COLLINS TRAVEL, 23 Woodvale,
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.
Tel: 042 966 3962
Voyage of a
lifetime
Tappingintotheexecutivetravel
market,CollinsTravelisattracting
high-endclients,andisalsodriving
thegreenagendaviaitsthorough
energystrategy
‘We’re moving into
different categories,
providing outgoing
coaches for groups going
to the UK and to Europe’
Brendan Collins
W
HILE the driving force behind the intro- With the industry hit last year by falling tourist num- 100kph to 90kph, which chopped another 8pc off the fuel
duction of a comprehensive energy bers and fuel hikes and another tough year expected in bill. Next up was bringing idling down further to a total
policy at executive transport company 2009, Collins says the company is diversifying and try- of 30 minutes for the day.
Collins Travel was the desire to cut carbon ing to adapt to the current situation. A 100pc recycling policy was also introduced for the
emissions, one knock-on, and very welcome, side-effect “We’re moving into different categories — providing office in Carrickmacross and the Dublin base. The next
has been a significant reduction in fuel costs. outgoing coaches for groups going to the UK and to focus was reducing energy usage at the office — turning
The Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan-based company Europe,” he says. “It’s a new market we’re hoping to deve- off the heat when it wasn’t needed, setting the radiators
was set up in 2004 by Brendan Collins to provide a lux- lop, rather than depending on incoming tourism. to economy flow, and turning off lights, computers,
ury, chauffeur-driven coaching service catering for the “We’ve also restructured the company and identified printers and so on.
high end of the tourist and corporate market. Collins, a ways we can cut costs and increase our profits,” he “It represents small savings, but it is still reducing our
qualified financial adviser, spent nine years helping his continues. footprint and it represents savings for the office,” he says,
parents run their coach company before deciding to Joining the Sustainable Energy Ireland scheme in adding he hired a part-time energy manager to monitor
branch out on his own. April 2008, with a view to reducing the company’s car- all aspects of the system each Saturday morning.
To attract the executive market, he focused on providing bon footprint, has made a significant contribution to Reaction from the staff to the recent changes has been
a superior service in luxurious surroundings. The com- reducing costs. “We introduced the energy policy in overwhelmingly positive. “From day one they came
pany’s nine coaches are kitted out to the highest level, with June 2008 and saved in the region of 26,000 litres of fuel, on-board,” says Collins. “In June 2009, I’ll calculate the
leather seats, tables, toilet and washroom facilities, which is 80 tonnes of CO2.” monetary savings, take 10pc of that and divide it out
DVD/CD systems, Playstations, air conditioning, coffee As part of the policy, a number of measures have so far among everybody so it is financially beneficial.
machines and fridges. been implemented. Installing tracker systems in the “We joined the scheme first and foremost to reduce our
Thecompany,whichemploysninepeopleintheoff-peak vehicles revealed that each one was idling — parked, but footprint, but in 2009, when nobody really knows which
seasonandafurthersevenbetweenMarchandNovember with the engine running to power the heating or air way the economy is going to go and whether things are
eachyear,hasalsoworkedhardestablishingareputation conditioning — for an average of five hours a day. And going to improve, it’s the likes of this that’s going to help
for its service and, according to Collins, receives a lot of the company discovered that each hour of idling burned companies like ours to survive.
repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. up to four litres of fuel. “We’ve a lot of fixed costs — wages, insurance, pay-
Currently, around 90pc of the company’s business “Our first goal was to reduce idling time down to one ments on the vehicles, mortgage on the offices — that
is incoming tourism, with Abbey Tours and CIE two of hour a day and, in that first week, we saved a thousand we’ve no control over. I firmly believe that it’s through
itsbiggestclients.Theremainderismainlycorporateevents litres of fuel just by turning off the vehicles,” says Collins. this scheme that we’ll ensure our company’s survival for
andtransportingvisitingmusicartistsaroundthecountry. The second measure involved reducing top speeds from 2009 and into 2010.”
36 SFA NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS WWW.SFA.IE/AWARDS
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40