For 63 years Bibby’s of Ingleton has led the way as one of the UK’s most renowned coach operators. By introducing young people, they can be nurtured to continue Bibby’s high standards
Often operators will speak of driver shortages, or difficulties attracting young blood into the industry. Who can gainsay their frustrations when the industry is beset by shrinkages year after year?
In trying times it is important to find examples of operators which have defied the odds and which offer inspiration to their peers. Bibby’s of Ingleton not only stands high in the Yorkshire Dales, but high in the eyes of its staff and customers. Its distinctive name means word-of-mouth is all that’s necessary for hiring, and its coaches, painted in the unmistakable Bibby’s livery, are recognised across Europe.
Bibby’s of Ingleton: A family name
One thing that is apparent on entering the grounds of its headquarters, where workshop, offices and a fleet of 34 coaches and minicoaches await their next journey, is the pride that the firm has in its name and in the presentation of all its heritage.
That presentation has always been the key at Bibby’s, says Director Chris Bibby. He and his father, Managing Director Peter, have the task of maintaining a family heritage that spans 100 years in the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside.
Like many long-running family firms, it took a while before the Bibby family became involved with the coaching industry. Beginning in 1956, it has grown to become one of Ingleton’s permanent fixtures, a source of training, employment and pride for the village.
Being a centre of training and employment is perhaps its greatest asset. That, again, is in part thanks to the name, and the dedication Bibby’s has to its presentation. “The livery has changed over the years, but it’s always been striking,” Chris says. “Dad has always insisted that the name be clean and clearly visible.”
The office is busy, as the firm has just released its summer brochure for 2020. Bibby’s currently operates over 200 quality holidays yearly. Inside the office are 10 members of staff busy booking these holidays. In total, the firm currently employs over 65 members of staff, making it one of the area’s largest employers – vitally important in a largely rural community.
Pride in the name extends to the team, and in the people Bibby’s hires: “We’ve always had good staff and a good team, because everyone’s got individual strengths,” Peter says. “As an employer Bibby’s inspires huge loyalty among its staff – evidenced by the low turnover.”
Attracting youth
There is particular focus on young people. Bibby’s works with Lancaster Training Services, even sitting as a member of its Board, to provide apprenticeships for young drivers and mechanics in the PCV sector.
However, Peter explains that targeting young people much earlier in life is what helps Bibby’s tackle the tricky matter of succession.
The firm capitalises on the potential shown by young people taken to school throughout the year, and knows that by the standard of its fleet and vehicles it can appeal to them. The livery, the alloy wheels, the strength of the family name all come together.
routeone has often pondered the matter of forward planning and succession. The issues raised are extremely relevant, Peter says – and Bibby’s has done all it can to combat the difficulties which arise from them. “We’ve dealt with succession regarding driving staff,” he says. “We haven’t waited until every driver is 60. We’ve got a conveyor belt of talent – if someone falls off, another gets on.”
Bibby’s took its first apprentice on in the late 1960s and has been winning the hearts of school children and teenagers ever since. “We’ve pushed it further the last few years. Since we moved to the new site in 1991 we’ve had space to do it. Facilities weren’t great at the old spot.”
Two young apprentices are a point of particular pride. They began with shifts after school, attributed to an interest in the vehicles. Peter says it’s important to find that interest and nurture it.
“We have a few we took to school who train with us. They started off cleaning coaches – and you wouldn’t do that unless you have an interest. You start with a blank piece of paper and train them up,” he says.
Coaching is a good grounding for young people, Peter goes on to explain. “It isn’t a career where you undertake the same tasks every day. It offers a unique experience of life and great variation.”
Of the two boys he speaks of, one is more practically minded – he comes from an agricultural contracting background. The other takes a particular interest in the passenger side. That variety of talent is exactly what any coach firm needs to embrace. Working for Bibby’s has helped them develop stand-out people skills, skills they’ll never lose – and which would have been much harder to develop if they had come to the firm later in life.
“They’ve been here since they were 14 or 15 years old. If they’d have come from leaving school as apprentices, they’d have been lost.
“When you take apprentices on, you don’t have a lot of time to show them the little things. When they do an hour a night after school, it lets them see how everything works. It made them feel like part of the family. Starting from scratch, not knowing anybody, not even knowing where to brew the tea – it’s too daunting.”
School work is not the most glamorous side of any coaching operation, but Bibby’s holds it in as high regard as any of the other work undertaken – because it knows that, in the 1,000 children it takes to school every day, it has a ready-made workforce waiting. “If you find one or two kids out of that thousand who are interested, you’ve cracked it,” says Peter.
“Young kids take a bit more interest in the job, and if they are interested, it’s easy to nurture it even when they don’t have all the skills. By having smart motors with a bit of bling, it encourages them to look after the vehicles.”
Here’s where the older staff also prove crucial. It is they who give the young people real inspiration and vision – and Peter says it’s important to never knock them off that vision.
Get talking
Bibby’s focus on nurturing young talent is also driving something of a step change affecting much of the industry – and that’s fostering the right attitude from drivers, and the importance of dialogue. Something especially pertinent with the recent Britain Get Talking campaign from ITV Mental Wellness.
Bibby’s has always gone above and beyond for its customers and wants to maintain that personal service. From the beginning to the end, that means talking. The moment any customer picks up the phone to book a holiday, dialogue is key to experience. And encouraging drivers to talk is a big part of that high standard of service.
Chris mentions the importance of the Battlefield tours which Bibby’s has operated, beginning in 1987 on behalf of Galloway Coach Travel. It developed its own skillset off the back of its educational First World War tours. “We’ve always had drivers who are interested in making those tours a success. The right driver can make or break a coach trip,” says Peter. “We always try to match the right person up to the job.”
But taciturn drivers are still something the industry needs to challenge, according to Chris and Peter.
“Drivers can isolate themselves sometimes and they don’t know that they’re doing it. Sometimes I see them not talking to anybody,” Peter explains.
When the drivers come in, talking is one of the big parts of the job and that is encouraged. Being willing to ask for help and taking an interest in the subject matter of their tour makes a huge difference to both operational efficiency and the success of any journey.
Bibby’s has had plenty of success at the annual UK Coach Rally since the 1970s and has used that to create a network of friends and associates ready to offer assistance whenever it is needed.
“There’s a self-help network in coaching,” Peter says. “There are people in different areas you can contact. There always has been. Mobile phones and Facebook make it even easier to keep in touch, and people are talking more. It’s the only way forward.
“If I go home and I see a coach stopped at the side of the road, I’ll stop and ask if the driver is all right. Those gestures make a huge difference.”
If Bibby’s has one message to pass on to other operators, it would be to train younger staff. “Take apprentices on,” Peter says. “It costs money, and it can be frustrating. But it pays off in the long run.”
That flows into the firm’s other chief ambition – to improve every day. “A person, employer or business should improve every day,” Chris says. “You can develop your own skill set. As a business, that’s what investing in apprentices allows us to do.”
