Family-owned Anthony’s Travel has this year scooped two Gold Awards at the prestigious UK Coach Awards, in the categories of Best Small Coach Operator and Innovators in Safety Award.  This was the second successive year that Anthony’s picked up the Best Small Coach Operator Award, and the fourth time in total.  It has also been a finalist in the Best Fleet category for the last seven years.

The business also won the Innovators in Safety Award at the UK Coach Awards in 2014 and has this year also scooped the Chartered Institute of Logistics (CILT) North West Award for Improved Safety and a personal award for Managing Partner, Richard Bamber, who was recognised for Service to the Transport Industry.

Underpinning this success has been an unswerving commitment to safety and risk reduction, both on the road and in the depot.  The fleet is fitted with CCTV with audio and telematics devices that monitor what happens on the road and provide vital information in the event of an incident. Driver performance and behaviour are constantly under the spotlight, whilst Anthony’s also uses Alcolock UK V3 units, which take multiple breath tests throughout the day and ensure the coach will not start, if a driver should fail one.

Additionally, vehicle trackers protect the fleet and drivers are incentivised to drive in a safe, responsible and incident-free manner.  If they do so, they earn bonuses, to reflect the savings that Anthony’s achieves through better driver performance.  Whilst the ‘Genius’ reward scheme started by rewarding drivers with £15 a month, this is now £40 a month, due to the savings achieved through better driving.

All of this has come about thanks to working hand-in-hand with Gauntlet, which has advised Anthony’s on how to reduce its risks on the road for over 15 years.  Since working with Gauntlet, Anthony’s Travel’s claims have fallen by 35%, but false claims have also never come to fruition, as prospective claimants have quickly realised that technology would provide a weight of evidence to contradict their statements.

The fleet also uses less fuel now, thanks to actions taken in response to the monitoring of coaches that idle whilst on the road.  Any damage to coaches has now become so slight that Anthony’s has been able to effect repairs itself, rather than putting in claims to its insurer.

This holistic view of risk management is one Anthony’s has bought into over the years it has been working with Gauntlet.  Gauntlet’s action plans have been geared at identifying where and why potential claims are likely to occur and suggesting methodologies and technologies to ensure these claims could not materialise.  During the time it has worked with Gauntlet, Anthony’s Travel’s insurance premiums have fallen by 30%, due to the reduction in claims that has occurred and the clear demonstration of a commitment to eradicating as many future issues as possible.

Anthony’s Travel’s Richard Bamber, says:

We recognise that our success in winning awards, and delighting the customers that put us forward for them, is down to the way in which we operate and this has been very much influenced by Gauntlet and the recommendations that its expert risk managers have made.

By keeping our fleet as free from incidents as possible, we make our passengers feel safe and secure.  We are also able to present ourselves as an excellent and well-managed risk, when Gauntlet talk to their extensive panel of insurers and seek even better insurance rates on our behalf.

Gauntlet Director, Ian McCarron, says:

We are very proud of Anthony’s.  From the moment we started working with them, they have listened to our advice, taken a longer-term view of their risk and done all they can to reduce it.

They are a shining example to other fleets, not just in the coach and bus sectors, but also in any sector where insurers base their insurance quotes on what happens across a fleet as a whole.  They have demonstrated that, by taking clear and positive steps to protect themselves, improve driver performance and avoid false claims, significant insurance savings are possible and award successes can be a regular occurrence.

More information about Gauntlet and its approach to risk management can be found at www.busandcoachinsurance.com and www.gauntlethaulageinsurance.com 

Details of Anthony’s Travel can be found at www.anthonys-travel.co.uk