Johnsons Coaches supports Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships with major transport operation

Johnsons Coaches played a major role in keeping athletes, officials, sponsors and event staff moving throughout the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships, delivering a large-scale transport operation across the city.

The Warwickshire-based coach operator provided transport for a major share of the Corporate & Sporting Events Management operation at Alexander Stadium, connecting athletes and officials with hotels across Birmingham and supporting a number of event partners and organisations.

The operation ran from eight hotels for four clients, with up to 17 executive coaches in service each day and individual vehicles completing as many as 26 shuttle journeys per day.

Following an initial four-coach programme on 9 August, the operation increased to between 12 and 14 coaches on many days, with services running from around 7am through to after midnight, depending on client requirements.

The predominantly 53-seat executive coaches were supported by larger vehicles with capacities ranging from 63 to 89 passengers, allowing Johnsons to adapt its fleet to meet changing requirements throughout the Championships.

Supporting athletes, officials and event partners

Johnsons transported athletes and officials between city-centre hotels and Alexander Stadium, with services operating from locations including the Grand Hotel, Broad Street Plaza, Conference Aston, Leonardo Hotel, Crowne Plaza and Park Regis.

The company also provided an on-demand shuttle service for BBC staff, connecting the Clayton Hotel with Alexander Stadium.

Alongside the core Championships operation, Johnsons supported Interopa with Heathrow collections and daily transfers for passengers from France and the Benelux region, as well as Angela Shanley with transport for the Swedish Athletics Association and its sponsors.

A 24/7 operation behind the scenes

Delivering a transport programme of this scale required detailed planning and constant communication.

Long operating hours were managed through staggered driver shifts, carefully planned around legal working-time requirements. Transfer vehicles were used to position fresh drivers and return colleagues to Johnsons' operational centres across Greater Birmingham.

Behind the scenes, Johnsons' 24/7 operations office managed late changes and kept clients, on-site teams and drivers aligned throughout each day.

Drivers received updates through their Johnsons smartphones, with important information also reinforced through calls and face-to-face briefings. Schedules, timings and locations were continually reviewed and adjusted to respond to changing client requirements.

Tony Simmons, Commercial Director at Johnsons Coaches, said:

"Supporting an event of this scale in our home region is a fantastic opportunity for Johnsons Coaches and our team. There is an enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes to make sure athletes, officials, staff and partners get where they need to be, often from early morning through to well after midnight.

Our drivers, operations team and support staff have all played an important part in delivering this operation. The ability to respond quickly, communicate effectively and adapt throughout the day is crucial when you're supporting an international sporting event of this scale."

With the Championships now concluded, Johnsons Coaches is proud to have supported the delivery of one of Birmingham's major international sporting events, showcasing the scale, flexibility and capability of its team across the region.

Key figures at a glance

• Up to 17 executive coaches operating per day
• Up to 26 shuttle journeys per coach, per day
• 8 hotels served across 4 clients
• Operations running from approximately 07:00 until after midnight
• Predominantly 53-seat executive coaches
• Supporting vehicles ranging from 63 to 89 seats
• Between 12 and 14 coaches operating on many days
• Transporting athletes, officials, staff, sponsors and event partners