Fleet Engineer Robert Betterton embarked on his new role at Stagecoach a year ago. Richard Sharman found out how that new role quickly changed into one of the biggest challenges of his career due to the pandemic
We have all been there – starting a new job, getting to know your colleagues and how the business works. That is the situation that Stagecoach in Oxford Fleet Engineer Robert Betterton thought he was going to be in this time last year. Weeks later the UK became the latest victim of the pandemic, the country entered a national lockdown and things rapidly changed, with new challenges to be met on both the engineering and cleaning side.
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From apprentice to Fleet Engineer
“I started as an apprentice at Stagecoach South’s Winchester depot back in 2004,” said Robert. “I completed the apprenticeship programme and then became a Skilled Engineer working on the spanners for a number of years.
“I then had an opportunity during the 2012 Olympics in London to try my hand at management and I was seconded into an Assistant Engineering Manager (ASM) role. It was an exciting opportunity and opened my mind to further prospects of working in management, which led to enrolling in the Engineering Development Programme (EDP). I spent three months in Oxford as part of my placement. That was my first experience here and I recall they had only had the ADL Enviro400 Hybrids around nine months, and back in 2010 they were still new technology, so I was very impressed by this!” he laughed.
“This was also my first experience of coaching; we had a few megabus coaches at Winchester, but nothing like the scale of Oxford Tube service. Following completion of the EDP I carried out a couple of further ASM roles in Stagecoach South before ending up at Basingstoke depot as the ASM.
“Sometime later, for personal reasons, I wanted to move to Oxford but there were no vacancies at Stagecoach at the time, so I thought the time was right to experience another bus group to see how they operated. I did that for a few years before moving on to a main Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles dealership – it was good to get back on the mechanical side of things and get my hands dirty.
“Then in 2020 this opportunity came up as Fleet Engineer at Oxford depot. I thought I would only go back if it was the right opportunity for me. Managing Director Chris Coleman and the Engineering Manager at the time, Terry Absolum sold the position to me, so when I found out I had been successful I was very happy and the rest is history.”
Starting at an unprecedented time
“My first day back in Oxford in my new role coincided with the first day of the first national lockdown, 23 March 2020,” recalled Robert. “It was a strange time to start any job and the first week involved being taken around the depot, being socially distanced, getting to know where people’s offices were and their roles. Since then it has been a roller coaster.
“When I started Stagecoach had already implemented touch point cleaning, but it has evolved greatly since then. A new cleaning programme led by Group was introduced.
In addition to a sweep and mop, the new daily clean programme means all hand poles and hard surfaces are sanitised daily. All windows are now cleaned every fortnight instead of every 28 days when the enhanced clean takes place.
“We have stepped up all aspects of cleaning; the cleaning chemicals used have all been reviewed and the group has now gone over to Autoglym products. They are a quality product and the feedback we have had from our cleaning staff has been excellent. You get on any of our buses after those products have been used and they smell really clean.
“Additionally, Autoglym also came out and set up our bus wash to run on their products. There has been a noticeable difference in the results, watermarks on the windows have been drastically reduced and drivers are reporting fewer smears when using the windscreen wipers.
“To allow for all this extra cleaning we invested heavily in increasing the size of our cleaning staff team. Our night cleaning team has increased in size by 40%, which allowed us to have two cleaning teams, one focusing on the Oxford Tube fleet and the other dealing with the service buses.
“We have also invested in cleaning facilities at our remote Oxford Tube parking area, so the coaches will only need to come to the depot for refuelling, washing and toilet dropping before being parked up and given the full daily clean. This is a big step forward as it’s been talked about for many years.
“We also implemented touch point cleaning at both ends of the Oxford Tube route, and drivers on both the coaches and local bus were issued with cleaning kits for the driver’s area and touchpoint cleaning when time allows. All vehicle cabs now include rubbish bags for disposal of used cleaning materials.
“The majority of the Oxford fleet allocation is double-deckers, but where single-deckers are used we have tried to ensure we increase the size of the vehicle where possible to allow for social distancing. The original capacity at the start of the pandemic was only 20 passengers, which has now been increased due to bubbles being allowed to travel together.
“Drivers open all the windows at the start of the journey and terminus points to allow fresh air to circulate, and there are also stickers on the opening windows to inform customers of the reason they are open.
“Driver protection screens and air holes have been closed up since March on the local fleet, and the new Oxford Tube coaches came specified with protection screens. The outgoing Van Hool TX27 coaches did not have any screens fitted so that was another challenge that had to be urgently addressed.
“We had to design, fabricate and source parts for 32 assault screens. This had to be done before the Oxford Tube service was relaunched in August, we had a team of three staff working on this project and were achieving eight coaches a week. However, at the time, perspex was in high demand and prices skyrocketed with normal prices going up as much as 300%!
“In terms of local bus, at Oxford, we maybe didn’t see the respite that many other OpCos may have had. Our Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) has only dropped from 85% to 83%, and that is because the school time duplications are not running. So it has very much been business as normal at the depot in terms of what is out on the road, although we are currently running an enhanced Saturday service, so that helps with the runout and run in, as it’s stretched over a longer period.”
Future fit
“What I did from the very start was analyse where the fleet was at, using the technical knowledge I had gained whilst working at Mercedes-Benz to see what issues we were constantly having,” said Robert. “I think it’s fair to say that any fleet that is operating Euro VI vehicles, or hybrids, has got its work cut out. There is also the issue of warning lights, which can come up for several reasons. I quickly worked out that the batteries we were using at the time were not the best, so I did a trial with some higher specification batteries and also added additional battery charging facilities.
