McComb's raise the roof with new coach

The coach features a retracting glass roof and is the first and only one of its kind in Ireland. The investment was supported by Danske Bank.

McComb’s was started by husband and wife team Rodney and Caroline McComb in 1996.

The company is the only five star accredited coach business in Northern Ireland and they offer Game of Thrones tours, day trips to Kildare Village and a brand new food & drink tour called “McComb’s Grub Crawl Tour”.

The Jordanstown-based company currently employs 25 people with a customer base that includes the Irish Football Association and Hastings Hotels, as well as providing coach hire to the makers of Game of Thrones.

“This year marks our 20th anniversary and the addition of the glass roof coach to our fleet will offer people a unique view on tours of Belfast city centre and the Gobbins, as well as during novelty hire for corporate events and weddings,” said joint director Caroline McComb.

“We went to see a prototype of the coach last November at a trade show and knew it would make a great addition to the fleet.

“These coaches are very popular in Scotland and across Europe and we have an exclusive contract with the manufacturer to be the first and only coach company in Ireland to have this type of vehicle. Two thirds of the glass roof folds down so it is a very unique and beautifully designed vehicle.”

Rodney McComb added: “We are currently running a number of tours but our Causeway tour is still proving to be the most popular.

“It was our very first tour 20 years ago but still attracts 60,000 people per year. We have to work 6-9 months ahead of ourselves to predict what the next big tourism trend will be which is often very difficult. Our Food and Drink tour is proving hugely popular and we’ve noticed the Game of Thrones tour has grown significantly over the past four years.

“Last year we invested over £1m to purchase four more top-of-the-range, custom made coaches,” he said.

“The days of mini bus tours are long over, people want luxurious coaches with comfortable seats and added extras like electrical sockets and Wi-Fi.”

Daniele Delahunt, business manager at Danske Bank said: “Tourism is a major contributor to the Northern Ireland economy and the McCombs have been willing to invest heavily in their business to keep up with the latest trends.”