Meet the Transit-Building Families with Vans in Their Veins

During that time, Stephen saw the Transit evolve from the revolutionary – but by today’s standards quite basic – Transit Mk1, to the sophisticated vans on the road today. His work across the quality and electrical departments together with the talents of his colleagues and Ford’s close relationships with van operators helped deliver those advanced, refined and highly capable vehicles.

“I remember when I first started working on Transit, my manager said to me; ‘You don’t know what you just got into’. He was right. And it was in a good way.”

Stephen quickly became well known for his ability to learn from customers and their feedback,and use it to find innovative improvements as Transit developed through the decades.

“At Ford, ‘SDS’ is short for System Design Specification, but in my team it came to mean ‘Stephen Day Specials’.”

One example of such an “SDS” was finding a solution to an electrical complication in the Transit Mk6. It turned out customers were able to strain the wiring system by grabbing a particular part of the rear door to pull it shut. Stephen’s solution: A clever bungee design to protect the components.

“I got a recognition award for that, which I gratefully received,” he said. 

But as always, the real reward was helping build a better van. Stephen worked on other innovative ideas inspired by how Transit drivers really use their vans when hard at work – concepts that are still are part of the Transit experience today.

“I was involved in developing the first waterproof keys for Transit,” he said.

These new keys could stand up to a soaking in a builder’s pocket on a wet winter day. They also recharged automatically from the ignition, so drivers did not need to change batteries to use the programmable vehicle locking that Stephen also helped develop.

“I worked on Transit’s first trailer tow hitch monitoring system too. And we made sure there was room for A4 files in the glovebox. All designed to make life easier and safer for the driver.” 

When Stephen’s son, Martin Day left college, his father suggested that he apply to join the apprentice scheme at Ford.  Twenty-three years later, Martin is a supervisor in the Vehicle Infotainment and Connectivity team that develops the systems drivers use to control the growing number of features in their Transits. Stephen also previously worked in Transit Special Vehicle Engineering projects.

“I’m pleased that Martin continued the family tradition,” Stephen said. “In fact, since I joined, there’s been a Day at Ford for the last 39 years.”

Martin inherited not just a passion for Transits, but also a sense of pride in delivering exceptional products that help owners get the job done.

“I’d seen how proud my dad and his colleagues were of being involved in what was – and still is – a best-selling van. It was obvious that a vehicle of that quality couldn’t be produced without pride and attention to detail,” Martin said.

His roles have given Martin similar opportunities to create solutions, sometimes in response to complex requests from Transit operators with very specific needs.

“One fleet customer challenged us to come up with a method of supplying power to a bespoke refrigeration unit, essential for their role. They had bought Transits for 40 years, and naturally we wanted to deliver. I came up with a solution and, every time I see one of their Transits, I get a pretty good feeling.”

Les Routledge joined Ford in 1978 – just as the Transit Mk2 was being introduced. During a 38-year career at Ford he helped develop the engines that powered millions of Transit vans, from his first project – the 2.5-litre diesel engine introduced in 1980 – to Ford EcoBlue diesel engines powering Transits today.

The iconic van was already a huge success by the time Les joined the team, with more than 1 million vehicles produced in Europe, but an eagerness to continually improve Transit has been at the heart of its 60-year success story. 

Les was a team leader and also a participant in many project teams to obtain real world customer usage and associated engine data to develop more refined engine test procedures, SDS's and new component/ assembly engineering test specifications.

He was also in teams tasked to introduce new product materials, designs and technologies, and have Ford patents approved to protect these as well as achieve significant power and fuel economy improvements, so important to commercial vehicle customers.

“When I joined, there was definitely a need to improve on what we had already, and the result of our work, the new 2.5-litre diesel engine, made Transit even more appealing,” he said.

As Transit has evolved, so has its engines. Each new generation that Les worked on – in roles including Component Engineer and Vehicle Tester in Arizona, US – built on the improvements of the last making the van more refined to drive, more efficient to operate and helping owners get more done.

“I’m really proud of my input into Transit,” he said. “I retired in 2016, but I see vans on the road that have features that I worked on and it’s nice to think that I played a part in it.”

Les’s son, John Routledge, inherited his father’s passion for engineering and innovation, and jumped at the chance to do work experience at Ford while studying, aged just 16.

John studied both Fine Arts and Innovation and Design Engineering before beginning his career at Ford in 2011. Initially working in Engine Engineering, he also worked in the Innovation department. His first projects were to improve the user experience for Transit drivers – although this time developing features that were the stuff of dreams when Les started his Ford career. 

John’s appetite to continue his father’s legacy is clear, as he explains: “I immediately started working on a project that resulted in some new features for Transit Custom. Although my focus was on things like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Uptime, I'd also give the team working on the van’s new fold-flat steering wheel. a few bits and bobs.”

His focus hasn’t always been on new technologies, though. Sometimes standing up for existing features has been just as important.

“At one time, the value of the split driver’s door mirror on Transit Custom was being evaluated. We were wondering whether to make it a single lens. Speaking to customers, I knew that visibility was critical to their operation, so I fought to keep it, and we did. I’m very proud of that.”

An understanding of how drivers use their Transits in the real world has helped make the van an essential tool for 60 years and remains an important part of John’s job. His experience on the road with The AA roadside recovery is a good example.

“I noticed that for safety the patrol driver had to shuffle across the cab to exit by the passenger door, rather than into traffic. Although he didn’t see an issue, I could see it was a struggle due to the uneven cab floor. Seeing things like this firsthand can result in product improvements, like the flat cab floor in the latest Transit Custom.”

And with two sons of his own John is hopeful that they might carry on the family’s Transit tradition.

“My grandad also worked in automotive, so it would be pretty cool if there was a fourth generation working in this field”

Stephen, Martin, Les and John are all proud to have played a part in the story of a vehicle that has touched so many lives, and their stories demonstrate how knowledge accumulated across the generations has been so central to Transit’s success.

“The fact is that you can say ‘Transit’, and everyone knows you mean ‘van’,” said Les. “That says it all for me.”