You’re Gonna Do WHAT?!
“They Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat” is (in my skewed opinion) a masterpiece by the late literary giant Lewis Grizzard. In it, among other things, he describes in humorous and rather specific terms, the mechanics of his heart surgery.
At one point, prior to the procedure, he says to the surgeon something akin to…. “You’re going to crack open my chest and do WHAT?”
When it became clear that he needed the cardiac version of a “valve job”, Mr. Grizzard sought out the best heart surgeon he could find. Despite the fact anyone with a medical license legally could do the operation, he wisely picked out a doctor who specialized in that sort of thing…
It may be stretching the metaphor a bit, but buses can be like heart surgery. If you have coaches, insurance and operating authority (YES, a medical pun) theoretically you can take any group… anywhere… anytime.
Like having a Podiatrist doing heart surgery, it MIGHT not be a good idea.
A respected bus executive once told me that he was having trouble. His boss believed that there was only one way to do anything (the boss’s way), and how well you executed was less important than doing it his way.
My friend thought there were lots of ways to do most things, and that how well you performed them was more important than which method you chose.
On occasion, during rough patches, operators struggling for work are searching for revenue in new venues. I’ve gotta be careful how I say this (in case anyone actually remembers anything from previous columns)… but innovation comes with risk.
In the past I’ve suggested seeking new business. On the other hand, just because you have the coaches, and need revenue, doesn’t mean you’re instantly qualified for all kinds of work. Taking on new types of business without the proper skills can be a recipe for disaster.
A friend, shorthanded one day, asked me to drive a sightseeing tour of Chicago. Sightseeing is great work, but not if the driver doesn’t know the turf. My passengers STILL marvel at seeing the Empire State Building… on Lake Michigan. They did get their money’s worth; it took 3 hours for the 1 hour tour to find its way back to the terminal.
If your specialty is local charter, then taking on long distance tours is going to require serious homework (and training for your staff). The opposite is true too. One key to making money on local work is maximizing the use of equipment and drivers… a highly specialized skill.
A struggling operator on Long Island, who did OK on local trips, thought it a fiscal godsend when he underbid a competitor for a lengthy Florida charter. In Orlando his 20 year old coach’s alternator pooped out, and what would have been irritating in New York became a catastrophe 1,100 miles from home. Setting up logistical help in advance might have saved him.
It’s a mistake to assume that, because your competitor makes something look easy... it IS easy.
When charters fall off, some operators have jumped to scheduled service, tempted by the higher (perceived) revenue. Some do very well, but others fail, and I’d make the case that quality of execution is critical.
When a maintenance system is geared for charter operations that put 50,000 miles a year on a coach… and that vehicle is now running 150,000 miles annually… changes are in order. The residual value of a vehicle drops precipitously when it has high mileage, requiring some financial reckoning. Driver training, pay, scheduling and attitude need adjustment (darn few tips on a line run).
Innovation is great, but only if properly executed. Scattershotting the business map, trying everything in hopes finding a magic bullet is not likely to produce long term success. If your current business model is not working, see if you can do it better, more efficiently.
Conversely, if your specialty is making 8 track tapes, then you might need to seek new sources of revenue. When you do that, it’s important to do your homework.
Is your equipment right for the applications? Starting scheduled service from Albany NY to Miami with a school bus might not be prudent.
If your fleet is adequate, decide what skills and resources your organization is going to need to do things right.
Just leaping in won’t work. Potential competitors aren’t going to assist, but talk to folks in other parts of the country who are successful in the chosen type of operation. Doing a few things well is more likely to succeed than being mediocre in lots of services.
Under local anesthetic, during minor back surgery, I heard my surgeon utter the word you NEVER want to hear during an operation...
“OOPS”.
For a moment I regretted the decision to have him (a family friend) do the procedure, rather than a specialist.
Fortunately he was both competent… and kidding.
