CityFox Group Structure Revealed
RHYS DENNIS GEORGE HAND
of 12 Weymouth Road, Bristol BS3 5HJ
Thanks to a correspondent, we can see which companies whizzo Bristolian enterpreneur Mr Hand owns and that may help us discover what buses he owns and what routes he operates. To cut down typing, the boss will be heretofore referred to as RDGH
Incorporated: 13 July 2012
Christopher John Bearman
RDGH
Piers Benedict Pickering
John David Smith
David Joseph Wood
Companies are usually "struck off" because their owner doesn't fill in the appropriate annual returns or fails to pay the annual fee. It is unlikely that CityFox Bristol Limited ever operated any buses.
Kernowfox LimitedIncorporated: 28 March 2015
Directors:-
RDGH
Nicholas Siddaway
Kernowfox is a company based in Cornwall which has (again on-line) been heralding bus services in God's Wonderful County. Its business address is that of the former Cornwall Busways, a company that briefly operated services in St Austell in competition with First.
Incorporated: 19 May 2015
RDGH
Nicholas Siddaway
Cityfox Taxis Plymouth Limited
Incorporated: 22 July 2015
Directors:-
RDGH
Nicholas Siddaway
No CityFox taxis have ever been spotted in Plymouth. We know that taxis operate under this brand in Bristol, although how many is a moot point. One on-line page is reproduced herewith for our readers' delectation.
Excite Venues Limited
Incorporated: 6 January 2016
Director:-
RDGH
Cityfox Bus Limited
Incorporated: 1 June 2016
Directors:-
RDGH
Nicholas Siddaway
Velvetfox Limited
Incorporated: I June 2016
Directors:-
RDGH
Philip John Stockley
No-one seems to know what, if anything, this company is for, Its name has a hint of Velvet Bus ...
... the company, based in Eastleigh, which went bust in 2015. Interestingly, the firm has as a director fbb's old Southern Vectis colleague, Phil Stockley.
And Phil, of course, was MD of Velvet Bus and is now boss of T M Travel based at Halfway, Sheffield.
So we can summarise the CityFox group's business by quoting from its current web site:-
CityFox now operates in three key areas:
• Bus
• Taxi
• Transport Management
CityFox has over 100 vehicles, employing some 120 local people in our chosen areas of operation and carries over 37,000 passengers in our taxis a year in Bristol alone.
Some company eh?
And you were wondering about Nicholas Siddaway. Of course you were.
He is listed as a director of the above company and holds or has held directorships in dozens of companies from which he has subsequently resigned. Presumably it is he who provides accountancy services for the CityFox group.
fbb is not suggesting that there is anything dodgy about this set-up (heaven forfend!) but, clearly, there is a tangled web of multiple companies making some impressive claims on-line. As we shall see, some of these claims do not quite match the actual activity.
Would those intending to write comments on the above blog please contact the chubby one at
fbb@xephos.com
until this mini series is finished. Thank you.
Tomorrow, the bus operations in Bristol.
So we can summarise the CityFox group's business by quoting from its current web site:-
CityFox now operates in three key areas:
• Bus
• Taxi
• Transport Management
CityFox has over 100 vehicles, employing some 120 local people in our chosen areas of operation and carries over 37,000 passengers in our taxis a year in Bristol alone.
Some company eh?
And you were wondering about Nicholas Siddaway. Of course you were.
fbb is not suggesting that there is anything dodgy about this set-up (heaven forfend!) but, clearly, there is a tangled web of multiple companies making some impressive claims on-line. As we shall see, some of these claims do not quite match the actual activity.
Would those intending to write comments on the above blog please contact the chubby one at
fbb@xephos.com
until this mini series is finished. Thank you.
Tomorrow, the bus operations in Bristol.
Next Fox bus blog : Tuesday 21st June
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMMMMM. yet Phil Stockley is joining Transdev in August. I think we have a Dreamer in a certain so called director.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I'm not now joining Transdev.
DeleteRDGH has been spending quite a bit of time at TM as well and I understand Phil has been making several trips to Bristol.
ReplyDeleteSomething is cooking. I just hope it doesn't involve books.
