Kelvin Scottish
Encyclopedia
Kelvin Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus
operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group based in Bishopbriggs
, Strathclyde
, Scotland. It was formed in March 1985 from parts of Walter Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd and Central SMT, initially with six depots and a varied fleet of 381 vehicles.
The company expanded its operations in Glasgow
prior to bus deregulation
in 1986. New services were introduced in competition with Strathclyde Buses
, many using Routemaster
double-deckers operated by conductors. Kelvin suffered from vehicle maintenance problems, and on two occasions was forced to hire vehicles from other companies to ensure operation of all its routes. After Kelvin lost money in 1987, the depot at Milngavie
was closed and many routes withdrawn.
In July 1989 Kelvin was merged with Central Scottish
to form Kelvin Central Buses
. This company was sold to its employees on privatisation, before being taken over by Strathclyde Buses. It is now part of First Glasgow
.
, Milngavie
, Kirkintilloch
, Kilsyth
, Stepps
and Cumbernauld
, Kelvin Scottish had an operating area bounded by Loch Lomond
to the west, Cumbernauld to the east, the Campsie Fells
to the north and the River Clyde
to the south. Kelvin was the largest operator in Dunbartonshire
and north east Glasgow
, and was responsible for urban, rural and interurban services. Its operating area had previously been served by Central SMT and Walter Alexander & Sons (Midland).
the following year, and began operation three months later. It was the largest of the four new companies created by the SBG in 1985, with an initial fleet of 381 vehicles, of which almost 300 were sourced from the former Alexander (Midland) fleet.
In early 1986, maintenance problems saw a number of vehicles banned from use by vehicle examiners from the Ministry of Transport
. The company was forced to hire eight vehicles from other companies to keep services running; they remained in the fleet for four weeks while the regular vehicles were repaired. Similar issues resurfaced in February 1987, when twelve vehicles were hired for three weeks.
Although deregulation itself took place in October 1986, Kelvin received permission to introduce its new routes from 31 August. A number of new services were started in competition with Strathclyde Buses
, running from Glasgow to Clydebank
, Drumchapel
, Easterhouse
and Springburn
. Strathclyde responded by extending its services into Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch and Milngavie.
In 1987 Kelvin made a reported loss of £3 million, leading to the closure of the depot at Milngavie
. Many of the competing routes introduced in 1986 were withdrawn in July 1987, and 70 vehicles were taken out of service. Two years later both Kelvin and neighbouring Central were severely affected by a strike by 700 of the companies' drivers, caused by the dismissal of four shop stewards.
In July 1989, it was announced that SBG was to be privatised. In an effort to make Kelvin Scottish more attractive on the approach to privatisation, Kelvin was merged with Central Scottish to form Kelvin Central Buses Ltd. Upon the merger, Kelvin Scottish ceased trading as a stand-alone subsidiary.
Kelvin Central was renamed to First Glasgow (No.2) Ltd. in May 1998, with a red livery adopted. Its operations are now part of First Glasgow
.
and the words "Scottish" and "Kelvin"; a more striking livery consisting of two lighter shades of blue and yellow applied diagonally was introduced in September 1985. This was revised in early 1988 to yellow and light blue with a dark blue diagonal stripe.
As a result of increased competition in Dunbartonshire following deregulation, Kelvin decided to introduce additional fleetnames to its vehicles to establish local identities. From April 1987 onwards Dumbarton BUS appeared on vehicles operating in Dumbarton and Loch Lomondside. In October Kirkie BUS was introduced onto Kirkintilloch-based vehicles and Cumbernauld's Buses onto vehicles stationed in that town.
In 1988 a new fares scheme, the Glasgow Gold Card, was introduced, offering weekly travel on all SBG routes in the city. A Kelvin Routemaster
bus was painted in a gold livery to advertise the ticket, and remained in the livery until withdrawal by Kelvin Central in 1991.
single-deckers; the first new buses were six Leyland Tiger
s ordered by Central Scottish prior to the creation of Kelvin.
A fleet of 40 Routemaster
buses were purchased from London Transport
in 1986 to launch the new services in competition with Strathclyde Buses. Kelvin had not previously employed conductors, but introduced them for these services. This meant the vehicles did not have to spend as long loading at bus stops as one-person operated buses and were able to offer quicker journeys through Glasgow. The Routemasters proved popular with both passengers and staff and continued to operate into the 1990s under successor company Kelvin Central, which was one of the last operators of the type in regular service in Scotland.
Although the original fleet did not include any minibus
es, a large number of Mercedes-Benz
vehicles were introduced from September 1986 on a high-frequency route in central and northern Glasgow; it did not prove profitable and was converted to full-size operation a year later, with many of the minibuses transferred to other SBG subsidiaries. Another unusual vehicle in the Kelvin fleet was the only Leyland Lynx
bought by Scottish Bus Group, which was delivered new in 1989. Six rare Leyland Lion double-deckers were ordered in 1988, but owing to a large cut in Kelvin's peak vehicle requirement they did not enter service with the company and were instead sent to Clydeside Scottish
.
