Latest news with #McGill's
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Bus firm owned by former Rangers directors doubles profits
We revealed this week that McGill's, the 'largest independent bus firm in the UK', posted that the earnings rise was partly down to acquisitions. James and Sandy Easdale. (Image: Jeff Holmes/JSHPIX) The Greenock-based firm owned by billionaire brothers Sandy and James Easdale put forward results covering a 'wide and diverse portfolio'. The firm said: 'McGill's Bus Group is Britain's largest independently owned bus company and a pioneer in fleet decarbonisation, with over 110 zero emission electric buses.' Read the full exclusive story here ANALYSIS 📈 Why the case for a 'Scottish visa' just got stronger Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is sticking to his red lines on Brexit. (Image: PA) At times like these the dogmatic nature of politics must really frustrate people in business. While Sir Keir Starmer sticks to his Government's red lines on Europe – meaning there will be no return to the single market, no re-joining the customs union and no freedom of movement under his watch – the UK's economic prospects will continue to be constrained. This includes in Scotland, which of course voted resoundingly to remain in the European Union in the referendum of 2016, and has been living with the consequences since. But how long can the current state of affairs continue? Starmer has so far resisted calls from the Scottish Government to introduce a "Scottish visa" to help the country deal with the labour shortages it faces, but the issue is simply not going away. Read Scott Wright's analysis here SERIES: THE BARRAS REBORN 🍽️ How The Barras stealthily became Glasgow's most exciting foodie destination The Barras has slowly but surely evolved into one of the city's most exciting foodie destinations. (Image: Newsquest) Whelks, mussels and white sugar-coated doughnuts might well be what first come to mind when you picture food from The Barras Market in Glasgow. None of the above is wrong, with the Loch Fyne Shellfish Bar on London Road celebrating 65 years in business and Danny's Donuts still firing up their fryers every weekend. But elsewhere, thanks to a team who have invested time and effort into curating a line-up of street food vendors unlike any other, The Barras has slowly but surely evolved into one of the city's most exciting foodie destinations. As part of our Barras Reborn series, The Herald sat down with market manager Chris Butler to discuss the influx of independent culinary talent now based in the East End and how this contributes to the shifting identity of a 104-year-old cultural landmark. Read Sarah Campbell's article here AROUND THE GREENS ⛳ Coming soon to a club near you: Golf vending machines A mock-up of what the proposed vending machines might look like (Image: Newsquest) This article appears as part of Kristy Dorsey's Around the Greens series Officials at discount retailer Affordable Golf are sizing up plans to roll out vending machines at clubs across Scotland selling items such as balls and gloves to players who might otherwise be caught short.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Billionaire brothers say Scottish bus firm ‘in good shape'
However, McGill's Buses, the firm owned by former Rangers directors Sandy and James Easdale, raised concerns over plans to introduce a new bus franchising model. While the aim is to improve services, the firm said larger companies could win routes with "slick" bids without necessarily offering a better service. The firm has just released its latest accounts. (Image: McGill's) It comes after we exclusively reported the company's latest annual results, which showed turnover increased from £57.6 million to £91.2m. Operating profit rose from £720,000 to £1.88m. Ralph Roberts, McGill's chairman, told this column: "The publication this week of McGill's 2023 accounts told a story of a business that had weathered the Covid pandemic and through tight fiscal controls was in good shape. "Fast forwarding to 2025 the story is much the same – fiscal control, investment, consistency of service delivery and the Easdale brothers' belief that buses have a critical role to play in our economy. "That is only part of the story though." He said the firm responded to 2021 calls for firms to opt for zero emission vehicles at a time "when the path out of Covid was unclear". Mr Roberts said: "The McGill's fleet was relatively young and there was no need to heavily invest but we knew that we had to lead by example and decarbonise if we were ever going to convince people that travelling by bus was a righteous choice. Financially, it was a tightrope. "The government gave grant funding for a small percentage of the capital amount, intended to narrow the gap between the price of a new diesel bus and a new EV bus. There were still a lot of unknowns though and it was a huge leap of faith." READ MORE: "All of this came at significant investment from Sandy and James. Under normal circumstances, that is a good news story. "Owners believing in their business, putting their hand deep into their pockets during troubled times and hopefully reaping the rewards for years to come with a strong business to pass onto future generations. "After all of the investment to build a very strong and stable business, the owners of McGill's now face the very real prospect of large multi-nationals coming in with slick seasoned bid teams and winning all the contracts." Transport Scotland, the government agency, said: 'Secondary legislation to enable bus franchising came into force on December 4, 2023. 'This enables local transport authorities to begin developing their preferred options for improving their local bus services. "Since then, we have laid all the regulations required to bring the franchising powers into full effect. This enables local transport authorities to develop local services franchises, where they consider it appropriate, to improve bus services in their local areas."
