A COACH firm has bought brand new coaches to expand its fleet and create three new jobs.

Whittles Coaches has invested over £400,000 in two new touring coaches to serve passengers across the county.

Whittles, which was acquired by Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel in January 2015, see the investment as an important part of the ongoing company strategy, and a vote of confidence for the future of coach travel in Kidderminster and the Wyre Forest area. Whittles offers a UK coach holiday programme and a day trip programme which attracted over 9,000 passengers in 2018.

The new 53 seat Plaxton Panther/Volvo Euro 6 specification coaches join Whittles’ fleet of nine coaches and offers passengers the highest levels of comfort with leather head and arm rests, extra legroom, air conditioning, tea and coffee making facilities, WC and DVD player and USB charging points.

The coaches will be used on Whittles’ range of holidays and day excursions this summer as well as providing coach hire for local businesses, clubs and schools which the company is seeing sales growth in both areas.

The vehicle’s highly fuel-efficient Euro 6 engine provides the latest in environmentally-friendly low emission coach travel together with top class quietness and comfort.

The investment means that it will also see a total of three extra driving positions become available.

General manager of Whittles, Dee Jackson, said: "We are so excited to make these additions to our fleet, it has been really encouraging and humbling to see how the local community has continued to support us with their custom.

"We recognise that without an unrelenting drive to achieve even higher standards of quality, both with our vehicles and our hard working, loyal staff, this confidence is easily taken for granted.

"These new vehicles see us take another important step with our aspirations for Whittles.”

Whittles, a firm with over 90 years of history, was taken over in 2015 by Johnsons Coaches, themselves more than a century old.

The firm runs coach day trips departing from 10 local boarding points including Worcester, Droitwich, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Stourport and Bewdley.