Preston Bus
Encyclopedia
Preston Bus is a bus
operator running within the city of Preston, England
and into the surrounding area. In 2009, it was acquired by the Stagecoach Group
and was rebranded Stagecoach in Preston
, before they were subsequently ordered to sell the company as a result of competition concerns. As part of the Competition Commission findings into the takeover, Preston Bus was managed separately from the main Stagecoach business, pending possible divestment to a third party company later in the year. On 25 January 2011, it was revealed that Stagecoach had sold Preston Bus to Midlands
based company Rotala
.. The takeover sees the company moving into North West England
operations for the first time.
.
In 2006, Preston Bus was subject to some high profile competition from national operator Stagecoach Group
through their Stagecoach North West
subsidiary. Competition escalated into a bus war with Stagecoach offering lower fares on the busiest routes.
The managing director of Preston bus was concerned that Stagecoach could force his company out of business.
Both companies have accused each other of unprofessional behaviour. On 10 June 2008, both companies agreed to a code of practice by the traffic commissioner. The competition continued, with Stagecoach operating routes within Preston and Preston Bus commencing a frequest service between Preston and Penwortham, and a limited service between Preston and Southport, duplicating existing Stagecoach routes.
On 30 December 2008 it was reported that Preston Bus had agreed in principle to an acquisition by its rival operator, Stagecoach North West. On 23 January 2009, Preston Bus was sold to Stagecoach in an estimated 10.4 million pound deal, ending 104 years service of Preston Bus to the city.
The routes operated by Preston Bus were rebranded as Stagecoach in Preston
from March 2009.
On 11 November 2009 the Competition Commission
ruled that the takeover by Stagecoach had adversely affected competition in the area and ordered the sell off of Preston Bus.
Since this ruling, the Preston Bus name and logo has been reinstated and the company has operated at 'arms length' from the main Stagecoach business. Vehicles which were painted in Stagecoach livery following the takeover are in the process of being repainted in a new blue and cream livery, similar to that used by Preston Bus prior to the takeover. In January 2011, the Rotala Group announced they had agreed a deal to take over the Preston Bus operations from Stagecoach, operating most of the services Preston Bus had ran before the Stagecoach takeover.
services to secondary school and college students in Preston, Central Lancashire and Wyre. These services went as far north as Cabus, Garstang, west as Blackpool, east as Accrington and south as Chorley.
, but latterly the company moved to single deckers
and minibus
es, with the most common vehicle in 2008 being the Optare Solo midibus
.
Before the sale to Stagecoach the company's fleet comprised:
Preston Bus had replaced many of its older vehicles shortly before Stagecoach took over in 2009. These included Leyland Olympians, Leyland Lynxes, Optare MetroRiders and Leyland Atlantean
s. Between 2006 and 2009, many of these were sold to in order to purchase new vehicles.
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...
operator running within the city of Preston, 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...
and into the surrounding area. In 2009, it was acquired by 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...
and was rebranded Stagecoach in Preston
Stagecoach in Preston
Stagecoach in Preston was a network of bus routes running within the city of Preston, Lancashire and into the surrounding area. It was founded in 2009 after Stagecoach Group acquired Preston Bus that was founded in 1904...
, before they were subsequently ordered to sell the company as a result of competition concerns. As part of the Competition Commission findings into the takeover, Preston Bus was managed separately from the main Stagecoach business, pending possible divestment to a third party company later in the year. On 25 January 2011, it was revealed that Stagecoach had sold Preston Bus to 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...
based company Rotala
Rotala
Rotala is an Alternative Investment Market listed company, which owns a variety of UK transport operators.Rotala was set up in 2005, with the main intention of acquiring or gaining majority interest in businesses within a number of areas.-Surrey Connect:...
.. The takeover sees the company moving into North West England
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...
operations for the first time.
History
Preston Bus was founded in 1904 as Preston District Travel and operated a number of services in the Preston area until 1993, when the company was bought from the local authority by its employees, and became a limited companyLimited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
.
In 2006, Preston Bus was subject to some high profile competition from national operator 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...
through their Stagecoach North West
Stagecoach North West
Stagecoach North West is a major operator of bus services in North West England. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group, and has its origins in the purchase of Cumberland in 1987 and Ribble in 1988 from the National Bus Company. The head office of Stagecoach North West is in Carlisle...
subsidiary. Competition escalated into a bus war with Stagecoach offering lower fares on the busiest routes.
The managing director of Preston bus was concerned that Stagecoach could force his company out of business.
Both companies have accused each other of unprofessional behaviour. On 10 June 2008, both companies agreed to a code of practice by the traffic commissioner. The competition continued, with Stagecoach operating routes within Preston and Preston Bus commencing a frequest service between Preston and Penwortham, and a limited service between Preston and Southport, duplicating existing Stagecoach routes.
On 30 December 2008 it was reported that Preston Bus had agreed in principle to an acquisition by its rival operator, Stagecoach North West. On 23 January 2009, Preston Bus was sold to Stagecoach in an estimated 10.4 million pound deal, ending 104 years service of Preston Bus to the city.
The routes operated by Preston Bus were rebranded as Stagecoach in Preston
Stagecoach in Preston
Stagecoach in Preston was a network of bus routes running within the city of Preston, Lancashire and into the surrounding area. It was founded in 2009 after Stagecoach Group acquired Preston Bus that was founded in 1904...
from March 2009.
