Travel firm on the road to record year with new fleet additions
Bus and coach hire firm, Belle Vue Manchester, has taken its investment in new vehicles to more than £1m over the past 12 months.
The Stockport-based operator said it is on course for a record year after taking delivery of a 76-seater Mercedes-Benz Tourismo coach. It will shortly add a 53-seater MAN Neoplan Tourliner executive coach to its fleet for UK and European travel.
Those vehicles follow the arrival of two 61-seater Neoplan Tourliners in April.
Since July last year, Belle Vue has also added a 34-seater Yutong TC9 midi-coach, a 19-seater Mercedes-Benz Sprinter executive minibus and a 1966 London Routemaster vintage double-decker with 77 seats, which is used for weddings and other celebratory events and corporate hospitality trips.
In September, Belle Vue will take delivery of a 55-seater Neoplan Tourliner and two new double-decker school buses. Six more Neoplan Tourliner coaches are on order for delivery next March.
Belle Vue managing director, Phil Hitchen, said the company had a record month in June, boosted by strong growth in corporate travel, day trips, airport transfers and an influx of bookings to take football fans to the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester United, as well as the launch of a series of new contracts.
He said July is looking even more buoyant, with the 2023 Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club a key factor as Belle Vue gears up to transport a host of international spectators and TV crews to the Hoylake course.
Annual turnover is now on track to top £5m for the first time in Belle Vue’s history and Phil said the company is looking to double in size over the next couple of years.
Phil said: “The additions to our modern fleet represent a significant investment which reflects the strong growth we are seeing across the business.
“This results from a number of new contracts, including educational and corporate ones, as well as several new Manchester City supporters’ clubs wishing to utilise our varied fleet for travel to and from matches.
“Demand has also grown considerably for corporate outings to race meetings and other events, day trips throughout the UK and airport transfers, as overseas travel has recovered from the pandemic and the private hire and hospitality markets have rebounded.”
Earlier this year, Belle Vue teamed up with fast-growing coach network FlixBus to launch daily services between Manchester and towns and cities across the North, including Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.
