Author: Metroline Comms

Congratulations to Metroline’s Mitesh Patel who was the winner of the Top Scoring Mechanical Technician and runner up in the Vehicle Inspector categories at the 2018 Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE) Skills Challenge.

Daniel Briscoe continued the success for Metroline earning the Runner up prize in the Apprentice Category.

“This is a fantastic result, Mitesh has really demonstrated what we know he is capable of, he is a really dedicated and valued member of our team, and Daniel continues to show that Metroline has an exceptional apprenticeship programme that is helping to produce our engineers and leaders of tomorrow. My sincere congratulations to them both, “ said Metroline’s Director of Engineering, Ian Foster.

After joining Metroline as an apprentice in 2006, Mitesh became a qualified engineer in 2011 and has earned an HNC in Vehicle Operations and Management with Automotive Engineering Technology from the College of North-West London. Mitesh secured a position as Assistant Technical Manager before becoming a Master Technician three years later. He has been in this role for a year and a half. Daniel joined Metroline in 2014 and is a 4th year apprentice and is currently based in Metroline Uxbridge.

Congratulations to Metroline’s Ion Dinu, winner of the ‘Actions above and beyond the call of duty’ Award at the 2018 London Bus Awards for his response to a customer in distress.

On 25 June, Driver Dinu was driving on the 332 route when he noticed that a female travelling alone was crying. When trying to find out why the woman was in distress, Driver Dinu realised that she did not speak English, and wasting no time he called Lee Jackson, CentreComm Operations Manager via a code red call on the iBus radio and asked for assistance. Lee knew that his colleague, Swinder Sethi, Real Time Passenger Information Officer spoke Hindi and Punjabi so he asked her to assist him.

Lee asked Driver Dinu if he could take his phone number so that Swinder could speak to the passenger, Driver Dinu obliged and after talking with the passenger via Driver Dinu’s mobile phone, they noticed that woman seemed confused and wanted to see her mother in Luton. It was at this point that they decided to call the police to assists this vulnerable person.

Just as the police arrived, CentreComm received a missing persons call from the police looking for an 82 year old Indian female in the Harrow Road area that was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Calling Driver Dinu back on his mobile phone, CentreComm spoke to the police officers on scene. It appeared that the female on Dinu’s bus was the missing person.

Commenting on this positive conclusion, Lee says “If it hadn’t been for Driver Dinu’s quick thinking and swift cooperation with CentreComm, we may not have had such a happy outcome for this woman. Driver Dinu’s actions in this situation are great examples of helping one of our customers in need. We can’t thank Driver Dinu enough for his assistance. He’s a credit to himself, Cricklewood Garage and Metroline.”

“Knowing there was a positive outcome for our customer is a great relief and we were all pleased that this ended the way it did. It really shows that no matter how busy things get for a driver, they have the ability to make a massive impact and difference for people’s lives, every day, every journey. Knowing Mr Ion Dinu and the kind of person he is and his caring and professional attitude, it came as no surprise to anyone at the garage that he was the driver involved, he is a credit to our garage and we are proud of him, especially in this instance where his actions made a real difference and we are very proud of him for receiving this award,” said Garage Manager Rodolfo Brusa.

Congratulations to Metroline’s Peter Noyes who celebrated a remarkable 50 years of service to the bus industry on Monday 11^th September 2017.

Peter initially joined London Transport on Monday 11^th September 1967 as a Trainee Schedule Compiler on a starting salary was £510 p.a, less than £10 per week! He established himself in the department and by 1979 was promoted to Deputy Section Leader for the Watling District Schedules Team which included regular visits to the Divisional Office at Cricklewood Garage. Recognising his experience and expertise, in 1982 he was seconded to London Transport International, spending 12 weeks working at the SBS Head Office on Braddell Road in Singapore. During this time Peter was part of the “Singapore Comprehensive Bus Study” that examined the industry in Singapore and recommended changes to scheduling procedures, he claims to still have the T-shirt from this visit.

