Stagecoach in Preston

Stagecoach in Preston was a network of bus routes running within the city of Preston, Lancashire and into the surrounding area. It was founded in 2009 after Stagecoach Group acquired Preston Bus that was founded in 1904. The company operated from the main depot on Deepdale Road and their other depot on Selbourne Street.

History

Preston Bus was founded in 1904 as Preston District Travel, and as was bought from the local authority by its employees in 1993 as part of deregulation. It became a limited company.

In 2006, Stagecoach North West set up various services using a fleet of new & old Optare Solos, Dennis Enviro 400s and new & old Dennis Dart SLFs in order to compete with Preston Bus. They were branded as "Preston Citi" Competition grew into a bus war.^[1] Stagecoach offered lower fares on the busiest routes.^[2]

Both companies accused each other of unprofessional behaviour, with some Stagecoach drivers reported to have thrown eggs at Preston Buses.^[3]

On 10 June 2008, both companies were agreed to a code of practice by the traffic commissioner.^[4] Competition continued, Stagecoach operating routes within Preston and Preston Bus operating a route between Preston and Penwortham.

On 30 December 2008, it was announced that Stagecoach had approached Preston Bus to negotiate a possible sale. This was agreed and on 23 January 2009 Stagecoach North West purchased Preston Bus for £10.4 million.^[5] From March 2009, the combined network of routes was rebranded as Stagecoach in Preston.

On 28 May 2009, the Office of Fair Trading announced that it was referring the purchase of Preston Bus by Stagecoach to the Competition Commission.^[6] Their provisional findings are that the purchase has reduced competition and may potentially harm the interests of passengers. Possible remedies may involve the sale of part or all of the business, measures to encourage new entry by other operators, as well as controls on fares and requirements to maintain service levels. The final report is due by 12 November 2009.^[7]

On 12 November 2009 The Competition Commission submitted that Stagecoach would have to sell a "reconfigured" (i.e. profit making) Preston Bus. Stagecoach has some freedom over what it sells, although it must be approved by the Competition Commission.

Stagecoach appealed to the Competition Appeals Tribunal, stating that the Competition Commission's decision was "perverse and irrational" and that the Commission had committed an error in law with its use of the counterfactual argument and handling of Stagecoach's responses.

When the Competition Appeals Tribuneral announced their verdict, Stagecoach began actively looking for a buyer. The result was that Stagecoach retained route 11. Thing reverted to how they were before the takeover; with services transeferring between Stagecoach and Preston Bus. Service 7 was withdrawn, and service 4 revised among other changes. Services 19, 22 & 8 reverted from giving Change to fast fare. The 19-22 system has been replaced by the original system operated by Preston Bus, and smaller buses are now used on the 19.

From the moment the Competition Commission announced it was investigating, Stagecoach stopped repainting buses out of Preston Bus livery. Some of those that were painted in Stagecoach colours were later returned to Preston Bus livery before the sale.

The brand, Stagecoach in Preston, is only now seen on repainted Leyland Olympians, which new owners Rotala are planning to withdraw soon.

Routes

Below are the routes operated by Stagecoach in Preston in March 2010:

