Getting places first is not a bad philosophy to have for a coach firm.

And Darren Critchley has made quite a few stops ahead of his rivals since setting up Focus Coaches just over five years ago.

He became the first to install seatbelts on school buses when he started the business with just three years ago and now has 30 vehicles, 40 staff and a turnover of more than [pounds sterling]1.8m.

And, his latest acquisition is a little bit different - a pair of 53-seat Bova Futura coaches which are the first in Lancashire to be fitted with a Euro 5 emission level engine.

The purchases, which cost a cool [pounds sterling]256,000, will now meet stringent new European ...