The vue ahead

Jonathan Welch looks at the history of Manchester operator Belle Vue, and speaks to Managing Director Phil Hitchen

Belle Vue: it’s an area to the south-east of Manchester, bordered by two railway lines, and best known for its zoological gardens, pleasure park and greyhound stadium, and is home to the National Speedway Stadium and the location of Basketball England’s headquarters. But we’re not an estate agent, and we’re here to look at another Belle Vue, and one which is actually located a little further south, though still within Manchester’s ring road – and importantly, within easy reach of the motorway network and all of the major local railway stations, as well as Manchester Airport.

The Belle Vue we’re visiting today is the well-known coach operator, but for once the local history lesson isn’t entirely unrelated. The zoo opened in 1836, and by the 1870s had grown to add an amusement park, which became famous for its rides and entertainment. The ‘new’ Belle Vue, founded in 1993, continues the trend of providing desirable rides, but this time of a slightly less exhilarating nature, aboard its fleet of modern coaches and buses.

A potted history

The company was formed as a result of Managing Director Philip Hitchen’s desire to bring an executive private hire car service to Manchester. Philip had joined Ian Bragg’s company Belle Vue Cars in December 1992 and started to expand the business quite successfully in a short period of time. He went on to purchase the another similar business, Mount Road Cars, and in 1993 the two businesses were merged to form one of Manchester’s largest private hire car companies. It built up a client base of local of blue-chip companies, impressing with its uniformed drivers and quality executive cars.

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Just a few years later, the company changed its name to Belle Vue (Manchester) and restructured to a Limited Company in 1996, entering the minibus and coach market in 1997 through the direction of Ian Bragg. Belle Vue also acquired another local rival, VIP Cars, as it continued to expand its local customer base, followed by the purchase of Hyde-based Griffiths Coaches in 1998.

The company sold its taxi operations in 1999 to focus on the VIP car and coach markets, reinvesting profits from the sale to grow its coach fleet. The expansion continued into coach tours and holidays, offering day excursions, weekend breaks and holidays, though this part of the operation was sold to the UK Holiday Group around 2012 as a non-core part of Belle Vue’s portfolio.

In the early 2000s, the company invested in its own maintenance and servicing facilities, managed by Kenny Walsh, who would later be promoted to the role of Maintenance Director in 2009. Naturally, Belle Vue played a major part in the transport operations for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, held in Manchester.

On an altogether more humdrum level, the company entered the school transport market the following year, as part of the then GMPTE’s new Yellow School Bus Scheme, something which it continues to provide today. The continued growth enabled the business to invest more in its facilities, including its fleet and training to ensure it remained a quality operation. To maintain the growing fleet, a new depot site was secured and new garage facilities were built, the company moving in in 2005, a year which also saw the acquisition of the business of nearby County Coaches when the owners retired.

Four years later, former competitor, Reddish operator Lambeth Coaches was was taken over, its owners also having decided to retire after 35 years.

A new outlook

A health scare in 2011 gave Managing Director Phil a chance to take stock and realign the business’ priorities, though the ambition for growth continued with the purchase of Freshfield Coaches and Kings Coaches. Phil also introduced a new philosophy of communication, which helped reduce stress and increase harmony in the workplace, something he credits with Belle Vue’s sales quadrupling over the next four years, and which continues to be a vital thread in the firm’s fabric today.

To fulfil ongoing school contracts with what had by now become Transport for Greater Manchester, eight new Optare Versa hybrids were delivered to the fleet in 2012, whilst the overall fleet total had by then grown from 34 vehicles to 53, and with annual revenue of £3.5m.

Phil’s continued focus on quality led to the award of an ISO9001 mark in 2012, which he believed would be more relatable to corporate clients than some of the industry-specific quality labels, although the company has also recently celebrated membership of the Guild of British Coach Operators, giving it access to an extra avenue of nationwide support and shared knowledge. The company was previously a member of the CPT, and more recently joined RHA Coach, and is seeking to add another feather to its cap by gaining DVSA Earned Recognition status this year.