No.	From	To	Via	Fast Fare/Gives Change		Main Bus(es) Used	Main Frequency	Notes
citi 1	Preston Bus Station Stand 69	Longridge Post Office	Ribbleton Avenue, Grimsargh	Gives Change		Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Dennis Trident/ALX400	10 minutes	run alongside service 11 in time providing 5 minute freq. till Grange
citi 2	Preston Bus Station Stand 61	Southport	Hutton, Longton, Tarleton, Hesketh Bank	Gives Change		Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Dennis Trident/ALX 400	2 per hour Preston to Hesketh Bank, 1 per hour continuing to Southport.
citi 2A	Preston Bus Station Stand 61	Ormskirk Bus Station	Hutton, Longton, Tarleton, Burscough	Gives Change		Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Dennis Trident/ALX 400	1 per hour	Runs alongside 2 providing 20 minute frequency between Preston & Tarleton
2B	Preston Bus Station Stand 61	Ormskirk Bus Station Stand 6	New Longton, Longton, Tarleton, Burscough	Gives Change		Optare Solo	1 hour	Subsidised by Lancs County Council
citi 3	Preston Bus Station Stand 65	Penwortham	Cop Lane	Gives Change		Optare Esteem, Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer, Optare Versa, MAN 18.220	7/8 minutes
citi 3A	Preston Bus Station Stand 63	Penwortham Clive Road	Broadgate, Hill Road South, Central Drive	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	1 hour	Subsidised By Lancs County Council.
citi 3B	Preston Bus Station Stand 63	Longton	Broadgate, Hill Road South, Whitestake, New Longton	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	1 hour	Subs. by LCC. Run alongside 3A to provide 30 min freq. till Hill Road South.
4	Preston Bus Station Stand 12	Chipping	Garstang Rd, Watling St Rd, Royal Preston Hospital, Wychnor, Woodplumpton, Whittingham, Longridge Post Office	Gives Change		Optare Solo	1 hour	Network Ribble Valley. Subsidised by Lancashire County Council
citi 7	Preston Bus Station Stand 16	Brookfield	Garstang Road, Watling Street Road	Fast Fare		Optare Solo, Leyland Olympian	15 minutes	Easy access buses aren't used only 4 specified times a day.
citi 8	Preston Bus Station Stand 73	Moor Nook	Ribbleton Avenue	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	10 minutes
citi 9	Preston Bus Station Stand 74	Moor Nook	New Hall Lane, Miller Road	Gives Change		Optare Esteem, Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer, Dennis Dart SLF/Capital, Dennis Dart SLF/Spryte, MAN 18.220	10 minutes	Run alongside service 8 in time providing service to Moor Nook 5 min freq
citi 11	Preston Bus Station Stand 71	Gamull Lane	Ribbleton Avenue, Grange Estate	Fast Fare		Dennis Trident/Lolyne, Optare Esteem, Scania Omnidekka, Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 (full)	10 minutes	run alongside service 1 in time providing 5 min freq. till Gamull Lane
citi 14	Preston Bus Station Stand 18	Fairfax Road	St Paul's Road, St George's Road, St Gregory's Road, Holme Slack	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	15 minutes
citi 16	Preston Bus Station Stand 75	Farringdon Park	New Hall Lane	Fast Fare		Optare Esteem, Dennis Trident/ALX 400, Dennis Dart SLF, Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, MAN 18.220	10 minutes
citi 19	Preston Bus Station Stand 19	Royal Preston Hospital Hospital Turning Circle	Deepdale Road, Watling Street Road	Fast Fare		Optare Esteem, Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer, Dennis Dart SLF/Capital, Dennis Dart SLF/Spryte, Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Dennis Trident/ALX 400, Optare Versa, MAN 18.220	10 minutes	Continues as service 22 to Preston City Centre
citi 19A	Preston Bus Station Stand 21	Royal Preston Hospital Main Entrance	Deepdale Road, Watling Street Road, Sharoe Green Lane, Hospital Turning Circle, Broadwood Drive Estate	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	10 minutes	Run alongside 19 to provide service to RPH via Watling St Rd every 5 minutes
