One of our part-time drivers retired last week. Aged 72 and as fit as a flea, he decided that he wants to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren. He has been thinking about it for a couple of years. I had talked him out of it twice, because as every coach operator will tell you, a part-timer who can be called on for a last-minute school contract is more valuable even than a litre of diesel.
On his last day, a fellow operator commiserated with me over my loss and asked me what I intended to do next. To that, I jokingly replied: “Delete him from my phone and block his number in case he ever calls me, of course,” and went back to work.
Making time for people when busy: A good indicator
I am not much for those inspirational or thought-provoking quotes that people tend to put on social media. But I read one yesterday that basically said how much time you make for people who cannot do anything for you, or who you really are too busy to give 10 minutes to, is a good indicator of what type of person you are.
With the thoughts of how I value people in my mind, I turned off the computer and made a couple of phone calls, posted on our social media pages and organised for my retired driver to have a presentation on the pitch at the local rugby club, which he has supported and dutifully transported for 10 years.
When he came to see me to say thanks, he was touched by the messages he received and the bit of respect that people at the rugby club showed him for the service he had given them. If I am honest, I felt a bit better about myself as well.
‘A feel-good factor comes from looking after your staff’
How we value people can also be translated to how we value our own businesses and the service we provide. We have recently taken over the transport for a local U3A organisation. Obviously, I had sent a six-month-old coach and my most sensible driver to do the first hire.
The organiser emailed me after a recent theatre trip to thank me for the excellent service and explain how the coach travel had been an integral part of the day.
Too often, we don’t see the true value in, or charge enough, for the service we provide. I work prices out on a formula, similar to how I imagine everyone else does: Fixed costs, driver, fuel, wear and tear and – finally – profit. I usually taper the price according to how much I want the job and how busy we are. The first booking on the system is always cheaper than the 20th.
‘Let’s shout a bit louder about what we do’
Rarely do I ever think about the added value that our £250,000 coach brings to the day out. That group may have paid £70 per ticket for a West End show, so another £2-3 on the coach fare to enhance the experience is neither here nor there.
The vast majority of operators I know make school trips, private hire and rail replacement run incredibly smoothly. Because we do a good job, it doesn’t tend to get noticed. Perhaps we should all shout a little louder about how good we actually are. Because as sure as night follows day and the price of fuel goes up weekly, when something goes wrong, people certainly shout about that!
