Brighton Chamber speaks to Martin Harris, MD at Brighton & Hove Bus Co

New managing director of Brighton & Hove Buses Martin Harris describes taking his new job as “a chance [he] couldn’t refuse.”

How does he feel about following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Roger French?

“It’s a fantastic platform from which to build,” he said, “I don’t feel fazed. I think it’s just really exciting to have the opportunity to build on that.”

“I have my own take on things. People will take a bit of time to get to know how I do things,” he added.

Martin started his career working for Liverpool Council. In 1980 he was taken on by the Southdown bus company, and it was during his time there that he joined the National Bus Company’s senior management training scheme. Based largely in Brighton, it was this scheme that provided Martin with his first introduction to the area.

Martin then spent two years with the West Riding bus company in Yorkshire before returning to Sussex, where he became part of the management team that formed Brighton and Hove Buses. After 11 years as the company’s business manager, Martin moved to the North East to join what is now Go North East, where he became commercial director.

Even in the early stages of his career, Martin was working on aspects of marketing and HR that had not previously been utilised by the transport industry.

“After de-regulation in 1986, we could bring in more of our own rules. We were concentrating on building customer service,” he said, adding, “we were changing the way bus companies did things.”

After moving to Go North East, part of the Go-Ahead Group that also owns Brighton and Hove Buses, Martin began to look at “new, fresh approaches to working again, especially in creating new partnership models.”

“In more recent years we [Go North East] became famous or notorious for our bus branding. We showed how successful that could be. The strategies we were using were relatively rare in the bus industry, particularly on such a large scale,” he continued.

When asked what his aims were for Brighton & Hove Buses, Martin said he was looking for fresh ideas, and to find ways to persuade even more people to leave their cars at home and take the bus.

Martin said he will also be focusing on strengthening the link between Brighton and Hove Buses and the Metrobus service in Crawley, which was named Transport Operator of the Year at the National Transport Awards in 2012.

Although he made it very clear that he loves the transport industry, Martin admitted that his entry into the business was “a bit more accidental” as he was “never a bus enthusiast.”

“I was looking to develop my career”, he explained, “aviation was really my thing.”

Moving on to talk about his specific plans for Brighton & Hove Buses, Martin said he would be looking to improve reliability and punctuality as far as possible, and that he is aiming to upgrade the real-time system that displays live departure times at bus stops and online. He added that he also hopes to address the issue of capacity at the company’s depots.

Martin suggested special ticketing schemes for families and unemployed people were two possibilities that could be considered, and added that the company will continue to try to reach those people who could use the bus service but don’t do so.

When asked what effect the city centre’s new 20mph zone, which was introduced in April, has had on bus services, Martin said: “During April we had the highest punctuality results since July 2011, so it appears to have been beneficial.”

However, he tempered his comments by suggesting that this might be a “town centre phenomenon.”

In terms of making bus travel more environmentally friendly, Martin explained that the company has 20 new vehicles coming in the next few months that have Euro V standard emission-reducing engines.

Martin added that he hoped there would be a re-run of the government’s Green Bus Fund scheme so that the company could consider buying more hybrid electric vehicles, which cost over £100,000 more than regular buses.

Other measures are also being taken to promote a more environmentally friendly service. “We’re working with Ricardo in Shoreham to optimise engine performance,” Martin explained.

However, he emphasised that travelling by bus is one of the greenest modes of transport: “It’s a greater part of the solution than it is a part of the problem.”

Innovations in new ways to pay, such as buying tickets on smartphones, will continue to develop.

“It’s going to keep growing,” he said, “we’re not that far away from them [smartphones] being able to be read by the ticket machines.”

However, bus users can rest assured that old-fashioned paper tickets won’t disappear completely, as Martin emphasised that the option to pay by cash “always needs to be there as well.” “We don’t want to turn people away”, he added.

The tradition of naming each vehicle in the fleet after a famous Brighton and Hove resident, which provides the company with a “huge file” of suggestions for candidates from the public, is also something Martin wants to uphold: “I never cease to be amazed at the stories that come through.”

Finally, Martin outlined what he believes is needed to run a successful business: “Passion, belief, commitment. You’ve got to be totally committed to a business.”

He also touched on the particular challenge of running a private company that provides a public service, explaining that this involves “showing how you can support other people’s agendas as well as your own.”

Martin also stressed the importance of “taking people with you where sometimes it’s going to be difficult.”

With Martin Harris on board, it seems that Brighton & Hove Buses aims to continue its journey, albeit with an updated route and someone new at the wheel.

Hear a podcast of Martin's talk at the Chamber breakfast on 28th June 2013 here: http://www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/chamber-live/podcasts/bus-journey-breakfast
 

Written by Rosalind Branagan
@rsb_2013
www.jwtrainee.wordpress.com

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