London Hire – 25 years at the top

Operations

The large, well equipped maintenance facility

London Hire carries out much of its own maintenance within its own highly equipped facility and ensures that any work not done in-house is done to the same rigorous schedule. Vehicles off hire are brought back to Belvedere for a safety inspection. Even if it has only been a short hire, they are thoroughly inspected and any faults rectified immediately before going out again. Where vehicles are on longer term rentals they are pulled back for scheduled maintenance and a ‘Like for Like’ replacement vehicle of a similar standard provided. Part of the standard London Hire package is 24/7/365 breakdown service which the company operates using its own team and a host of national service providers. Where necessary a replacement vehicle is provided.

MOT unit

The company can carry out all its own class 4, 5 and 7 MOTs at Belvedere as well as MOT work for private companies.

Where vehicles are based away from the Kent headquarters, arrangements are made with local operations to provide the necessary cover. In each case they have to operate to London Hire’s agreed schedules and are closely monitored.

Service and Flexibility are the key words at London Hire and London Hire Community Services. Everyone working for the companies is instilled with the Rob Evans’ philosophy of providing the customer with the very best after care it is possible to give. They go the extra mile to help customers out whenever the need arises.

Used vehicles

With such a large, constantly updated, fleet, there is a steady stream of vehicles for disposal. To handle this London Hire has a separate business operating from the Belvedere site. This is a 50/50 company with used vehicle specialist John Surroy. Vehicles coming up for disposal go through the workshop for any rectification work to be carried out before they are passed to the disposal team. Then John and his team take over. Currently they operate from an office within the main London Hire offices but will shortly be moving over the road to the new facility. ‘We needed more space at the main site,’ said Peter, ‘The obvious solution was to move the used vehicle operation to the new site. It means they are now physically separated from the main operation but can still use all the facilities. It also means that customers coming to look at or collect vehicles can be kept out of the day-to-day working area with all the Health and Safety implications of that situation.’

London Hire Community Services

Another key arm of the London Hire which it has been steadily developing in recent times is the London Hire Community Services Ltd subsidiary. This doesn’t simply provide a vehicle but also the driver and if required the passenger assistant as well. Services are provided under full Operator Licence regulations and staff are highly trained. All are cleared through the Enhanced DBS system and have been trained to full industry PCV standards including Driver CPC, First Aid and Passenger Assist Training. London Hire don’t carry out this training themselves, they use the services of the London Borough of Redbridge, one of their clients.

With increasing pressures on local authorities caused by reducing budgets, London Hire recognised that many were considering out sourcing options for their transport services. ‘For many,’ says Neil Donald, Director of London Hire Community Services, ‘operating a large passenger transport fleet with their own drivers and maintenance facilities can be very expensive, especially when the time comes to refresh the fleet. What we offer is a transport package that provides a Local Authority with flexibility during a contracted period. Through London Hire’s vehicle fleet, we are able to change vehicles as and when required to meet constantly changing passenger numbers. Whether passenger numbers decrease and a smaller more economical vehicle is required or an increase in passenger numbers suggests that a larger capacity vehicle would be more suited, we can accommodate this change. This ensures we operate the most suitable and cost effective vehicle at all times, with the benefits of this financial efficiency being passed on to the Local Authorities.’

The type of work London Hire Community Services are covering includes home to school, adult social services and hospital patient transport services.

The service is proving to be very popular and London Hire Community Services have a growing list of customers looking closely at the flexibility that can be provided through the company. Neil thinks the trend to outsource will continue to look attractive as local authorities and NHS Trusts in particular come under increasing budget pressures. With the same ethos and passion as London Hire behind the development, it looks certain to become a big part of London Hire’s business in years to come.