Brighton and Hove bus boss announces retirement plans (From The Argus)
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Brighton and Hove bus boss announces retirement plans
1:46pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in News By John Keenan, business editor
Roger French receiving his UK Bus Award
The high-profile boss of a successful bus company is to step down.
Roger French, managing director of The Brighton and Hove Bus Company, is to retire in March next year.
He has been in charge of operation of buses in the city for 30 years.
Mr French moved to Brighton in 1982 and has seen the bus market in the city has grown significantly with the number of journeys made by bus doubling in the last 20 years.
Mr French said: "After 30 years of being involved in running buses in Brighton and Hove, I have decided it's now time to relax and enjoy my retirement. Of course, I shall miss working with all my fantastic colleagues in the bus company in Brighton and Hove as well as the many friends and colleagues I’ve worked with over the years.
"I’ve been very lucky to work with such a great bunch of people in a fantastic part of the country for so long and will always be grateful to everyone for the help and encouragement they have given me. It’s been a particular pleasure to be part of the Go-Ahead Group for the last 19 years.”
Mr French’s career in the bus industry began in 1970 when he was a student working during the summer holidays for London Transport at their central London head office and as a bus conductor in north London.
After undertaking the National Bus Company’s graduate management training scheme in Yorkshire with the West Riding and Yorkshire Woollen bus companies, he became a district traffic superintendent in Ashford with the East Kent company, followed by an area manager with South Wales Transport in Swansea.
In 1982 he moved to the south coast taking up the post of assistant traffic manager with the then Southdown bus company. He has been involved in running the buses in Brighton ever since.
Mr French became manager of the new Brighton and Hove division of Southdown in preparation for deregulation and privatisation in 1985 and was then involved in the management buyout of the newly reformed Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company in 1987 and its subsequent sale to The Go-Ahead Group in 1993.
Roger oversaw the successful acquisition and merger of the Brighton Transport company in 1997 and the purchase and integration of Stagecoach’s Lewes-based operations in 2005. He secured the domain name www.buses.co.uk for the company’s website ahead of rivals.
Mr French chairs the city’s Local Strategic Partnership; the Brighton and Hove Business Forum; the Hove Business Partnership; the Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and the Martlets Hospice. Roger is also a member of the city’s Economic Partnership, the Transport Partnership and the Hove Business Association’s Management Committee and is a Trustee of the Argus newspaper’s charity, the Argus Appeal.
He was awarded an OBE for services to public transport in 2005, an Honorary MA by the University of Brighton in 2007 and became a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for East Sussex in 2007.
In 1999 he was awarded Businessman of the Year in the Sussex Business Awards, in 2006 he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Sussex award at the Argus Achievement Awards, in 2009 he was awarded the Community and Stakeholder Management Award at the Passenger Transport Management Awards and in 2011 his contribution to the bus industry was recognised by the prestigious Services to the Bus Industry Award at the UK Bus Awards.
He has also overseen the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company win a plethora of awards over the last 20 years.
In June 2010 Roger published Pride and Joy – my amazing 25 year journey with Brighton and Hove Buses. The book sold nearly 2,000 copies and helped raise around £30,000 for two local charities.
During his retirement, Mr French plans to spend time pursuing his passion for travel and transport.
To leave a goodwill message to Mr French visit The Argus Your Messages page.
Comments(25)
Knightly
says...
3:35pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Flippin Burghers
says...
3:42pm Thu 18 Oct 12
tomdruitt
says...
4:12pm Thu 18 Oct 12
tomdruitt
says...
4:12pm Thu 18 Oct 12
saveHOVE
says...
4:27pm Thu 18 Oct 12
Where does this leave the relocation-of-the-bu
s-company plans?
The Argus is meant to be relocating to new offices and the bus company demolishing the present ones to rebuild a bus station there, after which the Conway Street bus station by Hove Station is supposed to be redeveloped.
Who will take over dealing with all this?
ghost bus driver
says...
4:36pm Thu 18 Oct 12
saveHOVE wrote:Go-Ahead group plc
Gobsmacked.
Where does this leave the relocation-of-the-bu
s-company plans?
The Argus is meant to be relocating to new offices and the bus company demolishing the present ones to rebuild a bus station there, after which the Conway Street bus station by Hove Station is supposed to be redeveloped.
Who will take over dealing with all this?
bluemonday
says...
4:38pm Thu 18 Oct 12
saveHOVE wrote:i'm sure the world will keep turning,and b+h bus co will keep moving forward
Gobsmacked. Where does this leave the relocation-of-the-bu s-company plans? The Argus is meant to be relocating to new offices and the bus company demolishing the present ones to rebuild a bus station there, after which the Conway Street bus station by Hove Station is supposed to be redeveloped. Who will take over dealing with all this?
Nathan_Adler
says...
5:52pm Thu 18 Oct 12
bluemonday
says...
6:12pm Thu 18 Oct 12
frida_3
says...
6:48pm Thu 18 Oct 12
bus nut
says...
10:18pm Thu 18 Oct 12
bluemonday wrote:he did
thanks for letting the staff know
bus nut
says...
