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COACH COMMUTERS

12.05.2011 16:29:40 - By Busoperators.org

Kent's unique geography and a railway quirk have gifted The Kings Ferry one of the UK's richest coach commuter corridors. We talk to Commercial Director Danny Elford about the business.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: We could scour the UK for similar services but you appear to be one of the few areas where commuter coaches operate. Tell us about your business.
Danny Elford: I believe we are the biggest commuter coach operation in the country, with 36 coaches out every morning carrying 1,300 to central London commuters every day. The route follows the A2 corridor from Medway and Swale but we're not alone in using the corridor.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What kind of competition do you have?
Danny Elford: Several other coach operators including Chalkwell, Clarkes of London and Reliance. It's competition but we have learned to live with each other – there's no aggression. And setting up a commuter operation is difficult, not only because of the cost but the other barriers to entry. In all, I would think there are 70 to 80 coaches going into London from the Medway are each morning. From its family-run past to the National Express-owned present, The Kings Ferry has always had a name for operating double-deck coaches.

From its family-run past to the National Express-owned present, The Kings Ferry has always had a name for operating double-deck coaches.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What makes commuter coaching so attractive to people in this area?
Danny Elford: First of all, the coach journey is faster than going by train. The point of entry into London is Canary Wharf, where a lot of business is centred. There's a time/cost balance when people choose how to commute in any case, and even when the traffic is bad, people are prepared to spend maybe 30 minutes extra getting to work to save money – we are around £1,000 a year cheaper than the train.There is very short onward travel going by coach, too. We have 14 stops to pick up passengers, then they're on their way. I used to commute to central London, and I think people view the journey as 'dead' time anyway, so if they spend a little more time sitting in a comfortable seat reading the newspaper, they hardly notice.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What kind of passenger does the coach service attract?
Danny Elford: We get everyone from Chief Executives to cleaners. It's not so much a service as a community; customers have even set up Facebook pages for themselves. We celebrate this community by taking them all to Calais for a day out shopping once a year.
An airy feel is given to the VIP Caetano by its layout.

An airy feel is given to the VIP Caetano by its layout.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How loyal are the customers?
Danny Elford: They're very loyal. 80% of them stay with us year after year, with 10% 'tidal' customers who come and go with their circumstances, and around 10% new customers each year. Numbers have been fairly static for a while but the economic crisis has seen numbers creeping up recently. That may be due to the fact that we have been advertising more, however.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How has the financial crisis affected your business generally?
Danny Elford: There have been winners and losers in this crisis. Yes, people are losing their jobs but interest rates are so much lower, some people's mortgages have become much cheaper, and they have more money than ever. That said, I think everyone's starting to feel the pinch a little.
The fuel price rises have been more of a problem. We use 1.6 million litres of fuel a year in this company and, while we do hedge the majority of our fuel, that only delays the price increases.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Doesn't that play into your hands to some extent? After all, car drivers are being hit proportionately harder by high fuel prices.
Danny Elford: That's true. We are a very 'green' and economical way of getting around, and the fuel use per seat compared to the car is much lower. Our problem is that driving is a way of life, not a choice and I'm sure that even if petrol prices doubled, many people would still drive everywhere. That said, this is an opportunity for the coach industry.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What innovation have you brought to commuter coaching in recent years?
Danny Elford: Possibly the most useful innovation has been Coachtrac – a free on-line and mobile phone service which allows customers to see the progress of their service in real time. Inevitably we do get occasional traffic problems but Coachtrac enables customers to time their trip to the stop accurately and not be left standing in the rain.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Tell us a bit about another side of your business; Connections, the coach brokerage.
Danny Elford: It's not a coach brokerage in the usual sense. Connections is a coach management service. Through us, businesses and the public sector can simply tell us about the journey or event they need to tackle, and we do everything else, sourcing the vehicles with several competitive quotes and making recommendations for the best value service, not necessarily the cheapest.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Isn't there a danger that you could compromise the quality of your own business by allowing other, perhaps less professional operators carry your customers?
Danny Elford: No. We have our own quality management system and have 400 approved operators on our books. 10% of those are across mainland Europe.
More importantly, businesses these days don't just call around a few coach companies to hire a vehicle; they have a duty to ensure the safety of their employees or customers, and they have to prove they have been duly diligent and obtained best value. We do that for them, so all they have to do is tell us what they want and we obtain competitive quotes.
The lost coach key problem is solved by it staying with the coach, in this box.

The lost coach key problem is solved by it staying with the coach, in this box.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What has Connections brought to the coach industry?
Danny Elford: For a start, we are spending £4 million a year on coach hire within the industry. Some operators get £200,000 a year in coach hire from us.
The system works for operators and our clients. Operators may, for example, have a coach on lay-over, which has already earned a hire fee. If they can get some extra mileage is that 'dead' time, they can be very competitive on price. The operator and the client benefits. Connections fills the troughs in business.
On top of this, we pay on the 15th of each month for the previous month's hire, so operators get paid between 15 and 45 days after doing the work. And we market coaching through Connections.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Have you had any major successes?
Danny Elford: Many. Last year, we co-ordinated the travel for 10,000 people to two pop festivals, not only getting them to the festivals but distributing the tickets to meet planning obligations. In 2008, we repatriated all the passengers left stranded on holiday by the collapse of the XL Leisure group, on behalf of the Civil Aviation Authority – 12,000 passengers in two weeks.
Connections has helped coach travel to enjoy a minor renaissance, I believe. Many companies weren't looking at the coach option before Connections came along, because of the complexity of competitively hiring. Now it's seen as more of a very safe and controlled way of moving around. Some companies were sending ten to 15 cars a day to Heathrow who are now using coaches.
The top-quality workshops were built by the original owners, the O'Neill family, when they took over the current site.

The top-quality workshops were built by the original owners, the O'Neill family, when they took over the current site.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How big a part do you think drivers play in your business?
Danny Elford: They make a massive contribution; they are the business's ambassadors. We are very lucky in having a core of excellent drivers. Despite the fact that The Kings Ferry was bought by National Express, we have retained the same family values.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How do you recruit drivers?
Danny Elford: We tend not to recruit drivers. We recruit people based on their personality and train them to become drivers. This avoids drivers making skewed comparisons with their previous employer and getting drivers who carry the 'baggage' of past bad experiences in their profession, and 'bounty hunters' who are simply looking for the best salaries.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How have you coped with the CPC driver training requirement?
Danny Elford: Very well. We have an in-house driving school and all of our drivers get a minimum seven hours CPC training each year. It isn't easy – we have to spread the modules over a period but we're on schedule.
The CPC is a good thing, I'm sure. But it does add to the cost of coach travel particularly as we have had to take on another five drivers due to our training demands on their time.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Has driver retention been an issue?
Danny Elford: Not really. We have a driving staff who value their jobs, and get to drive top-quality coaches – we bought 13 new coaches last year and will be buying 17 this year.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Beyond the obvious environmental benefits of running coaches, how does The King's Ferry address environmental issues?
Danny Elford: Some time ago, we looked at the our environmental impact and decided to make carbon offsetting investments – we were one of the first coach operators to be carbon neutral.
But then we went on a didactic journey when we realised we were cleansing our conscience and not addressing the problem; we run 68 vehicles, and this is the crux of the issue.
So now we spend the same amount of money investing in our business, and in newer, low-emission coaches, coach tracking and telematics. These systems all obviate against wasteful driving and reduce fuel use.
In the offices, we have PIR-activated lights, so they go off if there's nobody in the room. And our coach wash recycles the wash water.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You have also had to comply with the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ). That must have made a contribution to reducing carbon emissions.
Danny Elford: Actually, I think the LEZ is a bit negative and isn't addressing the biggest problem; the problem is cars, not coaches. Bringing in restrictions to force operators to buy Euro 4 coaches pushes the cost of coach hire up. The LEZ chose a sitting target – coaches and trucks. If we don't price people out of their cars, we won't be persuading them to take coaches. The principle of having cleaner air is excellent, but coaches should have been seen as the solution, not the problem.

