Engineers achieve a 100% MOT pass rateOnce again, each and every bus that T.T. has presented for annual MOT test has passed – and this year, for the first time, without even a single PRS (where minor defects are rectified ‘on site’).

Engineering Director Nigel Mason told Update: “We set the benchmark at a very high level again, and achieving a 100% pass rate is a bit like winning the premiership a second time.

“Without doubt, it helps to have a modern bus fleet, but it could not be achieved without the dedication of the small team that carries out the MOT preparation, including our chassis cleaners, cleaners and valetters.”

Managing Director Paul Jenkins added: “This success is a tribute to all those involved in the preparation of our vehicles for MOT, and to our rigorous quality control procedures. A 100% pass rate is something every company should aim for, but actually accomplishing it is a superb achievement, and one which I am confident our engineers will strive to maintain. Well done to all concerned.” n

Eighty-five percent of survey respondents believe that standards have either been maintained or improved for most aspects of T.T.’s service network in the last 12 months.

Survey results indicate ongoing improvement in T.T.’s service delivery

The survey was carried out by The TAS Partnership and based on responses from just under 400 passengers. It concludes that, overall, the results are good and compare favourably with those in other parts of the UK.

T.T.’s Managing Director Paul Jenkins told Update: “The report shows that reliability, punctuality, the time that buses spend at stops and information about services were all aspects which customers considered had improved over the last three years. This

shows that we are continuing to move in the right direction, so well done to all concerned. However, we must continue to do all we reasonably can to make our customers welcome and ensure they have a positive and comfortable journey experience.”

The survey also revealed that customers thought that service reliability was the most important aspect of their bus service.

See page 2 for more survey results

Kevin Gowland and Bob Yeowell . . . just Messing About on the RiverSee story on back page

STAFF NEWSLETTER OF THAMESDOWN TRANSPORT LTDISSUE 77 SPRING 2010

Reliability for the period from 27 December 2009 to 27 March 2010:Reliability in this quarter was affected by the bad weather in January which disrupted several bus routes.Even so, 99.3% of scheduled miles were operated. Managing Director Paul Jenkins commented: “Considering the heavy snow experienced in January, this was a very creditable result.”

New statistics produced by The TAS Partnership confirm a decline in bus journeys made in Swindon for shopping purposes, which are down by 20% since the end of 2008.

The survey, which was carried out in February, also showed that the proportion of bus journeys made to and from work increased by 10%.

revenue base by maintaining the high quality of our services, and guard against poor travel experiences that could result in customers being ‘lost’ to us in the future.”

One interesting fact that emerged from the survey is the significant increase in the number of customers using the internet to obtain their travel information, and a marginally lower reliance on printed timetables. This endorses T.T.’s investment in its new website. n

Survey confirms downward trend in shopping trips by bus

If you have already done the SAFED course then you will already be familiar with its aims. If you haven’t, then here are the basics. SAFED – Safe & Fuel-efficient Driving – is all about you and how you perform your job. It’s also about the responsibility that is placed firmly on your shoulders with regards to driving in a safe and competent manner, whilst reducing wear and tear on the vehicle you drive and doing your part by saving unnecessary fuel usage.

What’s in it for me?

What’s in it for me? I hear you say. Everything and nothing is the simple answer. “I’ve been driving front line service buses for over ten years and I don’t need to go into a classroom to know my driving is OK” was just one of the things that crossed my mind before doing the course. I was very sceptical of the potential benefit to me personally, but having done the course I now fully accept the underlying benefit and the lasting impact it made on me.

Bus driving has changed immensely over the last decade with more and more emphasis on us, the drivers, and in truth, the expectancy for us to perform well has never been so high. You only have to look at the introduction of the CPC to realise how things have changed. True, it is just another piece of paper, but the CPC, just like the SAFED course, is about giving you a clearer understanding of your job and how you can improve. Also: no CPC, no licence. We no longer have the choices as the government constantly press for us to improve and be more responsible for our actions.

If we save company assets and protect the property we are trusted with, then that frees up money so new vehicles can be purchased and we can have that pay rise we yearn for, to name but two things.

Pre-planning and looking ahead

SAFED teaches you that driving slowly doesn’t mean you will save fuel – it’s all about momentum. Why accelerate when

A bus driver’s view of the Safe and Fuel-efficient Driving course

you approach a road junction or a set of traffic lights? Pre-planning and looking ahead is everything. I thought I was driving in a fuel-efficient manner but was pleasantly surprised that through the SAFED course I was able to make a further reduction in my fuel usage by using elements of the course and applying them to my daily driving habits.

