Travel Express / Lets Go

[Solo1]

Wonder if they will be in fleet livery or like last time that if the last op

[Tony]

The main condition of the granting of the new license appears to be that Kish Chumber has nothing to do with the operation or the maintenance of the vehicles.

The TC actually suggested he could drive a bus but not repair it. He has a TM but now needs a mechanic and is advertising at £10-£12 per hour for 50 hours per week.

So the first £600 per week in takings goes on the mechanic, then he has to pay his new TM, presumably more than the mech, before he even starts on direct running costs, fuel, drivers wages, other maintenance costs etc, so even if he has all 8 buses he has been granted out in service he has got to find routes with a fairly decent level of takings to make the new operation viable.

[Stuharris 6360]

The main condition of the granting of the new license appears to be that Kish Chumber has nothing to do with the operation or the maintenance of the vehicles.

The TC actually suggested he could drive a bus but not repair it. He has a TM but now needs a mechanic and is advertising at £10-£12 per hour for 50 hours per week.

So the first £600 per week in takings goes on the mechanic, then he has to pay his new TM, presumably more than the mech, before he even starts on direct running costs, fuel, drivers wages, other maintenance costs etc, so even if he has all 8 buses he has been granted out in service he has got to find routes with a fairly decent level of takings to make the new operation viable.

That would save him some money If he drove a bus himself.

Will be interesting to see what happens especially as the TC is likely to be keeping a very watchful eye on the firm.

[Bryan]

An update on Travel Express notified today by the TC and of interest are the last four lines on services that may be registered (Please note some of the text appears to be duplicated by the TC but it is just as copied from their site):

PD1140735 SN
(2248)

TRAVEL EXPRESS LTD
Director(s): NIRMAL NIRMALA CHUMBER, KISHAN SINGH CHUMBER.
30 COTON ROAD  WOLVERHAMPTON WV4 5AT
Operating Centre: 49 DUDLEY ROAD  WOLVERHAMPTON WV2 3BP
Authorisation:20 Vehicle(s).
Operating Centre: 33 CHETWYND ROAD  WOLVERHAMPTON WV2 4NZ
Authorisation:5 Vehicle(s).
Transport Manager(s): TERENCE RAYMOND JOHNSON
New Undertaking: ,,«that Mr Kishan Chumber will have no role in transport
management, even in an advisory role. For this purpose, this includes:
,,XA transport manager role generally;
,,XTimetable scheduling;
,,XDiscipline and control of drivers; and,
,,XAll aspects of maintenance of vehicles.
. Attached to Licence.
New Undertaking: ,,«that Mr Kishan Chumber will have no role in transport
management, even in an advisory role. For this purpose, this includes:
,,XA transport manager role generally;
..XTimetable scheduling;
,,XDiscipline and control of drivers; and,
,,XAll aspects of maintenance of vehicles.
. Attached to Licence.
New Undertaking: ,,«The operator will arrange for an audit of maintenance systems
and documentation undertaken by the FTA every 6 months, with the findings
copied to the OTC Birmingham and the local DVSA.. Attached to Licence.
New Undertaking: ,,«The operator will not commence operations until Transport
Manager Terence Johnson has written to the Traffic Commissioner (copied to the
local DVSA) that he is personally satisfied that staff are in place and vehicles are of
the required standard.. Attached to Licence.

[justlookingaround]

Mr Chumber is fortunate to have been granted the license but he'll no doubt get around the restrictions somehow. Would you honestly think he'd have a license where his role would just be to provide the money, keep the assets and maybe drive a bus whilst everything else is left to the mechanic and Transport Manager?

[mranon]

this has graham martin and green bus/warstones motors/white wings travel all over it. cannot see how anyone who had money invested could sit back. cant help see the tm as the face, whilst reality says normal service

[barry619]

Mr Chumber is fortunate to have been granted the license but he'll no doubt get around the restrictions somehow. Would you honestly think he'd have a license where his role would just be to provide the money, keep the assets and maybe drive a bus whilst everything else is left to the mechanic and Transport Manager?

The whole thing is very odd and I am amazed that a licence has been granted in view of past problems, even with the number of conditions (quite rightly) attached. Specifying an FTA audit every six months is unusual. The FTA is very thorough in these and it will soon pick up any issues, should they occur. There is no way to fool the Freight Transport Association so things will need to be done properly if yet another appearance in front of Nick Jones is to be avoided.

[justlookingaround]

http://www.route-one.net/legal/travel-express-wins-new-licence/

Kishan Singh Chumber's Travel Express has won a new eight-vehicle national licence, on the condition that Mr Chumber employs a full-time Transport Manager (TM), a full-time skilled mechanic, and has nothing to do with vehicle maintenance.

The company, of Coton Road, Wolverhampton, was seeking a licence authorising 20 vehicles before Traffic Commissioner (TC) Nick Jones at a Birmingham Public Inquiry.

