First Glasgow BYD K9/Alexander Dennis Enviro 200EV
The Sad Story of Stagecoach’s franchising of its Glasgow services….
Seen here is 64107 (LG71DLV) about to head out on the former Stagecoach Glasgow X8 service to Pollok. This was one of the launch services for Stagecoach in Glasgow but now run by First Glasgow.
How this service came to be under First Glasgow control is interesting but sad tail from Stagecoach’s perspective. Stagecoach had first appeared in Glasgow at deregulation, running services as Magicbus. It ran services between Glasgow and Easterhouse, Castlemilk and East Kilbride. Services to East Kilbride were run with coaches and didn’t last long. But the services to Castlemilk and Easterhouse were run with AEC Routemasters and proved successful, all wearing Stagecoach’s stripes livery. Magicbus proved a useful little earner for Stagecoach but it wasn’t really expanded any further, other than the odd schools service. As Stagecoach acquired operators down south as it began its growth path, it updated the Magicbus fleet with acquired Atlanteans and VRTs from Ribble/Cumberland and Ailsas from Hampshire Bus. It even received some new Alexander bodied Mercedes-Benz minibuses and amongst the first of Stagecoach’s large order Alexander Dash bodied Dennis Darts.
Then suddenly and with no warning Stagecoach sold Magicbus to Kelvin Central Buses. The reason it seemed surprising was that a matter of a few weeks before it had received some brand new Dennis Darts, so Stagecoach was still investing in it. Industry wags speculated that this was to clear its way for a potential bid for Strathclyde’s Buses with no possible referral to the competition authorities. In the end, Strathclyde’s Buses was sold to its employees and management, and it looked as though Stagecoach had blown its chances in Glasgow, especially when Kelvin Central was subsequently sold to Strathclyde’s Buses in October 1994.
In November 1994, Stagecoach decided to try and go back into Glasgow, through its recently acquired Western Buses subsidiary. It registered a couple of services which would be run with brand new buses. It looked as though a bus war was on the cards as Strathclyde’s Buses stocked up on second hand buses and looked to set up operations in Perth and in Fife in retaliation.
At the last moment common sense and peace broke out. Stagecoach cancelled its registrations and took a 20% stake in Strathclyde’s Buses holding company SB Holdings instead. The new Strathclyde’s Buses operations in Perth and Fife didn’t go ahead and Strathclyde’s Buses even took on some of the buses that would have went into Stagecoach’s Glasgow operations. With Stagecoach now holding a stake in SB Holdings, to most observers it looked as though Strathclyde’s Buses would eventually end up as part of Stagecoach. However, enter stage left the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, who ordered Stagecoach to sell its stake, believing it to be anti-competitive. Stagecoach protested most strongly at this and ultimately went to the Courts over it, a case it actually won. But it was rendered pretty unimportant when SB Holdings was sold to Firstbus. Stagecoach walked away with a massive profit on its stake. It looked as though Stagecoach had left Glasgow again….or did it?
When Stagecoach Glasgow launched again for a third time in 1997, its launch routes included services X8/9 between Pollok/Darnley and Glasgow City Centre - these were genuinely innovative services which ran through the city centre before using the M8 then the newly opened M77 motorway before fanning out to serve the local communities. They competed with slower First Glasgow services that trundled through the suburbs and were run from a depot at Cowcaddens in the north of the city.
Stagecoach expanded steadily and soon outgrew the Cowcaddens premises and new premises were secured at Blochairn, at the side of the M8 Motorway near the old Gas Works and which was previously used by the Territorial Army, so it came with ready made workshops. Overtime certain services were cut back or withdrawn but Stagecoach remained a major player in the city.
In April 2001 the position changed. Stagecoach purchased Arriva Scotland West’s stake in Renfrewshire's Dart Buses. At the time, the reason was unclear but it soon became clear why. Dart Buses had grown from nothing to be one of the major players in Renfrewshire and parts of Southern Glasgow and Arriva reckoned if you cannot beat them, buy a stake in them. It then subsequently and quietly sold that stake to Stagecoach.
Stagecoach then franchised the X8/X9 service to Dart, who would run them on its behalf, using buses in Stagecoach livery - well the classic stripy livery. This allowed Stagecoach to be seen to maintain its presence but the risk would be transferred to Dart who would retain the fare box revenue. It seemed a bit of a win-win for both companies. The services were registered in Dart's name and Stagecoach Glasgow withdrew its own registration. There was a bit of grumbling from some customers when the low-floor Volvo B6LEs/ALX200s used by Stagecoach were replaced by some step entrance Wright bodies Dennis Darts initially but slowly, as Dart’s low floor Marshall Capital bodies Darts were repainted for this new venture in Stagecoach livery, any grumbles vanished.
However in October 2001 Dart Buses suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed. There had been no prior warning, although the fact that for the previous few days it's buses had been filling up outside the depot should have sent alarm bells ringing somewhere. The buses suddenly just didn't appear one Friday morning.
Stagecoach submitted its own emergency registrations to commence the following Monday and started scouring its U.K. Fleets for decent buses to run them. However First Glasgow trumped that by getting in its registrations to start the Saturday and also offered jobs to to Dart's drivers. It even borrowed buses from sister fleet First Edinburgh to run them. Stagecoach then withdrew its registrations having been out-foxed by its rival.....First Glasgow have then run the route since.