Profile: The Kings Ferry
Date of establishment (as a vehicle operator): 1968
Main activities: Private hire, commuter coaching, coach hire management
Size: 130 staff, of which 80 are drivers and 17 engineers. Annual turnover £14m.
Headquarters: The Travel Centre, Eastcourt Lane, Gillingham ME8 6HW.
Fleet: 65 vehicles, of which 2 are buses, one minibus and 6 double-deck coaches. The remainder single-deck coaches. Main chassis MAN, Mercedes and Scania, with Caetano, Berkhof and Noge bodies.

Profile: Danny Elford From an engineering background, Danny Elford has become Commercial Director.

From an engineering background, Danny Elford has become Commercial Director.

43, lives in Ashford with his wife and two children.
Position: Commercial Director
Career: Apprenticed as an engineer at Scotland & Bates then joined the Vehicle Operators Services Agency (VOSA as a vehicle examiner, before progressing to become Custodian of Policy and was involved in the negotiation of the European Bus Directive from 1992 to 2000. Joined The Kings Ferry in 2000 as engineering manager then entered the commercial areas of the business before becoming Commercial Director.

COACH COMMUTERS

12.05.2011 16:29:40 - By Busoperators.org

EASTERN PROMISE

23.02.2011 10:57:47 - By Busoperators.org

BUSOPERATORS.ORG meets a busman who welcomes competition on his home patch... as long it it provides a challenge.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: First East England may be a new name to many readers. Can you tell us a little more about the company?Alan Pilbeam: First East England is the result of combining the back-office functions of First Essex and First Eastern Counties – something we did when the recession began to become more efficient. The challenges got bigger and the revenue streams got tightened, but the costs were still there. So we merged the back-office and now do things more efficiently. We still have head offices in both Chelmsford and Norwich.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Can you describe the business to us?
Alan Pilbeam: We are very much a commercial bus operator, with 90% of our income coming from commercial operation as opposed to services supported by government funding. We have a small fleet of coaches at a private hire operation run from Chelmsford, and have a commercial express coach route, the X30, which connects Southend in Essex to Stansted Airport.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You appear to be the dominant bus operator in East Anglia. Was that your aim?
Alan Pilbeam: We aren't where we want to be at the moment. Our aim isn't to be the biggest but we do want to be the best in terms of service and quality. I have to say that hasn't been the case in the past but we are now making great strides in putting a punctual and reliable fleet on the streets.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How much of that depends on vehicles and how much on your staff?
Alan Pilbeam: We have a three-year plan which will take us forward. We are doing this through Punctuality Improvement Partnerships (PIPs) which we believe is the most proactive way of improving bus services. [PIP is a model for liaison between bus operators and local authorities devised by the Bus Partnership Forum in 2004] We'll be doing everything we can but congestion will always be a problem and will only get worse. That's something the local authority is better placed to control. Three operators, one street, but Pilbeam says it's healthy competition

Three operators, one street, but Pilbeam says it's healthy competition

We are certainly putting a lot of effort into our drivers. We are investing in better and advanced driver training, and have also installed GreenRoad in our vehicles – a device that monitors heavy braking, acceleration and cornering and not only tells the driver when this happens but transmits this information back to us. It's a 'black box' to help the driver improve driving style. We keep scores and the best drivers are rewarded.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you support any other initiatives?
Alan Pilbeam: Yes, we are supporters of the Greener Journeys campaign, which we believe is the first concerted effort by bus operators to achieve 'modal shift' – persuading people to leave their cars at home more often. Despite car insurance being a barrier for young people buying car, a car is the first thing a teenager wants to buy when they go to work. There are signs that people are becoming more discretionary about bus travel, usually because the cost of parking and fuel make them look for an alternative. But we would prefer people to choose the bus because they like it – because bus travel is both cheap and good.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How much of your success will depend on your relationship with local government?
Alan Pilbeam: There are some things that it is not in the gift of bus operators to change. We have a lot of dialogue with the county councils, and city councils, and have a very pro-active relationship. It is vital that we work with them and that they understand our thinking. Examples of a positive outcome are the Quality Bus Partnerships in Lowestoft and Bury St Edmonds – voluntary standards agreements which are binding on us and the local authority.

Optare Solos are ideal for rural operations

Optare Solos are ideal for rural operations

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: We've just been up to one of your main interchanges at Castle Meadow and can see that you have plenty of competition. Is that a problem?
Alan Pilbeam: We have a number of reputable bus operators on our patch. We would be concerned if quality was suffering but we welcome services which are well-run. It's up to us to compete. To succeed, we have to provide good, competitive services at the right price. In many ways, we don't see buses as our competition; our competition is the car. Reputable companies running good services raises the standard of the bus service offering, and that's good for public transport.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: As is common everywhere in the UK, many of your passengers during the day have concessionary bus passes. How is the national free bus scheme working for you?
Alan Pilbeam: There is a very high percentage of retired people in our area. The normal level would be 40% or so of the people we carry but in some coastal areas, it's as much as 80%.
I believe that it's everyone's intention to make the fare reimbursement scheme as fair as possible to everyone. But it's a fact that what we get for carrying concessionary passengers has gone down each year. We estimate that the income now represents as little as 35% to 40% of the commercial fare.
The way the calculation is made has changed and some areas have been hit harder than others. In particular, rural areas like mine have been hit hardest of all, but metropolitan boroughs seem to have done better. Norfolk County Council – which faces cuts in income from central government – has now gone public with this issue. It says it has a £4.5 million funding gap in the cost of reimbursing concessionary fares and is warning that, if it gets no more money, it will have to cut services and, perhaps, refuse to allow concessionary bus passes to be used at peak commuter times.
If the scheme is further eroded, bus services will become unsustainable because we have high turnover but small profit margins. If Norfolk is hit with a 40% cut it will be devastating. Either bus frequency will have to go down or fares will go up. We want to leave our network unscathed. Norwich is facing cuts in government support funding

Norwich is facing cuts in government support funding

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How do you see bus use moving forwards in these difficult times?
Alan Pilbeam: The only way to move forwards is to look forwards and for towns and cities to ask themselves how they want to be in, say, 2020. Once you have a vision of what you want to achieve, you can address the problems development creates.
Some councils are looking at increasing car parking charges, which could work. Real-time passenger information is another key ingredient, as is moving forwards with smartcards. But they require investment and, even in these difficult times, it's important we take a step forward.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: One final question. How important are your environmental credentials?
Alan Pilbeam: Safety is our number one priority, and if we do anything environmental, we must avoid 'greenwash' – meaningless changes that provide little benefit. My inclination is to make changes as a result of local initiatives by encouraging our operating sites to come up with ideas.
For example, our Kings Lynn depot suggested investing in rainwater harvesting. It was such a simple idea, collecting rainwater off the roof to run our bus wash, that we just went to the DIY shop to buy guttering, pipes and some rainwater tanks. We're looking around to see if we can do this elsewhere.
GreenRoad has its own environmental benefit. The smooth driving it encourages is estimated to save us 5% of our fuel. But most importantly, we want any environmental investment to have a real effect.
On street bus ticket machine on Castle Meadow

On street bus ticket machine on Castle Meadow

Profile: First East England
Date of establishment (as a combined company): 2009
Main activities: Service bus operation
Size: 2,400 full-time employees, of whom 1,400 are drivers. Annual turnover £80 million.
Headquarters: Roen Road, Norwich, and Westway, Chelmsford
Fleet: 665 buses of which: double-decks 142; single deck 216; coaches 27; midibuses 280. Manufacturers include Plaxton, ADL and Optare
Web: www.firstgroup.com

Profile: Alan Pilbeam
43, lives in Billericay, Essex
Position: Managing Director
Career: A graduate trainee at Tate & Lyle, qualified as an accountant then moved into a logistics company, where he worked for 14 years, eventually becoming commercial director for the UK and Ireland. Went to the bus industry in 2005, first as Deputy Managing Director for First in Manchester, then as Yorkshire West Managing Director. Became Managing Director of First Eastern Counties, then of the merged operation of First East England.