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...
operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group based in Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The area was once part of the historic parish of Cadder - originally lands granted by King William the Lion to the Bishop of Glasgow, Jocelin, in 1180. It was later part of the county of Lanarkshire and subsequently an independent burgh from...
, Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
, Scotland. It was formed in March 1985 from parts of Walter Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd and Central SMT, initially with six depots and a varied fleet of 381 vehicles.
The company expanded its operations in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
prior to 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. New services were introduced in competition with Strathclyde Buses
Strathclyde Buses
Strathclyde Buses was a bus operating company in Glasgow and west-central Scotland. It commenced operations in October 1986. Prior to 1986, the council-owned buses had belonged to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive , and therefore were owned by Strathclyde Regional Council...
, many using Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
double-deckers operated by conductors. Kelvin suffered from vehicle maintenance problems, and on two occasions was forced to hire vehicles from other companies to ensure operation of all its routes. After Kelvin lost money in 1987, the depot at Milngavie
Milngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
was closed and many routes withdrawn.
In July 1989 Kelvin was merged with Central Scottish
Central Scottish
Central Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Central SMT Company Ltd, and operated until July 1989 when it was merged with Kelvin Scottish to form Kelvin Central Buses.- Operation :...
to form Kelvin Central Buses
Kelvin Central Buses
Kelvin Central Buses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group formed in July 1989 from the merger of Kelvin Scottish and Central Scottish in preparation for privatisation, and operated until July 1998 when it became First Glasgow Ltd....
. This company was sold to its employees on privatisation, before being taken over by Strathclyde Buses. It is now part of First Glasgow
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in, Scotland. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
.
Operation
Operating from its head office in Bishopbriggs and depots in Old KilpatrickOld Kilpatrick
Old Kilpatrick is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.The village is on the north bank of the River Clyde immediately to the north of the Forth and Clyde Canal, three miles from Clydebank on the road to Dumbarton. The Great Western Road runs through Old Kilpatrick, and the next village to...
, Milngavie
Milngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
, Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch is a town and former burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal, about eight miles northeast of central Glasgow...
, Kilsyth
Kilsyth
Kilsyth is a town of 10,100 roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.-Location:...
, Stepps
Stepps
Stepps is a small town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the north-eastern outskirts of Glasgow. The town consists of Stepps Village, Cardowan, Stepps Hill and Millerston...
and Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
, Kelvin Scottish had an operating area bounded by Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. It is the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area. The lake contains many islands, including Inchmurrin, the largest fresh-water island in the British Isles, although the lake itself is smaller than many Irish...
to the west, Cumbernauld to the east, the Campsie Fells
Campsie Fells
The Campsie Fells are a range of hills in central Scotland, stretching east to west, from Denny Muir to Dumgoyne, in Stirlingshire. . The highest point in the range is Earl's Seat which is 578 m high...
to the north and the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
to the south. Kelvin was the largest operator in Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Until 1975 it was a county used as a primary unit of local government with its county town and administrative centre at the town...
and north east Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, and was responsible for urban, rural and interurban services. Its operating area had previously been served by Central SMT and Walter Alexander & Sons (Midland).
History
Kelvin was created by the Scottish Bus Group (SBG) as a limited company wholly owned by the group in March 1985 in preparation for bus deregulationBus 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...
the following year, and began operation three months later. It was the largest of the four new companies created by the SBG in 1985, with an initial fleet of 381 vehicles, of which almost 300 were sourced from the former Alexander (Midland) fleet.
In early 1986, maintenance problems saw a number of vehicles banned from use by vehicle examiners from the Ministry of Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
. The company was forced to hire eight vehicles from other companies to keep services running; they remained in the fleet for four weeks while the regular vehicles were repaired. Similar issues resurfaced in February 1987, when twelve vehicles were hired for three weeks.
Although deregulation itself took place in October 1986, Kelvin received permission to introduce its new routes from 31 August. A number of new services were started in competition with Strathclyde Buses
Strathclyde Buses
Strathclyde Buses was a bus operating company in Glasgow and west-central Scotland. It commenced operations in October 1986. Prior to 1986, the council-owned buses had belonged to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive , and therefore were owned by Strathclyde Regional Council...
, running from Glasgow to Clydebank
Clydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
, Drumchapel
Drumchapel
Drumchapel , known to locals and residents as 'The Drum', is part of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, having been annexed from Dunbartonshire in 1938. It borders Bearsden to the east and Clydebank to the west . The area is bordered by Knightswood and Yoker in Glasgow. The name derives from the...
, Easterhouse
Easterhouse
Easterhouse is a suburb about east of Glasgow city centre, Scotland. It was partially built on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of a boundary expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. Building began in the mid-1950s by the then local authority, Glasgow Corporation...
and Springburn
Springburn
Springburn is an inner city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, home to various working and middle-class households.Springburn developed from a small rural hamlet at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its industrial expansion began with the establishment of a chemical...
