Dan’s the man as he wins Driver of the Year for family business
27/05/2025
Martin Twomey Coaches has some of the best drivers in the business and now has an award to prove it after Dan Twomey was crowned CTTC Coach & Bus Driver of the Year at the CTTC Coach & Bus Show in the RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin recently.
A key part of the successful Cork-based family business, Dan was both surprised and delighted to win the prestigious accolade in early November. Sponsored by Bridgestone and supported by Airport Driving School, the competition attracts the best bus drivers from across Ireland every year and Dan ticked all the boxes for the judges to claim first prize of €500, the Martin Guilfoyle Perpetual Trophy, a €200 voucher for Airport Driving School as well as a certificate of achievement.
The success comes as Martin Twomey Coaches celebrates 20 years in business in 2025. From humble beginnings, the company has grown into a leading private luxury mini-bus and coach hire service in the region.
“It was a lovely surprise to get. I wasn’t expecting it,” Dan admits.
“I went up to Dublin on the Saturday and did an interview, theory test and driving test. Usually, I would stay for the whole weekend, but I didn't go up on the Sunday as I went Christmas tree shopping with my girlfriend instead. I thought nothing more of it until I got a call to say I’d won. I couldn’t believe it because I was up against very strong competition.”
A qualified transport manager who is involved as a driver and in the maintenance side of the business, Dan is joined in the business by his father and managing director Martin, brother Darren, uncles Anthony and Peadar, and aunt Eileen. In total, there are 22 people employed between full-time, part-time and seasonal.
“It’s a real family affair,” Dan smiles.
“My father is the driving force behind it all. With my late mother's unwavering support, he built it up from a small hackney operation into what it is today. We’re now running 30 buses and coaches ranging from 16-seaters to 80-seater double-deckers along with two taxis, which are a seven-seat Ford Tourneo and a Toyota Avensis. Darren, Anthony and Peadar are drivers, while Martin’s sister Eileen is in the office.
“While there is a strong family involvement, every one of the team has an important role to play. We’d be nothing without our top-class drivers and staff.”
Expanding on the history of the company, the award-winning bus driver explains: “Martin bought his first hackney in 1995 before setting up the coach hire business 10 years later. He started with a 14-seater Ford Transit minibus and progressed to a 16-seater a year later. Then, in 2008, he secured a contract with Nemo Rangers GAA club to bring their teams to and from matches.
“We’d all played for Nemo and our late mother Catherine was also very involved with the club. It was a big step forward for the company which has been going from strength to strength ever since. We bought a 2002-registered MAN Indcar Eco 3 with 33 seats and a toilet from Bernard Kavanagh specifically for the Nemo Rangers work. We then invested in 29-seater Mercedes Vario Plaxton for a school transport service for Rochestown College.
“We still have those two buses to this day.”
Martin Twomey Coaches continues to upgrade the fleet on a regular basis and, in the past year, took delivery of a new 25-seater Iveco Turas 700s from Brian Noone Ltd in Maynooth, a new 16-seat Ford Transit and a 53-seater Scania Irizar from Westward Scania. The Turas 700s follows in the philosophy of combining phenomenal design with comfort and everyday usability, boasting premium luxury and large luggage capacity. It sets the benchmark in midi-coach design.
The high spec’ 30-strong fleet is predominantly Scania which were supplied by Westward Scania and maintained by O’Mahoney Commercials and AOCs.
Martin Twomey Coaches specialises in coach hire, tours, school transport, chauffeur service, airport and port transfers, corporate event transport and weddings. It provides both a private school transport service and a school transport service for Bus Éireann.
“Private and Bus Éireann school runs are our ‘bread and butter’. We also have private tours of Ireland lasting up to 15 days and a lot of transfers from Cobh when the cruise liners dock there during the summer. We have a bus for every event and occasion.”
To say that the fleet is luxurious would be an understatement. The larger coaches boast toilet, WiFi, TV / video and air conditioning along with reclining seats. These coaches are spacious and comfortable with large luggage capacity. Safety features include seat belts, ABS braking systems and AEBS lane departure blind spot warning. Many of the coaches are also wheelchair accessible.
Whether travelling on a long or short journey, passengers will arrive at their destination feeling relaxed and stress-free. From the smallest contract bus to the largest executive coach, the fleet is the best in the business.
The CTTC Coach & Bus Show is eagerly looked forward to every year. CTTC members operate in excess of 1,500 coaches and employ over 3,500 people across Ireland. CTTC provides representation and leadership not only for its own members, but also for the wider private coach and bus operator community.
As Martin Twomey Coaches continues to drive forward, the family business would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers and suppliers for their unwavering support, as well as their dedicated team for their hard work and expertise.
Here’s to the next 20 years!
Martin Twomey Coaches
Marina Commercial Park,
Centre Park Road,
Co. Cork.
Telephone: 021 484 0546
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.martintwomey.ie
First published in Irish Trucker magazine March/April 2025, Vol 28-2
