Coach company near Tring recognised at The British Coach Tourism Awards

A coach company near Tring has won Small Operator of the Year at the British Coach Awards.

Masons, based in Long Marston, is a family business founded by Andy Mason in 1988 - his sons James and Matt and James' wife Candice are all involved in the running of the company.

The British Coach Tourism Awards was postponed from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The panel of expert judges assessed the very best coach tour operators in the business, and Masons Minibus and Coach Hire won the award for Coach Tour Operator - Small Fleet (one to five coaches).

The Judges were looking for a coach tour operator with between one and five tour coaches that can demonstrate a commitment to quality, innovation, training, customer service and has an excellent industry reputation.

On the night, a spokesperson for the judges, said: "The judges felt that Masons continue to recognise the importance of focussing on the end user, demonstrating their unique approach to delivering customer satisfaction whilst also demonstrating their commercial acumen."

Candice, from Masons, said: "We are absolutely elated, after the last 18 months trying to save our company this was a fantastic way to celebrate and meet up with our industry colleagues."

Throughout the pandemic Masons supported a national campaign to get coach company's recognised as part of the leisure industry, to help it survive the coronavirus pandemic.

And at the start of the year, when the vaccine programme was rolled out to the public they offered to transport elderly customers to vaccination centres.