Matthews Coaches is one of Louth's leading coach firms, which has been operating a top quality service for 13 years now and managing director Paddy Matthews spoke to the Wee County Yearbook about his success and how the GAA forms an integral part of his business. The mid-nineties were without doubt one of the best times, economy wise that this country has ever seen, while during this period, Matthews Coaches evolved. Having spent many years as a trucker on the Continent, Paddy was unfortunately out of work for a long spell through illness, during which time, his life took a turn for the better. "I had been on sick benefit for a few years when I went on a CBC course for buses. After the course I took the bull by the horns as they say and went out and bought a mini bus in 1995. Fortunately, there was a school run and a few other runs along with it, so that was a good start," said Paddy. "My wife Mary, who is also a director of the company and I decided to expand the fleet, but to be honest we never knew how big the business would grow." Matthews Coaches now comprises of a fleet that includes 26 luxury coaches, none of which are any older that two years old. Paddy admitted that the work has steadily come in over the years and that is why the fleet has expanded so much. The company now specialises in a wide variety of activities including a daily service from Dundalk, Drogheda and surrounding areas to Dublin, while wedding transfers, sporting outings, day trips and corporate hire are all catered for also. Matthews Coach Hire Ltd are members of The Coach Tourism Council of Ireland (CTTC) and their Coaches are Board Failte Approved. "We were fortunate in that we started the business at the right time and we won a number of contracts. However, one thing that we have always prided ourselves on is safety, which is a key issue in this industry," he stressed. "All the fleet is relatively new and this keeps down on maintenance. The coaches are ultra modern and we follow strict guidelines with regards to safety. Indeed, we are the first company in Ireland to introduce the Alco lock 500, which is a system where any of the drivers using our buses must take a breath test before operating the vehicle and if there is any sign of alcohol, they will not be able to drive the coach. "Unlike the Gardai's breathalyser, this has a zero tolerance. I must stress that this is not to check on our drivers as they are a loyal, dedicated and efficient staff, but it gives the customers peace of mind when they know that we use this system." In total, Matthews Coaches employ 53 people and operate from their premises in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, although Paddy hails from the Dundalk area. "I can't speak highly enough of the staff, some of who have been with us for many years now. They are all highly trained and are very efficient at what they do. Of course, all drivers realise that safety is paramount and they take great care and pride in their vehicles. "We have mechanics working here to look after all the maintenance work, while we also have a paint shop, so we can look after all that needs to be done." Matthews Coaches is a very much a family run business as apart from his wife Mary being involved, Paddy has also three sons working for the company. Over the last year or so, fuel bills have hit many companies in the haulage and coach industry very hard, but Paddy admitted that a recent decision by the Government has hit him harder than any fuel price increase. "We used to get a subsidiary for a fuel rebate, which has been taken off us by the Government. This is now costing us an extra 420,000 a year. It was a new EU Directive that was brought in. Last year our fuel bill was 1.5 million, which by any stretch of the imagination is a colossal amount of money." This is why Paddy decided to look at ways to reduce his fuel bill and following a number of tests, they have reduced the fuel consumption by a massive 10%. "We looked at a number of different ways of reducing the fuel bill and thankfully we found that it could be done. We monitored the drivers speed and how long the coach would be lying idle for, which we reduced and this has helped a lot." Like the majority of coach companies, Paddy likes to keep the same make of fleet and in this respect he prefers the Portuguese manufactured Marco Polo coach, which he purchases from Barton Coach Sales in Maynooth, Co Kildare. "We have a very good relationship with Barton's and I've been dealing with them for many years now. I suppose the only time they don't like to see me coming is when there is a problem, although in fairness that is not very often," he joked. Of course, Matthews Coaches have worked for some of the local GAA clubs in the county and Paddy admits that this is an important part of the business. "Clubs like Glyde Rangers, Roche Emmets and Knockbridge have used our services and this is an area that we would like to develop further in the future. The GAA is a massive organisation and one that nearly everyone has an involvement in." Paddy is always looking at ways to expand the business and he feels that in the current economic climate more and more people will start travelling by bus and leaving their cars at home. "I do believe that this will be the case. People will soon realise that it is cheaper to travel by bus by driving their car to Dublin every day. It's not like years ago, when most buses were uncomfortable and cold, our fleet are luxurious and are state-of-the-art, ensuring that all passengers travel in comfort and style." Tweet

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