Centrebus
Encyclopedia
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. It also operates services in the High Peak Borough in Northern Derbyshire
and surrounding areas through its Bowers subsidiary, which was rebranded from Bowers Coaches some time after being taken over. It is one of the fastest expanding private bus operators in the United Kingdom, having gained a presence in Derbyshire
, Cheshire
and West Yorkshire
, within 18 months.
, a local bus and coach operator in the High Peak borough of Derbyshire
. This was one of the first acquisitions outside of the core Centrebus operating area around the South of the East Midlands
. Bowers was established in 1952 and was family run up until the Centrebus takeover. Bowers operate services in Greater Manchester
, Cheshire
and Derbyshire
, mainly consisting of shorter local services. There was also an established coach division of the business, however this was cut back in favour of buses, changing the name to Bowers to coincide. In early 2010 buses appearing on the Bowers Macclesfield-Knutsford service were repainted to say 'Cheshire Connect operated by Centrebus' suggesting that the Bowers name could be phased out.
At the beginning of 2008, Centrebus sold its St Albans
operations to Uno
.
In May 2008, the Centrebus shareholders, headed by director Julian Peddle
, formed Centrebus Holdings
, which Arriva
has a 40% stake in. Centrebus Holdings does not own Centrebus, and was formed to take over K-Line
and Stagecoach Huddersfield
. In August 26th 2008 Centrebus took over Arriva Midlands
Hinckley depot and services.
In September 2008, Centrebus took over all of Woods Coaches bus routes run within Leicester and Leicestershire. Woods also sold all of their Mercedes minibuses, Optare Solo
s and Dennis Dart
s to Centrebus.
On 22 and 23 August 2009 the assets and goodwill of Trustybus, with operations in Essex
and Hertfordshire
, passed to Centrebus, whose name replaced that of Trustybus.
During August 2009 Centrebus purchased a 20% share of Leicester based operator Thurmaston Bus
. However this was sold to former Centrebus director Mark O'Mahony who purchased another 30% of the company in August 2010.
On 2 August 2010 Centrebus took over the operations of Judges Mini Coaches in Corby
, Northamptonshire
. Operating routes: 16 Kettering – Raunds, 8 Corby – Kettering, 60 Welford – Northampton and 59 Market Harborough - Welford amongst a few other minor services.
On Monday 9 May 2011 Centrebus took over all of West End Travel bus fleet and services in Melton Mowbray and their Rural Rider services. On 3 October 2011 Centrebus took over Veolia Transport
subsidiary Paul James Coaches
operations in Melton Mowbray
with both operations operating from the West End Travel depot.
Centrebus took over the operations of Kimes Buses in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Kimes was founded in 1945 and operated a fleet of 23 vehicles at the time of the takeover. Its green and cream livery and the Kimes name were retained by Centrebus.
Centrebus Group is the holding company for the main Centrebus division and the Bowers Coaches
division.
The company participates in the Plusbus
scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together at a saving.
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...
and Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, mainly in areas where Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
has scaled down its bus operations. Centrebus also competes with Arriva on some routes in Leicester, Luton and Stevenage. It also operates services in the High Peak Borough in Northern Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and surrounding areas through its Bowers subsidiary, which was rebranded from Bowers Coaches some time after being taken over. It is one of the fastest expanding private bus operators in the United Kingdom, having gained a presence in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and 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....
, within 18 months.
Expansion
In 2007 Centrebus acquired Bowers CoachesBowers Coaches
Eric W. Bowers Coaches Limited trading as Bowers is a bus operator based in the High Peak district of Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It is currently a subsidiary of the Centrebus Group, having been so since 2007, and prior to that an independent family business...
, a local bus and coach operator in the High Peak borough of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. This was one of the first acquisitions outside of the core Centrebus operating area around the South of the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
. Bowers was established in 1952 and was family run up until the Centrebus takeover. Bowers operate services in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, mainly consisting of shorter local services. There was also an established coach division of the business, however this was cut back in favour of buses, changing the name to Bowers to coincide. In early 2010 buses appearing on the Bowers Macclesfield-Knutsford service were repainted to say 'Cheshire Connect operated by Centrebus' suggesting that the Bowers name could be phased out.
