J.A.K. TRAVEL SERVICES

Bus Fayre 1998

by K. A. Jenkinson

1998 marks the tenth anniversary of the birth of J.A.K. Travel services of Bradford, a company started by husband and wife Alan Jeffrey and Kathryn Bonson whose first initials form its name. Meeting at the University of Aston in Birmingham while studying Transport and Management, Alan later worked in freight transport and Kathryn in Marketing before they took the decision to start their own coaching operation - J.A.K. - in January 1988. Since then they have never looked back.

At first, J.A.K. Travel Services was set up as a tours organising company rather than a coach operator, offering a range of tours and excursions from an office in Kirkgate, in Bradford's city centre. Although this was an immediate success, it was soon found that the need to use vehicles provided by other  operators  was   effecting its profitability and competitiveness and to this end the decision was taken to purchase its own coach and thus become more self- sufficient.  Its first vehicle was a second-hand Plaxton-bodied Bedford YMT which it kept at Low Moor and used to maintain its tours programme. Soon, however, demand dictated that a second coach should be purchased and in November 1988 a Plaxton-bodied Leyland Tiger which had been owned from new by another local independent operator, Dewhirsts of Bradford was added to the fleet. At first concentration on the private hire market, the company quickly ventured forth into short-break coach holidays with a trip to the Glasgow Garden Festival, the success of which persuaded it to expand further into this field in 1989. To a degree this was achieved by linking up with The Saltaire Village Society, an organisation set up in 1984 to promote a high standard of planning and architecture within this historic village and one which had an offspring. The Saltaire Travel Club, which offered its members a full programme of excursions and tours.

In order to gain much needed additional office space, J.A.K. moved from its Kirkgate premises in the heart of Bradford to a larger office in nearby Sunbridge Road in 1992 and a year later to its present site at Girlington which also provided it with a modern depot and enabled all its operations to be carried out from 'under one roof. By now, to allow it to further expand its activities, the fleet had been increased to three coaches following the purchase in 1991, again from Dewhirsts, of a Duple Caribbean-bodied Volvo BIOM.

During the next few years, J.A.K. underwent a period of consolidation with increased excursion, short-break and tours programmes which now included a number of destinations in mainland Europe as well as continuing to maintain its private hire activities, and in 1996 gained a schools contract to transport children from various areas of Bradford to their seat of education at the Yorkshire Martyrs school. Prior to this, the company's original Bedford was replaced in 1994 by a 55-seat Van Hool- bodied DAF MB200 acquired from Wilson of Carnwath while in 1996 the Leyland Tiger was sold upon the purchase from Cattermole of Bristol of a Bova FHDI 2-280 fitted with a demountable toilet and servery.

Soon after selling its DAF, J.A.K. gained further expansion on 1 October 1997 when it purchased the old-established business of Westercroft Coaches of Queensbury whose owner had taken the decision to retire. Although Westercroft's depot was not included in the deal, its two Plaxton Paramount 3500-bodied DAF MB230 coaches were acquired by J.A.K. who is to continue to operate them in their familiar orange and cream colours complete with Westercroft fleet names rather than repaint them into its own royal blue livery. Co-incidental with J.A.K'S own tenth birthday, 1998 also marks the 50th anniversary of Westercroft Coaches whose history was published in Bus Fayre vol.16 No.7 (January 1994).

The decision to divide the fleet between the two fleet names and liveries proves the value of maintaining customer loyalty, and although now under common ownership, the Westercroft vehicles will be mainly used on private hire duties, particularly in connection with that company's customer base while the J.A.K'S coaches will be largely employed on excursions and tours, although inevitably there will be some overlap.  Fleet maintenance, rather than being undertaken 'in-house' is contracted out to Bower Green Transport, a large haulage contractor in the centre of Bradford, who carry out all major repairs and servicing as required, although minor work is able to be handled by J.A.K on a day to day basis.

