Starting out with one vehicle in 2004, Henshaw’s Executive Travel now has a fleet of 17 vehicles. Nine of the current fleet are already Euro VI coaches. Richard Sharman visited the Gloucestershire-based coach company to find out how Danny Henshaw and Peter Drew have steadily grown the business over the years
Danny Henshaw started Henshaw’s Executive Travel 14 years ago out of determination to succeed in the coach industry – without wasting time climbing the ladder. [wlm_nonmember][…]
By subscribing you will benefit from:
- Operator & Supplier Profiles
- Face-to-Face Interviews
- Lastest News
- Test Drives and Reviews
- Legal Updates
- Route Focus
- Industry Insider Opinions
- Passenger Perspective
- Vehicle Launches
- and much more!
“I had been in the coach industry since leaving school, starting out at Barry’s Coaches in Moreton-in-Marsh in the workshop. The plan was to start on the engineering side, then do some driving before reaching office level, but I was a bit impatient and wanted to progress quicker,” said Danny. “I worked at several other companies, but realised that it would take a long time to get to office level, so I applied for an operator licence.
“I had the operator licence come through, and set about purchasing my first vehicle. I wanted to try something different; all the small minibus operators in the area were running Ford Transits or LDVs, but I wanted to go for a different kind of market,” recalled Danny.
“I really liked the Caetano Optimo. It was a proper little coach for the passengers, and it was comfortable. Put in a fleet they were not the best as they were a bit fragile, but it was ideal for me as I could look after it. This vehicle allowed me to do more corporate types of private hire work where a Ford Transit or LDV wouldn’t fit the bill. The Optimo helped me pick up work and build a client base. I purchased NIL1507 from Drew Wilson’s own fleet.
“Whilst I was building the client base, I did some pub work and helped out with a removals company,” added Danny.
Moving into full-size coaches
At this point in the company’s history, a partnership was formed with Danny’s brother-in-law Pete Drew. “Things had been going well with the Optimo, and I realised there was some potential to grow the business. Some school contracts came through and I thought it was the ideal time to grow the business,” said Danny. “I spoke to Pete, my brother-in-law, who was on the lorries at the time but had vast engineering knowledge and had also managed a tyre company.”
“I said to Pete, there are these school contracts, shall we go for it? With Pete’s maintenance knowledge and my operational background, we decided to go into business together.”
“Danny had done this sort of work before and I hadn’t, but transport is transport: be it HGVs or PCVs, the engineering side is very similar,” Pete said.
This partnership allowed Henshaw’s to expand into full-size coaches for the first time. Recalling the first two coaches purchased, Danny said: “We purchased two Volvo B10M-powered Plaxton Paramounts from Marchants Coaches. I had driven these coaches whilst I was driving for them, so I knew they were a good starting point. In fact, I really regret trading in the low driver one, F660RTL – it was a cracking motor and must have been built on a Monday.
“We used these two coaches on the school contracts, but wanted something a bit newer to do private hire work with. So we purchased another Volvo B10M – this time with Jonckheere Deauville bodywork – L47 ORC from EvoBus. In 2006 we had our first new vehicle purchases, and we haven’t stopped since then really.
“The livery that we use now is similar to what Barrys Coaches of Moreton-in-Marsh used to use on its executive coaches. I had a lot of respect for the owner, who unfortunately passed away, so we approached the family and they were very happy for us to carry it on.”
A perfect operating centre and a family feel
Troopers Lodge Garage at Bourton-on-the-Hill in Gloucestershire sits on the A44, with the nearest towns being Evesham, 11 miles away, and Moreton-in-Marsh, three miles away. It has been home to Henshaw’s Executive Travel since its inception and has easy access to all the surrounding counties.
Whilst not entirely remote, the location still sees its fair share of harsh weather due to being high up in the county. Talking about the location of the depot and the family feel of the company, Danny said: “We purchased the yard a few years ago now; we don’t want to go anywhere else as it suits us here. We have had this office block and driver rest room built and want to gradually improve the yard. We may be able to squeeze a couple of extra vehicles in, but we don’t want to lose the family feel of the company. The size we are now is about right.
