Trivia: Towns with the most number of bus operators serving it

[ValleyLines142]

I know a thread was created for this before, but I can't remember when it was made and also having done a search on the Forum it still hasn't narrowed it down and there's too many threads.

I was wondering which town/city across the country has the most number of operators serving it? For me I think Newport (South Wales): Newport Bus, Cardiff Bus, New Adventure Travel, First West of England and Stagecoach Cymru.

Birmingham can't be that far behind: NXWM, Arriva Midlands, First Worcestershire (144) and Diamond.

Manchester: Stagecoach Manchester, First Manchester, Arriva North West, MCT.

Cardiff actually has 5 too I believe: Cardiff Bus, New Adventure Travel, Stagecoach Cymru, First Cymru, Easyway.

Any others?

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Leeds:

First (Leeds, Bradford, Halifax & Huddersfield depots).
Arriva Yorkshire
Yorkshire Tiger
Squarepeg
Connexions
Transdev (4 Depots)
Stagecoach
Fourways (Horsforth Locals)

(+ TLC if you wanna be pedantic)

 

[Smethwickian]

Birmingham can't be that far behind: NXWM, Arriva Midlands, First Worcestershire (144) and Diamond.


Any others?

Birmingham also served by Claribels, Igo, Johnson's [still with Sunday X50], The Green Bus, Discount Travel Solutions, Midland Classic (X11, X12) and one or two others with school or works services.

 

[swt class 450]

Aylesbury (9 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Red Eagle Buses
• Red Kite Buses
• Red Line Buses
• Red Rose Buses
• Star Travel
• Vale Travel
• Winslow & District Community Bus
• Z & S Transport

Guildford (8 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Buses Excetera
• Carlone Buses
• Compass Bus
• Reptons Coaches
• Safeguard
• Stagecoach
• White Bus Services

Harlow (7 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Epping Forest Community Transport
• Essex Community Link
• First
• Go Ahead London
• LCB Travel
• Trustybus

Staines (11 bus operators):
• Abellio London
• Bear Buses
• Cardinal Buses
• Carlone Buses
• Comfort Delgro Metroline
• Falcon Buses
• RATP London United
• Reptons Coaches
• Rotala Hallmark Buses
• Sullivan Buses
• White Bus Services

Tunbridge Wells (10 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Autocar
• Compass Bus
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove
• Go Ahead London
• Go Ahead Metrobus
• Go Coach
• Hams Travel
• Nu Venture
• Stagecoach

Woking (8 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Buses Excetera
• Cardinal Buses
• Carlone Buses
• Falcon Buses
• Runnymede Community Transport
• Stagecoach
• White Bus Services

 

[Gingerbus1991]

Aylesbury (9 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Red Eagle Buses
• Red Kite Buses
• Red Line Buses
• Red Rose Buses
• Star Travel
• Vale Travel
• Winslow & District Community Bus
• Z & S Transport

Guildford (8 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Buses Excetera
• Carlone Buses
• Compass Bus
• Reptons Coaches
• Safeguard
• Stagecoach
• White Bus Services

Harlow (7 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Essex Community Link
• Essex Forest Community Transport
• First
• Go Ahead London
• LCB Travel
• Trustybus

Staines (11 bus operators):
• Abellio London
• Bear Buses
• Cardinal Buses
• Carlone Buses
• Comfort Delgro Metroline
• Falcon Buses
• RATP London United
• Reptons Coaches
• Rotala Hallmark Buses
• Sullivan Buses
• White Bus Services

Tunbridge Wells (8 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Autocar
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove
• Go Ahead Metrobus
• Go Coach
• Hams Travel
• Nu Venture
• Stagecoach

Woking (8 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Buses Excetera
• Cardinal Buses
• Carlone Buses
• Falcon Buses
• Runnymede Community Transport
• Stagecoach
• White Bus Services

Here is me thinking Glasgow was bad with First, McGills, West Coast Motors and Stagecoach.