citi 22	Preston Bus Station Stand 22	Royal Preston Hospital Main Entrance	Adelphi Street, Plunington Road, Black Bull Lane	Fast Fare		Optare Esteem, Dennis Dart SLF/Pointer, Dennis Dart SLF/Capital, Dennis Dart SLF/Spryte, Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Dennis Trident/ALX 400, Optare Versa, MAN 18.220	10 minutes	Continues as service 19 to Preston City Centre
citi 23	Preston Bus Station Stand 23	Fulwood Asda	Adelphi Street, Plunington Road, Black Bull Lane, Royal Preston Hospital "Turning Circle", Sherwood	Fast Fare		Dennis Trident/Lolyne, Scania Omnidekka	10 minutes	Run alongside 22 to provide service to RPH via Plungington Rd every 5 minutes
citi 29 citi 29A	Preston Bus Station Stand 58	Frenchwood	London Road (29) or Manchester Road (29A)	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	30 minutes	Subsidised by Lancashire County Council
citi 31	Preston Bus Station Stand 33	Savick	Brook Street, Eldon Street, Lane Ends	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	15 minutes
citi 35	Preston Bus Station Stand 33	Tanterton	Fylde Road, Lane Ends, Tag Lane	Fast Fare		Dennis Trident/Lolyne, Scania Omnidekka	7/8 minutes
citi 44	Preston Bus Station Stand 35	Ingol Dunbar Road	Plungington Road, Eldon Street, Lane Ends, Tag Lane, Redcar Avenue	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	15 minutes
61	Preston Bus Station Stand 66	Blackpool Talbot Road T6	Lane Ends, Blackpool Road, Lea, Kirkham	Gives Change		Dennis Trident/Lolyne, Dennis Trident/ALX 400	30 minutes
Coastliner 68	Preston Bus Station Stand 68	Blackpool Talbot Road T6	Tulketh Road, Blackpool Road, Lea, Freckleton, Warton, Lytham, St Annes	Gives Change		Dennis Trident/ALX 400, Dennis Trident/Lolyne, Optare Esteem	15 minutes
citi 81	Preston Bus Station Stand 56	Conway Drive	Lane Ends, Mill Lane	Gives Change		Optare Solo	1 hour	Subsidised by Lancashire County Council
citi 87	Preston Bus Station Stand 25	Lea Dodney Drive	Lane Ends, Blackpool Road, Larches Avenue	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	30 minutes	Non- Easy Access Buses rarely used.
Orbit 88A	Preston Bus Station Stand 17	Preston Bus Station Stand 17	Deepdale Road, Brookfield, Blue Bell Way, Fulwood Asda, Sherwood Way, Royal Preston Hospital, Cadley Causeway, Tag Lane, Cottam, Larches, Mariners Way	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	15 minutes	Preston orbit anti-clockwise
Orbit 88C	Preston Bus Station Stand 27	Preston Bus Station Stand 27	Mariners Way, Larches, Cottam, Tag Lane, Cadley Causeway, Royal Preston Hospital, Sherwood Way, Fulwood Asda, Blue Bell Way, Brookfield, Deepdale Road	Fast Fare		Optare Solo	15 minutes	Preston orbit clockwise
citi 89	Preston Bus Station Stand 25	Lea Dodney Drive	Mariners Way, Pedders Lane, Blackpool Road, Larches Avenue	Fast Fare		Leyland Olympian, Optare Solo	30 minutes	Easy Access Buses (the Solos) used 30% of the time
113	Preston Bus Station Stand 59	Wigan Bus Station	Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall, Farington, Leyland, Eccleston, Standish	Gives Change		Optare Solo	1 hour	Subsidised by Lancashire County Council, Sundays don't operate from Preston, so subsidised by GMPTE.
Boomerang 150 151	Preston Bus Station Stand 6	Bamber Bridge	Higher Walton, Gregson Lane	Gives Change		Optare Solo	30 minutes	Evening and Sunday journeys subsidised by Lancashire County Council
X2	Preston Bus Station Stand 63	Liverpool Queen Square	A59, Tarleton, Southport, Formby, Bootle	Gives Change		Scania E400/Alexander Dennis Enviro 400	30 minutes	Listed as Best UK Express Bus Service 2009
X59	Preston Bus Station Stand 11	Blackburn Bus Station L	Samlesbury, Mellor Brook, Beardwood	Gives Change		Volvo Olympian, Coaches, Optare Solo	1 hour	Also branded as Stagecoach Express, Optare Solos used during evenings.
X61	Blackpool Talbot Rd T6	Manchester Shudehill Interchange	(M55)-Kirkham, Preston Bus Station Stand 11, Frenchwood (M65,M61) - Chorley, Horwich (M61) Salford	Gives Change		Scania E400/Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, Volvo Olympian, Coaches	Every hour until 4pm.	Also branded as Stagecoach Express, Easy Access buses used 50% of the time.

