After his departure from the family firm, industry stalwart Jason Edwards is setting up a new business that will see him working once again with National Express.
Wednesday 10 November 2021 dawned like any normal day for Jason Edwards, then Managing Director for South Wales-based Edwards Coaches. But by the end of the day he says his life had been turned upside down by the people he worked the hardest for and trusted the most.
Now, after a 15-month hiatus, he’s on the threshold of starting a new business.
But let’s remind ourselves where this story begins.
In 1988, age 17, Jason started out as an apprentice Mechanical Aircraft Engineer working for British Airways at its facility in Caerphilly.
“I found myself working on the final assembly of engines for different aircraft, including Concorde and Boeing 747s,” he says. “In 2001 I started working for the family firm, Edwards Coaches, based in Llantrisant in South Wales. It was quite a change from my engineering role but I enjoyed moving to take responsibility for much of the commercial side of the Edwards’ business. During my 20 years with the business I became responsible for the holiday programme, bus services and the acquisition and upgrade of the Portbyhan Hotel in Looe in Cornwall. In 2008 I was responsible for bringing National Express to the company.”
New beginnings
“Being part of a family business as many people will know is not always easy. I’d been aware for some time of disagreements and differences of opinion among my family. It became clear it was time for us all to move on. Over the following weeks and months I received tremendous support from industry colleagues. A lot of people took the time to call, and that really keep me going. But I was uncertain what to do next. The only certainty was that I had to get back to work. I was offered a few consultancy jobs and I found myself spending time working on voluntary projects in the community. My immediate family were absolutely superb. I went into what I might describe as default mode, thinking about what I do best, what do I enjoy?
“On 13 February this year and with a plan forming in my mind, I set up Jason Edwards Travel Limited. My plan was to develop a coach holiday programme.
Not long after, I received a phone call from National Express.”
Heathrow base
Fast forward to today and Jason is preparing to start operating coaches for National Express on four routes linking London Victoria Coach Station with Heathrow and Gatwick, Cambridge, Liverpool and Leeds.
A fleet of 12 Scania Caetano Levantes, to standard National Express specification, will be based at Thorney Business Park in Iver, Buckinghamshire, about six miles from Heathrow. The site is close to the M25 and M4 as well as Iver railway station on the recently opened Elizabeth line, a situation Jason notes will be convenient for staff. Other sites had been looked at but the Iver plot became available.
Stewart Isaac has joined Jason as Operations Manager. The company is currently recruiting four Duty Traffic Controllers and drivers.
National Express says that the new work is part of its plan to increase capacity to meet passenger growth targets of 21 million this year.
Ed Rickard, Service Delivery Director at National Express, says: “We’ve worked with the Edwards family for over a decade, growing two enormously successful contracts during this time. Our partner operators are incredibly important to us and this new opportunity to work with Jason comes at a perfect time as we expand our network.
“Demand for coach travel is high and we are focused on growing our network as we build back from the pandemic. By working in partnership with both new and our existing operators we’ll be in a stronger position to increase capacity and deliver an excellent, reliable service for our customers. Our operators are our greatest strength and we look forward to this new venture with Jason Edwards Travel.”
Talking with Jason, his enthusiasm, commitment to and passion for making all this work is clear.
“I’m really excited about this,” he says. “I want to build on what I achieved over the 20 years with Edwards Coaches. Equally importantly I want to create a business that’s there for the staff. I want to offer the best remuneration while being flexible to drivers’ needs. I have what could be described as an old fashioned approach. I’m using my personal funds to get this new business up and running. This will only be my third job in my career. After what’s happened, I intend it to be a success.”
For further information on the Heathrow start-up, contact jason@jasonedwardstravel.co.uk