Looking to the future, J.A.K. has added several new destinations to its excursion and tours programmes including Denmark, Germany and Christmas in the Costa Brava and each year produces an attractive little brochure to publicise its operations. Additionally, in order to keep its many loyal customers informed of developments, it produces a chatty newsletter at regular intervals, a feature which is welcomed by regular and occasional clients alike. Although it is a small, family run business, J.A.K. Travel Services nevertheless is able to offer the same, if not a better service to schools, private parties and individuals as most larger concerns and is looking forward to 1999 with continuing confidence, having proved its ability over the last ten years to survive and grow in an increasingly competitive market. We wish to thank Alan and Kath Bonson for their help with the above article and for continuing the long-standing Westercroft tradition of providing the coach for 'Bus Fayre' Transport weekends.  J.A.K. Travel Services and Westercroft Coaches Into the 21st Century

Bus Fayre Vol 21. No. 10. (April 1999)

1998 marked the tenth anniversary of the birth of J.A.K. Travel Services of Bradford, a company started by husband and wife Alan Jeffrey and Kathryn Bonson whose first initials form its name. Meeting at the University of Aston In Birmingham while studying Transport and Management, Alan later worked in freight transport and Kathryn in marketing before they took the decision to start their own coaching operation - J.A.K. Travel Services - in January 1988. Since then they have never looked back.

At first, J.A.K. was set up as a tours organising company rather than a coach operator, offering a range of tours and excursions from a third-floor office in Kirkgate, in Bradford's city centre. Although this was an immediate success, it was soon found that the need to use vehicles provided by other operators was affecting its profitability and competitiveness as well as creating other difficulties and to this end the decision was taken to purchase its own coach and thus become more self-sufficient. Its first vehicle was a second-hand Plaxton-bodied Bedford YMT, previously operated by G.W. Cooper of Annitsford, which It kept at the Low Moor premises of Halls Transport service and used to maintain Its tours programme.  Soon,  however,  demand dictated that a second coach should be purchased and in November 1988 a Plaxton-bodied Leyland Tiger which had been owned from new by another local independent   operator   Dewhirsts   of Bradford was added to the fleet. This, incidentally, had begun life as a Kirkby Hogarth demonstrator and had been used in November 1981 to transport potential customers from the Scottish Motor Show at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow to its premises at Hillington.

At first concentration on the private hire market, the company quickly ventured forth into short-break coach holidays with a trip to the Glasgow Garden Festival and a weekend sortie to Paris, the success of which persuaded it to expand further Into this field in 1989. Additional business was obtained through the St.Luke's Midwives who  organised  a  number  of  trips throughout the year and whose secretary was coincidentally also involved with The Saltaire Village Society, an organisation set up in 1984 to promote a high standard of planning and architecture within this historic village and one which had an offspring, The Saltaire Travel Club, which offered its members a full programme of excursions and tours.

After giving yeoman service, early in 1991 it was decided to replace the original Bedford with another heavyweight coach which would be more suited to longer distance tours etc. and thus in February a Duple Caribbean-bodied Volvo B10M was purchased, this again coming from Dewhirsts of Bradford. Soon after its arrival, J.A.K. introduced a new deep blue livery which was applied first to its Leyland Tiger and soon afterwards to the newly acquired Volvo.

Upon the expiry of the lease on its Kirkgate headquarters, J.A.K. moved to a first floor office in nearby Sunbridge Road, although this was proved than ideal as a consequence of the lack of nearby parking for customers. Meanwhile, due to the Halls Transport site at Low Moor being sold for redevelopment, new accommodation had to be sought for the company's two coaches, this ultimately being found at Hillam's Garage at Wibsey where they remained until June 1993 when the J.A.K. Travel services relocated to its present site at Girlington which, in addition to providing it with new office accommodation, also provided it with a modern depot and thus enabled all its functions to be carried out from 'under one roof.

During the next few years, J.A.K. underwent a period of consolidation with increased excursion, short-break and tours programmes which were operated in tandem with that maintained for the Saltaire Travel Club and now included a number of destinations in mainland Europe, as well as continuing to maintain its private hire activities, in 1995, however, J.A.K'S and Saltaire Travel Club's excursions and tours activities were merged together into a single programme and during the following year a schools contract was gained to transport children from various areas of Bradford to their seat of education at the Yorkshire Martyrs school. Prior to this, in February 1994 the company increased its fleet strength from 2 to 3 coaches with the acquisition of a 55-seat van Hool-bodied DAF MB200 which had previously been operated by Wilson of Carnwath while in 1996 the Leyland Tiger was sold upon the purchase from Cattermole of Bristol of a Bova FHD12-280 fitted with a demountable toilet and servery.

