London General’s staff newspaper
Number 66 . December 2007
ACQUISITIONS
PAVE WAY FOR
NEW GROWTH
It is the end of John Trayner’s first full calendar year as MD. It has been one of the
most eventful years in the company’s history. Here he looks back at 2007 and talks
briefly about the challenges facing the company in 2008.
MANAGING director John
Trayner told In General
that London General and
London Central had seen
unparalleled growth over
the past year.
“We have opened two
new operational garages at
Waterside Way and Mandela
Way and bought two companies
– Docklands Minibus and Blue
Triangle.
“Our new garages give us
greater flexibility to take on more
work in our traditional territory and
the acquisitions offer us a firm
foundation for further growth north
of the River Thames and into east
London.”
The company has won and
retained routes. Most notable
among the wins are the 453
and 24, two major routes taken
from Selkent and Metroline
respectively. Among the
retentions are New Cross’s 36
and 436 and Putney’s 22, all of
which have been operated by GoAhead for years.
John said: “However, we have
had enormous success as well
away from front line operations.
“For example, earlier in the year
our engineers celebrated a trio of
accolades for their expertise – the
company was consistently at the
top of London Buses league table
for inspections carried out on the
fleet by the Freight Transport
Association; London General and
London Central had the highest
first-time MOT pass rate of any
Go-Ahead company and, last but
not least, we passed our triennial
reassessment for ISO 9001
Quality System.
“We also have an excellent
apprenticeship scheme, which is
acknowledged as among the very
best in the country, and a group of
very enthusiastic and successful
John Trayner.
young people working towards a
lasting career in engineering.
“During the summer we held
what we hope will be the first of
an annual event to celebrate the
achievements of our employees.
More than 50 people were
nominated for our Employee of
the Year awards and 38 attended
a fabulous event in the grounds of
Addington Palace.”
John turned his attention to the
future.
Challenges
“We have achieved much in the
past year, but we cannot afford to
be complacent. We will soon be
the biggest operator in the capital
and that means we have more to
lose than anyone else. But that
isn’t going to happen.
“London Buses is demanding
more now than ever before and
we have to be ready to meet
these new challenges.
“There’s no question that
London’s operators have got their
act together on reliability and
now London Buses wants to see
enhancements elsewhere. This
will involve improved presentation
of buses and even higher driving
standards.
“We understand there will be
additions and modifications to
the Quality Incentive Contract
and new-style mystery travellers
who will be looking for much
more than good driving. A
major new element will involve
the assessment of overall
performances of every garage in
London.
“All this is designed to improve
services for customers, which is
how it should be, but it puts our
operation under the spotlight like
never before. Everything we do
operationally will be examined
when London Buses decides
which operator should run its
routes. Winning new routes
in future will make additional
demands on us all.
“Most pressing right now,
however, is iBus, which is
designed to improve service
performance and will be of
enormous benefit to controllers,
drivers and the travelling public.”
John also touched on new
European driver licensing
regulations due to come into force
in September next year.
Called ‘Driver Certificate of
Professional Competence’ the
new regulations are designed
to improve road safety and
recognise and accredit the
knowledge and skill required to
drive a bus professionally.
John said: “There are many
challenges ahead for the
company and every employee.
My attitude is bring it on. We’ve
met challenges successfully
before and we can do it again.
“Finally, on behalf of all the
directors, I wish all of you a happy
Christmas and a peaceful new
year. And I thank you for all the
hard work you’ve put in to make
this year a very successful one.”
Danny’s on the crest of a wave.
Meet London’s
top bus driver
– Danny Tiwari
DANNY TIWARI is London’s top bus driver.
The former Waterside Way driver, who has since become a
regulator based at Merton, was chosen as London’s number
one from a group of five drivers short listed for the Luke ReesPulley Charitable Trust ‘Top London Bus Driver’ award.
Danny said: “I’m absolutely over the moon. I felt honoured to
be nominated, but to have won is something very special.”
Danny was interviewed for national television on The One
Show and was joined by his wife, Jenny, following the awards
ceremony.
He was asked if it was the most memorable day in his life.
Danny said it was apart from the birth of his two children.
He also thanked London General for giving him the
opportunity to drive a bus.
The UK Bus Awards recognise companies and individuals
throughout the country for their work over the past year. The
event is the most prestigious ceremony of its kind in the
industry’s calendar.
The Luke Rees-Pulley award is given in memory of the
former Putney driver.
