The Coach Travel Group

The Coach Travel Group was formed in June 2024 through a strategic merger of seven established UK regional coach operators: Alpine Travel, Barnes Coaches, Coatham Coaches, JH Coaches, Johnsons Coaches, Swans Travel, and The Ready Group. This consolidation, backed by the private equity firm H2 Equity Partners, created a national entity with a combined fleet of approximately 450 vehicles and 700 employees. The company is led by CEO Tom Stables, the former CEO of National Express UK and Germany.

The group's business model focuses on leveraging the national scale while maintaining the local identities and community connections of its constituent brands. It provides a comprehensive range of unscheduled coach services across the UK, operating from 16 depots. Core services include private hire for events, long-term contract hire for schools and businesses, corporate travel solutions, and organized coach holidays and day trips. A significant part of its operation involves managing over 232 school routes, transporting more than 11,600 children daily, and offering a tracking service for student safety.

Revenue is generated through these diverse service offerings, catering to a wide client base that includes private individuals, corporate entities, and public sector organizations. The operators within the group collectively transported over 140,000 passengers on holidays and day trips in the year prior to the merger. The company is pursuing an ambitious growth strategy that includes further acquisitions to expand its national footprint.

Keywords: coach hire UK, corporate travel solutions, school transport services, private coach hire, UK group travel, coach holidays, national coach operator, day trips, transport contracts, event transportation, passenger transport, fleet management, regional travel, UK tourism, private equity, travel logistics, shuttle services, transport consolidation, Alpine Travel, Barnes Coaches