Pictured above: (l-r) Peter Johnson, Damian Mohan and John Johnson

A Henley-in-Arden coach company has improved and expanded its yard infrastructure and introduced five specialist hybrid vehicles to its fleet after securing a loan totalling nearly £1 million from Lloyds TSB Commercial.

With an extensive trading history dating back to 1909, Johnsons Coaches is a leading independent family business which provides coach hire, holidays and excursions, together with a local bus service that operates across five Midlands counties.

Operating from a four acre site in Henley-in-Arden, the company has an annual turnover of £12.5million and employs more than 200 people. It is headed-up by brothers John and Peter Johnson, who are the third generation of their family to work within the business.

After approaching Lloyds TSB Commercial to secure lending support, £350,000 has been invested into the company's yard infrastructure which includes new state of the art automatic vehicle wash equipment, together with a covered vehicle cleaning and service bay.

A further £640,000 has contributed to the purchase of five new low carbon hybrid diesel/electric powered buses, which will be used on the Stratford-upon-Avon Park & Ride and 222 town service on behalf of Warwickshire County Council.

Owner John Johnson commented:

"The investment and improvements in both our vehicle yard and fleet reflect our ambitions as a forward thinking and environmentally conscious business. Our new fleet of state of the art hybrid buses clearly demonstrate our commitment to the green agenda, as they produce considerably fewer emissions and less noise than conventional diesel buses as well as using more than 30 per cent less fuel.

"Johnsons Coaches has grown considerably from humble roots as a fledgling business in 1909 to the company that we are today. Lloyds TSB Commercial has always been supportive of our efforts to progress and we have certainly appreciated their backing over many years.

"It is incredibly pleasing to have received additional lending support from Lloyds TSB Commercial, in order to help drive our expansion plans. The proficient and timely service that we have received from Damian and his team on a local level has been both dedicated and efficient - they understand what we are looking to achieve and have provided the financial support needed to drive our plans.

Damian Mohan, relationship director for Lloyds TSB Commercial, said:

"Johnsons Coaches is a well-established and highly respected business that boasts an excellent reputation and loyal client base across the Midlands travel and leisure industry.

"The recent investment into the yard infrastructure together with the hybrid fleet demonstrates how well John, Peter and their team have identified clear strategic objectives to maximise future growth in the company, whilst also committing to the green agenda. We were extremely keen to help support this expansion.

"At Lloyds TSB Commercial, we work hard to establish solid working relationships with all of our customers. We want to provide businesses such as this with the knowledge, support and guidance to encourage growth, whatever the economic climate."