Danny began his career on the buses at Putney just over
a year ago. He later transferred to Waterside Way and has
collected a number of commendations from his passengers
and good reports from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA).
Prior to joining the bus industry, Danny was employed by a
logistics company in the United States. On returning to this
country, he worked in finance and became a senior consultant
for a large bank.
l UK Bus Awards – full story on page 2.
Waterloo the first for iBus
THE year 2008 is set to be among
the most challenging in London
General’s history as London
Buses’ new service control
technology, iBus, is introduced.
The multi-million pound Londonwide project uses the very latest
state-of-the-art satellite-based
tracking technology to show
precisely where buses are and
their proximity to each other.
The latest dates for driver
training and bus conversion are
as follows, although there may be
delays if there are difficulties.
Driver training: Waterloo, April
21 to 29; Stockwell, May 13 to
June 5; Mandela Way, June 17
to July 1; Putney and Waterside
Way, June 18 to July 4; Sutton,
July 8 to 23; Merton July 15 to
August 4.
iBus installation: Waterloo,
April 30 to May 12; Stockwell,
June 6 to July 1; Mandela Way,
July 2 to 4; Putney, July 7 to
21; Waterside Way, July 22 and
23; Sutton, July 24 to August 4;
Merton, August 5 to 27.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO OUR READERS
2 In General
UK BUS AWARDS
Staff delighted as
Putney makes top
five in the capital
PUTNEY is among the top five
garages in London.
Transport for London made the
announcement at the UK Bus
Awards in London last month
(November).
The event is the most
prestigious in the industry’s
calendar and this particular prize,
which is sponsored by TfL, is
open to virtually every garage in
London that operates services for
London Buses.
General manager Gill Tynan
said: “We are all absolutely
delighted with the result. We
came first last year and our
position in the top five this year is
testament to the team’s continued
pursuit of excellence against
competition that gets tougher
every year.”
More than 80 garages in
London are eligible for the London
Buses Garage of the Year award.
A small number of garages are
notified by TfL that they are put
on a short list – these are usually
the garages with the best road
performance.
The general manager is then
asked to make a submission on
what the garage does to achieve
its performance.
Gill’s submission majored on
the garage’s training and career
development structure. She said:
“It is acknowledged that at the
heart of any effective organisation
is a well-trained, customerfocused workforce.”
Among the initiatives at the
garage are English lessons for
Polish drivers, training evaluations
STEVE BRIANT is among the
top seven Customer Service
Champions on London’s buses.
The veteran Merton driver
attended the UK Bus Awards
to compete against six
other industry workers for
the Transport for Londonsponsored award.
Steve said: “I couldn’t believe
I was nominated. It’s an honour
really that people recognise the
work you do.”
Steve has worked at Merton
since 1984, when he joined
the industry as a conductor
after gaining qualifications in
catering. He became a driver
shortly afterwards.
“I enjoyed my work in
catering, but wanted a change,”
said Steve. “I love this job. I’ll
always be a bus driver. You
meet lots of different people
and you have real responsibility
when you’re out on the road.”
Steve’s larger than life
personality is acknowledged
by colleagues in the garage
and by his passengers who
“continually commend him
for his courtesy” and “overall
friendly and approachable
attitude”.
He has also been commended
several times for the
professional way he goes about
his driving.
Steve, who won the Merton
garage road manager’s award in
2005, said he treated everyone
who boarded his bus as an
individual. “If I have people who
are rude and abusive, I remain
calm and polite and try to bring
the temperature down if I can.
“I like to have a joke with
people and welcome customers
aboard. Sometimes, like
everyone else, I might have an
off day. Maybe I’ll be a little less
chatty, but I’m still polite and
drive to the best of my ability.”
Steve is married to Christine,
who is a professional cook,
and, Steve said, her cooking
probably accounted for his
figure!
Putney staff celebrate their second year in the top five.
for new and existing staff,
recognition for top drivers on
a monthly basis to encourage
high driving standards and good
customer relations.
Gill also highlighted the
garage’s job shadowing
programme involving operating,
engineering and road staff and
the regular inter-departmental
‘team’ meetings, which are
used to thrash out ideas for
improvements across the garage.
Gill told In General: “The
Help is at hand with
cost of
childcare
PARENTS using registered
childcare may be missing out
on government tax and National
Insurance relief, possibly
amounting to more than £1,000
every year.
