Transpora Group

[Mollman]

I doubt @mayneway would feel so polite about Rhys Hand if he was owed significant sums of money in unpaid wages.

Is that the case here? Other posts seemed to have indicated that wages were paid before it closed.

 

[greenline712]

It's all well and good having great ideas. Without ideas, there can be no progress. However, running bus services is largely perseverance. It's the daily grind of ensuring staff report and do the job correctly; of ensuring that vehicles are fit for service and properly maintained; of complying with relevant legislation (including 'elf'n rules) and many other tiny but boring daily tasks that all add up to a successful operation.

The difficulty with this individual seems to be that the boring daily tasks are beyond him. For sure, not every idea will succeed, but looking through the list above, have any?
Style over substance.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Has he actually done anything wrong though?
I don’t remember much about his previous ventures but I know he had a lot of pride in Transpora and it certainly wasn’t some flash in the pan scheme some make out it was. To get to the size it did was in itself a massive achievement and it’s only sad it’s collapsed, but I honestly very much doubt Rhys has walked away with the bags of swag.

We all know how Higgs likes to collect ops licences and runs several at once, it’s a loophole that needs closing - but it seems in this instance he’s played a clever game, as while the south west operations collapse on one ops licence his beloved Blackpool and Manchester ops remain intact (for now!!).

Let's try to keep things clean, and keep away from innuendo and speculation etc. @nesw is perhaps the individual who knows the Rhys Hand story best and he may be able to furnish us with more information. There's info I've been told, in confidence and cannot share, that colours my view of Rhys; I did place that and his earlier activities to one side whilst the Transpora episode developed though. As regards Transpora, there needs to be the distinction between messrs Hand and Higgs. Philip Higgs is a longstanding operator. You may not like his record, the issues with Beverley Bell and other skirmishes with the traffic commissioner but he's been around a few years with Catch 22, Coastliner Buses etc and is a durable operator. That IS a proper business that was badged as Transpora, and will doubtless continue as it did before.

So when you say the business got to the size it was, you need to put the North West ops to one side. Then look at the South West and what size did it get to, and how? It had the Dorset operation which didn't go well and closed down rather inauspiciously. Then you have the Bristol one that was built on taking on low margin tenders and speculative commercial work with a load of leased fleet that always looked unsustainable, and so it proved.

Perhaps this is where the understanding of the previous record comes in handy, and perhaps explains the views being espoused. Rhys first entered the consciousness of many when a facebook page for Claribels Buses in Birmingham appeared with various statements and plans. Thing is... it wasn't theirs. The thread is still on WM buses forum some ten or more years later but it was Rhys who was behind this stuff that could have been quite damaging and did take time for Claribel to resolve. It could be dismissed as an overexuberant youth. However, it was the first of several instances where existing, legitimate firms have had their business impersonated, their IP taken, etc. I seem to recall a taxi firm on Gloucester Road in Bristol, and one in Plymouth, but as I say, @nesw will recall better than I. Not really fair on those businesses. There was also the plethora of big plans that were "launched" but then never came to fruition. Buses in Cornwall (aka KernowFox) being one, Foxstar in Cardiff, and this need to appear as some major group with multiple operations, brands, centres of operation. Perhaps not surprising that there was scepticism from people at various times, dismissed by Rhys and his supporters as being made by uninformed enthusiasts. The fundamental issues that led to the Transpora collapse were evident in the Foxstar operation in Newport - business failures that have resulted in individuals and businesses being out of pocket, so it's not a case that it's "one of those things". You mention pride... well, it's a fine line between that and hubris, or between confidence and arrogance. It almost seems like a need to be recognised as some captain of industry - Group MD, CEO, a mover and shaker on a business that really wasn't a group nor a sustainable business. The collapse was sadly eminently predictable.

I hope that I've tried to explain as dispassionately as possible, on topic and providing some of the context behind some of the views/comments of others.

 

[mayneway]

I doubt @mayneway would feel so polite about Rhys Hand if he was owed significant sums of money in unpaid wages.

Is anyone owed significant sums of money for wages though?

I worked under Rhys at HCT for a time and when the business closed down Rhys made sure everyone was paid what they had worked.
A friend of mine worked for Transpora doing Met replacements a few years ago, he clashed massively with Higgs and Higgs refused to pay him for a couple of days he’d worked. Rhys stepped in and transferred him the owed money straight away.

