Digital economy permeates every sector of business

Posted by on 3 Apr 2023

Junction 21 Chauffeurs is a Rochdale-based transport company that has been transformed in recent years.

Originally, founder John Byrne was in the taxi business and, after help from Carol Hopkins (now of the RDA, but then of the Rochdale Chamber of Commerce), for many years ran a successful broker service for owner-driver taxis ferrying customers to and from Manchester Airport. The chauffeur side of the business grew from that, and since the Covid pandemic has been the Byrne family’s sole focus.

“I started the business with my sons Michael and Daniel, and my wife Pauline, who is also my business partner, and now we’re bringing my daughter Leanne into the business as well,” says John. “The economic downturn caused by Covid severely affected our taxi business, as it did so many other companies, so we decided to focus on the chauffeur side of the operation.”

That part of the business is buoyant, and a recent acquisition of new vehicles - all executive class Mercedes models - will help the company meet revenue targets. Turnover for 2022/2023 is on target to be in excess of £250,000 and the forecast for 2023/2024 is £320,000.

A demand for convenience

“When we started we were surprised by the size of the demand for this kind of service in the region,” says John. “Many of our customers are overseas business people coming to Rochdale or other parts of Greater Manchester for meetings with local companies, or even to look at investment opportunities in the area.”

Junction 21 has worked hard in recent years to create a digital business, allowing customers to book and pay for journeys online (often from abroad), and receive car and driver details electronically. The company uses the What 3 Words (W3W) system to precisely locate customers for both convenience and safety.

“We’ve basically turned into a digital business,” says John. “I’d say that around 85% of our processes are now automated. It hasn’t always been like that, but we realised some time ago that automating the booking process was a way to become more efficient and offer better customer service, so we took some courses in web skills, SEO and coding and built it from there.”

Safe and secure

The company takes data security and privacy seriously. They protect customer phone numbers with number masking (replacing a real number with a virtual equivalent), and are fully compliant with GDPR. Drivers go through strict and rigorous training, and are paid a professional wage.

“We take great pride in our honesty, professionalism, ethical behaviour, and integrity with our staff and clients,” says John.

The result is that customers - either executives or those starting a dream holiday - are picked up and dropped off safely, on time and in comfort by drivers who care for their convenience. John says that Junction 21 is more than just a travel service.

“We like to add a little bit more. If a passenger needs to know of a great place to eat or an interesting place to visit in the region, we’re happy to give recommendations. By getting all these right - quality, service, and corporate safety - we serve our clients’ needs successfully.”

“We support other Rochdale businesses whenever we can,” he continues. “Some of our customers use us again and again and we know them well. They appreciate our local knowledge as well as the service we provide.”

All the company’s hard work has been rewarded with a satisfied customer base and also by winning the Business of the Year Award at the annual Rochdale Business awards, the first chauffeur company to do so.

John started the business in 2008 and is now a proud father and grandfather. The next task is to gradually hand the business over to his daughter. “She knows the company inside out and it’s great that it will continue to be our family business,” he says. “She has some big ideas for the company. But the important thing for me is to see it in safe hands.”