When Alistair Bayliss started his coach business in 2004 the only mode of transport on offer to his customers was a seven-seater minivan.

Twelve years and many thousands of journeys later, his Bayliss Executive Travel fleet consists of 18 vehicles, including £350,000 75-seater luxury coaches.

The one-time Scottish Stagecoach driver is understandably proud of how his business has grown. Seeing the success of Deal Town under his own employee Robert Marriott is what made him decide to show them his own brand of support.

“Chairman Rob Marriott and his board have done a terrific job and that’s why I’ve decided to support them next season” - Alistair Bayliss, managing director Bayliss Executive Travel

He said: “It’s great to see the turnaround in the club’s fortunes both on and off the pitch.

“Chairman Rob Marriott and his board have done a terrific job and that’s why I’ve decided to support them next season.”

The success story of DTFC can only be strengthened by Mr Bayliss’s involvement.

There is rarely a day that goes by that his elegant looking coaches can’t be seen on the roads in Deal, Dover, Thanet, Folkestone and further afield.

The brand is becoming something that has been endorsed by the people of Deal, and in turn he is giving something back to the town’s football club.

Sitting in his office at Deal Business Park in Southwall Road, the 44-year-old from Kirkcaldy spoke of developments to his own business.

He said: “What I have tried to develop, if you like, is a one-stop shop transport-wise, whether it’s for a day out at Ascot races, a trip to the airport, or a coach holiday either here or abroad.”

The coach holiday arm is the latest venture in the Bayliss business plan and Mr Bayliss, who admits he is never content with silver or bronze awards, is confident it will prove another winner.

He said: “At the tail end of last year we decided to put together a coach holiday programme. We had touched on that in the past with trips to events such as the Bruges Christmas market, but we had people telling us that they wanted more.

“So we took on Paul Jeffries, who has been involved in the holiday business for many years, and his remit was to build a Day Break and Holidays programme, which we launched along with our new brochure at a successful Open Day at the Astor Theatre in January.

“The next day we had about 15-20 people come here to find out more or book a holiday and so I decided to turn our boardroom into a Travel Shop where we can welcome customers, offer them a tea or coffee and show them our brochures in a nice, relaxed atmosphere.

“And I am delighted with how popular the holidays are proving, so much so that we are already putting the finishing touches to our 2017 holiday programme.”

A passionate Aberdeen and Scotland football fan, Alistair’s sporting contacts have helped him to win a number of prestigious contracts with sports clubs, including Sheffield United and Ebbsfleet United football clubs, Kent County Cricket Club and Canterbury rugby club.

He has also put to good use the experience he gained while working in the operations department of The Kings Ferry coach company for two years .

“They have been the best coach company in the UK for many years and their business model is something I have tried to install here,” he said.

“They taught me that it’s all about image, and if you look at our coaches they are always spotlessly clean and our drivers are always very smartly dressed. They are also very professional and we are always receiving letters from customers saying how great our drivers are and how hard they worked to help make their holiday special. As far as I am concerned they are the absolute heartbeat of this company.”

And, if the coach holiday venture proves as successful as Alistair hopes, then his team of 20 full or part-time drivers can expect to be carrying Bayliss customers to an expanding range of exciting destinations in the UK and Europe in upcoming years.