A charity and bus operator has opened a travel agency as a subsidiary in a bid to drive a new stream of income.
CT4N is a registered charity and has a fleet of 80 buses and 12 minibuses as part of Nottingham Community Transport Group from which it uses profits to support its efforts to combat loneliness and social isolation.
It has now launched CT4N Travel, which will be run by manager Chris Wouldhave (pictured, with Caroline Whitby), who has decades of experience in the travel industry and has been a homeworking agent for Travel Counsellors and Hays Travel.
CT4N is Abta and Atol bonded via JTA Travel Group has commercial deals with more than 300 suppliers with a focus on selling holidays for customers with additional needs.
The agency has linked up with the Community Transport Association, via its parent’s ties, and hopes to promote travel services to the 1,000 organisations affiliated to the CTA across the UK.
It is also advertising the travel agency on the back of its buses and has an office in the Sherwood area of Nottingham.
Managing director Ian Combellack said: “Although the charity is at the heart of what we do, we’re always looking for new opportunities to help develop and grow the CT4N brand further and to branch out into other areas. CT4N Travel will utilise the experience we already have in the team to help support the work of CT4N and the Charity.”
Bill Freeman, chief executive of the CTA, said: “CTA’s members, such as CT4N, care about the lives of the people they serve way beyond them being users of their regular transport services.
“This great new initiative from CT4N provides the opportunity for CTA members around the country to support their own service-users to have a holiday or a break by partnering with CT4N Travel. There is also the added benefit of additional income from being involved, which we know will be welcome news to many community transport operators.”