Parents who have children in
registered childcare (childminder,
nursery, breakfast, holiday or
after-school club) can exchange
up to £55 of salary or wages a
week for childcare vouchers. They
will then pay no tax or NI on these
vouchers.
The childcare voucher scheme
was introduced to London
General and London Central on
May 1 in association with P and
MM Limited, a company with
more than 40 years’ experience
in the provision of benefits for
employees.
Personnel manager Des
Farthing said: “We would like to
remind working parents that this
scheme is open equally to men
and women and encourage all
eligible staff to take advantage of
Steve’s customer
skills up there
with the best
the savings it offers.
“This is a salary sacrifice
scheme, which is a governmentapproved, tax-friendly way of
paying for all or part of your
childcare costs by exchanging a
proportion of salary or wages.”
Employees should have
received booklets detailing this
scheme and others in May, but
if you would like to learn more,
contact your line manager in the
first instance.
l P and MM has arrangements
with a range of businesses,
including travel, leisure, motoring
and entertainment, offering
significant discounts to employees
of London General and London
Central.
submission underlined that
everything we do is aimed at
adding quality to our operations,
from basic job training right the
way through to our ongoing health
and safety programmes.
“Our whole philosophy is
focused on delivery and safety
around the clock. London Buses’
continued confidence in us
shows that we are doing that
job well and it is a tribute to the
professionalism of everyone at
this garage.”
Steve’s among the top seven customer service champions.
General is the
‘Perfect Partner’
Sutton’s in safe hands
Safety first – from left, Gordon Shurety, Keith Gibbins, Tom
Monteith, Colin Langford, Paul Broomhall, Gerry Vincent, Martin
Fleming and Keith Bloor.
WELL over 100 members
of staff and their partners
attended Sutton’s annual safe
driving get-together.
Held at Carshalton Athletic
Football Club, guests enjoyed a
buffet and disco.
General manager Colin
Langford presented drivers
with their certificates, assisted
by operating manager Derek
Barker.
Seven drivers were awarded
certificates for 29-plus years of
safety on the road.
They were Gordon Shurety
and Tom Monteith, both with 29
years, Martin Fleming, 30, Keith
Bloor, 33, Paul Broomhall and
Keith Gibbins, 35, and Gerry
Vincent, 37.
Derek said: “I would like to
thank Tony Merrell and John
Doyle on behalf of all those
who attended for putting on
such an excellent evening.”
GO-AHEAD rail operator
Southeastern has awarded
London General’s rail replacement
team its ‘Perfect Partnership’
award.
The prize, part of the operator’s
‘Go The Extra Mile’ awards, was
shared with Network Rail and
announced by Southeastern’s
managing director Charles Horton.
Staff from Sutton garage,
the commercial department at
No 18, Metrobus and outside
contractors ran a relief operation
for three weeks in August when
engineering works closed part of
the rail network in the Tunbridge
Wells area. Alan Austen was the
senior controller on site and he
was assisted by staff from London
General and Metrobus.
Commercial manager Colin
Farrant said: “I am delighted that
our staff have won this award. It
was a real team effort and once
again shows our ability to handle
big rail relief projects.”
In General 3
Company’s thanks for
long and loyal service
VETERAN employees gathered at the Park Plaza Hotel, Victoria,
last month (November) to enjoy the annual evening put on solely
to thank staff for their loyalty over 25, 35 and 40 years.
Managing director John Trayner welcomed guests and introduced Sir
Patrick Brown, who has been associated with the company since 1999
and chairman of the Go-Ahead Group since 2002.
John outlined the company’s achievements over the past year and
said that growth would lead to more drivers, more buses and additional
premises.
He said: “Expansion has been the theme of this year, but none of it
would have been possible without our staff and the part played by the
people we are saluting tonight.”
John also reminded guests about what was happening in the world
when they started their careers with London Transport, as it was then.
For example, 25 years ago Spurs won the FA Cup final, beating QPR
1-0 in a replay, the Ford Sierra was launched in Europe and Channel
Four was launched.
In 1972, Leeds beat Arsenal in the FA Cup final and Mark Spitz won
seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics.
In 1967 Spurs beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final and Concorde was
unveiled in France.
Together they’ve given
500 years to industry
25 years
David Clark, engineering
manager, Camberwell; Gary
Conn, accident prevention
manager, Merton; Tony Isaac,
engineering administration
assistant, Merton; John Povey,
senior vehicle engineer, New
Cross; Brian Sales, senior
vehicle engineer, Camberwell;
Alfred Stevely, driver, New
Cross; Jenny Turner, group
purchasing manager, Head
Office.
