Stagecoach acquisitions since 2000

[philwall]

Would anyone have a list of what bus operators Stagecoach has acquired since 2000. I'm trying to bring my fleet lists up to date. Thanks in anticipation

 

[Dai Corner]

After rebranding as Stagecoach in South Wales in early 2000, Red & White Services Ltd has made the following acquisitions
September 2000 - Phil Anslow Travel
November 2004 - Phil Anslow Travel (again!)
February 2006 - Crosskeys Coach Hire (trading as Glyn Williams)

(Mr Anslow bounced back and is still operating stage carriage, schools, private hire and day trips from his Varteg depot).

 

[mbonwick]

I'll tick off some of the bigger ones;
Traction Group (Yorkshire Traction/Lincolnshire RoadCar/Strathtay), 2005
Glenvale Transport, Liverpool, 2005 (now the main legal entity for Stagecoach Merseyside, Chester & South Lancs)
Cooks Coaches, Somerset, 2007
Cavalier Travel, Long Sutton, 2008
Rennies Coaches, Dunfermline, 2008
Rapsons, 2008
Preston Bus, 2009 (subsequently disposed to Rotala but a handful of vehicles/routes were kept)
East London Bus Group, 2011
Fleet Buzz, 2011(?)
First Wigan, 2012
JPT Bus, Manchester, 2013
First Chester & Wirral, 2013
Norfolk Green, 2013 (subsequently closed 2018)
First Plymouth, 2015
South Gloucester Bus & Coach, 2019

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

2005 - Glenvale Transport
2005 - Yorkshire Traction Group (incl RoadCar and Strathtay)
2007 - Cook's Coaches (aka Landylines)
2010 - East London and Selkent (reacquisition)
2012 - First Chester/Merseyside
2014 - JPT Travel
2019 - South Gloucestershire Bus



Not including part purchases like the sale of First's South Devon business or D&E Coaches bus business

 

[mangad]

In Greater Manchester alone they have also bought the following:
Bus operations of Mayne of Manchester and Bullocks both in 2008.
First's Wigan depot in 2012.
Bluebird, 2013.

 

[Lynford1976]

Eastbourne Buses in December 2008, the Cavendish operations of Renown, Bexhill in January 2009.

 

[christopher]

Recently in London there was CT Plus and the Lea Interchange garage of Tower Transit

 

[317 forever]

I believe Stagecoach acquired the Rotala operation in Bristol a few years ago and allocated the operations to their Patchway depot.

 

[Bwsbro]

I believe Stagecoach acquired the Rotala operation in Bristol a few years ago and allocated the operations to their Patchway depot.

Stagecoach never acquired the operations, Rotala decided to close the business down following the loss of most tenders. With Stagecoach then taking over staff and acquired some of the fleet

 

[asb]

Not sure if Robson's of Thornaby was in the date range you requested, or 1999.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Fleet Buzz, 2011(?)

It was indeed late 2011 when Stagecoach acquired the Fleet Buzz operation. Similar to the Norfolk Green acquisition, the separate identity was kept for a few years (albeit slightly revised application and shade of yellow on some vehicles), including on a large influx of ex-London Darts transferred in to replace the native step entrance Varios to comply with DDA/PSVAR regs. The by-then vastly reduced network was fully integrated into the local Stagecoach operation from January 2015, with the Crondall depot closed, although corporate Stagecoach vehicles had begun creeping into the yellow and black fleet prior to this anyway.

One I don't think mentioned yet is this July's acquisition of Peoplesbus of Aintree, Merseyside.

 

[Man of Kent]

Town & Around, Folkestone - May 2003.

 

[73001]

One I don't think mentioned yet is this July's acquisition of Peoplesbus of Aintree, MeMerseyside.

This is another where they didn't actually aquire the business... they got the routes, contracts, drivers and most of the buses. Peoplesbus is still active doing private hires from the same depot.

 

[Simon75]

This is another where they didn't actually aquire the business... they got the routes, contracts, drivers and most of the buses. Peoplesbus is still active doing private hires from the same depot.

Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire has today Tuesday 20th June 2023, announced that it will be acquiring the bus services, contracts, the majority of vehicles and employees of Liverpool independent bus operator “Peoplesbus” on Sunday 9th July 2023.



Twenty-one Peoplesbus employees and twenty-three vehicles will relocate from Peoplesbus Aintree depot to Stagecoach’s nearby Gillmoss site along with all tendered local and school bus services and a network of commercial school and football services. The acquired operations will operate as Stagecoach and the vehicles will initially be rebranded and gradually repainted.



Peoplesbus was founded by Andrew Cawley in June 2001, with one Leyland National bus, operating a number of weekend only services. In April 2002, the first Merseytravel school service was secured. The operation grew to a peak of thirty-two vehicles, with school contracts forming the core of the operation, supported in later years by tendered local bus services. Peoplesbus recently expanded with new tendered services in St Helens.



Managing Director of Stagecoach Merseyside, Matt Davies said “Peoplesbus is a local quality independent operator. This acquisition is a good strategic fit for our business, as we expand our portfolio of Merseytravel tendered operations across the City region. It also makes for an excellent bolt on for our Gillmoss depot in Liverpool. We are delighted to be welcoming new colleagues to our Stagecoach team and we will be doing our best to ensure they quickly feel at home”.



