First Midland Red
Encyclopedia
First Midland Red is a bus company operating in Herefordshire
and Worcestershire
in the English Midlands
. The company was formed in 1981, and until 1999 was known as Midland Red West. It is owned by First Group.
's (NBC) massive Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) subsidiary was split in 1981 in preparation for privatisation. It was created in September 1981 with a fleet of 183 vehicles. The local brand names Reddibus, Severnlink, Wandaward, Wayfarer and Wendaway, created by Midland Red as a result of the Market Analysis Project (MAP), continued.
Based in Worcester
, Midland Red (West) Limited's main areas of operation were Worcestershire, Herefordshire and parts of Shropshire
and parts of the West Midlands conurbation, including Birmingham
. Birmingham was also served by the other companies formed from the breakup of Midland Red.
es to operate its urban network in Worcester as part of a new high-frequency service within the City, operating under the Citibus trading name. The distinctive yellow, orange and blue liveried Mercedes
L608Ds displaced larger buses such as Leyland National
s onto interurban routes. At its launch the service was the UK's largest urban bus service operated by minibuses.
In March 1986 a similar, but much smaller, minibus service was launched for the Kidderminster
and Stourport area under the Wyre Forest Shuttle brand. Also operated by Mercedes L608Ds, the buses sported an almost identical livery to the Citibus fleet, with the blue colouring changed to green. A month later minibus operations were also rolled out in Redditch
under the Reddilink brand, though larger buses still continued to operate throughout the town on some routes. The L608Ds used here carried a red and yellow livery similar to that of Citibus.
The livery of many of its vehicles changed from the NBC's poppy red to a deeper red and cream livery. The company also sported a new logo of a Wyvern
to replace the NBC's 'double N' motif. Apart from being the name of an imaginary creature, the name Wyvern was also a portmanteau of the 2 major rivers which run through Herefordshire and Worcestershire; the Wye and Severn.
In 1987 Midland Red West Holdings Limited purchased the Bristol Omnibus Company
(BOC) from the NBC. BOC at the time was operating urban services around the Bristol
area under the City Line trading name, which was kept.
In 1988 minibus operations were finally launched in Hereford
under the Hereford Hopper brand. Also operated by newer Mercedes L609Ds, the buses sported an almost identical livery to the Citibus fleet, with the blue colouring changed to green.
es, which were put in to service at the firm's Digbeth depot, displacing all that depot's Leyland Nationals. Eight of these Lynxes shortly found their way to Redditch depot and two years later five of these eight Redditch Lynxes ended up at Kidderminster depot, while Redditch acquired four more from Digbeth.
In 1994 37 new Plaxton Verde
-bodied Dennis Lance
s, which were now the Badgerline Group's standard full-size single deck bus, appeared at Digbeth depot, displacing the existing Leyland Lynxes to Kidderminster and Redditch depots.
The introduction of the First trading name brought to an end nearly a century of the Midland Red name appearing on buses, although this name appeared on a repainted Alexander Dennis Enviro300 and Leyland National to celebrate the centenary of the creation of Midland Red.
First Midland Red forms, with First Leicester
and First Northampton
and as of September 2010 the Staffordshire depots of First Potteries
, the First Midlands
group. In 2008 the registered office of First Midland Red Buses Limited moved from Worcester to that used by First Leicester in Abbey Lane, Leicester
.
site on behalf of Worcestershire County Council. A fleet of new Caetano Nimbus
-bodied Dennis Dart
s were leased for the service, which were branded Worcester North, and operated the service from the Park and Ride site, located in the Perdiswell area of the city, to the city centre and vice versa.
In 2005, two new circular bus routes (W2 and W3) were introduced by the county ouncil which included the Park and Ride site as a stop. These services were introduced as part of the county council's new Worcester Express services and were also operated by First Midland Red Buses under the Worcester Express brand. The existing Worcester North service between the city centre and Park and Ride site was also rebranded as Worcester Express, and operated as the W1 service. In February 2008 First Midland Red Buses lost the W1 Park and Ride contract which was now operated directly by the county council with their own fleet of brand-new buses under the Woosh brand.
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. The company was formed in 1981, and until 1999 was known as Midland Red West. It is owned by First Group.
Creation and early history
Midland Red (West) Limited, using the trading name Midland Red West, was one of five bus operating companies created when the National Bus CompanyNational Bus Company UK
The National Bus Company was, from 1969 to 1988, a nationalised bus company in England and Wales. NBC did not run buses itself, but was the owner of a number of regional subsidiary bus operating companies.-History:-Background:...
