The Coach Travel Group will open a training school by January 2026 that will take driver recruits at its London and South East England businesses through the licence acquisition journey.
Such work forms part of what the group describes as “a major transformation” to enhance driver training, safety standards and customer service across those operations.
It is led by Simon Le Mar, who was appointed Head of Training for London and the Southeast in April. He has already implemented a series of initiatives to advance driver development and operational standards across all depots in the region, which recently expanded as part of the purchase of further operators by The Coach Travel Group.
Among milestones so far has been establishment of a dedicated training centre at the Stewarts Coaches depot in Woodley. It has classrooms and facilities for induction, remedial sessions, theory training, and Driver CPC course delivery.
In addition, a digital training platform has been created to manage records and compliance tracking across all depots. Other work includes introduction of a new drug and alcohol programme with random testing, rollout of an automated licence checking system, and delivery of first aid at work training to all operational staff.
Mr Le Mar has also introduced improved accident and handover reporting procedures and refreshed key training modules on topics such as drivers’ hours and vehicle walk-round checks to ensure that the induction process is up to date.
Establishment of the driver training school is among further projects that will also include the continuing refresh of training materials, development of comprehensive training records for every driver, and expansion of capacity. Earlier in 2025, CEO Tom Stables told routeone that the group sees significant scope for further growth across the UK.
Speaking about the work, Mr Le Mar says: “Over the past few months, we have made great progress in building a structured, consistent approach to training across the region.
“I also spent valuable time getting to know my team, and without their efforts and support, this would have been far more challenging. They have all been welcoming and very supportive, and together we are creating a stronger, safer and more professional driving culture.”
