“Borga offered us a solution that suited our requirements”

MK bussresor, based in Skara, Sweden, organises coach trips all over Europe and transports 20,000 passengers every year. The company was set up thirty years ago by its current owner, Mikael Bergh, and his father Karl-Erik. The business has since enjoyed steady growth and Mikael and his wife Helen now offer trips to 75 destinations. In addition to coach trips within Europe, there is also a selection of combination packages available, with flights to places further afield where a coach will be waiting to take travellers on a tour. By offering this service, the company has managed to keep up with the increasingly stiff competition from low-cost airlines.

TEXT: EVERT BLOMKVIST | PHOTO: THOMAS HARRYSSON

“The competition is tough across the board, but especially from low-cost airlines, which are now competing with coach trips that have always been marketed as a cheaper alternative to package tours.”

Twenty years ago, the modern touring coaches used by MK bussresor would undoubtedly have been described as luxurious, which goes to show just how far standards have risen. According to Mikael Bergh, it would cost SEK 4 million to buy one of the coaches in the company’s fleet today.

borga_steel_buildings_commercial_caseMK_1

Mikael got in touch with Borga a few years ago, when the company’s coach depot was no longer up to standard and he wanted to invest in a new building.

One of his reasons for contacting Borga was the fact that the two companies were neighbours, so he was familiar with Borga’s products and expertise.

“I could hardly approach anyone else, given that we had been greeting each other almost every morning,” jokes Mikael.

However, he does admit that he had a good look at the prices and quality available on the market anyway.

“We wanted to construct a completely new building that combined both the coach depot and the office space, which used to be located down in the town and was not always very practical. I had some ideas on what I wanted the building to be like and worked with Borga to find a model and solution that suited our requirements.”

The result was a building measuring 850 square metres, with light-filled offices across two floors and a magnificent glazed entrance. Most of the building is taken up by a large coach depot with space for five coaches and separate doors, as well as a washing facility which also serves as garage space for one coach.

“The landscaping work was carried out by another company, but otherwise Borga took care of the entire building project. It all went smoothly, with really successful results. We are very pleased with everything,” says Mikael, who also mentions that the contact between the two companies was managed exceptionally well and the questions raised during the process were sorted out without any problems.

He has just arrived home himself from a trip to New York, but not by coach.

“Although I did travel by bus, or rather by ‘Airbus’,” he says with a laugh.

– Fast jag åkte ju ”Airbus”, skrattar han.

Facts about MK bussresor:
MK bussresor is a coach company which organises trips all over Europe as well as packages with flights to destinations outside Europe combined with a coach tour. The company’s core range includes trips to 75 destinations, but special tours can also be arranged on request. MK bussresor, which also operates a simple coach hire service, transports a total of 20,000 passengers every year and is run by Mikael Bergh and his wife Helen.