's (NBC) massive Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) subsidiary was split in 1981 in preparation for privatisation. It was created in September 1981 with a fleet of 183 vehicles. The local brand names Reddibus, Severnlink, Wandaward, Wayfarer and Wendaway, created by Midland Red as a result of the Market Analysis Project (MAP), continued.
Based in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, Midland Red (West) Limited's main areas of operation were Worcestershire, Herefordshire and parts of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and parts of the West Midlands conurbation, including Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. Birmingham was also served by the other companies formed from the breakup of Midland Red.
Minibus operations
In November 1985 Midland Red (West) Limited introduced a fleet of 60 new minibusMinibus
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger carrying van. Minibuses have a...
es to operate its urban network in Worcester as part of a new high-frequency service within the City, operating under the Citibus trading name. The distinctive yellow, orange and blue liveried Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz buses
Mercedes-Benz has been making buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. Since 1995, the brand of Mercedes-Benz buses and coaches is under the umbrella of EvoBus GmbH, belonging 100 % to the Daimler AG.-Heritage:...
L608Ds displaced larger buses such as Leyland National
Leyland National
The Leyland National is a British single-deck bus built in large quantities between 1972 and 1985. It was developed as a joint project between two UK nationalised industries - the National Bus Company and British Leyland. Buses were constructed at a specially built factory at the Lillyhall...
s onto interurban routes. At its launch the service was the UK's largest urban bus service operated by minibuses.
In March 1986 a similar, but much smaller, minibus service was launched for the Kidderminster
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
and Stourport area under the Wyre Forest Shuttle brand. Also operated by Mercedes L608Ds, the buses sported an almost identical livery to the Citibus fleet, with the blue colouring changed to green. A month later minibus operations were also rolled out in Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
under the Reddilink brand, though larger buses still continued to operate throughout the town on some routes. The L608Ds used here carried a red and yellow livery similar to that of Citibus.
Privatisation
In December 1986 the company was sold by the NBC to Midland Red West Holdings Limited, a management buyout company created by Midland Red (West) Limited's employees. There was also a minor change in the company name, from Midland Red (West) Limited to Midland Red West Limited. The company kept the Midland Red West trading name because of the strength and recognition of the brand. The management buyout also took the 40-vehicle fleet of Midland Red Coaches, which was merged with the main operation.The livery of many of its vehicles changed from the NBC's poppy red to a deeper red and cream livery. The company also sported a new logo of a Wyvern
Wyvern
A wyvern or wivern is a legendary winged reptilian creature with a dragon's head, two legs , and a barbed tail. The wyvern is found in heraldry. There exists a purely sea-dwelling variant, termed the Sea-Wyvern which has a fish tail in place of a barbed dragon's tail...
to replace the NBC's 'double N' motif. Apart from being the name of an imaginary creature, the name Wyvern was also a portmanteau of the 2 major rivers which run through Herefordshire and Worcestershire; the Wye and Severn.
In 1987 Midland Red West Holdings Limited purchased the Bristol Omnibus Company
Bristol Omnibus Company
The Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
(BOC) from the NBC. BOC at the time was operating urban services around the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
area under the City Line trading name, which was kept.
In 1988 minibus operations were finally launched in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
under the Hereford Hopper brand. Also operated by newer Mercedes L609Ds, the buses sported an almost identical livery to the Citibus fleet, with the blue colouring changed to green.
Badgerline Group
In 1988 Midland Red West Holdings Limited was acquired by Badgerline Holdings Limited (a management buyout company which had purchased Badgerline Limited from the NBC operating rural services around the Bristol area). The trading names of Midland Red West and Badgerline remained unchanged as did vehicle livery, though many of Midland Red West's Leyland Lynxes sported a badger motif on the rear sides of the vehicle. The merger reunited the two consituent parts of Bristol Omnibus Company, City Line and the Bristol country services which had been separated from BOC in 1986.Fleet modernisation
In 1990 Midland Red West Limited began to expand and modernise its fleet of full-size single deck buses by purchasing 50 Leyland LynxLeyland Lynx
The Leyland Lynx is a single-decker bus built by Leyland between 1984 and 1992. It was designed to replace the ageing Leyland National.Production vehicles began to enter service in 1986. From 1990 to 1992 the updated Lynx II version was produced...
es, which were put in to service at the firm's Digbeth depot, displacing all that depot's Leyland Nationals. Eight of these Lynxes shortly found their way to Redditch depot and two years later five of these eight Redditch Lynxes ended up at Kidderminster depot, while Redditch acquired four more from Digbeth.