When tendering of bus services in London commenced in 1985, the London Transport Schedules Office was de-centralised and Peter was transferred to the new Central Traffic Division at Euston, working for the new MD Peter Hendy. In 1989 when individual bus companies were created, he was promoted to Schedules Manager for London Northern. With the privatisation of bus companies in 1994, London Northern was acquired by MTL and in 1998 this was acquired by Metroline, where he then became Head of Planning and Tendering. When ComfortDelGro acquired Metroline in 2000, Peter was surprised to see acquaintances from his visit to Singapore 18 years previously, who all recognised him immediately.

With all the moving and changing in the industry, Peter notes that as his journey has changed over the years, his commute has increased to over 70 miles each way since 1998, which is approximately 33,000 miles each year, amounting to over 1,000,000 miles travelled to and from work (by train and bus) during the past 50 years!

At a special celebratory lunch held in Peter’s honour at Metroline’s Head Office, CEO Jaspal Singh noted, “Peter has immense experience and knowledge of our industry and has served London’s bus travelling public over the past 50 years with passion, dedication and professionalism. Thank you for your service and congratulations on reaching this milestone Peter.”

On 25 June, Driver Dinu was driving on the 332 route when he noticed that a female travelling alone was crying. When trying to find out why the woman was in distress, Driver Dinu realised that she did not speak English. Wasting no time Driver Dinu called Lee Jackson, CentreComm Operations Manager via a code red call on the iBus radio and asked for assistance. Lee knew that his colleague, Swinder Sethi, Real Time Passenger Information Officer spoke Hindi and Punjabi so he asked her to assist him.

Lee asked Driver Dinu if he could take his phone number so that Swinder could speak to the passenger, Driver Dinu obliged. After talking with the passenger via Driver Dinu’s mobile phone, Swinder and Lee noticed that she seemed confused and wanted to see her mother in Luton. It was at this point Lee decided to call the police as he thought she was a vulnerable person.

Just as the police arrived, CentreComm received a missing persons call from the police looking for an 82 year old Indian female in the Harrow Road area that was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Calling Driver Dinu back on his mobile phone, CentreComm spoke to the police officers on scene. It appeared that the female on Dinu’s bus was the missing person.

Commenting on this positive conclusion, Lee says “If it hadn’t been for Driver Dinu’s quick thinking and swift cooperation with CentreComm, we may not have had such a happy outcome for this woman. Driver Dinu’s actions in this situation are great examples of helping one of our customers in need. We can’t thank Driver Dinu enough for his assistance. He’s a credit to himself, Cricklewood Garage and Metroline.”

Congratulations to Tracey Palmer for winning the prestigious Accessibility Champion award at the 2017 London Bus Awards.  Tracey is well-known for being a caring, patient and compassionate driver and is a favourite with passengers and colleagues.   Moreover, she is a passionate advocate for older and disabled passenger transport accessibility and was appointed as the Holloway Garage Accessibility Champion to promote awareness of accessibility issues and help empower passengers to be more confident when using the bus.

Tracey was completely shocked, but delighted to receive this well deserved award and according to Garage Manager Fola Olawo-Jerome , she was the prefect choice as, “Tracey is always first to volunteer to support and participate in accessibility initiatives and really understands the responsibility of being a champion for accessibility; helping share information with customers to help improve their experience and build their confidence, as well as sharing information with colleagues so that they are making sure our services are accessible to all.”

Operations Manager Joannis Evlogimenos said “Tracey has an excellent understanding of the issues many older and disabled passengers experience and is always ready to help, and is a vocal advocate of safety and accessibility. She leads by example and brings passion, knowledge, experience and empathy to her role. Her commitment to empowering the lives of older and disabled passengers is a great example for us all and we are very proud of her, well done.”

 

Holloway driver Stan Davern has safely served Londoners for the last 38 years without ever being involved in a blameworthy collision. “Stan has received a host of commendations over the years, has an impeccable attendance record, and importantly doesn’t have a single blameworthy collision to his name,” says Metroline’s Head of Transport Safety, Ray Webb. Ray continues, “Stan reads the road well and no matter how busy it gets, he always keeps calm and in control. 38 years of safe driving is a remarkable achievement and we are delighted that he was awarded the Transport Safety Champion of the Year.”

