Wow! What a claim! We talked about this – and much more - with trent barton Commercial Director Alex Hornby just before Easter.

Only the passengers can judge the validity of that statement but in our ‘brief’ discussion that went on for a lightening two and a half hours it was quite clear that former bus driver Alex was part of a team whose members would do whatever they could to ensure that claim was a reality.

The team is made up of ALL the employees of trent barton but it is the public image of the drivers that is considered paramount. All applicants are given a state of the art computer test to highlight not their driving skills, but their attitude towards others. You will note below that the role of the driver comes up over and over again. Alex is now encouraging the drivers to have their pictures painted on the back of the buses!

Question: why no double deckers in the trent barton fleet? Alex emphasised that this is not a rule set in stone and circumstances may bring a change of policy, but as the driver is at the centre of every passenger’s travel experience then it is felt that the driver should be visible at all times. Also, market research shows a preference for single deckers by customers.

The attitude of the driver is particularly important on the growing list of weekend night buses. For example, when a merry reveller boards with fish and chips, does the driver say, “No food on here, get off!” or “Hey mate, give us a chip. We don’t really allow food on the bus, but please don’t get the seat greasy and take the rubbish off with you. Will you do that for me? Thanks mate”? And it works! There is very little trouble on these services and there is a queue of drivers to join the rotas. Generally, the routes are the same as those during the day with familiar drivers and buses. Even though higher fares are charged after midnight, night buses are simply regarded as an extension of the timetable to encourage passengers to travel more.

What about all this route branding? Yes, there is a problem with not displaying a corporate identity and thought is being given to a common prominent logo being added to each livery. But once again it is down to the teams of drivers who tend to take ownership of their own brand and thus ensure it is delivered well and look to their suggestions being quickly implemented on ‘their’ route. Alex considers it well worth the effort!

We brought up a specific service: transpeak (Nottingham – Derby – Matlock – Bakewell - Buxton – Manchester). The coaches are now few and far between, old buses are used and the advertised dedicated website no longer loads. Alex admitted that this can be a problem service in that it is marginal in its profitability and at the end of the day the books have to be balanced. transpeak has a greater proportion of free pass holders (well over 50%) than most services and with remuneration to the bus companies for free passes soon to be reduced the problem looks like getting worse, especially as patronage is so dependent on the weather. If the sun shines, then sometimes there are not enough seats! Alex assured us that the matter was being looked into and it may even be that the transpeak would benefit from double deckers. All possibilities for development would be considered, but it has to be commercially sustainable.

Now the rainbow 3 (Mansfield – Sutton – Kirkby - Hucknall – Nottingham) which has used the same trusty Optare Excels bumping around the estates of Sutton and Kirkby since 2001. Once again it is a question of profitability. Both the train and the tram now run between Hucknall and Nottingham, inevitably taking passengers from the bus. Shortly before our interview, it was announced trent barton was part of a consortium short listed for not only building the proposed new Nottingham tram routes, but for running the existing ones too! It is early days but it could be good news for through passengers starting off their journey on the rainbow 3.

trent barton these days do not normally take on tendered work, yet they won the tender for 409 (Uttoxeter - Ashbourne), beyond their normal area of operation. Alex said this was a deliberate attempt to develop the one service, enabling the 409 to combine with the Derby – Ashbourne section to create swift, running from Derby to Uttoxeter via Ashbourne. Despite its rural nature, swift has proved a great success, smashing all targets to record a 45% passenger growth. The route in Uttoxeter has been modified according to passenger requirements, once again following the suggestions of the drivers.

How could we not mention the red arrow (Nottingham – Derby – Chesterfield)? Passenger numbers go up and up . . . as does the investment. Despite the entrance steps and old man Oliver’s protests, Alex was adamant that the coaches were what set the image and create growth, and that coach seated double deckers were not necessarily the way forward. Who can argue with success?

Now onto tickets and the future. Oliver had observed that the number of passengers using mango cards (smart cards pre loaded over the internet giving a reduction of 25% on single fares) was disappointing. Alex said that on some services their use had recently increased to almost 40% of all fare paying passengers and 16% company-wide. Fully loaded cards (£20 being typical) were now available from travel centres and outlets such as libraries. An encouraging number of people, having initially paid cash, were topping them up online. The habit was definitely growing! He felt that the government scheme of nationwide smart cards could be out of date before it is introduced and supported a case to fully understand credit and debit card ‘pay pass’ technology with bus card readers, or even a new generation of mobile phones and NFC communications to pay for everything, before the industry made a huge investment and leap of faith.