First Glasgow BYD K9/Alexander Dennis Enviro 200EV
The Sad Story of Stagecoach’s franchising of its Glasgow services….
Seen here is 64107 (LG71DLV) about to head out on the former Stagecoach Glasgow X8 service to Pollok. This was one of the launch services for Stagecoach in Glasgow but now run by First Glasgow.
How this service came to be under First Glasgow control is interesting but sad tail from Stagecoach’s perspective. Stagecoach had first appeared in Glasgow at deregulation, running services as Magicbus. It ran services between Glasgow and Easterhouse, Castlemilk and East Kilbride. Services to East Kilbride were run with coaches and didn’t last long. But the services to Castlemilk and Easterhouse were run with AEC Routemasters and proved successful, all wearing Stagecoach’s stripes livery. Magicbus proved a useful little earner for Stagecoach but it wasn’t really expanded any further, other than the odd schools service. As Stagecoach acquired operators down south as it began its growth path, it updated the Magicbus fleet with acquired Atlanteans and VRTs from Ribble/Cumberland and Ailsas from Hampshire Bus. It even received some new Alexander bodied Mercedes-Benz minibuses and amongst the first of Stagecoach’s large order Alexander Dash bodied Dennis Darts.
Then suddenly and with no warning Stagecoach sold Magicbus to Kelvin Central Buses. The reason it seemed surprising was that a matter of a few weeks before it had received some brand new Dennis Darts, so Stagecoach was still investing in it. Industry wags speculated that this was to clear its way for a potential bid for Strathclyde’s Buses with no possible referral to the competition authorities. In the end, Strathclyde’s Buses was sold to its employees and management, and it looked as though Stagecoach had blown its chances in Glasgow, especially when Kelvin Central was subsequently sold to Strathclyde’s Buses in October 1994.
In November 1994, Stagecoach decided to try and go back into Glasgow, through its recently acquired Western Buses subsidiary. It registered a couple of services which would be run with brand new buses. It looked as though a bus war was on the cards as Strathclyde’s Buses stocked up on second hand buses and looked to set up operations in Perth and in Fife in retaliation.
At the last moment common sense and peace broke out. Stagecoach cancelled its registrations and took a 20% stake in Strathclyde’s Buses holding company SB Holdings instead. The new Strathclyde’s Buses operations in Perth and Fife didn’t go ahead and Strathclyde’s Buses even took on some of the buses that would have went into Stagecoach’s Glasgow operations. With Stagecoach now holding a stake in SB Holdings, to most observers it looked as though Strathclyde’s Buses would eventually end up as part of Stagecoach. However, enter stage left the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, who ordered Stagecoach to sell its stake, believing it to be anti-competitive. Stagecoach protested most strongly at this and ultimately went to the Courts over it, a case it actually won. But it was rendered pretty unimportant when SB Holdings was sold to Firstbus. Stagecoach walked away with a massive profit on its stake. It looked as though Stagecoach had left Glasgow again….or did it?
When Stagecoach Glasgow launched again for a third time in 1997, its launch routes included services X8/9 between Pollok/Darnley and Glasgow City Centre - these were genuinely innovative services which ran through the city centre before using the M8 then the newly opened M77 motorway before fanning out to serve the local communities. They competed with slower First Glasgow services that trundled through the suburbs and were run from a depot at Cowcaddens in the north of the city.
Stagecoach expanded steadily and soon outgrew the Cowcaddens premises and new premises were secured at Blochairn, at the side of the M8 Motorway near the old Gas Works and which was previously used by the Territorial Army, so it came with ready made workshops. Overtime certain services were cut back or withdrawn but Stagecoach remained a major player in the city.
In April 2001 the position changed. Stagecoach purchased Arriva Scotland West’s stake in Renfrewshire's Dart Buses. At the time, the reason was unclear but it soon became clear why. Dart Buses had grown from nothing to be one of the major players in Renfrewshire and parts of Southern Glasgow and Arriva reckoned if you cannot beat them, buy a stake in them. It then subsequently and quietly sold that stake to Stagecoach.
Stagecoach then franchised the X8/X9 service to Dart, who would run them on its behalf, using buses in Stagecoach livery - well the classic stripy livery. This allowed Stagecoach to be seen to maintain its presence but the risk would be transferred to Dart who would retain the fare box revenue. It seemed a bit of a win-win for both companies. The services were registered in Dart's name and Stagecoach Glasgow withdrew its own registration. There was a bit of grumbling from some customers when the low-floor Volvo B6LEs/ALX200s used by Stagecoach were replaced by some step entrance Wright bodies Dennis Darts initially but slowly, as Dart’s low floor Marshall Capital bodies Darts were repainted for this new venture in Stagecoach livery, any grumbles vanished.
However in October 2001 Dart Buses suddenly and unexpectedly collapsed. There had been no prior warning, although the fact that for the previous few days it's buses had been filling up outside the depot should have sent alarm bells ringing somewhere. The buses suddenly just didn't appear one Friday morning.
Stagecoach submitted its own emergency registrations to commence the following Monday and started scouring its U.K. Fleets for decent buses to run them. However First Glasgow trumped that by getting in its registrations to start the Saturday and also offered jobs to to Dart's drivers. It even borrowed buses from sister fleet First Edinburgh to run them. Stagecoach then withdrew its registrations having been out-foxed by its rival.....First Glasgow have then run the route since.