Perthshire coach operator shuts down due to driver shortage and ‘financial doom and gloom’

Owners of a Highland Perthshire coach operator have announced it will close at the end of this year, blaming a driver shortage and “financial doom and gloom”.

Aberfeldy Motor Services – which has been in business for 47 years – will stop running services next month.

Owners John and Lynda Stewart say the state of the economy, a driver shortage and lingering fears over Covid-19 have made it impossible to keep the company afloat.

The firm was founded as a commercial garage in 1976 before expanding into private tours, school buses and holidays.

Shutting down company ‘wasn’t an easy decision’

They now plan to run their last service – a trip to Dunoon – on Hogmanay.

Lynda said: “It wasn’t an easy decision.

“When you’ve been doing something for this length of time it becomes more than a job.

“It’s hard to give it up, but things have been pretty grim recently – they have been for all hospitality and especially tourism.

“Now there’s all this financial doom and gloom, you start to think ‘is next year going to be any better?'”

The company currently employs six people – less than half what they had before the shortage.

Lynda believes the team will have no worries finding new jobs due to the amount of driving positions available.

‘There are no young people coming into the business’

She said: “They can get work anywhere with this driver shortage.

“The issue is there’s no young people coming into this business – it’s all old guys who keep getting older.

“A few of ours are getting to retirement age anyway.

“You can understand it because it’s not an appealing job for younger men with families.

“You need to be away for weeks at a time, going all over the UK and Europe.”

The Aberfeldy couple plan to retire themselves after wrapping up the business.

The co-owner added: “We’re both pension-age now.

“We haven’t actually been on holiday together for 12 years, with the business we can’t just drop everything and leave for a week.

“It’s a wrench stopping after so many years, but we’re planning to just take some time to ourselves.”