Black Prince Buses
Encyclopedia
Black Prince Buses were a family-operated bus company based in Morley
, West Yorkshire
, England. Founded in 1969 as a coach firm, it expanded into local bus operation following bus deregulation
in 1986. Black Prince was taken over by FirstGroup in July 2005.
. Its name was inspired by Edward, the Black Prince
, a statue of whom stands in the centre of Leeds
.
In 1986 bus deregulation
introduced on-road competition local bus service operation. Black Prince moved into scheduled service operation, launching a number of routes centred on Morley in competition with Yorkshire Rider
. A variety of second-hand vehicles were acquired to operate the routes, and a livery of red and yellow introduced.
By 2004, Black Prince operated a fleet of 40 vehicles on a network of routes around Leeds, with an annual turnover of almost £3 million. Many of its routes competed with Yorkshire Rider's successor First Leeds
.
as Black Prince had intended to close if the acquisition had not taken place. This was one of the first uses of the failing-firm defence, which was created under the Enterprise Act 2002
.
The takeover was completed on 31 July 2005. A number of service changes were made to reduce competition with existing First Leeds routes, while the depot at Morley was demolished and replaced by a supermarket.
Black Prince was the last family-owned independent bus operator in Leeds prior to the takeover. In August 2005 a commemorative model of a Black Prince vehicle was released by Britbus.
In January 2006, one of the replacement routes introduced by First was criticised for failing to serve the Lingfields estate. First stated that the service was not commercially viable.
Black Prince's founder Brian Crowther died in February 2008.
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. Founded in 1969 as a coach firm, it expanded into local bus operation following bus deregulation
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...
in 1986. Black Prince was taken over by FirstGroup in July 2005.
History
Black Prince was founded as a coach hire firm 1969 by Brian Crowther, a former employee of British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. Its name was inspired by Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
, a statue of whom stands in the centre of 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...
.
In 1986 bus deregulation
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...
introduced on-road competition local bus service operation. Black Prince moved into scheduled service operation, launching a number of routes centred on Morley in competition with 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...
. A variety of second-hand vehicles were acquired to operate the routes, and a livery of red and yellow introduced.
By 2004, Black Prince operated a fleet of 40 vehicles on a network of routes around Leeds, with an annual turnover of almost £3 million. Many of its routes competed with Yorkshire Rider's successor 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...
.
Sale and subsequent history
In May 2005 FirstGroup announced its intention to take over Black Prince. Although this move reduced competition in Leeds, it was approved by the Office of Fair TradingOffice 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...
as Black Prince had intended to close if the acquisition had not taken place. This was one of the first uses of the failing-firm defence, which was created under the Enterprise Act 2002
Enterprise Act 2002
The Enterprise Act 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which made major changes to UK competition law with respect to mergers and also changed the law governing insolvency bankruptcy.-Structure:*Part 1 The Office of Fair Trading...
.
The takeover was completed on 31 July 2005. A number of service changes were made to reduce competition with existing First Leeds routes, while the depot at Morley was demolished and replaced by a supermarket.
Black Prince was the last family-owned independent bus operator in Leeds prior to the takeover. In August 2005 a commemorative model of a Black Prince vehicle was released by Britbus.
In January 2006, one of the replacement routes introduced by First was criticised for failing to serve the Lingfields estate. First stated that the service was not commercially viable.
Black Prince's founder Brian Crowther died in February 2008.