Esk Valley Coaches, a family run business that goes from strength-to-strength and has introduced 10 vehicles in the past two years has added a Plaxton Panther to its rapidly growing fleet.

The 12.8m B8R with I-Shift transmission is a 53-seat executive model with washroom facilities and, says Director and Transport Manager Keith Simpson, will be ideal for school contract services, corporate hires, airport transfers, excursions and private functions such as weddings.

Founded by Keith and his father Charles in 2002, Esk Valley Coaches has 33 vehicles and is based in Whitby, North Yorkshire. It now also has a depot in Bridlington, in the East Riding, which gives it an extensive reach across the county.

Keith commented: “We have invested significantly in our fleet during the past two years and now carry around 500,000 passengers per year, which means we have to be on our toes, focused and delivering the sort of quality services people expect today.

“We already have Panther and Cheetah XL products in our fleet and are well aware of the all-round support provided by Plaxton, so it wasn’t a difficult decision when it came to enhancing our fleet still further.”

Keith, who in addition to his father Charles, is supported in the business by his wife Sam and mother Agnes, added: “As a truly family business we are well known  throughout the area, which makes it doubly important to get things right, and to do that we need vehicles custom made for the job. The Panther is ideal.”

Along with their sister companies, Procters Coaches and Compass Royston, Esk Valley forms part of a group with over 200 vehicles, providing bus, coach and hire vehicle services across the UK and much of Europe.

Image caption

Pictured receiving his new 53-seat Plaxton Panther is Keith Simpson (right), Director and Transport Manager at Esk Valley Coaches, along with Simon Wood, General Manager Coach Sales at Alexander Dennis Limited.