“We are lucky that we have been able to grow but maintain that family feel. In the early years, my mum took early retirement from the bank to do the company’s books, which has now been taken over by my sister. We have a good bunch of drivers here – every one helps each other out. For example, during the winter months the vehicles are washed off on return from the school run in the morning and in the evening, and all the drivers pull together to get the job done. Since building the office block we have taken on Dave who deals with operations and sales. We are in a very fortunate position.
“Our fleet size is currently at 17, and we have an operator licence for 20. We have 16 full-time drivers and four part-timers that come and help cover schools or private hire work.”
Euro VI coaches
On the subject of buying new coaches and Euro VI, Henshaw’s wanted to ensure they had the right fleet, as Danny explains: “We thought that, with Euro VI coming in and the proposed Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), it was important to make the right choice for fleet replacements. So, in 2014 we made the decision to skip anything Euro V and concentrate on buying Euro VI. As we are a small company we wanted to be ahead of the game and build the fleet up to Euro VI rather than having to replace the front-line fleet all at once. We now have nine Euro VI coaches in the fleet.
“We also thought that buying as soon as Euro VI came out would allow us higher residual value when selling after three years. Our policy when buying new vehicles has always been to replace them after the three-year period; we are now in the process of putting two of the early Euro VI coaches on the market and seeing if they sell. If they don’t that is fine, they can stay in the fleet.
“There was a big misconception in the industry that Euro VI vehicles were going to be a problem, but we have had no trouble at all with this technology. I do feel sorry for operators that purchased a large number of Euro V vehicles that operate into the capital that will now have to upgrade to Euro VI – it’s an expensive business.
“We have picked up a lot of London work since upgrading to Euro VI. Many coach operators are deciding not to do London trips as they may not have a Euro VI vehicle.
“When we were originally considering our first Euro VI vehicles we looked at everything available and couldn’t decide between Volvo and Mercedes-Benz, so we ordered both. We had two Volvo B11R-powered Plaxton Panthers and two Mercedes-Benz Tourismos, and in terms of engines the performance and economy is very similar on both.
“The main difference between the two, from a customer prospective, is that they instantly recognise the Mercedes-Benz badge and board the vehicles commenting that they have a top-of-the-range coach for their tour or private hire. But there are good and bad points to both vehicles in all honesty.”
Three counties
Due to the depot’s location, Henshaw’s Executive Travel has been able to access work in all four surrounding counties, as Pete explained: “We operate school contracts in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, so it is quite a mix of areas. We have also done some school runs in Oxfordshire in the past, but those amounted to 30 minutes running dead time each way to do a 10 minute school run. So the start and finish points are a little out of the way.”
Danny added: “We also do a lot of rail replacement work, as we are well-placed to get to Moreton-in-Marsh or Evesham train station for First Great Western, although since they have twin-tracked the Cotswold line there has been less emergency call outs. There is only the section between Charlbury and Wolvercote that is now single track.
“In terms of private hire, we are quite fortunate that we pick up work from all four adjoining counties. But we always stick to our prices, or it is not worth doing the job. We also do work for some tour companies that can involve running dead up to Edinburgh. In those cases we try to find something to fit in whilst on the way up.”
Bus services
Henshaw’s operates two bus services in the neighbouring county of Worcestershire. The 552 and 553 services serve the town of Evesham and the rural communities of Badsey, Honeybourne, Pebworth and Offenham.
“We have been operating these services for many years; we used to use coaches on them until the requirement for low-floor buses came in,” said Danny.
“When the requirement for low-floor buses on the routes came in, we initially decided not to continue the service work – but we later had a change of heart. The drivers quite liked the run and the passengers did not want another operator, they wanted us. So we decided to put in for the tender. This was when the online process had just come in, and we thought we wouldn’t win it, but it got to the final few minutes and no one else bid. We retained the service work and purchased some second-hand service buses.
“We started off with a couple of Plaxton Mini Pointer Darts (MPD) and a 2006-plate Optare Solo, but we found the Dennis Darts with the smaller 4.5-litre engines couldn’t handle the route and the return trip to the depot – which involves climbing Fish Hill which has a 10% gradient as you climb from Worcestershire to Gloucestershire.
