Sticking to Time

99.9% of the time, our coaches set off promptly in the evenings. Depending on route number, the timetable allows around 25 minutes to get from Victoria to Canary Wharf through busy parts of central London including Parliament Square, Charing Cross and the Limehouse Link. Whenever possible, we’re punctual. But of course the journey time can sometimes vary outside our control, fortunately, the busiest part of the journey is over by the time we reach Canary Wharf.

We’re sometimes asked why we don’t run services direct from Canary Wharf, but only 30% of our passengers start from there, so we would need 10 more coaches to carry the same amount of people.

We believe it’s worse to arrive early than it is to arrive late. If we’re early, our commuters might miss the coach. If we sit and wait at a bus-stop (which we’d have to do if running early), it frustrates the commuters who are already on board. And if we’re late, at least you can track us with Coach Trac at your PC or on your mobile, so you know when to expect us and to use your time effectively.

Obviously it does help that we are the largest coach commuter service operating in and out of London, this does mean that you as the customer are getting the widest choice of services so if one is late then there is a possibility of there being an earlier coach that you can use. There is one commuter operator running from Ashford who only runs one coach a day which is a strain for the travelers not having the flexibility of timings.

As stated in the first commuter newsletter, we invested heavily to create Coach Trac. It’s a very specialised system designed to reduce the stress of wondering when your coach will arrive – the only such system in the world.

We admit that the timetable is an ‘ideal scenario’. We can match it – if traffic conditions allow – but we cannot beat it and risk leaving you behind!

We will however keep working at this and looking for solutions.

There was a bus company that decided to reward its drivers for keeping to their timetable. The result was they drove past bus-stops full of people, just to get back to the depot on time. We don’t do that! We do want to give you a fast, safe and convenient service and we do everything we can to make that happen.

Standby Drivers

In the mornings, we have 38 coaches that set off between 05.25am and 07.25am to pick up 1,300 commuters across a wide area – so the timetable is extremely tight! In general, we do 30 pick-ups in 30 minutes.

Everything possible is done to get you to work on time. For split-second accuracy, we’re even installing an atomic clock at the exit of the depot, and we have drivers and coaches on ‘standby’ at various points along the route.

With so many vehicles and journeys to make, it is always possible for something to go wrong. A driver may be sick, late, or his car breaks down on the way in. Or there might be a problem with the coach such as heating playing up, headlight bulb gone, or doors not opening.

To cover for any unexpected driver absences or coach problems, we have 4 regular standby drivers (Thomas, Emanuel, Lev and Joe) and one back-up. They and their coaches are available from 4.30am, based at Sheerness/Isle of Sheppey, Medway Services, Sittingbourne and in our Gillingham offices. If needed anywhere along the commuter route, they’re ready and waiting to help.

It’s usually a rare occurrence. But if you do experience a late pick-up in the morning, please be kind to your driver – he might be the standby hero that’s just been called in!

Between Journeys

After dropping off our commuters in the morning, our coaches park at Millwall Stadium where we’ve rented space in the car park. There, the coaches are cleaned and the drivers take their rest breaks as required by law.

It doesn’t make commercial sense for them to sit there all day doing nothing. So we may use our coaches for school outings, or to take tourists from their hotel to the airport or Dover. However, we don’t prioritise this other usage over our commuters.

We keep our prices as affordable as possible, and the commuter service on its own does not provide sufficient revenue to make us a profitable business. The extra income is invested back into the vehicles, the training we give our staff, and the quality of service we provide.

Like you, we’re looking forward to the school holidays in a few weeks, when traffic levels calm down and commuting becomes easier for us all.

Question and answer

Q. “Why do you only publish positive comments? You should publish negative comments as well, and explain what action you’ve taken as a result.”

A. There are many factors that we can’t influence, such as roadworks or passenger behaviour. However, if we receive a complaint that we can do something about, we will. For example, about 18 months ago we received a few comments about the Isle of Sheppey service. Since then we have replaced the ‘tired’ coaches with newer vehicles, and added an extra coach service to the timetable.

We do pride ourselves on our coaches as we already spend millions of pounds each year replacing our older stock but we will always strive to spend more on your comfort!

Customer Comment

“I've been travelling to Victoria with Kings Ferry for nearly three years now and can't praise the service highly enough.  Pretty much all the drivers are great – when there are delays some drivers are better at keeping passengers informed than others. But that's not a major issue and I think the service overall is very good indeed.Thank you Kings Ferry and the C2/C4 drivers who get me to and from work every day!”

(Name Supplied)

Contacting our Commuter Department

Phone: 01634 265510.

To speak to us outside normal office hours, press 1 for ‘Commuter Services’, then press 1 again for ‘Today’s Services’. We’re here from 4.30am to 8.00pm, Mondays to Fridays.

Post: The Kings Ferry Ltd, The Travel Centre, Gillingham, Kent ME8 6HW

Email: sales@thekingsferry.co.uk

Fill in the contact form at www.thekingsferry.co.uk

Fax: 01634 370656

We look forward to hearing from you.