10:24pm Thu 18 Oct 12
frida_3 wrote:think you need to get out more frida how would you like to be greeted ???good morning human being of the female species maybe . As for prices go live in worthing for a while then you will have something to complain about ..
Good!! now we might get some normal bus drivers, ones that don't call you love! and others with big attitudes of rudeness. The customer service on B+H Buses have a lot to be desired. Can we also have reasonable Bus prices now?.
HF 05
says...
7:29am Fri 19 Oct 12
Gym'll fix me
says...
9:30am Fri 19 Oct 12
HF 05 wrote:I could not agree more. The sterling work you have done for the town of Brighton will be your legacy and right minded, normal people will always hold you in high esteem. Many Thanks Mr French. I hope they name a bus after you ARGUS START THE CAMPAIGN HER!
Congratulations on your 30 year service. You've accomplished some fantastic achievements in that time and the end result being a well organised and successful company that provides a very punctual service, despite the traffic issues. I just hope they can find a worthy successor to you with drive and vision that will continue your good work for many years to come. All the best.
Flippin Burghers
says...
9:56am Fri 19 Oct 12
Gym'll fix me wrote:Morning Roger.
HF 05 wrote:I could not agree more. The sterling work you have done for the town of Brighton will be your legacy and right minded, normal people will always hold you in high esteem. Many Thanks Mr French. I hope they name a bus after you ARGUS START THE CAMPAIGN HER!
Congratulations on your 30 year service. You've accomplished some fantastic achievements in that time and the end result being a well organised and successful company that provides a very punctual service, despite the traffic issues. I just hope they can find a worthy successor to you with drive and vision that will continue your good work for many years to come. All the best.
Worthingwithoutbuses!
says...
11:20am Fri 19 Oct 12
ghost bus driver
says...
11:21am Fri 19 Oct 12
Gym'll fix me wrote:He'd have to be dead first.
HF 05 wrote:I could not agree more. The sterling work you have done for the town of Brighton will be your legacy and right minded, normal people will always hold you in high esteem. Many Thanks Mr French. I hope they name a bus after you ARGUS START THE CAMPAIGN HER!
Congratulations on your 30 year service. You've accomplished some fantastic achievements in that time and the end result being a well organised and successful company that provides a very punctual service, despite the traffic issues. I just hope they can find a worthy successor to you with drive and vision that will continue your good work for many years to come. All the best.
gmgc81
says...
12:54pm Fri 19 Oct 12
Thank you Mr French, and wishing you all the best for your retirement.
davyboy
says...
5:55pm Fri 19 Oct 12
remluf
says...
12:27am Sat 20 Oct 12
frida_3 wrote:Roger French was critised for telling drivers not to call passengers 'love', so why mention it in a negative way here?
Good!! now we might get some normal bus drivers, ones that don't call you love! and others with big attitudes of rudeness. The customer service on B+H Buses have a lot to be desired. Can we also have reasonable Bus prices now?.
Secondly, you people in Brighton have cheap bus fares compared to Worthing, so be grateful. You also have a high frequency and they run all evening. Live in Worthing and then you will have something to complain about the buses.
remluf
says...
12:28am Sat 20 Oct 12
ghost bus driver wrote:LOL!
Gym'll fix me wrote:He'd have to be dead first.
HF 05 wrote:I could not agree more. The sterling work you have done for the town of Brighton will be your legacy and right minded, normal people will always hold you in high esteem. Many Thanks Mr French. I hope they name a bus after you ARGUS START THE CAMPAIGN HER!
Congratulations on your 30 year service. You've accomplished some fantastic achievements in that time and the end result being a well organised and successful company that provides a very punctual service, despite the traffic issues. I just hope they can find a worthy successor to you with drive and vision that will continue your good work for many years to come. All the best.
remluf
says...
12:30am Sat 20 Oct 12
frida_3 wrote:Where do you work? I bet your customer service is bad, like your attitude.
Good!! now we might get some normal bus drivers, ones that don't call you love! and others with big attitudes of rudeness. The customer service on B+H Buses have a lot to be desired. Can we also have reasonable Bus prices now?.
Cash Bull
says...
11:43am Sat 20 Oct 12
Worthingwithoutbuses!
says...
12:45pm Sat 20 Oct 12
remluf wrote:100% agree. Here Here! I get sick of the moaning posts like the above. Perhaps frida should use her car instead, drive to Worthing and use the buses there for a day? Then perhaps she would 'give it a rest' about the 'expensive' and "rude" bus drivers in Brighton?
frida_3 wrote:Roger French was critised for telling drivers not to call passengers 'love', so why mention it in a negative way here?
Good!! now we might get some normal bus drivers, ones that don't call you love! and others with big attitudes of rudeness. The customer service on B+H Buses have a lot to be desired. Can we also have reasonable Bus prices now?.
Secondly, you people in Brighton have cheap bus fares compared to Worthing, so be grateful. You also have a high frequency and they run all evening. Live in Worthing and then you will have something to complain about the buses.
If you hate travelling on B&H so much, why do you do it?
wolfie says...
2:11pm Thu 18 Oct 12