Rhys stepped away from the business days before it ceased, all he seemed to get from his Bristol drivers was messages of support.

As regards Transpora, there needs to be the distinction between messrs Hand and Higgs. Philip Higgs is a longstanding operator. You may not like his record, the issues with Beverley Bell and other skirmishes with the traffic commissioner but he's been around a few years with Catch 22, Coastliner Buses etc and is a durable operator. That IS a proper business that was badged as Transpora, and will doubtless continue as it did before.

Higgs is a licence juggler who twice now has suddenly ceased trading on one licence and started on another the next day.
He famously closed his first business Classic bus north west and started another the next day owing drivers unpaid wages and suppliers money. This is what first caught the attention of Beverly Bell.
Then he did the same thing with Catch 22, suddenly closing it down and restarting as coastliner buses.
He’s no saint!

 

[RustySpoons]

There was also the plethora of big plans that were "launched" but then never came to fruition. Buses in Cornwall (aka KernowFox) being one, Foxstar in Cardiff, and this need to appear as some major group with multiple operations, brands, centres of operation. Perhaps not surprising that there was scepticism from people at various times, dismissed by Rhys and his supporters as being made by uninformed enthusiasts. The fundamental issues that led to the Transpora collapse were evident in the Foxstar operation in Newport - business failures that have resulted in individuals and businesses being out of pocket, so it's not a case that it's "one of those things". You mention pride... well, it's a fine line between that and hubris, or between confidence and arrogance. It almost seems like a need to be recognised as some captain of industry - Group MD, CEO, a mover and shaker on a business that really wasn't a group nor a sustainable business. The collapse was sadly eminently predictable.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there. The impression I got was of a young professional with the ambition of running a successful operation, but not quite knowing how to. In the CityFox era there was the strange tie in with Connexions/Harrogate Coach Travel, where CityFox would handle all the social media/promo side of things. Really not sure how a company based in Bristol could keep up to date with the daily goings on of a company in North Yorkshire. Don't think it lasted too long anyway.

Then Foxstar, had all the makings of what appeared to be a successful operation. Modern clean buses with great promo and a good rapport with passengers. But then quite early on they reduced fares to almost comical levels - a weekly pass for a fiver or something equally low, whilst also talking of expansion, taking on a new contract, having new ADL E400s on order... Then giving £100 to a passenger a week if they had a particular ticket number. To me it just seemed like they were giving money away rather than trying to make it. The way they handled the demise wasn't all that good either, blaming Newport Bus for working with the leasing company to 'steal' the vehicles.

Transpora did seem like a much more sorted operation, though I'll admit I've not really followed them as closely as I did the CityFox/FoxStar setup...

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Is anyone owed significant sums of money for wages though?

They were with Foxstar, I believe. Views differing on Transpora Bristol - apparently drivers paid on Friday but whether that was everything owed seems to be unclear.

There will be creditors in any case.

Rhys stepped away from the business days before it ceased, all he seemed to get from his Bristol drivers was messages of support.

Not uniformly, lets say.

Higgs is a licence juggler who twice now has suddenly ceased trading on one licence and started on another the next day.
He famously closed his first business Classic bus north west and started another the next day owing drivers unpaid wages and suppliers money. This is what first caught the attention of Beverly Bell.
Then he did the same thing with Catch 22, suddenly closing it down and restarting as coastliner buses.
He’s no saint!

I don't think anyone is suggesting canonisation. Just that you need to distinguish between the Lancashire ops that are a lot more established (and yes, gone through some reincarnations), and that they are a longer lasting enterprise.

You admitted that you didn't know some of the back story and perhaps why Rhys has attracted some opprobrium. There are some well founded reasons why this is the case, and some common threads that have been evident through the years.

 

[-Colly405-]

Is anyone owed significant sums of money for wages though?

I worked under Rhys at HCT for a time and when the business closed down Rhys made sure everyone was paid what they had worked.
A friend of mine worked for Transpora doing Met replacements a few years ago, he clashed massively with Higgs and Higgs refused to pay him for a couple of days he’d worked. Rhys stepped in and transferred him the owed money straight away.