35 years
Frank Darch, technical
support manager, Head Office;
Keith Gibbins, driver, Sutton;
Richard Hobson, stores hand,
Putney; Colin Welch, driver,
Bexleyheath.
40 years
Eric Gates, driver, Peckham;
John Heath, senior vehicle
engineer, Bexleyheath;
William Hillsden, driver, New
Cross; Mick McEnery, driver,
Merton.
Waterloo wins
safety honours
TRIALS on buses aimed at
minimising the risk of accidents
to passengers won the team from
Waterloo garage top prize in the
company’s safety competition
last month.
The competition is held
annually and teams are asked
to come up with ideas on safety
themes – this year the subject
was ‘passenger safety’.
Teams of up to six members
of staff from each garage
suggested ways to improve
‘passenger safety’ and of getting
the message across to all
members of staff.
While the team from London
General’s artic garage claimed
first prize, Camberwell and
Sutton were joint runners-up.
Among the initiatives employed
by Waterloo to improve safety is
yellow cross-hatching – similar
to that on box junctions – to
urge passengers not to stand in
Service with a smile: from left, Jenny Turner, Richard Hobson, Tony Isaac, Frank Darch, Keith Gibbins,
Gary Conn and Michael McEnery.
places that obscure the driver’s
interior mirror. The crosshatching is being trialled on one
bus and additional hand straps
have been fitted at exit doors on
another vehicle.
Risk and safety manager
Andrew Smith said: “The
standard of entries was
extremely high this year and
it is obvious that a great deal
of thought is going on in the
garages to improve all aspects of
safety.”
The prize presentation,
which was held at the Bankside
restaurant, was attended by
managing director John Trayner
and special guest, group chief
executive Keith Ludeman.
Judges were engineering
director Phil Margrave, Andrew
Smith, London Central Unite
convenor Barry King and Steve
Dimond, from Go-Ahead’s health
and safety consultancy PHSC.
Members of staff from London General and London Central who have all given more than 40 years
each to the industry were invited to attend the event. They are joined by Sir Patrick Brown, centre of
the photograph at back.
Safety first – the
winning team from
Waterloo. From
left, they are Alan
Russell, Roland
Pieters and Mark
Spencer. They
are accompanied
by group chief
executive Keith
Ludeman and
managing director
John Trayner.
All smiles from
Sutton’s team
members. From
left, they are
Michael Gabriel,
John Doyle, Derek
Barker, Tony
Merrell and John
Scott. They are
accompanied by
John Trayner and
Keith Ludeman.
4 In General
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
‘Great to
be back in
operations’
says Glenn
Glenn Harrison.
THE company has appointed
Glenn Harrison as a base
manager at Waterloo garage.
Glenn has almost 30 years’
experience in the industry. He
began driving buses when it was
“three pedals and a crash box”
and has worked in places as far
apart as Barnsley, in Yorkshire,
down to Plumstead and Sutton.
He was night manager at
Sutton in 1989 and did special
projects work at Stockwell, Putney
and Victoria. He later became
operations manager at Selkent’s
Plumstead garage and then
managing director of London’s
Scancoaches, his earlier
experience with Shearings in the
north coming in useful.
Glenn then became a
consultant in the industry for
about 10 years until he was
appointed operations manager
for Interclean at Merton garage
earlier this year. He held this
job for about three months while
waiting for a suitable position with
Go-Ahead.
“It’s great to be back in
operations again,” said Glenn,
“and I’ve already met a number of
people I used to know years ago.
“As a base manager at
Waterloo you get involved in
everything that goes on in the
garage. It’s quite unusual and I’m
learning a lot about the way the
company works.
“Waterloo itself is a very
successful garage and my job is
to play my part in maintaining its
high standards.”
Other operational changes
include:
l Derek Barker, who has been
appointed operating manager at
Sutton garage. Derek was a base
manager at Waterloo, but has
been on secondment to Sutton
since January this year
l Bernie Rajewski, who has been
appointed assistant operating
manager / accident prevention
manager at Bexleyheath garage.
Bernie was training team
manager at Camberwell
l Peter Russell, who has been
appointed operating manager at
Docklands. Peter was assistant
operating manager at New Cross.
