NEWS
Growth journey continues for Coatham Coaches
New vehicles , a new head of operations and prestigious award nominations – the road to growth continues to go well for Coatham Coaches .
After more than 40 years in business , the well-known local coach operator , based at Margrove Park near Saltburn , has seen its sales grow fivefold in the last five years .
It ’ s also making a national name for itself , having been finalists in the Medium Coach Operator of the Year and Manager of the Year – Small / Medium Operator categories at the recent routeone Awards , widely recognised as the most soughtafter accolade from the coach and bus sector .
MD Mark Hodgson , who attended the awards ceremony in Birmingham , said being finalists in such a prestigious awards scheme “ helps bring recognition to what we do on Teesside .”
“ There are around 2,500 coach operators in the UK , so just to be nominated is a huge achievement , especially because we ’ ve made it our mission to maintain our high standards while going through a period of substantial growth ,” he said . “ It ’ s good to be among the big guns in the industry .”
To help keep the growth going , experienced Chris Bright has been appointed head of operations , allowing Mark to “ take a step back from some of the day-to-day management of the business and focus on strategy and leadership roles .”
Stockton man Chris , who worked in logistics in the RAF before embarking on a 10-year coach industry career , will , says Mark , “ add experience , capacity , diversity and drive .”
And he joins a company that has again invested in its fleet , taking its number of vehicles to 40 with a £ 250,000 investment in two new , 16-seat Mercedes Euro 6 luxury mini-coaches , part of a £ 1.25m fleet upgrade in 2023 .
Investment – Coatham Coaches ’ new head of operations Chris Bright with the latest additions to the firm ’ s fleet .
These new vehicles are ideal for picking up visitors from Darlington Railway Station and Teesside Airport as more movers and shakers come to Teesside to explore the growth opportunities this area offers .
But Mark , who has just stepped down after four years as chairman of the Confederation of Passenger Transport , says underpinning it all is the firm ’ s desire to keep serving local people , while also travelling the growth journey .
He said : “ My onus has been on getting Teesside ’ s and our name out there and giving a voice to small businesses and to keep providing a first-class service .”
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