Blazefield Group
Encyclopedia
Transdev Blazefield is one of the main bus
groups in England
. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire
and Lancashire
regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev
.
At its inception there were nine operating subsidiaries: Harrogate & District, Harrogate Independent Travel, Keighley & District, Northern Rose, Rover Coaches, Sovereign Bus & Coach, Sovereign Buses (Harrow), Welwyn Hatfield Line and Yorkshire Coastliner.
AJS had owned West Yorkshire Road Car and London Country North East
. LCNE was broken into two, Sovereign Bus & Coach and County Bus & Coach; only Sovereign became part of Blazefield. West Yorkshire was broken into its six depots, Leeds
, Bradford
, York
, Malton
, Harrogate
and Keighley
. Leeds and Bradford passed to Rider Group on 13 August 1989, which owned Yorkshire Rider
(now First Leeds
), while the remaining four depots became York City & District, Yorkshire Coastliner, Harrogate & District and Keighley & District respectively. The York operation was taken by Rider Group on 29 July 1990.
Expansion soon followed with the purchase of 14-vehicle Cambridge Coach Services from AJS in November 1991 and Watford
-based Lucketts during the same month. Ingfield of Settle was added in April 1992 and was merged with Keighley-based Northern Rose to form Ingfield-Northern Rose.
In 1993 Harrogate Independent Travel - which had been set up as an independent in 1986 by a number of West Yorkshires Harrogate drivers to challenge their employer - was absorbed into Harrogate & District. In 1994 Blazefield made one of its most significant acquisitions was Borehamwood Travel Services (BTS), with 43 vehicles, 22 of which were AEC Routemasters for London route 13 (Golders Green
- Aldwych
). It was renamed London Sovereign.
By this time the Group owned 380 vehicles.
In 1994 Ingfield-Northern Rose bought Whaites Coaches of Settle
. At the same time Sovereign was locked in battle with Universitybus
. Blazefield was also supposedly behind Petlen Travel, trading as Noddy Bus, using old Sovereign buses.
In 1996 Harrogate & District grew again when it acquired Cowie's United operation in Ripon
. In 1998 Huntingdon & District was created with the operations of Premier Buses, owned by Julian Peddle
, but was sold to Cavalier of Sutton Bridge in 2004. Cambridge Coach Services was sold to National Express
-owned Airlinks in 1999.
On Sunday 15 April 2001, Stagecoach
Ribble's East Lancashire
operations were acquired. Two new subsidiaries were formed, Burnley & Pendle
at Burnley and Pendle depots and Lancashire United
at Blackburn, Bolton and Clitheroe. Bolton was quickly sold on to independent Blue Bus of Horwich
. At both subsidiaries great improvement has been made, such as most of the Stagecoach buses have been replaced.
During November 2002 Sovereign London was sold to the Transdev Group
, and it became London Sovereign. In early 2005 the Competition Commission
gave the thumbs-up for Blazefield's deal to sell what was left of Sovereign to Arriva Shires & Essex
. The St Albans
operation had already been sold to Centrebus
of Leicester
, with whom it became InMotion St Albans.
On 4 January 2006 the Group was sold to Transdev, taking their British bus fleet to just over 1,200.
In 2008, Transdev Blazefield purchased two bus operations in York - City Sightseeing franchise Top Line Travel and Veolia's bus operation, based at the same location - Fulford. Blazefield operates Yorkshire Coastliner (Malton) and Harrogate & District, both of whom operate into York. Top Line Travel was set up in 2002 and took over from Guide Friday open-top bus tours in York and now operates 10 of these vehicles plus a small number of local service buses and school contracts. Veolia moved into York towards the end of 2006 after it won the contracts to operate a number of local bus routes; it is administered by Top Line Travel.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
groups in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
.
History
Giles Fearnley and Stuart Wilde established Blazefield in 1991 when they purchased 70% of Alan Stephenson's AJS Group.At its inception there were nine operating subsidiaries: Harrogate & District, Harrogate Independent Travel, Keighley & District, Northern Rose, Rover Coaches, Sovereign Bus & Coach, Sovereign Buses (Harrow), Welwyn Hatfield Line and Yorkshire Coastliner.
AJS had owned West Yorkshire Road Car and London Country North East
London Country North East
London Country North East was a bus operator in South East England and London. It was formed from the split of London Country Bus Services in 1986 and operated a fleet of around 350 buses from six garages, with its headquarters located in Hatfield....
. LCNE was broken into two, Sovereign Bus & Coach and County Bus & Coach; only Sovereign became part of Blazefield. West Yorkshire was broken into its six depots, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, Malton
Malton, North Yorkshire
Malton is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The town is the location of the offices of Ryedale District Council and has a population of around 4,000 people....
, Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
and Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
. Leeds and Bradford passed to Rider Group on 13 August 1989, which owned Yorkshire Rider
Yorkshire Rider
-History:Yorkshire Rider was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The West Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arm's length operating company was created. In 1988 the undertaking became fully privatised when it was subject to an...
(now First Leeds
First Leeds
First Leeds is one of the bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
), while the remaining four depots became York City & District, Yorkshire Coastliner, Harrogate & District and Keighley & District respectively. The York operation was taken by Rider Group on 29 July 1990.
Expansion soon followed with the purchase of 14-vehicle Cambridge Coach Services from AJS in November 1991 and Watford
Watford
Watford is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, situated northwest of central London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. The borough is separated from Greater London to the south by the urbanised parish of Watford Rural in the Three Rivers District.Watford was created as an urban...
