MX for News Aug 2009

No.1 AUG 2009

INSIDE YOUR NEW-LOOK MAGAZINE: NEWS, VIEWS AND FEATURES ABOUT YOUR COMPANY

FIRST ISSUE!

It’s all in the NAME A feast of fun for Putney!

WELCOME TO MX FOR NEWS… AS CHOSEN

BY ADRIAN GRIFFITHS

Anoushka’s in

the money

Company acquisition in place • Busy times for training

Welcome to your NEW magazine!

YOU’RE a creative bunch – there’s no doubt about it!

The judges have been overwhelmed by the number of employees who came up with a new name for the staff magazine, following our competition in the last issue.

In fact, more than 80 suggestions were received.

It was a difficult decision to make, but the judges have now selected the winning name and that’s MX for News – put forward by accident prevention assistant Adrian Griffiths.

The judges liked the originality of the name (MX stands for ‘mutual exchange’, a term used when drivers swap their duties) and its relevance to bus operations. Adrian, who has worked for the company for more than five years, is delighted that his suggestion was chosen.

He said: “I always read the newspaper when it’s printed so when I saw the competition I thought I’d give it a go. I jotted down a few ideas and I’m ecstatic that MX for News won.

“I was really surprised but pleased to get the call from head office.”

MX for News will now be published every two months in a new eye-catching magazine format.

ECSTATIC! Adrian Griffiths’ name for the new magazine was chosen for its originality and relevance to bus operations.

Apprentice boost for engineering

Qualified: Back row: Dean Reece, Andrew Marfo, Luke Wood, Dwain Hayles, George Wilkins; Front row: Mark Hart, Tom Martin, Adam Hemmings.

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HARD WORK has paid off for seven more Go-Ahead apprentices as they reach the end of their training and become fully qualified engineers.

Mark Hart (Sutton), Dwain Hayles (Putney), Adam Hemmings (Camberwell), Andrew Marfo (Stockwell), Tom Martin (New Cross), George Wilkins (Stockwell) and Luke Wood (Peckham) all completed the company’s three-year programme earlier this summer.

Dean Reece is expected to complete his apprenticeship in November.

As well as spending a month at each of the sites, including stores, the apprentices also spent 15-week block placements at garages, enjoyed working with contractors and attended the College of North West London.

Ian Saich, who is engineering training manager, said: “They’ve all worked extremely hard and we’re proud of their achievements. Some of the apprentices also passed additional qualifications along the way.”

Adam, Luke, Dwain, George and Andrew have become technicians, while Tom and Mark have passed the Level 3 qualification to become part of the body repair team.

To thank the former apprentices for their commitment, group engineering director Phil Margrave, chief engineer Richard Harrington and engineering training managers Gerry Fleming and Ian Saich took the group out for a meal in Victoria.

“We’ve now got a new batch of seven people starting their apprenticeships with us and a further 17 people currently going through their training,” added Ian.

BUSINESS NEWS

East Thames Buses acquisition in place GO-AHEAD SEIZES OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE SERVICE QUALITY THE acquisition of East Thames Buses by the Go-Ahead Group is due to be completed by September 5.

It is expected that East Thames’ operations will transfer to London General.

East Thames Buses has operated services in south east London for nine years. It has about 460 employees and a fleet of 113 vehicles. It operates nine services for Transport for London, including two school routes, from garages in Bermondsey (adjacent to London General’s Mandela Way base) and Belvedere.

All contracts will be renewed for five years from the date of completion, together with a two-year extension option for good performance.

East Thames bus services will continue to operate as normal and employees will transfer under the provisions of TUPE Regulations – Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment).

Go-Ahead London managing director John Trayner said: “The acquisition of East Thames Buses provides us with an excellent opportunity to further develop our London bus business.

“It will enable us to take the best practice from both companies and enhance the quality of bus services to our passengers.”

East Thames operates Routes 1 / N1 (Tottenham Court Road to Canada Water and Thamesmead), 42 (Liverpool Street to Denmark Hill), 108 (Stratford to Lewisham), 132 (North Greenwich to Bexleyheath), 180 (Lewisham Centre to Belvedere), 185 (Victoria to Lewisham) and 201 (Morden to Herne Hill).

East Thames was created after the Harris Bus Company went into administration in December 1999 and was taken in-house by London Transport.

There’s a lot less mess at Docklands WET, MUDDY feet are a thing of the past at the Docklands garage following a major overhaul of the yard.

Previously, the yard was simply a layer of compacted mud and hardcore, but now it has been completely concreted following a review of health and safety.

