Former Armchair boss Newman passes away

Simon Newman, former chairman and managing director of London operator Armchair Passenger Transport and former president of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), has died aged 83.

He and his wife Ann led Armchair for many years, before the operator was sold to Metroline parent ComfortDelGro in 2004. The couple and their employees developed Armchair from a business that exclusively ran coaches into one that operated buses from October 1986, after winning a local authority contract. 

The operator later moved into the London bus market, starting its first route in 1990.

Leon Daniels, a former Transport for London managing director of surface transport, paid tribute to his friend, saying his heart was always in coaching. 

Newman frequently campaigned for better facilities for coaches in the capital and opposed charges for them to access Heathrow Airport.