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Billionaire brothers' bus company profits more than double
Greenock-based McGill's Bus Service June results published at Companies House cover a 'wide and diverse portfolio'. The firm, owned by former Rangers directors Sandy and James Easdale, said: 'McGill's Bus Group is Britain's largest independently owned bus company and a pioneer in fleet decarbonisation, with over 110 zero emission electric buses. James and Sandy Easdale. (Image: Jeff Holmes/JSHPIX) 'Our wide and diverse portfolio includes local, city, rural and interurban quality bus services across Scotland under the McGill's, Midland Bluebird, Xplore Dundee and BrightBus brands, as well as open-top hop on and hop off tours, airport connections, expansive coach touring and private hire. 'We are also a key strategic partner to global intercity coach brand Flixbus across the UK.' The new results cover the period from January 2, 2023 to December 31, 2023. It said turnover increased from £57.6 million to £91.2m 'due to the full year impact of the business in Stirlingshire and the Lothians acquired through the acquisitions from First Group Plc'. READ MORE: McGill's also said: 'These businesses have added substantially to group revenue, fleet size and headcount and following a period of integration will contribute to future profitability. 'Operating profit increased from £720,000 to £1.88m.' However, the firm also said: "Business recovery continued to be impacted by a slower than expected recovery from the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic while passenger volumes continued to be impacted by consequent changing customer travel patterns and recreational activity.' It continued: 'The group prides itself on high-level customer service and invests heavily in new vehicles, people, skills and development. We have in-house driver training academies in Johnstone, [[Dundee]] and Falkirk and we work with the Prince's Trust on the 'Get Into Bus Engineering' scheme, to allow younger workers an opportunity to become engineers with McGill's. 'In 2022, McGill's Bus Group was named Public Transport Operator of the Year at the Scottish [[Transport]] Awards and was first runner-up in 2023. The company was awarded one Gold and three Silver accolades at UK Bus Awards in 2023.'
Daily Record
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Record
Man, 64, in "critical condition" following horror crash with bus
The driver of the red Honda was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow following the incident. A 64-year-old man is in a 'critical condition' following a road crash between a bus and a car in Renfrewshire. Emergency services raced to Main Road in Elderslie around 1.55pm on Tuesday afternoon following the collision that involved a red Honda Civic and a McGill's bus. The driver of the car, a 64-year-old male, was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for treatment and police have now confirmed his condition as critical. A 51-year-old female who was a passenger in the car was also taken to hospital to be checked over. The road was closed between the junction for Glenpatrick Road and the roundabout for Linwood Road and the A761 for several hours. The roundabout itself was not closed. A witness at the scene told the Paisley Daily Express: 'Even two hours after the crash, it looked quite serious. Police were putting up more tape to extend the cordon. 'We could see paramedics and police treating a person at the side of the road. They looked quite shaken up. There were lots of police cars and emergency services. It's such a busy road at the best of times and it was shut both ways. 'It was causing absolute chaos, people were doing three-point-turns and going back the direction they came as they were getting fed up waiting in the delays. It looked like a bad one – the car had suffered more damage than the bus.' The 54-year-old male driver of the bus and the passengers on board were uninjured in the incident. Police confirmed the road was reopened shortly before 8pm. Officers are continuing to review CCTV footage from the area for further information on the collision and are now appealing for witnesses. Constable Ian Brown from road policing said: 'I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time to contact us. Some of the bus passengers had left the scene before we arrived and I would ask them to please get in touch. "It's vital we have as much information as possible as we work to establish the full circumstances of the crash.' A spokesperson for McGill's Group added: 'We can confirm that one of our vehicles was involved in an incident on Tuesday afternoon in Elderslie, when a car collided with the bus as it was pulling into a stop. 'No passengers or the driver of the bus were injured.' Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1797 of Tuesday, July 15.
The Herald Scotland
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Billionaire brothers build new bus empire in Scotland
This week, McGill's Group hailed the seven-figure takeover of a coach company operating for seven decades in central Scotland with the acquisition of Prentice Westwood. The West Lothian-based business comes under the umbrella of the group of companies owned by Sandy and James Easdale. Bus billionaires Sandy and James Easdale. (Image: Jeff Holmes/JSHPIX) The Prentice Westwood employees will become part of the McGill's Group, and the brand will be kept. The brothers, reportedly worth £1.46 billion, have, over the past five years, they say, significantly grown their coach operations. Their company's Fly services connecting Edinburgh Airport with Dundee and Aberdeen 'have proved immensely popular', while its private coach hire business 'continues to thrive across Scotland'. McGill's also launched Loch Lomond Travel, a coach holiday division 'that has seen rapid growth and strong demand among holidaymakers', in 2023. The company is also the operator of the successful FlixBus network in Scotland and across the UK, with the international intercity service 'flourishing since its 2021 launch'. Tony Williamson, chief executive of McGill's Group, said that 'Prentice Westwood has a terrific reputation as a quality transport provider in central Scotland'. READ MORE: 'During our discussions, I was very impressed by their team, ethos and operational standards, all of which made this an easy decision.' The McGill's group of companies' turnover increased from £57.6 million to £91.2m and operating profit increased from £720,000 to £1.88m in its most recent accounts, for the year ended December 31, 2023. Robbie Prentice, owner of Prentice Westwood, said: 'We are incredibly proud of what Prentice Westwood has achieved over the past 70 years as a family enterprise. 'Joining McGill's Group represents a fantastic opportunity to secure the long-term future of the business and for our team to be part of one of the most forward-thinking and ambitious transport operators in the UK. 'The values and vision of McGill's align closely with our own, and I'm eager to see the development of the business in the coming years.' Of course the Easdale family is not the first to build a substantial transport empire in Scotland, with siblings Brian Souter and Ann Gloag founding Stagecoach, originally called Gloagtrotter. The Easdales' business interests also include real estate and housing development. Also this week, a manufacturing business which supplied bus maker Alexander Dennis has collapsed, with administrators declaring the 'withdrawal of this key contract' rendered the company 'unsustainable'. The vast bulk of the staff have been made redundant following the appointment of administrators, business editor Ian McConnell wrote. Callum Carmichael and Michelle Elliot of FRP Advisory, together with Shona Campbell of Henderson Loggie LLP, were appointed as administrators of Greenfold Systems Ltd, a specialist manufacturing business based in Dunfermline. Greenfold Systems had built longstanding relationships across the industry, with a significant proportion of its operations supporting Alexander Dennis Ltd, the administrators noted. Alexander Dennis earlier announced it was entering into a consultation around moving its Falkirk operation south of the Border.