“It’s really helped to improve the site,” said operating manager Peter Russell.

“Before now the drivers used to get filthy in wet weather. If it rained it wasn’t unusual to see employees arriving at work in their Wellington boots or with plastic bags covering their shoes.

“Employees are delighted with the changes – it used to be quite disheartening to see a nice clean bus splattered with mud on leaving the wet yard or with the drivers’ muddy footprints on board the vehicle following a pre-service walkround check.

“It’s great to see Go-Ahead’s investment in the site and has certainly helped boost morale here.”

BOOT CAMP TEST FOR TRAINEES TACKLING an army training camp proved a real test of fitness, teamwork skills and communication for three Go-Ahead London management trainees.

Darren Barnden, Lawrie Breschinsky and Rachel Jones were selected to join 62 other aspiring managers from different companies to test their minds and bodies at Pirbright Army Training Camp.

The aim of Exercise Executive Stretch, which is run by the Volunteer Reserve Forces and uses techniques from proven military programmes, is to develop the leadership skills of junior and middle managers or anyone required to make decisions, communicate instructions or motivate teams.

Motivated: Lawrie Breschinsky, Darren Barnden and Rachel Jones at Pirbright.

The course, accredited with the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) for a Level 4 Award in Leadership, consists of a series of challenges, which must be completed in teams.

These include experiencing the physically demanding army assault course and undertaking a night patrol and night “in the field” – participants are required to cook their own

rations and construct their own night shelters.

Rachel said: “I really thought I was going to hate the course, but it’s actually been a very worthwhile experience. In fact, I’ve found a whole level of motivation I didn’t know I had.”

Lawrie said: “Maintaining energy levels during Friday night’s patrol was very tough, but the command tasks were brilliant.”

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IN OUR Face 2 Face column we chat to Blue Triangle driver Stephen Stevens (known to his colleagues as Shaky), who is based at Rainham garage and has worked on the buses for 21 years. We ask 10 lighthearted questions.

Q: What are your favourite pastimes?

A: Playing the lottery and playing the guitar.

Q: How would your friends describe you?

A: They say I’m like Eric Morecambe – in looks and in humour!

Q: What is your least favourite chore?

A: DIY. Q: What has been your greatest achievement so far?

A: Completing the London to Brighton bike ride three years in a row.

Q: What do you most enjoy about your job?

A: The camaraderie with colleagues and trying to do the best I can out on the road.

Q: What item of food could you not live without?

A: Fig rolls.

Q: Which sporting person inspires you?

A: Muhammad Ali. Q: What is your dream holiday destination?

A: Las Vegas.

Q: What is your favourite song?

A: Cavatina (it’s the theme tune from the film The Deer Hunter).

Q: Who is your idol?

A: Tommy Cooper.

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SPECIAL FEATURE: SPOTLIGHT ON THE TRAINING CENTRE, CAMBERWELL

Busy times for I

T’S ALWAYS a hive of activity and it’s been described as ‘the heartbeat of the company’…

In this special feature we throw the spotlight on the training department and tell you about some of its current projects.

Resources manager Keith Wood takes overall responsibility for the department, while training and development manager Eric Dale looks after the day-to-day function. Team leader is Paul McKenzie and the two senior instructors are Paul Singh and Christine Quinn.

30 instructors complete the team and all but two of them have been promoted to the role from within Go-Ahead London.

The self contained training and recruitment centre is based at Camberwell garage and consists of six training rooms.

There are currently between 40 and 50 new recruits learning just what it takes to be a bus driver – all of whom are required to complete the initial Driver CPC qualification before undertaking the periodic training.

Eric said: “It’s a busy time for us. Not only are we recruiting new people, but we also have the development of our existing employees to consider.

“Between September 2008 and the end of July 2009 more than 4,000 members of staff have gone through one day of CPC periodic training. 3,750 of those have been drivers.

“The feedback we have had from colleagues has been overwhelmingly positive and many have said they found the course, which we called Gasfeed, informative and interesting.

“Our goal was to highlight the importance of safe

iBus is on the move GO-AHEAD’S controllers from the East London area are now enjoying new work surroundings following a relocation of their iBus control room.

Previously, iBus operations in the east were controlled from the Docklands garage, but this was only on a temporary basis, until a new purpose built office was constructed at Blue Triangle. That office has now been completed and iBus has been transferred.

General manager for service performance Gill Tynan said: “The new environment is much nicer for our controllers and has been specifically set up for iBus, with two workstations and PCs.” Controllers will continue to monitor routes for Docklands and Blue Triangle from Rainham.

Gill said: “I’m delighted with how the move went.