On 11 November 2009 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...
ruled that the takeover by Stagecoach had adversely affected competition in the area and ordered the sell off of Preston Bus.
Since this ruling, the Preston Bus name and logo has been reinstated and the company has operated at 'arms length' from the main Stagecoach business. Vehicles which were painted in Stagecoach livery following the takeover are in the process of being repainted in a new blue and cream livery, similar to that used by Preston Bus prior to the takeover. In January 2011, the Rotala Group announced they had agreed a deal to take over the Preston Bus operations from Stagecoach, operating most of the services Preston Bus had ran before the Stagecoach takeover.
Routes
This is the network of Preston Bus routes:| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| 3A | Preston - Broadgate - Penwortham |
| 3B | Preston - Longton |
| 8 | Preston - Moor Nook via Ribbleton Lane |
| 14 | Preston - Brookfield via Holme Slack Lane |
| 16 | Preston - Farringdon Park |
| 19/19A | Preston - Deepdale Road - Royal Preston Hospital |
| 22/23 | Preston - Plungington Road - Fulwood - Sherwood Asda (23) |
| 29/29A | Preston - Frenchwood |
| 31 | Preston - Lea via Savick |
| 35 | Preston - Tanterton via Fylde Road |
| 44 | Preston - Ingol via Eldon Street |
| 68 | Preston - Blackpool via Lea and St. Annes |
| 88A/88C | Preston - Orbital |
| 89 | Preston - Lea |
| 113 | Preston - Wigan via Leyland and Standish |
Park & Ride services
| Number | Route |
|---|---|
| 1 | Preston - Portway |
| 2 | Preston - Walton-le-Dale |
School services
Preston Bus provide school busSchool bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
services to secondary school and college students in Preston, Central Lancashire and Wyre. These services went as far north as Cabus, Garstang, west as Blackpool, east as Accrington and south as Chorley.
Fleet
The Preston Bus fleet was originally all double deckersDouble-decker bus
A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or 'decks'. Global usage of this type of bus is more common in outer touring than in its intra-urban transportion role. Double-decker buses are also commonly found in certain parts of Europe, Asia, and former British colonies and protectorates...
, but latterly the company moved to single deckers
Single-decker bus
A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a single decked bus with an extra deck and...
and minibus
Minibus
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, with the most common vehicle in 2008 being the Optare Solo midibus
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
.
Before the sale to Stagecoach the company's fleet comprised:
- 28 Leyland OlympianLeyland OlympianThe Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
double deckers, one new in 1984, the others bought between 1989 and 1992 (10 examples purchased second hand from Lothian BusesLothian BusesLothian Buses Plc is the only municipal bus company in Scotland and the largest provider of bus services in Edinburgh, Scotland. City of Edinburgh Council own 91.01% of the company with the remainder being owned by East Lothian and Midlothian councils. As well as serving Edinburgh, Lothian Buses...
in 2003). - 4 Leyland LynxLeyland LynxThe 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...
single deckers, bought between 1989 and 1991. - 6 Optare MetroRiderOptare MetroRiderThe Optare MetroRider was a midibus built by Optare between 1989 and 2000. Optare based the original design on the MCW Metrorider after Optare bought the rights following a decision by MCW to end bus production. This model also replaced the less successful StarRider.The MetroRider was an integral...
minibuses, bought between 1994 and 1998. - 18 Dennis TridentDennis Trident 2Dennis 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...
/East Lancs LolyneEast Lancs LolyneThe East Lancs Lolyne is a type of double-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It is the double-deck version of the Spryte. It continued the long line of 'misspelt' names which continued until the Scania OmniDekka. It was built on the Dennis Trident 2 chassis.Later on in its life...
double deckers, bought between 1999 and 2000. - 50 Optare SoloOptare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...
midibuses, bought since 2001. - 2 Scania N94UD OmniDekkaScania OmniDekkaThe Scania OmniDekka is a double-decker bus built for sale in the UK...
, bought in 2006. - 12 Scania N94UBScania N94The Scania N94 was a transverse-engined low-floor city bus built by Scania AB, which was a direct replacement of Scania N113.It was originally available with rigid version N94UB and articulated version N94UA, but from 2002 a double-deck version known as the N94UD also became available.The N94UD was...
/East Lancs EsteemOptare EsteemThe Optare Esteem is a single-deck bus body. It has been built on Scania N94UB, Scania N230UB, Volvo B7RLE, MAN 12.240, Dennis Dart SLF, Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart and Alexander Dennis Enviro300 chassis.The Esteem was launched by East Lancashire Coachbuilders...
single-deckers, bought between 2006 and 2007. - 8 Optare Solo SR midibuses with leather seats and television screens (for the park and ride services), bought in 2008.
Preston Bus had replaced many of its older vehicles shortly before Stagecoach took over in 2009. These included Leyland Olympians, Leyland Lynxes, Optare MetroRiders and Leyland Atlantean
Leyland Atlantean
The Leyland Atlantean is a model of double-decker bus built by Leyland in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1986....
s. Between 2006 and 2009, many of these were sold to in order to purchase new vehicles.