News

St George’s School, Ascot will be travelling in style, comfort and safety for the next academic year thanks to their Bursar, Mrs Julia Wood, who won the use of a School Minibus for the 2019-2020 academic year from national supplier Red Kite Minibuses.

While attending the ISBA Annual Conference in Manchester this week, Mrs Wood was invited, along with all the other attendees to participate in Red Kite’s Lucky Six Competition which provides participants with the opportunity to win a free minibus for their school for a year on one throw of six dice. The winner is the player who either throws or gets closest to throwing six, sixes. By throwing an amazing 666665, which is the highest ever recorded score in the [...]

Visit us on Stand 69 at the ISBA Conference on 21-22nd May, to talk through your school minibus requirements. The team will be available to discuss the many options we offer our school customers including a large choice of both new and pre-owned, 9-17 seat minibuses, flexible finance packages, contract hire options, flexible seating plans and our bespoke design service.

Feeling lucky? Red Kite Lucky Six is back! Offering school conference attendees a chance to win a minibus for their school. Simply throw six dice and the nearest to six sixes will win the use of a minibus for their school FREE OF CHARGE for the next academic year. While attending the annual ISBA Conference in Brighton last year, Northease Manor School, Sussex were our 2018 winners. We look forward to seeing you there.

Devizes & District PHAB Club is one of approximately 200 Phab clubs across the country, affiliated to the National Charity Phab (Physically disabled and Able bodied). An organisation which brings people with and without disabilities together to achieve complete integration within the wider community and to make more of life together.

Having raised sufficient funds through various events and generous donations, Red Kite specialist minibus providers were approached by the chair Terry Bazeley in December 2018 as the club was looking to replace one of its older wheelchair accessible minibuses. In January Terry brought members of the committee down to Red Kite and met with Jon Diment and the Red Kite special options team to discuss their needs and requirements. Following a number of consultations, an order was placed for the supply of [...]

Ford have just revealed the new Transit Smart Energy Concept – a one-of-a-kind 10-seater minibus that is helping the company explore solutions for maximising the energy efficiency and driving range of future electrified vehicles.

Delivering 150 km (93 miles) driving range from a 4-hour charge, and developed by engineers at Ford’s Merkenich Technical Centre, Germany, the concept uses a Ford Transit chassis fitted with the same battery-electric drivetrain technology as the StreetScooter WORK XL, supported by energy-saving and energy-generating innovations.

Many organisations will need to be aware that with Britain due to leave the EU, there will be changes to the permissions granted to drive abroad after 29th March 2019. As a leading supplier of school and specialist minibuses, Red Kite feel it is important to understand these significant changes, should the situation arise for overseas driving.

The EU protocol currently in force allows us to drive in EEA countries without restrictions to licencing or insurance. The EU Commissioners have agreed in principle to replicate the current system, but this will only be confirmed as part of the wider exit arrangement, not in the short term. If there is no transition agreement with the [...]

To help improve air quality, an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be in place in central London from 8 April 2019. Most vehicles including cars, vans and minibuses will need to meet new, tighter exhaust emission standards (ULEZ standards) or pay a daily charge to travel within the area of the ULEZ. From 25 October 2021, the ULEZ area will be expanded to include the inner London area bounded by the North and South Circular.

Vehicles included are:

Small vans (weighing up to and including 1.205 tonnes unladen weight)
Larger vans, 4X4 light utility vehicles, motorised horseboxes, pickups (over 1.205 tonnes unladen weight up to and including 3.5 tonnes gross [...]

A question many organisations are currently contemplating in this rapidly changing economic climate. Since 1982 Red Kite have been at the forefront of designing, manufacturing and servicing minibuses throughout Great Britain, so with over 37 years’ experience within the industry, are well placed to answer the question.

February 2019 will see the leading vehicle manufacturers increasing their UK minibus prices. After recent negotiations with all the major minibus manufacturers, we now have confirmation of talk of yet further increase scheduled within the coming 12 months, plus a strong indication that customer delivery times will see a significant increase because of general changes within the industry (currently 2-4 weeks from date of order for a brand new minibus).

For buyers [...]

Delivered to their door earlier this week, Northease Manor School, Sussex will be travelling in style, comfort and safety for the next academic year thanks to Katie Humphrey who won the use of a brand new Peugeot Expert Minibus from national supplier, Red Kite.

Red Kite’s annual ‘Lucky Six’ competition was held at the ISBA Conference in Brighton this year. Now in its thirteenth year, the competition provides participants with the opportunity to win a free minibus for their school for a year on one throw of six dice. The winner is the player who either throws or gets closest to throwing six, sixes

This year the initial highest score was thrown by Clayfield College from Australia! – Unfortunately for them (and our delivery driver) the winners must be a UK based school or college. So the next highest scorers were deemed the winners and this was approved by the ISBA. Our congratulations go to North Ease Manor School, East Sussex. Delivery will take place on 30th August 2018, so watch this space.

Minibus owners and operators including Schools, Academies, Colleges and Universities should be preparing for the introduction of an Emissions Surcharge, known as the ‘T-Charge,’ in central London which aims to discourage the use of older, more polluting vehicles.

The charge, which is an additional daily £10 charge on top of what drivers will already pay to enter the Congestion Charge Zone, comes into effect from 23 October 2017, and applies to petrol and diesel vehicles which fall below the Euro 4 emission standard.

Euro 4 stipulates that vehicles must emit no more than 0.08g/km of NOx for petrol vehicles or 0.25g/km for diesel to achieve the standard. This will essentially mean that cars, vans, minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs built prior to 2005 will be subject to a charge of more than £20 per day to enter the centre of London. 9+ seater vehicles that are currently registered for a discount or are exempt from [...]