AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

Seat of yo pants viabilit

29th March 1980, Page 56
29th March 1980
Page 56
Page 57
Page 56, 29th March 1980 — Seat of yo pants viabilit
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A one-man coach operator can combine low overheads wi high operational standards. Story by Noel Milli

ES a one-man coach operator ;essarily have limited backlimited finances and limited intenance facilities? The wer is that limited they may but by no means need they insufficient. This is where le large operators go wrong an they brand one-man ds as cowboys.

Ieing your own boss is an active idea and many coach ers nurture its realisation as, acret ambition. Afterwards, lever, some of those who a succeeded come to realtoo late, that with all the a responsibilities and plan] involved life has not bee the bed of roses that they planned.

he imposition of new disci as, not only to keep creditaxmen and customers at , but also enabling the rators to abide by the in sing legal requirements for ;ational records means life become a nightmare. The lom in imposing Britain's quality controls and ass-to-the-professional irements is clear as it gives would-be operator a staturequirement to accept these plines.

lere is no reason why the man one-coach formula lot* work, and a good Iple of it working well can rund at M. & M. Coachlines arrow in North West Lon

. and M. stands for Mick Margaret Burcombe. Mick s after the coach, the tenance, the cleaning and lriving and Margaret looks the home and the admin:ion involved in ensuring l. & M. Coachlines proservice to its 100 per cent te-hire clientele. The firm ounded only four years ago as established an enviable tation for reliable and fly service.

ck Burcombe was at one a fleet engineer for a ed meat company. ling, he says, got into his and he passed a psv g test which allowed him some part-time driving. In • he decided to enter the [ing business and decided n forces with three other e in a coach owner-driver erative under one trading wever, disagreement and lications quickly arose and lur man co-operative split 1976 M. & M. Coachlines )rmed with a 1972 Duple oy-bodied Ford R1 1 1 4 ater. One year later a Plaxton bodied Ford eplaced it, and in 1978 M. & M.'s present Ford was purchased. An other Plaxtonbodied 53-seater Ford R1114 has already been ordered as its replacement later this year.

After looking at the standing costs and inflation rates,. Mick and Margaret set an annual turnover minimum target. So far M. & M. has each year reached its target early and this has allowed regular investments in the business, reflected in a better coach, improved coach cleaning and customer service equipment and a comfortable standard of living for the Burcombe family.

By being both driver and proprietor Mick has established an enviable relationship with many of his clients. As a driver he is aware that certain categories of jobs, such as beanoes, fishing, football, and some school trips, can be rough on the Oriiver. So, as proprietor, he accepts only work that will not result in his suffering these frustrations or exposing the coach to the threat of vandalism.

M. & M. Coachlines can afford to be competitive — garage costs are minimal with just one coach. The fleet size does not yet justify M. & M. investing in premises; in North West London they would be difficult to find and prohibitively expensive. Mick rents a parking space and has an agreement with a larger operator to use his washing and pit facilities.

His office is in his home; the phone is manned by his wife during normal office hours, and outside office hours an an swering machine comes into operation.

Filing cabinets house the vehicle and driver records and Margaret looks after that side of the business providing services such as hotel, restaurant and ferry bookings. These allow M. & M. to offer a complete service to compare with its larger counterparts.

The customer relationship is so good that bookings already are in hand for 1981 although inflation fears mean that rates, obviously, have yet to be fixed.

Mick itemises the outgoings and income carefully and points out that while fuel, for example, has risen dramatically in price, it remains a relatively small proportion of his overall operating costs and warrants a similarly small rise in private hire rates.

By changing coaches every two years M. & M. Coachlines hope to keep down maintenance and tyre replacement costs to a minimum. Any major unit fail ures that occur in the vehicle's first year of service are subject to the vehicle's warranty. With the current M. & M. Ford 1114 this has been just as well. The coach has suffered from rather too many unit failures. However, reaction from the Ford Motor Company had been quick and helpful. Ford has even lent Mick a demonstration coach while the M. & M. vehicle was awaiting repairs.

M. & M.'s clients are the sort of people who notice the year of vehicle registration. So to help in retaining and gaining new customers, a two-year coach replacement programme has been established. • In general, Mick Burcombe speaks highly of the Ford product, which is normally reliable and easily manageable. He particularly appreciates the aftersales service provided by his Ford dealer. Normally, spare parts are delivered to his home within 24 hours of his order — a particularly important ai,d for the one-coach business as waiting for spares can lose him money.

There are occasions when M. & M. cannot itself supply a coach for regular customers. In these cases, Mick, through his colleagues in the industry, can often sub-contract to other operators. By driving himself he knows which operators to use and which drivers to use to keep up the standard of service.

M. & M. Coachlines is a g( example of how a coach owr driver can run a viable businE With the aid of an accountan assist and advise with matt( including the all-important 1.e and Inland Revenue retur Mick and Margaret Burcorr can offer a nice and vs, maintained 53-seater coach hire.

Their Ford is equipped v a stereo music system. 1 seating capacity can be reduc in order to provide more room and table space. It basically a 53-seater coach, I experience has shown ti maximum seating capac gives the maximum custor appeal. A 53-seater can be w on a 49-seater job, but a

seater can't carry passengers.

Mick Burcombe n specifies the fitting of a retari to the coach and speaks hig of the braking performance the Jake Brake on the Ford.

The company is on igt terms with many other operat and Mick is an active membe the West Middlesex Co Operators Association. He I nothing to fear from the p posed changes in vehicle opt tor licensing and deregulatior road service licensing. Regt services and inspections carried out every 4000 m (6500km), and Margaret sures that service records kept up to date and at hand.

Every phone inquiry is an ered and document passenger services include arranging of identity cards weekend Continental tours, M. & M. actively markets services in the particular ma it aims for — the type of vs Mick personally enjoys do

Currently about 60 per c of M. & M. Coachlines' wor private-hire tour work with £ blished clients, which vary f groups of language sch students to old age pension The company's overheads proportionately far less t those of a large operator. staff are employed, basi home and the coach has a c venient parking space, and particularly important that one that has no adverse ef on the environment or r safety.

But there low overhe costs do not make for operational standards. M & Coachlines show just how man, his wife and coach provide reputable, safe competitive coach travel fc particular and select grour private-hire customers.


comments powered by Disqus