COMMUNITY FOCUS

03.12.2010 15:14:01 - By Busoperators.org

How does a coach operator in a small, rural community, like RB Travel, keep the wheels turning? Busoperators.org finds out...
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: On the face of it, a rural community of fewer than 500 people wouldn't seem enough to keep your company profitable. How do you manage the business?Roger Bull: It's a question of being prominent in your local sector. We have the town of Kettering nearby and good access to a major trunk road but a fair proportion of our business comes from our local schools, sports teams and from other community activity.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you have any competition locally?
Roger: Yes. This area seems to be densely populated with coach operators. We have ten to 12 companies competing with us and it's not easy. Many compete with us on price alone.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You also have a number of home-to-school transport contracts. Are they profitable?
Roger: We now have just two schools we supply – one a church school and the other a single-sex private school. Back in the 1970s, all schools bussed in their pupils if they lived further from the school than the minimum distance. Not only that, but at one time local factories meant we coach operators had two peak service runs, first to get workers to work, then to collect school children.
The local authorities have been moving the goalposts for some time. Now, a large number of pupils have to make their own way to school, by local bus or other means. In this county, the over-16s all have to pay for their home-to-school transport.
Schools provide RBTravel with a significant amount of work.

Schools provide RBTravel with a significant amount of work.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: We're guessing that the morning and afternoon school run isn't the only work you get.
Roger: That's true. We get a lot of work taking children to swimming pools but even that has changed. At one time, the schools staggered their swimming lessons so we would take one school's pupils and collect another on arrival. These days, that 'en bloc' booking doesn't happen, which sadly means schools are now paying more for their swimming transport.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You also supply coaches to local social groups and run your own tour and excursion programme. Does that help utilise the coaches?
Roger: Not really. Because of the pressure on school contract prices, we're back to the old days when we had a two-tier fleet – one for schools and another for the premium work like touring. As the price goes down, the quality goes down with it. Northamptonshire – unlike many counties – does not set minimum standards for its vehicles. They just have to be roadworthy. In a lot of areas, this policy has led to the school bus fleet to go backwards in quality.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: I see you have no double-deckers in your fleet. Is there no demand for 70-seat vehicles?
Roger: We don't run double-deckers because they don't fit in the workshop! But there is demand for 70-seat vehicles and we are now on the look-out for a 70-seat single-deck coach.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How have you handled the requirement for all drivers to have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check?
Roger: We're fortunate that our schools are both in the same county, so our drivers generally need just a single CRB check. But I met one driver who works at several companies who has had to have seven CRB checks – one for each local authority area. It's ridiculous, really, because each check comes from the same government agency.
Drivers are trained for their CPC through Chequered Flag of Essex.

Drivers are trained for their CPC through Chequered Flag of Essex.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You have also had to reach compliance with the need for drivers to have the CPC. How has that been going?
Roger: We're on top of it. We use Chequered Flag training in Milton Keynes. But to be honest, I think the CPC is a nonsense. It insists on the training taking place but has no set syllabus and no pass or fail. As a result, we have had drivers come back from training but still don't really understand, for example, tachograph rules. Others have been confused by the 48-hour working week limit, for which they sign an opt-out when they join.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You have a mixed fleet of coaches. What is your buying policy?
Roger: We haven't bought brand-new coaches since we became RB Travel. We look for late used vehicles which we know have been looked after – as a rule, we avoid any which have been standing for months. Some have even been standing in fields for years. When that happens, they get big problems with corrosion.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you try to achieve a minimum standard of coach?
Roger: Not across the entire fleet but we have to have a large number of touring coaches. At the moment, around half of our small fleet is Euro III or better, which we need if we are asked to travel into the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ). We are only one hour away. The minimum standard rises to Euro IV from January 2012, so we have to keep on top of fleet renewal.
Having said that, it must be a fine line for some operators whether they spend £5,000 on exhaust particulate traps to reach the standard or pay the £200 charge to enter the LEZ. The aftermarket exhaust catalysts are not always effective anyway, as we were told after we'd had one fitted; the testing station said the emissions remained more or less the same. This Scania Berkhof is typical of the touring fleet, though RB Travel has a mix of livery.

This Scania Berkhof is typical of the touring fleet, though RB Travel has a mix of livery.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you think the LEZ has been effective at cleaning up emissions?
Roger: It has had some effect, but it says a lot about government that they introduced a car scrappage scheme in which anyone could trade in an old car for a new one with a £2,000 discount as long as the older, dirtier car was scrapped. But they didn't have the same scheme for buses and coaches. As so often happens with Government policy, it's all 'stick' and no 'carrot' – we seem to face ever more penalties and no encouragement to improve standards. There is even doubt now over the Bus Service Operators' Grant, which helps support public transport, as the current government tries to reduce the national deficit.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: The recession is causing problems everywhere. Has it caused many problems for you?
Roger: It's certainly becoming a lot tighter as people cut back on luxuries. That's also true of the banks, who have been really tough about lending – it's difficult to get loans.
Our finances are good but they'd be a lot better if everyone paid their bills as they went along, but they don't. The cost of financing overdue payment can be crippling and the banks are not being helpful.

The mixed fleet reflects the mixed operations of this rural operator.

The mixed fleet reflects the mixed operations of this rural operator.

Profile: RB Travel/Taurus Holiday
Date of establishment (as a vehicle operator): 2003
Main activities: Coach hire, home-to-school services, tours and excursions
Size: 13 full-time employees. Annual turnover £0.8 million.
Headquarters: Isham Road, Pytchley, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 1EW
Fleet: 11 vehicles. 1 Scania Berkhof Axial 13-metre, 2 Beulas Eurorider, 1 Scania Van Hool, 1 EOS 90, 1 Mercedes-Benz Tourino 9-metre, 4 DAF Van Hool 55-seaters, 1 Dennis Plaxton.
Web: www.rbtravel.co.uk

Profile: Roger Bull Roger served an engineer's apprenticeship.

Roger served an engineer's apprenticeship.

62, lives in nearby Irchester
Position: Owner
Career: Apprentice mechanic at Shelton Orsborn in 1964, became workshop manager in 1979. Company bought by Midland Fox in 1989, and continued as depot engineer until 1992. Started LB Travel with a business partner then split with partner and formed RB Travel in 2003.

COASTAL COMPANY

16.09.2010 11:54:41 - By Busoperators.org

Busoperators.org meets a rural bus operator who says the current UK government bus grants need a makeover.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Norfolk Green is a relatively new bus operator, Ben. Could you give me a brief resume of the company history?
Ben Colson: I started Norfolk Green in 1996 with the aim of improving the quality and quantity of bus travel in West Norfolk, where we are based.We have now grown to a fleet of over 55 vehicles on a network that spans 80 miles of Norfolk. I actually worked out the other day that our operating territory – which we share with other operators – is some 3,500 square miles.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How have you achieved that growth?
Ben Colson: A variety of methods and means but we are focused on proving bus services that people want to use, day in, day out. With that business model, the public make you grow. Our core philosophy is to provide high quality, safe, reliable, friendly bus services that offer value for money. But we have an unusual territory.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Explain what you mean by that.
Ben Colson: Well, around half of all our passengers are retired, so don't pay the fare, and a further 25% are children and other concessionary users.
North Norfolk is a very popular retirement area. It's reflected in our service peak, which on one route is 10am – retired people going out for the day after breakfast.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You are also in a very popular tourist area. Does that affect the way you do business?
Ben Colson: Very much so. Our biggest tourist service is the Coasthopper, a service which runs from Kings Lynn to Cromer, passing through some of the county's most popular tourist towns and villages. Almost all use along that route is leisure, as opposed to commuter.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: It has been very successful, though.
Ben Colson: Yes. It was one of the first routes we developed in 1996 and it;'s still growing. In fact, last year over 2008 it has grown by 58% and this year it has grown a further 21% compared to last year.
The North Norfolk coast was declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1996 and that opened the door to European funding for the new service. It's an odd bus service because people don't see it as a bus service – they regard it as a feature of the area, a tourist attraction, if you like.
The passenger base is well above the UK average of retired people. I drove the route the other day and picked up 85 people.