Soon after selling its DAF in the late summer of 1997, J.A.K. gained further expansion on 1 October 1997 when it purchased the old-established business of Westercroft Coaches of Queensbury whose owner had taken the decision to retire. Although Westercroft’s depot was not included in the deal, its two Plaxton Paramount 3500-bodled DAF MB230 coaches were acquired by J.A.K. who continued to operate them In their familiar orange and cream colours complete with Westercroft fleet names rather than repaint them into its own royal blue livery. Co-incidental with J.A.K'S own tenth birthday, 1998 also marks the 50th anniversary of Westercroft coaches whose history was published in Bus Fayre Vol.16 No.7 January 1994).

The decision to divide the fleet between the two fleet names and liveries proves the value of maintaining customer loyalty, and although now under common ownership, the Westercroft vehicles will be mainly used on private hire duties, particularly in connection with that company's customer base while the J.A.K'S coaches will be largely employed on excursions and tours, although inevitably there will be some overlap, in addition, on 3 November 1998 a second school contract was obtained for the transportation of children to the Yorkshire Martyrs school in order to further strengthen the company's work base, particularly during the winter months.

AS far as fleet  maintenance  Is concerned,   rather   than   this   being undertaken 'in-house', it is contracted out to Bower Green Transport, a large haulage company in the centre of Bradford, who carry out all major repairs and servicing as required, although minor work is able to be handled by J.A.K itself on a day to day basis.

Looking after its customers has always been high on the company's list of priorities, and highlighting this in more

recent times all the full time staff have attended Customer care Training courses run by the Yorkshire & Humberside Tourist Board. Additionally, Customer Survey Forms are given to everyone using J.A.K's services, be they Private Hire Organisers, Short Break or Day Excursion customers, which allow not only their driver's and coaches to be monitored but also the quality of suppliers such as hotels and tourist attractions etc.

Looking to the future, J.A.K. has added several new destinations to its 1999 excursion and tours programmes including Denmark, Germany and Christmas in the Costa Brava and each year produces a series of attractive brochures to publicise its day and extended leisure breaks. Additionally, in order to keep its many loyal customers informed of developments, it produces a chatty informative newsletter at regular intervals, a feature which is welcomed by established and occasional clients alike. All its publications are produced in house using its own computer system and facilities and are  extremely  professional   in  their appearance. Seeking to further upgrade its fleet, the decision was taken at the start of 1999 to replace the two blue-liveried coaches (the Volvo B10M and the Bova) and although at the time of writing both are still active in the fleet they are expected to be superseded by newer vehicles before the start of the busy summer season. It is intended that the Volvo will be replaced by a 53-seater whilst the Bova will give way to an air-conditioned vehicle which will be used as the company's flagship on its continental tours etc.

Although it is a small, family run business, J.A.K. Travel services nevertheless is able to offer the same, if not a better service to schools, private parties and individuals as most of Its larger competitors and is looking forward to meeting the millennium with continuing confidence, having proved its ability over the last ten years to survive and grow in an increasingly competitive market. we wish to thank Alan and Kath Bonson for their help with the above article and for continuing the long-standing Westercroft tradition of providing the coach for 'Bus Fayre' Transport Weekends.

Bus & Coach Buyer - 12 February 2010

Operator Focus: J.A.K. Travel Limited

By Stuart Jones

It was probably watching the seemingly endless procession of Jacksons/Shearing’s' coaches going over Moss Lane Bridge in Altrincham from his family's household furnishings store in the town that subconsciously brainwashed Alan Bonson into the idea of coaching. He often saw John Beaumont and his entourage during a spell working in a local pub and liked their camaraderie. 'I blame them,' he commented.

