C9 Recruitment has established an office in Stockport, which the specialist transport staffing partner says will continue the growth of its reach among operators in the north of England.
The premises are shared with consulting and project management company Crescar Associates. Opening on 23 April represented the culmination of a multi-year aspiration for C9 and follows what Executive Chairman Sam Wharfe (pictured, right) says is an “immense scaling” of the supplier’s presence in the north.
Mr Wharfe adds that the ongoing rollout of franchised bus services has driven demand for staff. Reregulation has been fully delivered in Greater Manchester and will follow in several other areas. C9 thus expects the call on its services to further grow in northern England, with the new office also benefiting existing operator clients there.
“Greater Manchester will be a central powerhouse for C9 Recruitment,” he continues, noting that the supplier continues its involvement with coach operators alongside bus company support. The Stockport base does not represent a conclusion of C9’s expansion, and Mr Wharfe expects that a second base in the north will follow before the end of 2027.
The geographic spread sits alongside the recruitment specialist’s established headquarters in Waltham Cross, which continue as normal. Over the past three financial years, C9 has seen revenues grow by 113%, says Commercial Director Daniel Lunn (pictured, second from right).
“Among bus operator clients, a lot of our work was building trust, something that is now paying off,” he adds. “We lean heavily on proper training and induction of staff with clients and we have a hard line in the sand that we will not consider self-employment.”
Establishment of the Stockport office “is about having a base and people on the ground to service C9 Recruitment clients in the north,” Mr Lunn continues. “In conjunction with Crescar, this facility shows our commitment to customers and drivers there.”
One of Mr Wharfe’s associated businesses, Intellilogix, is developing a driver risk evaluation tool, for which C9 Recruitment is the first client. The platform assesses each driver before they are placed with an operator and generates an individual risk score using over 60 parameters and seven behavioural algorithms.
Regular rechecks follow, with the operator able to specify how often that happens. The client can also define how findings from the risk assessment are weighted. Intellilogix will add further compliance elements later, including aspects relating to DBS checks and medicals, Mr Wharfe says.