Timberbush Tours CEO Steve Spalding speaks to Richard Walter about the successes of a company which started modestly two decades ago with one 16-seater coach and, by 2018, was operating an award-winning fleet of 24 modern vehicles
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Humble beginnings
“The business started initially as a traditional private hire operation rather than delivering tours,” said Steve. “The owners decided to buy a bus and were perhaps not fully aware at the time of how to become compliant with the requirements for operating a coach or how to get an operator’s licence and so on.”
“Initially the company undertook all the usual stag and hen party type of hires. Then a CV was received from a driver called Hamish. The CV was for a tour guide as well as a driver but was put aside at the time because of the then-private hire nature of the business. But when an enquiry came in out of the blue about the possibility of providing a tour around the Highlands, the CV was retrieved, and Hamish was contacted to deliver the company’s first tour. The owners quickly realised the potential and Timberbush Tours came about, and a brochure was put together featuring two or three tours. Marketing commenced for the start of the April season.”
Joining the company
Steve explained how he became involved in the company: “I joined Timberbush Tours in 2016 after having worked briefly with the company in 2014, bringing with me a mix of operational and commercial experience.
“I gained my PCV over 28 years ago and my CPC as a Transport Manager over 20 years ago. This has proven to be extremely helpful in my current role, providing much better understanding of operational constraints and giving some perspective on the advice sometimes being offered.”
Much of Steve’s commercial experience was gained working with former employers in the airport industry. This included yield management, supplier procurement, contract negotiation and project management. “While this is all very useful experience, my principal focus has always been on the customer journey,” Steve said.
Steve emphasised that Timberbush has remained a family business since his appointment: “Whilst Gary and June have taken a step back from the day-to-day operations with my appointment, their values are still very much present in the business and I am delighted we have such a strong working relationship.”
Changing times
The business has grown substantially with a network of people in place acting as agents, selling Timberbush Tours across Edinburgh and Glasgow via many outlets including hotels and shops. Steve recognises how the internet and social media has changed the way tours are researched and booked now.
He said: “Many of our customers book online, we handle digital marketing through agents as well as our own online promotions and website.
“Back 20 years ago our customers would book through agents, phone or in person at our shop in the Royal Mile. Now, in addition to these purchasing methods our customers can also book using live chat or our easy to use web-based booking system which accepts multiple payments methods. Many of our overseas customers book online before they even get to the UK.
“Word of mouth has manifested itself online nowadays with around 50% of our customers doing some level of research on us prior to booking. Reviews on social media and of course on our website can be a fantastic way to showcase what we do.”
Fleet and premises expansion
Timberbush Tours has a policy to replace its vehicles every three years to ensure reliability, efficiency and minimise its environmental impact. During 2018, the company invested £1.2m to ensure it had the perfect fleet to meet anticipated challenges and demands. This investment also ensured that coaches were fitted out to Timberbush Tours’ own exacting specifications.
Steve told me about future fleet expansion plans. “During 2018 we were sitting with 24 coaches with a heavy procurement plan in place for 2019,” he said. “Orders are already placed for our replacement vehicles. We are disposing of six of the current fleet and buying 16 new coaches bringing the fleet total up to 34. Their capacity ranges from 10 seats all the way up to 47 with the addition of a couple of new 53-seater MAN Neoplan Tourliners.”
Steve said he is very impressed with the quality of Timberbush’s current MAN products. He told me: “Their chassis have been nothing short of fantastic for us, providing total reliability and with excellent aftersales support.
“They are used mainly on longer day tours often consisting of quite rough terrain and tight roads. The first Barbi Galileo vehicles arrived in 2016 and are being withdrawn ahead of this season after great service.
“There is a new facelift for the Sprinter model coming out this year which we are looking forward to seeing join the fleet. Hopefully we will take delivery of the full fleet by April, providing the additional capacity for our existing Edinburgh and Glasgow operations and the new Inverness base too.”
In preparation for the new coaches, Timberbush Tours is upgrading its Edinburgh base too. A unit in Edinburgh adjacent to its current depot has been acquired and the operator plans to expand into it in March to provide additional facilities.
The best vehicle for the job
I asked what determined the ideal coach size for the tours being offered. Steve replied: “It really depends on the tour itinerary. Some of the most popular day tours can be lengthy days, cramming lots in and covering lots of miles but equally we could be heading off on an extended multiday tour with smaller roads on the islands.
“Regardless of which tour, we want to make sure our customers have the highest level of comfort on quality vehicles. Operating in remote areas of Scotland, we also want to avoid any reliability issues and importantly minimise our environmental impact. Our fleet specification and mix enables us to do that.”