If indeed it was the Shearing’s team that sowed the seed in his mind, Alan should probably thank rather than blame them as JAK Travel, the company he has built up with his wife Kathryn over the past 22 years, is now well established with a strong customer base and in a position that enables it to buy new vehicles as part of a regular fleet replacement policy. He had a more solid grounding than many in the business, having obtained a combined honours degree in Transport Planning & Operation and Business Administration at Aston University which involved a spell in industry. He was supposed to have been seconded to (then bus operator) West Midlands PTE's market research department for only six months but in the event he stayed for 14 months during 1982/83 before completing his studies in 1984. While at Aston he met Kathryn and they married, Alan taking a job with the product distribution side of Beechams, working as an under manager at their Leeds depot, while Kathryn got a marketing job in Bradford.

A combination of circumstances saw them both redundant in 1987 and, looking for something they could do together, the idea of the coach company appeared a good way to utilise their talents. Despite the degree he says, 'we came into it as green as the grass in the fields, but twenty years on we're as cynical as the rest. I often wonder whether, if we'd worked in the coaching industry before, we would have done it.'

To begin with JAK traded from a rented office in Kirkgate, Bradford, with space rented for the coach in the yard of Halls Transport, an arrangement that lasted several years. Alan already had a freight CPC and upgraded this to PSV as well as passing his PSV driving test. The original ambition was to have a couple of coaches and do a professional job, although there was a short period during which tours were run on an agency basis using hired vehicles before the company's first coach, a Bedford YMT Plaxton Supreme, was purchased.

From the outset a programme of excursions was offered, backed up by short breaks that were introduced to fill in slack periods, though they grew in importance to become as important as private hire. With the need for larger offices, there was a move to Sunbridge Road in 1992, with the coaches going to another yard at Wibsey and the following year a further move to new industrial premises on Young Street in Girlington, Bradford, that located everything on the same site for the first time.

Westercroft

October 1997 marked significant expansion for the company with the purchase of Westercroft Coaches of Queensbury, a year short of the celebration of 50 years in business. Alan bought the company after having previously asked the owner, Saville Kershaw, about the availability of a Volvo that it transpired had already been sold. He later asked whether Alan would be interested in buying the company's two remaining DAF MB230 Plaxton Paramount 3500 coaches and with them the business.

'The chance to purchase two good coaches and a long established company with a good reputation was too good an opportunity to turn down,' said Alan. 'Saville seemed to see it as a natural progression. We'd known he was coming up to retirement and it ran similarly to our own business with the same high standards.' Looking back more than a decade later he feels it all worked out very well. 'We still have some of the old Westercroft customers and the vehicles themselves were very good vehicles. On top of this William Hoyle, who is excellent, joined us as part of the bargain. It's been a very good fit for us.' The two DAFs these retained the distinctive orange and cream Westercroft livery, both staying in the fleet until 2004. After their departure, a variation of the livery on a white based B10M Premiere 350 was used to perpetuate the name until last year. None of the coaches now carry it though the website, publicity material and business cards continue to promote it. Internally, there is a differentiation between excursions and short breaks, which are seen as JAK work, and private hire, which is attributed to Westercroft.

Following the Westercroft acquisition, the next major step towards assuring the company's long term future was the purchase of the current freehold premises around eight years ago. A former petrol service station on the old Bingley to Keighley road, it was derelict but had not been vandalised with the overhead canopy still intact. Sturdy fencing and refurbishment of the offices, along with the installation of CCTV cameras, has made it ideal for parking the coaches, parking the cars of customers during tours and welcoming those who want to book.

The depot in Young Street, Bradford, occupied for around eight years, had been more modern and enclosed, but it was expensive, prone to break ins and it limited expansion because the four vehicles then owned could only be squeezed in if you removed the nearside wing mirrors and parked them a couple of inches apart.

At the outset the company was a partnership and it continued that way for many years until, around five years ago, it was decided that it would be advantageous to become a limited company as JAK Travel Limited. The JAK title came from the initials of Alan's Christian names reversed (Alan Jeffrey) along with Kathryn's, and that is how it has stayed.

Work

With no schools contracts, though they will cover for other operators if a vehicle is available, the company's workload splits evenly between self generated work and private hire. Customers come in two distinct groups. Firstly there are those who are 55plus and secondly school children of between 4-18 years. There is very little between that. On the private hire side the demand is either from groups or is school related. Virtually no corporate executive work is undertaken though the company would be fully capable of handling it.