From them, I collected £13 in cash – the rest had the national bus pass which allows them to travel free.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Yes, we'll talk about the concessionary travel scheme later because I know you have been politically involved in it. But the Coasthopper route is clearly popular with retired people?
Ben Colson: I quite often hear the comment 'why can't we have a bus service like this at home?' from passengers. They like the buses and the service frequency but above all, the drivers get the most compliments. They are specially trained for the route and work as a team, with ages from 25 to 65 – a good spread of people. They are both friendly and patient; the roads are narrow in places, and patience is a 'must' for them.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: I've used the service myself. You use special, narrow Optare Solos. How have they performed?
Ben Colson: Absolutely superb. Ours have the Mercedes engine and we have had very few problems with them. We have 12 liveried for the Coasthopper service but we often put on duplicates.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Why?
Ben Colson: Well, we carefully plan extra buses when we expect high demand, such as when there are events being held along the coast. We have an unusual problem at the moment due to the employment situation. We are in an extremely low school attainment area but, with so few jobs around, teenagers who would have left school at 15 or 16 are staying on to take further exams. We've got overloading everywhere. It's challenging to say the least; to quote an American businessman, we're up to our ass in opportunities at the moment!

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: There are likely to be changes in Bus Service Operator's Grant (BSOG) soon. Has the government got this funding right yet?
Ben Colson: I was one of three bus operators on the last government's working panel. It's still not the right mechanism. The last government wants to put in the same amount of money but make it a 'per passenger' incentive. The Local Government Association would like to see BSOG scrapped and to have the money given to local authorities to spend freely.
The per-passenger idea would target urban areas well but for us, in rural areas, it would be a 'cheerio' to public transport. The other big flaw of the per-passenger option is that it might work, and vastly increase passenger numbers. But the pot of money available is constrained so the amount of the per-passenger incentive would have to be reduced.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: The Government is about to announce its comprehensive spending review. What's your best guess for the outcome for public transport aid?
Ben Colson: I'm guessing 25% will go from the budgets. At the moment the amount of BSOG spent is roughly equivalent to the industry's profit. Coupled with a 25% cut in local authority spending, it could hit the industry hard.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: The other aid you get is the reimbursement of concessionary fares. Is that system working for you?
Ben Colson: As I've said, 75% of our customers don't pay fares so it's very important to us. The problem with running buses in an area like this is that you can't use fare price as a lever to get growth with so many people not paying a fare. It substantially distorts our market.

When we took a look at our market, we realised that we have mainly under 16s and over 60s so we offered reduced fares for the 16 to 19 year olds. There are no barriers to the offer – no ID cards to produce. It has been very productive. Overall, we are experiencing 20% passenger growth year on year, and that growth has come from fare-paying passengers as well as concessionary travel. I have a hunch that some of the growth has been from passengers who are now 20 years old, but have kept the habit of catching the bus.
The industry has been far too slow to pick up the gauntlet of the 16 to 19s markets but our scheme has now been duplicated by other bus companies.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you think the national concessionary fare scheme, with everyone over 60 getting free bus travel, is the right scheme?
Ben Colson: It's not fundamentally wrong but 60 is the wrong age. The logical age would be 65, when most people retire. It's also not focused on need; there are a lot of well-heeled people in this area who won't even take up their free bus pass because they believe it's wrong to take benefits you don't need.
Of course it's not wrong to use up the empty seats on off-peak buses, which is the way it works in many commuter areas. But in this area, where the core of passengers is people who don't pay a fare, it's not adequately resourced. We are reimbursed approximately 55% of the adult fare but we have to travel a long way to pick up each passenger, and we have had to provide more seats, adding capital cost to the vehicles we buy.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Give us an example of the way the concessionary fare scheme distorts your market.
Ben Colson: Well, for example, we need to sell each seat three times, on each journey, to make a profit from Coasthopper. That's usually OK because tourists are travelling only a few stops, and are replaced by other people boarding. But some of the concessionary fare passengers 'seat block' – stay on the bus for long journeys – which means we find it harder to make the route profitable.

Profile: Norfolk Green
Date of establishment (as a vehicle operator): 1996
Main activities: Local bus services, home-to-school services
Size: 120 employees. Annual turnover £5.75 million.
Headquarters: Hamlin Way, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4NG
Fleet: 65 vehicles, almost all Optare. Models include Tempo, Versa, Excel, Solo.

Profile: Ben Colson
59, lives on the Queen's Sandringham Estate!
Position: Managing director
Career: Studied transport management at City of London Polytechnic. Joined the National Bus Company. Moved to Stagecoach, where he stayed until 2003, latterly at South Manchester in an advisory role. Started Norfolk Green in 1996.

STILL STRONG AT 90 YEARS OLD

23.06.2010 10:53:15 - By Busoperators.org

Tucked into a cosy village community in deepest Essex, Lodge Coaches has become part of the rural scenery. It celebrates 90 years in business this summer, but it's a business which has grown, and still has ambition. Busoperators.org goes to investigate.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: I suppose the first question I have to ask about Lodge Coaches is how it has survived for so long?
Chris Lodge: I think because, thoughout the 90 years, we have adapted to cover every aspect of the coach business. Right now, we have a tour and excursion programme, vintage coach hire, a bus service, contract hire for schools and private hire. You have to follow the demand.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What is currently the core of your work?
Chris Lodge: It's our tours and excursions programme. That said, two years ago that formed the vast majority of our business but recently the schools contract side has grown. Then county council used to tender each route but now tenders an entire school's coach transport in one contract. For that reason, our home-to-school fleet has doubled in four years – it's become a huge part of our business.

New Challenges in School Transport
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Does that mean it contributes a big proportion of the profit?
Chris Lodge: Not really. It's about 30 per cent of our £2.5 million turnover but the profit margin is static... and it's a modest margin. That said, in 2004 were were making no money at all from schools contracts. Today, 50 per cent of our turnover comes from holidays and excursions, and the remaining 20 per cent from private hire.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How else has the home-to-school transport market changed?
Chris Lodge: These days, we work much more closely with the local authorities. It is time-consuming but it helps a great deal – the discussions involve everyone and what we do is better understood.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: But you were saying there's more to it than just turning up with an empty bus every morning?
Chris Lodge: Yes, that's right. These days, we have to supply all the bus passes to the children and post them out. Our drivers have to be checked with the Criminal Records Bureau. We have to fit eight CCTV cameras to our double-deck buses – two exterior cameras and six inside. We are not just supplying transport.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: That seems like a lot of CCTV cameras.
Chris Lodge: Yes. We have to have one facing the driver and install a microphone to record what is said. It's a very sad fact that school bus drivers aren't allowed to be friendly, caring people these days. If they give the children gifts, they are accused of having dubious reasons for being kind to them. They are even blackmailed by children. Other than giving safety instructions, we have to tell our drivers not to talk to the children. It's very sad indeed.
But I don't want to be too negative. The police have been enormously helpful in the last three years. We had to get the police involved with our problems but they've been tremendous. As one said, if you have a slashed seat, that means there's a knife on board, and that's a very serious matter.
Lodge repaints many operators' coaches

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Has anything else changed in schools transport?
Chris Lodge: We have decided to upgrade our schools fleet with vehicles that can perform other duties. In particular, we need our fleet to be London Low Emission Zone compliant [Euro 3 or better] because much of our rail replacement and weekend work goes into London.

