Coach operator Westbus celebrated its 40th anniversary in the capital at the London Transport Museum on 15 July with a focus on the people who have made the business over that period.
Despite England playing a World Cup semi-final on the same evening, the event drew a strong attendance. Senior people from parent company ComfortDelGro were on hand, including Chairman Mark Greaves and Group CEO Cheng Siak Kian. Both travelled from Singapore.
Also present were many locally-based representatives of Westbus and other ComfortDelGro undertakings in the UK. Those included members of the P&J Ellis team, with that operator having been recently purchased by the group.
Mr Greaves notes that there is no better place than the London Transport Museum to celebrate a success story. The city has evolved through transport, and while bus and train are prominent in that, coach takes its own important place in the capital’s travel landscape, he told guests.
“Westbus has played an important part of that story for 40 years,” Mr Greaves says, although changes to vehicles, technologies, how journeys are planned and how operations are overseen have been legion.
“Businesses do not thrive for 40 years by accident,” he continues. Instead, organisations do so “because of people who care about what they do.” Mr Greaves notes how some customers have been loyal to Westbus for decades. The operator’s reputation “has been earned,” he adds.
The name made its UK debut during 1986, when Westbus PTY of Australia, then owned by the Bosnjak family, purchased Swinards Coaches of Ashford in Kent and ADP Travel Services of Hounslow to form Westbus (UK).
In 2005, the Australian parent became part of a joint venture between Cab Charge Australia and ComfortDelGro. At that time, Westbus (UK) was renamed Westbus Coach Services.
Mr Cheng describes Westbus reaching four decades as “a remarkable milestone,” noting that the operation has maintained its strong reputation across that period. “Qualities take years to build, but can be lost in a moment,” he observes.
“That Westbus is seen as one of London’s best coach operators is an indicator of its success. Successful organisations invest in their people and never stop improving. Westbus does that.”
ComfortDelGro UK and Ireland Bus and Coach Projects Director Mike Watson points to the millions of passengers that Westbus has carried since it was formed in 1986 as an indicator of the business’s impact. He notes that while coach operation has constant scope for challenge, Westbus staff always have “an urgency to put things right.”
ComfortDelGro is continuing its faith in Westbus via strong investment in people and vehicles. Its fleet stands at 42, including the recent addition of a first battery-electric coach and with some additional flexibility over the peak season. Six new coaches are on order for 2027: a pair of Van Hool Astromega double-decks and four Mercedes-Benz Tourismo M/3s.
Head of Operations David Tarling has spent 11 years with ComfortDelGro in London, including nine with Westbus. He works alongside General Manager Tim Miles and observes that the introduction of a first battery-electric coach in a Yutong TCe12 has turned thoughts to how a wider electrification of the fleet might roll out.
Mr Tarling believes that around 60% of Westbus duties could already be handled by battery-electric thanks to a lot staying within Greater London.
“I am excited by what zero-emission will look like for us in the future,” he notes. “Range of vehicles is getting better, and the technology is ideal for a lot of our work.” Sister bus business Metroline has extensive experience with zero-emission power sources.
Diesel nevertheless has a future with the operator. In addition to strong fleet investment from 2022 and more coming next year, Westbus recently bought a pair of Volvo B8L tri-axle buses with MCV EvoSeti bodywork. Each seats 98, and their introduction has seen it join the rising number of coach operators to select the super-high-capacity model.
But vehicles are secondary to the human aspect, Mr Cheng adds. “Customers may remember where they travel, but they also remember how they were treated along the way. The success of Westbus is not an accident; it has been built by generations of employees. Great service, strong values, talented people and a relentless commitment to improve are key.”
