Stars of Corby

Lawson’s of Corby has grown into a substantial business with around 30 vehicles in little over a decade. Will and Jane Lawson talk to Andy Izatt about how they have focused on school transport provision with a fleet that offers a full range of seating capacities

Lawson’s of Corby is one of those school transport providers that quietly goes about what it does and attracts little attention in the process. Yet this is a family firm that’s run with both determination and passion. Managing Director Will Lawson draws on more than three decades of industry experience, and if he has a regret it’s that he didn’t start his own business earlier.

“I came from Cottingham near Corby and started off working for my father, Eric in his little pet and garden store in the old village of Corby,” recalled Will. “Jane and I were married in 1985 and that’s when I took my PSV test privately with J. C. Coates in Leicester in a crash gearbox Leyland PD3. My grandpa, Ronald Tyler had driven for Cory’s Coaches of Market Harborough and I’d always wanted to learn how to drive buses and coaches. [wlm_nonmember][…]

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“After I passed my test I went to work for Nesbit Bros of Somerby – great times that I remember fondly. Nesbit’s also had a depot in Oakham and I was out-stationed from there in Corby working a Corus factory girls contract.

The firm kept tabs on what was going on from Somerby by using two-way radio and I was ‘Nesbus Eight.’ It was quite an effective way of keeping control.

“I remember on one occasion coming into Oakham in my coach. I was late and I had a call over the radio from Bill Nesbit asking where I was. I told him I was just pulling into the yard at Corus. ‘I don’t think you are because I’m sat there,’ he responded. He had a mobile base unit in his car. Lesson learnt.
“Nesbit’s ran some Fords, but work hard and you might be given something better, such as a Leyland or AEC. After a while I was given an AEC Reliance which had a tiny electric gearlever and it was a cracking vehicle to drive. I remember overtaking one of the Fords on a dual carriageway near Oakham. I knew who would be driving it, or so I thought. It was actually the head fitter, Ted. Not long afterwards Bill was on the radio again. ‘You’d better bring that coach back,” he said. ‘It’s too fast for you.’”

Bus work

“Stagecoach had taken over United Counties and was introducing Street Shuttle Iveco minibuses in Kettering in April 1987,” Will continued. “I applied and was one of two drivers taken on with full licences. All the others needed to be trained, but nevertheless they gained seniority because they’d been taken on first.

“In August 1987 I transferred to Corby depot, but I remember the Kettering drivers telling me I shouldn’t do it because they thought it would shut. It didn’t. In fact it has only just been made an outstation more than 30 years later.

“I regularly entered the Bus Driver of the Year contest and won regional heats on three separate occasions. That meant I participated in the finals at Blackpool so when I applied to be a part-time driving instructor and didn’t get an interview, I wrote to the then- Traffic Manager Bill Smith to ask why. He called me in and gave me the job.

“Instructing was a job that I grew to love, so when I had the chance to become full-time, that’s what I did. There were often trainees who hadn’t made the grade, but I managed to get them through their tests because I took the time to understand how they thought. Because of that I was asked to tutor people as far afield as Cambridge, Peterborough, Bedford and Northampton.

“Over time I became the senior instructor, but in March 2007 it was decided that there was no longer a need for two salaried instructors. There was me and Mike Summers and we were offered an hourly rate which also meant doing whatever else was required. I took the redundancy package that was on offer.

“I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do at that point. I was instructing for whoever required it and driving part-time for Jimmy and Robert Rodger at Rodger’s Coaches in Weldon, but I also decided to apply for a restricted operator’s licence. My thinking was to get a minibus of some sort and a regular run.

“Northamptonshire County Council awarded me a contract between Wakerley and Luffenham which I called the Wakerley Flyer. A Bedwas-bodied Iveco Daily was bought for that, but it wasn’t long before it was replaced with an LDV Convoy. I’d taken Jane through her PCV test by then and she went up to Scotland to collect it. On the rare occasions we had a problem with it, Jimmy Rodger would lend me a vehicle so I could cover my work.

“The following year we secured a second 16-seat contract and then another the year after along with one for a 33-seater. Our business just grew from there. Often we were taking on work that had been awarded to other operators, but they hadn’t been able to do it for whatever reason.”

Range of options

In little over a decade, Lawson’s of Corby has grown into a 30-vehicle business ranging from eight-seat minibuses to 87-seat double-deckers. The firm has 19 local authority contracts, the majority of which are for Northamptonshire County Council, but three more are private including work for Uppingham Community College and the NHS.

Will and Jane are both directors with Jane also being the Transport Manager. They have four daughters, Carrie, Katie, Emma and Hannah, all of whom have been involved in the business at some point although Emma is now HR and Payroll Manager. For her part, Hannah designed the firm’s user-friendly website.

“What we have has built up to a fair size,” observed Will. “Our O-Licence is now for 24. When there have been opportunities, we’ve taken them. Principle Link of Corby closing in 2015 was one. We took on some of its work, staff and five vehicles.

