Award-winning excellence from J&K Coaches
10/06/2026
Multi-award-winning, industry-leading coach transportation specialist J&K Coaches Ltd was shortlisted for no fewer than three awards at the Irish Logistics & Transport Awards 2026. We touched base with Marketing Manager Shauna McElhone to find out more.
The cream of Ireland’s transportation operators were honoured in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Santry on Thursday February 26th, 2026. Celebrating and showcasing industry excellence and exceptional performance via this high-profile annual gala awards ceremony, the 2026 Irish Logistics & Transport Awards represent one of the undoubted highlight’s of our industry’s social calendar.
True to form, tying in poignantly with their 20th anniversary, J&K Coaches were in the running for three prestigious awards, namely ‘Passenger Transport Company of the Year’, ‘Employer of the Year’ and ‘Customer Focus Achievement’.
The nominations were a fitting recognition of J&K’s professionalism, consistently high standards of performance and unswerving dedication to the wellbeing and comfort of staff and customers alike, ensuring the optimal passenger experience every time!
Since its inception in Magherafelt in 2005, J&K Coaches’ modern fleet of eco-friendly vehicles, experienced and friendly team, and competitive prices have proven to be a winning combination, enabling the company to expand and evolve into one the premier coach service providers operating in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
Speaking of the nominations for the Irish Logistics & Transport Awards night, Marketing Manager Shauna McElhone said: “It’s nice to be noticed a bit further afield. The Republic of Ireland is a very important and busy market for us. We do a lot of tours that take us into the South and we’d also cover the whole island of Ireland through our sister company Cróga Tours.”
As an all-island service provider, J&K Coaches would typically have vehicles passing through every county in Ireland on a daily basis, especially during the peak of tour season.
“As a company that prides itself on service and a personal touch, it’s lovely to be recognised for all the hard work we put in. Being recognised by the Irish Logistics & Transport Awards is a real boost for our team.”
The vastly-experienced, ultra-friendly and highly-skilled 130-strong team is at the very heart of everything J&K Coaches does. Founder and hands-on owner Jim Quinn values his team dearly and this people-first approach was underlined when J&K Coaches received the Employer of the Year award at the 2025 Mid Ulster Business Awards last November. The company was also shortlisted for the Business in the Community award, while Jim himself was named as Businessperson of the Year at the 2024 staging of the Mid Ulster Business Awards.
J&K Coaches Ltd. is a one-stop shop for all travel needs, offering coach hire for every occasion, from group outings, school trips, corporate events, tours and much more.
Sister company Croga Tours has gone from strength to strength since it was officially launched four years ago, delivering custom-made tours from decades of cultural knowledge, contacts and understanding of visitor experiences in Ireland. History, sports, peace, faith, music, nature - Croga is a Tour Operator and Destination Management Company (DMC) with the expertise to build unforgettable, unparalleled tours that make lasting memories.
Investment in the versatile, ever-expanding and immaculately-maintained fleet is ongoing and this will continue to be the case going forward. “At the moment, we operate over 30 coaches, we also have a taxi department and an ambulance department, bringing the total fleet size up to more than 70 vehicles,” Shauna notes.
“Every year, we are reinvesting significantly in our business, our people and our vehicles, all geared towards making sure we continue to offer the best-possible passenger experience.”
Across the transportation industry, drivers are the ones who ultimately keep the wheels moving. Great vehicles are mandatory, but they also need top-class and dependable people to operate them…
“The key to the success and growth we’ve had to date at J&K Coaches is our people,” Shauna confirms. “This is a people business and that ethos radiates right though the company, from Jim through to every member of the team.
“Every client we have is given a dedicated client manager, designated to them to provide that personal touch and look after all their needs. You have that longstanding relationship built up and you know when you are on your tour or trip that the right driver is behind the wheel.
“If you are going out on a seven-day tour, you are going to be spending a lot of time in the company of the driver, so you want somebody who is friendly and professional, that you can have a good relationship with. Our tour drivers are all skilled, experienced, friendly and professional and the feedback from passengers and clients is always very positive.”
From a personal point of view, Shauna has thoroughly enjoyed being part of the J&K Coaches team for the past nine years and counting: “I came here when I was in the middle of doing a Degree and was lucky enough to get a job that suited me. Jim took a chance with me and I’ve never looked back.
“I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but here it genuinely is one of those places where everybody gets along with one another and we are more like a group of friends than work colleagues. This is reflected in our success in being selected as Employer of the Year.
“I consider myself very fortunate to be working in this environment and to be around this great group of people. We have a very strong team here and that’s vitally important. Everyone in the office gets on with the drivers and this sense of harmony and camaraderie is passed on to our customers.”
J&K Coaches has been a remarkable success story to date and – marking its 21st anniversary – 2026 promises to be another landmark year: “We have a few plans in place and we have the experience, personnel and knowledge to make them work,” Shauna concludes. “Our books are pretty full for the year and, as we grow, we just have to make sure we continue to provide the best service possible.”
J&K Coaches Ltd.,
4 Coltrim Road,
Moneymore,
Magherafelt,
County Derry.
Tel: 048 867 37776
Email: [email protected]
Web: jandkcoaches.com
First published in Irish Trucker magazine May/June 2026, Vol 29-3