Ipswich buses takes over carters

[Mr Manager]

Ipswich Buses have taken over the running fleet and routes of carters coach services. None of the heritage fleet is involved in the sale. More details as and when available.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Seems a bit odd, Carters only have a small, basic fleet and small number of services, most of which are only once or twice a day which don't carry that many

 

[Mr Manager]

It could turn out to be a good move. Only 4 Buses in the Carters fleet are non PSVAR. They run the 93 service under contract also. And most of the schools they operate either start or finish on a IBL existing bus route. So ingratiation will be fairly straight forward .

 

[90sWereBetter]

A bit of a shame from an enthusiast's point of view as Carters is one of the few operators still running Olympians in regular service. No doubt some extra Tridents from Ensign or Stagecoach will be purchased forthwith. It'll be interesting whether the Carters fleet will be amalgamated with IB's fleet (I expect this will happen, can't see IB keeping the Capel St Mary base open), or run it as a separate entity.

From an enthusiast point of view, it could mean IB's Scania and DAF deckers get a chance to stretch their legs on the 93/94, should they amalgamate the fleets.

 

[MedwayValiant]

Carters main route is the 93/94 (Ipswich - East Bergholt - Colchester). Have Ipswich Buses had that route before, possibly as a Sunday contract in the 90s?

I'm wondering if there might be more to this than Ipswich Buses are currently saying. The Carters business can't be especially valuable, but that main route could be strategically useful ... if Ipswich Buses also has its eye on Network Colchester.

I can't imagine that Arriva particularly wants Network Colchester. It's a fairly small operation which doesn't really fit with the rest of the Arriva South East operation, and it's managed from Luton which is rather a long way away.

Arriva isn't just going to roll over and let First have Colchester all to itself. But if it got a serious offer from an operator which is already used to sharing its town with First, might it be interested in selling?

 

[Mr Manager]

I could say more but i cant. But reason are reasons behind the purchase is all i can say. pm me for private not to be published in any way shape or form info if this sale interests you. .

 

[Busaholic]

Carters main route is the 93/94 (Ipswich - East Bergholt - Colchester). Have Ipswich Buses had that route before, possibly as a Sunday contract in the 90s?

I'm wondering if there might be more to this than Ipswich Buses are currently saying. The Carters business can't be especially valuable, but that main route could be strategically useful ... if Ipswich Buses also has its eye on Network Colchester.

I can't imagine that Arriva particularly wants Network Colchester. It's a fairly small operation which doesn't really fit with the rest of the Arriva South East operation, and it's managed from Luton which is rather a long way away.

Arriva isn't just going to roll over and let First have Colchester all to itself. But if it got a serious offer from an operator which is already used to sharing its town with First, might it be interested in selling?

I seem to remember reading that Ipswich operated on the Colchester route, maybe on a Sunday.

 

[robbob700]

Ipswich Buses ran the Colchester route on a Sunday from April 1987 as a result of their takeover of Bantam Coaches, the previous Sunday operator. This was only for a year or so though as the route passed to Carters in 1988. (At this time only the Sunday service as Eastern Counties ran the weekday service)
However Ipswich Buses returned to the route in the early 90s (jointly with Carters) linking it to the 727 which ran between Colchester and Lavenham, as part of the quite extensive contracted Sunday network that Suffolk ran at the time.