Stagecoach Merseyside
Encyclopedia
Stagecoach Merseyside is a major operator of bus
services in the English
city of Liverpool
and in the surrounding area of Merseyside
. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group
. It was formed in July 2005 due to the acquisition of Glenvale Transport Limited (GTL), which in turn had initially been formed by ex-MTL managers bidding for company, following a Competition Commission
ruling that Arriva must sell their newly acquired Gillmoss depot to preserve the competition within the Merseyside area.
The fleet of the newly created Glenvale Transport Limited mostly comprised elderly Leyland Titans
and aging Dennis Dart
s, although efforts were made to update the fleet via an agreement with Essex-based dealer Ensignbus
, seeing newer buses arrive regularly from the end of 2003 right up to the Stagecoach takeover in the summer of 2005. Several much newer buses, although in need of repair, were permanently stationed at the depot, likely due to financial struggles making it difficult to repair the buses. Glenvale had an annual turnover of approximately £25 million.
The company was sold to Stagecoach Group
in 2005, who pledged to invest in new buses for Merseyside. The result since takeover has been a £6.5m fleet of 75 new low-floor Alexander Dennis Dart buses that have entered service with the company, with the sale and disposal of older buses previously in operation with Glenvale.
and Northern Spirit
rail franchises and the MTL London bus operation. In June 1998 MTL did sell off MTL London but Stagecoach were outbid by the then independent Metroline
. When MTL went bankrupt in January 2000 Stagecoach were very interested in acquiring the company but was again outbid this time by Arriva
. It wasn't known at the time but Stagecoach did bid for the Gillmoss depot after Arriva was ordered to dispose of it. But again it was an unsuccessful bidder losing out to Glenvale Transport Ltd (GTL). Apart from a Stagecoach Ribble/North West
service between Southport
and Preston, Lancashire and a Sunday only Lancashire County Council contract from Liverpool
to Preston/Blackpool
it seemed unlikely that Stagecoach would ever have significant operations on Merseyside. When rumours of a sale at GTL surfaced around 2005 it was FirstGroup plc
with its nearby operations First Chester & Wirral
and First Manchester
- which had a school bus division in nearby Kirkby
, the Go-Ahead Group plc and Transdev
who at the time were bidding for Merseytravel
's ill-fated Merseytram
scheme who seemed like the front runners to buy GTL. However on Wednesday 13 July 2005, GTL accepted a reported £3.4M cash offer for the company from the Stagecoach Group
who in turn agreed to absorb GTL's debt of approximately £7m. The management of Stagecoach Merseyside as GTL had become - although Glenvale Transport Ltd is still the company's legal lettering, was passed over from Dominic Brady and Ian Campbell to Stagecoach UK Bus MD Les Warneford.
A major priority was updating the mainly elderly fleet inherited from GTL and many 'Stagecoach Standard' Volvo B10M/Alexander PS Type
's were sent to Merseyside in the initial months after the takeover along with a handful of Leyland Olympian/Alexander R Types and oddities like Volvo B6/Wright Crusader (30342/N416KPS) which had been used in rural Scotland by Docherty of Irvine. A £6.5m order for 75 low-floor Alexander Dennis Dart SLF
/Pointer 2 were received from September 2005 to March 2006 along with 8 similar TransBus/Dennis Dart SLFs new in 2003/04 which came from Stagecoach North West's Carlisle operation and refurbished after being damaged in the January 2005 floods in the town. The ex-CMT vehicles which had been left in various states of disrepair after GTL hit financial problems were also refurbished.
Many of the loss making services started by GTL to compete with Arriva along with some Merseytravel contracts have been withdrawn. In turn Arriva has withdrawn from Kirkby and North Liverpool with the exception of the 14/14A (Croxteth-Liverpool). Stagecoach have significantly reduced the fleet from a peak of 290 to approximately 195 vehicles and many of the former GTL vehicles have now left the fleet. The Volvo B6/Alexander Dash were again sold to Ensignbus, although some newer examples moved to other companies within the Stagecoach Group
. Stagecoach Yorkshire received some Reeve Burgess/Plaxton Pointer-bodied Dennis Dart
s along with the ex-CMT Buses Volvo B10B
/Wright Endurance
and Alexander Striders and the DAF SB220
s with Optare Delta
and Northern Counties Paladin
bodies which had been new to ABC Travel after Stagecoach acquired the Yorkshire Traction Group in December 2005. Stagecoach North West also became home to the ex-CMT Dennis Dart/Northern Counties Paladins, ex-MTL Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall Capitals and a handful of Leyland Titans. The remaining MCW Metrobuses and Leyland Titans, some of which were now 27 years old, were mostly scrapped although given the historical nature the Titan had on Merseyside's post deregulation bus scene Stagecoach Merseyside arranged a Last Titan Day on Saturday 4 February 2006 (see below).
