Summer 2008 Part 2

Written on 27 May 2008

Something else that happened this summer, we got new ticket machines. Much more complicated than the old ones so we all needed training on how the work them Once you know the sign on and sign off procedures there are 3 different ways the sell tickets and 17 thousand ways to cock up. One example of how complicated the new machines are, If you sell several tickets, say two adult and 3 children returns on the old machine you issued the tickets buy pressing nine keys, you then got the total cost buy pressing two more keys. Simple. One the new machine there are 3 different ways of issuing the ticket but to get the total cost you have to use a 4th way, which is press 9 keys in exactly the right order or the whole thing fails and you either end up issuing too many tickets or too few or have to start again. And the forth way is nothing like the other three ways.

During a training session I heard a rumour that the Managing Director, Mr C Hilditch had left the company. This was on Tuesday 20 May 2008. On Wednesday it was comfirmed. A couple of days later this item appeared in the local paper:-

MANAGING DIRECTOR TAKES BUS TO NEW JOB

BY GINNY WARE 24 May 2008

The managing director of bus firm Stagecoach Devon is transferring to a new position within the group, based in Blackburn, the company has confirmed.Chris Hilditch left his job at the Exeter-based headquarters on Wednesday and is due to take up his new post as managing director of a subsiduary company of Stagecoach on June 1.Mr Hilditch, who lives in Kenton, has worked for Stagecoach for 10 years. He began his career with the bus company in America and joined Stagecoach Devon five years ago.Stagecoach denies any connection between Mr Hilditch's leaving and the introduction of the new South Devon timetable this week.

Operations director Richard Stevens said: "Chris is leaving to take up the job as managing director of National Transport Tokens in Blackpool."He's not leaving Stagecoach, it's a new role within the organisation."In the interim, Bob Montgomery, the service delivery director of Stagecoach UK Bus, will be acting as the managing director for Stagecoach Devon until a successor is appointed."

There is absolutely no connection between Chris' leaving and the introduction of the new bus timetable this week."Mr Hilditch says he is looking forward to a new role and a new challenge.

He said: "It's something which came along. There is a personal family reason why I am leaving as well, but I do not want to go into that."I have enjoyed my time with Stagecoach Devon."For all those people who have been supportive of me since I decided to take this new role, thank you very much. I am going on to an exciting new career and I am looking forward to that."

Notice how the company spokesperson was forced to say twice that Mr Hilditch didn't leave because he had made such a hash of the new summer timetables. What some cynics would say is, they missed out that the summer time tables were the straw that broke the poor camel's back.