A Mayne & Son Ltd
Encyclopedia
The Mayne Group, is a coach operator based in the north west of England
, trading as Mayne Coaches, owned by Stephen Mayne. Coach services are operated from Warrington
and Manchester
. A family run business since 1920, the bus operations were sold to Stagecoach Group
on 21 January 2008, marking the demise of the oldest bus operator, to have retained its independence, in Manchester.
Mayne are not to be confused with Maynes, an operator of blue and gold liveried coaches based in Buckie
, Scotland
.
, which also houses the group accounting functions. Warrington coach operations are operated from a purpose built office and depot complex on Marsh House Lane.
The coach fleet consists of red and cream liveried coaches which include:
All coaches carry the brand name Mayne.
Coach services would stop when the Second World War broke out and struggled to recover after the war ended, with the costs of fuel, labour and vehicles rising and passenger numbers dropped due to the increase of cars on the road. During the 1960s, the company would received numerous offers from Manchester Corporation Transport to take over Mayne. By resisting the offers, the company was able to grow steadily and would increase its services in the 1980s.
The Warrington operation was acquired through the purchase of Barry Cooper Coaches of Grappenhall Road, Warrington by members of the Mayne family in 1982. Although this was originally a separate business to Mayne, the Mayne name and red and cream livery were soon adopted to aid interoperability
and further the company brand. In 1989 the coach operations in Manchester expanded into the Fairclough Street depot. In 1998 Barry Cooper coaches was renamed Mayne Coaches, and moved to its present site.
Over the years the company has grown from an initial purpose built coach in 1925 and new bus in 1929, with expansion coming through acquisition of local bus and coach operators, and through purchases of new buses and coaches. The company resisted numerous attempts at nationalisation due to a licensing agreement made in 1930 with Manchester Corporation regarding bus service provision.
Once free of such restrictions and political pressure in 1986, due to deregulation of bus services
, the company went on to survive the new era of competitive bus service operation, until sale of the bus operations in January 2008.
Having always been a family run business, Mayne's bus division was sold to the Stagecoach Group
after the children of the current managing director, Stephen Mayne, did not express an interest in running the company.. The Ashton New Road bus depot was sold to supermarket chain Aldi
, which commenced demolition in December 2007. The bus fleet then briefly operated from the Fairclough Street coach depot, supplemented with temporary parking at the adjacent Velodrome. After obtaining Office of Fair Trading
clearance on 10 January 2008, the sale of the bus fleet and registrations was completed on 21 January 2008.
The company remains as a coach operator, still under the ownership of Stephen Mayne, with the Head office at Warrington.
and Manchester
via Ashton New Road. Mayne operated a diverse fleet of distinctive red and cream liveried single and double deck buses acquired singly or in small batches. One of the largest purchases was a batch of five East Lancs bodied Dennis Tridents
bought new in 1999, striking in appearance compared to contemporary buses of the time. All buses carried the brand name Mayne.
Following the sale, the 37 bus vehicle Maynes fleet in Manchester, was transferred to Stagecoach Manchester's Hyde Road depot, with Mayne services becoming integrated into Stagecoach Manchester, and the Maynes fleet undergoing a repaint into Stagecoach colours.
A small number of ex Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, East Lancs bodied Scanias were retained by the company for use on schools contracts.
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
, trading as Mayne Coaches, owned by Stephen Mayne. Coach services are operated from Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. A family run business since 1920, the bus operations were sold to Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
on 21 January 2008, marking the demise of the oldest bus operator, to have retained its independence, in Manchester.
Mayne are not to be confused with Maynes, an operator of blue and gold liveried coaches based in Buckie
Buckie
Buckie is a burgh town on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland in Moray. Buckie was the largest town in Banffshire by some thousands of inhabitants before regionalisation in 1975 removed that political division from the map of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Company locations
The Mayne Group head office was located in the bus operations depot on Ashton New Road, Clayton, before the sale of bus services. Manchester coach operations are undertaken from a depot nearby in Fairclough Street, adjacent to Manchester VelodromeManchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
, which also houses the group accounting functions. Warrington coach operations are operated from a purpose built office and depot complex on Marsh House Lane.