Driver Jobs on Increasing Demand
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How hard is it to recruit drivers at the moment?
Chris Lodge: You certainly have to offer them more than just schools if you want to keep drivers. We also do rail replacement coach services at weekends and have odd jobs here and there. In the main, recent applicants have tended to be bus drivers wanting to move to coach driving. But there are plenty of applicants for the jobs.
Two years ago, we had to advertise to get applicants, and for two jobs, I had 23 applications. I now have a stack of 40 applications from people who have written to us asking about employment.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you organise your own driver training?
Chris Lodge: Yes, we offer our drivers seven hours a year to achieve their driving CPC qualification. My fellow director Robert Lodge uses Alec Horner of Minimise Your Risk and other operators' drivers come over to take the same training. We are also producing a driver's handbook. The draft version came from another company but we are slowly adjusting it to suit our driving team.
Incidentally, when we moved this business from its original site in the village of High Easter to the current location, one of the planning conditions from the council was that we had to build a Post Office, which is right in the entrance to the depot. It's a tearoom, as well, and it's ideal for getting the drivers together on training sessions.
Lodge's holiday brochure

Excursion Business Loosing Blood
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How is the tour and excursion business changing?
Chris Lodge: We are beginning to struggle with excursions. I think the older generation is starting to die off and there is no younger generation of excursion customers coming along. Like all coach operators, we must try to target a younger market.
You get a slightly younger market when you run theatre trips but we don't, mainly because there's an operator in Chelmsford who does a lot in this area. We have tried concert travel, to music events, but the problem is that you cannot return unsold tickets. We got caught for £3,000-plus in tickets last year.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Has the global recession hit your target market at all?
Chris Lodge: Oh yes. Many of the people around here are upmarket – returned city workers with investments. Those investments were their holiday fund and they now have less to spend. They still book a holiday, but they then book fewer excursions with us.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Is there any other answer to this problem?
Chris Lodge: Well, we have advertised a lot more in the last 18 months and have been marketing ourselves in person with display stands in local town centres. We also place advertisements on our double-decks. We have recently been selling our excursions into two other local towns.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What has been the result of your efforts this year?
Chris Lodge: Late bookings are now a major feature of our holiday sales – people sometimes book just a few days before departure. We always had a few but there are definitely more late bookings, which is far from ideal.
Bedford OB and Duple Vega

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you have an on-line booking system for holidays?
Chris Lodge: No, not yet but we have our reasons. For example, if you have on-line seat selection, some people 'hog' the choice seats, such as the first row. If customers have to call the office to book, we can spread the seat allocation more fairly – we like to 'reward' regular customers with their favourite seats from time to time.
But I accept that on-line systems have their advantages in collecting email addresses and data. We have a huge amount of information on our office system but we need to find some time to make that information work for us.
Bedford OB interior

Vintage Buses: A Worthy Investment
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Are there any other parts of your business you would like to tell us about?
Chris Lodge: My cousin and fellow director Andrew Lodge has rebuilt three vintage coaches – a Duple YMT which we've owned from new, a 1956 Duple Vega and a 1949 Duple Bedford OB. They aren't just for show – they are working vehicles, hired for weddings and events.
They have been very busy recently and attract high rate of hire. Most famously, the Vega was used in a prequel to the UK TV comedy Only Fools and Horses, Rock and Chips, when the cast take a 'Jolly Boys' seaside trip to Margate. After that had been shown on TV, we organised a couple of excursions down to Margate for fish and chips. They were very popular.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How is Lodge Coaches celebrating its 90 years in business?
Chris Lodge: We have organised an open day with vintage vehicle running in August. We are very proud of the progress we have made with the company.

Profile: Lodge Coaches (JW Lodge & Sons)Date of establishment (as a vehicle operator): 1920
Main activities: UK and European tours, day tours, home-to-school transport, private hire, vintage coach hire
Size: 8 full-time driers and 3 office staff, 15 part-time staff. Three directors (Chris, Andrew and Robert Lodge). Annual turnover £2.5m.
Headquarters: Lodge Coaches, The Garage, High Easter, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 4QR
Fleet: 27 vehicles, including 6 touring coaches, 7 standard coaches, 11 buses, and three vintage coaches. Touring coaches are Mercedes-Benz or Setra..

Profile: Chris Lodge

49, lives near High Easter with wife and two children.
Company: Lodge Coaches
Position: Director
Career: Left school aged 15, apprenticed at a racing car builder. Worked at a car franchise then joined the family business first as a vehicle technician then later took PCV driving test to do some driving duties before joining the management team.

ARRIVA UK GOES MOBILE WITH M-TICKETS

23.02.2010 11:12:39 - By Busoperators.org

Buying tickets by mobile phone is one thing. But on Arriva buses, your mobile phone itself can be your ticket. Busoperators.org finds out how from marketing manager Mike Woodhouse.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Tell us a little about Arriva Bus?
Mike: Worldwide, Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing more than 44,000 people and providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year. Arriva provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses, and operates in Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How do you see Arriva's position in the UK?
Mike: In the UK, Arriva Bus is one of five very large bus companies. The largest is First, Stagecoach is possibly second biggest and Arriva is about third. We are, for example, the largest operator for Transport for London. We have restructured and now have eight regional companies, spread from Scotland to the south coach of England.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How, if at all, has the current economic climate affected Arriva Bus, both before and after the crisis broke?
Mike: The recession bit in 2008 but we didn't see much of the main impact. The High Street (retail sales in towns) was hit hard so this did have some impact, but since then, the fact that people are feeling the pinch is having a positive impact, because they are using their cars less.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: So does Arriva Bus have a positive environmental impact?
Mike: My job is to get more people to use buses, so by definition, we deliver a lower carbon footprint. As fewer cars fill the roads, bus travel times are reduced, making bus travel more attractive. It's a virtuous circle. If drivers replaced just one in 25 car journeys with a bus ride, there would be a billion fewer car journeys.
One of the longest-running express coach services in London, Greenline, is run by Arriva

One of the longest-running express coach services in London, Greenline, is run by Arriva

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you personally do anything to reduce your carbon emissions?
Mike: Yes. Take a bus to the local town from my home.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: But does Arriva Bus have a policy of reducing emissions?
Mike: Of course, but we could have all new buses with green engines and everything else but, if we are stuck in the same traffic jam as everyone else, it will make little difference to overall emissions.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Speeding buses through the traffic is something that can be aided by cashless ticketing. Can you tell us a little about m-ticket – Arriva's new mobile phone ticket system?
Mike: The start was on Kent Fastrack – a bus priority route system in Kent. It had become clear four or five years ago that tickets could end up being on mobile phones. So we tried a system where the user was sent a barcode in a text which was then scanned to get on and off the bus. We got it running in February 2008 using 14 buses with two scanners each – on the entry and exit doors.
Purchasing tickets is a simple operation

Purchasing tickets is a simple operation

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How well did it work?
Mike: The technology was fine and a lot of people signed up to use it, but the take up of use was quite low. People didn't like the idea of scanning on to and off the bus. Also, the barcode didn't tell them whether they had a valid ticket or not, so they felt uncertain when boarding.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Did that halt the trial?
Mike: Yes. We decided it wasn't suitable for roll-out to the whole fleet. But we liked the principle. We thought the scanners were too expensive so what we wanted was a ticket like you get printed on paper, but on a mobile phone. In fact, you can do the whole process on your phone, including registering, which downloads a Java application to your phone.
The passenger can select the region, period and zone of travel as well as the type of ticket

The passenger can select the region, period and zone of travel as well as the type of ticket

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: And you got what you wanted?
Mike: Yes. We tested it in Yorkshire last summer and the m-ticket system is now on a national roll-out. The benefits for us include faster boarding which makes sure our buses can be on time. It also appeals to our student commuters. From the customer's point of view it's convenient and flexible. For example, the customer can buy an all-day ticket for one of our networks and store it on the phone. They don't have to activate it until the day they want to travel. If their plans change, it is still valid.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How is the ticket checked?
Mike: The ticket is checked visually by the driver, when the passenger shows him the mobile phone screen. To prevent fraud, there is a unique number generated on the ticket which the driver can check, and the design has some complex elements which would be tricky to copy. The customers like it because it is just what they are used to – a ticket, with details of what it is. The passenger can preview the ticket

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How does the customer pay for travel?
Mike: It's a batch process at the moment. They can add credit from a debit or credit card or via an Arriva travel shop. 90 per cent are topping up with their card. It may be possible in future for the charge to be added to their phone bill. The m-ticket is also a value proposal; four-weekly tickets will always be 10 per cent cheaper.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How is m-ticket doing where you have launched it?
Mike: In the three months since launch, we have 8,000 people registered and they have taken 50,000 journeys. It's my job to market it but my experience tells me it will be a slow burner – it will take a little time to catch on. From Arriva's point of view, it's a relatively small investment, with no additional infrastructure such as card readers and scanners. It's surprisingly low cost, low-tech and easy for customers and drivers to understand. We are prepared, too, for changes which comes when mobile phones have proximity readers built into them – a development which is on its way.
The m-ticket

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Is this technology unique to Arriva?
Mike: At the moment, but we are now telling operators about it and relating our experience of m-ticket. The way our partnership with the software company is structured, the partner takes a small percentage of the revenues and we have no issue with the same system being used elsewhere.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: On a different subject, have you heard about Smart Move?
Mike: Only recently, through busoperators.org.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Which measures do you think would promote and increase the use of buses and coaches?
Mike: The most important thing, in my view, is to encourage a partnership approach, working more closely with local government and with other operators. Keeping fares low is also important.