During the changeover, Bexleyheath kindly helped out by sharing its iBus screens.

“I’m very proud of the team for making the move a success. I’ve already had some positive feedback from the controllers, too – they say they appreciate the new office, particularly as it’s situated at the back of the building, away from the busy garage, but adjacent to the engineers making communication between the two departments smoother and more effective.”

Charity challenge

Standing: Cliff Darby, Eric Dale, Mario Germani, Gary Cable, Eddie Bogalho.

Seated: Brian Alwyn, Dave Carr, James Mitchell and Nerina Hughes.

TRAINING… ‘The feedback we have had from colleagues has been overwhelmingly positive’ Eric Dale

and fuel efficient driving and remind employees how this can be achieved.”

Eric is now putting together the next sevenhour CPC training module, which will commence this month (August).

It will focus on the quality of service provided

by Go-Ahead London (taking QIC1 and QIC2 into consideration) and will flag up the importance of pre-service vehicle checks.

“We’re proud of our training team and like to think that there’s always a buzz about the centre.

“It is, after all, the first contact new recruits have with the company and we’d like to think that after their time with us they go away impressed with the company and excited to be part of the team,” added Eric.

THE BEXLEYHEATH bus pull proved the perfect setting for a great display of teamwork between London Central, the police and the local community.

Together, they joined forces on June 13 to raise money for The Anthony Nolan Trust and Help the Heroes.

A 1967 Routemaster (owned by driving instructor Nerina Hughes) was hauled from Bexleyheath garage to We Anchor in Hope public house in Shooter’s Hill, a distance of 3.5 miles.

The endurance challenge involved 18 employees (a mixture of engineers, drivers, controllers and driving instructors), some of whom were in fancy dress.

Family members and friends played their part by collecting money from the general public and local PCSOs, police cadets and police officers assisted with the control of traffic.

North Kent Towing allowed their tow lorry to escort the rear of the procession, while traffic controller Dave Barber co-ordinated the event.

“It took us an hour and a half to complete the distance, but we thoroughly enjoyed it and by the end of September we hope to have raised more than £2,000 for each charity,” said satellite manager Eddie Howard.

Trevor Pirks

STAFF from across the company and head office attended the funeral on July 20 of Trevor Pirks, who died following a brief illness.

Trevor joined the company as a driver at Thornton Heath in 1986, and was quickly promoted to a controller at Sutton. Since becoming a Manager in 1992 he has worked at Stockwell, Waterloo, Merton and Sutton.

Trevor’s last garage was Mandela Way, where he has been Operating Manager since he oversaw its successful opening in 2007. Trevor has given long and valuable service as a pension trustee and was a member of the Investment Sub Committee.

Trevor leaves behind his wife Christine and three children.

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Anoushkas’s in the

COVER STORY

MONEY!

Big deal: Anoushka Joomun won £10,000 on Deal or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds.

£10,000 has made a real difference DEAL or no deal? It’s the question Anoushka Joomun was dreading, but in the end it won her £10,000!

Anoushka, better known as Anna by her colleagues at Docklands garage, is one of a very select group of people who have appeared on Deal or No Deal, the hugely popular Channel 4 game show, which is presented by Noel Edmonds.

Anna’s moment of fame came earlier this year when she appeared on TV for several weeks as she waited to take her turn at the game.

Even making it through to the show was no mean feat – Anna had to showcase

a number of skills to win over the producers.

“I had to attend several auditions and prove that I could perform well on camera and play well in a team,” said Anna, who is a driver mentor.

After nearly a year of waiting, Anna finally made it to the filming in Bristol.

“I’m so grateful to operating manager Peter Russell who allowed me to take three weeks off in a row to attend the filming,” said Anna.

When it was Anna’s turn to play for money, her game plan was not to walk away with anything less than £1,000.

River bank beckons for fisherman Dave A POLICEMAN in the Royal Air Force, medic in the London Ambulance Service, Woolwich ferry traffic controller and breakdown recovery driver ...

And then 23 years on the buses, mostly as an ‘inspector’.

Dave Barber, who retired last month (July), has led a life of considerable variety and made 6

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many friends throughout the London bus industry.

“I love working with people,” said Dave. “I’ve always had jobs I’ve really enjoyed doing and have done my best to do them properly.”

Dave began his career with London Transport as a driver at Camberwell garage.

Shortly afterwards he passed a number of

“I was so nervous, but Noel put me at ease. I didn’t have a great game – I eliminated the £250,000 prize with the first box I chose and, without knowing it, had £100,000 in my box – but when it came to the final decision I decided to deal before it came to the end of the game and took the £10,000 the banker offered me. “£10,000 is a large sum of money and has made a real difference to me,” said Anna, who is set to marry her partner Antony in September.

