Sleafordian: Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence

Family run and owned, Sleafordian Coaches is a fine example of how a focus on professionalism, quality services, and family-oriented culture can become the very foundations of success. Established in 1964, Sleafordian Coaches is a family owned and run coach operator, delivering local bus services, school contracts, and private hire services (including for weddings and receptions). Over the years, the company has developed a proud reputation for professionalism, responsibility, and a nigh-on unrivalled level of consistency in service that has allowed the company to grow from relatively humble origins to a leading coach operator in the locality; but let’s take a closer look at the history of the company and just how far it has come.

Sleafordian feature in T&L issue 267.

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Sleafordian Coaches was initially founded via the coming together of John Chell, Don Broughton, and Ted Barton in 1964, under the name of Sleaford Taxi Company; company premises were established in North Parade, Sleaford. At the time, the business operated with only three vehicles (a 1960 Ford Consul registration OEE 444, a 1959 Ford Consul WXA 964, and a 1960 Vauxhall Victor RTL 492), travelling a total distance of 95,180 miles in its first year of trading. Up until 1996, Sleafordian Coaches operated in very much a traditional manner until the recruitment of Don’s son, David, who would join the company, expand digital infrastructure, and evolve the firm into a modern, online enterprise before moving on in 1998.

Don’s first son, Mark, and his wife, Lisa, also began working with the business around this time and supported the business in what would become a substantial growth trajectory. Following a spike in commercial growth, Sleafordian Coaches moved into a new, purpose-built depot on the East Road industrial site to the former home of Sleaford Rugby Club as of June, 2004. The move served to unlock the operational capabilities of the business and broaden the scope of its infrastructure with: a reception area, commercial office spaces, a driver’s rest room, and a workshop kitted out with an inspection pit and vehicle lift to support ongoing operations.

At this time, the fleet was however still relatively small, with only seven vehicles. Between 2004 and present day, Sleafordian Coaches has enjoyed significant commercial growth, expanding its operational teams to some 50 skilled operatives, with a fleet of circa 38 vehicles, and now led by Mark and Lisa themselves – later joined by their own daughter, Hannah, as the third generation of the Broughton family in 2012, followed by their son, Thomas. Even today, Sleafordian Coaches clearly demonstrates the hallmarks of a family business much like in the early days of the company. 

Complementing the family-oriented culture of the business is an intrinsic drive to develop and uplift talent from within the four walls of the business, perhaps as a means to preserve and secure that iconic family feel for the foreseeable future.

This can best be evidenced in the business opening its own training department in 2013 as a means of delivering CPC to drivers and directly upskilling its driver base to a standard of which it can be proud. 

Thanks to its historic investments into the fleet, training, and a dedication to quality services, Sleafordian Coaches entered into its 60th anniversary year on arguably stronger footing than ever before, with representatives of the company expressing their joy over successfully reaching 60 years in business as a family-run and owned organisation; and while it’s hard to predict the future, we’re certain that Sleafordian Coaches will continue to prosper into the future and we look forward to reporting further on just what the future holds for the business.   

Transport & Logistics – Driving The Industry Forward