This special award is sponsored by QBE and was presented earlier in the year at the Metroline Service Awards in recognition of Stan’s outstanding achievement.  “Winning this Award is a huge achievement and to mark this, Stan was recently treated to a very special meal at a restaurant of his choice, for him and his partner in London. Before they were wined and dined, they were whisked away by chauffeur for a truly memorable night out fitting of the occasion,” says Operations Manager John Evlogimenos who nominated Stan for the Award.

“I really enjoy driving, that’s why I’m still doing it,” says Stan,” but I couldn’t believe this, it was such a surprise to be recognised in this way. I would have been happy to have been given the day off, but to be taken out like this by the Company was such a surprise, it was really fantastic.”

Holloway’s Garage Manager Fola Olawo-Jerome notes that “Stan has exceptional performance and attendance records with MTS commendations for excellent performance. He is friendly, calm under pressure, professional and clearly a very safe driver, a great example of one of London’s best bus drivers and we are very proud of him.”

POTTERS BAR BUS GARAGE OPEN DAY: Saturday 22^nd July 2017, 10:30am – 4:00pm

Come along for a fun day out for all the family and enjoy buses from the 1950s and 60s up to the modern day, free rides on a selection of vintage buses over local routes and a variety of stalls selling transport memorabilia.

All proceeds go to charity

Admission will be by programme, priced £2.50, available on the day at the garage entrance.

High Street, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 5BE, Bus Routes 84, 242, 610 and PB1 pass the door

 

Congratulations to Metroline’s Engineering Director Mr. Ian Foster who was elected to the General Council of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE) in April.

The IRTE is one of the most respected names in the field of UK transport and is recognised as the impartial voice of the industry. As an independent body, the IRTE provides accreditation as well as support and guidance to transport engineers and technicians and believes in promoting best practice and safety whilst increasing the overall standard of vehicle repair.

Ian believes that bus and coach engineering is significantly under-represented in the wider engineering world which underpinned his motivation for election to the Council. He started his own engineering journey in 1977 at Acton Technical College and today is responsible for a fleet of 1700 vehicles, including procurement, Health and Safety controls, facilities management and technical and training planning at one of London’s leading bus operators.

“Ultimately, I really want to make a contribution to an industry that has provided me with a living for the past 40 years,” says Ian, “I am committed to raising the profile of bus and coach engineering, especially with schools and apprenticeship programmes, and through initiatives such as Metroline’s new Centre for Skills and Development I want to help promote the development of future engineers.”

 

Holloway driver Tracey Palmer’s dedication and commitment to older and disabled passengers has earned her a nomination for the prestigious Accessibility Champion Award at this year’s 2017 London Bus Awards.

Well-known for being a caring, patient and compassionate driver, Tracey is a favourite with passengers and colleagues alike.  Tracey is a passionate advocate for older and disabled passenger transport accessibility and was appointed as the Holloway Garage Accessibility Champion to promote awareness of accessibility issues and help empower passengers to be more confident when using the bus.

“Tracey is keen to lead by example, she understands that bus accessibility is vital to many, so she always carefully serves the stop so that all passengers are able to board with ease and safely take a seat and is ready to use the PA to make sure people are kept informed; actions that make a big difference, especially to more vulnerable passengers,” notes Garage Manage Fola Olawo-Jerome.

However, Tracey goes further, and “is always first to volunteer to support and participate in our accessibility initiatives, she really understands that by being a champion for accessibility she is able to share information with customers to help improve their experience and build their confidence, and, also share information with colleagues so that they are making sure our services are accessible to all” adds Fola.   After participating in such sessions, Tracey can be seen all over the garage speaking with colleagues and sharing experiences to really reach drivers and make a difference to the service provided. As a result of such enthusiasm and support Tracey became the natural choice to represent Metroline at subsequent events including those organised by TfL for local disability groups in March 2017.

Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) representatives recently watched Tracey in action at a ‘Swap with me event’ and pointed out that not only was Tracey a very knowledgeable and professional driver, but she was incredibly concerned about ensuring that visually impaired participants were able to voice their concerns, get help, and leave the session more confident and empowered to travel.

“Tracey has an excellent understanding of the issues many older and disabled passengers experience and is always ready to help, and is a vocal advocate of safety and accessibility. She leads by example and always demonstrates best practise for all of her passengers,” notes Operations Manager Joannis Evlogimenos.  Joannis continues, “Tracey brings passion, knowledge, experience and empathy to her role and her commitment to empowering the lives of older and disabled passengers is a great example for us all.”