“It was great to see how a TV show is made and I realise now just how much hard work is involved,” added Anna.

examinations in public road transport and became a road official. He has been based at Bexleyheath as a road operating supervisor for the past five years.

A keen fisherman, he is chairman of the Bexleyheath Garage Angling Club and is a key organiser of the annual London Busmen’s Challenge.

Very much a family man, he and his wife Peggy have five adult children, 12 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

He and Peggy have already visited Norway and hope to visit Bermuda soon.

Dave said: “I’ll miss the everyday challenges of the bus industry, but I’ll be keeping in touch with all my close friends.”

COMMENDATIONS: WE SALUTE GO-AHEAD PEOPLE MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE

‘Just doing my job’ says Ian BEXLEYHEATH staff, particularly driver Ian Brownlow, are praised in a letter from regular bus user David McCrae.

Mr McCrae sent his letter to Transport for London’s surface transport managing director David Brown and in it he describes his “outstandingly positive experience” and the “prompt and efficient actions of all those involved”.

Mr McCrae is a below-knee amputee who uses a special prosthesis for running. He often carries it with him to and from training sessions and on this

BEXLEYHEATH ROUTE 244 driver Paul Hinch is described as “conscientious” and a “real gentleman” by Melody Sykes-Hackett. Paul is said to have ensured the safety of Mrs Sykes-Hackett’s daughter by letting her get off near her home to avoid a “large group of menacing teenagers”.

CAMBERWELL ROUTE 68 driver Delroy Bhola is commended by Ms T. Adams for his “excellent” driving. He also answered people’s queries and waited while someone ran to catch the bus.

ROUTE 360 driver Martin Gyamfi is described as “very polite, patient and helpful” by passenger Debra Cooke.

MANDELA WAY ROUTE 453 driver Jacqueline Francis is praised by passenger Miss F. Carter for explaining alternative routes during a diversion.

MERTON PASSENGER Mr T. Chapman describes how Route 200 driver Susan Fay avoided what looked like a “certain collision”. He says that a car driver was behaving erratically without signalling and that Susan’s “skill” avoided a crunch. “She drove so neatly that I am not sure other passengers even noticed what had happened.”

NEW CROSS ROUTE 171 driver Clive Poyser is described as “very kind and helpful” by passenger

occasion he left it on a Route 422 bus inadvertently.

As soon as he arrived home Mr McCrae realised he’d left it on the bus and called TfL’s customer line. He spoke to Tai Thompson who contacted controllers at Bexleyheath and then suggested Mr McCrae went to the garage to recover it.

He caught another 422 bus and the driver told him that the call had gone out and together they laughed about the situation.

When Mr McCrae arrived at the garage

Mr S. Parfitt, who is disabled and whose partner is partially sighted.

DESCRIBED as a credit to the company, Route C10 driver Amy Jamieson is said to be an “excellent” driver, “polite and professional” and “always smartly dressed”. Passenger Andrew Young adds: “She drives smoothly showing great consideration for the comfort of her passengers and other road users.”

PASSENGER Darren Fodey describes Route 21 driver Geoff Partridge as a “shining example” of London bus staff. Geoff took control of a situation when he had to take his bus out of service because of an incident on the top deck. He kept passengers informed and printed off sufficient transfer tickets to minimise inconvenience.

PASSENGER Miss A. Hainz says C10 driver Marcia Henry is the “best bus driver” she knows. She is “always polite, extremely helpful and fun”, says Miss Hainz.

PECKHAM DRIVER Hugo Torres is said to have acted “professionally and nobly” by Sonia Barrachina.

She writes that he “put himself at risk to protect me”. The C10 passenger says Hugo warned her that a male passenger was possibly about to rob her. The man became “threatening”, but Hugo refused to “escalate the conflict further”.

ROUTE 63 driver Julie Morris is described as a “great advert for London” by Mr P. Hogan. He says she helped him and others with directions and buses to catch for onward journeys.

he saw Ian Brownlow, the driver who found the prosthetic limb on his bus and handed it in.

“I thanked Ian for his diligence, expressing how much it meant to me to have the item back,” wrote Mr McCrae, “and in true understated style, Ian insisted that he was just doing his job.

“I really want to be sure that the highest echelons of TfL and Go-Ahead are made aware of the outstanding work their staff are doing in situations like this.”