Now, competition. Alex emphasised that competition is a good thing, for it was the deregulated, contestable environment that allowed trent barton to grow and thrive. He claims that recent competing services put on by companies such as Premier and Your Bus had not made a significant impact on trent barton established services, though it had kept the team on their toes reviewing routes and zone tickets, and further endorsing the brand identity. A fellow Wellglade company, Bargain Bus, in being set up to face the competition of others is also competing against trent barton. Alex considered Bargain Bus as just another competitor. He has nothing to do with the running of it.

What of the future? With ever increasing car ownership and the associated congestion, many would say the outlook is bleak for bus operators. That is not how Alex sees it! His philosophy is that we must accept the situation we’re in, campaign but don’t waste time moaning and most certainly get on with adapting to it.

Alex hopes for continuing cooperation with local authorities in, for example, bus priority measures and pushing the concept of bus travel. The City of Nottingham has been good in this respect, but Derby less so recently. Long term policies are needed, not determined by the party currently in a majority. The forthcoming reduction in reimbursement for free passes is another hurdle to jump over.

Rising fuel costs and the forthcoming reduction in BSOG (fuel duty rebate) and the fact that modern environmentally friendly buses use more fuel than older models are all challenges. Alex does not feel the time is yet right for trent barton to experiment with hybrid buses as the costs are currently so high, but he commends others for being innovative and brave for investing in it and, whilst at present there are no more government grants in the pipeline, he will be watching the situation closely.

In addition to developments with fares payment already discussed, keeping on top of the latest implementations of information technology is essential to any forward thinking transport company. Tracking the precise location real time of every vehicle and passing on the information to potential customers probably by mobile ‘phone may not be far away. An advantage of this is that if, for example, an hourly service is 20 minutes late, a passenger will be aware of this before leaving home so avoiding a miserable wait at a draughty bus stop – a big turn off to bus travel.

A development that really came into its own when the snow fell before Christmas is a Facebook page where trent barton management can quickly give latest information and passengers can reply or add to it. This has now been renamed trent barton LIVE. There is a similar facility on Twitter.

One of the FOCUS team, Richard Lomas, worked in the offices of the Trent Motor Traction Company many years ago and was fascinated by the streamlined modern approach to administration. For our interview at the Heanor offices, we walked through a large room that was once a regional hub for the National Bus Company to a modest office where the afternoon flew past in our discussions. Afterwards, Alex took us round the depot so that our photographer Colin Sellers could use his camera. In truth, there were few interesting buses around (on the road earning money!), except soon to be launched striking my15s whose pictures Alex did not want published at that time.

In the two months since our interview, my15 has hit the road, rapid 1 has been introduced along with more rainbow 1s on Sundays, red arrow has been given even more journeys, including weekend night buses to Chesterfield, harlequin has a new look, spondon flyer new buses and, at the end of the month, frequency on the ilkeston flyer will be improved and weekend night buses introduced. Also, there are to be travel bargains with club 55 and work is ongoing for the Dove Holes trent barton depot to merge with Bowers to form a new company named High Peak. No resting on laurels at trent barton!

On behalf of Richard and Colin, I would like to thank Alex not only for his time but for the frank and thorough way he answered our questions and livened up our discussions. We wish the team well in maintaining and enhancing the reputation of “the really good bus company”.

Oliver Foreman
15 June 2011

THE INTERVIEW:

Asking the questions: three members of the FOCUS TRANSPORT team - Colin Sellers, Richard Lomas, Oliver Foreman

In the hot seat: Alex Hornby, Commercial Director trent barton

Date: 20 April 2011

WHO ARE trent barton ?

trent barton is by far the largest part of the Wellglade Group which also includes Kinchbus, Notts & Derby, Midland General and TM Travel. The Group runs bus services in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire.

The Trent Motor Traction Company was formed in 1913 with services between Alfreton and Derby, Clay Cross, Tupton and Chesterfield. Trent was part of the BET Group until the formation of the National Bus Company in 1969. In the 1970s Trent took over Midland General / Notts & Derby and part of the North Western Road Car Company. In the 1980s the operators forming the National Bus Company were sold off. In 1986, Trent was bought by a management team, creating the Wellglade Group, and has remained independent ever since.

Founded in 1908, Barton Transport was a well repected family run bus and coach business based in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire, running extensive bus services in the area around Nottingham and Derby. Its fleet and operations were sold to Wellglade (the owner of Trent Buses) in 1989, and the combined operations later became trent barton.

trent barton currently runs around 288 buses and coaches, all on stage carriage work. Details of vehicles may be found on the trent barton website HERE.