Family-friendly rosters and question and answer sessions complete with chocolate cake – no wonder everyone is so happy at Arriva’s Brixton Garage, says Naomi MacKay
With more than 350 staff and more than 100 buses, Arriva’s Brixton Garage covers an area from Kings Cross to Croydon. In a large, busy garage it would be easy for the people to be forgotten, but keeping everyone happy is at the core of what they do at this award-winning garage.
There is no ‘them and us’, and the whole workforce gels as a team, helped no doubt by the open forums that are held regularly. And to make them a little more interesting than a simple question and answer session, Operating Manager Nicole Russell has added a little sweetener to the mix. “We did a bake-off,” she said.
“Each department – operating, engineering, performance, health and safety etc – had to bake a cake, and we all went around the room, sharing problems, asking questions and eating cake.” [wlm_nonmember][…]
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Nicole’s own Death by Chocolate emerged the winner – but it has created a little problem of its own. “Every time its someone’s birthday, I have to make that cake now,” she laughed.
Standing out
So, what are the initiatives that set this garage apart? It’s won UK Bus Garage of the Year twice – once in 2007 and again 10 years later in 2017.
Some of the initiatives simply make the garage a nice place to come to work. For instance, a garden has been set up at the front of the building by one of the drivers, Roy Heath. “It was looking rather shabby and we thought we could utilise that space a bit more – and Roy’s a bit of a gardener and said he didn’t mind helping, so he used it as a project,” said Nicole.
“He’s laid some grass down, he mows it, and he waters the plants. We had a driver that passed away at Christmas time, and I’ve asked him to get a plant and we can plant it with a plaque to remember that driver.”
Then there are the nursery visits. The children are brought in by bus, and they go through the bus wash – which has proved incredibly popular. They have a little talk with an engineer or a driver before they get taken back to the nursery on the bus.
Once a month, a similar visit happens for children with additional needs. “Working in partnership with TfL and the police, we speak with the children and help them gain a better understanding on how to travel on London’s buses. Revenue inspectors will explain their role and how they can help them if they have a problem,” Nicole said. “The police carry out a scenario with the children, and then they take them out for a ride around the circuit.”
Other community projects include supporting Lambeth Bus Day, and local school and Scout trips to the garage to promote bus travel across London.
The garage also held an accessibility training day, focusing on helping those less able to make their journey that little bit easier. As a result, the garage received a number of commendations from wheelchair users and older customers for excellent customer service.
This keen sense of community is continued within the garage and its staff. “Keeping a happy workforce is the secret,” said Nicole. And it works – last year, sickness dropped from 4.3 to 3.2% and customer complaints went down by 100.
The running of a ‘family friendly roster’ also helps to keep staff happy and ensures that they can continue in their jobs while managing family life, as Acting Deputy Manager Patience Okezie explains: “If someone has a child to pick up they can be on early duties, while a middle shift allows them to drop off their child or can even be used if they don’t like getting up early.
“The late one can help people who have to drop and pick up chidren but have a partner home in the evening after school. A lot of drivers are very happy because they get what they want.” The roster has been such a success that other garages are now taking the idea on board.
Working together
In another effort to take care of the drivers, Phylex Green – a driver at Brixton and a passionate advocate of healthy eating – holds a forum once a month, helping drivers to improve their health by focusing on reducing blood pressure and the risk of diabetes with the use of natural and affordable food items.
It’s an important lesson for those in a job that sees them sitting down much of the time and working shifts – and Phylex is always on the end of a phone if they need him. The Green Wellness programme has now been rolled out to a number of other depots within North and South London.
Teamwork is also central to the garage’s ethos. “There is real teamwork between engineering and operating teams,” Nicole explained. “We used to lose a lot of miles for mechanical reasons – but that has dropped. We’ve loaned one of our drivers to engineering and he comes in and helps. He will sub the buses, and he’s been trained to make minor repairs such as fixing lights. He’s here every day of the week except Sundays.
“If they need a driver to collect a bus from another location we can arrange that, so they don’t have to find someone in their department.”
There is also a dedicated in-house engineering training centre which is continually used to enhance the skills of the team, while weekly ‘toolbox talks’ for both new and experienced engineers ensure they are kept up to date with the ever-evolving technology within the industry. An online forum – the Engineering Knowledge Hub – allows them to share ideas between garages.
The engineering department also conducts Root Cause Analysis on repeat mechanical defects in order to identify the primary cause and prevent it from reoccurring. Mechanical defects accounted for just 0.14 lost miles last year.
The garage always aims high. Last year it lost no staff miles: “We didn’t lose any miles because we couldn’t cover a job,” says Nicole. “Even if we’re short there’s a bum on the seat.” An incredibly organised allocation team ensures that the mileage is covered daily, and drivers use their own initiative to support last-minute duty changes to prevent loss of mileage.
Recognising achievements
Driver success is also celebrated. Patience introduced Brixton’s own Hall of Fame: “We recognise good driving and customer service and put the driver’s photo in the hall by the (newly refurbished) canteen to show that they’ve done something good.”
The controller team also sets high targets and Brixton has managed to stay in the top 10 for all of its routes.
Nicole was a controller for three years, as well as being a driver, while Patience – who has racked up an impressive 24 years at Brixton – has worked as both a conductor and a driver. It gives them an insight into how to treat the drivers – to make sure they feel valued and heard. “When we have forums, we bring controllers in as well,” said Nicole.
“Between forums I’m happy to raise questions as well – drivers want to know they’ve been heard and you’re listening to what they’re saying. If they don’t see anything changing, they’re thinking what’s the point in saying anything. I always urge them to raise stuff when it’s not a problem – because then we can sort it before it escalates into something bigger.
“We have a book on the front counter where they can write engineering faults – maybe on a bus the visor doesn’t stay down when it’s sunny. It won’t stop the bus going out on the road, but it does need sorting.”
“We have an open policy,” explained Patience. “Although we might be busy, there’s three of us who can help them. If we can’t help them, we will give them a time to call or will call them back.”
Patience clearly loves being at the Brixton garage: “People are really friendly and care for each other. It’s not just about work, if they have problems they can come and talk to me because they’ve known me a long time – we are like family.
“Drivers come from other garages and they say they don’t want to go back because Brixton is really welcoming. We spend so much time here we need to make sure that we’re all happy.”
Something that is sure to make them happy is the planned summer ball, funded with their prize money, so that everyone involved can celebrate their success – drivers, engineering staff, performance team and managers. It should be one hell of a party.
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