Former municipal bus companies of the United Kingdom

This is a of former municipal bus companies of the United Kingdom and a brief description of their fate, with the exception of the several municipals which disappeared in 1968 and 1974 with the formation of the PTE bus operations.

Of the remaining municipals, post-1986 many were sold off or collapsed in the process of bus deregulation, which required their spearation into stand-alone arms length companies.

Only a handful of municipal operators remain, with some securing their futures with equity partnership deals with private operators. Of the remaining operators, Cardiff Bus, Lothian Buses and Nottingham City Transport are the largest.

Former UK local authority-owned bus companies

The companies listed here were sold or ceased operating after 1986.

*Barrow Borough Transport

*Blackburn Transport On 22 January 2007, Lancashire United acquired the business of Blackburn Transport from Blackburn with Darwen Council.

*Yellow Buses, Bournemouth Bournemouth's Yellow Buses was sold to Transdev on December 17, 2005 for £15m, after the Liberal Democrat-controlled borough council decided that it could not satisfactorily invest in the company itself. The Conservatives, who had long supported Yellow Buses' retention, have called for an independent inquiry. Transdev returned 10% of the equity to the council. The undertaking had been under municipal control or ownership for over 100 years.

*Brighton Borough Transport The municipal operator in Brighton was sold to its employees in December 1993, using the operating name Brighton Blue Bus. Go-Ahead Group purchased the company in May 1997 and subsequently integrated the company into its existing Brighton & Hove operations.

*Burnley & Pendle Transport Burnley & Pendle was jointly owned by Burnley and Pendle councils. Liberal Democrat-controlled Pendle council's 50% share was sold to Stagecoach in February 1996. At the time, Labour-controlled Burnley council stated at the time that it had no intention of selling its share in the company, but it was not able to invest sufficient funds in the company and voted in October 1996 to sell its share to Stagecoach. Stagecoach was later to sell the former Burnley & Pendle garage and operations to Blazefield Group in 2001, reviving the red-and-cream livery and fleetname. The Blazefield Group has since been bought by Transdev.

*ChesterBus In June 2007 ChesterBus was sold to FirstGroup by Chester City Council. The sale process was longer than anticipated due to a court case against Arriva North West and Wales. Only the operations were sold, and as of July 2007, the fleet and depot remained in Council ownership, on temporary loan to the new owner.

*Chesterfield Transport

*Cleveland Transit

*Colchester Borough Transport Acquired by British Bus in October 1993, which was subsequently sold to the Cowie Group, the bus operations of Colchester were rebranded as Arriva Colchester when Cowie renamed itself Arriva in 1997. The company later passed to Tellings-Golden Miller control and goes under the name Network Colchester. Tellings-Golden Miller has recently since been bought by Arriva, bringing Colchester operations back under their control.

*Cynon Valley Transport

*Darlington Transport Amid widely-reported events, the bus operations of Darlington council went into administration in November 1994 during an attempted sale, due to historical financial difficulties and the effects of the Darlington Bus War.

*Derby City Transport

*Grampian Regional Transport Sold to its emloyees in January 1989, and expanded into the GRT Group, precursor to FirstGroup.

*Great Yarmouth Transport Great Yarmouth's 49-vehicle fleet and operations were acquired by FirstBus in September 1996 for £1.1 million. The services initially operated under the Blue Bus (f) moniker, but operations were eventually absorbed into sister company Eastern Counties.

*Grimsby-Cleethorpes Transport The 111 vehicle bus operations of the boroughs of Grimsby and Cleethorpes were sold to Stagecoach in November 1993.

*Hartlepool Transport The company was acquired by Stagecoach in December 1994." [http://www.competition-commission.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1995/fulltext/360a3.3.pdf Acquisitions by Stagecoach, April 1987 to September 1995 (Competition Commission), accessed September 25, 2007] "] It was subsequently merged into the Cleveland Transit susidiary of Stagecoach North East.

*Hyndburn Transport Hyndburn council, based in Accrington, sold its bus operations to Stagecoach in September 1996. The operation was soon merged into sister-company Stagecoach Ribble, with the garage in Accrington closed and services operated from the Ribble garage in neighbouring Blackburn. Stagecoach was later to sell its Blackburn garage and operations to Blazefield Group in 2001, which operates the services under the fleetname Lancashire United. The Blazefield Group has since been bought by Transdev.

*Inter-Valley Link

*Kingston-upon-Hull City Transport Former municipal Cleveland Transport bought Kingston upon Hull's municipal bus operations in December 1993, offering a 49% stake in the company back to the employees. The operation passed into the hands of Stagecoach in September 1994.

*Lancaster City Transport The company was placed on the market by Lancaster City Council on December 16, 1992. Interest was expressed in buying the company as a going concern by Blackpool Transport Services and MTL, owners of Merseybus. However, following increased competition by Stagecoach, it was decided to wind the company up. On August 22, 1993 the company ceased trading, having sold the depot and its twelve newest buses to Stagecoach (North West). [ [http://www.competition-commission.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/1993/fulltext/344c2.pdf "A report on the merger situation between Stagecoach Holdings plc and Lancaster City Transport Limited" (Competition Commission), accessed September 24, 2007] ]

*Leicester CityBus Leicester City Council sold its bus operations to GRT Group (the former Aberdeen bus operator) in November 1993. Trading now as First Leicester.

*Lincoln City Transport

*Boro'line Maidstone Boro'line Maidstone was formed in 1986 as an arms length company of Maidstone Borough Council from their historical transport arm. After brief expansion into London tendered routes, financial difficulties saw the council attempt to sell the company. The london operations were sold to Kentish Bus, and after a period of operation in administration, the Maidstone operations were sold to Maidstone & District, ending the Boro'line identity.

*Merthyr Tydfil Transport

*Northampton Transport The municipal operations of Northampton were sold to GRT Group in October 1993 and today operate under the name First Northampton.

*Portsmouth City Transport

*Preston Bus Sold to its employees in 1993. Still in business but currently in increased competition with Stagecoach North West as of 2007.

*Southampton Citybus Southampton Citybus was sold to its employees in December 1993. First Group bought the company in 1997, initially renamed as First Southampton, which was to merge with the former People's Provincial operations in Portsmouth in 1999 to operate as First Hampshire, today known as First Hampshire & Dorset.

*Southend Corporation Transport The company was acquired by the British Bus Group in June, 1993."Buses: Focus on British Bus Fleets Today", Shepperton, 1994] In 1997 it became part of the rebranded Arriva group as Arriva Southend.

*Taff Ely Transport

*Tayside Transport

ee also

*Bus deregulation
*History of the PTE bus operations

External links

References