tube lines sources new vehicles with bott

Recent projects have included emergency response vehicles for use by London Buses and night time working support vehicles used by London Underground.

“Customer service drives our business,” says Philip Constable, Head of Distribution Services at Tube Lines. “We listen to customers and understand their requirements and Bott does the same. They have the same outlook and that’s important in business. We have a very good working relationship.”

Tube Lines, a joint venture between Bechtel and Amey/Ferrovial, has a 30 year Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract with London Underground for the maintenance and upgrade of all the infrastructure on the Jubilee line, Northern line and Piccadilly line. Its Distribution Services division keeps London moving with road haulage, fleet operations tool/plant hire and waste management services, providing a full range of commercial vehicle sourcing and supply services to Tube Lines and other partners in Transport for London. With a heritage that goes back to the 1940s, Distribution Services has wide ranging experience of sourcing and supplying road going vehicles to the various organisation it serves. A level of expertise is helping customers identify needs and working with suppliers like Bott to deliver tailor-made vehicles to address those needs. Distribution Services' operations cover all aspects of fleet management including specification, sourcing, modification and fully managed services.

Distribution Services has worked with Bott for a number of years and the two businesses have a strong working relationship. Bott’s ability to enhance commercial vehicles with a comprehensive array of in-vehicle storage and workshop equipment and related facilities and ancillaries enables it to fulfil any requirement.

“Reaching a satisfactory conclusion is paramount,” says Philip Constable. “We use our expertise to advise our customers and discuss the requirement with Bott. We have lots of previous vehicles to use as examples and our own team and Bott also come up with new ideas.”
 
A recent project involved the supply of enhanced Mercedes Sprinter vans for London Buses to use as emergency response vehicles. These are primarily used to mend broken bus stops, erect temporary stops during road works or diversions and for general maintenance. The vans needed to be able to carry tools and equipment as well as replacement parts and large structures safely and efficiently. Tube Lines Distribution Services and Bott worked together to agree a specification that included in-vehicle storage and workshop facilities to allow the safe transportation and maintenance of items at potentially thousands of sites around London. Bott then completed the enhancement of the vehicles at its facility in Leicestershire. Around a quarter of all commercial vehicles currently in use at London Buses have been enhanced by Bott.

Another project completed recently involved the provision of mobile site vans with separate rest areas and toilet facilities to support night time working on London Underground. Maintenance engineers work throughout the night when trains are not running and need the convenience of their own facilities. After a specification had been agreed with Tube Lines and its client, Bott enhanced a number of Ford Transit vans by installing a toilet area with two cubicles accessed through the rear doors and a separate rest room area with seating and food and drink preparation facilities accessed through the side door. Bott installed a partition between the areas and installed ancillary services such as lighting, heating and hand wash facilities as part of the enhancement.

“Our customers come back again and again because they are happy with the work that we have done with Bott,” says Philip Constable. “The quality of work is excellent.”