. Strathclyde responded by extending its services into Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch and Milngavie.
In 1987 Kelvin made a reported loss of £3 million, leading to the closure of the depot at Milngavie
Milngavie
Milngavie , is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden....
. Many of the competing routes introduced in 1986 were withdrawn in July 1987, and 70 vehicles were taken out of service. Two years later both Kelvin and neighbouring Central were severely affected by a strike by 700 of the companies' drivers, caused by the dismissal of four shop stewards.
In July 1989, it was announced that SBG was to be privatised. In an effort to make Kelvin Scottish more attractive on the approach to privatisation, Kelvin was merged with Central Scottish to form Kelvin Central Buses Ltd. Upon the merger, Kelvin Scottish ceased trading as a stand-alone subsidiary.
Subsequent history
Following the privatisation of Scottish Bus Group in 1991, Kelvin Central was sold to its employees. In 1994 it was taken over by Strathclyde Buses, which was itself bought out by First Group two years later.Kelvin Central was renamed to First Glasgow (No.2) Ltd. in May 1998, with a red livery adopted. Its operations are now part of First Glasgow
First Glasgow
First Glasgow is the largest bus company serving the Greater Glasgow area in, Scotland. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
.
Branding and promotions
The company initially adopted a simple two-tone blue livery with a logo incorporating the Flag of ScotlandFlag of Scotland
The Flag of Scotland, , also known as Saint Andrew's Cross or the Saltire, is the national flag of Scotland. As the national flag it is the Saltire, rather than the Royal Standard of Scotland, which is the correct flag for all individuals and corporate bodies to fly in order to demonstrate both...
and the words "Scottish" and "Kelvin"; a more striking livery consisting of two lighter shades of blue and yellow applied diagonally was introduced in September 1985. This was revised in early 1988 to yellow and light blue with a dark blue diagonal stripe.
As a result of increased competition in Dunbartonshire following deregulation, Kelvin decided to introduce additional fleetnames to its vehicles to establish local identities. From April 1987 onwards Dumbarton BUS appeared on vehicles operating in Dumbarton and Loch Lomondside. In October Kirkie BUS was introduced onto Kirkintilloch-based vehicles and Cumbernauld's Buses onto vehicles stationed in that town.
In 1988 a new fares scheme, the Glasgow Gold Card, was introduced, offering weekly travel on all SBG routes in the city. A Kelvin Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
bus was painted in a gold livery to advertise the ticket, and remained in the livery until withdrawal by Kelvin Central in 1991.
Fleet
The fleet acquired by Kelvin at its formation was very mixed. Of the 381 vehicles initially used, 135 were double-deck. Nine types of vehicles were operated. The largest constituent was 153 Leyland LeopardLeyland Leopard
The Leyland Leopard was a mid-engined single-deck bus and coach chassis built by Leyland between 1959 and 1982. It was popular with bus and coach operators throughout the British Isles...
single-deckers; the first new buses were six Leyland Tiger
Leyland Tiger
The Leyland Tiger, also known as the B43, was a mid-engined bus and coach chassis which was built between 1981 and 1993. This name had previously been used for a front-engined bus built between 1920s and 1950s. It replaced the Leyland Leopard, which had been in production for over 20 years...
s ordered by Central Scottish prior to the creation of Kelvin.
A fleet of 40 Routemaster
Routemaster
The AEC Routemaster is a model of double-decker bus that was built by Associated Equipment Company in 1954 and produced until 1968. Primarily front-engined, rear open-platform buses, a small number of variants were produced with doors and/or front entrances...
buses were purchased from London Transport
London Regional Transport
London Regional Transport was the organisation responsible for the public transport network in Greater London, UK from 1984-2000. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and operational brand of the organisation was London Transport.The organisation was...
in 1986 to launch the new services in competition with Strathclyde Buses. Kelvin had not previously employed conductors, but introduced them for these services. This meant the vehicles did not have to spend as long loading at bus stops as one-person operated buses and were able to offer quicker journeys through Glasgow. The Routemasters proved popular with both passengers and staff and continued to operate into the 1990s under successor company Kelvin Central, which was one of the last operators of the type in regular service in Scotland.
Although the original fleet did not include any 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, a large number of Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
vehicles were introduced from September 1986 on a high-frequency route in central and northern Glasgow; it did not prove profitable and was converted to full-size operation a year later, with many of the minibuses transferred to other SBG subsidiaries. Another unusual vehicle in the Kelvin fleet was the only Leyland Lynx
Leyland 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...
bought by Scottish Bus Group, which was delivered new in 1989. Six rare Leyland Lion double-deckers were ordered in 1988, but owing to a large cut in Kelvin's peak vehicle requirement they did not enter service with the company and were instead sent to Clydeside Scottish
Clydeside Scottish
Clydeside Scottish Omnibuses Ltd, in Scotland, was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Western SMT Company Ltd...
.