Alan is fairly choosy about what jobs he will send the vehicles on. 'We don't do any late night return jobs. The coaches are back in the depot by 12 o'clock at night. We have moved away from the ‘dinosaur jobs’ with late night working men's clubs. If I wouldn't want to drive it or I think there might be problems, we don't do it.'

In the self generated category there is an extensive programme of short breaks involving overnights that accounts for between 60-70 departures annually. These range from a one night mystery trip to an eight day tour to the Orkneys taking the ferry from Stromness, though most involve a two night stay. On top of the short breaks is a programme of day excursions that sees at least one trip a week throughout the year and extras during holiday periods. Bonding is through the CPT's BCH Bonded Coach Holidays scheme.

A Travel Club is run, with members receiving a newsletter. The mailing list is kept to around 3,000 names because it has been found that if it gets any bigger the mailing process becomes unwieldy. Two brochures are produced annually, each with a print run of around 4,000. In the past, when the new brochure was launched, three people were needed in the office with one on the counter and two answering the telephone. The counter is now quieter with many more people booking over the telephone using debit cards, but there remains a steady trickle of customers calling in person. Although the brochure is on line and there is a request form, passengers can not yet book via the Internet. 'I'm not sure that we need that level of sophistication,' said Alan, 'we've got a system that works so we won't reinvent the wheel. I do regularly review it, but at the moment our hybrid system works. We do have a system that generates rooming lists and accounts but it isn't one of the recognised ones.'

For many years Alan did a presentation for groups who asked him to entitled, 'A funny thing happened on the way to the coach park', that used to generate custom. The fewest he delivered it to was six people in a front room and the most was over 200 in Keighley's Victoria Hall.

Fleet

In over 22 years of operation, JAK has only owned 15 coaches, starting with the Plaxton Supreme IV bodied Bedford YMT which, despite its shortcomings on long distance work, was kept for three years. After only 11 months it was joined by the first of two coaches formerly operated by Dewhirst’s of Bradford, a Leyland Tiger 245 with 51-seat Plaxton Supreme V coachwork that was both the first heavyweight and the first coach to carry JAK's Royal blue colours. When the Bedford departed at the end of 1991, it was Dewhirst’s who supplied a 1983 Volvo B10M Duple Caribbean to replace it. Both were to have eight year stays.

The next acquisition proved rather more troublesome than either of the previous heavyweights had been. A 1983 DAF MB200 with 55-seat Van Hool body, it suffered a long list of mechanical malaises during a stay of almost four years in the fleet. 'It was a great coach by the time that we sold it because we'd virtually replaced the driveline, virtually bankrupting ourselves in the process,' said Alan.

Despite its failings the next four purchases were all DAF powered, starting with a Bova Futura in 1996 that had previously been with Z Cars of Bristol. This stayed three years and was replaced by another Futura, this time from Weardale, the pair of Westercroft Plaxton MB230s having been acquired in the interim. What stopped any further DAF purchases was a dislike of the 8S.180 four over four gearbox that many were fitted with.

Since then, all but one of the vehicles acquired have been Volvos, starting with three Premiere 350s, one from Redwing, another previously with Clarks of Tredegar who used it on Globus work, and one previously in the Kirkby rental fleet that carried Westercroft names throughout its stay at Sandbeds. Eight years after it was acquired, the ex Clarks coach is still in service and at 15 years is now much the oldest coach operated. After the three Premiere 350s have come three Plaxton Panthers on three different models of Volvo chassis, starting with a B10M that was formerly in the Dodsworths fleet. Originally a 49 seater it is currently being converted to a 53 seater.

This was followed in 2005 by JAK's first ever brand new coach; a Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12B. The decision to buy new rather than used came about because Martin Dunleavy of Plaxton offered Alan a very good deal. Alan gets on well with Martin who keeps in touch. His reasoning for the move up was that, 'if you buy a late second-hand coach you need finance anyway, and if with that you also get high maintenance costs it is a double whammy. We were in a position where we had good residual value in the vehicles we had so buying knew we only got a single whammy, which made sense, even though we did have a few teething issues.'

