Gary Hawthorne, Maytree Travel, Smethurst Lane, Bolton

BUS supremo Gary Hawthorne still cannot believe the rollercoaster ride he’s been through in setting up his own company.

From being an employee in the transport sector he bought into a small bus company in east Lancashire which he has transformed into a thriving bus service provider in Bolton.

From a small operation of 10 buses and 20 staff, his company, Maytree Travel, now boasts 23 vehicles and 60 employees, providing 22 routes in Bolton.

Mr Hawthorne has ambitions to expand the business further while retaining proper driver training and delivering customer service.

The company has grown so fast it recently moved to new premises which offers full workshop facilities with room for further expansion.

After working for Greater Manchester Transport Executive for 13 years, he joined Tyrer Tours in east Lancashire as operations manager.

Given the chance to buy the majority of shares he jumped at it and Bolton-based bus service provider Maytree Travel was born. Mr Hawthorne, who lives in Bolton, said: “We are a local family firm who pride ourselves on the fact that we employ local people and take local support services.

“Our fleet is under three years old and all vehicles are presented daily as the day they came of the production line. A bus never leaves our yard dirty. All our staff are fully uniformed and we train from within as again we feel we provide a family working environment.

“We have new modern vehicles, all staff are trained to go the extra mile and ensure the users are happy with our services and if we have any issues we react very quickly.”

He added: “I’m so proud to have been nominated in two categories. I have moved from being an employee to becoming an employer having 23 buses, employing 60 staff and operating 22 local bus routes.”