Stanford Coachworks Newsletter:

Edition 07:26 - July 2026

 

In this month’s edition…

Four New Accessible Sprinters for Kent Dial-a-Ride Service

This month marked the delivery of the first of four brand-new Mercedes Sprinters to a dial-a-ride service providing flexible community transport across Kent.

The All-New LL9 Tour Buses for Civilised Car Hire

We are pleased to introduce these brand-new tour buses, featuring a completely redesigned interior, for our long-term customer Civilised Car Hire.

Ibex Touring Expand Their Fleet With a Second SCW Tour Bus

In July we delivered our latest conversion to Ibex Touring, the second of three new vehicles joining their impressive and ever-growing fleet.

The All-New LL9 Tour Buses for Civilised Car Hire

We are pleased to introduce these brand-new tour buses, featuring a completely redesigned interior, for our long-term customer Civilised Car Hire.

Civilised’s new 9-seat Luxury Long-wheelbase Tour Buses (LL9’s), built on the Volkswagen Crafter, form a six-vehicle fleet available in two perfected designs.

Four of the vehicles follow Civilised’s well-known 9-seat layout, featuring a spacious rear equipment storage area, while the remaining two are special-edition LL9 production models, each incorporating a full rear production area for on-the-go makeup and dressing facilities.

Who are Civilised Car Hire?

We’ve proudly partnered with Civilised Car Hire for more than a decade, delivering over 100 bespoke tour buses and production vehicles to support their ever‑growing fleet. As industry leaders in specialist vehicle hire, Civilised provide custom production vehicles, luxury tour buses and high‑end cars to clients across film, television and music — setting the benchmark for quality, reliability and professionalism within the sector.

What’s the Difference Between the Original M9 and the new LL9 Tour Buses

Vehicle Specification

The new LL9 models introduce a significantly upgraded passenger cabin, featuring larger comfort seating upholstered in black vegan leather with silver diamond stitching. Built on the long-wheelbase Volkswagen Crafter, the LL9 offers noticeably more spacious passenger cabin with increased legroom compared to the original medium-wheelbase M9 design. This enhanced layout delivers a more premium, open and comfortable travel experience for passengers.

  • Based on the Volkswagen Crafter L3H2 with privacy tinted rear passenger windows.

  • 7 x large rear premium passenger seats upholstered in black vegan leather with custom stitching.

  • Television with Apple TV, Bluetooth soundbar, subwoofer and on-board WiFi.

  • Half-height front bulkhead desk with lockable storage cupboard.

  • Wireless charging station with lighting controls, HDMI input and USB / USBc charging sockets.

  • Fold-up tables on the back of passenger seats.

  • Black suedeflex roof centre panel with feature panels and LED roof lighting.

  • New design wood-effect floor covering.

  • Front cabin seats reupholstered to match the rear passenger cabin.

  • Centre console fridge fitted in front cabin.

Four New Accessible Sprinters for Kent Dial-a-Ride Service

This month marked the delivery of the first of four brand-new Mercedes Sprinters to a dial-a-ride service providing flexible community transport across Kent.

What Will the New Vehicles Be Used For?

The community transport group supports residents throughout the county, collecting passengers from their homes and taking them to key destinations including supermarkets, town centres, hospitals and more. Membership is free for residents who have a medical condition that makes standard public transport difficult, those living more than 500m from a bus or rail route, and anyone ages 85 or over.

Conversion Specification

The SCW Conversion

To ensure every journey is accessible, the fleet is fully wheelchair friendly, with each vehicle featuring a rear underfloor tail lift. All four Sprinters can carry up to 16 passengers plus driver, or 5 wheelchair users with seats removed, and are equipped with a large automatic step at the side load door, full Eberspaecher heating and air conditioning, overhead storage lockers and stop bells.

  • Based on the Mercedes Sprinter L4H2.

  • Large automatic side step fitted beneath side load door.

  • 16 x passenger seats plus driver upholstered in patterned moquette with wipe clean bases.

  • Drivers screen fitted behind front driver’s seat.

  • Drivers seat reupholstered to match rear passenger cabin.

  • Stop bells throughout passenger cabin to alert driver.

