Family-run Mayne's Coaches drives off with standards award
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A FAMILY-owned Buckie coach firm has become the first privately owned coach operator in Scotland to achieve the prestigious Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Earned Recognition accreditation.
Mayne's Coaches joins an elite club of around 18 private coach operators across the UK to gain the award, which is designed to recognise firms which have demonstrated a consistent track record of compliance with road safety standards and regulations. The Earned Recognition accreditation strictly accepts only the very best of transport operators which work to exemplary standards.
To attain this recognition, Mayne's Coaches underwent a rigorous evaluation of its fleet operations, driver performance, maintenance practices and adherence to road safety legislation.
Speaking of the company's pride in gaining the accreditation, operations director Kevin Mayne paid tribute to the efforts of the whole team in meeting and exceeding the exacting standards demanded by the DVSA.
He said: "Getting everybody engaged with it in the run-up was key, after that it was preparation.
"Everybody in the company seemed to grasp what we were trying to achieve by going for it. The other Scottish operators who have the accreditation are 'big bus', we're the first private coach company north of the border to do it.
"We realised that half the stuff we needed to have we already did anyway, it was a case of making it glossier. We're a Guild of British Coach Operators member so a lot of it was relevant to the audit we have to do for them, although the standard for the DVSA is three bands above it.
"The DVSA come in and look at all our records over four days, they can see exactly what we're doing, which is quite a daunting thing as you're thinking 'I hope we've got everything right before the audit comes'.
"We originally wanted to go for the accreditation in 2020 but then Covid came in and we had to concentrate on trying to keep the company going and get back to doing what we are good at.
"After doing the accreditation I think the business is running better than it's ever done, it's opened us up to being the top level now."
He also paid tribute to daughter Rebecca Mayne who he credited with doing all the preparation for the audit and presenting to the auditor.
The strict restrictions brought in during the Covid pandemic hit Mayne's and the coach industry as a whole very hard. However, since the restrictions were completely lifted in 2022, The business has been busier than ever and grown on three fronts, including their own holiday brand Maynes Holidays.
Mr Mayne continued: "What Covid did do was allow every Coach Operator in the UK to look at themselves, at their whole business and what they wanted to be. "Did they want to go big or go smaller? So many company’s stalled and closed during Covid, we had to keep going, and keep making the company grow, both David and myself are the current custodians of the family company, and want to see it flourish with determination.
"2022 saw the industry leap forward, no operator in the UK could deal with the demand; folk wanted to go on holiday, folk wanted to go places. The year outperformed 2019 for us with 2023 another year of growth for us, too.
"Our seasons used to start in April and finish in October, now our season starts in March and finishes in November with a peak at Christmas.
"In 2024 demand is again going up and it's all aspects of the business – whether it's corporate or whether it's tourism."
He went on to reflect with pride on the way the firm rose to the demands of ferrying the Buckie Thistle team and fans to their historic Scottish Cup tie against Celtic in Glasgow on Sunday, January 21. Mayne's, which are sponsors of the Jags, were soon stretched to capacity by the unprecedented demand and tried to help groups of fans hire coaches from other operators.
He added: "It was a great day, and it was good to see the Mayne's name on the front of the Buckie shirts on the telly.
"It'll be good for Buckie, very good for Buckie – it'll be a bit of a morale boost to everybody in the community, everybody got involved and engaged with it."
Mayne's Coaches currently have a fleet of 45 vehicles and are looking to invest significantly in 12 new electric-powered coaches as well as solar panels to power charging banks at their March Road Industrial Estate base in Buckie. The first batch hopefully beginning to arrive later this year or early 2025.
Mr Mayne added that the firm are also keeping an eye on the development of hydrogen powered coaches although with a current price tag in the order of £850,000 apiece any possible purchases would be further down the line.
For more information about Mayne's Coaches, visit their website https://www.maynes.co.uk/ or follow them on Facebook.