“We then purchased some ex-Metroline Plaxton Pointers with the bigger 6-litre Cummins engines from Ross at Ensignbus, who did us a deal for the MPDs. The 6-litre engines were ideal for the route and could tackle Fish Hill on a daily basis without issue. We went on to replace these with some newer, ex-Ensignbus fleet ALX200s.
“Since the Dennis Darts, we have moved on to the Cummins 6-litre powered Optare Solos, of which we currently operate two. One is a former Damory Coaches example and the other was recently acquired from Blackpool Transport. We still operate one Mercedes-Benz-powered Optare Solo, but we are looking for another Cummins engined one that is seat belted at the moment.
“The council only ever extends the contract by one year, so it is not viable to buy new with this time scale. If they offered the contract for a five-year period we would buy two new service vehicles. Worcestershire County Council is very good to work with though, and we have a good relationship.”
Industry issues
I asked Danny and Pete if they had any concerns about the future of the industry: “It is getting harder to find decent drivers every year, and the HGV industry is facing the same problem,” Pete said. “Many of the larger companies don’t want to give the younger licence holders a chance to prove themselves, so how can they gain experience?”
“We are quite lucky here in that we seem to attract drivers. We have a great team of drivers, but I do think the industry is struggling to recruit the younger generation. Since the Driver CPC came out, we have lost three older drivers who did not want the hassle of sitting in a class room being told how to drive when they may have had 30 or 40 years’ experience in the industry.”
Danny added: “A major issue with the Driver CPC is that a driver can sit in a class room and go on the same course five days in a row, which is not benefitting anyone. We have even heard stories of PCV drivers sitting courses with a room full of HGV drivers and being taught how to secure a trailer load!
“The Driver CPC is a good thing, as long as it is relevant. We use an independent locally-based company, and always ensure the courses are relevant and varied to the job that our drivers are doing. We tend to send all the drivers on courses for a few days in a week when the school holiday period is on.”
Heritage fleet
In recent months Henshaw’s has dabbled with heritage vehicles, starting out with Plaxton Supreme IV-bodied Leyland Leopard KAD359V in National Express livery. However, not everyone enjoyed driving it, so another vehicle was found and the Leopard sold on.
Henshaw’s has always operated Volvos, so when the opportunity came to purchase an early B10M-powered Plaxton Supreme IV, it was taken: “The Plaxton Supreme had come to us from Scotland & Bates in Ashford, Kent. BKO447Y is absolutely immaculate and a credit to how Scotland & Bates look after their fleet,” said Danny.
“When we had a good look over the Supreme, we realised that it still had its original paint job. We thought that it would be a shame to repaint it white when it’s in such good condition, so we contacted Scotland & Bates and asked if they would mind if we ran it in their livery but with Henshaw’s fleet names in a style that suited that livery – they were fine with it,” said Pete.
“The Supreme doesn’t just sit in the yard, it is out earning its keep on school runs. All the drivers enjoy driving it and it goes really well,” Danny enthused.
Current fleet mix
Although Henshaw’s has always favoured Volvo coaches, Mercedes-Benz Tourismos started to join the fleet from 2015 and it now operates six. When choosing new vehicles for the fleet, they must be adaptable, explained Danny: “The front-line vehicles we have must be able to go out on anything. For example, the Tourismos might be on a school run on a Monday then out on a six-day tour for the rest of the week. We also do not want to buy anything that is too tall; much of our work involves going through country lanes and single-track roads that have low hanging tree branches.
“When upgrading the fleet we find that selling vehicles privately works out better for us – we find our vehicles go fairly quickly as they are looked after. You also get a better deal when buying new vehicles without a vehicle to trade in.”
Recent sales have seen a 2015 Jonckheere HV-bodied Volvo B11R leave the fleet along with a 2010 Plaxton Elite-bodied Volvo B9R, which is now in Malta.
Aside from the front-line touring fleet, a Plaxton Cheetah XL-bodied Mercedes-Benz Atego is a useful mid-size coach with 36 seats. “The Cheetah XL is not everyone’s cup of tea, but we like it and find it fits in nicely with the rest of the fleet. It has one regular driver and he loves it. The interior feels just like a much larger coach and our customers like that.” Plaxton Panthers and a Paragon are also operated.
[/wlm_ismember]