Engineering:
l Following Richard Harrington’s
promotion to chief engineer, Gerry
Fleming and Ian Saich have been
appointed joint training managers
(engineering).
Duo’s contribution to
safety and citizenship
FIVE drivers from London
General and London Central
are doing their bit to make
good citizenship the norm on
the capital’s buses.
They are John Doyle (Sutton),
Stephen McGinley (Putney),
Alan Church (Peckham) and
Colin Welch and Bob Wiltshire
(both from Bexleyheath).
All five responded to a call
from Transport for London a
year ago for people to act as
volunteer schools liaison officers
(VSLOs). They have completed
their training and have now
qualified with Blue Badge status,
which means they are qualified
to work on their own without
being supervised on-site by TfL
representatives.
The safety and citizenship
initiative, which is based at the
London Transport Museum, is
aimed at improving the behaviour
of children at junior and senior
schools – from 10 to 16 years old
– as they travel on the capital’s
transport system.
Transport for London has
organised about 100 volunteers
from all parts of the capital’s
transport system to spread the
word. Volunteers have been
trained specifically to do the
work and their managers have
indicated a willingness to release
them to help TfL.
The work of the VSLOs varies
from in-school presentations,
involvement with Junior Citizen
Schemes and special events right
the way through to reparation
Above: Stephen
McGinley often advises
youngsters about using
Oyster cards.
Left: John Doyle
believes in the scheme,
but says it could take
“some years” before
improvements are
seen. Here he points to
glass in a bus shelter
damaged by vandals.
meetings with offenders.
Putney’s Stephen McGinley
said: “The project is largely aimed
at making youngsters more
responsible when they use public
transport. Within that our job is
to explain to them how to use
transport safely and to respect
passengers, staff and, of course,
the vehicles themselves.”
Stephen explained that he
wanted to get involved when he
saw two youngsters run in front of
his bus just as he was moving off.
“I was near a pedestrian
crossing, but these two lads
didn’t give a thought to other
vehicles that could have been
overtaking me. They were lucky,
but I thought there and then that
more education could be given to
youngsters.
“I saw the article in In General
and decided to find out more.
And here I am. I enjoy bus driving
because I think it’s important, but
working with youngsters is very
rewarding and it is good for the
community as a whole.”
Stephen has worked on the
buses for well over a year and
before that he worked in banking
for 18 years and then as a life
coach and master practitioner
in neuro-linguistic programming.
Stephen is a qualified hypnotist.
John Doyle said: “I love doing
this work. Initially we went to the
museum for an interview and
then we did our training at Acton,
which is another of LT Museum’s
facilities.
“Even though I passed the
training I didn’t really know what
to expect when I started doing
the scheme for real. Now, having
being involved with the Junior
Citizen Scheme and special
events at places like London
Zoo, a mosque and at the Linford
Christie stadium, I’d like to do it
full time!”
John added that the scheme
was “very positive” for the
community, but that it would take
time before the improvement
could be measured significantly,
“possibly some years”.
Crufts is calling Dave swings to
quality victory
Garth with his championship dogs Rolland, left, and Mr Whinge.
SUTTON senior vehicle engineer
Garth Smith is looking forward
to 2008 with anticipation … and
trepidation.
He’s already asking himself:
can we win again?
Earlier this year he and his
wife Beryl claimed their first class
winner at the world famous Crufts
dog show with Jolakada Cha Cha
Warrior, or Mr Whinge, to give the
big four-year-old Newfoundland
his ‘pet’ name.
And Mr Whinge’s brother,
Jolakada Danzino, or Rolland,
came fifth (very highly
commended).
In just three months time,
however, Garth and his wife will
enter Mr Whinge and Rolland
at Crufts 2008 as well as their
two-year-old sister Dee Dee, or
Jolakada Double Delight.
In order to enter Crufts a dog
has to be recognised officially
by the Kennel Club to be among
the very best of its breed, for
example a first, second or third
place winner at an acknowledged
champion show.
Garth said: “We have entered
Crufts for a number of years
now, but we have never done as
well. I can’t tell you how we felt
– over the moon would be a fair
description.
“We are really looking forward
to Crufts in March, but we’re a bit
nervous because we’d obviously
like to do as well as we did this
year. Who knows, we might even
win best in show!”
WELL done to all golfers who took
part in this year’s London General
and London Central knockout
tournament, which was held at
Mitcham Golf Club between April
and October, writes tournament
organiser Jeff Handford.
