Continental Coaches Group
Our Story

Our History — Three Families, One European Vision

1949
Oranje Touring
Netherlands

Hans van der Berg started with two coaches connecting Rotterdam to the Dutch coast. "Oranje" — the Dutch national colour — reflected his pride in his country and his ambition to put Dutch coach travel on the map.

1956
Schmidt Reisen
Germany

Karl Schmidt founded his company in Frankfurt's post-war economic boom. Beginning with industrial worker transport, Schmidt Reisen grew alongside Germany's Wirtschaftswunder into one of the leading coach operators in Hesse.

1962
Voyages Lefèvre
Belgium

Jean-Pierre Lefèvre began operating pilgrimages and cross-border tours from Liège, Belgium. His company became one of the most trusted names in Wallonian group travel and Benelux international tours.

The Road to CCG — A Timeline

1949
Oranje Touring founded, Rotterdam

Hans van der Berg launches his first two-coach operation connecting Rotterdam to the Dutch coast and Zeeland. The company name reflects Dutch national pride.

1956
Schmidt Reisen founded, Frankfurt

Karl Schmidt begins transporting industrial workers to Frankfurt's growing factories, then expands into leisure and tourism. Schmidt Reisen becomes synonymous with reliability in Hesse.

1962
Voyages Lefèvre founded, Liège

Jean-Pierre Lefèvre launches pilgrimages to Lourdes and Rome, quickly expanding to corporate and leisure group travel across Benelux and into France and Germany.

1970s–80s
Second-generation expansion

The children of the founders take the wheel. Each company grows its fleet, expands into new routes and begins operating internationally. Occasional subcontracting between the three companies begins informally.

1993
Schengen Agreement

Open borders across much of Europe transform cross-border coach operations. All three companies invest heavily in international route development.

2010
The Bruges Meeting

Maximilian Schmidt, Claire Lefèvre and Daan van der Berg — the third-generation leaders — meet at a European coach operators' conference in Bruges. What begins as professional courtesy becomes a serious conversation about European consolidation.

2011
Merger negotiations begin

18 months of discussions, due diligence and family consultations. All three founding families must agree. Unanimous consent is reached in December 2011.

March 2012
Continental Coaches Group B.V. incorporated

The merger is complete. CCG is incorporated in Amsterdam. The first combined fleet stands at 94 vehicles operating from three depots.

2013
Centralised operations launched

A new 24/7 operations center opens in Amsterdam. All three fleets now coordinated centrally. Client billing consolidated under one invoice.

2014
Frankfurt hub officially opened

The Frankfurt operation expands significantly. A new depot is opened in Frankfurt's Ostend, and the Germany fleet grows to 65+ vehicles. Partner agreements signed in Poland and the Czech Republic.

2016
28-country network achieved

CCG's partner network reaches full pan-European coverage — 28 countries. First single-invoice multi-country corporate contract signed.

2018
GPS tracking portal launched

Real-time vehicle tracking made available to all corporate clients via web portal. ISO 9001:2015 certification achieved.

2019
Fleet exceeds 100 vehicles

Annual passenger count surpasses 2 million. A milestone dinner is held in Amsterdam with all three founding families present.

2022
Electric coach pilot, Benelux

12 fully electric coaches begin operations on Benelux routes. Gold Standard carbon offset programme launched. CCG commits to net-zero by 2040.

2024
180+ vehicles, 3M+ passengers

The fleet now exceeds 180 vehicles across three hubs and 50+ partner operators. Annual passenger count reaches 3 million.

75 Years of Moving People Across Europe

Three families. Three countries. One ambition. Get a free quote and let us move your group.

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