Fife firm Bay Travel Coaches has come a long way since it launched with a single minibus 15 years ago.
The venture has seen massive expansion since then, and was not held back by the pandemic or the cost-of-living crisis.
The Lochgelly operation was founded by experienced businessmen Iain Robertson and Vincent Derighetti.
The pair saw a gap in the coach market locally and felt they could supply the service needed in the area at the time.
Their confidence was not misplaced. Bay Travel now has around 50 vehicles, a mix of service buses, double-deckers and coaches.
The enterprise currently runs 10 public services on behalf of Fife Council and 33 local school runs, as well as doing rail replacements when required.
Iain said Covid was probably the biggest challenge in the lifetime of the firm.
It had slowed business for a time and also pushed an urgency into protocols concerning health and safety as well as sanitation.
He said: “I think it was quite an eye-opener for many people.
“We learned what was needed to keep the public safe as well as our drivers protected.”
Iain said that the coach side of business had definitely slowed down due to Covid.
He added: “Services were still necessary to get key workers to where they needed to be.
“Everybody had to adapt quickly, especially when schools were changing day to day, restrictions altered and you were trying to keep everything up to standard and sanitary.”
Business ahead of pre-pandemic levels
However, with the days of pandemic restrictions now behind us, Iain said trading is now ahead of where it was pre-Covid.
“This year has seen Scottish tourism come back with a boom.
“It has made this one of the busiest years of the business, if not the busiest.
“We have also accepted more service work, so we continue to try and balance growth on both ends of the scale.
“Bay Travel took risks with expansion while in the midst of the pandemic and has grown steadily as a result.”
Iain said the best part of the job is seeing the business that you’ve created make so much progress from day one.
He added: “The worst part is probably learning to balance work life with home life.
“When a business is your own, you feel more pressure. You can definitely burn yourself out with putting everything into it at all times.
“We all need to learn to take time for ourselves as well.”
How Fife firm has coped with cost-of-living crisis and driver shortage
Over the past 12 months, Iain said the cost of fuel, insurance and maintenance has soared – with these higher prices being felt by the consumer.
He said Bay Travel remains focused on keeping travel prices as reasonable as possible during the cost-of-living crisis.
He feels the secret to the firm’s success is the people.
“Having the best support staff, first-class drivers and mind-blowing mechanical geniuses is how we are at the level we are.”
A shortage of drivers is affecting the industry, and the Fife business is not immune to that.
“t does have a significant effect on how we take work on,” Iain added.
But he said the firm constantly strives to do the best it can, and takes pride in its customer service.
He added: “We like to think Bay Travel stands out for our reliability and our customer service.
“While the industry changes so much – we’re continually doing our best to keep the public happy.”
