LIFE? Don't talk to me about life.....

Have you ever set out with some grand plans and then discovered 'life' completely stuffing them up? That's been the story of this summer and this autumn so far.  So, very little about the models this time.

These days, I eke out a living driving MK7 Ford Transit jumbo minibuses for a small operator on WY Metro SEN Schools contracts. Since September 2020 I was working for a firm in South Kirkby, where I spent two and a half years until I no longer enjoyed it. There was the small matter of some people I hope never to meet stealing the bus from outside the house around 18 months ago. End of keeping a vehicle 'home' during a week, and an 18 mile round trip 39 weeks a year and cost to me of c£1500.... useful. 

Nice, until it went one night...

I was then put on a 'new' contract in September of last year, I no longer enjoyed working on that run, or there and so in January I made contact with B&J Goulding who were based in Knottingley 3 miles from where I now reside.  Before I moved up in Spring 2020 I'd made contact with them then although due to some general emergency all coach work stopped for a few months so I looked elsewhere. 

They had a fleet of 3 Ford Transits and 3 Mercedes Sprinters and undertook private hire work alongside fairly regular schools contracts. They'd been in business since the 1960s, and had run a number of large coaches through their time. The founder of the business passed away last year and his daughter continued the operation. I have the unhappy distinction of being the final recruit! 

There was an MK8 Transit in the fleet. Only one I've driven. I don't like them.

Most of my driving there was confined to the Transits. The preferred private hire bus was the MK8 which was first thing I drove. I don't understand why you have a vehicle over 3000kgs fitted with a 2 litre engine, when the vehicle it replaced was 2300ish kgs and either had a 2.2 or 2.4 engine. There's times you want the power... so whenever the MK8 was offered for a weekend hire I'd ask to take one of the two MK7s which was what I spent the bulk of my time driving. This said, I took the MK8 to exotic locations such as York Races and Nottingham. 

An odd feature of the operation was the pairing up of schools contracts so that you'd work two/three in a day and thus this maximised the earnings of each vehicle. The plan with joining the firm was that I'd be able to save up for a mortgage deposit, which has once again gone up in smoke.  

On way to first run at 0700ish in the morning

Honest, there is actually sun up here sometimes! SA13 was a flying machine and the one I'd ask to have on hires.

So I settled into a busy summer of infill work and was actually able to enjoy my anniversary in June for once.  

Lyme Regis, slightly warmer than the last time I visited on 2/1/16

When you're parked up for 3.5 hours you need things to do.

So as we bounced into the final couple days of the school year, we were hit with the staff meeting once the schools had broken up. Jill had had enough of the garage bills from malfunctioning coaches (them being vehicles they like money spending on them at operationally inconvenient times) and the continual phone calls and so the operation was going to end once August 2023 finished. Thank you for your service etc etc. 

Well done, you've got one day to go to the end of the school year....

So it was off to find a new job. The reasoning behind announcing the decision was that there'd be more than enough time for the two drivers (and a part timer) to find somewhere else to drive. This being a world in which no one wants to drive buses/coaches so the vacancies significantly outnumber the candidates. 

Bus & Coach Buyer liked this photo enough to print it in early August. Boss did not!

Farewell to the management. Thanks to being thin and starving, little Dachshund is heavier than Jack Russell.

My state of unemployment lasted just under 72 hours.   Another operator, who'd offered me a job with a start of the 22/23 school year again offered me a job with the news having got round. Negotiations then took place with former employers about acquiring one of the two MK7 Transits, which was then concluded for the end of August.  

Back on the original plate before collection later in the day by Express of Batley. Lovely to drive, and I don't  normally take to Sprinters either.

Two of the Gouldings fleet have passed to the former Transport Manager and his son along with the business name so that it continues. 

So I am back working WY Metro SEN Schools during the terms. Alongside all of this, I turned 40 in August and Senior Management and I thought we should celebrate this by having almost a fortnight on the Isle of Skye. The weather said different and now I have two busted tent poles and a holiday I didn't get to enjoy. Add in a bereavement with the passing of my mother in law and the summer/autumn really isn't working for me. 

We'll just keep going..... it annoys people if you stay around.  

In the next post I'll share some photos from the summer/autumn's model bus events.

I've done seven in 2023. 

The one on the far right will look familiar - mine's the middle one.

Compensatory holiday in Trossachs Trundler country