been convincingly estimated needed to break even this year? H1 published results and registrations suggest IMHO that another loss will be declared for that period and also quite probably for this financial year.

Interested to know why you think this share may be a 'good recovery play' given the severe indebtedness of the company - and that is only one among many concerns some PIs may have.

[4screws] 23/10/2014 20:43

dipped in again today, this looks like a good recovery play. better orders and only 25% of shares in free flow.

[kimoldfield] 23/10/2014 14:24

I see that for the first time in some months there's a career vacancy at Optare; they are looking for a Finance Assistant. Hopefully they have so much money coming in that they need help to count it!😀

[kimoldfield] 23/10/2014 14:17

Thanks for bringing that to our attention bump3r, you are doing a better job than Optare's PR Department who have today put some old news on their News page but nothing about the above!

[bump3r] 23/10/2014 12:52

Stagecoach orders eco-friendly buses for North Scotland operations

23 Oct 2014

• Bus operator to invest more than £600,000 infive state-of-the-art electric vehicles
• Further funding of £477,000 to come from Scottish Government Green Bus Fund
• Vehicles to go into service in Inverness

Transport group Stagecoach is investing more than £600,000 in five state-of-the-art electric vehicles for its bus operations in Inverness, with additional funding coming from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund.

Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown has announced that the Scottish Government is to invest a further £477,000 from its Green Bus Fund in the new Stagecoach buses.

The new bus order is made up of 5 Optare Solo electric vehicles. The buses – which produce zero emissions - will be put into service in place of existing diesel vehicles on several routes around Inverness, including:

- Inverness – Raigmore
- Inverness – Lochardil
- Inverness – South Kessock

The new vehicles – which will be the first electric vehicles operated by Stagecoach - will be manufactured by British company Optare and will be built at the company’s factory in Leeds. They will go into service next year.

Five charging points will be installed at Stagecoach’s Inverness depot where vehicles will be charged overnight. The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership HITRANS is partly funding the installation of a further charging point at Inverness Bus Station to allow the buses to receive a top-up charge during the day.

Stagecoach North Scotland Managing Director Steve Walker said: “We’re pleased to be ordering these new vehicles, with support from the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund, for our customers.

“Our buses play a vital role in keeping communities connected across the north of Scotland and we are committed to investing in cleaner, greener vehicles for our passengers. Sustainability is at the heart of our business – we are reducing our own carbon footprint as a company and will continue to encourage more people to try our greener, smarter bus services.”

Announcing the funding award, Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "This fund is helping our bus industry invest in the latest emission reducing technology and is another clear indication of our support and commitment to the bus industry in Scotland.

"The Scottish Government is committed to public transport and to our ambitious climate change target of reducing carbon emissions by 42% by 2020."

Ranald Robertson, Partnership Director, HITRANS added: "The introduction of these new carbon free buses in Inverness is great news for the city. HITRANS is pleased to have supported Stagecoach on this project with a contribution towards the recharging infrastructure and we really look forward to seeing these new vehicles entering service where we are sure they will be welcomed by passengers."

Stagecoach is a leading investor in cleaner, greener vehicles that run on alternative fuel. The Group has more than 270 hybrid-electric vehicles in service across its UK bus operations. In Scotland, there are 13 hybrid buses in Aberdeen and nine in service in Perth. Stagecoach North Scotland is also playing a key role in a multi-million pound project to introduce 10 hydrogen-powered buses in Aberdeen. A fleet of gas buses is also in operation at Stagecoach’s operations in Sunderland.

In 2010, Stagecoach Group launched Revolution in the Way We Travel, a five-year plan to reduce further the carbon emissions from its transport operations in the UK and North America. The strategy has been supported by an £11million green investment programme. Employee initiatives and eco teams set up by staff have also helped drive dramatic improvements in energy and carbon efficiency.

The Group has delivered its targets 12 months ahead of schedule, and has cut its carbon intensity by 30% in the past five years. It has also achieved an overall absolute reduction of 8% in carbon emissions from buildings and a cut of 3% in annual carbon emissions per vehicle mile from fleet transport.

To maintain the momentum of the Group’s programme, work is now underway to develop a new five-year strategy. This will include identifying further cost-effective energy-saving opportunities, continuing investment to make the business greener, and setting new targets around carbon reduction, water consumption and waste recycling rates.

Last year, figures compiled as part of the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme showed that Stagecoach Group is among the top 10% of large companies in the UK for its performance in reducing the carbon emissions from its business.

Every year, Stagecoach reports on its carbon emissions through its corporate website, www.stagecoach.com. It also provides information on its global carbon footprint to the Carbon Disclosure Project, the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emissions database.

ENDS