 

[mlambeuk]

York 7 operators.
First York
Arriva
EYMS
Transdev
Connexions
York Pullman
Reliance

 

[Jordan Adam]

Until a few years ago Aberdeen had 9 operators (14 if you include Express Coaches):

First Aberdeen
Stagecoach North Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland
Bain's Coaches
Deveron Coaches
Kineil Coaches
Central Coaches
Nicoll Of Laurencekirk
Watermill Coaches

Scottish Express (Fisher Tours)
Polonia Transport
Scottish Citylink
Megabus
National Express

Sadly now it's just down to 4 (7 including coaches):

First Aberdeen
Stagecoach North Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland
Bain's Coaches

Scottish Citylink
Megabus
National Express

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

For a relatively small town, Devizes has 7 or 8 (depending how you look at it)

Stagecoach
Faresaver
Go South Coast - with two subsidiaries in Salisbury Reds and Tourist Coaches
First
Frome Bus
Beeline
Libra Travel

 

[carlberry]

For a relatively small town, Devizes has 7 or 8 (depending how you look at it)

Stagecoach
Faresaver
Go South Coast - with two subsidiaries in Salisbury Reds and Tourist Coaches
First
Frome Bus
Beeline
Libra Travel

Urchfont community bus
Erlestoke Edington & Coulston Community Bus
Seend Shuttle
Combine Bus (Members only)
Chandlers (School bus?)

 

[Alex 2901]

Solihull

NXWM - 4, 5, 6, 31, 49, 58, 72, 73, 76, X2, X12
Stagecoach - 62*
Diamond - 30, 82, 88, S1, S2, S3, S3W, S11, S15
Landflight - S9, S10
Discount Travel Solutions - 966*, X12(E)
Sunny Travel - 71E
RK Travel - 72
Johnsons of Henley-in-Arden - 87
A&M Group/Flexibus - 519*
Igo - 89*, 223*

 

[43055]

Derby has 8 operators:

Arriva
Trent Barton
Notts and Derby
Kinchbus
Yourbus
Littles
Midland Classic
High Peak

 

[alex397]

Tunbridge Wells (8 bus operators):
• Arriva
• Autocar
• Go Ahead Brighton & Hove
• Go Ahead Metrobus
• Go Coach
• Hams Travel
• Nu Venture
• Stagecoach

Tunbridge Wells is most likely the town with the most operators in all of Kent.

They also have:

• Compass Travel (the only place they go to in Kent)
• Go-Ahead London, on their commercial excursion 774 route from Dorking, which has limited days of operation.

And until last Saturday, there was also Renown Travel, but they gave their long route 297 up to Hams Travel who took over on Monday.

Waltham Cross has quite a bit of variety too, considering its right on the border of London.

• Arriva Kent Thameside (Yes, even though its no where near Kent Thameside)
• TrustyBus
• Swallow Buses
• Epping Forest Community Transport (operating public registered bus routes)
• Metroline (Both TfL and commercial work)
• Sullivan Buses
• Arriva London North

 

[cactustwirly]

Leicester has 5:

First Leicester
Arriva Midlands
Stagecoach Warwickshire
Centrebus
Roberts coaches

 

[Darklord8899]

Edinburgh has 8 bus service operators:

Lothian Buses (including East Coast Buses and Lothian Country)
Stagecoach Fife
Stagecoach West Scotland (Service 101/102 Edinburgh to Dumfries)
First (East Scotland)
Edinburgh Coach Lines (Service 13)
Prentice of Haddington (Service 69, 108)
E & M Horsburgh (Service 40/X40)
Borders Bus

Coach Services:
Scottish Citylink
(Scottish Citylink/Ulsterbus - Service 923 Edinburgh to Belfast)
National Express
Megabus

 

[Robertj21a]

Leicester has 5:

First Leicester
Arriva Midlands
Stagecoach Warwickshire
Centrebus
Roberts coaches

Plus Kinchbus and Diamond of Rushden
Could have said HinckleyBus, but it's now largely just Arriva Midlands.