Profile: Mike Woodhouse Mike Woodhouse has driven m-ticket since its inception

Mike Woodhouse has driven m-ticket since its inception

44, Lives in Leicestershire with wife and 2 children.
Work Experience: Currently Marketing Manager in Arriva UK Bus. Has been a marketing professional for 20 years. Started working for a printing company, and then move into marketing for manufacturing. Joined Arriva in 2003.
Interests: Football and sport

GALLOWAY EUROPEAN

06.10.2009 08:55:31 - By Busoperators.org

Galloway European Coachlines has a passion for getting everything right - a policy which has brought its broad spectrum of business. Busoperators.org caught up with David Cattermole, its managing director.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: It’s been a turbulent year for the global economy. What has affected Galloway European Coachlines?
DAVID: Chiefly the Euro exchange rate, which has seen the value of the pound drop. This has led to lower sales of overseas tours. The perception of Europe being costly to visit came just after we saw the cost of fuel rising, and these two factors had some effect on us.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What effect did the Euro’s strength have on you?
DAVID: There has been a downturn in bookings for European tours, though we can withstand that. It’s definitely the strength of the Euro that is causing this.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Tours are not your only source of income. Could you tell us about the other areas of Galloway’s business?
DAVID: Galloway’s origins were as a school tour specialist, formed to market the tours but using an outside operator, County Travel, to do the coach work. Over a period of time the structure of the company changed. We believe our strength is that we now operate the coaches that do this work, so we have greater control of quality than school tour operators who contract their vehicles.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: So the quality of vehicles has an important part to play in the product?
DAVID: Yes, but being responsible for all aspects of the package means we also get feedback from our drivers; we have control of the whole product, and part of that is vehicle quality.
Vehicle quality is very important, says David Cattermole. All of then touring fleet is now air conditioned.

Vehicle quality is very important, says David Cattermole. All of then touring fleet is now air conditioned.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you have a section of the fleet dedicated to this work?
DAVID: Not really. We believe in getting the highest utilisation possible for all our fleet. We don’t see a future in having a bus just for school work. The school tours use high-quality coaches but we also have a lot of home-to-school contract work, and almost any vehicle available is used on this. Arguably, some of our fleet shouldn’t be doing the work it does.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Doesn’t this fly in the face of the current passion for American-style ‘yellow buses’ dedicated to home-to-school, transport?
DAVID: Yes. Personally, I dread the yellow bus syndrome; I don’t see how it can be a commercially viable system.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Home-to-school transport is notoriously badly paid. Is that what you have found?
DAVID: Not really. We now have 23 home-to-school contracts, 85% of which are with the councils and 15% for private schools. The education authorities are definitely primarily interested in price but school, contract prices have gone in the right direction, I believe because operators are now more aware of the true cost of operating a fleet.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Why has that happened?
DAVID: Our local authorities now demand that potential contract bidders complete a conformity document, examining all aspects of the professionalism of the bus operator. This has weeded out a few of the poor operators.
Galloways retains some older vehicles but home-to-school work is performed with any vehicle available, even new.

Galloways retains some older vehicles but home-to-school work is performed with any vehicle available, even new.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What aspects of operating does the conformity document address?
DAVID: We have now got so many more obligations, such as CPC driver training, Health and Safety audits and much more. Being a fairly large operator, we are lucky we have the structure you need to have to do this. When you think what it would take to start a coach business with all these obligations, it’s quite frightening.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Does the school term dictate the pattern of your work?
DAVID: Yes. It’s 180 days a year dictated by academic timing. We integrate a holiday programme around our schools departures to get maximum fleet utilisation. Making this work fit together with driver work patterns is quite a task. We have five traffic managers - we are a seven-days-a-week business running from 6am to 6.30pm so we need that level of traffic management to provide total support for our operation.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Looking at your school tour brochure, I see some of the trips are quite expensive. Why is this?
DAVID: The cost is down to the amount of content in the tours. We issue study notes which are all based on the current national curriculum. The trips aren’t just holidays, they are field work to accompany the work that is done at school. We believe we provide the best, and our repeat business is something like 90% - teachers who have moved to new schools often come back to us.
Tour drivers like Ian Jacobs often work locally when the 12-day rule intervenes.

Tour drivers like Ian Jacobs often work locally when the 12-day rule intervenes.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What did you think when the industry had to deal with the 12-day drivers’ hours rules?
DAVID: It was astonishing that the European Commission couldn’t see the difference between a truck operation and a coach operation, and we couldn’t make them see the difference. But the industry is quite resilient to change. I was also irritated by the moaners - people who weren’t here when the decisions were being made and who got upset when it arrived. We addressed all the issues quite early on. There has been an expense attached to it but, because we have such a diverse operation, we could put drivers on local work for a day. I know we now have the promise of a reversal of the rule for coach operation but when there is any relaxation, we won’t be going back to the old working patterns; drivers have now learned to appreciate the extra time at home.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: We have also had to deal with the new driver training rules. Has that affected you?
DAVID: The recruitment market has certainly changed, but not because of the training. 18 months ago we ran a recruitment drive, inviting prospective drivers to come and take a look at what we do with open days at local hotels. We had 100 or more drivers come through the doors; it was very successful. But unemployment due to the recession now means we have a waiting list for driving jobs; the entire market has changed within a year. Regards the new training regime, we are well on top of it. Each driver now has two CPC modules and we will have them all through the system by 2012. In my view, it’s high time there was a higher professional qualification and I think it’s very good for the industry.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do drivers have the same view?
DAVID: Almost all of them have welcomed the training. They believe it raises their professionalism, and I believe it’s a sound commercial proposition; your best coach is only as good as your worst driver. We have a Driver Development Programme and have a driver committee of four who represent the driving team and get problems out into the open; it’s a route for them to make their feelings known in open debate.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What other quality disciplines do you have at Galloway?
DAVID: We are a member of CoachMarque - the UK’s quality assurance scheme - and the Guild of British Coach Operators. They both have audit processes which have helped us raise our game.

Profile: Galloway European Coachlines
Galloway Workshop

Date of establishment (as a vehicle operator): 1978
Main activities: Local bus services, National Express Intercity work, educational tours, Private Hire, Rail Replacement, home-to-school transport, UK and European tours, day tours
Size: 115 staff, 75 of which are drivers. Annual turnover £10m.
Headquarters: Galloway European Coachlines, Denters Hill, Mendlesham, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 5RR
Other locations: Travel shops in three local towns
Fleet: 67 vehicles, including 9 MPVs, 11 cars, 18 buses, the remainder coaches.. Average fleet age 6 years. Main chassis in fleet: DAF/VDL, Mercedes-Benz. Main bodywork: Van Hool, Plaxton.

Profile: David Cattermole
David Cattermole is part of a three-man management team at Galloways.

David Cattermole is part of a three-man management team at Galloways.