Some interesting figures above - Revenue (not profit I stress) is £64k....For 60 employees, that seems rather low
ReplyDeleteThe 17,000 passengers over 305 days (365 less BH and Suns) = 56 per day or less than one per vehicle per day
I'm sure it can all be explained
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a look at @rhyshand on Twitter, you can see he's getting very cosy with TM Travel. Having said that, there's some other comments on there that you wouldn't expect from an alleged MD of a bus firm. You don't get the CEO of Transdev Blazefield being so rude to people, although he is 14 years his senior!
ReplyDeleteAn example being:
ReplyDeleteRhys Hand
@RhysHand
@El_Mayo @FirstBSA oh I dunno, I attempted to rip some stupid chink driver through the plastic screen the other day!
5:25 PM - 18 Nov 2014
To see this blog stoop to such a highly personalised attack on a young guy trying to make his way in business is distressing and I really wonder what you hope to achieve.
ReplyDeleteIf you're building up to the dramatic conclusion that CityFox doesn't run an extensive network of bus services in Bristol, I'll spoil your fun by confirming that indeed it doesn't, nor does it claim to.
Just for fun i've just waded through a year of CityFox's Facebook posts and can't see a single reference to running any bus service in Bristol other than Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Indeed, somewhere in the middle of it all is the announcement of the decision not to run buses under the KernowFox brand, due to the uncertain regulatory position in Cornwall - hardly a rash or irresponsible decision and saving you the need for any investigative journalism from your team of 'correspondents'.
So City Fox doesn't presently have a vast fleet of buses or routes, and doesn't make any claim to do so. Who does this harm, to warrant such a vindictive attack?
What CityFox does have in abundance is taxis. They don't all have logos on the side - taxis very frequently don't - but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
Spend a few hours in Bristol in particular and you will see plenty of Cityfoxes running about. But bear in mind there are a thousand taxis on the streets of Bristol so don't be surprised when the ranks aren't full of foxes.
As for Velvet Fox, well of course no-one knows what it's about. We set it up less than a month ago, and since when has it been a requirement for new companies to announce their commercially sensitive plans just to keep the spotters happy?
As you and your commenters have observed, Rhys has been doing a lot of work with me at TM recently on marketing projects and updating the brand image and even redecorating the depot and other projects behind the scenes, and the results have been first class.
I am proud to be associated with Rhys and the CityFox team. When you actually bother to get to know him rather than joining the ranks of haters trying to take cheap potshots, you find someone who is driven, determined and ambitious, but also keen to learn and improve. I am proud to stand side by side with him and will do everything I can to help him make the amazing contribution to the world of transport that I know he will make.
Such a personal assault is unwarranted and does you no credit.
Phil
I'm rather surprised that such a person as Mr Stockley has lowered himself to reply to these supposed personal attacks.
DeleteGenerally when you look at what Rhys has done, he is a very respectable person. I'm probably about the same age as him and would have loved to been as entrepreneurial as him. However, as a couple of people have pointed out, as an MD of a company, you do not make such comments as he's made on Twitter and he has to be very careful about what he's saying. I'm sure he completely regrets saying certain things, as does any enthusiast or person. I've seen Rhys around Bristol a few times and always assumed he is an enthusiast, but to be an MD is very surprising and respectable.
I'm personally very pleased that FBB set up this blog to explain what Cityfox is planning. I've seen Cityfox taxis and even the 08 cityfox bus around Bristol many times and always wondered, as with practically every other enthusiast, what the company is and what it is actually planning on doing, as from what I've seen there is very very little information anywhere which tells anyone this, even the public.
I am rather annoyed by Mr Stockley's comment about joining the ranks of haters trying to take cheap potshots. I cannot see on here that anyone is trying to take cheap potshots, nor necessarily hates the company. We are all just intrigued to know what your company is and what your plans are and pointing out any observations as to how your company could be better run.
If Cityfox is going to ever plan to move into the bus market, I would suggest Mr Stockley changes his attitude and Rhys takes a bit more care on comments he makes to ensure that enthusiasts and members of the public respect them and the company as much as any other bus company. Support certainly won't grow on such a comment as Mr Stockley's.
