Council takes over family-run school bus firm

Highland Council has completed a deal to take over an Inverness-based company that provides a significant number of its school buses.

The local authority said buying D&E Coaches would reduce its school transport costs, and also help in its efforts to improve local bus services.

The council spends about £25m a year on school and public transport provision.

Husband and wife Donald and Elizabeth Mathieson set up D&E Coaches almost 30 years ago and it has a fleet of 60 vehicles. Highland Council said the cost of the deal was commercially confidential.

Highland Council said it intended to run the company on a "business as usual" basis.

The local authority's in-house bus team already operates 16 public service routes.

They include a new "shopper service" linking a number of Inverness housing developments with retail parks.

Rising costs around contracts for public transport led Highland Council to set up its own bus team.

D&E Coaches started in 1996 with just one mini bus.

Managing director Mr Mathieson said: "We feel as a family firm that that we have taken the company as far as we can.

"Moving forward, we feel that the acquisition of D&E Coaches by Highland Council is the best move for the company and everyone concerned, including our staff and customers.

"We are also pleased that the company will move into local authority/public ownership."

D&E Coaches contracts have included bussing pupils from more than 200 schools to Inverness for Eden Court's pantomime around Christmas time.

In 2023, the company became the official transport service for the Belladrum Tartan Heart music festival near Beauly.