Midland Red 201, Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, 1985
from December 1973 up until deregulation in October 1986, the Midland Red had the licensed monopoly on the majority of the former Wolverhampton Corporation/WMPTE bus routes that ran from Wolverhampton out into South Staffordshire and Shropshire.
I can't imagine that many of these routes were particularly profitable for the Midland Red, especially by the 1980s, when car ownership in rural areas had increased significantly.
Following de-regulation of the bus industry in 1986, these rural services required financial support from the County Councils to maintain them. Over time this financial support dwindled away, and with it the willingness of operators to tender for these poor paying routes.
In the case of the 886 group of services, initially Midland Red West took-over from Midland Red North in 1986, so for a while there was little change. Eventually though, the service frequency reduced despite other operators taking up the County Council tenders, until such time most of these services simply disappeared.
Operating a morning run from the rural enclaves of Trysull and Seisdon in Staffordshire, Midland Red, Leyland Leopard 201 is pictured at Merry Hill (Fiveways) on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. Having crossed the county boundary, the bus makes its first stop inside the West Midlands, but note that it is virtually empty.
Happily, the Midland Red could pick-up passengers once inside the WM boundary for the run into Wolverhampton. From memory, it was quite common for people to stand back from the bus stops when one of these buses appeared. When ever I saw a Midland Red bus turn up ahead of a West Midlands bus, I would often catch it for a fast comfortable ride to town.
As for 201, that ended up working for Chase Coaches in Chasetown, Staffordshire between 1987 and 1989, after which it was sold for scrap.
Photo - 5th March 1985.
Midland Red 201, Merry Hill, Wolverhampton, 1985
from December 1973 up until deregulation in October 1986, the Midland Red had the licensed monopoly on the majority of the former Wolverhampton Corporation/WMPTE bus routes that ran from Wolverhampton out into South Staffordshire and Shropshire.
I can't imagine that many of these routes were particularly profitable for the Midland Red, especially by the 1980s, when car ownership in rural areas had increased significantly.
Following de-regulation of the bus industry in 1986, these rural services required financial support from the County Councils to maintain them. Over time this financial support dwindled away, and with it the willingness of operators to tender for these poor paying routes.
In the case of the 886 group of services, initially Midland Red West took-over from Midland Red North in 1986, so for a while there was little change. Eventually though, the service frequency reduced despite other operators taking up the County Council tenders, until such time most of these services simply disappeared.
Operating a morning run from the rural enclaves of Trysull and Seisdon in Staffordshire, Midland Red, Leyland Leopard 201 is pictured at Merry Hill (Fiveways) on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. Having crossed the county boundary, the bus makes its first stop inside the West Midlands, but note that it is virtually empty.
Happily, the Midland Red could pick-up passengers once inside the WM boundary for the run into Wolverhampton. From memory, it was quite common for people to stand back from the bus stops when one of these buses appeared. When ever I saw a Midland Red bus turn up ahead of a West Midlands bus, I would often catch it for a fast comfortable ride to town.
As for 201, that ended up working for Chase Coaches in Chasetown, Staffordshire between 1987 and 1989, after which it was sold for scrap.
Photo - 5th March 1985.