The interesting comment regarding the young chap, presuming early 20s, putting some inappropriate comments reminds me a touch of myself in my younger years, long before the days when a rant or a quick off-the-cuff remark landed an individual in hot water. I dread to think if anyone listened to some of my diatribe in the 1980s, of course a different world but we've all been a little young and indeed stupid at times. I'm sure both Phil and FBB, gentlemen like myself of the older order, have done and said a few things which we have regretted but alas these are perhaps never documented.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget, and this is meant in the nicest possible way, insanity and people in transport sit very close together. I'm a self-confessed nutter and my CV wouldn't be as colourful if I wasn't a couple of crusts short of a picnic. Quite clearly I know what I'm doing and I can be eloquent, but has there been times when I've over-baked my offering? Hell, yes!
There's a few schoolboy errors from the youngster, but that's because he's not long out of school. Well done to Phil for helping along someone with a bit of transport savvy, we do need it in this day and age. I'm sure Phil will take him under his wing and guide him accordingly and the lad will make mistakes. We all do.
In all seriousness though Phil, you may want to have a chat with Rhys regarding his online persona, especially if the comments here are true. The internet never forgets and it would be hard if comments made now came back to bite him in a more elevated position.
Peace and love and all that jazz.
This is the same rhys hand who use to ride about on national express coaches pretending to be a driver nearly loosing a inspector his job when he decided to dump a car in Bath bus station for 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteAnd the same person who has been seen to be running his busses about on stolen ops disks and finally the person whos busses have been always taken away dm from him for miss payments Oh and finally do we ask him about the times he took wessex busses for joyrides.... We must be talking about a differnt rhys hand
Why couldn't people respect fbb's wish not to post comments until the series was complete? I was very interested to see where it was going, and how deep!
ReplyDeleteIs this the same Rhys Hands that has various CCJs against him and is being investigated for fraudulent activity?
ReplyDeleteNick siddaway had his o licence revoked for failure to run scheduled services, and failed at an appeal. It was shortly after that failed appear the Kernow fox plans ended at Kernow fox they had a collection of non DDA near end of life single deckers, with plans to start late in 2015- I.e. Useless vehicles.
ReplyDeleteAll available to read in the west traffic commissioner reports.
I was on the end of an abusive message from Rhys after commenting on Facebook that the Kernowfox operation will never take off. I stand by my comments at that time!
Actually the Cornwall Busways vehicles were near DDA compliant needing little modification.
DeleteAs a spotter you should confine yourselves to things that you see rather than things you only half know. Cornwall Busways were in fact never in competition with first, we has a decent working relationship with them our competitor who said he would run Cornwall Busways off the road was Western Greyhound. If you delved deeper into the while sorry affair a look at the public enquiry into Western Greyhound would serve well.
As for The Fox Group it had moderate success with bus service in Newport in competition to Newport buses although the allocation of bus stands in Newport bus services itself was anti competitive. The taxis were successful but remember Rhys little experience and was likely to get sone things wrong. In my view howler he should be applauded for trying rather than criticised. He tried unlike you armchair critics.
As for Devon and Cornwall Business Services that had nothing to do with Fox Group other than client to Accotntants firm. That company is still going 25 years after it started and that is all you need to knp6
Just to put record straight Rhys hands and city fox had nothing ever to do with Bristol greyhound ltd/ pier buses uk I'm Shaun Craigie and was the only director when company closed.I got rid of Gary Willams a freind of Rhy hands because he was losing me thousands a week due to his on going contact talking to his mate the network planner of first bus behind my back and not recording his involvement with him.making it impossible for me to keep running my buses due to underhanded moves to force me off the road I handed my licences in. I was never called to a public enqiry for ending my service with out notice wonder why ? I complained to traffic commissioner for months on many occasions about first alway brushed under carpet,I gave them one week to do something about first they never did.
ReplyDeleteso on the Friday I walked in to there offices and handed them my operator discs and pulled my buses off the road
Shaun Cornwall Busways had the same issue over a complaint we raised about incorrect registration which was illegal because 67% of one route registered on the Bodmin registration was not common. As a result we had unfair competition on service 29 when Greyhound service 528 was illegally registered. The Traffic Commissioner again was given a week to resolve but the Leeds office refused to act and we withdrew the service and were taken to pi for failure to operate. One week later Western Greyhound stopped operating the 528 and when asked by their own drivers why in June they were not operating the 528 their MD said they were not telling either the Traffic Commisiioners or the Council the service had berm withdrawn until they revised their registrations in September.