 

[Typhoon]

Hereford has a fair few (9):
Celtic Travel
DRM Coaches
First Worcestershire
George Youngs Coaches
H & H Coaches
Lugg Valley
Sargeants Brothers
Stagecoach ('South Wales' and 'West')
Yeomans Travel

 

[Man of Kent]

Edinburgh has 7 bus service operators:

Lothian Buses (including East Coast Buses and Lothian Country)
Stagecoach Fife
First (East Scotland)
Edinburgh Coach Lines (Service 13)
Prentice of Haddington (Service 69)
E & M Horsburgh (Service 40/X40)
Borders Bus

Coach Services:
Scottish Citylink
(Scottish Citylink/Ulsterbus - Service 923 Edinburgh to Belfast)
National Express
Megabus

Stagecoach West Scotland also run into Edinburgh from Dumfries.

 

[Bristol LH]

Cardiff also has Edwards and Newport Transport, and Newport also has Phil Anslow, and will soon have Foxstar.

I know a thread was created for this before, but I can't remember when it was made and also having done a search on the Forum it still hasn't narrowed it down and there's too many threads.

I was wondering which town/city across the country has the most number of operators serving it? For me I think Newport (South Wales): Newport Bus, Cardiff Bus, New Adventure Travel, First West of England and Stagecoach Cymru.

Birmingham can't be that far behind: NXWM, Arriva Midlands, First Worcestershire (144) and Diamond.

Manchester: Stagecoach Manchester, First Manchester, Arriva North West, MCT.

Cardiff actually has 5 too I believe: Cardiff Bus, New Adventure Travel, Stagecoach Cymru, First Cymru, Easyway.

Any others?

.

 

[40145 Panther]

Dukinfield (population: 19,000) is served by four operators:

• Stagecoach Manchester;
• First Greater Manchester;
• MCT Travel;
• Stott's Tours.

Around about this time in 1996:

• First Manchester (previously GM Buses North);
• First Pennine (previously Pennine Blue - then under First PMT's wing);
• Stagecoach Manchester (previously GMS Buses);
• Dennis' Coaches (acquired by Stagecoach Manchester, April 2005);
• Mayne of Manchester (bus operations taken over by Stagecoach Manchester, February 2008);
• Bee Line (hitherto The Bee Line Buzz Company);
• JP Executive Travel (later JPT Travel, taken over by Stagecoach Manchester, April 2014);
• Glossopdale Bus Company (acquired by Stagecoach Manchester, February 1999).

In 1993, prior to the Department of Transport enforced split of GM Buses, Greater Manchester had 68 different bus operators. Between 1996 and 2018, previous operators in Dukinfield have included:

• Universal Buses Limited (1997 - 1999);
• Vale of Manchester (one journey on the 220 service to Stalybridge, 2007 - 2008);
• SpeedwellBus (successors to Glossopdale Bus Company, 2006 - 2012);
• Checkmate Coaches (evening journeys on the 346 route from Ashton-under-Lyne to Hyde and Gee Cross, 2001 - 2011).

The newest addition to the Dukinfield bus scene is MCT Travel, who have operated the 41 (Ashton-under-Lyne - Dukinfield [Tennyson Avenue]) route since April 2015. Stott's Tours have operated daytime journeys on the 343 route (Oldham - Mossley - Hyde) since April 2012.

 

[MedwayValiant]

Bury St Edmunds has 10: Chambers (Go-Ahead), Coach Services (Thetford), Fareline Coaches, Galloway Local Buses, High Suffolk Community Transport, Mulleys Motorways, Simonds Country Link, Stagecoach (Cambus O-licence), Stephensons of Essex, Suffolk Norse.

Milton Keynes has 15: Arriva, Diamond Coaches of Rushden, Flittabus Community Transport, Grant Palmer, Red Rose Travel, Redline Buses, Road Runner Community Bus, Souls Coaches, Stagecoach (Cambus O-Licence), Stagecoach (United Counties O-Licence), uno, Vale Travel, Villager Community Bus (Sharnbrook), Wanderbus, Z&S Transport.

Can anywhere beat that?

 

[Yorks185]

In the GM County Bolton & Leigh are the top 2,with 7 operators (8 if you include Tyrers on school services & football shuttles)

Bolton:
Diamond NW
Stagecoach (Wigan & Chorley/Preston Depots)
First Manchester
Cumfybus
Transdev (Rosso & Blackburn)
Vision Bus
Arriva

Leigh:
Arriva (St Helens & Bolton)
First Manchester
Diamond NW
Warrington Own Buses/Network Warrington
Stagecoach Manchester
Cumfybus (Sundays Only)
Jim Stones

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Urchfont community bus
Erlestoke Edington & Coulston Community Bus
Seend Shuttle
Combine Bus (Members only)
Chandlers (School bus?)

