Academy

The Training bus fleet is already based at Longstone. It comprises four Dennis Trident Plaxton Presidents with on board classrooms and three Dennis Dart Plaxton Pointer training buses

The final stage of the plan will see a new Training Academy created at Longstone, completeing the transfer of operations from Seafield and giving Lothian Buses a first class learning environment for its staff and those of other companies and organisations that also use its services. It will cover all aspects of training from driver training and CPCs to apprentice training, NVQs, management training and the open learning scheme that is available to all staff.

There will be an auditorium, an occupational health suite and private training suites too. Bill said the company had decided not to provide a gym but it has arranged discounts for staff at gyms throughout the city.

Last word

Bill believes that investment in facilities has benefits in terms of staff productivity, job satisfaction and retention. ‘When you are spending a fortune on your fleet you need to look at where they are maintained,’ he said. ‘We had depots that hadn’t changed greatly since they turned the lights on in the 1920s. In a few years time it will be illegal to put fluorescent light tubes in skips. We wanted to comply with the latest legislation and leave it better for the next generation.’

The total investment being made at Longstone is expected to be in the region of £12m of which over £8m has already been spent. When the entire project is complete, Lothian Buses will have the most modern and best equipped workshop facilities that I have ever seen. The excellent reputation that Lothian Buses has for the presentation of the fleet is not an accident; it is the result of a great deal of hard work on the part of the staff and management. Clearly, ensuring that the facilities in which they work are modern and comfortable pays dividends.

By Stuart Jones