Bus and taxi firm Stanley Travel recently celebrated its 50th year in business. FRANCESCA CRAGGS meets the family behind the successful venture

WHEN Robert Scott scrimped to buy his very first taxi in 1961, little did he know what a sound investment it would transpire to be.

Five decades of sheer hard work and determination later, and with a few unusual passengers to boot, the grandfather-of-four is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his family business, Stanley Travel.

And standing proudly by his side is his wife of 50 years, Ann, and their two sons, Ian, 47, and Andrew, 43.

If there’s testament to a successful family business, it’s the Scott family.

Stanley born and bred, the family have ridden the storm of many a poor economic climate and proved that when it comes to running a successful business, the family unit is king.

Now employing around 100 people, and with a fleet of 60 vehicles, Ian and Andrew have helped their father drive the business into the 21st Century.

The family were joined by 100 guests at Beamish Hall Hotel in County Durham to toast their success.

Robert, 76, said: “Reaching 50 years in business is such an achievement. It’s wonderful to think we have come this far after starting off with just one old car.

“We had to buy it on hire purchase and just hoped we’d make enough money to be able to keep the payments up. We started the business from nothing. Nobody ever said, here’s some money.”

With state-of-the-art computerised booking systems and luxury coaches, Stanley Travel is a far cry from the early days.

Born outside Edinburgh in 1935, Robert moved to the North East at just six months old when his father took a mine manager’s job in Stanley.

He soon followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a mine engineer with British Coal, before deciding to invest in an old taxi.

Operating his car from a wooden hut in Stanley town centre, Robert barely made enough money to support his young family and subsidised his income by keeping pigs on his father’s farm. A valuable contract with the BBC proved the turning point.

“I worked with a chap whose wife was a secretary with the BBC at the Pontop Pike transmitting station between Stanley and Consett.

“I was doing the odd bit of driving work, and he told me they were looking for a new contract to drive engineers to and from the facility three times a day. It just went from there,” said Robert.