Coach giant in expansion drive over Pennines

Andrew Cleaves said the move could create jobs in Yorkshire as the company responded to demands for more transpennine services.

He stressed that the routes were at the planning stage and wouldn’t be launched for several months.

Mr Cleaves also said he had found “inconsistencies” in the quality of customer service during a non-stop trip across Britain on National Express coaches. He decided to spend a week travelling around the UK because he wanted to find out what it was like to be a National Express customer.

He is urging the Government to reverse a decision to abolish coach fare subsidies for elderly and disabled people.

Speaking during a visit to Leeds, Mr Cleaves said: “I have really enjoyed my odyssey and been really impressed by the service around the country and the passion to look after customers, but I have seen inconsistencies in how we provide that service. We will have a set of golden rules across the board to ensure that you know what you’re going to receive whether you’re travelling from Aberdeen, Aberystwyth or Accrington.”

He added: “It’s not that the customer service is bad, but when you travel on a National Express coach you should expect some basic things.”

For example, customers should be greeted by the driver and receive a briefing about the journey in a “consistent” way, Mr Cleaves said.

Mr Cleaves said he liked to respond personally to many complaints, because it helped him to find out what customers were thinking.

He takes a special interest in Sheffield, which is a site he has “adopted” as part of the management team.

“There’s a great team there,” he said. “We’re working in partnership with the local council.”

Mr Cleaves, who became the managing director of UK Coaches for National Express in August 2010, is a Cambridge University natural sciences graduate. He previously worked as chief executive of Tube Lines, an engineering company responsible for improving the London Underground.

He is campaigning against Government plans to withdraw a £50m a year grant which halves the price of coach tickets for the elderly and disabled people.

Mr Cleaves said: “We’re concerned because the Government is planning to take away the non-statutory grant which allows us to sell half-price tickets to the disabled and the over-60s. We’re working hard to get that decision looked at.

“I understand that the Government has to save money – we all know these are austere times – but it will have such a big impact, particularly on two vulnerable parts of the community.

“We are asking the Government to review that decision. Maybe there’s a way forward, where we as National Express share part of that pain, but the Government gives us a little bit of the grant, so we can maintain the 50 per cent scheme. The simple fact is we cannot bridge that full 50 per cent.”

In response, a spokesman for Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “The pressing need to tackle the deficit and avoid the kind of crisis that has hit other European countries has required us to take a number of difficult decisions, including this one.

“The Government has decided that the limited funds the taxpayer can afford should be used to support schemes such as the statutory national concession which offers free travel on local bus services throughout England.

“The coach industry was told of these changes back in October last year, so it has had plenty of time to plan and to also consider whether they could continue to offer the deal on a commercial basis. For many older and disabled people a free local bus service can be a lifeline, providing access to employment, healthcare and other essential services.

“That is why we have given priority to the local concession scheme and retained it despite the deficit crisis. That has meant that some other areas of transport spending, such as support for long-distance coach travel, have had to be cut.”

NETWORK SPREADS ACROSS COUNTY

National Express Coaches UK employs 29 staff at its three stations in Yorkshire.

Across Yorkshire, National Express UK has 30 pick-up points, including Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Harrogate, Wakefield, Barnsley, Rotherham, Keighley, York, Huddersfield and Halifax.

The biggest National Express UK coach centre in Yorkshire is Leeds, which had 500,000 departures in 2010.

Duty manager Paul Turner joined National Express in 1973. He managed the old National Express Coach Station in Wellington Street before it moved to its new location near West Yorkshire Playhouse in 1996. His last day of sickness was on the wedding day of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.

National Express coaches run services up to 21 times a day to London from Leeds.