STRATFORD, Ontario — For nearly 20 years, Deborah Cherrey’s life revolved around motorcoaches, school buses, and the people who keep them running. Today, she’s using that knowledge to help bus companies across North America cut costs and stay competitive.
Cherrey grew up immersed in the family business, Cherrey Bus Lines, based in Listowel with sales operations in Stratford and a tour division in Goderich. The third-generation company operated a fleet of 45 to 50 vehicles, from highway coaches to school buses, carrying passengers all over the continent.
“I love the bus industry. I love the people that I’ve met along the way,” she said. “As big as the industry is, it’s a really small, close-knit community that is supportive of one another, and you make those great long-term connections.”
But by 2018, it was time for a change. Her father and uncles faced complicated tax implications that made a next-generation takeover difficult.
“They made that difficult decision to sell, as they were getting older and wanted to enjoy life a little bit,” said Cherrey, who was Executive Vice President of the business.
Same industry, new role
The business was sold to Badder Bus Lines, a transition she calls bittersweet but well-timed. Not long after the sale, Cherrey took a personal hiatus. Her partner became seriously ill, and she stepped away from her career to care for him until his passing.
“I took a few years away from my career,” she said. “Then I thought, OK, I just need to pivot, do something different.”
That pivot brought her back to Stratford and back to transportation earlier this year. She joined Schooley Mitchell, a cost-reduction consultancy with more than 300 franchisees across the U.S. and Canada. The firm, founded by accountant Dennis Schooley about three decades ago, specializes in finding savings in areas such as fuel, telecommunications, merchant services, and other overhead costs.
Cherrey’s role includes working directly with clients, especially bus operators.
“As a bus operator, there are just so many things that you can’t look at all the time,” she explained. “Waste management contracts, merchant services, there are so many hidden fees.”
Schooley Mitchell analyzes invoices, renegotiates with vendors, and puts services out to bid, charging only if clients choose to implement the savings found.
“We run on a contingency model, so we only charge you if we find savings that you decide you want to implement,” Cherrey said. “We’re completely free of any vendor kickbacks.”
Fuel savings alone can be significant.
“We just saved a company that spends only $37,000 a year on fuel, almost 2%,” she said. “Some bus companies are spending one or two million a year. What is one or two percent of that? How could you reinvest that, maybe pay your insurance, fund driver training programs, or give back to your staff? Isn’t it better in your pocket than somebody else’s?”
Despite her new role, Cherrey remains deeply tied to the motorcoach world.
“I just attended the Ontario Motor Coach golf tournament, so I got to reconnect with a lot of the people that I know there,” she said. “It was nice to be back in that arena again.”
She also keeps up with national events and trade groups, including those of the United Motorcoach Association (UMA), which she regularly attended while running Cherrey Bus Lines.
“I still get to be in the bus industry,” she said. “It’s something that I’m really passionate about. I’ve grown up all my life in the bus industry. Now I can help the people I’ve known for years save money and keep their own wheels turning.”