Preston park and ride

All park and ride buses are Easy Access Services 1 & 2 primarily use Optare Solo SRs, Optare Solos are additionally used at peak periods. The Orbits are 88A & 88C and therefore use Optare Solos.

School services

Stagecoach in Preston also provided school buses to secondary school and colleges in Preston and the Wyre, running as far as Cabus and Garstang to the north, Accrington to the east, Chorley to the south and Blackpool to the west.

Brands

Stagecoach in Preston has 6 different brands for services.

Depots

Stagecoach in Preston use two depots.

The main one is the one previously owned by Preston Bus, on Deepdale Road. This can hold over 150 buses and holds all buses in Preston Bus Livery, Citi Livery and Stagecoach in Preston livery.

The other smaller one is on Selbourne Street. This holds buses in the liveries of Fylde Coastliner, Network Ribble Valley, 113, those still in Stagecoach in Lancashire and Boomerang Livery. It is also where the outstations at Fleetwood and Clitheroe report to. This was previously owned by Stagecoach in Lancashire, and before that Ribble Motor Services. Before 2005 this had been rated as one of the worst Stagecoach depots in the UK for timekeeping, because at the time it mainly relied on interurbans.

Fleet

At Stagecoach Takeover

The Preston Bus fleet was originally all double deckers, but latterly the company moved to single deckers and midibuses, with the most common vehicle as of 2008 being the Optare Solo midibus.

When Stagecoach took over Preston Bus in 2009, the fleet comprised

• 47 Optare Solo midibuses bought between 2001 & 2009.
• 8 Optare Solo SR midibuses with leather seats and television screens bought in 2008 for Park & Ride services.
• 6 Optare MetroRiders dating from 1997.
• 4 Leyland Lynx bought between 1989 and 1991.
• 12 Scania large single-deckers/Optare Esteem bought between 2006 and 2007.
• 1 DAF SB220/Optare Delta Driver Trainer
• 27 Leyland Olympian double deckers, one new in 1984, the others bought between 1989 and 1992, except for ten examples purchased from Lothian Buses in 2003.
• 18 Dennis Trident 2/East Lancs Lolyne double deckers, bought between 1999 and 2000.
• 2 Scania N94UD OmniDekka, bought in 2006.

When sold to Rotala

When Preston Bus was sold to Rotala in January 2011, the fleet comprised:

• 34 Optare Solo midibuses bought between 2001 and 2009.
• 8 Optare Solo SR midibuses with leather seats and television screens bought in 2008 for Park & Ride services. All in Preston Park & Ride livery.
• 1 Leyland Lynx
• 10 Scania large single-deckers/Optare Esteem bought between 2006 and 2007.
• 1 DAF SB220/Optare Delta Driver Trainer
• 13 Leyland Olympian
• 18 Dennis Trident 2/East Lancs Lolyne double deckers, bought between 1999 and 2000.
• 2 Scania N94UD OmniDekka, bought in 2006.

Easy Access Bus

The majority of buses in the Stagecoach in Preston fleet are Easy Accessible. Optare Solos, Dennis Tridents, Optare Esteems, Optare Solo SRs, Optare Versas, MANs, Enviro 400s, and Dennis Dart SLFs are all Easy Access. Services 2, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16, 19, 19A, 22, 23, 29, 35, 44, 68, 81, Orbits, 113, 150, 151, and X2 are all completely Easy Access. All the others except service 89 are often Easy Access. Service 7 has specified times that aren't Easy access, four times a day.^[8]

See also

• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stagecoach UK Bus.

• Preston Bus website

Bus companies operating in North West England
Cheshire	Arriva North West D&G Bus Halton Transport Network Warrington Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire
Cumbria	Mountain Goat Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire
Greater Manchester	Arriva North West Bullocks Coaches Diamond Bus North West First Greater Manchester Jim Stones Coaches Manchester Community Transport Rosso Stagecoach Manchester & Wigan Stotts
Lancashire	Arriva North West Blackburn Bus Company Blackpool Transport Blue Bus of Penwortham Pilkingtons Buses Preston Bus (Preston park and ride) Rosso Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire Transdev in Burnley & Pendle
Merseyside	Arriva North West Avon Buses Cumfybus HTL Buses Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire The Green Bus
Isle of Man	Bus Vannin
National	Megabus National Express