Jonathan Welch reports from Derby, where he attended CMAC Group’s Big Coach Conversation event
On a bright and sunny Thursday 27 March, I found myself arriving at the unusual venue of the Derbyshire Country Cricket Club, where after being directed to the car park by friendly and welcoming marshals I headed towards the line-up of Volvo and EVM products that marked the way towards the Big Coach Conversation. Organised by ComfortDelGro subsidiary CMAC, the event was designed to bring together partners, suppliers and operators with a focus on coach rather than bus.
The event was sponsored by a number of well-known industry names, and ComfortDelgro had its own presence there as well as through CMAC and Coach Hire Comparison (CHC). By nice coincidence, as I arrived at the ComfortDelgro stand it was being manned by Scottish Citylink Managing Director Simone Walsh and Operations Control Manager Macsood Carrie, familiar faces from previous CBW features, giving an opportunity for a brief catch-up.
ComfortDelGro itself has recently launched a new visual identity which it says signifies a step forward in the company’s evolution into a global multi-modal transport leader. It might be easy to overlook the fact that the group has grown its international business significantly with bus and rail contracts in Europe and Australia, as well as building other mobility portfolios. With a presence in 13 countries, it has around 24,500 employees, an operating fleet of over 54,000 vehicles and a rail network of 343 kilometres in operation and under mobilisation. In the UK alone, alongside CMAC and CHC, members of the ComfortDelGro family include London’s Westbus, Metroline, Scottish and Irish Citylink, Adventure Travel and taxi operator Addison Lee.
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