The Warrington-based Mayne Coaches business has been purchased by Go Goodwins Group of Manchester. It secures a future for the long-established Cheshire operator that had looked uncertain following the appointment of administrators in early February.
Mayne will henceforth operate under a Go Goodwins Group O-Licence. Director Wesley Goodwin has confirmed that the company’s brand and its red livery will be retained. Mr Goodwin’s son Louis has taken up responsibility for the day to day running of the Mayne business and become its Transport Manager.
Thus far Go Goodwins Group has purchased 15 coaches and the Mayne book of work to enable the business to continue, but Mr Goodwin says that it is in the process of buying additional vehicles to further enhance the fleet. He adds that the Go Goodwins and Mayne workstreams largely complement each other and that a focus in the short- to medium-term will be on consolidating the two.
“Some of Mayne’s home-to-school contracts run from Warrington into Greater Manchester and bringing the two businesses together made sense,” he continues. Mr Goodwin adds that the opportunity to purchase Mayne “came at the right time” and that he is hopeful that once the Cheshire business has been stabilised, growth will follow.
As part of immediate changes, some existing bus work run by Go Goodwins in Greater Manchester and Cheshire under the Little Gem brand has been transferred to the Mayne premises. Mr Goodwin says that Go Goodwins expects to reduce its bus operation “slightly,” and that there are no plans to enter the bus market in the Warrington area.