White Bus, part of the Rowgate Group, was founded in 1921 and is Berkshire’s oldest independent bus and coach operator. Operating around East Berkshire & North Surrey, they have a fleet of 35 vehicles providing bus services and school and coach contract work to the community.

The challenge

Previously, White Bus had their Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims certified by their statutory accountant, but with an increasing workload and a growing business, they found the process was taking up valuable resource and time.

 “I’d go through the terms and conditions, and it was challenging to understand what we could claim for, as the wording can be subjective. It would take up a lot of my time and I felt that our claim was not being maximised.”

-Simon Rowland, Chief Executive Officer at White Bus

The solution

White Bus was recommended to speak with EPM Bus Solutions about their BSOG auditing service.

During the audit, the EPM BSOG auditing team discovered that the operator had vehicles that qualified for the low carbon incentive which they had not been claiming for and the AVL & Smartcard incentives. The team reworked the fuel consumption data to account for odometer changes.

 “The claiming process has been very straightforward with the help of EPM Bus Solutions. They know the industry, the systems the industry use, and where to look for the data. The BSOG auditing team was helpful throughout the process, and I look forward to continuing the relationship with them.”

– Simon Rowland, Chief Executive Officer at White Bus

 

The operator received a full audit report, including an evaluation and the completed PSV311 claim form. The report included recommendations such as improving the control and housekeeping over the fuel issues and simplifying the reporting.

The results

The EPM BSOG auditing team increased the claim for White Bus by 23%, saving them valuable time so they could concentrate on other areas of their growing business.

“The EPM auditing service is value for money, our claim has increased, and even when taking fees into consideration, there is still a significant increase in our claim. I recommend all small and independent bus operators to seek the help of the EPM auditing team.”

– Simon Rowland, Chief Executive Officer at White Bus