PUTNEY ROUTE 85 driver Danny Tiwari has a fan in regular passenger Ms S. Fatima who says how “polite he is to passengers”.

STOCKWELL VETERAN driver Roy Lambe is commended by Mr D. Grantham for his “passion” for the job. Roy was driving a Route 11 bus when he is said to have “entertained passengers and announced the stops for certain stores”. Everyone was smiling and he should be thanked for a “splendid” journey.

PASSENGER Ms T. Collier commends Route 24 driver Aktar Hussain for driving carefully over loose stones on the road to avoid them being thrown up at pedestrians.

KAREN JONES and her friend came down to London from Blackburn for the Chelsea Flower Show. They loved the show, but got lost trying to find their hotel.

They were waiting at a bus stop when along came Route 11 driver Mohammed Asad. He was “absolutely outstanding” in the help he gave the two women. “He gave a very good impression of London’s transport,” she adds.

ROUTE 87 driver David Forbes is said by passenger Mr Hall to have a “friendly and pleasant nature”.

PASSENGER Judith Hunt describes Route 11 driver Peter Searle as having “old world courtesy”. Judith says it was “very hot” day with “lengthened roadworks and the usual chaos” of London and Peter politely assisted everyone who asked for his help. “He restored my faith in old world manners.”

PARENTS have written to thank N87 driver Joao Carvalho for assisting their daughter. The girl was in a “distressed state” when she was spotted by Joao, who stopped his bus. He and a female passenger called an ambulance and kept in touch with the girl’s parents to reassure them while they waited for help.

“Had Mr Carvalho not stopped to help, the situation could have been much more serious,” say the girl’s parents.

SUTTON ROUTE 213 driver Philip Walker has been sent a star by passenger Denise Olsson-Hildick. She says he waited for her at a stop while she ran to catch the bus and that he is an “excellent” driver.

ROBERT KING writes to thank Route 93 driver Peter Ball for his “kindness”. Peter looked after Mr King’s grandmother after she fell and waited with her while an ambulance was on its way.

DRIVERS Ann Clark, Janet Sayers, Diane Howlett, Tracey Lucas and Debra Thompson are all congratulated for being “pleasant, courteous and efficient” by regular Route 80 passenger Yvonne Neblett.

WATERLOO ROUTE 507 driver Gary Pegg is praised by passenger Marianne Pearson for the help he gave people at Waterloo during a London Underground strike.

Marianne says he “answered each person patiently and demonstrated good knowledge of bus numbers and routes – he was really helpful”.

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Mx : social scene

A feast of family fun at Putney PUTNEY’S family fun day proved to be the highlight of the summer calendar and was a popular choice with all those who attended.

More than 150 Putney employees turned up to the event at a local sports and social club just off the A3 and enjoyed a whole host of activities and sideshows.

The garage’s sports and social club had sponsored the day, which included a BBQ, bouncy castle, face painting, refreshments and five-a-side football competitions for the adults and children.

Driver Rauley Ventor, who has worked for the company for more than 40 years, is chairman of the social club and, along with club secretary Mike Horan and committee members Mostafa Zaadane, Mo Henry, David Samuels and Tony Miller, helped organise a day to remember.

Rauley, who is better known as Trini, said: “It was a fantastic day and we’re glad so many employees could come along and enjoy the activities and games.

“We like to think that it’s a family affair at Putney and that it’s a friendly garage to work at so this was an ideal opportunity to get the team together in a fun setting.

“We’re now looking forward to more social events in the coming months.”

Smiles in the sun: Lots of fun for the kids at the Putney family day.

Practice makes perfect for angling ‘A Team’ BEXLEYHEATH’S anglers have hooked the biggest title of all – winning this year’s London Busman’s Challenge Shield.

It’s the second time in five years the ‘A’ team has scooped victory.

The Transport Friendly Society sponsored competition was held over five hours at Monk’s Angling Complex in Staplehurst, Kent. Eighty-five anglers from across the Transport for London area took part.

Go-Ahead London fielded six-strong teams from Peckham, Merton and Sutton, as well as Bexleyheath.

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Driver Tony Cox is Bexleyheath’s angling club secretary and he said: “It’s a great result for the garage, especially after all the hard work the committee has done during the past nine months to organise the competition.”

Team captain is driver Derek Comrie and he, too, is delighted with the win. He said: “We had a practice match the week before the event and it paid off!”

The champions were: Derek Comrie, Phil Ennis, Paul Sharkey, Roger Wickett and Jim Young.

Published by Go-Ahead London. Produced by Ruxley Communications, Walton-on-Thames. Printed by Evolve Print Solutions, Rickmansworth.