Some time during the 1990s I met a lady (don't ask how!) who actually owned a shuttle run between Picton and Christchurch.
This was a seven day a week commitment and she shared this with her son, but in reality it meant that they could never go out, or for that matter even spend any time, together as one or the other was always working. Typically nine hour days!
She suggested that I should perhaps study for and somehow obtain my 'P' endorsement to enable me to carry paying passengers in a Passenger Service Operation. Thus having me as a 'relief driver' they could at least have time off together.
This I did – not TOO difficult but not a 'piece of cake' either.
Unfortunately, although I did one or two trips she then sold the business so I was 'no longer required'.
This did not worry me too much as it was really only going to be a 'hobby'.
However, back in the real world, despite having several income streams – by this time we were running as SBT Business Centre - one month we had a 'bad month' and I said to the others that perhaps I should get a driving job to add more income.
The comment was made that ' we certainly don't need you here all day every day, now that everything is running so well.'
There was an advertisement by a newly founded Shuttle company calling for drivers.
I attended an interview and explained that I didn't want a full time job (after all I already had one) but was happy to fill in when necessary.
This was not acceptable to them as they wanted full time fully committed staff – I understood entirely!
But at the very end “hang on a mo, would you be prepared to do our night shift though?”
I agreed (remember this was a startup company) saying I would commit to doing this for six onths. I therefore worked 6 p.m. till 3 a.m. virtually each night.
This was not a particularly happy time though but I did keep at it.
During this time (being me) I reckoned I could run the company in a much better way! Yeah Right.
I spoke to one of the other night shift shuttle drivers and suggested that 'we' should buy a van together, one of us driving it during the the day the other at night.
What a bloody good idea?
Once my six month commitment was over I managed to obtain a PSL (Passenger Service operators License) something I still have, and set out to set up Shuttle Bus Transport!!(SBT)
We did, indeed start with one van doing Airport and charter work, but also had the opportunity to take over and run a daily return service between Christchurch and Dunedin, again on a 'door to door' basis.
We also ran the 'All Nighter'.
This was, as the name suggests, a bus service taking revellers home from the city after a big night out, at less than half the price of a taxi. But right to their door – thus these buses had to be suitable to use on residential streets.
Yep you guessed it we needed more than one van – actually we gradually added, more vans, and three buses – obviously more drivers were needed, as were dispatchers, full 25w Radios in each vehicle, even a bus cleaning crew.
We had base radio sets both in the office and at my home office at Baker St.
By running a 24hr operation we ended up with a staff of about 25 (part and full time).
When I sold off and closed down in 2003 we had some 12 vehicles. A mixture of vans and buses.
Dunedin Branch
Dunedin Reception
Bus Washing Crew