Three group stages had
very competitive matches and
unfortunately not every golfer
could make the group finals.
The successful players to make
the grand final were winner with
40 points, head office-based
quality auditor Dave Varney,
Merton engineer Paul Daly with
38 points and managing director
John Trayner with 33 points.
Congratulations
Those who finished second
in the group stages were chief
engineer Richard Harrington,
Stockwell engineer Alex McComb
and Merton driver Bob Longley.
I would like to thank all those
who took part in this competition.
Congratulations to Stockwell’s
Ray Utting, Dave Watson, Paul
Thomas and George Monachello
for winning the Garage versus
Hotshots: clockwise, Alex
McComb, Jeff Handford, John
Trayner, Dave Varney and
Richard Harrington.
Garage competition, which took
place at Mitcham Golf Club on
September 7.
Runner-up team was Cliff
Grant, Paul Irons, Martin Lawless
and Dave Devaney. Third place
team was Steve Powell, Colin
Grant, Chris Roberts and Steven
Mills.
Football teams raise
£3,000 for
baby unit
Merton 1
Sutton 3
FOOTBALLERS from Merton
and Sutton have put their best
feet forward to raise money for
charity.
Although the scoreline was
3-1 to Sutton, the game was
nowhere near as important as
raising £3,000 for Friends of the
Neo-Natal Unit at Tooting’s St
George’s Hospital.
Merton driver Scott Horney was
the main organiser of the match
and thanked Sutton for getting a
team together at the last minute.
Scott said: “I would also like
to thank Sutton Sports and
Social Club for donating a large
sum of money at very short
notice and the people who work
at head office next door for
their donations. We also had
tremendous support from Merton
garage and family and friends.”
Key helpers were Nigel Wood,
Mark and Tracy Bolton, John
Doyle and Scott’s wife Danielle.
Every player was sponsored
and among the raffle prizes
were a team photograph signed
by Arsenal players and signed
footballs from Wimbledon, Fulham
and Millwall. Scott’s parents
donated tickets for Wimbledon
Theatre and a week’s vacation in
a holiday home.
The charity match, which may
become an annual event, was
first played last year when Merton
driver Poppy Stevenson asked
Scott for help to raise money to
buy a special bicycle for a friend’s
disabled daughter. The team,
which challenged players from
Peckham garage, raised £1,600.
Little did Scott know at the
time that he would be helping to
organise a match a year later for
a cause much closer to his heart.
His and Danielle’s first child,
Sophia, was born 11 weeks
prematurely on June 1. She
weighed just 3lb and both parents
feared for her life.
Now, months later, she’s a
bonny 10lb and getting stronger
every day.
Best foot forward for charity. Inset: Scott with baby Sophia.
Specialist
Scott said: “When Sophia was
born she was little bigger than the
palm of my hand. The doctors and
nurses at St George’s Hospital
were fantastic. Not only did they
look after her really well, but we
were spending a lot of time in the
neo-natal ward and they taught us
how to look after her.”
Sophia spent six weeks in the
unit and still sees a specialist
nurse.
“It’s been a tremendously
emotional year for the family,”
said Scott, “and it’s made me
realise how important family,
friends and colleagues are.”
Scott is hoping to arrange an
annual charity football competition
for all the garages in the GoAhead company and said that he
and other members of the team
would consider suggestions from
colleagues at the garage for other
good causes, with an emphasis
on local organisations.
Sutton’s footballers got a fine team together at short notice.
Merton’s footballers do their bit for charity.
Nerina’s TLC brings RM back to life
In the driving seat – Nerina with
her 1962 Routemaster.
NERINA HUGHES is used to
being in the minority … after all,
female driving instructors on the
capital’s buses are few and far
between. And it’s certain that
even fewer actually own a London
bus.
But Nerina does. She has a
1962 Routemaster and loves
looking after it and taking it to
shows and rallies, which she
attends with her husband Mark.
Nerina bought RM1063 three
years ago. It needed a lot of
Nerina’s never wavered in her affection for Routemasters.
tender love and care to restore
it to its full glory because the
previous owner had struggled
to meet the costs involved in its
upkeep.
“The red paint had faded and
turned pink,” said Nerina, who
sold a classic RF to pay for the
bus to be repainted in original
London Transport red.
And now Nerina’s Routemaster
attracts a great deal of admiring
attention with its exterior and
interior paintwork brought back to
life and upholstery refurbished.