DeleteWhen Western Greyhound ceased operations Sarah Bell stated it would not be in the public interest to hold a PI. I wrote the the senior Yraffic Commissioner to object and suddenly a short notice PI was held at which VODA was able tp put its observations to a hearing and the none operation of the 527 and 528 and 547 and part 586 was raised that they had knly a 58% reliability rate. I went purely because Rhys Hand spotted the PI and asked me if I wanted to go.
In this case First and Cornwall Busways were at the receiving end of the Commissioner whereas Sarah Bell covered up the failings of Western Greyhound because as I found out both Cornwall Council and VOSA has submitted dossiers to Sarah Bell and her civil Servants.
We attempted to surrender our licences but the civil Servants refused to allow us to
Rhys has just bought Snowdonia Travel Ltd and all their assetts.
ReplyDeleteLeave the lad alone. He perhaps needs a little guidance and maybe his enthusiasm reining in a touch but creativity and ambition are qualities to be nurtured, not derided.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting thread, noteworthy because it shows the double standards of the West of England traffic commissioners.
ReplyDeleteBristol greyhound take their services off the road without notice no action. Cornwall busways take their service off the road due to irregularities in the Leeds office and get called to the pi,unlike Bristol greyhound are not allowed to surrender their licence. And incidentally busways did not compete with First but with western greyhound who were extremely cosy with Mark howarth of Western greyhound despite as we now know maintenance concerns of Vosa as well as widespread non operation of services including the one in dispute which did not operate for ten weeks before the traffic commissioners were advised of official withdrawal.
I like Phil know Rhys well and he is an ambitious man who is driven to strive to build a good customer facing business that is viable. I am aware of the sort of reaction Rhys has and believe me I am certain that many mds in the sector have the same thoughts, God knows the government regulations which are over the top compared to say Malta coupled with the sometimes unreasonable demands of passengers and the occasional fraudulent claim for compensation by passengers is enough to annoy the most saintly of people. Rhys says what many actually feel
Finally in my view the operators of buses etc are primarily concerned with providing the services customers want,they pay the income and wages of employees, if enthusiasts like what is done all well and done,if not tough they are not the primary concern or interest of operators thus they will not be seen to be first in the queue for information. I am a rail enthusiast but would not expect tube given information ahead of anyone else
What an interesting thread, noteworthy because it shows the double standards of the West of England traffic commissioners.
ReplyDeleteBristol greyhound take their services off the road without notice no action. Cornwall busways take their service off the road due to irregularities in the Leeds office and get called to the pi,unlike Bristol greyhound are not allowed to surrender their licence. And incidentally busways did not compete with First but with western greyhound who were extremely cosy with Mark howarth of Western greyhound despite as we now know maintenance concerns of Vosa as well as widespread non operation of services including the one in dispute which did not operate for ten weeks before the traffic commissioners were advised of official withdrawal.
I like Phil know Rhys well and he is an ambitious man who is driven to strive to build a good customer facing business that is viable. I am aware of the sort of reaction Rhys has and believe me I am certain that many mds in the sector have the same thoughts, God knows the government regulations which are over the top compared to say Malta coupled with the sometimes unreasonable demands of passengers and the occasional fraudulent claim for compensation by passengers is enough to annoy the most saintly of people. Rhys says what many actually feel
Finally in my view the operators of buses etc are primarily concerned with providing the services customers want,they pay the income and wages of employees, if enthusiasts like what is done all well and done,if not tough they are not the primary concern or interest of operators thus they will not be seen to be first in the queue for information. I am a rail enthusiast but would not expect tube given information ahead of anyone else
Can I add to my comments that Cornwall Busways never competed with First that would be plain stupid .We sought to compliment the failing Western Greyhound service but as I said the Leeds Traffic Commissioners failed to abide by the 50% route commonality on registration and allowed Western Greyhound to add a route in direct competition to us at only 26%,route common and at a short notice change.
ReplyDeleteThis was our dispute with the Traffic Commissioners and remains so to this day
This particular looks for example certainly superb. Most of these slight tips are made using availablility of cosmetic foundation interest. I like to him or her appreciably. airport
ReplyDeleteGiven recent events at a PI in Bristol, some of these comments have aged rather badly! RH banned for 5 years....
ReplyDelete