More Optare Versas, a type which dominates the fleet to cater for school requirements, were acquired the same year, along with Mercedes-Benz Tourismos, a type which is also still present today.

Airline-style

Phil’s desire to do things a bit differently led Belle Vue to produce an on-board safety video, in a similar style to those used by airlines. There’s also an airline-style A5-format on-board magazine, Vue, highlighting what’s been going on, and which can help to lay out what the firm can offer to potentially high-value corporate clients in a different and professional format. Environmental and Health & Safety policies conforming to ISO14001 and ISO18001 followed the initial ISO9001 accreditation, with compliance a key tenet of Phil’s leadership and an ‘everyday priority.’

Maintaining high professional standards led to the appointment of Lloyd Morgan Group for fleet compliance and Backhouse Jones Solicitors for Transport Management compliance, among other well-known names, to ensure that standards were maintained and improved across the business. The focus on business excellence led to a suite of awards, including at the 2016 UK Coach Awards, just some of the many which grace the Stockport office walls.

Whilst engineer Kenny Walsh retired in 2018, the company continued its commitment to engineering excellence through the recruitment of a number of new apprentices, although this was somewhat tempered by the loss of a number of TfGM school contracts. Nonetheless, the company expanded its coach operations again, taking on two new double-deck coaches.

The run up to 2020 brought many new vehicles into the fleet, including more Tourismos as well as Mercedes-Benz people carriers and refurbished double-deckers for schools work. The events of 2020 and subsequent years are well-documented, and Belle Vue faced the same issues as the rest of the industry, though Phil credits the purchase of the school contract part of Selwyn’s Travel with helping to secure Belle Vue’s financial viability over the next two years.

Changes were made to driver contracts, office staff agreed to take a 25% salary cut and took on extra responsibilities, whilst the garage team changed to more flexible working hours, all 90 staff pulling together to help make the plan for business’ survival succeed. Meanwhile, another good look at the business saw overheads cut and processes streamlined, and along with other operators, the Belle Vue name was seen in local and national media representing the coach industry’s voice. July 2021 brought another acquisition, this time Jones Coaches from Macclesfield, a sign that the business was still showing ambition and drive; as Phil told me, the company is always interested in acquisitions from people looking to exit the industry.

Early 2023 brought about another change, and another new revenue stream, with the start of express service operations on behalf of growing inter-city operator FlixBus as it expanded its operations in the UK market.

Current fleet

To hear more about how the company has weathered the storm and Phil’s business philosophy, I called in at the company’s premises, located on a Stockport industrial estate, for a chat. Entering Phil’s office, the first thing that was apparent was the awards and certificates lining the walls, a proud display of corporate and individual achievements.

After sitting down with the obligatory mug of tea, we started off with a quick chat about the fleet. “We’ve got five new Yutong GT12s coming in March for our Manchester-Newcastle FlixBus route,” Phil explained, “and we have some tri-axle Tourismos coming for our private hire fleet. We chose the Yutongs as we have experience with the smaller TC9, and we think passengers will like them. We have two TC9s in the fleet; we’ve had one of them for six years, and it’s never missed a beat.

“We bought it as we wanted something mid-sized, and we’d heard good things about them. We bought the second a year and a half ago. We’ve had excellent service and back-up from Pelican.”

Delivery dates were also a factor in the choice, with some manufacturers having much longer lead times than Yutong could offer, Phil said, adding that support from MAN for the Neoplan Tourliners had also been, in his words, fantastic.

The FlixBus contract is currently operated using Neoplan Tourliners, whilst the remainder of the fleet is a varied mix including VDL, Beulas and Irizar, alongside a school fleet using Wrightbus, Alexander Dennis and East Lancs double-deckers. A total of nine new coaches will join the fleet this year, all of which, said Phil, are for new business rather than replacing existing vehicles. The remainder will be more Tourismos.