54, lives near Mendlesham with wife and 2 children.
Company: Galloway European
Position: Managing Director
Career: 1970, apprentice motor mechanic with Rex Service Station, a retail garage operating its own taxi and minibuses. Gain qualifications through to ITRE level by attending local College for seven years both day and evening release and held position of foreman prior to moving to Galloway in 1981 as traffic manager. The ensuing years saw the development of the company during which time positions of general manager and director were held. On the retirement of MD, with the support of two colleagues, Roger Stedman and John Miles, in 1997 we bought the business.

CASTLEWAYS COACHES

30.07.2009 09:30:04 - By busoperators.org

Castleways Coaches is tucked away in the heart of England’s beautiful Cotswolds. Surprisingly, though, tourism isn’t a big feature of its work. Busoperators.org talks to its directors, sister and brother Rowena McCubbin and John Fogarty.
BUSOPERATORS.ORG: When was Castleways founded, and where does it get its name?
JOHN: Castleways has been in business since 1963, starting in Broadway – one of the Cotswolds’ most famous villages – and moving to Wichcombe in 1972. It was founded by our father, Trevor. He was a welder but had done some coach driving. The opportunity to buy Tower Coaches came up and he took it.
The original name comes from Broadway Tower, a famous landmark, and Castleways because we are in Castle Street, with Sudeley Castle just up the road.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How did you come to move?
JOHN: My dad bought Gilletts Coaches on this site because at the time you couldn’t trade privately without a ‘state services’ licence, which Gilletts had. I arrived in 1982. I’m an engineer – a toolmaker - by trade and lived in Holland. I came back to help out and never went back.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How much has the company changed?
JOHN: Back then we had 19 vehicles and did local bus work, holidays and private hire. But in 2002, we decided to finish the holiday programme.
Castleways has a fleet of 12 vehicles comprising of various brands

Castleways has a fleet of 12 vehicles comprising of various brands

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Why was that?
ROWENA: To be honest the tours started to dry up. We were down to six or seven a year by then, but they took some administrative staff to run them. It was quite a gamble to end tours, but it has been fine.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Why do you think passenger numbers dropped so severely?
JOHN: A combination of reasons. Newspaper holiday offers have had quite an impact because they are so cheap. But this is also a very affluent area; coach operators are looked down upon by some locals. Winchcombe is very much a retirement town but everyone has a car. Six years ago, the country was going through an economic boom, which made it even less likely we could sell holidays.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: But you have quite a large coach fleet. What keeps it running?
JOHN: We have a long association with a number of companies who regularly book us. One Japanese company has been using us for many years. We have American alumni aboard, the Smithsonian Institute, Royal Oak Foundation [a New York group which has an alliance with National Trust] and a number of others.
I spoke to one American customer the other day who said that he’d tendered some business to a number of UK coach operators, trying to get pricing, but we were the only company that gave him a quote. Interior of a luxurious coach - Castleways' advertising strategy relies on word-of-mouth referrals

Interior of a luxurious coach - Castleways' advertising strategy relies on word-of-mouth referrals

Importantly, it’s 95% repeat business and most of our new business comes from word-of-mouth referrals. There’s not much emphasis on advertising in this company – we don’t need very much.
We also have a lot of one-off hires because we’re in the Cotswolds, and two public schools in Cheltenham which use us.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You also have some home-to-school business, I understand.
ROWENA: Yes, we have one school run but we carry a lot of school children on our two service runs – the 606 from Cheltenham to Winchcombe and 559 Willersey-Evesham.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How many services buses do you use?
JOHN: We have three – one Dennis Dart and three Mercedes-Benz Citaros. In fact, we were one of the first operators in the UK to buy Citaros. We are now about to order a new Optare Versa. We have tried other buses but we are impressed with the Citaro. We have complex, rural routes and some rough roads but they manage it well.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How do the children treat the buses?
JOHN: Very well. We have virtually no vandalism even though we carry 120 to 150 children a day – the buses are packed when there is snow on the ground because nobody wants to drive a car to the schools.
We have a great relationship with our schools and we even sponsor the under-11s soccer team locally. During the summer holiday, we offer special low fares so the children can go to Cheltenham.
Service run 606 carries school children from Cheltenham to Winchcombe

Service run 606 carries school children from Cheltenham to Winchcombe

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: In the time you’ve been running Castleways, you must have seen some changes. Has any new legislation caused you any problems?
JOHN: Most tour operators have complained about the new 12-day rest rule but our work pattern means it hasn’t affected us. If we have a problem with anything, it’s keeping up with all the new legislation.
There is just too much Red Tape in this business. So little of it seems to be thought through properly. Take digital tacho. I have no problem with the tacho itself – I actually prefer it – but the manufacturers have nowhere to put it. It should be in a prominent, visible place but it ends up in all kinds of corners.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How has driver retention been in recent times?
JOHN: Recruitment has never been easy. You can get plenty of interviewees but it’s hard to find the calibre of people with the right combination of people skills and confidence.
The shrinking economy has lately increased the number of truck drivers applying to become bus drivers

The shrinking economy has lately increased the number of truck drivers applying to become bus drivers

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Has the new Driver CPC [EU retraining certificate] caused you any problems?
JOHN: Of course, it’s very difficult for some drivers to change their ideas after 40 years but I have no objections to the CPC. It has its good points; it helps professionalism in the industry. I have to say my drivers don’t seem to mind having to do it.
But in my view the industry really needs some for of formal apprenticeship. It should slowly introduce young people to the industry. I’m sure it would generate more pride in what we do.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What standard of driver apply for the jobs you advertise?
ROWENA: In the main they are people in their 50s who have left their job in early retirement, or people in their 20s who are not suited to other jobs.
We are inundated at the moment with truck drivers applying for jobs because of the way the economy has gone. That has never happened here before.
We are always on the look-out for part-time drivers. We believe it’s important to treat other people as you would expect to be treated yourself, so we never judge a book by its cover; we give all applicants a fair hearing.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Are driver salaries attractive enough to keep them in the industry?
JOHN: I think so. Our drivers average £22,000 to £24,000. The hourly rate is £8 but there are special rates for weekends and overtime. We also pay £10 a week towards their commute. They get 28 days’ holiday.
ROWENA: We put our drivers through the usual courses and teach communication skills. Our drivers do stay with us a long time – we have one who has been driving for us for 30 years.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How many drivers do you have?
ROWENA: We have 11 full-time drivers and four part-timers, plus John, who helps out if required.

Profile: Castleways Coaches

Managers: Rowena McCubbin & John Fogarty, brother and sister team who took over the business in 1982
Date of establishment: 1962
Main activities (both at national and international levels): Coach hire and stage carriage
Size: 16 full-time employees, 11 drivers
Headquarters: Castle House, Greet Road, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire GL54 5PU
Other locations: None
Fleet: 12 vehicles. 9 coaches (2x Setra S250, 1x Plaxton Premier/Volvo B7R, 1x Setra S315, 1x Bova Futura 9-metre, 1x Temsa Safari, 1x Sunsundegui Sideral, 1x Caetano Optimo, 1x Setra S210 9-metre. 1x Dennis Dart bus, 2x Mercedes-Benz Citaro 11-metre.)

CONQUERING CAMBRIDGE

22.06.2009 17:11:39 - By busoperators.org

Stagecoach's Andy Campbell runs buses in a university city better known for bicycles. Busoperators.org asks him how the world's longest guided busway, opening this summer, will help commuters get to work in Cambridge and take cars off the road.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You’ve been managing director at Stagecoach Cambridgeshire since 2004. How has the company changed in this time?
ANDY: It has kept growing. Since 2001, ridership has grown 100% on Cambridge city services. In our other major network, in Peterborough, growth has been 40%.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: How has this been achieved?
ANDY: When I took over we had problems with driver shortages. There was a complex structure for pay and conditions which meant some drivers were getting less pay than others. Stagecoach Cambridge employs drivers of 23 nationalities

Stagecoach Cambridge employs drivers of 23 nationalities

The turnover of drivers was very high and to cope we were being loaned drivers from other Stagecoach companies and hiring agency drivers. I took the extra cash we were spending on agency drivers and put it into giving a proper market rate for all drivers.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What effect did that have?
ANDY: It was definitely the right thing to do. Since then, we have been able to retain drivers, and they are all now based locally despite the expansion of services.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Did you have to recruit foreign drivers to maintain services?
ANDY: We now have 23 different nationalities working for us. At one time, we recruited directly from Poland. We got 10 Polish drivers and trained them but now only two remain on the staff. Once they had trained, they simply left and went to work for higher wages in London.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: What are your current hourly rates of pay?
ANDY: They differ in Cambridge and Peterborough because of the different driving challenges and cost of living, which is very high in Cambridge. In Cambridge the base rate is £9.55 per hour and in Peterborough £8.50 per hour.

