In such a male-dominated industry, listening to Louisa and gaining an insight into the family business she created was truly inspiring.
Based in the heart of Dorset, Homeward Bound Travel are well known for providing excellent service and transport to many sectors. Including private hire, coach transfers, holiday trips, schools runs and student transport in the summer. The business is staffed by family and close friends along with full and part time drivers. Which is ‘working really well’ for the work supply. March to September are the busiest months for the business with the rest steady.
Starting from the age of 10, our February guest explains she had always been excited and influenced by minibuses and the operations process. Her father Colin was selling on coaches and Louisa would always get involved in the preparation and see them off to the new owner. She explains ‘That’s what I was bred into and it’s all I’ve wanted to do ever since’.
After graduating from university with a science degree, soon after she received her bus operating licence at 21 and Homeward Bound was created 3 years later. The degree is still a huge passion to Louisa as she reads in her spare time ‘When I get the time I try to read, it fascinates me’. Currently she is reading ‘How to be Human’ based on the psychology behavior.
EVM was first introduced to her by the Bus and Coach shows and rally’s she would visit with her father. Louisa described the feeling of ‘if I could ever get to have one of them it would be a dream’.
Starting with Renault masters and TAWE conversions, Louisa worked herself up to have 3 EVM X-Clusive Sprinters today. EVM have always inspired her as she explains ‘it is the best’ on the market. The most beneficial custom option they feel that promotes their customers’ experience is the panoramic glass window on the roof. It ‘makes the minibus a totally different experience and opens it up to a whole new level’. Some of their customers have suggested it feels like a private jet because the view of the sky looks surreal looking upwards.
For current and future customers to EVM, Homeward Bound describes their experience as fantastic, ‘I can’t fault them. Even if there are problems, Ian sorts them quickly and without any hassle.
They have no plans to increase their fleet size currently as they believe having the perfect balance and quality is essential but suggest maybe changing one for a certain work project in the future if the opportunity arises. Potentially moving forward they’d look to get a disabled accessibility bus but ‘it’s a big responsibility to change the fleet and I wouldn’t want to get rid of one right now’. She explains you either ‘work to live or live to work’ and that is down to you to decide.
Keeping busy with the business, family and younger daughter who swims five times a week, really means there is no dull day for Louisa. To keep motivated and focused with work and personal life she explains to ‘never lose sight when things are not going to plan and to never loose perspective’ whilst in a years’ time it would have been forgotten about.
As COVID-19 is still annoyingly lingering and has affected many of us in the Coach and Bus industry, Louisa outlines her biggest role models amid the chaos, are ‘the operators still going and pushing forward’. No-one famous just normal people with no support or income. It is a huge inspiration to see this community of people who are working long hours with little sleep, late nights and with drivers furloughed trying everything they can to keep their head above the water. To help keep focused, she tells me ‘everything happens for a reason and things will come good in the end. Trust the process and one door will close and another will open but it can be tough thinking positive right now’.
We’re looking forward to working together again in the future to help support each other and wish them the best of luck on their journey.
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