People

Whatever the vehicle, he was quick to make clear that the firm is all about the people. “We’re very customer service driven. We have three ideals,” he explained. “The first is to exceed expectations. We like to receive feedback. Our drivers will give an aftersales form to trip organisers, and the best testimonial of the month receives a £50 bonus, as does the best email or letter.

”We have QR codes in the windows that customers can scan to provide feedback. They can win a bottle of wine or a holiday to Spain. It gives us the chance to make sure our drivers are properly trained.

“We’re in the process of building a new training centre, and we’re introducing a brand ambassador’s club for drivers, which gives them the opportunity to earn an extra £2,000 per year. There are certain standards that we set, such as drivers making contact with the client the day before to find out what their expectations for the journey are. It doesn’t take a lot to get things right, but a lot of it is down to the driver.

“We see drivers as being at the top, not the bottom. Otherwise you can have the best fleet, the best website… but your drivers are your ambassadors. They need to have that desire to go the extra mile, it’s the difference between a good trip and a great trip.”

Driver training

“We teach our drivers to read passengers’ personalities,” explained Phil, who does the training himself, “to assess whether they are what we call ‘open’ or ‘closed,’ or ‘assertive’ or ‘passive.’ Different people think in different ways, and there are distinct personality groups.

“If you can identify their personality, you can modify your own to help you best adapt to their needs. So we teach our divers to do that, and we find it drives down stress. It improves their interactions.”

Belle Vue likes to set itself apart, and backs up its training with a number of other tools, including a welcome video on board coaches, ensuring that drivers are at pick-up points 20 minutes before the pick-up time and that they meet and greet trip organisers. The on-board video can also act as a helping hand for the more shy drivers, who might feel less confident speaking to a coach full of passengers, Phil explained. “We teach them how to tailor their style to the clients. Communication is everything, especially with corporate clients.

“It’s important to give good feedback to drivers too, not just negative,” he continued. “A driver can do nine good things in a day, and only hear about the one negative thing.”

With the industry still struggling to recruit, Phil recognised the importance of retaining staff. “The industry has seen lots of drivers go off to drive vans,” he said. “The quality of new drivers coming through is not as high. We won’t take anyone who’s less than an ‘8’.”

Despite employing over 100 staff, Phil says that Belle Vue still retains a family feel. “There are no job titles on the doors, or on business cards,” he told me. “We use first names. Everything’s on a personal level, and we promote from within.

“We like to take on a couple of apprentices per year. Young staff start as part of the valeting team. That gives us and them a chance to see what they can do, and we try to bring out the best in them.”

Phil reminded me of the story of driver Miguel Gonzalez, who joined the company in 2015 after a fortuitous conversation with Phil via social media, and who moved to Manchester from his home in Tenerife. Four years later, he won a UK Coach Driver of the Year award. We told his story in issue 1406.

“We enter drivers for the award if they have two years of outstanding performance,” Phil explained. “It’s not just for the win, but to set a benchmark.”

The importance of ensuring that drivers have a good work-life balance and have a good home life is also not lost on Phil. “Sometimes we can help them to make minor changes to address weaknesses or improve their health,” he said. “We’ve got a good team here. We really saw that during the pandemic. We get lots of testamonials about or drivers, and we recognise that it’s important to reward them. We have a Christmas party, and we’re ready to help.”

Picking up on a point which is gaining more recognition across the industry, Phil also highlighted the importance of good mental health. “People will check up on someone with a broken leg, but are afraid to help with poor mental health,” he pointed out.

Growing and investing

The company has school and coach divisions, with some drivers dedicated to one or the other, whilst others will carry out any work as required. The current make-up of work is around 50 buses worth of schools work in the south and east of Manchester, plus around 20 coaches and a few local service journeys. “We do a lot of football work for United and City fans,” Phil pointed out with a degree of local pride.