However the new investment and changes at Stagecoach Merseyside has attracted some criticism. Historically the routes inherited from GTL in Kirkby and North Liverpool have been double deck with low - but increasing, levels of car ownership and high - but reducing, passenger numbers. However after the Leyland Titans were withdrawn in February 2006 amidst general concerns about vandalism and anti-social behaviour on public transport - although Merseyside is generally considered no worse than other urban areas in this regard, the management at Stagecoach Merseyside decided to make the operation 100% single deck transferring the remaining Alexander-bodied Leyland Olympians to other parts of the Stagecoach Group
. The Alexander Dennis Dart SLF
/Pointer 2 now forms the bulk of the frontline fleet and although bus use on Merseyside has to some degree declined in the post deregulation period standing loads and overcrowding is quite common on the vast majority of routes operated Stagecoach Merseyside defeating many of the benefits low-floor vehicles can offer. A Spring 2006 review of services in Kirkby and North Liverpool compounded this problem with many former GTL routes being rationalised, curtailed, withdrawn or reduced in frequency - in particular in the evening and Sunday period, and has attracted adverse comment from both bus users on Merseyside and Merseytravel who've criticised the profit driven approach Stagecoach and Arriva seemingly have towards the Merseyside bus market and Merseytravel has used this as a platform for re-regulation of the bus industry more generally. Observers of the Merseyside bus scene also consider 12m single deckers like the MAN 18.220/Alexander ALX300
and Alexander Dennis Enviro300 more suited to the urban characteristics of the bus network on Merseyside than the midi-sized SLFs Stagecoach Merseyside are operating at present. Perhaps in response to this the Stagecoach Group has on order approximately 46 12m sized MAN 18.240/Alexander Dennis Enviro300 single deckers for Stagecoach Merseyside which are due to be delivered during the Autumn/Winter of 2009. Furthermore a small batch of Northern Counties Palatine I
/Volvo Olympian
double deckers - new to what was Stagecoach Selkent
in 1995, were transferred into Gillmoss in September 2009. This may indicate a change of heart at Stagecoach Merseyside and the all single deck fleet policy it's pursued in recent years.
A recent development was the closure of Aintree depot on 15 June 2007 exactly 4 years after the acquisition of CMT Buses by GTL. Stagecoach Merseyside is unique in being the only company within the Stagecoach Group to have just one depot with all the operations now based at Gillmoss. A small problem was a software incompatibility between the Wayfarer 3 ticket machines used at Aintree and Gillmoss resulting in the former Aintree vehicles staying on their former routes. This problem was resolved on 20 January 2008 when new TP5000 ticketing machines from Vix Technology were introduced resulting in the vehicle allocation at Gillmoss being seen on a wider variety of routes than had previously been the case.
However despite minimal competition and seemingly cordial relations with Arriva Merseyside/North West Ltd a low fare Magic Bus operation began on the 14 group of services between Broadway (Norris Green
) and Liverpool City Centre on 15 September 2008. The Magic Bus operation is rumouredly being used by Stagecoach to encourage Arriva to withdraw their 14/14A routes (Croxteth - Liverpool City Centre) along North Liverpool's popular Breck Road corridor. Coincidentally Stagecoach Merseyside withdrew their journeys on route 79 (Netherley - Liverpool City Centre) on 14 September 2008 with the effect that Halton Transport
is now Arriva's only competitor on the popular Picton/Wavertree Road corridor in South Liverpool. Further expansion of Magic Bus within Stagecoach Merseyside is possible and route 86/86C (Gartson/Liverpool Hope University-Liverpool City Centre) via South Liverpool's Allerton/Smithdown Road
corridor is considered a prime candidate for such a move as it has a student clientele and similar characteristics to that which exists along the Wilmslow Road in South Manchester. Local authority owned Halton Transport did interest Stagecoach and an approach was made by the Stagecoach Group to acquire the company from Halton Borough Council in 2005/06. At the moment Halton Borough Council doesn't want to sell Halton Transport and it's unknown how serious the approach from Stagecoach really was. Halton Transport's Widnes depot could offer more strategic fit for the Stagecoach Merseyside routes in St Helens and East/South Liverpool than Gillmoss currently offers and the sale of municipal bus companies
like Yellow Buses Bournemouth
and Blackburn Transport
to Transdev, Chesterbus
to FirstGroup and more recently Eastbourne Buses
to the Stagecoach Group does raise the possibility of a sale in the future.
to purchase a significant quantity of their Leyland Titans dating from 1978 to 1984. These proved popular with other operators on Merseyside and overall approximately 400 Titans saw service in the region and by the time of the takeover of GTL by Stagecoach there were still quite healthy numbers in service.