In January 2015 the TC cut the company's licence from 13 vehicles to eight, ordered it to pay a financial penalty of £6,500, cancelled the registrations of two of its four local services, banned it from registering any new services until 15 March 2016, and held that Mr Chumber was unfit to act as TM until he had passed a further CPC exam, giving the company three months in which to appoint a new TM.

In that decision, the TC said that whether Mr Chumber was able to defer to someone else running his business was likely to be an ongoing concern.

The TC's decision was upheld by the Upper Tribunal on appeal, who said that this was a bad case and a new TM was clearly not the complete answer, especially where the new person would probably be appointed by Mr Chumber.

In September the TC revoked the company's licence after it failed to employ a new TM within the period of grace.

At the outset, the TC said that he was surprised that the application was for 20 vehicles, considering the previous history.

Questioned by the TC, the proposed TM Terence Johnson said that he was currently a driver with Central Buses. He had previously been TM for Acorn Bus & Coach and Vals Coaches.

After the TC had commented that those operators had had a very unhappy history, with high levels of non-compliance, Mr Johnson said that he had put systems in to make them compliant, but due to financial circumstances it had not happened.

He had had his own bus company with 18 vehicles. He had been Operations Manager for Rotala Blue Diamond with a staff of 200 and a licence for 160 vehicles. He believed he could make Travel Express compliant, despite Mr Chumber.

The TC said that there was a need for a highly competent, mentally strong individual who was robust and able to deal with Mr Chumber.

Mr Johnson said that he did not want Mr Chumber to inspect vehicles, no matter how qualified. A break from the past was needed. He would be employed full-time. He would prefer to keep the maintenance in-house to keep a strict eye on it.

Mr Chumber said that the main reason he wanted 20 vehicles was to take advantage of the opportunities in the Wolverhampton area to build the business. He had previously applied for 20 vehicles after buying a garage capable of holding 36 vehicles, and he wanted to be able to use those facilities. The role of Director and TM would be totally separated.

After Mr Chumber had said he would still do the physical maintenance of the vehicles, the TC said that was not what he would want him to be doing. He added: "Wielding a spanner was the problem in the past as your standards were not up to scratch. Your maintenance history was very poor."

Mr Chumber said that he was giving up the TM's role and would gradually give up the maintenance role as they obtained more maintenance staff as the business grew.

The TC said that if he granted a licence, Mr Chumber would not be involved with the maintenance of the vehicles or with supervising the mechanics. Asked whether he could cope with that, Mr Chumber replied: "I will have to, won't I."

Mr Chumber said that he had 10 PSVAR-compliant vehicles ready to go if the licence was granted and he was looking to get PSVAR certificates for another seven vehicles. He would work hand in glove with the TM, who would be responsible for all operational matters.

Mr Chumber gave undertakings that he would have no role in transport management even in an advisory capacity including all aspects of vehicle maintenance; that there would be six monthly audits of the maintenance systems by the FTA; and not to start operation until the TM had notified the TC in writing that he was personally satisfied skilled staff were in place and the vehicles were of the required standard.

Granting an eight-vehicle licence, the TC said that if things went well he would be prepared to gradually increase the authorisation.

[Stuharris 6360]

I think that the TC has been more than fair to Mr Chumber, given the previous problems to ask for a 20 vehicle licence was stupid, but with 8 vehicles, it will give Mr Chumber a chance to show that he can be trusted and the business run properly.

Suppose now we have to watch this space!

[Bryan]

I think that the TC has been more than fair to Mr Chumber, given the previous problems to ask for a 20 vehicle licence was stupid, but with 8 vehicles, it will give Mr Chumber a chance to show that he can be trusted and the business run properly.

Suppose now we have to watch this space!

A case of trying to run again before he can walk!

[mranon]

maybe a tactic to get as many as he could, but if chumber had of asked for 8, he may of only got 4 discs etc

[barry619]

The line of 'needs a mentally strong individual who can deal with Mr Chumber' gives a very strong idea of what the problem at that business has been. From reading the report, he has been incredibly fortunate to have been granted a licence at all. On past form he would have not been able to complain had his application been thrown out, which I suspect it would have been very quickly had he been in the North West and Beverley Bell was making the decision.

Let's see how he goes on...

[Stuharris 6360]

PD1140735/1 - TRAVEL EXPRESS LTD, 30 COTON ROAD, WOLVERHAMPTON, WV4 5AT

    Registration Accepted
    Starting Point: Wolverhampton Bus Station
    Finish Point: Underhill, Wolverhampton
    Via: Fallings Park
    Service Number: 11
    Service Type: Normal Stopping
    Effective Date: 02-JUN-2016
    Other Details: Sunday to Saturday

[Dom]

Oh brilliant!

[Solo1]

Now there are coming back on one of his old routes wonder if the old fleet will be used or will he be buying newer 
buses &the big question will the fleet be in a livery or a mixed one