Ayrshire’s largest independent coach and bus operator Shuttle Buses has been sold to an employee ownership trust. The deal has resulted in the operator’s 70 staff owning over 90% of the business.
Shuttle Buses believes that the sale makes it the first employee-owned operator in Scotland. Former Managing Director David Granger, who was among the founders of the Kilwinning firm in 1990, has sold the majority of his shareholding to the trust, but he remains a Director and Chair of the business, which runs 60 vehicles.
Leadership of the business has passed to Mr Granger’s son Ross, who steps up to become MD. Both men are part of the employee ownership trust to which Shuttle Buses has been sold alongside three workforce representatives and an independent trustee.
Says Mr Granger Sr: “I am delighted to be passing control of the business over to the very people who are responsible for its success – its employees. I look forward to helping to guide the company through the next stage of its development.”
Shuttle Buses operates a small network of local bus routes in East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire local authority areas along with 23 home-to-school services in a largely similar zone. It also provides 12 buses under contract to SPT on MyBus work and runs contracts on behalf of various other bodies including Scotrail and CalMac Ferries. A coach arm, Shuttle Coaches, provides private and corporate hire.
