Corduff Travel named Passenger Transport Company of the Year

07/11/2024

Headquartered in Rossport, Co Mayo, Corduff Travel strives to transport passengers in the safest and most comfortable manner. Irish Trucker touched base with its Managing Director Michael Corduff jnr to hear more about this award-winning business which operates with 150 vehicles in its fleet.

The busy times continue at Corduff Travel where they remain committed to providing the safest and highest quality of service to all passengers.

With 140 staff members on its books, the company has blossomed over three generations from having just one minibus to now boasting the most modern fleet in Co Mayo.

Today, Corduff Travel has a fleet of 150 vehicles and its buses can been seen travelling the roads nationwide from its hubs in Rossport (Erris), Westport (Castlebar) and Dublin.

Michael Corduff jnr has been Managing Director of this thriving transport firm for 11 years now and filled Irish Trucker in on details of some of the latest additions to its fleet and recent success at the Irish Logistics & Transport Awards.

“We introduced our first electric bus at the end of last year. We use it for Local Link Mayo and it operates seven days a week, three times a day,” he outlined.

“We’ve added in 13 new coaches to our fleet this year so far and also have coaches coming in for new routes coming in this year.

“So, we’ll hopefully have five new coaches coming in for the second part of 2024. We already have six orders in place for 2025, with more to come after that as well.”

That considered, it’s safe enough to assume that business has been healthy as of late for Michael jnr and the team out west.

“Business is crazy at the moment,” he stated. “It’s been so busy with Local Link, private hire and private hire based in Dublin has really expanded in the last 18 months to two years. We have 50 coaches in Dublin on a day-to-day basis and it’s just a really strong base for us at the moment.

“We’re doing a lot of work for Bus Eireann, a lot of private clients which we have built a relationship with over the years by operating a top-class service.

“It’s very busy indeed. We’re turning down work because we’re booked out for the next four months. It’s just very busy.”

As it stands, Corduff Travel has over 60 school contracts with Bus Eireann and also operates commuter services with the state-owned bus and coach operator.

Things continue to go from strength to strength for this transport provider which has an excellent reputation amongst customers, having been in operation more than seven decades now.

In March, the family-run business hit another milestone when it won the ‘Passenger Transport Company of the Year’ at the annual Irish Logistics & Transport Awards.

Reflecting on the success, its Managing Director described the “real privilege” it was to be recognised in the same award category with other past winners and finalists.

“The award really was to be nominated for such a prestigious award,” said Michael jnr.

“Looking back on some of the previous winners like Irish Rail, Bus Eireann, the Luas in Dublin, Irish Ferries – they’re all big passenger businesses – and when I saw us nominated for it, it was a privilege and then, obviously, to win it was overwhelming.

“Just to see where we’ve come from and the hard work that we’ve put in through the past three generations, it’s incredible just to be recognised in the same category as all of those government-based business. It’s a real privilege if anything.”

The award success followed news in February that Corduff Travel had acquired the former Eircom building along the Breaffy Road in Castlebar as part of its expansion plans. 

With plans to construct a large-scale heavy goods vehicle garage which will operate 20 hours a day, it’s a development that is set to create another 100 jobs in the area including mechanics, technicians, sales representatives and admin staff.

The one-stop garage will be for hauliers and bus/coach operators, with the expansion itself set to double the company’s staff numbers over the next two years.

So, all of that considered, the burning question is what has been the secret behind the success of Corduff Travel to date?

How has a small start-up with a single minibus grown into becoming Ireland’s premier private travel company, with 150 vehicles operating out of three different hubs?

For Michael jnr, it comes down to a combination of different factors.

“We have a new fleet of coaches on the road and we are reliable,” he stated plainly.

“We have proven that to our clients down through the years as well. Clients look for reliable coaches that are reliable on the road, flexible drivers and we provide all that and are consistent on that.

“We don’t talk about all the successful runs that we do on a day-to-day basis. We operate 400 runs on a day-to-day basis and we have meetings about the ones that we can improve on.

“Clients want reliable service and we can provide that. Operating safety is our priority, it’s our logo and we’ve put a lot of hard work into that.”

Looking at the coming months for the business, Corduff Travel’s MD is perhaps as optimistic as he’s ever been.

In saying that however, he does recognise the challenges out there and outlined some of the changes that he’d like to see happening to help and encourage businesses like his which are immersed in the private travel game. 

“A passenger operator is unable to claim back any VAT at the moment on fuel, buses or parts. So, that itself is a huge struggle where we have to pay for everything, whereas hauliers are driving on the same roads we are and they are able to claim back the VAT,” he said.

“So, that’s something that the government need to look at. I suppose, I’m very young in the game. I just turned 30 and, for any future operators that are looking to grow their business, that would be one that the government really need to look at and really take close consideration on making changes on that.”

Corduff Travel,
Rossport,
Co Mayo
Tel: 097 88949 / 88064
Email: [email protected]
Web: cordufftravel.ie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/corduff.coaches

First published in Irish Trucker magazine September/October 2024, Vol 27-5