Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Geared up for travel as bus fleet expands
A Salsburgh-based bus company which provides coaches for National Express routes from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Birmingham and London is upgrading its fleet.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Bruce Coaches saw the number of tourists and workers using these routes decline sharply.
However, the firm began to see customers return during the second half of last year, as lockdown restrictions eased and people were allowed to travel once more.
Since then, the business has seen a 50 per cent increase in bookings for the next 12 months.
To meet this increase in demand, the company has secured a seven-figure asset finance facility from Bank of Scotland, enabling it to purchase five new 57-seater coaches.
The new coaches have replaced five older ones which had collectively driven an astonishing six million miles over the past five years.
With the new fleet now fully operational, the firm’s regular day and night routes from Scotland to England are at full passenger capacity, generating an annual turnover of £5 million.
As part of its current growth plans, the company, which employs 45 people, hopes to further renew its fleet next year with six new coaches.
John Bruce, director of Bruce Coaches, told the Advertiser: “As demand for our services ramps up, we needed to make sure that we had the capacity to continue to deliver a great service. Our five new coaches will enable us to do so, and provide travellers with a first-class experience.”
The new Levante buses are fitted with a host of high-quality features, including leather seats and LCD screens.
John told us: “We wouldn’t have been able to acquire the vehicles without Bank of Scotland, who have supported us as a business for over 30 years.
“We’re confident that the business will continue to bounce back, and plan to further upgrade our fleet as we grow and head into what we hope will be a strong year of growth.”
Meganne Hodgson, associate director for the North East and Scotland at Bank of Scotland, said: “Scotland’s tourism sector was severely affected by the pandemic, and transport firms like Bruce Coaches were heavily impacted throughout 2020 and 2021.
“It’s encouraging to see business begin to return to normality for the firm and we hope the new fleet of coaches will help support the continued delivery of Bruce Coaches’ fantastic service.
“With conditions steadily improving, we’ll continue to stand by Scottish firms over the coming months to help them grow and prosper this year.”