Which buses served Peterborough in the '80s?

[Lek]

I remember Cambus was the major player, and you'd see the odd Delaine, National and Morley's in the station serving other cities. I just wondered if anyone remembers any of other bus companies serving Peterborough in the '80s. I may be wrong, but as memory serves, I'm pretty sure it wasn't only Cambus through the '80s. I'm pretty sure they took over another company with a red livery.

 

[chrisdoward]

Cambus was originally part of Eastern Counties. Eastern Counties still served Peterborough with the 794 using VRs in the late 80s. I can't remember if any other Eastern Counties routes served Peterborough; I was more familiar with the Norwich area.

The image attached below shows Eastern Counties Bristol VR, number VR284 (VEX284X).

 

[SteveM70]

Midland Red East (or maybe they were Midland Fox by then) X47 ran Leicester to Peterborough.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

The main operator was Eastern Counties until that business was split in 1984 with the Cambridgeshire operations forming Cambus. Subsequently privatised, the management split the business again so Peterborough and March depots became Viscount though still in common ownership as Cambus Holdings Ltd (CHL). They were bought by Stagecoach.

Other NBC firms visiting were Midland Red (later Midland Fox) from Leicester and Uppingham, and United Counties from Northampton and Kettering, not least operating the Kettering/Corby - Peterborough rail link service.

 

[Aictos]

I do remember at one point there being Delaine, Viscount and the Peterborough Bus Company; the last one had red buses.

 

[Robertj21a]

The main operator was Eastern Counties until that business was split in 1984 with the Cambridgeshire operations forming Cambus. Subsequently privatised, the management split the business again so Peterborough and March depots became Viscount though still in common ownership as Cambus Holdings Ltd (CHL). They were bought by Stagecoach.

Other NBC firms visiting were Midland Red (later Midland Fox) from Leicester and Uppingham, and United Counties from Northampton and Kettering, not least operating the Kettering/Corby - Peterborough rail link service.

Wasn't Viscount later sold to Julian Peddle (and also Milton Keynes Citybus)?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Wasn't Viscount later sold to Julian Peddle (and also Milton Keynes Citybus)?

No - what happened was that United Counties was one of the original Stagecoach purchases from the National Bus Co. When they then purchased CHL Holdings (who were Cambus + Viscount + Milton Keynes Citybus and its subsidiaries), that established a monopoly stretching from Newmarket across Cambs/Northants/Beds and into Buckinghamshire. They were therefore instructed to divest Milton Keynes (MK) and the United Counties depot at Huntingdon in order to create some breaking of territory whilst keeping the Cambus and Viscount businesses.

They were sold to Peddle's Status Group with Premier Buses at Huntingdon, and MK Metro in MK. MK was subsequently sold to Arriva but not before the modern but oversized Winterhill depot was sold for development.

Huntingdon was subsequently sold to Blazefield as Huntingdon & District, who later exited the South East in stages and selling those ops to Cavalier Travel (of Long Sutton??). They were subsequently purchased by Stagecoach but the Monopolies Commission (or whoever it was at that time) didn't feel the need to instruct any divestiture.

 

[Robertj21a]

No - what happened was that United Counties was one of the original Stagecoach purchases from the National Bus Co. When they then purchased CHL Holdings (who were Cambus + Viscount + Milton Keynes Citybus and its subsidiaries), that established a monopoly stretching from Newmarket across Cambs/Northants/Beds and into Buckinghamshire. They were therefore instructed to divest Milton Keynes (MK) and the United Counties depot at Huntingdon in order to create some breaking of territory whilst keeping the Cambus and Viscount businesses.

They were sold to Peddle's Status Group with Premier Buses at Huntingdon, and MK Metro in MK. MK was subsequently sold to Arriva but not before the modern but oversized Winterhill depot was sold for development.

Huntingdon was subsequently sold to Blazefield as Huntingdon & District, who later exited the South East in stages and selling those ops to Cavalier Travel (of Long Sutton??). They were subsequently purchased by Stagecoach but the Monopolies Commission (or whoever it was at that time) didn't feel the need to instruct any divestiture.

Thanks, I'd totally forgotten about the Premier Buses interlude.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thanks, I'd totally forgotten about the Premier Buses interlude.

No worries - I’m always forgetting stuff

 

[Roger1973]

I have found this photo (not mine) of a bus in 'Peterborough bus Company' red livery, but it appears to be Viscount owned.

Was PBC an identity / trading name of Viscount, or a company they took over?

There was also Fen Travel (although they may have been early 90s not late 80s)

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I have found this photo (not mine) of a bus in 'Peterborough bus Company' red livery, but it appears to be Viscount owned.

Was PBC an identity / trading name of Viscount, or a company they took over?

There was also Fen Travel (although they may have been early 90s not late 80s)

Yep - it was a trading ID of Viscount, hence the stylised V; might even have been a response to Fen Travel’s commercial incursion but it’s nearly 30 years ago so I can’t quite recall

 

[Stan Drews]

I have found this photo (not mine) of a bus in 'Peterborough bus Company' red livery, but it appears to be Viscount owned.

Was PBC an identity / trading name of Viscount, or a company they took over?

There was also Fen Travel (although they may have been early 90s not late 80s)

Yes, PBC was just a trading name of Viscount. I think it originated largely as a competitive tool, but by the mid 90s the random buses painted in those colours were simply used on the same routes as the regular Viscount (and Stagecoach stripes) liveried fleet. I seem to recall there were at least Leyland Olympians, Bristol VRs and Metroriders in the red PBC colours.

 

[SCH117X]

Barton Transport operated there from Stamford and originally Nottingham until 1988.

 

[philthetube]

Technically, although not what you were looking for, many of the National Express services at that time were stage licenced and so were classed as buses. There was also the 792 Ipswich to Peterborough, jointly operated by Premier Travel; definitely a long distance bus route.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I'm a little surprised that no one has mentioned Morley's of Whittlesey?

Another NBC firm that visited in the early 1980s was Lincolnshire Road Car; they had a 507 route from Skegness and Boston to Peterborough

 

[SCH117X]

Did any operator have a protected zone - if not any service would have carried local passengers prior to such being allowed in 1986. Bartons presence was through their 1961 acquisition of WH Patch "Cream Buses" of Stamford who operated two different routes to Peterborough, one via Barnack, Bainton and Ufford and the other via Wittering, Wansford and Castor.