However Stagecoach quickly made the replacement of the aging fleet on Merseyside (see above) a top priority and by the beginning of 2006 only a handful remained in service. Most Merseyside bus enthusiasts took to the Titan well with some of these vehicles spending more time on Merseyside than they did in London and Stagecoach Merseyside therefore decided to hold a Last Titan Day on Saturday 4 February 2006.
The last serviceable examples at Gillmoss took enthusiasts on a tour of Liverpool and the Wirral and were joined by T1, the first production Titan which was owned by Stagecoach London
, a Stagecoach North West Titan and a preserved Titan which had previously been owned by Merseyline of Garston.
The event also featured other vehicles including Stagecoach Chesterfield's ex-Grimsby-Cleethorpes open-top Daimler Fleetline
, a Stagecoach Manchester/Magic Bus Scania N113
which had been new to London Buses, an ex-Merseyside Transport Leyland Atlantean
once based at Gillmoss, an ex-Greater Manchester Transport Atlantean formerly based at Wigan and a regular visitor to Merseyside, and an Arriva London
AEC Routemaster.
, in partnership with World Football Exhibitions Ltd and Liverpool Football Club, launched two branded Liverpool FC Champions of Champions buses to celebrate Liverpool FC's remarkable history in European Competition.
The buses were launched at Anfield
by Tom Wileman, Stagecoach Regional Director, and Liverpool FC legends Phil Neal
, Alan Kennedy
, David Fairclough
, Ian Callaghan
, Chris Lawler
and David Johnson. Also at the ribbon cutting ceremony was the actual UEFA Champions League
trophy which Liverpool FC won for a record fifth time in Istanbul in 2005.
Speaking at the ribbon cutting, Liverpool legend David Fairclough said: "Both buses look brilliant, it's a great tribute to our European history". Tom Wileman of Stagecoach added, "Liverpool's achievements in European football have been fantastic, not only for the city but for the whole region and we wanted to recognise and celebrate that".
The new buses feature images and facts from Liverpool FC's 5 successful European Cup victories of 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005. The double decker is operated by Stagecoach North West and will operate on the X2 route between Liverpool, Southport and Preston while the single decker is operated by Stagecoach Merseyside and will operate across the city of Liverpool and other parts of Merseyside.
A similarly branded bus for Everton FC was also introduced into service at the end of September 2007 and these buses will be in service through to 2008 when the city of Liverpool will celebrate being European Capital of Culture
.
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...
services in the English
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...
city of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and in the surrounding area of Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. It is a subsidiary of 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...
. It was formed in July 2005 due to the acquisition of Glenvale Transport Limited (GTL), which in turn had initially been formed by ex-MTL managers bidding for company, following a 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...
ruling that Arriva must sell their newly acquired Gillmoss depot to preserve the competition within the Merseyside area.
The fleet of the newly created Glenvale Transport Limited mostly comprised elderly Leyland Titans
Leyland Titan (B15)
The Leyland Titan was a model of double-decker bus produced by the Leyland Truck & Bus division of British Leyland from 1977 until 1984, almost exclusively for London Transport.-Development:...
and aging 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, although efforts were made to update the fleet via an agreement with Essex-based dealer Ensignbus
Ensignbus
Ensignbus is a Purfleet-based bus and coach dealer, open top bus tour operator and bus service operator. Ensignbus has amassed 20 ex-London vehicles of various ages and conditions in a ....
, seeing newer buses arrive regularly from the end of 2003 right up to the Stagecoach takeover in the summer of 2005. Several much newer buses, although in need of repair, were permanently stationed at the depot, likely due to financial struggles making it difficult to repair the buses. Glenvale had an annual turnover of approximately £25 million.
The company was sold to 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...
in 2005, who pledged to invest in new buses for Merseyside. The result since takeover has been a £6.5m fleet of 75 new low-floor Alexander Dennis Dart buses that have entered service with the company, with the sale and disposal of older buses previously in operation with Glenvale.
