interpris and hard wor bring success
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by Derek Moses
BIC ESTER, Oxfordshire, situated near the site of the Roman town of Alcester at the point where the Roman Way, running north east towards Watling Street, crossed Akeman Street, has been a garrison town for many years. With the British Army on one side and the United States Air Force on the other, its inhabitants today are becoming increasingly involved in the role of defence. And with the Cowley car building complex not far away, Bicester is the centre of much more activity than the casual motorist passing through the town might realize.
Officially the town is in City of Oxford "territory"—indeed, the NBC subsidiary has a depot in the town—and there are many opportunities for the enterprising independent operator, based in or near Bicester. One of the most enterprising is, undoubtedly, Grayline Luxury Coaches Ltd, whose plans for establishing a coach centre adjacent to the London road (A41), were described in CM May 21. The company operates a fleet of 10 coaches and two minibuses; in addition it recently acquired the South Coast business of Hutfield Coaches (Gosport) Ltd, together with four coaches and one double-deck bus.
Looking • at the business today, which ranges from extended and Continental tours, through private-hire work, to regular schools and works contract services, it seems hard to believe that in the autumn of 1955, Mr Alexander Gray was a coach driver with the established independent operator Alfred Taylor. In answer to a challenge, Mr Gray acquired his own coach, a second-hand 33-seat Leyland, and set-up business in competition with his former employer. In 1963, Grayline acquired Taylor's business, together with four 41-seat coaches, two Bedford Vistas and two double-deckers!
Five years ago, Grayline moved to a new depot built by the company, situated just east of Bicester, close to the London Road, and the nucleus of the proposed development. Alongside his new base, Mr Gray built a fine stone house for himself and his family.
Business acumen When I asked Mr Gray how he had built up such a good business his reply was "hard work and long hours". However, I think it is fair to add that good fortune and business acumen also played their part. Within a year of setting-up on his own, he received his first contract from the United States authorities for the transport of American schoolchildren to and from their school complex at RAF Upper Heyford, and the married quarters of USAF personnel.
This gave the new company a foundation on which to build, and the expansion at Upper Heyford, and at RAF Croughton, with the corresponding increase of personnel, opened up more opportunities for Grayline. New housing estates are under construction by the Norman Collisson Construction Group on a long-lease basis to the US Government, and many existing houses in the area have been acquired by Forces personnel.
In all, 28 coaches carry American children to the schools at Upper Heyford. Twelve of these are operated by Grayline, including eight serving the US Anglo Housing estate and one the new Glory Farm estate which is only partly built. So widespread are the Americans that two of Grayline's coaches proceed beyond the estates, one going to Aylesbury and another to Buckingham.
Meanwhile, Grayline has gained contracts from the British Army at Bicester, to carry both schoolchildren, and civilians employed on the base. Many people in the Bicester area are employed at the British Leyland and Pressed Steel factories at Cowley, Oxford—another opportunity for expansion of contract work.
A typical run for one of the company's coaches is to pick up civilian workers in the morning and take them to the Army garrison, then proceed to Anglo Housing to fetch schoolchildren bound for the American school. In the afternoon the coach will do the journeys in reverse.
While the developments around Bicester have provided Grayline with very useful bread and butter contract work (Mr Alexander Gray admitted that the Americans had helped him make money), the company has also moved into the forefront of excursions and tours and private hire work. Eight-day Continental tours are a speciality, and five departures were due in the first week of this month. Grayline also operates extended tours in this country, together with private-hire work.
From the outset, Grayline aimed to provide a good standard of service in all fields of operation. The temptation to gain work by undercutting other operators has been strongly resisted, and the company has maintained economical charges for its services. Mr Gray told me he had no time for cut-price operators.
Another example of Grayline's good fortune is the fact that it is truly a family business. Mr Gray has three sons, and while the role of USAF Upper Heyford might be strategical, Alexander Gray has also practised excellent stategy. His wife is a director of Grayline, and is the company's secretary (she also has a psv licence!); Brian, the eldest son, was brought up in the business; Alan trained as an accountant; and Gordon, the youngest son, served an apprenticeship with AEC. "So I have a new m.d., an accountant to keep an eye on the books, and a rolling stock engineer to supervise vehicle maintenance," he chuckled.
Brian Gray, in fact, was appointed managing director of Hatfield's, following that company's takeover. Grayline employs 11 full-time drivers in addition to the driving strength of the Gray family, and two fitter/drivers. One of the drivers is Mrs Deshia Bunce, whose name readers may recall from the coach rallies in Blackpool and Brighton earlier this year. I was interested in the relationship between the staff and their employers. It was as if they were all part of the family, yet their familiarity brought co-operation and discipline rather than contempt.
School run I was rather surprised to learn that the same smart coaches which operated the extended tours were also used on the school run to Upper Heyford. "The children are well behaved," Mr Gray assured me. Pride of the fleet is a recently delivered Bedford YRQ with Moseley Continental body by Salvador Caetano, a contrast to the remaining nine coaches which all have Plaxton bodies.
Bought as a present for Alan Gray's 21st birthday, the Bedford /Caetano was due to collect children from Upper Heyford school, and I travelled out on this vehicle. Its comfort, and its smooth quiet running impressed me very much. However, the return trip is one I will never forget!
Having watched the new coach pick up its schoolchildren, I .elected to return on a Plaxton-bodied Bedford VAL, whose ultimate destination was Buckingham, though travelling via US Anglo Housing estate. I found a seat beside a girl who had apparently lost her voice and off we went. I had just noticed the "no smoking" and "no eating" notices displayed at the front of the coach when a school girl very politely instructed me to extinguish my cigar. I recalled Mr Gray's remark about the well-behaved children!
While I was still puzzling about the "no eating" sign a large exercise book suddenly de.Scended from the parcel rack, struck my head, and fell open in my lap, scattering papers everywhere. "The children are well behaved." I was just disputing Mr Gray's remark (while helping to gather up the loose papers) when I realized that three girls were inspecting the parcel racks to see if there was any more dangerous cargo. Yes, the children were well behaved. And a very young man read me a lecture about the dangers of nicotine, just for good measure!
It was after stepping off the coach, and waving to some of the children with whom I had managed to break the ice, that it suddenly dawned on me. There had been no supervisor—prefect or otherwise—on the coach. Only the coach driver and the children. The parcel rack check had been a purely spontaneous one, carried out by some well-disciplined young folk. On return to trayline's base I was able to assure Mr Gray that his coaches were in good hands while on the school run.
Running repairs Two of the Plaxton-bodied coaches are based on AEC Reliance chassis, two on Fords, one on a Bristol LH, and the remainder on Bedfords. The switch to a continued on page 51