Jonathan Welch takes a look at the history of Maynes of Buckie, and speaks to Director Kevin Mayne about the company and the wider coach industry
The name Maynes will be familiar to most coach operators in the UK. A well-known name in the Scottish coaching scene, Operations Director Kevin Mayne was also a voice for the coach industry during the pandemic and making sure the sector’s plight was heard nationwide.
Based in Buckie on the Moray coast, with Inverness to the west and Aberdeen to the south-east, the company has spent over seven decades serving the needs of travellers across the region and beyond. Entering its 77th year in 2024, the company today, with its holidays division and fleet of smartly presented modern coaches, is a long way from its humble beginnings in 1947.
Early years
Established by James Mayne after two years of operating a local taxi and limousine service, the company’s first bus was a 29-seat Bedford OB, a type which can once again be found in its fleet 77 years later. That coach, purchased from Aberdeen-based Nobles Tours, sowed the seeds of the flourishing business, which quickly expanded with a second coach. Private hire dominated the firm’s early years, and still remains an important part of its portfolio; work transporting people from the local fishing communities along the coast and football supporters to away matches, as well as church and Sunday school outings and the car and taxi business, kept the fledgeling company busy.
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