Bus-based businesses: don’t get on the bus – own it!
Starting your own business is a big step, but if you want to be your own boss, it’s the only way to go. A bus-based business has a lot to offer, not the least of which is the multi-directional possibilities for expansion. First, people are getting more and more creative about how they are using busses. There’s plenty of opportunity for working with custom-fitted vehicles. These can also be rented out as holiday camper vans but also for festivals and special occasions. A little work and creativity with décor – for a honeymoon, for example, will go a long way in rental returns.
For a more formal situation, there’s a lot of business around conferences, and trade fairs, as well as government contracts. Hotels, events organisers and other partners are one way into these fields. Some jobs may require tendering documents, but these can be outsourced and, once written, do not vary a great deal. The range of charter work is endless, from airports to mobile meetings vehicles, and can be highly lucrative. Again, work on interior fitting – a conference table for meetings and screens for presentations – will give a bus-based business a huge competitive edge. The same goes for Social and Sporting Groups – team colours, a temporary external laminate celebrating Bob’s 40th Birthday or Louisa and John’s 30th Wedding anniversary, can make all the difference, especially with high-end bookings where price matters less than detail.
Because all a bus-based business requires is, essentially, a licence and a bus, owners have a lot of flexibility in what they do and how they do it. There is no reason why you couldn’t switch to running touring stag weekends if airport runs are beginning to bore you, but the likelihood is, you’ll probably end up investing in another bus, another driver, and doing both.
Finally – bus travel is economic and ecologically sound for any group outings and its social and environmental worth are increasingly valued.