At the beginning of 2008, Centrebus sold its 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...
operations to Uno
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...
.
In May 2008, the Centrebus shareholders, headed by director 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...
, formed Centrebus Holdings
Centrebus Holdings
Centrebus Holdings is a bus company in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. It is a partnership between Arriva and Centrebus, created in May 2008 to purchase both K-Line Travel and Stagecoach Yorkshire's Huddersfield operations.-Stagecoach:...
, which Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
has a 40% stake in. Centrebus Holdings does not own Centrebus, and was formed to take over K-Line
Teamdeck
Teamdeck is a bus operator based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. As of May 2008 it is owned by Centrebus Holdings, a partnership between Centrebus of Leicester and Arriva, but continues to trade under the K-Line identity.They operate a number of public bus services in the Kirklees area...
and Stagecoach Huddersfield
Stagecoach Yorkshire
Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach UK Bus.It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshire Traction, Yorkshire Terrier and Barnsley & District....
. In August 26th 2008 Centrebus took over Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands is a division of Arriva. It operates bus services around the Midlands area of England and is made up of various previous bus operators.-Arriva Midlands North:...
Hinckley depot and services.
In September 2008, Centrebus took over all of Woods Coaches bus routes run within Leicester and Leicestershire. Woods also sold all of their Mercedes minibuses, Optare Solo
Optare Solo
The 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...
s and 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 to Centrebus.
On 22 and 23 August 2009 the assets and goodwill of Trustybus, with operations in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, passed to Centrebus, whose name replaced that of Trustybus.
During August 2009 Centrebus purchased a 20% share of Leicester based operator Thurmaston Bus
Thurmaston Bus
Thurmaston Bus was an independent operator who operated a mixture of commercial and tendered bus services in Leicester. On Wednesday 10 August 2011 Thurmaston Bus were issued a winding up order...
. However this was sold to former Centrebus director Mark O'Mahony who purchased another 30% of the company in August 2010.
On 2 August 2010 Centrebus took over the operations of Judges Mini Coaches in Corby
Corby
Corby Town is a town and borough located in the county of Northamptonshire. Corby Town is 23 miles north-east of the county town, Northampton. The borough had a population of 53,174 at the 2001 Census; the town on its own accounted for 49,222 of this figure...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. Operating routes: 16 Kettering – Raunds, 8 Corby – Kettering, 60 Welford – Northampton and 59 Market Harborough - Welford amongst a few other minor services.
On Monday 9 May 2011 Centrebus took over all of West End Travel bus fleet and services in Melton Mowbray and their Rural Rider services. On 3 October 2011 Centrebus took over Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
subsidiary Paul James Coaches
Paul James Coaches
Paul James Coaches was an English public transport company, based in Hugglescote, Leicestershire.-History:On 4 January 2007, Paul James Coaches was purchased by Veolia Transport.. On Monday 3 October 2011 the Melton Mowbray depot and services passed to Centrebus, Centrebus also acquired the depots...
operations in Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
with both operations operating from the West End Travel depot.
Centrebus took over the operations of Kimes Buses in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Kimes was founded in 1945 and operated a fleet of 23 vehicles at the time of the takeover. Its green and cream livery and the Kimes name were retained by Centrebus.
Operation
The management team is headed by Peter Harvey, MD, ex-Arriva and co-founder. Julian Peddle and Dave Shelley joined the board during the expansion of Centrebus and it is expected that the groups growth plans will continue with this strong team at the helm. Many Centrebus managers came from Arriva's UK and European bus operations.Centrebus Group is the holding company for the main Centrebus division and the Bowers Coaches
Bowers Coaches
Eric W. Bowers Coaches Limited trading as Bowers is a bus operator based in the High Peak district of Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It is currently a subsidiary of the Centrebus Group, having been so since 2007, and prior to that an independent family business...
division.
The company participates in the Plusbus
PLUSBUS
PLUSBUS is an add-on ticket, which can be purchased with rail tickets in Great Britain. It allows unlimited travel on participating bus operators' services in the whole urban area of rail-served towns and cities.-History:...
scheme where train and bus tickets can be bought together at a saving.