South London coach operator Abbey Travel is going from strength to strength after 25 years in the industry – thanks to its ability to constantly adapt.
Just like the Thames, a kilometre away from Abbey Travel’s Erith depot, the coach market is constantly changing direction. That’s one key thing the South East London outfit has learned from 25 years in the industry.
As the operator celebrates its silver anniversary, co-founder Mike Crawley (pictured above) looks back on how his business has had to continue to change its colours.
Mike, who started out in limousine hire before setting up Abbey with his brother Ken in 1998, says: “It’s changing all the time. You’ve got to be very fast on your feet to keep up with things.”
For example, as Transport Manager Steve Woodall recalls: “We did a lot of tours, private hire, race-day weekends, Friday and Saturday night work. Then the type of work changed. We had a spell, probably around 2014-15, when we started doing a lot of corporate hires and corporate day trips and then again that started to go quiet.
“So then we moved on to start doing touring work but we were doing it predominantly with a hired-in coach, so a third party was organising it and we would supply the vehicle. It’s an ever-changing market.”
A few years ago, Abbey was all set to go it alone with tours, but the pandemic shelved the plans. In the meantime, it’s been home-to-school and school tours, which it did not rely on much before, that have grown to about 65% of what it does.
Mike says: “We probably move around 450 kids a day and it’s increasing all the time. We’re buying newer vehicles to take that work on.”
Steve, who joined the company about 16 years ago, says of how the market moves: “It’s constantly shifting. Just as you start to move in one direction, there’ll be a goal-post moving and then you’ve got to completely rethink what you’re doing.”
Although the steering wheel has been constantly turning for Abbey, which operate out of Europa Trading Estate, it’s been more twisty than up and down, it seems. Mike says that, other than the pandemic, there haven’t been significant moments when he thought he might not make it to the quarter-century.
The changes over 25 years
Asked about the main changes he recalls in the industry over that time, Mike reflects on how it has professionalised in its approach. He also mentions European Union regulations having a big effect. Finally, he says the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) regulations have seen businesses in and around London going under.
He adds: “Whereas you would think you could keep a vehicle for 15 years, you can’t do that now. You’ve got to keep the vehicles up-to-date. The maintenance side of it is so much different to what it was before.”
On that score, Abbey refocused again to deal with LEZ. Although it had built up to over 50 vehicles before COVID-19, the company decided to concentrate on newer, Euro VI-compliant vehicles. It now has a fleet of around 30 from 16-seater minibuses to 61-seater coaches and double-decker buses — reliant on an office staff of nine, plus around 20 drivers.
It is a far cry from when Steve began working at Abbey. “When I started here, it had one coach, a couple of minibuses and a couple of sprinters and, in the space of about four years, it grew exponentially because of the work that was out there.”
Making it happen
That Abbey Travel has lasted 25 years is perhaps thanks to Mike’s background as a market trader, which has led to his ethos around never turning down work.
“The main thing with being a market trader was you had to be there. If you weren’t there, you weren’t earning money,” he recalls. “It’s the same with coaches – if you’re not there, you’re not going to earn any money. We will go to the ends of the earth to not let someone down, even if it means hiring a fleet of cabs if we have a breakdown.”
Steve agrees that it’s Mike’s make-it-happen approach that has been key in the success of the business. “Mike’s attitude is we don’t say no to work,” he says. “If someone comes up with a complicated logistical movement, Mike will not turn down a job, as long as it is financially viable.”
Mike also pays tribute to his hardworking staff. “I’m on-call 24-7,” he says. “We’ve always worked hard, not knowing where the next pound is going to come from. We’ve got a good team of people around us as well who work very hard. It’s like a big family.”
What of the next 25 years? Mike is optimistic for the industry, although he points out he won’t be at the helm at Abbey in a quarter of a century’s time.
He says: “I think it can only get better. We’ve had the hard times. The bigger companies are pushing on with a better and safer service. I think coaches will be used more in the future. The future is bright.”