  • Overhead luggage storage racks at rear of vehicle.

  • SCW Flat Floor which eliminates all wheel arch intrusions in passenger cabin.

  • PLS underfloor tail lift at the rear of vehicle.

  • Eberspaecher rear saloon heating and air condition and LED roof lighting.

A Closer Look Into Stanford Coachworks

Ever wanted to dive deeper into the world of Stanford Coachworks — who we are, where we began, and the specialist conversions that define our craft? In this month’s newsletter we’re taking you behind the scenes for a closer look at who we are and what makes us stand out in our industry.

Who are Stanford Coachworks?

Since opening the doors of Stanford Coachworks back in 1995, we’ve had the pleasure of supplying over 15,000 vehicles all across the country - and even occasionally the world!

From our industry-leading wheelchair accessible minibuses and PTS ambulances to our luxury tour buses and one-of-a-kind bespoke builds, we’ve converted just about everything in our 30+ years of business!

Our History

For over thirty years, Stanford Coachworks has grown from a small high-street garage into one of the UK’s most trusted accessible vehicle converters.

Jess and Lee began as Stanford Repairs in Stanford-le-Hope before completing their first accessible conversion in 1995, fitting a Ricon tail lit into a Ford Transit with help from a window fitter and trim specialist. Their first official job, an Essex Ford’s Transit was sold to Tilbury Taxis on 1st September 1995 earning them the nickname ‘The Transversion Experts’, laying the foundation for the legacy that continues today.

In 2025, we were thrilled to welcome new ownership as long-standing partner BVS Group’s Jack Byrne purchased SCW. This marks an exciting new era for Stanford Coachworks.

A New Era of Stanford Coachworks

We’re excited to welcome new ownership of BVS Group’s Jack Byrne, marking a confident and positive new chapter for Stanford Coachworks.

Both SCW and BVS will continue operating independently with no changes to our teams, operations or customer relationships. Jess and Lee will support Jack for the next two years, ensuring a smooth transition.

This partnership opens new opportunities. Through BVS Group - and their collaboration with BAUS AT - we can expand our medical conversions range, bringing innovative, high-quality medical vehicles to a wider market.

The SCW Team

Why Choose Us for Your Specialist Minibus Conversion?

Each of our vehicles is individually built by a dedicated team of just two coachbuilders, giving us complete flexibility when it comes to design and specification - we don’t work on a production line.

We offer a wide variety of specialist conversions including wheelchair accessible minibuses, medical service vehicles, tour buses, bespoke builds and more!

From your first enquiry to the moment your vehicle is on the road, our helpful team is on hand to support you throughout the entire process.

The Stanford Coachworks team is made up of over 60 fantastic staff members, many of whom have been with us for more than a decade.

Every member of the SCW team is highly skilled and our conversion teams each hold a broad range of expertise - taking full responsibility for an entire build from start to finish.

Our helpful office team supports customers from ordering their new vehicle right through to life on the road. We’re also proud to have our own on-site seating and upholstery department, specialist conversion electricians and dedicated heating and air con technicians.

Ibex Touring Expand Their Feet With a Second New SCW Tour Bus

We are pleased to deliver our latest conversion to Ibex Touring, marking the second of three new vehicles joining their impressive and ever-growing fleet.

The Latest Addition to Ibex Touring’s Fleet

The Latest Vehicle

Ibex Touring’s latest vehicle introduces a new, spacious design built on the larger L3H2 Mercedes Sprinter model, allowing for a significantly expanded rear-saloon layout. The interior is divided into two sections: a generous-sized front passenger cabin and a large rear equipment storage area, giving the vehicle both comfort and practicality. Take a look at the full spec below.

This new conversion introduces a fresh interior design, offering space for up to eight passengers plus driver, with a passenger cabin arranged in a refined conference-style layout around a centre table, and a large rear storage area tailored specifically for touring equipment. The result is a refined, versatile space built to support Ibex Touring’s continued commitment to comfort, practicality and industry-leading solutions.

Vehicle Specification

  • Based on the Mercedes Sprinter L2H2 with privacy tinted rear windows

Want to find out more about what we get up to at Stanford Coachworks?

Head over to the SCW Newsletters page to read all editions today.