Anybody heard about having to book MT via WHQ"s for service transport? Ignore it’s to do with hire 
My last wing was very keen on it, there being no RAF bases or decent MT sections in the region.
The system is called Phoenix, works a treat. You book your vehicle and it gets delivered to your squadron ready to go. Just refuel it before you hand it back and claim it on an accts4. Simples.
Yep, all done through the Phoenix contract now. It means all you need to do is tell your WExO what you want, where you want it delivered to/where they can pick it up from and the mileage you’ll be doing/what you’re using it for.
If you have WHQ staff willing to have vehicles delivered to them!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A new one on me, but then , I just have to walk across the office and drop an MT request on the ACLOs desk.
[quote=“marky_mark” post=15613]If you have WHQ staff willing to have vehicles delivered to them!
[/quote]
Or you could just get it delivered to someone from your Sqn.
Isn’t the Phoenix system just for hire vehicles?
Surely MT vehicles are still done via the MT section at the relevant station?
Though, if the wing are paying the bill they’ll obviously need to okay it, but certainly for us the last time I organised one it was done via my parent station.
I think that as far as they are concerned, whitefleet is whitefleet.
The only time I’ve had to use the Phoenix system via Wing is when booking civi coach companies.
White fleet was always via Odiham.
In case anyone’s interested, my wing has told me that Phoenix can now only be used to book coaches with drivers. This must be a fairly recent development because I know people who’ve had self-drive minibuses through it within the last year.
Back to being bumped at the last minute by the local MT section then!
If you could book a minibus WITH a driver, that would be awesome…!
How small does a coach go? I guess 17 seats plus?
[quote=“jacques” post=17239]In case anyone’s interested, my wing has told me that Phoenix can now only be used to book coaches with drivers.[/quote]I just had a self-drive minibus (later changed to a people-carrier) booked through the contract last week.
In case anyone’s interested, my wing has told me that Phoenix can now only be used to book coaches with drivers. This must be a fairly recent development because I know people who’ve had self-drive minibuses through it within the last year.
Back to being bumped at the last minute by the local MT section then![/quote]
I booked one today…
i called fibs…i booked two buses* last week
*minibus, 17 seaters
Had 7 minibuses thro Pheonix last week on Easter Camp; no problems with delivery but condition of vehicles left a bit to be desired, one with a flat tyre, several with brake lights not working, one with rear mudguard missing!!
And there was a special sound from the rear diff of another!
I take it you complained at the time? Didn’t accept them as they arent’ roadworthy? And complained to whoever booked them for you?
Back in 2011, I booked a 17-st minibus from Babcocks through MT channels, to take cadets and staff to Holland for the Airborne March. I arranged for the vehicle to be delivered to an Army camp at 1600hrs on the Wednesday afternoon. It didn’t arrive. At 1700 it still hadn’t arrived.
So I get onto the hire company as MT at our parent station had closed for the night and was told that the minibus was already on-site. It was one of a fleet that had been hired by the ACF for their annual camp and was awaiting pick-up but we could have that one.
So we went up to have a look at it. We found it was a crewbus, not a minibus, it had 3 bald tyres out of 4 and multiple damage to the bodywork. No paperwork or insurance documents were in it but the keys were with the MGS. It also didn’t have a tachograph.
I got back onto the hire company to which the snotty young lady on the other end said rather huffily that they had given us a minibus and therefore fulfilled their contractual obligations. The V5 and insurance could be photocopied and sent to us but other than that, tough REMOVED SWEARING. She wasn’t interested that the vehicle clearly wasn’t roadworthy and had no original documents with it. We were leaving at 5am the following morning and there was nothing she was prepared to do that evening as ‘she was going home’.
A colleague of mine managed - after some hassle - to elicit the hire company’s duty manager number, which, went unanswered all evening. Thereafter followed a lot of frantic ringing-around different Sqns to locate a serviceable minibus which we could borrow. Fortunately, we obtained one.
I told WHQ not to pay the bill which would be forthcoming and why. They concurred and after much wailing and beating of breasts, the hire company backed down. I’ve never used official channels for transportation since and unless the service has improved, am highly unlikely ever to use them in the future.
I take it you complained at the time? Didn’t accept them as they arent’ roadworthy? And complained to whoever booked them for you?[/quote]
Unfortunately several had been delivered before we arrived, but I understand that the company was ‘notified’ of the problems as soon as they were seen. Plus our WExO was shown the vehicle states on his visit to the camp.
Seen some booked in the last 12 months, all sparkly 63 plates.