Collectively we can make a massive difference

Of course, it is not practical to apply everything you learn on the course because of other constraints we have, such as traffic flow, keeping to time and the sheer volume and weight of passengers you carry – all factors that either stop you or restrict practising what you have learnt. It would be fair to say that alone we can only make a very small change to the amount of fuel we use, but collectively we can make a massive difference when you think that we operate over a hundred vehicles a day.

We owe it not only to the environment but also to our employer to act responsibly with regards to the resources we use. Jobs depend on how we perform and every company is looking to make savings, no matter what their line of business is.

SAFED has proven to show a reduction in accidents and fuel usage, two of the most costly factors for any business involved in transportation. Some of us have been lucky enough to do the course already. To those who are waiting I would say: give it chance; you might learn something about yourself and your driving habits. In the meantime, don’t accelerate if you don’t need to – lift off and do your part in making better use of our resources and protect the property the company trusts you with. n

“I was very sceptical of the

potential benefit to me personally, but having done the course I now

fully accept the underlying benefit

and the lasting impact it made on

me”

The following article was submitted to Update by Thamesdown driver, Martin Oxenham, after he’d completed the Safe and Fuel-efficient Driving course. He wasn’t asked to do this – he simply wanted to share his views with his colleague drivers. Please take the time to read it, because what he says is of relevance to everyone who drives a bus for their living.

l Martin joined Thamesdown Transport last November but has been a bus driver since 2001, working with First Group and Stagecoach. He completed the SAFED course in January.

l Thamesdown Transport has agreed to be one of SAFED’s case studies.

A graphic artist’s impression shows how the Thamesdown livery will look on the eight Optare Versas on order for delivery in September.The Versas will go on services 20 and 24 and will provide better fuel economy than the heavier Scanias.The Versa is powered by a Euro 5, four-cylinder 4.58 litre MAN D0834 turbo diesel engine with Exhaust Gas Recirculation, developing 177 bhp at 2,400 rpm. The gearbox is the fully automatic Allison 2100 featuring full electronic interface with the engine. It also has a lockup torque converter in gears 3, 4 & 5 for improved fuel efficiency.

The Optare Versa . . . how it will look

Paul Jenkins told Update: “These figures reinforce the message that until the Swindon economy recovers and the town centre becomes a more attractive place to shop, this downward trend on shopping-related journeys is not going to change very much. That said, the regeneration work going ahead in the town centre – such as re-paving and the redevelopment of the BHS site –

will hopefully attract new retail business to the town. Also, the work is a tangible sign of investor confidence in the economic future of Swindon, and I think we should all take heart from that.

“In the meantime, as a company we must continue to do all we can to protect our

Signs of the times – heavy discounting in town centre shops . . .

. . . but town centre redevelopment indicates investor confidence in Swindon’s future

UPDATE SPRING 20102 3

Vehicle Saloon HeatingThis edition’s topic

Diagram of Dart Heating System

Diagram showing location of Dart’s saloon heating isolation switch

With the approach of summer and, hopefully, higher temperatures, there should be no need to keep heaters on in the saloon of our buses on warm and hot days. Leaving the heating on unnecessarily will make for an unpleasant journey experience for our customers and will do nothing to improve our fuel consumption.There are two types of heating systems on our buses:

Scanias / Optare Versas

The first is via a roof-mounted forced-air system which is controlled automatically by thermostat. This system operates on the Scanias and will also be used in the Optare Versas (which will also have driver cab air-conditioning). In the summer, this blows ambient temperature air (i.e. the temperature of the air outside) into the saloon. On hot days, this will be below the temperature of the air inside the saloon. On colder days, this air is heated from the vehicle’s cooling system via a heat exchanger.With this system, the temperature in the saloon is pre-set, but the driver can set the demister fan and cab heating.

Darts The other system, which is used on the Darts, uses convected heat from the vehicle’s cooling system. Unlike the Scanias (and Versas), this system requires input from the driver. In cold weather, the engine heats the cooling system water which is routed via a set of pipes (see diagram above right) running around the interior skirting of the bus. This set of pipes is controlled by the driver via the switch in the cab. This turns the ‘Birkett Valve’ on and off. When turned off, the hot water is routed only to the demister box. In warmer weather when the saloon heating is not required, the switch should be switched to the off position to turn off the saloon heating to ensure passenger comfort.

Around 40 children whose parents are all members of Thamesdown Social Club enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday at Lydiard Park.

Social Club committee member Christina Warren told Update: “Everyone had great fun. Mark Chappel wore an Easter Bunny outfit which was a great success with the kids, and Simon Cullen won the Dad’s Race.”

Full marks to Mark for entering into the spirit of the occasion.

Next on the Social Club calendar is a paintballing event on 16 May (minimum age is 12), with a Sports Day and BBQ at Lydiard Park on 11 July.