It is all original specification with
classic interior lighting and the
original AEC engine.
“I like to keep it clean and tidy
at all times,” said Nerina, “but
at shows I like it to be in tiptop
condition and look immaculate.
“Mark and I have a mutual
interest in buses, but he’s the
real enthusiast,” said Nerina, who
is based at Camberwell garage.
“Apart from the fact that I want
to be involved and enjoy it, I
think I must be one of very few
wives who allow model buses,
pictures and bus stop signs in the
living room. Our house is like a
museum!”
While Nerina heaps attention
on her Routemaster, her other
passion – besides Mark, of course
– is classic cars. She owns a
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and a
1936 Austin Ascot. Both are kept
in beautiful condition, just like
RM1063.
In General 5
Knights of
the road
What the travelling
public says about the
people who work for
London General
MERTON
l MEMBERS of the output’s
admin team are praised for the
“professional” way they kept in
contact with Adam Brackstone
while they traced his mislaid
mobile phone.
l PASSENGER Karim Attia
commends the garage for its
operation of Route 77 in general,
and in particular driver Peter
Thistle who was spotted checking
his bus thoroughly before leaving
the terminus on time. “I was very
impressed,” says Karim in an
email.
l ROUTE 163 drivers Mark
Healey and Diane Howlett are
thanked for their pleasantness
and driving by passenger Barbara
Saunders.
l PASSENGER Glenda Romain
praises Route 219 driver Mark
Ingold for his politeness and for
being “informative, cheerful and
an excellent driver”.
PUTNEY
l PASSENGERS complimented
Route 14 driver Ernest Adetayo
for the way he dealt with four
abusive teenage girls. Ernest
refused to move the bus and the
girls got off after some minutes.
Passenger Carol Paddison writes
that Ernest did “very well”.
l A MAN contacted the company
to thank driver Vic Williams for
helping his wife and son. The
woman was with her nine-yearold son on a Route 424 bus when
she felt threatened by one of a
number of school children. The
woman told Vic who ordered
culprit to get off the bus.
l PASSENGER Margaret Mead
thanks members of staff for
reuniting her with a handbag,
which she left behind by mistake
on a Route 14 bus. “Many, many
thanks for your help,” she writes.
STOCKWELL
l DEIRDRE CLARKE is
“grateful” to Route 345 driver
Daniel Stopher for returning her
bag. Ms Clarke says Daniel was
“professional and very helpful”.
l DRIVER Liaquat Shahzad is
commended by a passenger for
being “very courteous, polite and
helpful”.
l ROUTE 87 passenger Neil
Johnson inadvertently left his
wallet on the bus and expresses
his gratitude to driver Mohammad
Patel for returning it. Mohammad
is “someone who is willing to go
out of his way to help customers”.
SUTTON
l ROUTE 151 driver Andrew
Baldock is described by Emily
Evans as “lovely, one of the nicest
bus drivers ever”. She describes
how “friendly and patient” he is
with all his passengers.
l PATRICIA ALLEN is so
impressed with six drivers on
Route 413 that she has found out
their names and written a letter to
praise them all. They are James
Barham, Andrew Brown, David
Harman, David Hughes, David
Millard and Stephen Shepherd.
Ms Allen is disabled and says that
these drivers are “patient, polite
and caring”.
6 In General
LEISURE
FACE
Snow pastime for
the faint-hearted
FACE
It’s dangerous,
it’s fun – it’s
snowboarding
Snowboarding to a new level
– Michael in action.
IT’S ONE of the fastestgrowing sports in the world …
and it’s dangerous.
!
But you won’t need to tell that
to Michael Gabriel because he’s
already suffered plenty of injuries
including concussion, torn knee
ligaments and lost teeth.
No, it’s not boxing. It’s
snowboarding.
It’s like skateboarding without
the wheels and hurtling hell for
leather down a mountainside.
Good snowboarders can travel
for distances of several miles at
Michael rests up following exertions in the United States.
speeds up to 70 mph.
The Sutton satellite manager
said: “I started snowboarding
when I was in my early ’30s in
1995 and I wish I’d started a lot
earlier, if only because the injuries
would heal quicker.”
Michael’s passion for the sport
has taken him to mountain ranges
in the United States and Europe.
In 2004 he and his friends were
in the same hotel as teams
taking part in the Nokia world
championships.