Stagecoach Merseyside
On numerous occasions Stagecoach made bids for some or all of the companies making up the former MTL Trust Holdings Ltd. At the beginning of 1998 it was rumoured to have bid £100m for the complete MTL group including its MerseyrailMerseyrail
Merseyrail is a train operating company and commuter rail network in the United Kingdom, centred on Liverpool, Merseyside. The network is predominantly electric with diesel trains running on the City Line. Two City Line branches are currently being electrified on the overhead wire AC system with...
and Northern Spirit
Northern Spirit
This article is about the railway company Northern Spirit. For the Australian football club of the same name, see Northern Spirit FC.Northern Spirit was a UK train operating company which ran local and regional train services in the north east of England during the late 1990s.-Operations:Created...
rail franchises and the MTL London bus operation. In June 1998 MTL did sell off MTL London but Stagecoach were outbid by the then independent Metroline
Metroline
Metroline, owned by ComfortDelGro Corporation of Singapore, is one of many companies operating bus services in London under the management of London Buses.-Company history:...
. When MTL went bankrupt in January 2000 Stagecoach were very interested in acquiring the company but was again outbid this time by 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...
. It wasn't known at the time but Stagecoach did bid for the Gillmoss depot after Arriva was ordered to dispose of it. But again it was an unsuccessful bidder losing out to Glenvale Transport Ltd (GTL). Apart from a Stagecoach Ribble/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...
service between Southport
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
and Preston, Lancashire and a Sunday only Lancashire County Council contract from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Preston/Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
it seemed unlikely that Stagecoach would ever have significant operations on Merseyside. When rumours of a sale at GTL surfaced around 2005 it was FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc
FirstGroup plc is a public transport company, registered in Scotland at its headquarters in Aberdeen, operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the United States...
with its nearby operations First Chester & Wirral
First Chester & The Wirral
First Chester & Wirral is a division of bus operator First Manchester Ltd., running local bus services in and around Chester and the Wirral, north west England. The company is a subsidiary of FirstGroup plc, the largest bus operator in Britain....
and First Manchester
First Manchester
First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
- which had a school bus division in nearby Kirkby
Kirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
, the Go-Ahead Group plc and Transdev
Transdev
Transdev was a major international public transport group based in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France and operating in several countries. Originally created as Société centrale pour l'équipement du territoire in 1955 and developing transportation activities since 1973, Transdev was a subsidiary...
who at the time were bidding for Merseytravel
Merseytravel
Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...
's ill-fated Merseytram
Merseytram
Merseytram is a proposed tram system for Liverpool and surrounding districts of Merseyside, England. Originally proposed in 2001, forming part of the Merseyside Local Transport Plan, it consists of three lines, connecting outlying suburbs of the city with the city centre...
scheme who seemed like the front runners to buy GTL. However on Wednesday 13 July 2005, GTL accepted a reported £3.4M cash offer for the company from 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...
who in turn agreed to absorb GTL's debt of approximately £7m. The management of Stagecoach Merseyside as GTL had become - although Glenvale Transport Ltd is still the company's legal lettering, was passed over from Dominic Brady and Ian Campbell to Stagecoach UK Bus MD Les Warneford.
A major priority was updating the mainly elderly fleet inherited from GTL and many 'Stagecoach Standard' Volvo B10M/Alexander PS Type
Alexander PS type
The Alexander PS is a type of bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders, and was produced between the late 1980s and 1990s on Dennis Lance, Mercedes-Benz O405, Scania and Volvo B10M chassis...
's were sent to Merseyside in the initial months after the takeover along with a handful of Leyland Olympian/Alexander R Types and oddities like Volvo B6/Wright Crusader (30342/N416KPS) which had been used in rural Scotland by Docherty of Irvine. A £6.5m order for 75 low-floor Alexander Dennis Dart SLF
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....
/Pointer 2 were received from September 2005 to March 2006 along with 8 similar TransBus/Dennis Dart SLFs new in 2003/04 which came from Stagecoach North West's Carlisle operation and refurbished after being damaged in the January 2005 floods in the town. The ex-CMT vehicles which had been left in various states of disrepair after GTL hit financial problems were also refurbished.
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...
. Stagecoach Yorkshire received some Reeve Burgess/Plaxton Pointer-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 along with the ex-CMT Buses Volvo B10B
Volvo B10B
The Volvo B10B was a rear-engined high-floor bus chassis manufactured by Volvo Buses from 1990 to 2002. It superseded the Volvo B10R and its successor was the Volvo B12B....
