John Ashmore Email & Phone Number

Most Places Worldwide

Us - Mid West And Texas

This main board position carried accountability for engineering and maintenance safety and reliability for a fleet of 70,000 buses and coaches in the USA and Canada. There were over 730 maintenance locations, and an annual maintenance revenue budget of around $650 million. It was a challenging period as the company was attempting to achieve maximum synergies from the recent merger of two very large fleets. Considerable achievements were made in a number of areas. New technology development, improved morale and teamwork, enhanced vehicle and shop safety and substantial vehicle reliability improvements, which consequently required less spare vehicles. An urgent project was completed to reduce the risk of thermal incidents (fires or smoke) in one type of Greyhound vehicle, with liason with the US DOT on a national scheme of risk reduction. I previously had the wider corporate responsibilities of being the Managing Director of two UK bus companies between 2002 and 2006. john@busconsultants.com

Bournemouth Uk

Replaced retiring MD just prior to the Council’s decision to offer its arms length company ‘Yellow Buses’ for sale. I led the £12 million annual t/o business through this long and very difficult period which included a prolonged sale process, a planned depot move/building on a new site, whilst all the while facing stiff on-road competition. Local marketing/pricing initiatives were used to compete with a much bigger group competitor, with a previously negative local press backing our position. The company retained full staffing throughout by focusing on staff morale, and was eventually sold for a higher price than the council expected.

First Manchester - Main Board Director & Divisional Engineering Director 04/99 - 04/00 accountable for a fleet of 840 vehicles, including articulated buses, at six depots.- Improved maintenance systems and procedures to a 96% first time annual test pass rate, despite many old vehicles, with a reduction in staffing and engineering costs.- Achieved a substantial improvement in fleet presentation and reliability.- Improved trust and communication with employees/historically difficult unions.I then took ownership of maintenance development and financial performance measurement at fast growing First Student, Cincinnati USA, with 14,000 school buses then operating in 33 States.- The team implemented completely new maintenance systems to a tight timescale.- We introduced weekly KPI’s and reduced maintenance costs by over 7% in the first year and a $4.5 million equivalent over two years.- Developed a progressive and empowered maintenance team culture and style.- Involved in the planning of American style school transportation in the UK.

Derby Uk

Proud to have been a member of the senior management team of this innovative, profitable, and award winning UK bus company whose trend setting operational standards for the customer set the benchmark that competitors are barely yet achieving, over 15 years later. The only bus company in the UK, and probably the world, to have a no-quibble money back guarantee .... for the last 20 years!