idathens collapses as ;bottle market slumps
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LE SLUMP in international ch travel has taken its toll one of Britain's bestawn coach companies, 'Irans of Plymouth.
t was placed in the hands a receiver this week fol/ing its failure to sell off h specification coaches rencd surplus by a disastrous mp in its coach holiday European shuttle work. kccorcling to company ;.'.ctor Mike Trathen, efforts sell off Trathens' office mplex at Roborryugh use, near Plymouth, also through and the company n out of time".
Me plan had been to sell the house and much of the
d at the million base retain only the two-yearoperating base on the site. frathen told CM that his n's problems were made
worse by ever-rising ts. Its insurance bill had ablcd, fuel costs were up 20 per cent and maintenre and repair costs were ;ravated by the severity of winter.
-le acknowledged, in hindht, that the £8 million
• nover company, which s incorporated with a i0,000 cash injection last cember, had perhaps exided too quickly. At the ie of its collapse, it ran ,und 70 vehicles.
Trathens, which was a mber of the Association of itish Travel Agents BTA) bonding scheme, de- parted honourably from the business and took steps to ensure that its customers lost no money, were not stranded, and were transferred to other tour operators.
Other operators have already taken over key parts of the Trathens business.
Len Wright Travel of Isleworth, Middlesex, has taken over the London charter business and the Starider music business luxury travel service along with eight of Trathens' coaches.
Yelloway, the Rochdalebased express coach business recently acquired by Carlton PSV Sales (the British Neoplan importer), has established a new division, Trathens Express, to run the Rapide luxury coach services run jointly with National Express between Plymouth and London. They will continue to be operated as a separate trading unit with booking offices in Plymouth, London and Bristol and with Trathens' coaches.
Yelloways already operates Lancashire/West Country services which will be complemented by the Trathens Express operation.
As we closed for press, efforts were also being made to sell Culture Bus, the tourist bus service subsidiary which runs double-deckers on a walk-on/walk-off roundLondon service. At least two businesses have expressed interest in buying the company.
• The shuttle coach slump has taken another victim in London-based Derek Randall Enterprises, which also ceased trading this week and whose coaches have been repossessed.