Following a very successful RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) Swap with me event at Cricklewood, a second event was arranged for one of London’s biggest and busiest garages, Holloway.

The event was organised with the support of RNIB volunteers and provided Holloway bus drivers the opportunity to ‘swap’ places with blind and partially sighted customers so that they could better understand the challenges passengers face when using the bus. Bus drivers wore special ‘sim specs’, which simulate different sight loss conditions and tried to board a bus, buy a ticket and find a seat.

In addition to the drivers participating, members of Metroline’s Transport Safety Unit took part along with Garage Manager Fola Olawo-Jerome, and all agreed, it was a very difficult challenge trying to board the bus whilst being deprived of sight. Equally, all of the Metroline participants agreed it was a very valuable experience, “even though we are only using the sim specs for such a short time, it has an incredibly profound impact on your ability to function, even in an environment that you would expect to be familiar, “ explained Fola, “we are delighted that the RNIB could visit our garage today and helps us all to get a better understanding of some of the issues blind and partially sighted people experience, and we will continue to work hard and share this information with all of our colleagues to help make our services accessible to everyone.”

This was followed by blind and partially sighted volunteers taking turns to sit in the driver’s cab to discover the difficulties drivers have when noticing and communicating with passengers which was also very beneficial and allowed drivers to share ideas and tips with blind and partially sighted passengers to help them use the bus with confidence.

Richard Holmes, RNIB Regional Campaigns Officer for London, said: “bus travel is a lifeline to blind and partially sighted people in London, who rely on buses to take them to work, the shops or just to get out and about with friends…We are really impressed with Metroline’s willingness to make improvements for their blind and partially sighted passengers and are delighted that they are continuing to supporting the charter through such events as the one at Holloway today.”

In 2015 Metroline signed the RNIB’s bus Charter to ensure our services are accessible for customers with sight loss and we pledged our support for the Charter which was developed by RNIB following the success of the ‘Stop for me, Speak to me’ bus campaign.

Further swaps are planned across Metroline throughout 2017.

About RNIB

Every 15 minutes, someone in the UK begins to lose their sight. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) are here for everyone affected by sight loss – that’s almost 2 million people in the UK. If you, or someone you know, has a sight problem, RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk

The Metroline Service Awards is a special event held in February at the Hilton, London Wembley and is an opportunity to recognise excellence and honour our outstanding and dedicated colleagues.

The Awards commenced by celebrating Metroline employees who retired during 2016 and this was followed by celebrating the people who completed 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and incredibly 50 years of service with us. The award for 50 years of service was presented to our Harrow Weald driver Mr. David Goodman who collected his award with his wife. “David is a driver who has not only given most of his life to the bus industry, but we can confidently say he has done his job properly. His driving is of the highest standard, and he is a firm favourite with his passengers who regularly call in to tell us how friendly he is, how he makes an effort to greet everyone and how he makes sure he gives the best customer service possible to everyone, every day” says OM Darren Hill.

In addition, for the 4th consecutive year the Awards also celebrated service excellence, with special sponsored awards that recognised outstanding commitment and excellence in various areas of our industry. Thank you to all of our sponsors for kindly supporting this special event.

Metroline’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Jaspal Singh offered his congratulations to all award recipients during his opening address and said, “Tonight is about collectively paying tribute and showing our gratitude to the many remarkable men and women that make this company what it is, and for us all to recognise the excellence that they achieve, well done everyone.”

TfL’s Managing Director of Surface Transport, Mr. Leon Daniels was Guest of Honour and added “I’ve enjoyed this event on many occasions in the past; it’s great to be with you and celebrate all of the great things that have happened with you and with Metroline over the past year… Congratulations to all the award winners and everyone at Metroline for a really good job.”

Congratulations and thank you to everyone for your outstanding contributions.

The Metroline Service Awards are kindly sponsored by: Alexander Dennis, Volvo, Forman Vehicle Services Ltd, Paul Clark Services, QBE, Imperial Engineering, SYNECTICS and Wrightbus.