Rhys stepped away from the business days before it ceased, all he seemed to get from his Bristol drivers was messages of support.

From the perspective of an interested observer, and someone who has also had a number of interactions with Rhys over the years, my ultimate view on him is that he is a good ideas man, wants to do well, but is ultimately still young and a tad naive. It feels as thouugh he needs a few more years working for one of the big boys to understand some more of the nauaces and technicalities better. Then I could see him successfully running his own outfit long term.

 

[mayneway]

From the perspective of an interested observer, and someone who has also had a number of interactions with Rhys over the years, my ultimate view on him is that he is a good ideas man, wants to do well, but is ultimately still young and a tad naive. It feels as thouugh he needs a few more years working for one of the big boys to understand some more of the nauaces and technicalities better. Then I could see him successfully running his own outfit long term.

I’ve worked with Rhys previously and he was nothing but a gent. He resolved issues and had a lot of knowledge on the industry. I would have no hesitation working for him again.

 

[M0LE]

Has he actually done anything wrong though?
I don’t remember much about his previous ventures but I know he had a lot of pride in Transpora and it certainly wasn’t some flash in the pan scheme some make out it was. To get to the size it did was in itself a massive achievement and it’s only sad it’s collapsed, but I honestly very much doubt Rhys has walked away with the bags of swag.

We all know how Higgs likes to collect ops licences and runs several at once, it’s a loophole that needs closing - but it seems in this instance he’s played a clever game, as while the south west operations collapse on one ops licence his beloved Blackpool and Manchester ops remain intact (for now!!).

In my opinion he had zero pride in transpora. I worked there and I saw how it worked. I spoke to managers, supervisors and staff. I saw how it operated and there were vehicles on the road that shouldn’t have been.

The operation seems like it’s to make a big chunk of money and he just goes and lives off of it.

I wanted to help build up his company but seeing how it was and how HE was I jumped ship promptly.

If he had pride in his companies they wouldn’t fail. There is a gap there and he had meetings and contacts with disgruntled people in powerful positions but still seeing how it was run no one cared at all the staff were holding that place together not him.

 

[M0LE]

In my opinion he had zero pride in transpora. I worked there and I saw how it worked. I spoke to managers, supervisors and staff. I saw how it operated and there were vehicles on the road that shouldn’t have been.

The operation seems like it’s to make a big chunk of money and he just goes and lives off of it.

I wanted to help build up his company but seeing how it was and how HE was I jumped ship promptly.

If he had pride in his companies they wouldn’t fail. There is a gap there and he had meetings and contacts with disgruntled people in powerful positions but still seeing how it was run no one cared at all the staff were holding that place together not him.

To update he obviously does read these posts as I had a few horrible emails from him
Not a nice guy at all and a complete BSer making slanderous accusations about me while working there
Let’s hope the traffic commissioner never allows him near buses ever again definitely does not act professionally or conduct things in a managerial manner

 

[liamf656]

To update he obviously does read these posts as I had a few horrible emails from him
Not a nice guy at all and a complete BSer making slanderous accusations about me while working there
Let’s hope the traffic commissioner never allows him near buses ever again definitely does not act professionally or conduct things in a managerial manner

Same goes for his behaviour on social media

 

[greenline712]

I can't help thinking that Mr Hand might benefit from a period as a regular driver, perhaps both with a good operator and a less good operator. Call it learning the trade, perhaps ....

 

[weastebusdepot]

Same goes for his behaviour on social media

Interestingly he reappeared (or "broke his silence" to use the current third rate journalistic cliche) to express his viewpoint on the Sullivan Buses/TfL situation.

 

[Fleetline135]

Written decision of the Traffic Commissioner in relation to Altonian Coaches Ltd. Other parts of Transpora are seemingly not affected by this decision.

Decision for Altonian Coaches Limited T/A Transporabus (PH1089686)

DECISIONS
Having failed to operate registered bus services, ceasing services with no notice, I direct that the operator pay a penalty of £8,250, that being £550 per vehicle with authority for 15 vehicles.

Pursuant to an adverse finding under Section 17(1)(a), that the licence holder is no longer of financial standing or professionally competent, the licence is revoked. The operation has ceased so revocation has immediate effect.