The odd man out in the current line up is a 35-seat Temsa Opalin with MAN engine which was bought from Arriva Bus & Coach at Cleckheaton. It arrived late in 2008 after appearing at the NEC show of that year and was christened Felix because of the letters FEX in its registration, something that has proved useful as a marketing tool. Alan had been thinking about acquiring a smaller coach for some time and thought that, as the business could afford it, he would buy new and get the benefit of a warranty. Martin had tried hard to sell him a Cheetah but Alan wanted something that looked like a full sized coach. It has proved very popular with passengers and though fuel consumption has been less than anticipated, he is hopeful that it will improve now that a blockage in the catalytic converter that saw the unit replaced under warranty has been cured.

The most recent acquisition, delivered last year with a '59' plate, is a Volvo B9R Panther. 'We knew we needed to upgrade one of the Premieres and a good offer was made. There's also an advantage having uniformity in the fleet.' Alan says he has been pleased with his Plaxton coaches overall with only odd issues that have needed sorting, 'and you get things go wrong with any make of coach.' He likes the wide entrance layout as this is an area of many coach designs that he thinks could be improved, though he did ask for an additional handle on top of the courier seat. It is prepared for a lift but none is fitted. 'I would fit one if I could see a benefit for the company. We do carry a girl who uses a motorised chair who can manage using the handrails.'

Alan told me that, for used acquisitions, the purchasing decision is influenced by what is available that is in tidy condition. It's a two stage process that begins with finding a coach that looks right superficially and would create the right impression for passengers. If it passes this test, Alan takes one of the Bower Green fitters along to inspect it on the ramps and take it for a run. Only when he has had a good look will he buy anything.

As they get older, the fitters have a clear preference for rear engines as they find some of the mid engined ones quite difficult to work on. This makes it unlikely that there will be any more B10Ms or B12Ms acquired. The policy for both new and used will be to stay with Volvo because, 'they're good workhorses and there's a good back up network if anything goes wrong. They did well by us last year when a brake chamber went on the ex-Clarkes B10M in Torquay. They came and sorted it out without our passengers being inconvenienced.'

Maintenance is undertaken on a contract basis by Bower Green Transport, six miles away in Bradford. It is a long standing and very successful arrangement under which Bower Green, who employ a number of ex West Yorkshire Omnibus Co fitters, undertake all safety inspections and servicing and well as general maintenance. Specialist Volvo repairs of an electrical nature tend to go to Crossroads, whilst anything specialist on the Temsa is handled by Arriva. The company is currently a green light operator and Alan intends to ensure that it stays that way.

Of VOSA he said, 'they need to get a consistency of performance and be able to use common sense, which in some cases they don't do.' He also complained that, 'They've just closed the test station up the road and happily told us it's now either Wetherby or Rothwell on the other side of Leeds.'

Staff

'We're lucky to have such a good and helpful team,' said Alan of his staff. All of the drivers as well as Office Administrator, Gina Benson, present the company in a positive way. There are four full timers, three regular part timers and Alan also drives when necessary. Several people have been with the company for ten years or more.

I noticed that that although two of the drivers were dressed appropriately for the task of demounting the toilet in the oldest Panther during the day, there was a change into uniform for a school contract the company undertook on hire later in the afternoon.

For around 85% of the time a driver will work with a particular coach, but working patterns dictate that it cannot be 100%. Alan told me that he likes to swap people around a bit because that way they notice faults better than if they are always on the same coach. He argues, 'If a coach is going to go wrong it will have usually given you a clue beforehand.' William Hoyle, now the company's oldest driver at 70, is particularly adept at noticing anything untoward.

Though Alan and Kathryn are now amicably separated, Kathryn remains a director and continues to play a role in the company producing the artwork for the brochures as well as looking after the website, with the day to day running now down to Alan. The couple have two children, Michael (18) who is reading sport management at Sheffield Hallam University and Jennifer (16) who attends the local Grammar School. Both have been told that, 'if they show any interest in coming into the business they will be shot!' He wants to discourage them because, 'in view of the hours you have to put in, there have to be easier ways to make a living.

The rewards are there but they're not always financial.' Alan believes that one of the snags with the industry is that it does not seem to be taken seriously. 'People don't regard running coaches as a proper job,' he contends. 'We are treated with something approaching contempt by Government and the Local Authorities and whenever coaching is portrayed on television there is always a sneering aside at charabanc trips or the caricature of pub trips. I find it very annoying the way the Government treats coaching. We always get legislation that has been tagged on to other things and as a result we're always fighting battles that are not of the industry's making. When it's convenient we get lumped in with buses, but when it's something that would be helpful, we're left out.

