Most of you know Scottish Express as an adventure transport company — and you’d be right. We spend our days shuttling riders, hikers, and explorers to some of the most stunning corners of Aotearoa (New Zealand). But what you might not know is that we also make time to give back to the community that keeps these adventures alive.
Each year, we set aside a portion of our earnings to support organisations that strengthen both people and the places we love. As a small business operator, I like to keep things hands-on — it’s not just about writing a cheque, but about rolling up our sleeves, connecting with locals, and seeing first-hand the difference those contributions make.
The Beginning: Mountain Biking Connections
Our first sponsorship adventure started back in 2021 with the Nelson Mountain Bike Club. We offered transport for their events, ensuring competitors and volunteers could reach the right spots on race days. Since then, we’ve provided over $2400 worth of transport each year, and it’s become one of our favourite traditions.
Sure, it’s great to help get racers to the starting line, but what really drives us is supporting the volunteers. They’re the unsung heroes who keep Nelson’s mountain biking trails in top shape. To make it sustainable, we came up with what we call the 5% Strategy — setting aside 5% of our transport earnings to fund these sponsorships. Our customers loved knowing that a slice of their fare was helping maintain the local trails they came to enjoy.
Shifting Gears After Tough Years
Like many small businesses, we felt the ripple effects of the Covid pandemic well after 2020. By 2022–2024, rising costs and reduced spending made it tougher for some people to get out and explore with us. That reality made us take a hard look at how we were giving back — and who we were supporting.
In 2024, we partnered with The Bike Hub Nelson, a volunteer-run initiative that refurbishes unwanted bikes and redistributes them (for donations) to locals who need transport or recreation options. It’s a win-win: more people on bikes and fewer bikes ending up in landfill.
When former Nelson MP Matt Lawrey took the lead at the Bike Hub, we had a quick chat and decided to switch our 5% Fund their way, while continuing our yearly Mountain Bike Club sponsorship at a fixed $2400 value. By the end of that year, we’d clocked up over $2100 in transport credit for the Bike Hub — not bad for what was still just a part-time venture!
Then came the fun part. Matt and I brainstormed how to make the most of those funds. We brought together a group of like-minded businesses — Real Meals Adventure Foods, The Mōkihinui-Lyell Backcountry Trust, and Off the Beaten Trail Accommodation in Murchison — to create a one-of-a-kind Old Ghost Road adventure package. With hut passes, meals, accommodation, and transport (thanks to yours truly), we put it up for auction on Trade Me. The result? A happy adventurer scored an epic trip, and the Bike Hub pocketed $2500. Win-win!
New Partners, Same Spirit
The 5% Fund worked so well that by mid-2025, we were on the lookout for our next partner. A good friend and customer, Shanine Hermsen, introduced us to the Fifeshire Foundation — an incredible local organisation that helps people experiencing genuine hardship right here in Nelson.
We signed them on as our next community recipient, and after just seven months, we’d already built up over $2100 in the fund — with a few months still to go. Supporting an organisation that helps locals through tough times feels deeply meaningful, especially because you never know when life might throw you a curveball.
Standing Up for Outdoor Access
Beyond sponsorship, we care deeply about protecting outdoor access across New Zealand.
Roughly one-third of Aotearoa is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) — an amazing privilege, but not without challenges. Limited funding means DOC often focuses on high-traffic spots like the Abel Tasman National Park or Heaphy Track, while lesser-known trails and huts risk falling off the radar. Fewer visitors lead to less funding, which leads to harder access—a classic catch-22.
We try to buck that trend by running monthly specials to these off-the-beaten-path destinations and sharing stories that inspire people to visit and value them. Awareness is the first step in protecting what matters.
We also work closely with the Walking Access Commission, the organisation that safeguards public rights of way across thousands of kilometres of “paper roads” and Public Access Easements (legal and unformed public roads that often provide access to wilderness areas). Many landowners don’t even realise these exist on their properties. Respecting and using these access ways ensures future generations can still explore the hidden gems of New Zealand.
Keeping Community at the Heart
Whether it’s ferrying mountain bikers, auctioning adventure packages, or supporting families in need, our 5% Adventure Fund has become more than a sponsorship strategy — it’s a simple way to make sure every journey with Scottish Express gives a little something back.
If you’ve travelled with us recently, thank you — your fare is part of something much bigger. And if you’ve got an idea for a community partnership or a special cause that could benefit from the 5% Fund, I’d love to hear it. Let’s keep the adventure going — on the trails and in the heart of our community.
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