Mr Rhys Hand has lost his good repute as an operator.

Mr Rhys Hand is disqualified from applying for or holding an operator’s licence in any traffic area immediately and until 14 August 2029.

The good repute of Philip Higgs is intact.

 

[richw]

Written decision of the Traffic Commissioner in relation to Altonian Coaches Ltd. Other parts of Transpora are seemingly not affected by this decision.

Decision for Altonian Coaches Limited T/A Transporabus (PH1089686)

Higgs seemed to have come out smelling of roses, whilst Hand has had the book thrown at him!

 

[greenline712]

Higgs seemed to have come out smelling of roses, whilst Hand has had the book thrown at him!

Five years!! That's a lifetime at his age ... perhaps he'll just get a job and learn his trade before he returns to the industry.

 

[M803UYA]

Five years!! That's a lifetime at his age ... perhaps he'll just get a job and learn his trade before he returns to the industry.

I do love Commissioner Kevin Rooney's acidic wit in his write ups....

"Rhys Hand has, once again, failed to attend a public inquiry. In his letter to me, he says “I would be happy to meet with you at any time”. I would remind him that we already had an appointment, at 2 pm on 8 August in the public inquiry room in Bristol. He failed to attend."

Such things are now matters of public record for all to see.....

Decision for Altonian Coaches Limited T/A Transporabus (PH1089686)

www.gov.uk

 

[MotCO]

Higgs seemed to have come out smelling of roses, whilst Hand has had the book thrown at him!

Philip Higgs was variously described as a 'funder' and 'chairman'. Surely he should have made it his business to ensure that the company was operating properly, yet somehow he didn't, and consequently escaped with his repute intact, which I find a bit surprising. If he was 'chairman', was he also a director with all the responsibilities it entails?

 

[Megafuss]

That's pretty brutal. I get the feeling Mr Rooney enjoyed writing that up

 

[M803UYA]

That's pretty brutal. I get the feeling Mr Rooney enjoyed writing that up

Indeed. I often wonder what he says in the actual public inquiry if this is the thoughts he puts into the write up.... Simply resigning and walking away will not prevent regulatory action being taken when you're a licensed operator. Your conduct will be scrutinised.

 

[Megafuss]

Indeed. I often wonder what he says in the actual public inquiry if this is the thoughts he puts into the write up.... Simply resigning and walking away will not prevent regulatory action being taken when you're a licensed operator. Your conduct will be scrutinised.

Mr Rooney didn't have to write this, but he did....

"Telling the truth appears to be a life-style choice for Mr Hand"

 

[mayneway]

Philip Higgs was variously described as a 'funder' and 'chairman'. Surely he should have made it his business to ensure that the company was operating properly, yet somehow he didn't, and consequently escaped with his repute intact, which I find a bit surprising. If he was 'chairman', was he also a director with all the responsibilities it entails?

If Higgs had simply been a funder and chairman he wouldn’t have gone through the brand change with his own North west operation. He’d have kept things down south at arms length.

 

[yorkie]

To update he obviously does read these posts as I had a few horrible emails from him...

I'll have to be careful what I say; otherwise I could be hearing from Backhouse Jones, apparently

 

[Robertj21a]

That's pretty brutal. I get the feeling Mr Rooney enjoyed writing that up

Yes, as did many of us reading it!
If ever there was a bus manager that needed to be hauled up before the authorities then, at last, they nabbed him. His history goes way back to his teenage years.

 

[MotCO]

The personalities of many business people often leads to threats of legal action. I believe that Mr. Hand is still a Trustee/Director of Ealing Community Transport.

Yes, according to the Charity Commissioners https://register-of-charities.chari...ity-search/-/charity-details/4047358/trustees

 

[father_jack]

Mr Rooney didn't have to write this, but he did....

Probably get threatened with "legal action"...

 

[W176 XMA]

Guess this thread could be closed (for now) seeing as Mr Hand has been banned from holding an O-license for 5 years...

Not necessarily, people may still want to discuss it

Also the north west operation is still running

 

[richw]

Probably get threatened with "legal action"...

I suspect there may be some Higgs vs Hand litigation at some point in the future.

The current position was an ongoing moving situation. Much of the background was financial in nature and Mr Woodcraft asked that to be heard in private, along with other matters that might lead to litigation in the future.