/Wright Endurance
Wright Endurance
The Wright Endurance is a step-entrance, single-deck bus body built by Wrightbus between 1993 and 1997.-History:The large majority of Endurances were built on Volvo B10B chassis, including quite large fleets for the privatised former PTE companies - in particular Merseyside based MTL North who took...
and Alexander Striders and the DAF SB220
DAF SB220
The DAF SB220 is a city bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International in the 1980s and 1990s.It has been superseded by the DAF/VDL SB200 and SB250.-United Kingdom :*Optare Delta*Ikarus Citibus...
s with Optare Delta
Optare Delta
The Optare Delta is a single-decker bus body produced for the DAF SB220 chassis. They were built in a factory in Leeds. They are known for their distinctive sloping front window.-Production:...
and Northern Counties Paladin
Northern Counties Paladin
The Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-deck bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998....
bodies which had been new to ABC Travel after Stagecoach acquired the Yorkshire Traction Group in December 2005. Stagecoach North West also became home to the ex-CMT Dennis Dart/Northern Counties Paladins, ex-MTL Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall Capitals and a handful of Leyland Titans. The remaining MCW Metrobuses and Leyland Titans, some of which were now 27 years old, were mostly scrapped although given the historical nature the Titan had on Merseyside's post deregulation bus scene Stagecoach Merseyside arranged a Last Titan Day on Saturday 4 February 2006 (see below).
However the new investment and changes at Stagecoach Merseyside has attracted some criticism. Historically the routes inherited from GTL in Kirkby and North Liverpool have been double deck with low - but increasing, levels of car ownership and high - but reducing, passenger numbers. However after the Leyland Titans were withdrawn in February 2006 amidst general concerns about vandalism and anti-social behaviour on public transport - although Merseyside is generally considered no worse than other urban areas in this regard, the management at Stagecoach Merseyside decided to make the operation 100% single deck transferring the remaining Alexander-bodied Leyland Olympians to other parts of 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...
. The Alexander Dennis Dart SLF
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....
/Pointer 2 now forms the bulk of the frontline fleet and although bus use on Merseyside has to some degree declined in the post deregulation period standing loads and overcrowding is quite common on the vast majority of routes operated Stagecoach Merseyside defeating many of the benefits low-floor vehicles can offer. A Spring 2006 review of services in Kirkby and North Liverpool compounded this problem with many former GTL routes being rationalised, curtailed, withdrawn or reduced in frequency - in particular in the evening and Sunday period, and has attracted adverse comment from both bus users on Merseyside and Merseytravel who've criticised the profit driven approach Stagecoach and Arriva seemingly have towards the Merseyside bus market and Merseytravel has used this as a platform for re-regulation of the bus industry more generally. Observers of the Merseyside bus scene also consider 12m single deckers like the MAN 18.220/Alexander ALX300
Alexander ALX300
The Alexander ALX300 is a full size single-decker bus body built by Alexander at Falkirk, Scotland, United Kingdom, which was first built in 1997...
and Alexander Dennis Enviro300 more suited to the urban characteristics of the bus network on Merseyside than the midi-sized SLFs Stagecoach Merseyside are operating at present. Perhaps in response to this the Stagecoach Group has on order approximately 46 12m sized MAN 18.240/Alexander Dennis Enviro300 single deckers for Stagecoach Merseyside which are due to be delivered during the Autumn/Winter of 2009. Furthermore a small batch of Northern Counties Palatine I
Northern Counties Palatine
The Northern Counties Palatine is a step-entrance double-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK. It was built mainly on Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympian chassis, although some were also built on DAF, Volvo B10M Citybus and Scania chassis...
/Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
double deckers - new to what was Stagecoach Selkent
Selkent
Selkent, or the South East London & Kent Bus Company Ltd, is one of many operators of bus services contracted to Transport for London. It is currently owned by Stagecoach Group, as part of Stagecoach London....
in 1995, were transferred into Gillmoss in September 2009. This may indicate a change of heart at Stagecoach Merseyside and the all single deck fleet policy it's pursued in recent years.
A recent development was the closure of Aintree depot on 15 June 2007 exactly 4 years after the acquisition of CMT Buses by GTL. Stagecoach Merseyside is unique in being the only company within the Stagecoach Group to have just one depot with all the operations now based at Gillmoss. A small problem was a software incompatibility between the Wayfarer 3 ticket machines used at Aintree and Gillmoss resulting in the former Aintree vehicles staying on their former routes. This problem was resolved on 20 January 2008 when new TP5000 ticketing machines from Vix Technology were introduced resulting in the vehicle allocation at Gillmoss being seen on a wider variety of routes than had previously been the case.