“I would love to have a yard of my own, but can’t justify the expense so our operating centre is at TruckEast in Crucible Road, Corby. TruckEast is also our contract maintenance provider although we do undertake minor repairs ourselves. TruckEast’s Managing Director John Biggin is very helpful. He started his career as a bus technician so understands how things are. When TruckEast can’t help, we use H C Davis of Corby.

“Both our two eight-seaters date from the mid-2000s. One is a Ford Transit with a regular school contract while the other is a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter which is generally used by me as my runabout. It has extra marker lights and other embellishments that make it stand out and I think it helps promote the business.

“There are five 16-seat Sprinters of which three are coachbuilt. Newer than the eight-seater, they can be a little challenging to maintain sometimes, particularly because of their complex electrics. If I bought another Sprinter, it would need to be a new one so there were no historical issues.

“We have two 67-plate 16-seat Transits that we’ve had from new. I wanted a decent vehicle for our NHS contract so we got one and then decided to have another. Replaced were 03-reg Transits that had run well for years. We have one other 16-seater, a Volkswagen LT45 that also has a regular contract.

“Next up size-wise is our Plaxton Beaver 3-bodied Mercedes-Benz Vario 28-seater with a rear underfloor wheelchair lift. Then there are several Vario-based 33-seaters including two Beaver 2s, a Cheetah and a Mellor coach. We know where we are when it comes to maintaining a Vario. They’re straightforward vehicles to keep on the road.

“Our most expensive purchase was our 36-seat Mercedes-Benz Tourino which came from Minis to Midis. New to Hardings, Betchworth, it was nine years old when we bought it a year ago.

“Of our two full-size coaches, one is a 1989 55-seat Van Hool Alizee-bodied Volvo B10M that is very reliable. It’s not long back from a trip to Doncaster so does get about. Newer is our 57-seat Jonckheere B10M which was first registered in 2001.

“We still have three Alexander PS-bodied B10Ms – one a 52-seater, the others 63-seat conversions that I bought from Reays of Wigton. The 52-seater is one of my two green-painted ‘pets’ and is actually one of the buses that was drowned several years ago when the Stagecoach garage in Carlisle was flooded. The other pet is my former Trent Northern Counties-bodied Volvo B10B which was upseated to 55 seats prior to me acquiring it. It’s an ideal contract vehicle as are the PSs. I enjoy driving both pets.

“I had a little Duple-bodied Bedford VAS5 for a while which I bought from a guy that had purchased it from Eric Graveling (Bourne Coach Sales). I’d always wanted a classic coach of my own and it was affordable. However, I very much doubt that I would have another Bedford because it was very noisy and had a top speed of only 38mph. I thought I might use it for heritage hires, but had no takers so sold it.

“My first two double-deckers were Gardner-engined Alexander-bodied Leyland Olympians that had actually been United Counties buses at one time. Both had run for Martin Roberts who owned Warrington-based Springfield Bus & Coach. I bought one direct from Martin while the other came from John Robertson who was keeping it in Biggleswade for preservation. I got to know about them through Martin’s father Tim Roberts who drives for me (CBW1344).

“We secured further contracts that need double-deckers and now have six, all Volvo Olympians that are either 77 or 87-seaters. Five have Alexander bodies and are ex Stagecoach or Dublin Bus while the sixth is a Northern Counties Palatine 2 new to Go-Ahead London, but came from Young’s of Haddenham.

“All our school contracts are closed so there’s no requirement for us to have low-floor vehicles. We know where we stand with our Volvos and they have the seating capacity we require, but appreciate that at some point it’s likely we won’t be able to use them any longer. All our fleet has seat-belts bar two of the ’deckers, although that isn’t a requirement of the contracts we have for vehicles with more than 16 seats.

“Very occasionally we’ve had to deal with on-vehicle vandalism. It’s really confined to one run, but doesn’t happen very often – mostly seats being defaced, but nothing major. Usually the biggest problem is rubbish being left behind. I think how the children behave depends a lot on how drivers deal with them. There will always be one or two who forget their passes, but treat them reasonably and they will be fine.”

“We’ve only ever had to ban two children,” observed Jane. “One was a lad who set light to the bus seat and the other was a girl who was causing so much disruption, we just had to do it. We had drivers who wouldn’t drive the route she was on and the whole dynamic onboard changed when she was no longer there.

“Our approach is just to get the kids onboard and get them where they need to go. Always be polite by saying hello and cheerio. If they keep ringing the bell, just ignore it because that’s the most effective way to get them to stop.

They’re going to be off the bus in a few minutes anyway.”

Said Will: “Four of our runs are special needs and there are no behaviour issues on those. We supply passenger assistants and currently have eight trained up. Isebrook School in Kettering is great to deal with, but there is another which is horrendous. At that one, we just can’t get the children off in the morning and I avoid tendering for its work for that reason. Northamptonshire uses e-tendering which just has the effect of pushing the price of its work down.”