“The organisers thought
we were part of the British
contingent,” said Michael, “and
really made a fuss of us. We got
free T-shirts and other perks and
we didn’t have the heart to tell
them we were only there for the
fun of it.”
Michael said compared with
other high-adrenalin activities,
the kit required for the sport is
relatively inexpensive, but a good
snowboard could cost up to £750
and there’s the protective clothing
as well – probably about £2,000
in all.
“But it’s worth every penny.
It’s incredibly exciting and you’re
just focused on getting down
a mountain upright and in one
piece. There’s jumping as well,”
he added. “I did it once and fell on
the side of my face. That’s when
I spat out a wisdom tooth and I’d
only jumped about four feet in the
air, although it felt a lot higher.”
Michael said the highest and
fastest he’s ever snowboarded
was in Breckenridge, Colorado,
in 1997.
“It’s the centre of skiing
activities and I think the longest
distance I did was about eight
miles, I also got up to about 45
mph. It was fantastic.”
Now, Michael is hoping to
snowboard in the Italian Alps
early next year.
“I’m 43 and most people who do
it are youngsters, “ said Michael,
“but I’ve no intention of giving up.
The risk is all part of the attraction
and I’ll go on until I have to stop.”
CUT ROUND DOTTED LINE
YOU COULD WIN £100 IN OUR
CHRISTMAS COMPETITION
Operations manager
(recruitment) Winston
Cox is among the
company’s most well
known and respected
characters, having
worked for the company
in a number of roles for
many years. He is based
at Camberwell.
Q Which well-known celebrity
would you most like to meet
and why?
A Sir Trevor McDonald, because
he looks like me.
Q Which television show would
you most like to appear in?
A Mastermind.
Q What is your least favourite
chore?
A Cleaning paint brushes after
DIY.
Q Which character trait do you
most like in other people?
A Honesty and integrity.
Q Which character trait do you
least like in other people?
A Indiscipline.
Q Which character trait do you
least like about yourself?
A Signs of frustration over
sloppiness.
Q Your favourite film (any era)
and why?
A The Quiet Man, starring
John Wayne. I like the sheer
determination of the main
character.
Q If you had your time over
again, which career would you
like to pursue?
A Same as I have at present. It
has been very gratifying.
YOU could win £100 in high street shopping vouchers just by
answering correctly the five questions below. Just underline
or circle the answer you think is correct and send your
entry to: Christmas Competition (London General), Ruxley
Communications, 81 High Street, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey
KT12 1DN.
The author of the first all correct entry selected at random
will be notified by telephone and arrangements made to send
the prize to you. Entries should reach the above address by
Friday, January 18.
Only London General employees are eligible and the
judges’ decision is final.
Q Your idea of the perfect day
is …?
A When everything has gone to
plan.
THE QUESTIONS
Q If you were the prime
minister’s top adviser, what
would you advise him to do
next?
A Make sure we kept all our
promises, made during the
previous election campaign.
Which famous English footballer joined Major League soccer
side LA Galaxy in the United States this year?
a) John Terry, b) Ashley Cole, c) David Beckham?
Q Your favourite pastime?
A Watching good movies,
particularly old westerns.
Q If you were given £100 to
donate to charity, which one
would it be?
A Liver Transplant Foundation.
Geri Halliwell.
Ashley Cole.
Please complete the form below
In which year was Mr Blobby the UK Christmas number one
song?
a) 1952, b) 1993, c) 2004.
Only one female vocalist has ever had a Christmas number one
in this country. Who is she?
a) Whitney Houston, b) Geri Halliwell, c) Sharon Osbourne?
Name ..................................................................................................
Job title ..............................................................................................
Q Name one person (dead or
alive) you consider to be ‘great’
and why?
A Nelson Mandela, because of his
selfless dedication.
Location .............................................................................................
By what name is Boxing Day, December 26, also known?
a) St Andrew’s Day, b) St Valentine’s Day, c) St Stephen’s Day.
Home telephone ................................................................................
Trafalgar Square has been presented with a Christmas tree for
almost 60 years. Does it come from:
a) Scotland, b) Australia, c) Norway?
Mobile .................................................................................................
Q If you could go back in time,
which period would you return
to?
A The 1950s and ‘60s because
people seemed to have more
respect for each other and there
was more discipline.
Published by London General Transport Services. Written and designed by Ruxley Communications, 81 High Street, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Printed by Evolve Print Solutions, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.