SCOTTISH COLUMN
Family-owned Keenan of Ayr Coach Travel — the trading name of John Keenan & Sons (Darwin Garage) Ltd — went into liquidation on February 16 after 68 years in business.
The bus and coach operator was founded by Jack and Anne Keenan. With their three sons involved in the business from a young age, the reins of the business eventually passed down to their youngest son, Jamie and his wife Sandra. Latterly, the company had authorisation to operate 18 vehicles from its Darwin Garage depot in Coalhall, near Drongan.
At the start in 1954, successful application was made to the traffic commissioner for licences to operate three express services for National Coal Board employees. They ran between the new Killoch Sinkings which were being developed then, and Joppa, Mauchline and New Cumnock respectively, picking up and setting down passengers at numerous towns and villages throughout southern Ayrshire.
Coinciding with full production starting at Killoch Colliery three years later, the Joppa service was extended to Ayr and later to Prestwick in 1960, when it was replaced by a new Tarbolton-Killoch Colliery service. With 2,300 employees at Killoch by then, Keenan’s services were double-deck oper…
