In June 2023, the Go-Ahead Group announced that it was to purchase family-owned Pulham & Sons (Coaches) Limited. Richard Sharman takes a look back at some of the earlier members of the fleet, and looks at current operations
If you were to write a list of long-established independent family-owned coach operators in the UK that are still going, you could easily write a top 10 at least, and until recently this Bourton-on-the-Water operation would have always been right up there. When you consider that it has a history dating back all the way to 1880, it is no surprise.
Serving the Cotswolds
The basis for the business goes back to 1880 and the introduction of a horse-drawn cart to move produce to the market in Cheltenham. This led to a weekly service from Bourton from 1885, and that link has not stopped. Those who are aware of Pulhams service network will know that services were always numbered in the 800 series, at least in the last four-plus decades. The vast majority of towns and villages surrounding Bourton were served at least once a week, with main trunk routes running at least six days a week. In addition, Moreton-in-Marsh market was also regularly served from many of the isolated villages.
The expansion of the company’s operating area and the addition of various council contracts in recent years means those 800-numbered services are now down to five, but the height of the 1990s saw a printed timetable booklet full of them.
In addition to the scheduled services, Pulhams has taken generations of Cotswolds families to and from schools and on school trips and private hires.
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Scarborough royalty
If you have followed the fleet through the years – or have been parked in the coach park opposite its old yard, waiting for your passengers to return – you may have noticed that it was a fourth generation family operation that always liked its Plaxton coaches; a bit like a stick of Pulhams rock that is cream with red stripes and black lettering saying the Cotswolds on one side and with the Plaxton logo on the other.
The great thing about its love for the Plaxton brand though, was the fact that amongst the standard models like the Elite (the original one), the Supreme and Paramount, you would always find something different. If you know the Cotswolds, you will almost certainly know that if you stray away from the main roads it has many single track and narrow roads with communities that must be served regardless. Prior to the arrival of the Caetano Optimo and the Plaxton Beaver in the fleet, short wheelbase variants of many of Plaxton’s range of coaches could always be found.
Whilst Plaxton was the ‘dominant’ (don’t want Duple fans to feel left out!) body type, it is also worth mentioning that Van Hools have also been a feature of the fleet over the last three decades, although they have been there in much smaller numbers.
Volvos have also been prominent for many decades, and prior to that Leylands, like many independent operators since the 1980s at least. In more recent years, a number of other body manufactures have entered the fleet, these namely being the Mercedes-Benz Tourismo in large numbers, and more recently the purchase of a number of Irizars for the first time.
Into new ownership
In June 2023 it was announced that the fourth generation business was to be purchased by the the Go-Ahead Group, which by proxy means that this historic coach operator is now also part of Australia & New Zealands’s biggest bus operator, Kinetic Group, which owns 51% of the Go-Ahead Group itself, with Spanish transport infrastructure company Globalvia having the remaining share.
The takeover of Go-Ahead itself completed in October 2022, and a look at Kinetic Group’s corporate website reveals that it is a believer in growing operations throughout Australasia by acquiring smaller operators and growing its network; this also includes coach operations, so the addition of Pulhams to the Go-Ahead portfolio mirrors Kinetic’s strategy.
Under this new owner the Pulhams operation was to come under the umbrella of the Oxford Bus Group, which also includes Carousel, City Sightseeing Oxford, Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel. This means that the group’s operations now cover a large geographical spread which radiates out from Oxford to West Sussex in the South, Gloucester in the West, Stratford-upon-Avon in the North and Stansted in the East.
Luke Marion, Managing Director of the Oxford Bus Company, said at the time of the takeover: “Pulhams buses and coaches are familiar and well loved in communities throughout the Cotswolds. The business links nicely with our existing services in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties, and helps us to diversify our business further into new market segments. We’ll be investing in developing the Pulhams business further, for the benefit of both customers and colleagues.”
In January Oxford Bus Group appointed Alex Chutter as Area Director of Pulhams, to lead its strategic growth. Alex is no stranger to the process of integrating recently-acquired bus businesses into new parent companies, having undertaken a similar role at Southdown PSV, which was acquired by Go-Ahead subsidiary Brighton & Hove Buses in February 2023. He also has coaching experience from time spent working at Go South Coast and the Spirit of Sussex coach unit in Brighton. He said: “Pulhams Coaches is a fantastic business and I’m pleased to have joined such a strong team of colleagues who are committed to delivering excellence in every department daily. I’m looking forward to helping to deliver Oxford Bus Group’s overall strategic growth plans, while preserving the Pulhams business’s iconic brand heritage.
“We have so many exciting plans including expanding local bus services, further developing our coaching operations, and introducing new and zero emissions vehicles as well as developing our tourism operations across the Cotswolds.”
In-house training
In mid-February, Pulhams announced the appointment of Stuart Exler to lead its new training academy as a further part of its growth plans. Stuart joined Oxford Bus Company eight years ago as a driver before becoming a recruitment co-ordinator and driving instructor, a role he has held for the last five years. He will now oversee the recruitment and training of new and existing drivers at Pulhams as the company continues to expand its local bus services and coaching operations across the Cotswolds.
Stuart explained: “Pulhams is a fantastic business and I am proud to be joining a strong team of colleagues to strengthen its training offering as part of future growth plans. I had a very positive experience when I joined the Oxford Bus Group and was assigned a mentor who accompanied me through the recruitment and onboarding process, and this is something I want to replicate at Pulhams.
“I look forwarding to using my experience as an instructor to ensure new and existing drivers are confident, capable and equipped with local knowledge to provide an excellent service to our customers.”
Luke added: “This is a significant appointment for Pulhams and we are glad to have Stuart on board. He brings valuable first-hand experience as a driver and instructor and will be indispensable as we plan to continue our expansion of the Pulhams fleet and network of services. As part of the Oxford Bus Group, Pulhams has the resources to enhance its training and assessment to the benefit of newly recruited and existing drivers and it is a big milestone for the business to implement a full time training resource for the first time.
“We passionately believe in training drivers in-house, which maintains the intimate, family-run company culture and strong, well-established brand heritage Pulhams is known for.”
Recognising its heritage
Whilst Pulhams Coaches may now be big group-owned, it is clear from the statements made by the management that it clearly recognises the rich heritage of the business it has acquired and plans to build on that success. It is operating a mix of home to school coach services on behalf of local authorities as well as bus services in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and parts of Oxfordshire, and also provides extensive private hire services which see its coaches travelling across the UK and Europe.
In addition, the firm is also assisting Oxford Bus Group’s Airline coach service with additional capacity when required and helping out Oxford Bus Company on its Bicester Village contract. It is also increasing its bus services portfolio with a new service which started on 19 February with a new hourly service ‘R’ after the company secured a three-year contract from Gloucestershire County Council, which links Bishop’s Cleeve and the St Marks’ area with major employment and education sites to the West of Cheltenham, as well as the city centre.
The company currently has authorisation to operate a total of 120 vehicles from seven operating centres dotted throughout its operating area.
The future looks bright at Pulhams Coaches, and in group hands, it looks set to continue to be an iconic brand associated with the Cotswolds and beyond as it expands.
The Go-Ahead effect