£60 TO BE WON!When you’ve read this edition of Update, simply tick the correct answer to the following question:-

On a Dart, which button in the driver’s cab must the driver press to switch the passenger saloon heating on and off:

The switch

The switch

Neither, because the saloon heating is automatically controlled by thermostat The sender of the first correct entry drawn from the hat wins £40. A ‘tenner’ goes to each of the first two runners-up. Only one entry per person. Entries to be sent to Damon Swatridge by 15 June 2010. The competition is open only to staff of Thamesdown Transport and their immediate families (entries from family members should state employee’s name).

Full Name:

Job Title/Relation to staff member:Congratulations to Carl Higgs whose correct entry to last edition’s Spot The Difference competition was first out of the hat to win him £40. Runners-up Martin Hoare and Elaine Stacey each win £10.

“I haven’t got my staff pass!”

The Easter Bunny is a hit with Lauren

Who’s a fluffy bunny?

UPDATE SPRING 20104 5

BUS AND CAR PARKING

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BUS PARKING

CAR PARKING

BARNFIELD ROAD BARNFIELD ROAD

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BUS STOP

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NO ENTRY

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To comply with new insurance requirements, we have re-defined the designated walkways around the depot. Some redundant sections have been deleted, two new sections added, and the remainder repainted. It is important that you keep to the walkways when arriving at work and when walking to and from the car parking area. You should also keep to the walkways at all times when you are not wearing a hi-vis vest.

EXISTING WALKWAY NEW WALKWAY

KEY

Additionally, two ‘NO ENTRY’ signs have been painted on the roadways, one to prevent vehicles turning right on entering the depot, the other to prevent two-way traffic flow on the access road.We have also painted two designated bus stop bays for the staff shuttle service. The one near the bicycle racks will ensure that the staff shuttle buses don’t impede incoming vehicles. A new bus stop in the south-eastern corner of the depot will be used from 16:00 to avoid potential conflict with bus parking activities.

Designated walkways redefined to meet new insurance conditions Update welcomes the

following staff who’ve joined or re-joined Thamesdown Transport since the last edition and wishes them well in their new jobs . . .

Paul Chaplin, John Dyer, Elizabeth Fletcher, Adam Kiddle, Vernon Murphy, Keith Sharland, William Smith, Purna Thapa and

Michael Wall

WELCOME

Best wishes for a long and happy retirement to Bob Yeowell and Dave Hartley.

Bob joined T.T. in 1998, before which he’d spent 15 years as a photocopier engineer before being made redundant. He admitted that coming to work as a bus driver had been ‘a culture shock’ because of the long hours and shift work. Bob admitted that since retiring in February he doesn’t know where the time goes. “I’ve joined the local University of the Third Age choir and, in addition to my hobby of kayaking [see back page], I’ve become interested in gardening. I’ve already dug a pond and there’s plenty of work to do on the house.”

Dave’s working life started with the railways painting locomotives. In quiet periods ‘at work’, he admits that he also dabbled in watch repair and sign-writing.

Dave nicknamed ‘JR’ by his Thamesdown colleagues – then moved to Wales to start his own painting & decorating business. “I fell off ladders too many times, so decided to pack it in. Most kids wanted to be a train driver but I’d always wanted to drive buses, so I joined Thamesdown Transport.” Dave left T.T. two years later to go coach driving with Barnes, but long stints away from home were not compatible with married life, so he returned to T.T. in 2005. “I enjoyed the last

couple of years immensely as I was working split shifts, which mean no Saturdays!”

Like Bob, Dave has plenty to keep himself occupied in his retirement. “I enjoy gardening – I’ve got myself a greenhouse, which my wife has taken over, so I get to do the heavy digging – and I’ve also taken up oil painting.”

Dave was the unofficial ‘Thamesdown Transport Poet’, and much of his ‘opus’ has graced the pages of Update over the years. He also has a claim to fame of playing as a teenager in the same band as Gilbert O’Sullivan. “I played rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Gilbert – or Raymond as he was then known – played drums. We were called The Prefects. I had to choose between the band and my wife, and my wife won!” Although Bob never played in a band, he was a roadie for a while.

Operations Manager Graham Fox told Update: “Bob and Dave will both be missed. Bob was a country driver for many years and he built up a very good rapport with his customers over the years. He’s an all-round nice guy.

“Dave is another nice guy – very considerate and always thinking of other people before himself.

“I wish them both all the best in their retirement.” n

Retirement brings new lease of life for Bob and Dave

Paul Jenkins wishes Dave Hartley and Bob Yeowell a happy retirement

In order to comply with insurance conditions, the only area where smoking is permitted is the shelter by the bicycle racks. It is important that staff and visitors comply with the no-smoking rule which applies throughout the rest of the depot site.

