trent barton is one of a very small number of independent bus operators in the UK. We are not part of the large groups like Stagecoach, Arriva and First that dominate the bus industry. We are owned, managed and staffed by local people, and we believe that we can offer a more personal service than our much larger rivals.

We employ nearly 1000 people in various parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, running a fleet of around 270 modern buses on a network of local routes.

Since the commercialisation of the bus industry in 1986, we have carried out substantial market research to identify customers' (and prospective customers') needs and then set out to meet and exceed them, winning many prestigious awards along the way. We were the first bus company in the UK to introduce a no quibble, on-the-spot money back guarantee. Our service quality is monitored by an independent panel of professional mystery customers.

We have one of the most modern bus fleets in the country, with an average age of around 5 years. At the beginning of 2006 we were proud to announce that ALL of our bus services are run with low floor, easy-access buses – that’s ten years ahead of Government targets.

What’s more, if for any remote reason we don’t provide an easy access bus (if for example we have to hire a bus in an emergency or use a coach from one of our 3 express-type coach routes) – then any such journey will run FREE.

Most of our 760 or so drivers work in small teams on regular routes. Many are on first name terms with regular customers. They are actively involved in product development and take part in regular seminars, which take a detailed look at service quality and ways of driving our standards still higher.

The Big Issue
We were UK Bus Operator of the Year in 1999, 2001 and 2003, runner up in 2000 and 2002. We were also presented with a special 10th anniversary prize from the UK Bus Awards in 2005 before our retirement from the competition. But no matter how many awards we may win for our quality of service, we are unable to guarantee our customers' top priority - reliability, because we have no control over road conditions.

Traffic congestion is choking our roads and making bus operation more expensive and less reliable. Because the pattern is different every day (unlike us, motorists can vary their setting-off time and route) it's virtually impossible to schedule our buses around the problem, and it's getting worse.

The result is more than just delay. Traffic interferes with the regular intervals between buses, so people either have to stand or buses turn up together. Buses stood still in traffic are still notching up most of their costs, which leads to higher fares. Meanwhile motoring costs are falling in real terms,which means that motorists are less likely to give buses a try and more and more people are turning to cars and deserting bus services.

We have already had to shorten some routes to make ends meet, and we often have to use resources that could have been used to develop other services just to try and make up for the traffic on our busiest routes. Worst of all, there have been times when we have had to withdraw our least popular services in order to release resources to keep our busiest services going. All because we can't get through traffic. The stress of driving to a timetable in heavy traffic leads to some excellent drivers looking for other jobs.

The insult to injury is roadworks, which all too often spring up without notice and cause further misery. Then there's the illegally parked cars, an act of selfishness which seriously inconveniences bus customers.

It is only natural for bus companies to want to apologise to their customers for delays, but in so doing, the matter has been driven underground. Traffic is not our fault and we can't cure it. We need bus lanes, but progress will be slow until there is a public outcry to bring the issue to the top of the political agenda. Unfortunately public opinion favours the motorist and so priority for buses is often unpopular with the majority if it means less convenience for car drivers.

Working Together
That's why we are so passionately committed to Bus Quality Partnerships, where bus companies like us get together with local authorities to work as a team.

Our first two Quality Partnerships were with Nottinghamshire County Council. Our first, the cotgrave connection, saw heavy investment by the County Council in new shelters and first generation real time information displays. This formula was repeated on the calverton connection, with new Easy Access buses. The number of people travelling on this route almost doubled in first three years of the Partnership.

Meanwhile over in Derby, we have three Quality Partnerships with the City Council. The spondon flyer has a formidable record in winning custom from car to bus. The City Council have invested in new shelters for the route and we have recently introduced a Sunday service. Over in Mickleover, the City have installed a bus lane on the way into Derby and are buying new shelters too. At 8 buses an hour, the mickleover is one of trent barton's highest frequency bus routes and the first ever in Derby to run through to 3am! the mickleover grew its customer base by 25% in its first three years. The most recent addition is in Allestree where the City council has introduced *star trak real time information technology, complete with audio and visual ‘next stop’ announcements on the buses.

The City has also installed real time information displays at stops along the rainbow 4 and rainbow 5 routes between Derby and Borrowash, whilst Nottinghamshire County Council are also doing similar through Sandiacre and Stapleford.

Our rainbow 1 Quality Partnership brought together three local authorities, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire County Councils and Nottingham City Council. The rainbow 1 runs from Ripley and Alfreton to Nottingham through Eastwood and Kimberley.

For our A52 Quality Partnership we joined forces with Nottingham City Transport, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City Councils and the Highways Agency. The partnership had the clear objective to attract people from car to bus. Our investment in new buses was accordingly matched by local authority investment in bus priorities, shelters and raised kerbs, whilst the Highways Agency contributed the inbound bus lane along the A52 at Bramcote.

Nottingham City and County Councils are working with us and Nottingham City Transport on Quality Partnership corridors. This has already produced new stretches of bus lane along Derby Road and Mansfield Road, with more planned.

Developing Public Transport
We are committed to improving the quality of public transport and where possible the quantity as well. In recent years we have introduced many brand new bus routes for example, Harlequin, H1 and connect. Some of these brands such as H1 have been so successful that frequencies have been increased several times since they were launched.

On many other routes we have improved frequencies - rainbow 3, rainbow 5, the mickleover, the allestree, or extended the timetables at weekends and evenings - Spondon Flyer, rainbow 4, rainbow 2, H1, pronto and many more.

The improvements are often overlooked when regretably we have to withdraw or reduce bus routes due to declining use. Fortunately such reductions are outnumbered by our development of new markets.

We are also trying to make our fares suit individual needs - SupaSavers, give great discounts to shoppers, zig zag appeals to those who need to use more than one route, and FRIO gives 30% extra travel absolutely FREE to those who buy in bulk!