With just a couple of years of operation under its belt, Walsall-based Carolean Coaches seems to be successfully riding the wave of pre-franchising uncertainty
Registered with Companies House less than a week after the coronation of King Charles in 2023, the aptly named Carolean Coaches is a young bus operator with royal ambition.
As one of the few operators to have so far started out in the Carolean era, the Walsall-based business is having to navigate an uncertain climate, particularly given it runs services in the West Midlands, where the bus network is soon to be franchised.
Driver shortages, the move towards decarbonisation, shrinking patronage, changing post-pandemic travel habits, increasing employer NI contributions, PSV Accessible Information Regulations and rising insurance costs are just a few of the challenges which have combined to have make it a tough time to enter the bus sector over the last few years.
As if those barriers weren’t enough, Carolean’s first service was one which was given up by the previous operator due to the buses being subject to brick-throwing. The business took over the contract for the running of the number 19 Walsall to Bloxwich in February 2024 despite a history of behavioural issues on the service.
The operator, which also offers coach hire, added four new routes in January 2025, also under contract with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM). Quadrupling the workload overnight may seem a tall order, but the business had taken on the highly experienced Transport Manager Mick Singh the previous month.
Mick, who effectively runs the day-to-day operations there, started as a bus conductor in 1970 and progressed to General Manager for National Express West Midlands.
Using a fleet of eight new buses, plus two older buses for emergency capacity, Carolean relied on Dawsongroup Bus and Coach to fill the last-minute need. “Dawsongroup is very helpful and we can lease buses from them at relatively short notice,” says Mick.
Despite the baptism of fire that was the number 19, Carolean reports the service has presented no major issues in terms of antisocial behaviour so far. “I think the reason is we have regular, friendly drivers on those routes,” says Mick. “I think that helps because you create a rapport with the passengers. We get a lot of recommendations from the passengers on the drivers.”
On the subject of drivers, recruitment and retention have not been an issue. Word of mouth is a significant source of potential recruits, although Mick adds: “I will put an ad on Indeed and the applications will flood in.”
Experience at the helm
After 38 years at National Express and its predecessors, Mick was pleased to get the call from Director Ajaz Ali inviting him back to the front line of the sector. Mick, who began in the industry with Birmingham City Transport, worked in a variety of roles before he was one of several managers made redundant.
Pondering on the differences between working for a large and small company, he says: “This is less hassle, less responsibility, everything is easier than when you are working with 500-600 drivers and lots of engineers.”
However, he adds: “I apply the same level of high standards here that I used to at National Express West Midlands.”
Being part of a small operator has its benefits, expands Mick, saying of the staff, who include around 15 drivers: “You stay closer to the workforce, and can have a day-to-day chat with them. I know every single person and get to know their family issues. They come to us and we have a laugh and a joke; they’re not just a number and they feel part of the family.”
Despite the reduced stress, running a small bus operation, of course, comes with daily challenges. Naturally, traffic congestion is a negative factor for the business, but Mick particularly picks out parked cars as having an impact on service reliability.
“With tendered services, we have to serve the side roads, whereas the commercial services tend to just go down the main routes,” he says. “The roads are very narrow and people park their cars almost opposite each other and our buses quite frequently get stuck. Our drivers sometimes have to wait 10 to 20 minutes.”
Uncertain future
Amid those brief delays, Carolean is facing longer-term uncertainty, with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) due to roll out bus franchising in the area between late 2027 and 2029. Walsall, where some of Carolean’s services are located, is scheduled to be part of the first wave of reform.
Under the only example of completed reregulation so far, in Greater Manchester, just one SME was awarded a contract. However, WMCA has indicated a desire to retain smaller operators, although the details are yet to be finalised. It has said it expects to award “a number of smaller single-route contracts to encourage smaller bus operators to bid”.
I fear the authorities might not consider smaller operators like us
A TfWM spokesperson tells routeone: “As part of the transition to bus franchising, we are currently designing a competitive ‘small lots’ procurement process to ensure small operators play a key role. More details will be announced later this year.”
Nevertheless, Mick says: “I fear the authorities might not consider smaller operators like us. They may put some work out to the smaller businesses, but the bigger boys will jump in as they have the resources. Unless they proactively want to keep on board smaller companies, that will be bad news for us and I wouldn’t be confident we would get anything. I do fear but we’ll see what happens.”
Growth ambitions
The move to franchising aside, Carolean has plans to grow. “We have learned a lot from how we submitted tenders in the past, and hopefully we’ll be able to generate more work this year,” says Mick.
Assessing the journey so far, he adds: “We have done one complete year with the new tenders, and they have been quite successful. We have managed our resources quite well. If we continue like that, I can only see us progressing, unless we are hindered by franchising. I am aiming for us to be three to four times the size in five years’ time.
“As we become more experienced, hopefully TfWM will have a bit more confidence in us that we are a good, professional operator.”
Despite a clouded outlook for operators of its size in the region, Carolean has shown resilience in its early years — and signs it could yet earn its crown.