However despite minimal competition and seemingly cordial relations with Arriva Merseyside/North West Ltd a low fare Magic Bus operation began on the 14 group of services between Broadway (Norris Green
Norris Green
Norris Green is a large housing estate and council ward in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 17,784.-History:...
) and Liverpool City Centre on 15 September 2008. The Magic Bus operation is rumouredly being used by Stagecoach to encourage Arriva to withdraw their 14/14A routes (Croxteth - Liverpool City Centre) along North Liverpool's popular Breck Road corridor. Coincidentally Stagecoach Merseyside withdrew their journeys on route 79 (Netherley - Liverpool City Centre) on 14 September 2008 with the effect that Halton Transport
Halton Transport
Halton Transport is a bus operator running within the Borough of Halton and into the surrounding area, including Warrington, St Helens, Prescot, Liverpool and Chester...
is now Arriva's only competitor on the popular Picton/Wavertree Road corridor in South Liverpool. Further expansion of Magic Bus within Stagecoach Merseyside is possible and route 86/86C (Gartson/Liverpool Hope University-Liverpool City Centre) via South Liverpool's Allerton/Smithdown Road
Smithdown Road, Liverpool
Smithdown Road is a street in Liverpool, England, which forms part of the A562. It is the location of Toxteth Park Cemetery and Wavertree Playground. Penny Lane junction, the subject of The Beatles song Penny Lane, is situated at the junction of Smithdown Road, Smithdown Place and Penny Lane...
corridor is considered a prime candidate for such a move as it has a student clientele and similar characteristics to that which exists along the Wilmslow Road in South Manchester. Local authority owned Halton Transport did interest Stagecoach and an approach was made by the Stagecoach Group to acquire the company from Halton Borough Council in 2005/06. At the moment Halton Borough Council doesn't want to sell Halton Transport and it's unknown how serious the approach from Stagecoach really was. Halton Transport's Widnes depot could offer more strategic fit for the Stagecoach Merseyside routes in St Helens and East/South Liverpool than Gillmoss currently offers and the sale of municipal bus companies
Municipal bus companies
A municipal bus company is an operator of bus services owned by the local government authority. This article lists all current municipal bus companies in the United Kingdom....
like Yellow Buses Bournemouth
Transdev Yellow Buses
Yellow Buses is a bus operator based in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, owned by the RATP Group, a company owned by the government of France. Although most routes are restricted to the Bournemouth local authority area, an increasing number are expanding into the adjacent areas of...
and Blackburn Transport
Blazefield Group
Transdev Blazefield is one of the main bus groups in England. Owner of several bus companies around the Yorkshire and Lancashire regions, since 2006 it has been part of the international transport company Transdev.-History:...
to Transdev, Chesterbus
First Chester & The Wirral
First Chester & Wirral is a division of bus operator First Manchester Ltd., running local bus services in and around Chester and the Wirral, north west England. The company is a subsidiary of FirstGroup plc, the largest bus operator in Britain....
to FirstGroup and more recently Eastbourne Buses
Eastbourne Buses
Eastbourne Buses was a bus operator running within the Borough of Eastbourne and into the surrounding area, including Pevensey, Hailsham, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield and East Grinstead, with a fleet of around 50 vehicles...
to the Stagecoach Group does raise the possibility of a sale in the future.