-based Lucketts during the same month. Ingfield of Settle was added in April 1992 and was merged with Keighley-based Northern Rose to form Ingfield-Northern Rose.
In 1993 Harrogate Independent Travel - which had been set up as an independent in 1986 by a number of West Yorkshires Harrogate drivers to challenge their employer - was absorbed into Harrogate & District. In 1994 Blazefield made one of its most significant acquisitions was Borehamwood Travel Services (BTS), with 43 vehicles, 22 of which were AEC Routemasters for London route 13 (Golders Green
Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Although having some earlier history, it is essentially a 19th century suburban development situated about 5.3 miles north west of Charing Cross and centred on the crossroads of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.In the...
- Aldwych
Aldwych
Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England.-Description:Aldwych, the road, is a crescent, connected to the Strand at both ends. At its centre, it meets the Kingsway...
). It was renamed London Sovereign.
By this time the Group owned 380 vehicles.
In 1994 Ingfield-Northern Rose bought Whaites Coaches of Settle
Settle
Settle is a small market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is served by the Settle railway station, which is located near the town centre, and Giggleswick railway station which is a mile away. It is from Leeds Bradford Airport...
. At the same time Sovereign was locked in battle with Universitybus
Uno (bus company)
Uno is a bus service operated by the University of Hertfordshire, England, serving members of the general public, and also its own students and staff...
. Blazefield was also supposedly behind Petlen Travel, trading as Noddy Bus, using old Sovereign buses.
In 1996 Harrogate & District grew again when it acquired Cowie's United operation in Ripon
Ripon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
. In 1998 Huntingdon & District was created with the operations of Premier Buses, owned by Julian Peddle
Julian Peddle
Julian Peddle is an entrepreneur who has worked in the bus industry since the early 1980s, having owned or part-owned numerous bus companies. He spent 11 years as co-owner of Stevensons of Uttoxeter between 1983 and 1994, having previously been its traffic manager...
, but was sold to Cavalier of Sutton Bridge in 2004. Cambridge Coach Services was sold to National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
-owned Airlinks in 1999.
On Sunday 15 April 2001, Stagecoach
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...
Ribble's East Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
operations were acquired. Two new subsidiaries were formed, Burnley & Pendle
Burnley & Pendle
Transdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester...
at Burnley and Pendle depots and Lancashire United
Lancashire United
Transdev Lancashire United is an English bus operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings and has since overcome other operators...
at Blackburn, Bolton and Clitheroe. Bolton was quickly sold on to independent Blue Bus of Horwich
Blue Bus of Bolton
Blue Bus and Coach Services Ltd was a large independent bus company serving the area of Greater Manchester. The company operated within the area covered by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, as well as areas of Lancashire and Merseyside...
. At both subsidiaries great improvement has been made, such as most of the Stagecoach buses have been replaced.
During November 2002 Sovereign London was sold to the Transdev Group
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
, and it became London Sovereign. In early 2005 the Competition Commission
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission is a non-departmental public body responsible for investigating mergers, markets and other enquiries related to regulated industries under competition law in the United Kingdom...
gave the thumbs-up for Blazefield's deal to sell what was left of Sovereign to Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex
Arriva Shires & Essex is a division of Arriva, with operations in Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London. It is one of many private operators of London Buses. Until 2002 its operations included Colchester...
. The St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
operation had already been sold to Centrebus
Centrebus
Centrebus is a privately owned company that operate a number of services around Leicester and Leicestershire, Grantham, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, mainly in areas where Arriva has scaled down its bus operations. Centrebus also competes with Arriva on some routes in Leicester, Luton and Stevenage...
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, with whom it became InMotion St Albans.
On 4 January 2006 the Group was sold to Transdev, taking their British bus fleet to just over 1,200.
In 2008, Transdev Blazefield purchased two bus operations in York - City Sightseeing franchise Top Line Travel and Veolia's bus operation, based at the same location - Fulford. Blazefield operates Yorkshire Coastliner (Malton) and Harrogate & District, both of whom operate into York. Top Line Travel was set up in 2002 and took over from Guide Friday open-top bus tours in York and now operates 10 of these vehicles plus a small number of local service buses and school contracts. Veolia moved into York towards the end of 2006 after it won the contracts to operate a number of local bus routes; it is administered by Top Line Travel.
Operations
- Burnley & PendleBurnley & PendleTransdev Burnley & Pendle is a bus operator running within the boroughs of Burnley and Pendle, and into the surrounding areas including Accrington, Keighley and the high profile express service to Manchester...
- Harrogate & DistrictHarrogate & DistrictTransdev Harrogate & District is a local bus operator based in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
- Lancashire UnitedLancashire UnitedTransdev Lancashire United is an English bus operator, running mainly in and around the boroughs of Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley. The company was founded in April 2001 following the buyout of Stagecoach Ribble by Blazefield Holdings and has since overcome other operators...
- Keighley & DistrictKeighley & DistrictKeighley & District is a bus company based in Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Blazefield Group which is itself owned by the international transport company Transdev....
- Yorkshire CoastlinerYorkshire CoastlinerYorkshire Coastliner is a bus operator based in Malton in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by the Blazefield Group who also own, amongst others, Harrogate & District and Keighley & District in Yorkshire....
- Transdev YorkTransdev YorkTransdev York is one of seven companies within the Blazefield Group. Blazefield is owned by Transdev, a large French transport operator and the sixth largest bus operator in the UK.-History:...