About John Batchelor
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Academic Level GCSE's
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Age Above 57 Years
About me
I have worked in the transport industry since 1995 and seen many changes in my time but my core approach has always been the same, working hard to provide the very best customer service experience in terms of safety, reliability and value for money.
My various roles have taken me from Birmingham to Bahrain managing large-scale transport operations from both public and private sector organisations. I helped to make sure thousands of football fans arrived safely at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for the 2017 Champions League final, liaising with multiple stakeholders and responding to fast-changing transport requirements.
My most recent role was responsible for planning and delivering rail replacement bus services for major UK rail operators and supporting the roll-out of vehicle tracking technology to improve the passenger experience.
I worked alongside other highly experienced and knowledgeable professionals who share my dedication to achieving the highest industry standards. Committed to understanding our clients’ needs, exceeding their expectations and continually improving our service with new technology solutions and innovative thinking.
I am now looking for my next challenge.
Education
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2022 - 2022
IOSH
Managing Health & Safety
Qualified to understand and manage health and safety in the workplace.
- 2009 - 2010
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1978 - 1983
Secondary education
O Levels / CSE / 16+
Experience
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2017 - 1970
First Travel Solutions
Operations / Tracking Manager
I joined First Travel Solutions (FTS) as a Bus Systems Manager to provide transport and day accommodation for drivers transporting fans to the 2017 Champions League final in Cardiff. I was then kept on full time as an Operations Manager working on rail replacement contracts for London Midland followed by South Western Railway, TransPennine Express, Avanti, Hull Trains and Lumo. This role included carrying out risk assessments at stations, creating safe methods of work, recruiting and training coordinators and liaising with third party suppliers and stakeholders. In 2019 I launched a project to deliver tracking of rail replacement vehicles for South Western Railway. This involved searching for tracking solutions and encouraging bus and coach suppliers to support the project. It was successful and we were able to show live arrival and departure information on the South Western Railway app which at the time was ground breaking. I won an innovation award at the First Bus awards held in Glasgow. In addition I was regularly involved in supporting events including fan transport for the European Championships in Glasgow, various Iron Man events and music festivals.
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1995 - 2016
National Express West Midlands / West Midlands Travel
Traffic Controller / Assistant Operations Manager / Operations Manager
I started my career in the bus industry in 1995 joining as a Traffic Controller at Perry Barr Garage in Birmingham. I progressed to an Inspector, Route Manager for services in Solihull, Assistant Operations Manager and finally Operations Manager. During this time I gained experience of scheduling, managing health and safety, managing issues with drivers through the discipline / sickness and absence procedures, investigating incidents and preventing any repeat, liaising with stakeholders including local transport authority, bus user groups and local politicians and ensuring efficiency of bus services.
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1970 - 2015
Bahrain Public Transport Company
Mobilisation Team - Bahrain Public Transport Company
I was seconded as part of the mobilisation team for Bahrain Public Transport Company. This included putting traffic office procedures in place, creating the AVL control room, recruiting and subsequently managing teams, managing driver accommodation and launching the operation of island wide bus services. Also involved working with partners including Al Mansor Al Ali (one of the largest employers in Bahrain) and the Bahrain government.