Route network
| No. | From | To | Via | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10A | St Helens | Liverpool City Centre | Whiston, Presott, Page Moss, Knotty Ash, Old Swan & Kensington | |
| 10B | Page Moss | Liverpool City Centre | Knotty Ash, Old Swan & Kensington | |
| 14 | Croxteth | Liverpool City Centre | Norris Green & Breck Road | |
| 14A | Kirkby Tower Hill | Liverpool City Centre | Kirkby Civic Centre, Southdene, Croxteth, Norris Green & Breck Road | |
| 14B | Knowsley | Liverpool City Centre | Kirkby Industrial Estate, Knowsley, Croxteth, Norris Green & Breck Road | |
| 14C Magic Bus |
Broadway | Liverpool City Centre (Elliot Street) | Breck Road | Using vehicles with Magic Bus branding NO LONGER OPERATING |
| 14C | Kirkby Tower Hill | Liverpool City Centre | Kirkby Civic Centre, Kirkby Industrial Estate, Knowsley, Croxteth, Norris Green & Breck Road | |
| 17 | Kirkby Civic Centre/Fazakerley | Liverpool City Centre | Westvale, Fazakerley Hospital, Utting Avenue, Liverpool FC & Everton Valley | |
| 19/19A | Kirkby Civic Centre | Liverpool City Centre | Southdene, East Lancashire Road & Everton FC | |
| 20 | Kirkby Tower Hill | Liverpool City Centre | Fazakerley, Walton Vale & Kirkdale | |
| 21 | Kirkby Northwood | Liverpool City Centre | Fazakerley, Walton Vale & Netherfield Road (Everton) | |
| 53 | Crosby | Liverpool City Centre | Waterloo, Seaforth, Bootle Strand & Kirkdale | |
| 70 | Prescot | St Helens | Whiston Hospital, Thatto Heath and Knowsley Road/St Helens RLFC | |
| 82/82D | Garston (Liverpool South Parkway) | Liverpool City Centre | Speke Road, Aigburth Road & Dingle | |
| 86 | Garston (Speke Road) | Liverpool City Centre | Allerton Road & Smithdown Road | |
| 86C | Childwall Taggart Avenue (Liverpool Hope University) | Liverpool City Centre | Allerton Road & Smithdown Road | Some journeys continue to/from Fazakerley |
| 119 | Kirkby Civic Centre | Liverpool City Centre | Southdene, East Lancashire Road & Everton FC | Merseytravel Contract |
| 120 | Fazakerley | Liverpool City Centre | Walton Vale & Kirkdale | Merseytravel Contract |
| 130 | Old Roan | Dingle Mount | Netherton, Aintree, Walton Vale, Kirkdale & Liverpool City Centre | Merseytravel Contract |
| 133 | Kirkby Admin | Waterloo Interchange | Southdene, Kirkby Civic Centre, Maghull & Crosby | Merseytravel Contract |
| 197/198 | Kirkby Circular | Tower Hill, Westvale, Kirkby Civic Centre, Southdene & Kirkby Admin | Kirkby Konnect | |
| 216 | Walton Hall Park | Croxteth | Broadway, Norris Green & Croxteth Park Estate | Merseytravel Contract |
| 217/227 | Kirkby Civic Centre | Huyton Bus Station | Northwood (227), Southdene (217), Knowsley Village & Page Moss | |
| 220 | Kirkby Tower Hill | Liverpool City Centre | Fazakerley, Walton Vale & Kirkdale | Merseytravel Contract |
| 242 | Kirkby Civic Centre | Liverpool City Centre | Fazakerley, Walton Vale & Netherfield Road (Everton) | Merseytravel Contract |
| 244 | Kirkby Civic Centre | Liverpool City Centre | Southdene, East Lancashire Road & Everton FC | Merseytravel Contract |
| 319 | St Helens | Southport | Rainford & Ormskirk | |
| 620 | Kirkby All Saints School | Kirkby Tower Hill | Merseytravel School Contract | |
| 892 | Kirkby Admin | Liverpool City Centre | Fazakerley, Walton Vale & Bootle | Merseytravel Contract |
| 917 | Liverpool City Centre | Liverpool FC (Anfield) | Match-day express service, one direction only | |
Fleet
As at 23 October 2011| Image | Chassis | Bodywork | Number | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Alexander Dennis Dart SLF 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.... SLF/SPD TransBus Dart SLF |
Alexander ALX200 Alexander ALX200 The Alexander ALX200 was a midibus body built by Alexander of the United Kingdom. It was one of the ALX-series, which accounted for 5 different models , built for new generation bus chassis produced since late 1990s.It was designed by John Worker, and was launched in summer... Alexander Dennis Pointer Plaxton Pointer II Plaxton Pointer The Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m... TransBus Pointer Wright Crusader Wright Crusader The Wright Crusader is a single-decker bus body built by Wright on Dennis Dart SLF and Volvo B6LE chassis. The Wright Crusader 2 was built on the B6LE's successor, the Volvo B6BLE.... |
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| MAN 18.240 | Alexander Dennis Enviro300 | |
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| Alexander Dennis Enviro300 | Alexander Dennis Enviro300 | |
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Volvo B10BLE Volvo B10BLE The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck... |
Wright Renown Wright Renown The Wright Renown is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Volvo B10BLE chassis by Wright.Over 800 Renowns were built between 1997 and 2002, making it somewhat more successful than the B10L-based Liberator.... |
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| Optare Solo M850 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... |
Optare Solo | |
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Converted to run on 30% biodiesel | |
| Total (single deck) | |
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| Dennis Trident 2 Dennis Trident 2 Dennis 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... |
Alexander ALX400 Alexander ALX400 The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders... |
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| Total (double deck) | |
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| Total (all vehicles) | |
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Last Leyland Titan Day
In 1992 Merseybus in an effort to modernise its fleet entered into an agreement with London BusesLondon Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
to purchase a significant quantity of their Leyland Titans dating from 1978 to 1984. These proved popular with other operators on Merseyside and overall approximately 400 Titans saw service in the region and by the time of the takeover of GTL by Stagecoach there were still quite healthy numbers in service.
