Multiple operating subsidiaries of The Coach Travel Group will receive new Scania Touring vehicles in January, with the business having expanded its order for those products to 55.
Local brands and a wider corporate scheme will feature on those arrivals, with the coaches that are part of the current delivery programme arriving from the factory in white. Each of Alpine Travel, Barnes Coaches, Coatham Coaches, JH Coaches, Johnsons Coaches, Swans Travel and fleets in south east England will benefit from the stock.
Liveries are being applied by vinyl wrap. Each business will receive a mix of coaches in local identities and the corporate scheme, while some vehicles will remain in white where future movement between operating companies is expected.
That split branding approach reflects a long-term policy to strengthen both group-wide capability and individual operating company identity, the business says.
Application of vinyl wraps where a livery is carried is “a decision taken to reduce whole-life maintenance costs and allow vehicles to be transferred efficiently where demand requires,” it continues.
In late 2024 The Coach Travel Group placed an order with Scania for 42 Touring coaches, but the group says that the procurement was increased to support fleet expansion and a commitment to modernise. The 55 such vehicles now due are across two- and three-axle layouts.
More will follow throughout Q1 as part of a structured 2026 delivery programme in what JH Coaches Director of Operations and The Coach Travel Group Fleet Lead Ian Shipley says is a course of action that “is about making sensible, long-term decisions for the group.”
He adds that through standardising vehicle presentation at delivery and the use of vinyl livery application, “we are giving ourselves the flexibility to move vehicles where they are needed while still protecting the brands that customer know and trust.
“It is a practical investment that supports growth, efficiency and consistent service quality across the group.”
