Risk & Business Magazine Gifford Associates Spring 2017 | Page 8

ROXBOROUGH BUS LINES Roxborough Bus Lines: Family, Community, Service R oxborough Bus Lines is a third-generation bus company that first began service in 1958. From small beginnings, the company has grown to over 400 units covering all of Eastern Ontario. Nick McRae and Blaine Filion joined owners Daryl McRae and George Villeneuve in 2008 and immediately took an aggressive stance toward expanding the company into new markets. Even with that rapid expansion, however, the company remains true to the original vision of its founders, Duncan McRae and Bernard Villeneuve (that’s right, Nick, Daryl and George are related to the founders). According to Nick, the number one problem facing the owners and managers of transportation companies is, not surprisingly, recruiting and retaining quality employees. The industry turnover rate is very high for drivers, sitting at around 50 percent. Roxborough has done much better than average in this department, keeping its turnover rate to about 15 percent a year. Compared to the industry average, it should come as no 8 surprise that Roxborough’s much lower rate is primarily because it is a great place to work and goes the extra mile for its employees. Most of the success of Roxborough’s expansion plans has come from its employees, which makes sense since the most important part of any transportation company is the team of drivers who provide the day-to-day service to the company’s paying customers. At Roxborough, a combination of being proactive and extensive training ensures that drivers are prepared for their jobs and that safety is a top priority. Add on competitive wages and benefits and that makes the company an ideal place for drivers to work. It makes for happy employees and happy employees are the key to efficiency. Beyond training, benefits, and competitive wages, the management and ownership of Roxborough do many small things for its employees. Whether it’s sending someone a birthday card or giving someone extra time off for family reasons, the company takes care of its own. Roxborough’s much lower turnover rate than the industry average is one of the key indicators of that. Caring about drivers not only benefits the company but it also benefits the community and increases the overall level of service. Ultimately, Roxborough Bus Lines is a transportation company. Through the years, it has grown to cover a much larger geographic area. Even so, its core values have remained the same: a strong focus on safety and efficiency are the top priorities. The service provided by Roxborough employees is a testament to that fact. And the drivers are not only the company’s biggest asset, but they help make Roxborough the go-to brand for transportation in Eastern Ontario. It all starts with the quality of service and the drivers themselves. The company is committed to the provision of safe, effective, efficient, and healthy home-to-school transportation for over one hundred schools. For more information about Roxborough Bus Lines, you can visit them online at roxboroughbus.com or contact Nick McRae at 1-844-716-8287 or [email protected]. +