Ashcrofts Mini Travel has ordered two new leased Yutong GT12 coaches ahead of the start of two new passenger routes in partnership with FlixBus this August.
The Wigan-based business has taken the 53-seat + 1, PSVAR compliant executive coaches on multi-year operating leases, from vehicle finance specialist Asset Alliance Group.
Ashcrofts Mini Travel will be running from Warrington to Hull (Route 72) and Liverpool to York (Route 74) for the fast-growing, asset-light FlixBus, a global travel-tech company that entered the UK market in 2020.
The new express coaches came via Yutong UK franchised dealer Pelican Engineering in full FlixBus spec.
The GT12s have (DAF) MX-11 450hp engines, ZF axles and air-suspension, and are shod with Michelin 295/80 R22.5 tyres.
Set up in 2006, Ashcrofts Mini Travel provides a range of passenger services, including holidays and travel through its Memory Lane subsidiary.
Its fleet is made up of 16 minibuses and ten coaches – including the new additions – supported by a staff of 26.
It operates from Leigh, in Wigan, and has a depot in Golborne, Warrington.
Taking the coaches on an operating lease has allowed Ashcrofts Mini Travel to minimise its capital outlay, with the option to offset rental payments against taxable profits as a business expense.
Operators on such an agreement undertake the repair and maintenance of the vehicles themselves, returning or refinancing them at the end of the lease’s term.
Chris Ashcroft, Managing Director of Ashcrofts Mini Travel, said: “It’s an affordable way to do things and has allowed me to grow the business.”
