Radio-controlle ) serve the airlines
Page 62
Page 63
Page 64
Page 67
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
By Derek Moses
THE telephone rings in the office of Ernie Usherwood, traffic manager of Whyte's of Edgware. At the other end of the line is an official of a leading airline. "Can you meet us tomorrow evening?" he asks.
"Certainly. Two 41-seaters?" replies Mr. Usherwood. He then jots down the flight number and s.t.a. (scheduled time of arrival) and replaces the receiver. A procedure repeated often each day is completed and the Airport Services Ltd. division of Whyte's (Edgware) Ltd. has booked another contract.
Two drivers are then warned to be on standby at London Airport at the appropriate time the following evening. As the actual time approaches, Whyte's contact the reception desk of the airline and check the e.t.a. (estimated time of arrival). This information has already been determined by tarmac control and relayed to the airline.
When the aircraft is due the two drivers take their coaches to the park provided for town coaches. A supervisor of the company observes the passengers' arrival in the Customs Hall and relays the information to the radio-control centre of the company from his radio-control car. Control, in turn, informs the drivers, who can estimate the time it will take for the first passengers to clear Customs and proceed, one at a time, to pick them up.
Watching the organization of Whyte's, whose 26-strong fleet is well known at London Airport, it is hard to believe that the company has come into being since as recently as 1959. That was the year in which Mr. Leslie Whyte, at that time a civil servant, bought a 1949 Bedford OB Vista and started to operate on hire to other coach proprietors.
Business had grown sufficiently from the introduction of the original vehicle in February to justify the purchase of a 1954 Bedford 38-seater with Perkins R7 engine and Duple body in August, 1959. The following year, Mr. Whyte employed a driver, in addition to doing his own driving. Mrs. Whyte told me of the many conferences round the kitchen table in those early days.
In December, 1961. a 1960 Ford with Plaxton 41-seat coach body was acquired, and .1962 saw the acquisition of three 1961 Fords with 41-seat Duple bodies. Another two arrived in 1963, by which time Whyte's were doing a lot of their own private hire work.
Head office of the new business was at Whyte's own private residence in Edgware; a coach park was established nearby just off the Edgware Road in Burnt Oak. Some flats adjacent to this site were acquired for coach drivers employed by the company.
The first really big landmark in the development of the undertaking was the year 1964. At the beginning of the year Whyte's gained a contract to operate 10 coaches on hire to a leading airline, linking Knightsbridge with London Airport. This was when the grey and white coaches of the company first became a common sight at London Airport. Eight more coaches were added to the fleet to meet the new demands, including the first four to be acquired brand new.
Once established on this run, traffic simply snowballed. Before long, Whyte's were doing work for other airlines, and it is not surprising that a base was soon established at the airport. The touring side of the business was not neglected, however, and regular tours were operated around London and to Windsor and Stratford-on-Avon.
Because of the growth of business at London Airport a separate company—Airport Services Ltd.—was established last year as a subsidiary of Whyte's. Furthermore, the head office of the parent company has recently been moved to Church Road, Ashford, Middlesex, so that a closer eye can be kept on the very lucrative airport side of the business. Mr. and Mrs. Whyte have also moved home to Stanwell, to be nearer the new headquarters.
This does not mean, however, that the goodwill built up in Edgware is to be neglected. On the contrary, the name of the parent company remains Whyte's (Edgware) Ltd. (fleet nameWhyte's of Edgware) and the Burnt Oak depot will continue, with some drivers still living there.
An illustration of this was a recent outing when 100 elderly ladies and gentlemen from Redhill House, Edgware, were taken to a Christmas lunch arranged by Mr. Sweeney of the Edgware Industrial Tenpin Bowling League. Local traders and organizations contributed towards the cost and Whyte's provided two coaches free of charge. The party was met by the Mayor of Harrow at the White Lion Hotel where the lunch was given.
What has contributed to the success of Whyte's in such a short time? Mr. Whyte says the whole secret of the company is maxi
mum utilization of vehicles. But there is a lot more to it than that.
First, some very hard work on the part of the Whytes and of Ernie Usherwood, their very capable traffic manager. Then a very co-operative staff—Whyte's have managed to build up a staff of drivers who are prepared to be on standby for long hours and to go anywhere at a moment's notice. Admittedly they earn a good wage for this, but a lot of patience and understanding is required. The driving staff now numbers 28.
Then there was the big decision to put the majority of the fleet on to radio control. Whyte's were permitted by the airport authorities to adopt radio control, and this has greatly facilitated the availability of the company's vehicles and reduced a lot of unnecessary mileage.
