Our business - about service and reliability
Welcome to the June edition of Bakers Travelines -
our company newsletter for employees, business partners and clients.
Summer holidays are upon us and hopefully we shall enjoy some warm sunny days in the weeks ahead as our touring season gets into top gear.
Under pressure - increasing fuel costs
There has been much said already about the increase in fuel prices and for all businesses involved in road transport, this year will be marked out as a time of supreme challenge. For haulage firms working on major national accounts, these additional costs can often be passed onto the customer. Coach operators however, operate in a highly competitive and more fragmented market sector without such safeguards. And for some operators, this additional burden, coinciding with the credit crunch has finally put them out of business.
Whilst we are certainly feeling the pinch, Bakers is more fortunate in that our broadly based coaching operations are a mix of long term key accounts as well as ad-hoc bookings, providing a degree of stability. There has been some growth in our local bus operations and the workshop has also made an important contribution with the increase of third party vehicle servicing and body repair work.
Partnership arrangements
Looking to the future, our business strategy is to continue to operate profitably while remaining focussed on providing the highest standards of customer service. The best way to achieve this (and secure our future) is by developing partnership arrangements with key clients. That involves open book pricing - sharing information and taking into account adjustments for fuel prices, whether these should be increasing or decreasing.
Philip Baker
Managing Director
Local bus services - growing the network
As we go to press.....
Congratulations!
Bakerbus has won the temporary contract to operate the Cheshire County services 44 and 45 linking
Crewe and Nantwich. This operation commenced on 24 May using existing fleet Mercedes Beavers.
In January Bakerbus upgraded its operations in
Newcastle-under-Lyme, providing the 33 and 33A town services plus a new service 94 linking these with Biddulph. Two new Plaxton Primos, similar to the vehicles used for the Congleton 'Beartown' fleet, have been purchased to run these services.
And finally.....on the subject of the 'Beartown' fleet, passenger numbers on the Congleton town services have doubled since this operation started in August 2007.
Contract Hire
Contract work has included a number of prestigious events in the region. Five coaches were booked in October 2007 to provide transport for VIP guests who had travelled up from London to attend the grand opening of Derby's new Westfield Shopping Centre.
In October Bakers won its first booking from Staffordshire's digger giant JCB. In April, eight vehicles provided support for the JCB Dealer Principal Event - a three week programme involving visiting parties from overseas and around the UK. Vehicles were scheduled for 14 - 16 hours a day coverage for airport pick-ups, hotel transfers and site visits to JCB plants around the county.
Group Travel
New customers for
Group travel include the Trent and Mersey Canal Society who booked a Bakers Coach - driven by Andy Fish - for an excursion to Falkirk and Grangemouth to view the Helix Project and the Falkirk Wheel.
The Helix Project aims to transform the area with a new section of canal, linking the Forth and Clyde Canal into the Forth Estuary via the River Carron. Landmark features will include two giant horse head statues at the entrance from the Firth of Forth.
Based on the legendary 'Kelpies,' the statues invoke the supernatural water horse that haunts the lochs, rivers and streams of Scotland.
The Falkirk Wheel is a modern boat lift connecting Edinburgh and Glasgow via the Union and Forth and Clyde Canals.
The weekend included a canal cruise and presentations by the Society on their experience in the re-commissioning of the 19th Century Anderton Boat lift at Northwich, Cheshire.
Our second photo shows scale models of the 'Kelpies' at the site beside the junction lock at Grangemouth where the full-size heads will be constructed.
Workshops
Having increased capacity in the company's
Engineering Workshops Bakers technical support team have taken up the opportunity to expand the amount of third party repair and overhaul work. Currently the throughput is running at between two and three vehicles a week for repair and maintenance, and one to two for bodywork repairs and paintwork.
The facilities are also being used for doing maintenance work on employee's cars. "We have the resources and it is very convenient as most jobs can be turned around while they are at work. Parts are charged at cost together with preferential labour rates, so it helps keep their costs down," says Phil Baker.
Business development
The acquisition of the Niddries Coaches in November was an important milestone in the development of Bakers Holidays. Over the years Niddries had built a solid reputation serving customers in the Middlewhich area - south and mid Cheshire.
Many Niddries customers are now registered onto the Bakers mailing list, following our marketing initiative earlier this season, which included a buy-one-get-one free offer for day excursion reservations. Star prize was a two day weekend break for two which was won by Mrs Mc Greavy of Leftwich, near Northwich, Cheshire.
In addition to customers, we have also welcomed four members of the Niddries staff and family who are now working from the Coach Travel Centre.
Driver Training
Bakers has also completed its first
Driver Training Courses, aimed at members of the public - youth leaders, teachers or charity workers, who need to acquire licenses for passenger carrying vehicles (PCV).
Bakers training activities are set to expand as new legislation for passenger vehicles come into effect. For example from January this year, minibuses are required to have tachographs fitted. This legislation will impact schools and social groups which have had no previous experience of this type of equipment and the rules relating to their use.