City trafficBUSOPERATORS.ORG: You mention the operating conditions in Cambridge. What makes the city difficult? ANDY: Cambridge is a historic city designed for horses and carts, not buses. There are also a very high number of bicycles, which can make driving very difficult. Fortunately, Cambridge has a very pro-active county council and, working in partnership with the council, we have managed to achieve our growth.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Where has the growth been achieved?
ANDY: Cambridge has a very large Park & Ride service, in which parking your car is free but you are charged for the bus ticket. It has really shot up in the last 12 to 18 months since we restructured it by taking out a lot of interim bus stops which were slowing the service down.
Cambridge has restricted access for cars. Buses and taxis can get into the city centre by driving through barriers which are activated by the bus approaching. Car parking is also very expensive.... as much as £20 for the day. You’d have to be mad to try to park in the city centre every day.
It is strange how people think of Park & Ride. When we gave a survey to passengers on the bus, 80% said they weren’t bus users!
These bollards sink into the ground as a bus approaches

These bollards sink into the ground as a bus approaches

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Are Cambridge’s traffic problems now solved? ANDY: It’s much better but there are plans to build 46,000 new homes in the area. We calculate that this will increase journey time on the roads by 40% - we will need 60 more vehicles just to maintain the level of service we have now.
Either the city does more to restrict traffic and ease congestion or it doesn’t build the houses.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Is road pricing, such as the Congestion Charge in London, the answer to this problem?
ANDY: Perhaps but bearing in mind the decision by the people of Manchester and Liverpool not to have congestion charging, I am not holding my breath waiting for it to happen. It may be politically difficult to get such a scheme.
Fortunately, in Cambridge we have a growing number of people who realise that we need to do something. A lot more of the commuters here are switched on to green issues.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Are there any other pressing problems with buses?
ANDY: We desperately need a 21st Century bus station. The one we have, in Drummer Street, is not good for bus operators or passengers. We have offered to make the current station into a green space and move to a better site nearby, but it would mean developing a bowling green and Cambridge is very resistant to losing any green areas. Cambridge drivers get paid more to cope with the difficult driving conditions

Cambridge drivers get paid more to cope with the difficult driving conditions

Guided buswayBUSOPERATORS.ORG: Of course, the good news is that Cambridge will soon have the biggest guided busway in the world. Will this be helpful?
ANDY: Very much. It will relieve traffic on the main road to the West, the A14, which runs parallel to the new busway.
A guided busway uses standard road buses which have small guide wheels fitted to the steering axle. The busway is a 25-kilometre two-lane road with very high kerbs. The small wheels follow these kerbs so the driver does not have to steer. The major advantage is that the road can be much narrower because the buses can be made to pass each other only a few centimetres apart.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You managed the introduction of guided busway schemes in Yorkshire. Was that valuable experience? ANDY: Yes, but the new scheme is much bigger and the buses do not run alongside cars as they do in Yorkshire. This scheme is more like Adelaide’s guided busway. Passengers will be able to board at two Park & Ride sites. We estimate the journey time from St Ives to Cambridge city centre to be about 33 minutes.

The scheme has a southern section which serves the city’s largest hospital and another Park & Ride site.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: So, the buses on the guided busway will be standard vehicles?
ANDY: No. We have had to commit to five years minimum level of service, with quality thresholds. The scheme gives a very high specification for the buses, and only bus operators who can meet the requirements will be able to use the busway. At present, the three operators are Stagecoach Cambridgeshire, Stagecoach Huntingdon, and Go Whippet.
Our new buses are double-deckers with leather seats, extra legroom and household electric sockets so people can charge their computers and mobile phones. We also have single-deck buses with air conditioning. We would have liked air conditioning on the double-deckers but the extra weight would have meant buying longer tri-axle buses, which would be unsuitable for use around the city centre.

New smartcard schemeBUSOPERATORS.ORG: Does the scheme have any other benefits for you?
ANDY: Yes. It is the springboard for introducing ‘smartcard’ ticketing – an electronic card which stores a cash value. The passenger can just touch it on the ticket machine to deduct the correct fare.
We are trialling smartcards with 100 passengers to start with but I don’t anticipate any problems. Stagecoach now uses ERG ticket systems which are technologically ready for smartcards. Once we have the system running, it will be used throughout the whole of Cambridge, not just on the guided busway.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: You seem to have a lot of confidence in the scheme working well?
ANDY: Yes, I do. I believe it’s another step which will change attitudes to buses. It will switch people on to public transport. And it’s another step up in terms of the quality of public transport. The service will be on a 10-minute frequency all day. We expect it to be a success from the start, but it was designed to help cope with a large housing scheme which has been delayed. Ridership will increase again when that housing is built.
We are so confident it will be a success that we have pencilled in an order for extra buses for next year.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: Do you think the scheme will appeal to the ‘green’ viewpoint?
ANDY: It should. The buses are being run on biodiesel made from recycled food waste – cooking oil, for example.
The Stagecoach group trialled biodiesel on older engines but, since then, we have persuaded our chassis suppliers to set engines up to run on the fuel, and it is working very well.

BUSOPERATORS.ORG: One final question, Andy. Do you have any regrets about your working life?
ANDY: Only that I wished I had joined Stagecoach sooner. The culture here is to leave managers alone to manage their business and, as long as we achieve the budgets we set, that is what happens.
Stagecoach Cambridge is an operating company of Stagecoach plc, one of Britain's largest bus and rail operating companies. Stagecoach also runs the Megabus intercity operation and CoachUSA and Coach Canada in North America, plus a large number of bus sightseeing services including New York Sightseeing. The Cambridge Guided Busway was announced four years ago. Using existing (redundant) rail trackbed, it provides a road dedicated to bus services, using buses which can enter and leave the busway to travel on normal roads. The scheme is run by Cambridgeshire County Council and civil engineering partners BAM Nuttall. The service will use Smartcard cashless ticketing, and the route - from St Ives to Cambridge - incorporates a cycleway. Stagecoach is among three operators who will operate buses along the guided busway. The busway follows the route of the A14 - a congested trunk road which connects the main north-south motorways and roads in England with East Anglia and eastern ports, used heavily by container freight and Cambridge commuters. The busway is expected to reduce car commuter traffic on the A14, reducing delays and road traffic accidents.

Profile: Stagecoach CambridgeshireDate of establishment: 1995
Main activities: Local bus services, National Express Intercity work, City Sightseeing buses
Size: 600 staff, 500 of which are drivers. Annual turnover £34m.
Headquarters: Stagecoach plc, Ruthvenfield Road, Inveralmond Ind Estate, Inveralmond, Perth, PH1 3EE
Address: 100, Cowley Rd, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB4 0DN
Other locations: Throughout UK, USA
Fleet: 250 buses, including 6 National Express Intercity coaches. Average fleet age 7 years. Main chassis in fleet: Volvo, MAN, Scania. Main bodywork: ADL, Wrightbus.
Andy Campbell

Profile: Andy Campbell56, lives near Cambridge with wife and 2 sons, has 3 grandchildren.
Company: Stagecoach Cambridgeshire
Position: Managing Director
Career: Apprentice mechanic, Leeds City Transport. By 1969, engineering director Leeds City Transport. Operations Director at First Leeds. Financial Director during restructuring at Mainline. Managing Director at First West Yorkshire. As MD, introduced one of Britain’s first smartcard schemes and oversaw implementation of South Yorkshire Guided Busway. Joined Stagecoach Cambridgeshire in January 2004 as Managing Director.
Other interests: Keeping fit

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