“A campaign of battery replacement and introducing the new charging facilities was implemented, and as a result, we have gone from one to nine battery chargers in the depot, which is one for every workshop bay we have got. We are also 90% through a consumer battery change on the Euro VI ADL Enviro400MMCs to get them where they ought to be.
“We worked with Rotronics, who specialise in battery chargers, training and analysis. They helped get our battery charging system in place, and they have been very supportive. They have also helped us understand what is going wrong with the batteries and why, with engineering staff going through training with them and the depot being set up with Robis, a cloud-based battery analysing platform, so you can see what is going on and identify any problems at a distance.
“We have also started a programme of analysing amber warning lights to gain a better knowledge of faults and we have had success with this. Changing the batteries has also had a positive effect and a reduction in these warning lights.
“Additionally, we are working on our Alexander Enviro400-bodied Scanias to make them Euro VI-compliant by using HJS Emission Technology exhaust upgrades. Those vehicles are also undergoing some refurbishment work by replacing the trimmed side panels with new wipe clean ones to bring the standard of the fleet up further.
“Looking at ways of improving things was my key goal, I wanted to look at where we wanted to be in the next few years and start building those foundations. This has meant things like the stores needed overhauling, and that is still in progress. But looking to the future also includes improving training, equipment and our approach to how we schedule work in the workshop.”
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is currently working with other local operators and the council on proposals for it to become one of the Government’s all-electric bus cities. Robert explained: “The move to electric vehicles would require significant investment in new vehicles and depot infrastructure, and so the outcome of the proposal of an all-electric bus city will have a great impact on fleet replacement.”
Returning to Volvo
Before Stagecoach Group ownership, the Oxford Tube operated a large fleet of Volvo B10Ms in various body combinations. The fleet moved to double-decker coach operation from 1998. The only Volvos that have been operated since then have been Volvo-based training coaches and buses, so the purchase of 24 Plaxton Panorama-bodied Volvo B11RLEs was a milestone for all companies involved.
As Robert explained, this involved additional training for the engineering staff: “The one thing I wanted to improve on since starting was the level of training we give our engineering staff, and these new coaches were my opportunity to come good on that. The main issue we have had though is Covid-19; you cannot have a large number of people grouped in a meeting room, so we had to think outside of the box. Volvo was originally due to come to the site to deliver training, but instead, we arranged online training for a couple of people per day.
“There were several topics to work through, such as an introduction to Volvo, the specific B11RLE chassis and engine, diagnostics and so on. At two people a week, this is a long process and it’s still ongoing, but it is the safest way for it to happen given the current situation.
“Due to natural staff turnover during the last six months, we were lucky to be able to employ a number of people who already have a wealth of Volvo experience, so we haven’t gone into using the new vehicles completely blind. We have engineers that are well versed in Volvo engines and chassis, as well as the diagnostic equipment.
“We were also lucky in that the first coach was delivered directly to us before it went back to Volvo for a PDI check so that we could get a good look around and under it. Volvo also made a video for us with full details of body and chassis equipment.
“Plaxton also provided us with online material about the Panorama body, along with a wealth of other information the engineers can easily access when needed.
“On the driving staff side, a monumental effort by our Oxford Tube Manager Rob Hough meant that the training department was getting through three to four drivers a day. The information Plaxton supplied to our driver trainers was great and helped the situation.
“The Oxford Tube service is currently suspended due to national lockdown, but just before lockdown. We had a PVR of 18 in the week and 22 at weekends. Four of the Van Hool TX27s remain on fleet for the time being, allowing all the new coaches to bed in.”
New recruitment opportunities
“We currently have several engineering and workshop vacancies,” said Robert. “We are about to roll out the new group local bus livery, and that will require a programme of preparing vehicles by rubbing them down and replacing panels before they go off for repaint. So, we are looking for two Body Makers. Ideally, we are looking for people already used to working with PCVs that want to move to a company that will invest in them, but we would also consider someone who works in accident repairs on cars, for example.
“We also have vacancies for a Semi-Skilled Engineer and two Skilled Engineers at Oxford, along with a Skilled Engineer and a Store/Admin Clerk at Banbury depot. Going forward I am keen to take on people with PCV experience, but equally, someone who may have previously worked on Volvo HGVs. In the past PCV operators may have been reluctant to take on HGV engineers because they don’t make the crossover very well, but in my experience, it’s all about the training that you give them when they move over to a PCV operation, and I am quite happy to provide that.
“The Semi-Skilled Engineer vacancy would suit someone who has had a year or two in college and is interested in mechanics.
“Other vacancies include a Store Clerk at Oxford depot, as it has recently had an overhaul, so we would like another team member so we can have two shifts to allow the stores to be open for longer.
“The final vacancy we have is for a Mobile Vehicle Electrician. This is an important role based at Oxford but a van will be provided so they can attend vehicles with electrical issues. There will also be an element of two-way radio fitting and repair, looking after destination equipment and so on.
“The message from me for anyone thinking of a change or moving to Oxford is that we have a real opportunity here to make our fleet even better. I want my peers from other OpCos to drive through Oxford and see our fleet and think that they need to up their game.”
Full details of the vacancies can be found at https://isw.changeworknow.co.uk/stagecoach_bus/vms/e/stagecoach_bus/search/new
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