 

[fgwrich]

I suspect there may be some Higgs vs Hand litigation at some point in the future.

Indeed, some key highlights in that include both the letter from Hand to Mr Rooney:

"However, for some time now this development has been in the context of a personal relationship between me and Mr Higgs that had gradually become strained. I would not seek to bore you with details of our personal disagreements"

From Philip Higgs section:

Questions started to be asked about cash – the amount going into the bank did not match the amount taken on the buses. Private hire work was being undertaken with costs paid by Altonian but no apparent matching income.

Vehicles were sent down from the northern operations “like soldiers going over the trenches”. He recalled one vehicle being collected from Blackpool in the middle of the night to service a school contract the next morning.

Mr Rooney and the Background section:

On 3 June 2023, DVSA encountered vehicle LX09FZR in the Poole area. The vehicle was untaxed and the tax had expired in February. The registered keeper was Manchester Bus Tours. The bus was operating a service for Altonian Coaches Ltd. It was later taxed, but only from 1 June, the back-duty going unpaid. ANPR evidence showed the vehicle in use throughout May.

Ouch.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Has he actually done anything wrong though?
I don’t remember much about his previous ventures but I know he had a lot of pride in Transpora and it certainly wasn’t some flash in the pan scheme some make out it was. To get to the size it did was in itself a massive achievement and it’s only sad it’s collapsed, but I honestly very much doubt Rhys has walked away with the bags of swag.

We all know how Higgs likes to collect ops licences and runs several at once, it’s a loophole that needs closing - but it seems in this instance he’s played a clever game, as while the south west operations collapse on one ops licence his beloved Blackpool and Manchester ops remain intact (for now!!).

Having read the output of the hearing, perhaps @mayneway might wish to review his opinion?


First of all, it perhaps does clear up some of the opacity of the relationship between Hand and Higgs. It was noted that Rhys wasn't listed on the North West business, but was on Manchester Bus Tours. Seems like that business operated as a rental facility, providing vehicles to Transpora in the South West. Clearly, that Philip Higgs can be bothered to come down from Blackpool (with legal representation) and face the TC is one thing. That he did so, and provided factual evidence to substantiate what happened, only serves to support his version of events. Meanwhile, Rhys failed to attend despite living a matter of miles away - I seem to recall that when FoxStar went bust, his next tweet came from a sun lounger! That Philip Higgs was able to attend AND provide that evidence is doubtless why his repute has been maintained @MotCO though perhaps he should have been less trusting/more hands on.

Let's be in no doubt - this is an excoriating report by Kevin Rooney. I'm sure that @nesw enjoyed reading some of that as a vindication of some of the questions and issues that he's raised over time. As I intimated earlier on this thread, I had been told some things in confidence about various business practices relating to Rhys, and can't say that what I've read has surprised me.

Some of the other facts that have come out are very disturbing. Operations in excess of O license authorisation is one thing, but running vehicles without tax (and thereby insurance). A vehicle being operated by a non qualified driver, tacho infringements, and then lying to the DVSA staff about it. Vehicles with serious defects. A vehicle abandoned by a roadside in such a position that the police has to undertake an emergency removal. This is all extremely serious stuff. Whilst @greenline712 may suggest, with all of the best will in the world, that Rhys needs to learn his trade with a proper operator, I'd perhaps counter with another view. Rhys has worked with different reputable firms (Rotala, CT Plus) and with some experienced busmen.

It's not a lack of knowledge here but something more fundamental that comes to the core of the individual. In the past, there have been many inconsistencies in the CityFox/Foxstar/Transpora stories. Some of those are, in all fairness, explainable in that some people do seize on anything that isn't black and white; there are often grey areas, and things do change. However, we've seen many instances with Rhys over the years where there have been legitimate reasons to suggest fabrication, plagiarism, and a tenuous relationship with the truth. Certainly, Mr Rooney is of a similar view.

Finally, for those who feel this is merely a sad episode and that no one got hurt... That was only through good fortune with vehicles running contrary to the law. People were inconvenienced by the overnight loss of services, Mr Higgs clearly believes that he has been financially impacted (we'll say no more) and that there are probably a number of creditors who will receive very little from a business that really had little actual worth or assets.