It is a known fact that partnerships generally lead to success. Having the right partner by your side can mean success for your business. For Coach Rentals, this partner is Scania, and with seven Scania buses already part of the Coach Rental fleet, the future and the partnership look bright.

Conan Devy is the CEO and Director of Coach Rentals. The company has been operating since 1978, and although Conan can’t recall when the company acquired its first-ever Scania bus, he does know that since they bought their first Scania touring bus, they have never looked back.

The diverse Coach Rental fleet

Coach Rentals operates in four diverse categories, namely school, corporate, government and tourism transport and for each of these industries, they have a bus that suits the clients’ needs.

“We are very fortunate as a business to dip ourselves into a few different industries. We recently started adding the Predator buses with the Scania F310 chassis. They are fantastic daily runners, we use them on school runs, summer camps and veld schools,” Conan explains.

The Coach Rentals fleet consists of three Scania F310 Predator buses, three K460 buses and one brand new Irizar i6bus. Conan explains that their touring buses are the staples in their fleet. They have a 53-, 57- and 60-seater which operate all over the country, including Cape Town. The recent addition of the Irizar i6 VIP 60-seater double door runs on a K410 Scania chassis.

“We want to be top-notch when it comes to tourism. I find the Scania buses are built for Africa, we don’t have issues with them,” Conan says.

When safety is a priority

Conan finds that the safety that Scania buses bring to his business gives him peace of mind. Features like Scania’s
real-time tracking, the feedback from the chassis and motor, and the feedback from the drivers are invaluable in ensuring their buses are reliable on the road and get their clients to where they need to be, safely.

“I think Scania is a global reputable brand, they have been good to us, from the ground level relationships with sales to the after-sales and the mechanical side. We are very happy with the brand,” he proudly says.

Going the extra mile with a Scania

When it comes to maintenance, Conan believes that you can get any vehicle to 2 million kilometres as long as you are on top of maintenance and the annual service. “Beyond the assistance with maintenance and services, our relationship with Scania is next level, from follow-ups to feedback on the ground and even coffee meetings. I think that is the type of service that will continue to drive us forward in terms of a good partnership,” Conan says.

He believes that service is not only about trying to sell another vehicle but about the effort the company puts in. “If we have issues with our branding when we buy a new vehicle, they are on top of it, and they work very well with bus builders like Irizar, Busco and Marco Polo,” he adds.

When tough times come knocking

Being well-represented across various industries means that tough economic times are more stable for Coach Rentals. However, Conan believes that Scania is the best partner to have if you ever run into tough times. “I think they are a good partner to work with through whatever issues may arise. We have been lucky so far, knock on wood, we haven’t had to go down those ways yet,” he says.

Looking to the future

Moving forward, Conan hopes that the partnership will continue and that Scania will allow him to buy many more vehicles from them.

“We want to keep going for the next several generations. This is a family business, and it has been around since
1978, and I hope it goes on till 2078. We have a very good team here, from Jackie Meyer, who manages every corner of this business, to our office staff and our drivers. We will keep moving forward with Scania and keep building on the future of Coach Rentals.”

If you are looking to buy a reliable Scania vehicle, you can visit the company’s website at www.scania.com