Belle Vue launches accredited training courses for drivers with other operators

Stockport-based bus and coach hire company, Belle Vue Manchester, has launched accredited training courses for drivers employed by other operators as part of its mission to help improve standards throughout the industry.

Belle Vue has invested a six-figure sum to create a dedicated training suite, as well as new offices for HR and accounts staff, improvements to its garage operations and an additional coach park to accommodate its growing fleet of vehicles.

Alongside this, the company has also invested over the past 12 months in CCTV for its private hire fleet, a new vehicle tracking system and driver monitoring system for added safety.

Phil Hitchen, managing director of Belle Vue, said:

“In my opinion, the standard of drivers in the industry has left a lot to be desired since the pandemic, and so we want to improve customer service delivery levels not just within our business but on a wider scale too.

“It’s important to provide ongoing training to drivers for them to work more safely and be up-to-date with current laws and compliance requirements.

“All of the training is done in our suite, and having our own in-house provision helps us to recruit, retrain and retain staff ourselves, and ensure we continue to deliver a high-quality performance and the highest standards of customer service.

Matt Turner (pictured) is spearheading the initiative after being promoted to become Belle Vue’s training and compliance manager.

Matt, 42, who has worked in the industry since he was 16, spent many years as a globe-trotting coach driver and then as a supervisor. His career behind the wheel took him to places including South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, and numerous European capital cities. His new role involves running a host of courses for the company’s own drivers, and refreshers for its transport managers, office staff and senior leaders, as well as staff employed by other companies.

Phil Hitchen continued:

“Matt has decades of first-hand experience having been a driver himself for many years, and he is a great trainer. He runs engaging sessions and the response to his courses has been very good.

“As well as providing training for our own drivers, transport managers and office staff, he also organises refresher courses for other managers and senior leaders in our team.”

Matt, who gained his public service vehicle licence on his 18^th birthday while working in his father’s transport business, said:

“I’m loving my role and the opportunity it brings to make a difference at Belle Vue and across the industry as a whole.

“Having been in the industry for my entire working life since I was 16, when I started in the garage at my dad’s business, I feel I have lots of experience and knowledge to pass on to others.

“I like to train the drivers to the highest possible standard and to gain all the qualifications they can.

“We cover driver induction, PSVR training, manual handling, vehicle familiarisation and wheelchair compliance as well as helping them towards their Certificate of Professional Competence qualification, and we are offering this training to drivers at our current trading partners and all other companies as well.

“For our transport managers, we provide refresher courses on topics such as legislation, and customer service training for our office staff.

“I wish there had been people who trained like this when I first started in the industry. It’s a really good initiative for Belle Vue and Phil and his co-director Ian Olsen have been extremely supportive.”

Meanwhile Matt raised more than £1,000 for good causes by taking part in a white-collar boxing event in September. He undertook the challenge for The Christie hospital in Manchester and for Pseudomyxoma Survivor, a charity which supports people affected by appendix cancer and pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) – a rare abdominal cancer – and supports research.