First step towards making Inverness a coach-friendly city
A new city coach park has opened in Inverness providing secure overnight parking for touring coach companies. The coach park has been established at the overspill depot of DE Coaches at 2C Longman Drive. It will be managed by DE Coaches in an initial five-year agreement with The Highland Council.
The facility is long-awaited and is the result of discussions between the Council, the Inverness Business Improvement District, DE Coaches and the Confederation of Passenger Transport.
It is seen as the first phase of a strategy to make Inverness a coach friendly city.
The coach park includes wash and toilet drop facilities and costs £12 per overnight visit.
Council Convener Jimmy Gray visited the coach park on its opening day to welcome the first users.
He said: “The opening of the city coach park is long overdue but nonetheless very welcome indeed. It is the first phase of our plans to make Inverness a coach-friendly city. Providing secure overnight parking is so important for the growing number of coach tourism operators, who choose Inverness as a destination. I am pleased that DE Coaches were able to identify space within their overspill depot on Longman Drive to accommodate the touring coaches and manage the new facility.”
Mike Smith, Inverness BID Manager, said: “BID recognises that group travel is one of the growth areas in tourism and it is great to see this facility being made available for the coaches coming to the city. In initiating this thrust to encourage the development of Inverness as a Coach Friendly City, BID looked at the arrangements elsewhere in the UK and this is the start of a series of initiatives to improve the services offered to the coach operators and their guests.”
Donald Mathieson, Managing Director of DE Coaches, said: “There has been a long-standing need to provide secure parking for visiting coaches and my company is pleased to have freed up space in our overspill yard to accommodate this. I am sure it will prove an asset for the city.”