Setting A Standard
Wednesday August 14, 2013Setting A Standard
Details for those attending BUSK’s coach broker meeting on 20 August. We are delighted that Arval, a leading vehicle leasing and fleet management company has kindly agreed to host this event. For more information about Arval and directions please click on the link below.
http://www.arval.co.uk/portal/web/guest/contact-us
Please arrive by 09:15 to register, collect your ID badge and grab a coffee or tea, ready for a 09:30 start. At 11:00 a tea/coffee break will be provided with a 13:00 finish time. Parking at the venue is free.
The purpose of this event it to begin a process to set a national standard for brokers to work to. The aim is for coach brokers, coach operators and others to help set this standard. BUSK’s role is that of an independent body outside of the coach industry but with an interest in passenger safety, in particular, that of children and young people.
Your chairman, John Burch
BUSK is very pleased that John Burch, the CPT’s South West Regional Manager, whose region falls within Swindon has agreed to be our chairman for this meeting. John also works as part of CPT’s Operations team and has often dealt with questions relating to brokerages.
What is not so well known is that earlier in his career, in the days long before the Internet, he ran an independent sector clearing house which was jointly founded by two established operators at the time. It took advantage of opportunities created as a result of the 1980 Transport Act, which de-regulated the UK coach industry. It clearly served a need as it soon developed a varied customer base. The administrative cost of running such a service, prior to the coming of the personal computer era, made it difficult to develop this facility further, and it was eventually sold to the then National Bus Company.
Over 20 years later a whole new world has opened and John has followed recent developments with interest. CPT have been involved in debates with their members and with other interested groups about the pros and cons of brokerages on many occasions. John believes this clearly is an opportunity to air some of those issues. He is therefore delighted to be invited to chair this BUSK workshop to further that debate.
Speakers
Danny Elford
Danny Elford has been the Commercial Director at The Kings Ferry since 2000. Prior to this he was Executive Director for National Express Coach Division from 2009, Senior Policy Engineer at Department of Transport between1995 and 2000. Danny was also a VOSA Vehicle Examiner and Station Manager from1992 up until1995. His previous role was a Coach Engineer with Scotland & Bates and an Apprentice Served Engineering Technician at EKRCC.
Anthony Marett
Don’t Travel Empty (DTE) is the online coaching community which takes one operator or end users full leg and matches it with another members empty leg, thus making money for both members, taking a coach off the road altogether and saving tonnes in C02 production. Since its launch in 2008 it has grown to become one of the largest coach operator membership schemes in Europe with over 1100 members from the UK, Greece, Malta, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ireland, Czech Republic and Romania.
Links from DTE have been built into Coach Manager and Roeville in order to allow their members a fully automated version of the site and other services now offered is the very successful Passenger Recovery Service, 24 Crisis Control and the very popular Coachbook, the forum for all members to chat and discuss real issues.
Sue Reynolds
Sue Reynolds is a founder and partner in the family run business Reynolds Diplomat Coaches. Based in Watford, Reynolds Diplomat Coaches is currently celebrating 25 years serving both the local and wider community.
Reynolds Diplomat Coaches operates a mixed fleet of 30 coaches and minicoaches offering home to school contract services, private hire, its own programme of day tours and holidays.
As well as the ‘day job’ Sue is also very active with in the coaching community. She is chair of CPT’s School Transport Committee, and of Hertfordshire’s Bus and Coach Operators Association.
James Stokes
Coach Hire Comparison is an online portal where customers can find and deal direct with local coach companies. The coach operator is charged a small annual membership fee. The website is free for customers to use, there is no commission on top of the price quoted directly from the coach company. Upon registration, a copy of the coach company’s operating licence is kept on file and must be presented again every 12 months on renewal. The website is now 3 years old and is continually developing, enhancing the site to ensure that the quoting process is simple and easy to use for both customer and coach operator.
Dominic Kolodziei
Dominic Kolodziej has been a part of Momentum Coach Hire for the past 4 years. The Company has been operating since 2006. Dominic’s position within the company is a Sales team leader. Momentum has a large number of school contracts with the largest continuous contract being UCL academy that run five full size coaches per week.
Richard Bamber
Richard Bamber established Anthony's Travel with his parents in 1985. Anthony's Travel is based in Runcorn, Cheshire and have won various awards and accolades and prides itself on being proactive within the Industry. Richard is a serving member of the North West CPT Coach Committee and was the very first Operator to sign up for both Simply Safe and BUSK Benchmark.
Mandy Easden
Mandy Easden is employed as a Logistic Manager by A Class Corporate Travel. She been with A Class since the start and has grown in her position within the company. Mandy’s excellent skills with all our customers and suppliers makes her a favorite with them. During her time with A Class Mandy has built up a vast client base with many refusing to deal with any other member of staff. She believes in her job and looks forward to promoting the company to the highest possible level and is currently in discussion in getting all brokers registered by the Industry.
