FOREST HILL CARS, LONDON: WELL AND TRUL
Y A FAMIL
Many companies claim to be family businesses, but few can back it up like London’s Forest Hill Cars, which was start- ed some 35 years ago by George Martin, and is today being run by a third genera- tion of Martins: George’s grandsons Simon and Maurice. Not only that: Simon and Maurice’s mother still regularly works in the office – assisted by various nieces and nephews. We cer- tainly meant it when we said it’s a family affair!
Of course, Forest Hill is now scarcely recognisable from the one that George started all those years ago. Today it is a thriving business with a fleet of 110 cars; mainly driver- owned, but also with 20-30 company cars. The varied fleet includes saloons, estates, MPVs, wheelchair-accessi- ble vehicles and executive cars.
Such dramatic changes don’t seem surprising when you meet Forest Hill’s owners, Maurice and Simon Martin, who explain that this has always been a com- pany with its eyes on
the future. “We were one of the first mini- cab companies in London to install radios back in the 70s,” he asserts. And the wisdom of that decision is still being felt now: Forest Hill secured a highly desirable radio anten- na site on top of Crystal Palace which grants them incredi- ble radio coverage in an area not exactly renowned for good radio results. “We get amazing radio range,” explains Maurice. “Our drivers get cov- erage right into the West End, and up as far north as St Albans.”
REGULAR UPDATES
Moving into the 90s, Forest Hill once again proved they were ahead of the curve by installing a computer data system to man- age their business, thus beginning a strong partnership with Auriga Systems, which continues to this day. “40-odd driv- ers screaming down the radio!” is the rea- son given for the installation, but Mau- rice explains what a brave decision it was: “I think we were the first Auriga data sys- tem in London. Everybody thought data wouldn’t work in London, but we proved that wrong.” Today, long-standing NPHA member Forest Hill is a major force in South London, and this year the company once again proved its vision when it made the decision to upgrade to Auriga’s flagship Evocab dis- patch system at a time when other com- panies might be thinking of saving some pennies. “The installation was so simple,” Maurice says. “We ran the two systems side by side for a week before switching over, and it all went perfectly. Within an hour the staff were all up to
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speed.” Feature-wise, one of the biggest assets for Forest Hill is Evocab’s full address database, which includes addresses through the entire region – ideal for those out-of- town jobs.
But
Maurice is just as interested in its use as a promotion tool: “We can see all of the businesses in the area, and use this to try to gain account work. And because it’s editable we can keep it up to date too.”
As to why they chose to upgrade? “You have to keep up with latest technology,” Maurice continues. “We’re here for the long haul, so you have to invest to keep yourself ahead. The ability to install PDAs with Evocab was a factor too; we want to keep our radio as we get amazing range, but Auriga can offer us PDAs using our radio network with GPRS for work further out. So Evocab is paving the way for the next stage of our busi- ness.”
BIGGER AND BETTER
And what a business it is. At a time where some companies are struggling, Forest Hill is thriving, thanks to a
focus on account work which amounts to around 50 per cent of all business. “We are busy in the school holidays as well as term time,” says Mau- rice. “Because we don’t just focus on cash work we are busy on both fronts.” Where’s all this work coming from? Con- tracts with various NHS trusts are key (the company’s ISO 9001 & 14001 quality standards help secure accounts) – along with a recently installed supermarket free phone. “It’s like having another cab office down there,” Maurice explains. “We have maintained our business in diffi- cult times, and now
Y AFFAIR
we are looking to expand,” Maurice continues. “We feel we have exhausted this area, so now we can look to move out- wards – we just need quality, hard working drivers, that’s all.” So what does the future hold for Forest Hill? Unsurprisingly, the focus is once again firmly upon family.
“We want to
get bigger and busier, so the company is better when we hand it over to the next gen- eration,” Maurice explains. “More vehi- cles; more drivers; more work. We will never sell this busi- ness; just improve it and then pass it on.” A laudable ambition. We wish them luck.
A A
FOREST HILL CARS LONDON
Address:
Telephone: Email:
Website:
26 Perry Vale, Forest Hill, London SE23 2LD
0208 291 1111
info@foresthillcars.co.uk www.foresthillcars.co.uk
Year firm started: 1971 Number of vehicles: 110
Types of vehicle: Private hire: saloons, estates, MPVs, WAVs, executive
Licensing authority: Transport for London/Public Carriage Office
Standard fares:
£4.50 minimum/£1.80 per mile thereafter
Booking system: Computerised – Auriga Evocab
Phone system: BT BCM Radio system:
Philips PHTM OCTOBER 2010
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