Trealaw-based Teulu Travel has added the first new vehicle to its growing fleet in a move that also marks its first deal with Asset Alliance Group.
The firm, set up in 2019, has acquired a Temsa HD13 57-seater PSVAR-compliant coach via a hire purchase agreement with Asset Alliance Group. The vehicle has been put through its paces during the busy summer period, delighting its new owner with its rock-solid performance.
Dorian Chapman, Director of Teulu Travel, says: “We’ve previously always purchased our used vehicles outright. However, working with Asset Alliance Group has allowed us to bring onboard our first new coach. The new Temsa will require less maintenance than the older vehicles it replaces, deliver improved reliability, and if there is an issue we have the peace of mind that it’s covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.”
Hire purchase allows operators to gain the benefits of ownership whilst spreading the cost over a fixed term. VAT is either paid in full at the outset and reclaimed or can be deferred in line with the customer’s next VAT return, so that it does not negatively affect cashflow. It is also tax efficient and can be offset against an operator’s capital allowances.
Teulu Travel – named after the Welsh word for family – has also added a used 2017 Neoplan Tourliner 61-seat coach, produced by MAN, to its vehicle complement, again facilitated by Asset Alliance Group.
Scott Burke, National Sales Manager at Asset Alliance Group, who oversaw the deals, says: “I had the pleasure of meeting Dorian at his premises to fully understand the business and its objectives, and we quickly built a rapport. I’m delighted to have onboarded Teulu Travel as an Asset Alliance Group customer and wish them safe travels with their new vehicles.”
Keeping family at the heart of the business and with the busiest part of the year complete, the coaches have recently had names added to their fronts by local firm Dab Hand Signs (matching personalised number plates). They now sport Jenson on the Temsa and Lady Pauline on the Tourliner, in honour of Chapman’s son and late mother respectively.
Teulu Travel is also part of the showbiz family, initially through one of Chapman’s previous ventures, as it supplied the vehicle that was used for Dave’s Coaches throughout the TV series Gavin & Stacey. In an entrepreneurial move the show’s Nessa would surely approve of, the business runs guided tours of the locations around Barry featured in the show, in partnership with Brit Movie Tours.
Day-to-day, Teulu Travel operates UK and European tours with a fleet of 20 passenger vehicles ranging from 16-seaters up to 61-seat luxury coaches. It employs 30 to 40 staff (at peak). It also offers private hire, school transport and rail replacement services.
