A controversial transport company has gone to the wall, blaming the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Gibson Direct Limited called in liquidators, saying the business suffered due to the impacts of covid lockdowns.
The 50-strong fleet operated throughout Glasgow and across Scotland, providing executive coach hire for private hires.
Based in Renfrew, the bus and coach operator also relied on contracts to provide transport for football supporters' clubs, as well as transporting school pupils under contract to local councils.
They also provided executive wedding coach hire as well running day-trips for the public.
All such services were hit hard by tough coronavirus lockdown restrictions, which saw football side-lined, weddings cancelled and schools close for prolonged periods, hitting the bus and coach industry hard.
Some 25 staff employed by the company - which was founded in 1996 - were made redundant when a petition to liquidate was granted on Tuesday.
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Ken Pattullo and Kenny Craig, of Begbies Traynor, were appointed as joint provisional liquidators of the firm.
Mr Pattullo, managing partner at Begbies Traynor in Scotland, said: "Unfortunately, like many other sectors, transport services have suffered from the impact of covid with multiple lockdowns resulting in businesses facing periods without revenue.
"In particular, Gibson Direct was severely affected by the repeated withdrawal of school bus services over the last two years as remote learning for children was implemented, and this proved to be too heavy a burden for the business to bear."
He added: "We are currently in the process of realising any assets we can to provide the best return for creditors, as well as liaising with councils and alternative operators to help minimise disruption and cover the school bus services."
The liquidators will also aim to help the former staff by helping them to register any claims to the Redundancy Payments Office and access support services.
Company Director Robert Gibson fell foul of regulator the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland in 2015 and was banned from working for a year after he shared licence discs with a banned firm.
He slipped the paperwork to Ayrways Coach Travel and was carpeted by then Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, Joan Aitken, who said at the time: "Ayrways Coach Travel deserved to be put out of business, deserved to be disqualified.
"So, by putting it back on the road, which is what Mr Gibson and others did, all the hard work the rest of us do to try and keep this country safe, to try and keep the industry fair, responsible, up to standard, and reputable are undermined."
She added: "My orders are made in the interests of road safety, the environment, fair competition and are essentially public protection orders. Undermining of these orders undermines all of those purposes of operator licensing."
The business also had nine coaches sidelined as a result of sanctions imposed by Ms Aitken's office.
Ayrways Coach Travel had its licence revoked by Miss Aitken in 2012 after four separate public inquiries found it had “gone off the rails”.
The bus and coach industry was particularly hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
A House of Commons probe heard in 2020 that "bus patronage is down 90 per cent and many operators have laid up more than half of their fleets".
It is estimated that around 80 per cent of the sector's income is also derived from activities which were "greatly disrupted" by the pandemic.
Gibson Direct also operated school transport under contract to Renfrewshire Council.
A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson told the Express that alternative transport would be sought, saying: "Arrangements are being put in place to ensure alternative school buses are in place when pupils return to school. We will confirm the new arrangements with parents and carers."
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