Acharacle bus firm buys Caol depot as part of Fort William expansion
An Acharacle family-run company has bought Caol bus depot as part of ongoing expansion of its Fort William service.
In a deal worth around £250,000, Shiel Buses has acquired the former Stagecoach depot and is now the sole bus operator in Lochaber after recently being awarded council contracts for Roy Bridge and Fort William evening services.
Shiel Buses managing director Donald MacGillivray explained that the company, now in its 40th year of service, has been looking to bolster its presence in Fort William and an investment plan was put in place last year when the company secured the first of its services in Fort William.
He said: ‘This year, as Stagecoach has ceased operating in Lochaber, we anticipate an even greater workload and have purchased its bus depot. Stagecoach is a big company and I think that makes it harder to operate in this area.
‘We are a small, family company so it’s always easier. So many people are pleased there is a new operator taking on more work and hopefully providing a better service. The plan is to carry out what we are doing as best we can.’
The depot takeover is part of a wider expansion of Shiel Buses’ Lochaber operations which has seen the company invest more than £500,000 in new coaches for its Citylink contracts for the Fort William/Glasgow/Skye and Fort Wiliam/Inverness routes in the past two years. As well as this, the operator has bought new ‘low floor’ buses which meet the requirements of disabled users.
With a fleet of 48 buses and around 70 employees, the company will retain its depot in Claggan and keep its headquarters in Acharacle as it hopes to maintain a comprehensive service across Lochaber.
The new investment means the 76-year-old boss, who originally started the business with his brother Alistair but now runs Shiel Buses with his children David and Maria, has had to put any retirement plans on hold, despite the company celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
‘I’ve got no plans of retirement now. Because we’ve been so busy all our lives we’ve had no time for hobbies. So my hobby is work and I still enjoy it. It’s pleasing also that my son and daughter are involved as directors. But I’m still looking over their shoulder!’