Renowned Shropshire operator attains 100% audit compliance at the first attempt
North Shropshire-based Lakeside Coaches has been awarded CoachMarque status, after becoming one of only a few companies to achieve 100% audit compliance at the first attempt.
Neal Hall, General Manager and Carole Sykes, Operations Manager said: “For ourselves, as one of only a handful of quality accredited coach operators in the UK it was a natural step to take towards industry specific quality assurance. We find being audited by customers and quality assessors means that we constantly have external targets to meet as well as those we set ourselves. It is also useful to be able to benchmark against other top operators and hence be considered a member of this elite band of coach operators in the UK.
“In addition, we think we can bring a lot to CoachMarque ourselves with our 10 years of ISO accreditation and our knowledge of both Quality Partnerships and niche markets.”
Gaining membership has been another highpoint in an ongoing period of growth for the operator, which has a trackrecord of investment. To this end, it has acquired its fourth new vehicle in the last 12 months, a Mercedes- Benz Toursimo.
The firm was established in 1979 when the Lakeside Minicoaches business was taken over by current Managing Director and Chairman John Davies. Through a process of organic growth the firm now boasts one of the most modern fleets in Shropshire and the largest coach fleet in North Shropshire, North East Wales and South Cheshire. The company operates a fleet of 27 vehicles from the market towns of Ellesmere and Market Drayton, and directly employs around 50 staff.