However Stagecoach quickly made the replacement of the aging fleet on Merseyside (see above) a top priority and by the beginning of 2006 only a handful remained in service. Most Merseyside bus enthusiasts took to the Titan well with some of these vehicles spending more time on Merseyside than they did in London and Stagecoach Merseyside therefore decided to hold a Last Titan Day on Saturday 4 February 2006.
The last serviceable examples at Gillmoss took enthusiasts on a tour of Liverpool and the Wirral and were joined by T1, the first production Titan which was owned by Stagecoach London
Stagecoach London
Stagecoach London , is a bus company which principally operates services in the UK capital city of London, under contract to the London Buses arm of Transport for London. It was formed in 1989 as a subsidiary of London Buses. The company privatised in 1994 and acquired by the Stagecoach Group, but...
, a Stagecoach North West Titan and a preserved Titan which had previously been owned by Merseyline of Garston.
The event also featured other vehicles including Stagecoach Chesterfield's ex-Grimsby-Cleethorpes open-top Daimler Fleetline
Daimler Fleetline
The Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis built between 1960 and 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and from 1973 until 1980 in Farington, Lancashire, England. However, the last complete vehicle did not enter service until 1983...
, a Stagecoach Manchester/Magic Bus Scania N113
Scania N113
The Scania N113 was a transverse-engined bus chassis built by Scania AB of Sweden between 1988 and 2000.Like its predecessor, the N112, the N113 had an 11-litre engine mounted at the rear, coupled to either a Scania or Voith gearbox...
which had been new to London Buses, an ex-Merseyside Transport 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....
once based at Gillmoss, an ex-Greater Manchester Transport Atlantean formerly based at Wigan and a regular visitor to Merseyside, and an Arriva London
Arriva London
Arriva London is a division of Arriva which operates bus services in London, UK. It is made up of many previous bus operators including previously independent Grey Green...
AEC Routemaster.
Liverpool FC Stagecoach Champions of Champions Buses
On Wednesday 20 June 2007, Stagecoach Merseyside and Stagecoach North WestStagecoach 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...
, in partnership with World Football Exhibitions Ltd and Liverpool Football Club, launched two branded Liverpool FC Champions of Champions buses to celebrate Liverpool FC's remarkable history in European Competition.
The buses were launched at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
by Tom Wileman, Stagecoach Regional Director, and Liverpool FC legends Phil Neal
Phil Neal
Philip George "Phil" Neal is a former footballer who was, at one time, the most successful player in English football history. He played for Liverpool 650 times over an eleven year period and is the only player to have appeared in the first five of their European Cup finals, winning four of them...
, Alan Kennedy
Alan Kennedy
Alan Phillip Kennedy is a former footballer who played for Liverpool during their halcyon days in the late 1970s and early 1980s and had a knack of scoring in major cup finals....
, David Fairclough
David Fairclough
David Fairclough is a retired English footballer, most famous for playing for Liverpool as a striker during the 1970s and 80s.-Life and playing career:...
, Ian Callaghan
Ian Callaghan
Ian Robert Callaghan MBE is a former Liverpool footballer who holds the record for most appearances for the club.-Life and playing career:...
, Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler
Chris Lawler is a former footballer who enjoyed much of Liverpool's success of the 1960s and 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
and David Johnson. Also at the ribbon cutting ceremony was the actual UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
trophy which Liverpool FC won for a record fifth time in Istanbul in 2005.
Speaking at the ribbon cutting, Liverpool legend David Fairclough said: "Both buses look brilliant, it's a great tribute to our European history". Tom Wileman of Stagecoach added, "Liverpool's achievements in European football have been fantastic, not only for the city but for the whole region and we wanted to recognise and celebrate that".
The new buses feature images and facts from Liverpool FC's 5 successful European Cup victories of 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and 2005. The double decker is operated by Stagecoach North West and will operate on the X2 route between Liverpool, Southport and Preston while the single decker is operated by Stagecoach Merseyside and will operate across the city of Liverpool and other parts of Merseyside.
A similarly branded bus for Everton FC was also introduced into service at the end of September 2007 and these buses will be in service through to 2008 when the city of Liverpool will celebrate being European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
.