Arron Kelly is First Kernow Operations Manager for Truro and Falmouth. That means his responsibilities include the mini network for Falmouth and Exeter Universities, an important and growing part of the business as he explains to Andy Izatt
“It was while I was at university in Plymouth studying criminal justice and law that I saw an advert for part-time drivers at Plymouth Citybus,” recalled Arron Kelly, First Kernow’s Truro-based Operations Manager. “The advert said no experience was necessary and split shifts and half day working fitted with my studies.[wlm_nonmember][…]
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“I lived in St Austell so in 2005 I became a part-time driver for Truronian at the Eden Project which is not far away. That was when the Mercedes-Benz Citaro artics were being introduced and I drove those for about a year until I finished my university degree. I then went to work for Truronian full-time as Operations Assistant at Truro dealing with tachographs and legal issues such as speeding and investigating parking fines.
“In 2008 Truronian was sold to First Devon & Cornwall, still the biggest operator in the area at the time, and that completely changed how we operated. There wasn’t the same family atmosphere and there were a lot more procedures to follow.
“I became a SDO (Service Delivery Officer) which involved dealing with and investigating complaints. Initially it was for the old Truronian operation, but that changed as work was distributed amongst other depots.
“When depots in St Austell and Newquay were closed there was a surplus of supervisory staff so I became Service Delivery Supervisor Relief for Cornwall helping out across the operation. I learnt a lot more about the business at that time, particularly the coaching department. I worked at Truro bus station as a supervisor and banksman covering for holidays and sickness and for 18 months I was based at the Camborne head office support centre as a controller. All First’s vehicles have GreenRoad tracking and that’s where day-to-day running is monitored.
“In September 2013 when the Truro Park & Ride was taken over from Western Greyhound, I became Service Delivery Supervisor for it. While Cornwall Council owns the nine buses, two older Mercedes-Benz Citaros and seven Euro 6 Citaros delivered in 2015, we run it and I was responsible for a dedicated team of 23 including supervisors for three and a half years.”
New opportunities
“In the wake of Western Greyhound closing in March 2015, First’s Cornish business was restructured in November last year,” Arron continued. “I was made Truro and Falmouth Operations Manager so the Park & Ride operation continues to be my responsibility, but also high profile are the Falmouth-based university routes on which we use 10 new Enviro400 MMCs. The other 20 of what is a batch of 30 buses are used on our Tinner-branded routes connecting Truro and communities westward to Penzance and St Ives. All of them have stop-start engine technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. They don’t have assault screens either and those are being removed from the rest of the fleet. I think that’s a good thing because they’re a cause of more antagonism than they prevent. Buses in Cornwall only had them because they were fitted in vehicles we inherited. Even in the roughest housing estates, we don’t need them. Interact with people in the right way and there’s not going to be a problem.
“The U1 (Falmouth-Truro) and U2 (Falmouth-Redruth) university routes run throughout the year and the contract we have with the Falmouth and Exeter combined universities is a partnership that also includes Fal River (Cornwall Ferries) which as well as operating boats on the Fal estuary, produces the Fal Mussel Card, a ticketing system covering all local buses and trains as well as the ferries. Fal River is responsible for all the marketing and ticketing because it has the local knowledge.
“There are around 7,000 students in and around Falmouth at various campuses and the universities are expanding all the time. A variety of tickets are actually available. A single journey between campuses is just £1 on production of suitable ID for example, and we’re operating virtually 24 hours a day when we put on super lates during term time. Then there’s only a two and half-hour gap between 0336hrs and 0605hrs when we’re not running and it’s not unknown to have to put on duplicates in the early hours. A further term time route, the U3, directly links Penryn with Falmouth Moor.
“We took over Fal River’s bus operation including two Plaxton President Dennis Tridents in 2015 and those buses are now painted in our green livery. Another Trident has been painted in a dedicated scheme for the service we now operate on Fal River’s behalf between Town Quay in Truro and Malpas when its boats from Falmouth and St Mawes can’t get up the river because of the tide. The bus has a lady driver who transferred to us with the contract.
“It’s a while since I’ve tallied up the number of departures from Truro bus station, but I think it was around 286 a day. It might be less now because Tinner routes T1 (Truro-Penzance) and T2 (Truro-St Ives) are every 15 minutes rather than the every 10 of their predecessor 14/18 routes, but it’s still a busy place and reflects how we as a business have developed. The bus station is also used by National Express and Hopley’s Coaches which runs to Porthtowan.
“Cornwall Council has tidied up the bus station and improved facilities for passengers. It’s all part of the partnership working that’s so important to us and reflects how this business is evolving. We work closely with many other partners, but the Council is certainly one of our most important. We run a lot of services for it and with the tenders we’ve won in the north of the county, our operations now stretch from Bude to Land’s End.
“The Council is developing its One Public Transport System for Cornwall backed by the Growth Fund which has paid for our new Ticketer ticket machines. They’re making a big difference because we’re able to offer contactless. It’s safer for drivers because they won’t be carrying so much cash, but for families who want to go out for the day on one of our Atlantic Coasters open-toppers, all they have to do is present a card.
“I’ve been employed by First for almost a decade and worked through that period when we lost so much work to Western Greyhound. We have been through some really hard times, but there’s definitely a drive and determination now to make this business a success. We’ll never get it right all of the time, but when it does go wrong, we challenge ourselves as to why and do something about it.
“Hopefully the next tranche of investment in the business will be in the east of the county. It’s all about continuing to build what we’re offering and encouraging people to leave their cars at home and catch the bus.”[/wlm_ismember]