The no-smoking rule also applies to staff arriving or leaving the premises in their cars, as Engineering Director Nigel Mason explains: “If someone arriving by car smoking a cigarette inadvertently fails to fully extinguish it, it could cause a vehicle fire. In such circumstances our insurance cover would be invalidated, so any damage to surrounding vehicles and property would not be covered.

Smoking is now restricted to just one designated area

UPDATE SPRING 20106 7

Bob & Kevin on Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Sept 2005

Kevin and Bob at the finish of the Ross-on-Wye Marathon in June 2005

t all started about nine years ago when Kevin Gowland, my next door neighbour, returned from holiday in Cornwall with a small fibreglass kayak on his car roof rack. He had obtained it on his

travels and knew that I already had several kayaks in my garage, so we needed no excuse to go for a trial paddle. Our first trip was on the Wilts & Berks Canal at Wootton Bassett. Kevin’s kayak was a bit on the small side for him but this didn’t put him off and, after going round in circles and weaving from bank to bank, he soon got the hang of it.

Trips followed on the Kennet & Avon Canal and the Thames. Kevin soon realised that his little boat had limitations, both in speed and comfort, but the bug had now bitten and he thought it was time to invest in a more suitable boat. We both decided to buy new plastic touring kayaks, enabling us to cover greater distances. Trips now extended up to 20 miles and we ventured onto the unpredictable Severn and the Avon. In June 2005, we undertook a 27-mile marathon raising money for the Air Ambulance. This took place on the River Wye, starting at Hereford and finishing at Ross-on-Wye. Although it wasn’t meant to be a race we completed the course in 5½ hours and were amongst the first to finish.

About this time Wroughton Scouts had a clear-out of their shed and they offered us a number of old kayaks, but only on condition that we took the lot. Some went to the dump, several found new homes, and we kept three. One of these was a nice double kayak which meant we could take our wives out for the occasional paddle. Having spare boats allowed other people to join us and enjoy the delights of kayaking. Stan Scott sometimes comes with us, as do drivers Kieran Brady and James Fox. Almost all of the Thames has now been paddled. We have joined organised events covering the 10 miles from Cricklade to Letchlade and the annual tideway paddle from Richmond to Putney, which covers the boat race course but in both directions, totalling 16 miles. Poole

When Update leaned that fitter Kevin Gowland and Bob Yeowell (who retired in February) were keen kayak ‘paddlers’, Bob was persuaded to put pen to paper and he and Kevin looked out some photographs of them enjoying their favourite pastime . . .

Harbour is another favourite, either going over to Brownsea Island or up to Wareham. Both trips need careful planning as you require help from the tide. The Isle of Wight is on the ‘to do’ list!

Most people think that kayaking is a warm weather activity but some of our most enjoyable paddles have been in the winter months. A modern plastic kayak is a very strong boat and we have worked up quite a sweat battling through half-inch thick ice both on the Oxford and Kennet & Avon canals; you get strange looks and comments from tow path walkers. Wearing suitable clothing, a good buoyancy aid, and with a spray deck fitted, the paddler in a kayak is both warm and dry. With a bit of instruction and practice you are also fairly safe. Of course, you can get caught out and we’ve both had the odd mishap. Two years ago, I was at the back of a flotilla on a Thames backwater when my buoyancy aid got

caught in a branch. I’d

been taking some photographs with my trusty Pentax and had just rested the camera on my lap when I was dragged out of my kayak into the water. My camera sank to the bottom and my boat and paddle floated away. A strap had become caught in a tree root and I had real problems getting free of it. I shouted for help but eventually managed to free myself and scramble through nettles and brambles up the steep bank onto dry land.

Kevin also had a narrow escape one freezing February morning. “There was a flood warning on the Thames and a gale blowing, but we still decided to go out,” recalled Kevin. “I got blown into overhanging trees and capsized. Fortunately, Bob, who was ahead of me, turned round, realised something was wrong, and came back to rescue me. We had to keep going to get to where we’d parked our cars. I was very wet and very cold.”

Although we don’t get out kayaking as much as we did, we still look forward to getting up early on a Sunday morning and heading for the river. I took early retirement from Thamesdown in February 2010 and have given up bus driving, but I have no intention of giving up my kayak – you just cannot beat messing about on the river. n

I

Update is the staff newsletter of Thamesdown Transport Ltd of Barnfield Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 2DJ

It is edited and designed by Dick Fancutt of Connect Business Publishing Services – Telephone 01635 845693 e-mail r.fancutt@ntlworld.com

Please note that any photographs for inclusion in Update should be submitted either as hard copy, via e-mail or on CD