An ongoing problem locally, and I believe nationally, is that the signs on bus stops are being altered from ‘no stopping except buses’ which included coaches, to ‘no stopping except local buses’ which excludes them.' 'When the seatbelt legislation came in it was because of a school minibus on the M40. It wasn't of our making but we were forced to comply. I'm not against seatbelts but why wasn't it taken to its logical conclusion with seatbelts required on trains.'

He may only have been in it for 22 years but he has already witnessed a lot of change. He points to the reduction in the number of clubs organising trips and concludes that it is a reducing market place. 'It will always be there, but it will slim down,' he believes. 'The industry's having to become a lot more professional as people's expectations are rising, which isn't a bad thing. Expectations may be rising but they don't expect to pay any more, so you have to find ways to give added value without it costing you anything. There's a lot of focus on the vehicle but there needs to be more on the people who work in the industry, which things like the driver CPC are trying to address.'

Alan sees setting standards as important, saying; 'One reason why JAK Travel has always had an office and not been run from home is that it is a business and I come here to work. I insist on drivers wearing uniforms, because not having them creates the wrong image. It's not so much the people you are carrying as who sees you. Someone driving in gloves with a big woolly hat on doesn't create the right impression.'

He believes, 'operators need to take a wider view of what they can do to encourage earnings. They need to look at what other modes of transport charge. Perhaps as an industry we tend to undervalue our services, especially when you look at the cost of rail tickets. In some ways this Concessionary Fares lark has distorted the market. It has created the impression that transport is cheap. Why is it only concessionary fares on buses: why not trains planes and boats? It helps create the wrong impression that bus and coach travel is for the have-nots and not the haves.'

CPT members Alan gets on well with most of the local operators, one of whom, owner-driver Kevin Jackson, was enjoying a cup of tea with him when I arrived. Apart from Kevin, fellow owner-driver Tony Broom, Independent of Horsforth and Dewhirst’s, he knows most other local operators through membership of CPT and the West Yorkshire Coach Operators (WYCO) which originated as BADCOA, the Bradford & District Coach Operators Association. He is a former WYCO Chairman.

His enthusiasm for attending CPT meetings had waned a little because although he had always thought that the industry needed a voice and it was worth being part of, it had become something of a 'rudderless ship as far as coach was concerned.' However, he believes that, 'now they're getting their act together with good people in the right positions, like Stephen Barber, Steve Salmon, Graham Messenger and John Burch.'

Future

Although he sees the nature of the industry slowly changing, Alan remains positive about JAK's long term prospects and intends to carry on with the fleet renewal policy, which is reviewed annually. Further investment depends on how well the business is doing overall. As he will not be of retirement age for well over a decade, his intention is to, 'keep up renewal to maintain the good quality profile in terms of customer satisfaction. The main thing to do is keep up the quality and level of service.' There are no plans for fleet expansion because, 'with the resources we have the quality would suffer and we want to keep a friendly professional image and level of service.' Though the number of vehicles won't increase, that does not mean more work cannot be taken on because there is scope for better utilisation to achieve growth.

Though Alan still enjoys what he does and continues to drive the business, he does experience frustration with the demands it places on him. 'It's a business that demands you touch into so many different areas, apart from legislation relating to coaching. There's all the general stuff about running a business, the new pensions regulations, the FSA for selling insurance and so on. At times you end up feeling that in running the business you are spending less time doing things for customers and more and more on pointless number crunching.'

Last word

'I'm very proud of what has been achieved and the reputation we have established. I know it has taken 20 years, but it was from a standing start,' said Alan. 'We've a lot of loyal customers who have been with JAK from the beginning, not only private hire customers but also those taking short breaks too. We get a lot of repeat business.'

A lot has been achieved already but with a modern fleet, freehold premises, a broad customer base, good staff and plenty of enthusiasm to continue taking it forward, JAK Travel is well set to maintain and further develop the reputation it has earned in the past two decades.

JAK Travel Fleet List