A COACH firm has got off to a great start in 2015 by investing more than £2m into its frontline fleet.

Fareham-based Lucketts Travel Group added two new 53-seat executive coaches to its collection last summer, each worth £270,000.

And now its expansion has been stepped up a gear with the acquisition of a 61-seater Van Hool Altano and 59-seater Scania Irizar, both of which will be used for excursions and cruise transfers.

The fleet will also be augmented with another four coaches for routes across the south.

Lucketts director Ian Luckett said: “These new additions to the Lucketts Travel Group fleet are part of a continuous programme of investment that ensures we remain the leading coach firm in our region and underpins our growth plan for the coming years.

“It also ensures our customers have industry-leading comfort and service when they are on trips with us, whether on our holidays and excursions or whether they have hired the coach privately.

“We are committed to growing our business and the investment we make in our fleet, in the training of our staff and in the technology we use ensures we will continue to be at the forefront of the industry.”

The firm has more than 100 vehicles in its fleet across three depots and carries more than one million passengers each year.

As well as putting money into coaches over the last 12 months Lucketts has invested in training for staff across the company and earned an award for its funding of new technology.

Mr Luckett said: “These new coaches represent a significant investment and the group’s continuing commitment to its customers, not just in the coaches they see on our roads every day of the year but in all our staff, the communities we serve and in minimising our impact on the environment.”