In 1994 37 new Plaxton Verde
Plaxton Verde
The Plaxton Verde was a single-decker bus body built by Plaxton between 1991 and 1997. It was built on rear-engined chassis, the most popular of which was the Dennis Lance which accounted for over half of the Verdes built. The rest were on Volvo B10B, DAF SB220 and Scania N113 chassis.The Verde has...
-bodied Dennis Lance
Dennis Lance
The Dennis Lance is a single-decker bus built by Dennis between 1991 and 2000, replacing the Dennis Falcon. Its low-floor variant, the Dennis Lance SLF, was built between 1993 and 1996...
s, which were now the Badgerline Group's standard full-size single deck bus, appeared at Digbeth depot, displacing the existing Leyland Lynxes to Kidderminster and Redditch depots.
FirstGroup
In 1995 the Badgerline Group merged with Grampian Regional Transport Limited (GRT) to create FirstBus which, because of other transport interests, renamed itself FirstGroup in 1998. Now part of FirstGroup, Midland Red West Limited changed its company name to First Midland Red Buses Limited in 1999. The trading name and livery of vehicles gradually changed over the years as part of a four-step phased change rather than an instant 'overnight' change. These changes, which were also implemented with many of First's other bus operating companies, were:- Original livery and typeface remaining with just FirstBus transfers in the windows.
- Original livery maintained, but the Midland Red West typeface then changed to mirror that of First, with the First logo appearing after the name. Transfers now gone.
- Original livery maintained, but the Midland Red West name was now replaced by the First name, with the name Midland Red appearing on the side of the buses in very small fonts.
- The Midland Red name removed and the livery changed to the corporate 'Barbie' white, blue and pink colour scheme.
The introduction of the First trading name brought to an end nearly a century of the Midland Red name appearing on buses, although this name appeared on a repainted Alexander Dennis Enviro300 and Leyland National to celebrate the centenary of the creation of Midland Red.
First Midland Red forms, with First Leicester
First Leicester
First in Leicester is the trading name of Leicester Citybus Ltd., a bus company owned by the First Group. It runs buses in the city of Leicester, England...
and First Northampton
First Northampton
First in Northampton is a bus company which serves the towns of Northampton and Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, England. The legal name of the company is Northampton Transport Limited...
and as of September 2010 the Staffordshire depots of First Potteries
First Potteries
First Potteries Limited is a company based in Stoke-on-Trent that operates buses in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Crewe, and in Chester and The Wirral through its sub-brand First Chester & The Wirral.-History:The company began life as Potteries Motor Traction or PMT...
, the First Midlands
First Midlands
First Midlands is a operating unit of First Group operating in the English Midlands. The unit was formed in 2008 with the merger of the management and administration of First Midland Red, First Northampton and First Leicester....
group. In 2008 the registered office of First Midland Red Buses Limited moved from Worcester to that used by First Leicester in Abbey Lane, 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...
.
Worcester Park and Ride services
In 2001 First Midland Red Buses won the contract to operate the bus services for Worcester's first permanent Park and RidePark and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
site on behalf of Worcestershire County Council. A fleet of new Caetano Nimbus
Caetano Nimbus
The Caetano Nimbus was a bus body built by Salvador Caetano in Waterlooville, Hampshire, England, between 1999 and 2007. It was constructed exclusively on the Dennis Dart SLF....
-bodied Dennis Dart
Dennis Dart
The Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
s were leased for the service, which were branded Worcester North, and operated the service from the Park and Ride site, located in the Perdiswell area of the city, to the city centre and vice versa.
In 2005, two new circular bus routes (W2 and W3) were introduced by the county ouncil which included the Park and Ride site as a stop. These services were introduced as part of the county council's new Worcester Express services and were also operated by First Midland Red Buses under the Worcester Express brand. The existing Worcester North service between the city centre and Park and Ride site was also rebranded as Worcester Express, and operated as the W1 service. In February 2008 First Midland Red Buses lost the W1 Park and Ride contract which was now operated directly by the county council with their own fleet of brand-new buses under the Woosh brand.
Depots
- HerefordHerefordHereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
(Friars Street) (HD) - KidderminsterKidderminsterKidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
(Island Drive) (KR) - RedditchRedditchRedditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
(Plymouth Road North) (RH) - WorcesterWorcesterThe City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
(Padmore Street) (WR)