That bogy of all airline passengers—plane diversion or delay because of bad weather—is something which Whyte's understand very well. The news soon spread round the leading airlines that if their aircraft were diverted to Gatwick or Luton because of the weather and they were unable to arrange for their own coaches to meet the planes, Whyte's could be relied on to pull in two or more coaches at almost a moment's notice and meet these planes with the minimum of delay. The drill then is for one coach to proceed to Heathrow and another to Knightsbridge.
A typical example was quoted to me of this diversity. Requests are often received from Midlands agencies for coaches to meet parties, particularly when planes arrive at times other than the s.t.a. Recently one agency rang up to say they had a party which had landed on an alternative flight to the one booked, and consequently there was no coach to meet them. Within 17 minutes of the call being received, the passengers were on a Whyte's coach and on their way to Birmingham.
By having a high standard of organization, Whyte's claim that they are able to provide a service to pick up passengers at far shorter notice than any of their competitors. Standby coaches are maintained for sudden emergencies; furthermore, two supervisors work at the airport, in shifts, so that there is always someone on the spot to supervise the running of the company's vehicles. These supervisors also watch timekeeping, loading, ensure that no baggage is left, and generally represent the company and give last-minute instructions to the driver.
• Unexpected contingencies can include a party delayed in Customs. However, coaches can be pulled in off the park in four minutes once a party has cleared. • Last season 12 coaches were available for private-hire work; this season the company estimates that 24 coaches might be employed on this side of the business. Although private hire is separate from airport work, the two do have to be intermingled as there are peak times at the airport; these are morning and evening. This is because of the take off and landing of various aircraft being restricted.
In addition to the normal private hire—day and extended tours —Whyte's also cater for technical parties from Singapore, Tokyo, America and so on. These combine pleasure tours with technical visits. Vehicles are also sent to the Continent as requested, although it is the provision of extended tours in this country to suitably cater for tourists from abroad which is meeting Whyte's attention at the present time.
The American tourist is one they have particularly in mind, and this month Mr. and Mrs. Whyte plan to fly to America to study extended tour operation over there, and also to find out what the American tourist expects in the way of service in this country.
It is this personal side to the business which keeps coming out. People are treated far more personally than is possible in a much larger outfit. In the office at Ashford are files for every customer who has booked so far with Whyte's. "Oh yes, Mrs. Soand-so, last year you went to. . . ." Mr. Usherwood can say to the organizer of a women's guild outing, for example.
This keeping of records greatly impresses the customers. The fact that they are remembered when they come back for a second inquiry really does impress potential customers. Match this with personal attention and service on the actual tour, and you have satisfaction. All the coaches used on tours work are Fords, with Duple bodies, both Troopers (16) and the larger Mariners (5) being employed. None of these is more than two years old, and it is the intention to maintain a "young" fleet for this type of work. Four Ford Mariners are on order at the moment and another four will shortly be ordered.
It is the intention of the company to standardize on the Ford R226 or smaller R192 for normal touring work, the vehicles then being relegated to the airport services after one or two seasons.
Whyte's have found them very reliable and quite sturdy enough for the type of work on which employed. No major breakdowns have been experienced with them, and the excellent availability of spares is one feature which has contributed towards Ford standardization.
Even if a breakdown did occur, the company is geared to go into immediate action. If the coach is within about 40 miles of the airport, the driver will be able to contact control direct and ask for help—if farther away there is still the GPO telephone, of course.
"Help" is in the shape of a Land-Rover with an ex-GPO trailer, the complete outfit designed as a travelling workshop.
A 300-gallon tank is mounted on the Land-Rover, while the trailer carries tools and a whole range of spares, including lift pumps, halfshafts and so on. On numerous occasions this unit has come to the rescue of other coach operators who have been stranded.
Turning now to the new hub of Whyte's at Ashford—there is a suite of comfortable offices on a first floor in Church Road.
This is where the wall charts are kept so that the location of drivers in the London area can be pinpointed at once. Ernie Usherwood is at present working on a system to improve the grid on these maps, so that locations can be found more easily.
Here also is located "control", the radio which is so essential to the day-to-day running of the company. And here too are the customers' card index files. When a customer first makes an inquiry, a quotation form is sent out. If a booking results, then a confirmation form listing all the particulars is produced in triplicate. One copy goes to the client, one into the index file of that client and one into the general file.
No pains are spared in planning the best route when a private hire has been booked. If—as in the case of an inquiry which came in while I was at Ashford—the destination is a new one, then the main concern is finding suitable stopping places and hotels. If necessary, this can extend to a member of staff actually driving over the route and sampling proposed locations for meals, in order to ensure that the high standard the company has quickly achieved is maintained.
Finally, the question of a permanent roof over the head of the company's fitter. Mr. Whyte is interested in the possibility of acquiring a small hangar at Heathrow, where his airport-based fleet could be garaged and repairs done in the best surroundings. One or two possibilities are "in the offing" here. This would be the final link in establishing Whyte's of Edgware as a very permanent part of the London Airport scene.