Looking at the wider industry, Phil noted that operators seemed busy again. “Prices have risen,” he said, “though some local authorities are hard to negotiate with over prices. Demand has exceeded supply at times, especially over the summer.”

He added that although there’s disappointment that funding isn’t available for coaches to the same extent as for buses when it comes to decarbonisation, funding such as the furlough scheme should be applauded, as it enabled companies to retain staff that might otherwise have been lost to the industry. “If they’d been laid off, would they have come back?” he asked.

The recent FlixBus partnership has worked well with Phil’s ethos, though he’s under no illusion that it’s going to be a quick win and easy money; it will take time to build up. “We look to excel, and it’s great to see another company so driven, with a desire to grow and raise standards. They use a scoring system, and we have consistently high scores for our route. We’re still cutting our teeth on it, and once we have the new coaches and dedicated drivers, we expect our score to go even higher. It takes a different type of driver for express route compared to corporate work, but customers should always expect the best service. They’re an ambassador to each individual passenger.

“Some drivers like the weekly schedule on FlixBus work too, it means they know what they’ll be doing.”

Turning to talk of the wider industry, Phil mentioned the company’s relatively recent decision to join the RHA. “We have no complaints about the CPT,” he explained, “and both organisations do a great job. We got involved with some of the initial events during the pandemic. I thought we’d bang the drum a few times then just have to get on and fight the fire and focus our attention on going forward. The pandemic galvanised our team, and the industry. It gave us new market segments to explore.”

Something else which has changed at Belle Vue in the last few years has been CPC training. “We’ve taken it all in house,” explained Phil, “as we found that lots of external companies which offered it weren’t experts in our sector. It will be interesting to see how the CPC changes as a result of Brexit.

“We see it as an opportunity to teach about our company values and help drivers to realise that they’re not ‘just drivers’.”

Style

Another topic which came up during our chat was uniforms and staff appearance, which for a company like Belle Vue which aims at the corporate market is all-important. “Some of our staff were keen to get away from a collar and tie,” he explained, “so we got some uniforms designed with a polo shirt, jacket, hat and baseball cap. I thought they looked great at first, but we had a lot of coaches at the FA Cup final at Wembley and I saw a picture of the team. Some were in shirts and ties, some were in polos. After that, I said we need to go back to a shirt and tie. People expect that from a coach driver, though our school bus drivers can still wear a polo shirt, as can coach drivers when they’re away on tour or valeting.”

It’s not all about style over substance, though, and Phil was keen to emphasise that Belle Vue is a company which is financially astute and engaged with its local community. “We’ve been providing wheelchair accessible coaches on day trips since 2005,” he said. “It’s important to be inclusive. Wheelchair users want to be able to travel with the main group. I believe that every coach operator should be able to offer a wheelchair-friendly coach if it’s required.

“The world is very different now to how it was even a few years ago. Operators have to invest to keep up. It’s our responsibility. It’s had a positive effect on our business.”

What about environmental responsibility, I asked. “I’m disappointed the Manchester low emission zone has been dropped. We’ve invested in our fleet. Not everyone gets over that hurdle, but it gets us to the top of the pile.”

As to whether electric coaches could be the way forward, Phil said: “If we get the right contract, we could go for it, but we’re not rushing in for the sake of it. It’s got to be financially viable for us. The Optare school buses are hybrids, but I can’t see us going full-electric within the next two years at least. I would like to see a viable alternative to diesel, though.”

It’s unusual to see an operator with such a clear and unwavering commitment to its staff and passengers; it felt very much like I was talking to a HR manager rather than a coach fleet manager when I spoke to Phil, such was his people-first ethos. From its private hire car beginnings in the 1990s, the company has come a long way, and even further from the Belle Vue of the 1890s, but the company seems to be on track to continue its post-pandemic recovery and growth.

Watch out for more on the new Yutongs and the Manchester-Newcastle route in a future issue

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