Stagecoach Midlands’ Matt Begg talks to Madaline Dunn about his job as Revenue Protection Inspector and his surprise win at the 2018 UK Bus Awards
Matt Begg started working for Stagecoach Midlands in March of 2004 after working exclusively in heavy industry as a fabricator and metal worker. He fancied a change or, as he called it, a “clean job” and having always enjoyed driving, Matt decided to try something new and entered the bus industry.
The job was completely unlike anything he had done before: “I had experience of dealing with customers and the social aspect of the job, but I’d never driven a large vehicle, anything bigger than a van,” said Matt. He completed the training which took two weeks, and then started his new career: “I did my training way back when there wasn’t CPC and all the rest of it,” Matt said, chuckling.
A varied role
Matt has now worked as a Revenue Protection Inspector for 10 years and describes the role as incredibly varied. As soon as he began to list his day-to-day duties, it was apparent that the judges hit the nail on the head when they said that the title of Revenue Protection Inspector does not reflect the sheer range of his responsibilities.
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“As an inspector,” said Matt, “I’m involved in so many different things; I do the on-board checks of tickets and passes, I ensure that the buses are running on time, I make sure everything is punctual and that everyone is on the route they should be on and I check that roadside publicities are up-to-date.”
Noting his favourite aspect of the job, Matt said: “The interactions that I have with the customers and drivers are the best part of the job. You never know what to expect when you step on the bus. I’d say that 99.5% of the time people aren’t a problem, but there’s always one person with an out of date pass. Every day is different, I’ve never had one day the same in this job.”
When I asked Matt what he thought made him good at his job, he said: “I’m naturally a very sociable person so there’s that aspect to it, but flexibility is also very important. You need to be able to alter your day. Sometimes for example I can get a phone call at 2200hrs at night asking me to check a bus, when I planned to finish at 1400hrs.
“Having knowledge about the job is important too, actually being able to talk to drivers about fixing problems helps. And I’m a good problem solver too – most issues I can work around or put forward a suggestion of how it could be fixed.”
Matt also said that his job is very dependent on being able to see the positive side of things, and having a sunny disposition: “You have to have a positive outlook,” Matt said. “Day-to-day there are so many different characters out there, so you need to stay open to whatever the day presents you with. You can’t go into it with a pre-made mind set, you have to address everything on its own merit.”
Considering the job asks so much of him, Matt said that the approach he takes to his work and any problems he faces in the job is “head-on.” Matt elaborated: “Having knowledge of what you can do legally helps. Obviously you can’t go and do certain things without consulting management. I keep in touch with head office and make sure any changes I want to make are run past them first. This job revolves around multitasking, so most of the time it’s having two or three balls in the air at one time, and making sure that they land in the right pot.”
I asked Matt what motivates him to continue making such a positive impact on the industry, and he said: “I like being able to go home and know that I’ve made a difference when I sit down at the end of the day. Knowing that despite the fact that I took a complaint from someone, they left smiling – that’s what motivates me. For the drivers too, if they’ve had a stressful day, I hope to have a laugh and a joke with them so they don’t take the stress home with them.”
A team effort
Matt described receiving the Unsung Hero award at the 2018 UK Bus Awards as completely unexpected. The ever-humble Matt said that he couldn’t believe he’d been shortlisted – let alone voted winner. At the awards the judges said: “No one at Stagecoach Midlands is more dedicated, conscientious and committed to providing its customers with a high quality service than Matt.”
Matt reflected: “I was shell-shocked. I’d read up on the other people, and having seen them and their achievements, knowing that they’d been in customer service for 30 years – I thought ‘is what I do really comparable?’ I didn’t think I had a chance.” But he did, and walked away from the awards with the highest accolade.
Matt, however, said that whilst it was a wonderful occasion, and it was great to receive such high praise from the top people in the industry, it was a team effort. “I’ve had a lot of congratulations from people I work with and drivers who have found it – it’s nice to be recognised for what you do and on a national level, it’s overwhelming. At the end of the end of the day however, you’re only as good as the people you have around you,” he noted. “The teams, the drivers, the management team, head office. It’s a team effort. It’s nice to be singled out but when you boil it down, if everyone works together, then everything works out right.”
A job for life
Considering his hugely impressive win at the UK Bus Awards, I asked Matt what the future looks like for him and his role at Stagecoach.
“I keep getting asked to enter management,” he said, “but the management roles don’t really appeal to me. I’m as high up in management as I want to go. Anywhere above me and I’d be stuck in an office. I’ve always been an outdoor person. I like being in the thick of it and I like the variety of my job. You wake up in the morning, and no matter what you think it’s going to be like – it won’t be like that. It’s always different to what you’d expect it to be.”
Speaking about his relationship with Stagecoach Midlands, he said: “Relationship-wise it’s great, I get on with everyone. I’ve not had a single complaint against me in 15 years. People know that if they have a problem, they can come and speak to me. I can talk to the drivers one-on-one. They know they can ring me even when I’m off the clock. Most drivers have my number, and if they have an issue, they know they can ring me if they can’t get hold of management. Depot management know I can be contacted 24/7.
“My Operations Manager never really questions my decisions, and if there is a question, as long as I have an answer, its fine. Stagecoach’s ethos as a company is very much focussed on independence and thinking for yourself. Obviously there are some decisions that you can’t make alone, where you’ve got to go to directors and managers, but day to day, I do what I do.
“I’ve been at the company for 15 years, 10 of them as an inspector – and of course there are ups and downs in every job, but I love this place and I can see myself being here until retirement.
Fond memories
After working at Stagecoach for nearly two decades, Matt has many fond memories of his time with the company. Matt said that his job has given him special access to things that regular members of the public don’t have access to.
“From meeting drivers to celebrities, I’ve done it all. I’ve been on an F1 pit walk because of the job, which was exciting because I’m a huge motorsports fan. That would have usually cost a fortune for a paying member of the public. I also organised the parade bus when Leicester city won the premiership, which was both exciting and scary at the same time – seeing half a million people in the city centre was amazing.
Plain sailing
When I enquired if Matt had had any experience of difficulties within the job or any challenges that he had to overcome, he said that the only thing was that sometimes he had to mediate his home-work balance, and even then, his supportive wife is very understanding.
“Sometimes there are long days, where you go out in the morning for four hours, and come back for a few hours and then have to be back out at 2100hrs – but I have a very understanding wife who does a similar job. She’s in health and safety so she knows that sometimes plans will have to be turned upside-down but she supports me, and I’ve never really faced a big challenge. Sometimes things get put in your way and you deal with it, and I think that’s the reason I get on the way I do – I never see anything as a challenge, just as a problem to solve.”
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