Managing Director of Peoplesbus, Andrew Cawley said “After twenty-two amazing years of service to the people of Merseyside, I am delighted that we have been able to secure a deal that will see our employees and vehicles moving over to Gillmoss. This feels like things have come full circle as Gillmoss is where my passion for the industry started, with my dad having spent twenty-six years driving buses from here and where I have some extremely fond childhood memories. It feels like coming home. I still have a huge passion for this fantastic industry of ours and in the short term I’m looking forward to assisting Stagecoach with the smooth transition of our operation. Longer term, I am considering a continuation with Private Hires or joining Stagecoach full time. In the short term a much need break is definitely on the cards”

Stagecoach Announces Acquisition of Peoplesbus Limited

www.stagecoachbus.com

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Stagecoach never acquired the operations, Rotala decided to close the business down following the loss of most tenders. With Stagecoach then taking over staff and acquired some of the fleet

Rotala state it was a sale on their website http://www.rotalaplc.com/about-us/rotala-plc-timeline.html

August 2018 - Sale of certain routes and assets of Wessex Bus Ltd to Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited. Wessex Bus Ltd becomes a dormant subsidiary of Rotala Plc.

 

[Bwsbro]

Rotala state it was a sale on their website http://www.rotalaplc.com/about-us/rotala-plc-timeline.html

I’d still argue that it wasn’t a purchase of the company as it was the purchase of routes and assests.

A similar example to this would be when Arriva purchased the 9 group of services of KMP Llanberis alongside their fleet of Wright Eclipses. The company wasn’t sold until its acquisition by Padarn Bus

 

[73001]

Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire has today Tuesday 20th June 2023, announced that it will be acquiring the bus services, contracts, the majority of vehicles and employees of Liverpool independent bus operator “Peoplesbus” on Sunday 9th July 2023.



Twenty-one Peoplesbus employees and twenty-three vehicles will relocate from Peoplesbus Aintree depot to Stagecoach’s nearby Gillmoss site along with all tendered local and school bus services and a network of commercial school and football services. The acquired operations will operate as Stagecoach and the vehicles will initially be rebranded and gradually repainted.



Peoplesbus was founded by Andrew Cawley in June 2001, with one Leyland National bus, operating a number of weekend only services. In April 2002, the first Merseytravel school service was secured. The operation grew to a peak of thirty-two vehicles, with school contracts forming the core of the operation, supported in later years by tendered local bus services. Peoplesbus recently expanded with new tendered services in St Helens.



Managing Director of Stagecoach Merseyside, Matt Davies said “Peoplesbus is a local quality independent operator. This acquisition is a good strategic fit for our business, as we expand our portfolio of Merseytravel tendered operations across the City region. It also makes for an excellent bolt on for our Gillmoss depot in Liverpool. We are delighted to be welcoming new colleagues to our Stagecoach team and we will be doing our best to ensure they quickly feel at home”.



Managing Director of Peoplesbus, Andrew Cawley said “After twenty-two amazing years of service to the people of Merseyside, I am delighted that we have been able to secure a deal that will see our employees and vehicles moving over to Gillmoss. This feels like things have come full circle as Gillmoss is where my passion for the industry started, with my dad having spent twenty-six years driving buses from here and where I have some extremely fond childhood memories. It feels like coming home. I still have a huge passion for this fantastic industry of ours and in the short term I’m looking forward to assisting Stagecoach with the smooth transition of our operation. Longer term, I am considering a continuation with Private Hires or joining Stagecoach full time. In the short term a much need break is definitely on the cards”

Stagecoach Announces Acquisition of Peoplesbus Limited

www.stagecoachbus.com

...as I said (and as it says above), they didn't aquire the business (which is technically what the thread is about) it was most buses, routes, drivers etc. I'm friends with the owner and he has carried on with private hires, weddings etc. I'm not really sure what your point is by reposting that article.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I’d still argue that it wasn’t a purchase of the company as it was the purchase of routes and assests.

A similar example to this would be when Arriva purchased the 9 group of services of KMP Llanberis alongside their fleet of Wright Eclipses. The company wasn’t sold until its acquisition by Padarn Bus

I'll remind you of what you said

Stagecoach never acquired the operations, Rotala decided to close the business down following the loss of most tenders. With Stagecoach then taking over staff and acquired some of the fleet

Stagecoach DID acquire the operations. They just didn't purchase the corporate and financial entity i.e. the company

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I am not a bus enthusiast and ask what happened to the small fleet of green and white liveried double-deck buses that were once operated by Walls Coaches on routes in South Manchester quite a number of years ago?

 

[RT4038]

Stratford Blue, from Ensigns, in about 2008?

A company (forget the name) in Eastbourne about 2010?

 

[mangad]

I am not a bus enthusiast and ask what happened to the small fleet of green and white liveried double-deck buses that were once operated by Walls Coaches on routes in South Manchester quite a number of years ago?

Taken over by Stagecoach apparently in 1997 according to a comment on this page:

WALL'S BUSES, FALLOWFIELD LJA484P

Manchester 22/7/95

www.flickr.com

 

[asb]

A company (forget the name) in Eastbourne about 2010?

Cavendish I think

 

[Strathclyder]

Citybus of Hong Kong just falls outwith the remit of this thread, having been bought in 1999. It had been sold by June 2003 to the parent company of rival operator New World First Bus (NWFB), Chow Tai Fook Enterprises.