In keeping with its desire that Scotland stays as green and lovely as it is now, Timberbush Tours has achieved the Green Tourism Business Scheme Gold Award and received a five-star rating by ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme. Timberbush also makes significant annual contributions to the award-winning Trees for Life charity.
Running the operation and managing feedback
Steve referred to the relatively small team that keeps the business running smoothly: “Gary and June are still at the heart of the company. We have a great team; we depend on our talented marketing and reservations team to fill the seats, our dedicated transport team to ensure operationally everything is as it should be, but the guys out on the road creating memories and delivering great experiences are our biggest assets – they are ambassadors for Timberbush.”
Steve has no doubts that the success of each tour is down to the uniqueness of their tour guides, who he said have a different skill set to traditional coach and bus drivers. “We tend to recruit guides for their passion, knowledge and ability to engage with customers,” he said. “If they have a licence to drive that’s great. If not, we will send them off for appropriate training and induct them fully into the industry. We recognise that the hardest part of being a great driver-guide isn’t driving the coach but being a passionate and interesting storyteller that can enhance the tour experience.
“We have an outstanding talent pool of driver guides with an in-depth knowledge of history and interesting local facts. Each of them will have their own specific interests and so each tour commentary will be unique. For example, the feedback we receive about Hamish, who as mentioned has been with Timberbush Tours from the start, demonstrates the appreciation our customers have for his personal attention.”
I asked Steve if the company had examined the possibility of installing audio guides onto vehicles. He is very clear that while this could be done, it would remove the experience and personal side of a live guide who can tune into customers’ particular special interests and requirements.
He explained: “Our guides talk to passengers as they are getting on and off the coach to take photographs and whilst they are chatting, they might find out someone is interested in whisky and can therefore talk about a local distillery or other points of interest.”
Steve recognises that over the years, people have become more demanding and their expectations of tours have increased. He said: “With the arrival of social media, every one of our customers is in effect a mystery shopper, making it easy for them to leave their instant feedback on Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor or Google. 10 years ago, if someone wasn’t happy with a part of their experience, they would email, write a letter or phone in, but people are now much more inclined to leave instant feedback or reviews meaning we need to be alert and responsive to any issues arising.”
Tour expansion
Over its 20 years in the business, there have been changes and additions to the original operations. Steve detailed some of the key developments: “Following the success of the Edinburgh Tours, we opened our Edinburgh shop in 2003, started up in Glasgow in 2005 and by 2014 had carried more than 1 million passengers.
“For 2019 we are expanding into Inverness and providing daily tours to the Isle of Skye. There will also be new Loch Ness and John O’Groats tours plus we will be going to Orkney from both Edinburgh and Glasgow (five-day tour) and Inverness (three-day tour). We are confident that through existing relationships we will attract strong demand.”
Setting new standards in executive travel
Timberbush Tours prides itself on being able to also offer tailor-made tours, offering a full itinerary planning service, from airport transfers to fully extended tours. Special whisky, golf, or themed tours such as Outlander are a speciality. The company also undertakes corporate work for events, which may crossover into providing a tour as well as transport. Steve knows that there will be a range of needs depending on circumstances.
“Rather than opting for a scheduled tour, some hirers, possibly families, may also opt for a private group tour with their own dedicated vehicle and bespoke itinerary,” he explained. “Our private hire department is happy to assist customers with developing a bespoke itinerary that meets their needs and allocates the best sized vehicle for the party. This also allows us to offer a competitive price as we are not charging for empty seats. This flexibility also allows us to match up the most appropriate driver/guide for the occasion. We don’t accept children under five on scheduled tours but on private tours we can cater for them.
“From our point of view, these tours can be an interesting insight as customers’ requirements and interests evolve. We may start to see increasing requests to visit a new filming location or new distillery etc. Over the last couple of years, a popular destination for customers has been to the locations for the popular TV series Outlander. Many of the filming locations are central such as Linlithgow Palace and Blackness Castle and we can pick a tour guide who is passionate about the show and can answer any questions on the day.”
Future plans
Steve is realistic about the current uncertainties that surround Brexit, the potential impact on currency and tourism as well as any new visa constraints on staff or visitors. However, he is excited about Timberbush Tours’ plans for 2019. “Our expansion into Inverness is important for us and we are looking forward to establishing the Timberbush name in the community,” he enthused. “We will be concentrating on ensuring that we are getting our itinerary right and making sure feedback coming in from customers is positive.”
