backontrack
Established Member
Are there any bus operators that have since folded or moved out of your area that you miss in particular?
To be fair. Both Rapson and Stagecoach highlands were losing money, and Stagecoach cuts only come about because it lost tenders.Rapsons & Orkney Coaches for me. Lots of nostalgia and memories for me. Since they ceased operations, Stagecoach have cut a lot of the routes too.
Chase buses.
The depot was in Burntwood but they operated mainly in the Walsall area.
They went bust in about 2007 and most of their routes got taken over by Arriva.
The Layland Nationals they used on the Walsall - Cannock route were in very good conditions for their age.
Crosville, before it was split in 86, GM Buses, before that was split into North & South, loved the GM express network, which had dedicated buses with dual purpose seating, in different livery, although i did like the the standard Orange, White livery.
And the 32, 34, 90, 400, 401, 402 and various others. Those were the days!Ah, yes. Remember the GM Express 9s in Blackrod!
Second South Notts - should have guessed that from your user name !!South Notts - promoted as how all bus companies should be with cheap fares and conductors at the time of the 1986 Act, they soon came under attack, went to one man operation and sold up five years later
I dont think Tfl will ever want to run the buses themselves.With the different driver rates across the network its a minefield.And another thing with their almost £1billion deficit they have other things on their tableat present.Western Greyhound, although their legacy has been a much improved First in Cornwall.
Taking the question literally, I would also include London Transport. I look forward to the day when TfL (or whatever the organisation is then called) takes back operation of,as well as responsibility for, London's buses. I'm not holding my breath - possibly, if I live to 100 I may see it.
Barton really dropped a clanger at deregulation by registering their whole network commercially with the exception of the already subsided services which they lost to other operators. They did seem to finally grasp the situation as the 1987 end of year Chairmans report (Source: Barton Part 3, Alan Oxley 1994) referred to unviable services being withdrawn to concentrate on city and urban routes, so what has happened under Wellglade is really a follow through of that objective. The list of operators that competed with them almost seems never ending; Camms, NCT, Midland Fox, Stevensons, Leicester City Transport/ Loughborough Bus & Coach , Dunn Line and Gagg (who Barton did buy out). Its noticeable that neither Kinch Line, who were presumably too obsessed screwing South Notts, and Trent, competed (in Trents case that is no more than pre deregulation); wonder how quickly Wellglade earmarked Barton as a potential purchase and did not want to appear as an aggressive buy out.Barton for no better reason than that by the 1980s a company that size running on such unrenumerative routes really shouldn't have been surviving, but it seemed to be pottering along until deregulation came along and the profitable routes got attacked. And of course there was no way Barton could have resourced the complete fleet replacement which was looming, but it was such a pity it ended up with the "really good" Wellglade Group who seem to retrench further every year. Precious little of Barton is left, and the Trent map has shrunk even compared to the pre-NWRCC-swallow-up days.
Such a pity that Stagecoach felt the need to rename Devon General Ltd to Stagecoach South West Ltd. There would have been something mildly amusing about seeing Devon General buses in traditional Western/Southern National territory, a complete reversal of earlier times when DGOTC was swallowed up by WNOC...
Barton really dropped a clanger at deregulation by registering their whole network commercially with the exception of the already subsided services which they lost to other operators. They did seem to finally grasp the situation as the 1987 end of year Chairmans report (Source: Barton Part 3, Alan Oxley 1994) referred to unviable services being withdrawn to concentrate on city and urban routes, so what has happened under Wellglade is really a follow through of that objective. The list of operators that competed with them almost seems never ending; Camms, NCT, Midland Fox, Stevensons, Leicester City Transport/ Loughborough Bus & Coach , Dunn Line and Gagg (who Barton did buy out). Its noticeable that neither Kinch Line, who were presumably too obsessed screwing South Notts, and Trent, competed (in Trents case that is no more than pre deregulation); wonder how quickly Wellglade earmarked Barton as a potential purchase and did not want to appear as an aggressive buy out.
I'll counter with the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Electricity and Transport Board. No, I never saw any of their buses (in fact, I've never knowingly set foot in any of those towns) but I loved to see that entry in Buses Illustrated, although it was usually abbreviated to SHMD Board.Just about everything from my bus spotting days in the mid 1960s
Simply for some of the "exotic" names the Welsh local authority fleets in the valleys found in my Ian Allen books. I don't think that I ever saw one of their vehicles but for an operator name it is difficult to beat "Bedwas and Machen Urban District Council".