Coach operations
Mayne operate coaches for private hire, leisure travel and operate many school contracts.The coach fleet consists of red and cream liveried coaches which include:
- PlaxtonPlaxtonPlaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
- Premiere (Mostly converted into 70 seaters)
- Profile
- UVG
- Unistar
- IrizarIrizarIrizar Group is a Spanish-based builder of luxury coach vehicle bodies, established in 1889. It is located in Ormaiztegi in the Basque Country, Spain...
- i4
- Intercentury
- PBIrizar PBThe Irizar PB is a coach body built on a wide range of chassis. It was designed by Arup Design Research in the UK. Its revolutionary styling and features led to the variant with a Scania chassis being named European Coach of the Year 2004....
- VDL Bova
- Futura
- ScaniaScaniaScania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
- Omniexpress
All coaches carry the brand name Mayne.
Company history
The company was formed before the First World War, originally delivering furniture from its shop in Bradford, Manchester. Maynes branched out into coach excursions in the 1920s, running trips to the coast and to Buxton. They would later expand their coaches to run trips to football matches and race meetings. By the start of the 1930s, the company concentrated on passenger transport and would continue to grow during the 1930s and moved to its present HQ on Ashton New Road in Clayton. They were previously based in Beswick.Coach services would stop when the Second World War broke out and struggled to recover after the war ended, with the costs of fuel, labour and vehicles rising and passenger numbers dropped due to the increase of cars on the road. During the 1960s, the company would received numerous offers from Manchester Corporation Transport to take over Mayne. By resisting the offers, the company was able to grow steadily and would increase its services in the 1980s.
The Warrington operation was acquired through the purchase of Barry Cooper Coaches of Grappenhall Road, Warrington by members of the Mayne family in 1982. Although this was originally a separate business to Mayne, the Mayne name and red and cream livery were soon adopted to aid interoperability
Interoperability
Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together . The term is often used in a technical systems engineering sense, or alternatively in a broad sense, taking into account social, political, and organizational factors that impact system to...
and further the company brand. In 1989 the coach operations in Manchester expanded into the Fairclough Street depot. In 1998 Barry Cooper coaches was renamed Mayne Coaches, and moved to its present site.
Over the years the company has grown from an initial purpose built coach in 1925 and new bus in 1929, with expansion coming through acquisition of local bus and coach operators, and through purchases of new buses and coaches. The company resisted numerous attempts at nationalisation due to a licensing agreement made in 1930 with Manchester Corporation regarding bus service provision.
Once free of such restrictions and political pressure in 1986, due to deregulation of bus services
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
, the company went on to survive the new era of competitive bus service operation, until sale of the bus operations in January 2008.
Having always been a family run business, Mayne's bus division was sold to the Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
after the children of the current managing director, Stephen Mayne, did not express an interest in running the company.. The Ashton New Road bus depot was sold to supermarket chain Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
, which commenced demolition in December 2007. The bus fleet then briefly operated from the Fairclough Street coach depot, supplemented with temporary parking at the adjacent Velodrome. After obtaining Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
clearance on 10 January 2008, the sale of the bus fleet and registrations was completed on 21 January 2008.
The company remains as a coach operator, still under the ownership of Stephen Mayne, with the Head office at Warrington.
Former bus services
Bus services were operated mainly in East Manchester, with the majority of services running between Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
via Ashton New Road. Mayne operated a diverse fleet of distinctive red and cream liveried single and double deck buses acquired singly or in small batches. One of the largest purchases was a batch of five East Lancs bodied Dennis Tridents
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
bought new in 1999, striking in appearance compared to contemporary buses of the time. All buses carried the brand name Mayne.
Following the sale, the 37 bus vehicle Maynes fleet in Manchester, was transferred to Stagecoach Manchester's Hyde Road depot, with Mayne services becoming integrated into Stagecoach Manchester, and the Maynes fleet undergoing a repaint into Stagecoach colours.
A small number of ex Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company, East Lancs bodied Scanias were retained by the company for use on schools contracts.