To be fair, I did deliberately discount the community ones and only counted "proper" operators

 

[alangla]

Does anywhere outside London have the full set of First, Stagecoach, Arriva, Go Ahead and Transdev/RATP? Manchester is the closest I can think of, but no Go Ahead as far as I know

 

[Yorks185]

Does anywhere outside London have the full set of First, Stagecoach, Arriva, Go Ahead and Transdev/RATP? Manchester is the closest I can think of, but no Go Ahead as far as I know

Does Megabus still serve York? If it does then that would be a full set,with Transdev & First having depots in the City,Arriva operating from Selby & Go Ahead owned EYMS from Hull & Pocklington

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Glasgow - Quite a lot. Maybe more...

First Glasgow
First Midland Bluebird
McGill's
Glasgow Citybus
Stagecoach West Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland
Stuart's of Carluke
Garlochead Coaches
Colchri

Coach Operators
Megabus
Scottish Citylink
Sheils
National Express

 

[Robertj21a]

Glasgow - Quite a lot. Maybe more...

First Glasgow
First Midland Bluebird
McGill's
Glasgow Citybus
Stagecoach West Scotland
Stagecoach East Scotland
Stuart's of Carluke
Garlochead Coaches
Colchri

Coach Operators
Megabus
Scottish Citylink
Sheils
National Express

Is Avondale still about ?

 

[Deerfold]

Does anywhere outside London have the full set of First, Stagecoach, Arriva, Go Ahead and Transdev/RATP? Manchester is the closest I can think of, but no Go Ahead as far as I know

If you're counting London as having the full set, a fairer comparison would be with another county rather than just a city or town.
Leeds also has First, Stagecoach, Arriva and Transdev.

Transdev and RATP have not been linked for some years (except for a joint venture in Asia).

 

[GaryMcEwan]

Is Avondale still about ?

I knew I was missing one. Yeah Avondale are still on the go.

 

[40145 Panther]

If you're counting London as having the full set, a fairer comparison would be with another county rather than just a city or town.
Leeds also has First, Stagecoach, Arriva and Transdev.

Transdev and RATP have not been linked for some years (except for a joint venture in Asia).

In Greater Manchester, the following bus owning groups which operate within the conurbation are:

• FirstGroup;
• Stagecoach;
• Arriva;
• Transdev (now expanded thanks to the addition of Rosso);
• RATP Group (Selwyn's Coaches);
• Hackney Community Transport (HCT Group - as MCT Travel);
• National Express (coaches only);
• Centrebus (High Peak and Yorkshire Tiger bus routes);
• Rotala Group (via Diamond Bus North West and Preston Bus).

The only one of the big bus owning groups which is absent in Greater Manchester is The Go-Ahead Group. Before the 199 and TransPeak (RIP North of Buxton) became part of High Peak Buses, Wellglade was another group (via Trentbarton) which operated inside TfGM boundaries.

 

[Robertj21a]

In Greater Manchester, the following bus owning groups which operate within the conurbation are:

• FirstGroup;
• Stagecoach;
• Arriva;
• Transdev (now expanded thanks to the addition of Rosso);
• RATP Group (Selwyn's Coaches);
• Hackney Community Transport (HCT Group - as MCT Travel);
• National Express (coaches only);
• Centrebus (High Peak and Yorkshire Tiger bus routes);
• Rotala Group (via Diamond Bus North West and Preston Bus).

The only one of the big bus owning groups which is absent in Greater Manchester is The Go-Ahead Group. Before the 199 and TransPeak (RIP North of Buxton) became part of High Peak Buses, Wellglade was another group (via Trentbarton) which operated inside TfGM boundaries.

Centrebus has nothing to do with Yorkshire Tiger (nowadays) - Tiger is part of Arriva.

You could say that Wellglade is still there as High Peak is a 50/50 between them and Centrebus.