Whittles at 100: Looking Forward with The Coach Travel Group

In 2026, Whittles proudly celebrates its centenary a remarkable milestone that marks 100 years of service, connection and coach travel heritage. While this anniversary offers a moment to reflect on a century of journeys, it is equally about looking forward with confidence. As part of The Coach Travel Group, Whittles enters its second century stronger, more connected and future-focused than ever.

A New Chapter with The Coach Travel Group

In June 2024, Whittles became one of the seven founding members of The Coach Travel Group, alongside Johnsons Coaches, Alpine Travel, Barnes Coaches, Coatham Coaches, JH Coaches, Swans Travel and The Ready Group. Since then, the group has continued to grow, welcoming additional well-known operators and forming a strong national network with shared expertise and a combined fleet of hundreds of vehicles.

For Whittles, joining The Coach Travel Group has driven meaningful improvements across the business. The introduction of modern systems such as Samsara has enhanced fleet visibility, strengthened driver support and improved operational efficiency. Alignment with Johnsons’ operational processes has made day-to-day activity smoother while ensuring consistently high standards. Collaboration with other group members has also created valuable opportunities to share best practice, enhance customer experience and build greater operational resilience.

National Strength, Local Heart

The Coach Travel Group is built on collaboration, trust and sustainable growth. By bringing together strong regional operators, the group delivers national coverage while ensuring each business retains its identity and remains firmly rooted in its local community.

For customers, this means enjoying the reassurance of a large, well-resourced group without losing the personal, friendly service that local operators are known for. Shared resources, knowledge and standards ensure consistent quality across the UK, while each operator’s heritage continues to be celebrated. It is truly a “best of both worlds” model: national reach with a local touch.

Collaboration on Coach Holidays

Collaboration across the group plays an important role in the success of coach holidays. While Whittles continues to operate its own independent programme, fellow group members, including Barnes Coaches, regularly share supplier insight, hotel feedback and availability information. This collective knowledge helps maintain high standards across tours and occasionally opens up additional experiences and opportunities for customers.

Long-Term Customer Relationships

Whittles’ success over 100 years has been built on strong, lasting relationships with its customers, many of whom have travelled with the company for decades. Long-serving staff are central to this, with familiar faces in the travel shop and behind the wheel creating a sense of trust and continuity that customers value deeply.

Key members of the team, including Kerry, play an important role in programme planning, bringing invaluable insight into what customers enjoy and what keeps them coming back. These personal connections, combined with a focus on friendly, reliable service, remain at the heart of Whittles’ identity.

Planning Day Trips and Holidays

Holiday and day trip planning balances popular favourites with carefully selected new destinations. Customer feedback plays a vital role, with passenger suggestions often shaping future brochures.

When new hotels are considered, a team member will visit wherever possible to assess suitability. Where this is not practical, trusted partners provide detailed, reliable feedback. This ensures every element of the programme meets the high standards Whittles customers expect.

Popular Destinations and Loyal Travellers

Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man continue to be among Whittles’ most popular destinations. These tours attract a high number of repeat travellers, particularly island holidays where hotel availability is limited and demand is consistently strong. Securing key dates well in advance allows Whittles to continue meeting customer expectations year after year.

European Travel Post-Brexit

Brexit presented challenges across the travel industry, with the most significant impact felt through staffing pressures within the hospitality sector rather than travel itself. While service levels dipped temporarily, standards have gradually recovered.

Port delays, particularly during peak travel periods, continue to be a factor. As updated vehicle and passport check processes bed in, Whittles continues to monitor and adapt operations to ensure smooth journeys for customers.

The “Go Whittle!” Centenary Programme

The 2026 holiday programme provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate the Whittles centenary. Inspired by Ron Whittle’s early touring stories, centenary-themed holidays and branding were introduced to honour the company’s history.

The return of elements from the iconic “Go Whittle!” brand has been met with exceptionally positive feedback, reflecting how strongly Whittles’ heritage continues to resonate with long-standing customers. It is a fitting way to mark how far the company has come in 100 years.

Express Excursions

Express Excursions were introduced to make effective use of quieter operational periods, such as school holidays. Offering direct, great-value travel from a single convenient pick-up point, these no-frills trips have become a popular addition to the programme.

They appeal to customers seeking flexible, affordable days out, whether for sightseeing, visiting family or exploring somewhere new.

Year-Round Brochure Planning

Brochure planning is a continuous process. With hotels, ferries and attractions releasing rates at different times, the team often works across multiple seasons simultaneously.

In 2026, this means finalising details for future programmes while reviewing proposals for 2027 and exploring early opportunities for 2028. Close relationships with hotel partners remain key to maintaining availability, value and quality.

Thoughtful Onboard Touches

Selected tours include freshly prepared branded afternoon tea boxes on outbound journeys, produced by a local supplier in Kidderminster. Introduced around four years ago, they remain consistently popular and add a premium, welcoming touch to the start of each holiday.

Private Hire and School Contracts

Private hire and school contracts continue to form an important part of Whittles’ operation. Long-standing relationships with schools and colleges regularly lead to additional work for sports fixtures, educational visits and event travel, complementing the tour programme and providing a stable foundation for the business.

Fleet Strategy and Investment

Following the end of the long-established Plaxton/Volvo pairing, Whittles undertook a wider review of fleet options to meet current and future requirements. The touring programme continues to rely on the existing Volvo-based fleet, well suited to both UK and European travel, alongside a 63-seat Irizar providing additional capacity.

Looking ahead, Whittles is aligning with Johnsons’ wider fleet strategy through the introduction of Scania-based vehicles. Chosen for their reliability, strong aftersales support and suitability for long-distance touring, this approach ensures consistency while maintaining high levels of comfort and performance.

Fleet Size, Accessibility and Presentation

Whittles currently operates 18 modern coaches, maintained to high standards through its depot and the Johnsons workshop network. One PSVAR-compliant vehicle is already in operation, with further investment planned as accessibility expectations continue to evolve.

A special centenary livery introduced on the VDL Futura 2 has received an extremely positive response and will be rolled out across additional vehicles as part of the standard repaint cycle.

Investing in the Depot

In September 2025, Whittles installed a new Istobal bus wash, selected for its reliability, efficiency and reduced water usage. Further investment in workshop equipment and diagnostics ensures the depot continues to support a modern, high-performing fleet.

Celebrating the Centenary in 2026

Centenary celebrations run throughout 2026 and include special themed excursions, heritage storytelling across brochures and digital channels, staff recognition initiatives and additional surprises planned across the year.

Whittles at 100 is not just a celebration of the past, but a confident statement about the future proud of its heritage and excited for what lies ahead as part of The Coach Travel Group.