Said Jane: “While school contracts may not pay the best, it’s regular work with a regular income and that’s why we decided to focus on that. Private hire can be a little hit and miss and there are enough good coach operators in this area without us trying to compete against them.”

“We’ve joined Don’t Travel Empty and while we don’t take full advantage of all that’s on offer, it does offer a range of services that have been very useful,” said Will. “When we had a breakdown, Don’t Travel Empty was able to provide a response. We’ve also helped others in a similar predicament because Don’t Travel Empty guarantees payment.

“What I don’t like about the industry at the moment is third party booking agents that advertise as if they were coach operators when they’re not. All they have is an office with a few computers and telephones. They don’t have the worry, responsibility or the expense that we have, but they put work out to the rest of us and try and get it done cheaper.”

“There was a school in Corby that went through a third party agent for all its coach hires at the end of the school year and was let down,” said Jane. “It rang us the night before, but there was nothing we could do. In the end it had to cancel all its trips.

“Schools should be supporting local traders,” observed Will. “If that school had done that, it would have received the service it was looking for. If we do work for booking agents, it has to be on our terms, but we’re being approached almost daily.

“I’ve seen operators take on work from agents and then put it out again through Don’t Travel Empty because they can’t cover it. Personally I would prefer to have vehicles parked up than have the worry of overbooking. If I quote a job, it’s because I’m prepared to take it. It’s important to do everything properly. It takes years to get a good reputation, but that can be lost overnight. While we may not have the newest of fleets, everything is fit for purpose and goes out clean.”

Looking after people

“There are 31 employees including Jane and myself,” Will explained. “Eleven of those are full-time including our General Manager Gus McIntyre, Kate Parker who helps Emma with the admin, and Marin Lemay who is Emma’s fiancée and does whatever’s needed. We also have our fitter Dwayne Ellam Lloyd who drives when required.

“When all our drivers were part-time, we could make a reasonable return, but their number has been depleted because of the demands of the Driver CPC and it has become very difficult to replace them. As a result, we’ve had to start employing more full-timers and that makes the finances much tighter. The challenge is keeping everyone busy and there are holidays to take into consideration as well. I could train people from scratch, but it’s the cost and time, and there’s nothing stopping them leaving whenever they want once they have a licence.

“I try to keep a driver to a vehicle because some are more suited to particular types than others. I don’t agree with automatic licence holders being able to just upgrade to a full manual entitlement. Driving a bus or a coach is not like driving a car. There’s a big difference.

“We’ve had issues with drivers from Eastern Europe coming here for jobs apparently with licence entitlements to drive anything, even though it soon becomes clear they have no experience of bus or coach driving. We always take new drivers out to assess their driving first and start them off in something small to make sure they’re comfortable before putting them in a bigger vehicle. There’s nothing worse than someone who is over confident.

“I know what it’s like to be a driver so I try very hard to be a fair employer, although I have to be honest and say that the biggest challenge I have with running my own business is managing the staff. Most are fine, but it only needs one or two to cause a problem that affects everybody. Drivers know they’re in demand.

“We pay for staff to do the Driver CPC and usually put on one or two courses a year. CB Training of Corby does it for us and is very good. We’ll hire a hall for a sitting of around 20 people and provide lunch. However, I think the Driver CPC needs a revamp because there are so many courses where you learn so little. Having taught some of the material myself, I know what’s being relayed could be done in a lot less time so why make people sit there for seven hours plus a lunch break?”

Positive approach

“If I’d known in 2007 what I know now, I would still have started my own business because I enjoy what I do. I might moan and get a bit stressed sometimes, but I have no regrets. I just wish I’d done it earlier. Yes, we’ve made some mistakes along the way, but what’s important is learning from the experience.

“I’ve said to Jane before that I don’t want to be sending vehicles up and down motorway for miles on end. I would much sooner keep them local even if it means making a bit less. I’ll do airport runs to Luton, Stansted, East Midlands and Birmingham, but I’m not interested in going to Gatwick or Heathrow anymore. I don’t need the stress.

“In terms of developing the business in other directions, I would love to be able run a local bus service between, say, Uppingham and Corby off the back of a school run. We actually had a Northamptonshire local service run for a year not long after we started. It was called the Raunds Rover and Emma drove an LDV Convoy on it. Parish councils have approached me recently to do local bus services, but I’m not allowed to because I don’t have anything that’s DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant.

“Two of our Sprinters have boots and they’re nice vehicles, but I don’t earn any more because they’re more stylish-looking. I’m thinking of trading in both for another 33-seater which would have lower operating costs and would be more versatile. A Cheetah 2 or something similar would be nice to have.

“The lack of part-time drivers has become an issue. I sometimes wonder if it would be better to go back to around 10 vehicles because the costs would be so much lower and the returns would probably be just as good. We will have to see. Whatever happens, we must continue to make a profit.

“Emma is taking her transport manager’s CPC and I would like her and Martin to take more of a lead, although I don’t think I’ll ever step back completely. I like being part of this industry.”

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