It is the last week of the Easter holidays, and we are ticking over nicely. Not too busy. A few staff on annual leave. Enough work to keep the rest occupied, and we are getting on with jobs such as having air-conditioning units serviced and ready for the inevitable two days of high temperatures this summer. In short, we are preparing ourselves for the silly season.
That is the feeling we all get every year, knowing that until the end of July it will be all hands to the pump. Part-time drivers asked to do more than either they or I probably want from them. Routine vehicle inspections being handled after hours, and the quick turnaround of coaches starting to bear resemblance to a Formula 1 pit stop. Hopefully we will be more Red Bull than Sauber there.
I have written before that January to March is no longer the really quiet time it once was, but it is still the rest of the year where we seriously keep the wheels turning and the profit level up.
Our diary already looks very full on some days, and I see no reason why we will not be as busy as ever. The odd times with a bit of capacity usually see that eaten up by some late bookings, often at a premium price, so having a couple of coaches spare is nothing to worry about either.
I have noticed a trend of schools booking earlier, having had their fingers burned before. The number of emails we get asking us to move 500 pupils in the last week of term, and the surprise when we cannot do it, never ceases to amaze me.
There can be no doubt that the next four months are the most rewarding but stressful time in the coach calendar. When you can, try to take yourself away from it for a day or two. There will be the odd weekend that is quieter than the others.
It is easy to get snow blind and stuck on the treadmill of a constant diet of coaches, answering the phone, and worrying whether drivers will make it back before their hours are up. My wife is very good at forcing me to take a break and recharge the batteries by doing something different.
The coaches and buses will still be there if you take a few hours off. Besides, most of the problems are those that you have seen and dealt with hundreds of times before.
I always find silly season a busy but exciting time of year. An empty yard but squeezing in the odd job for a cracking rate that you realistically shouldn’t. So enjoy it, but if you can, find some time for your family and friends. A meal out, a few drinks, or whatever you do in your downtime. You will probably be a better, and more profitable, operator for it.
