Trivia: companies that share depots/outstations

[820KDV]

Wilts & Dorset and Badgerline (yes, it was while ago) used to park alongside each other in the car park at Devizes, which is on the site of the railway station.

Allocations no doubt varied over the years, but Badgerline's drivers often commented that in the case of a non-starter it would be a W&D bus which boost started theirs and never the other way round.

I can only find this (rather poor) photo at the moment which just about shows a Wilts VR and Metrorider next to a Badgerline Lance and National 2.

At about the same time First Badgerline ran a Bath to Stratford-upon-Avon service (X56?) which had one of the two special liveried ALX200s driven by Guide Friday and over-nighting in Stratford.

 

[Womar]

Red & white used to park a few at Hereford and Bristol kept one at Evesham Midland red garages.

 

[Megafuss]

Bluestar and Morebus share a garage in Lymington, and frequently, a Bluestar vehicle can be found on a Morebus route, and vice versa. Today, Bluestar 1530 is working 112, 1531 X1, while Morebus 1547 is on Bluestar 6

I think think that is just a case of different brands as Bluestar and Morebus are on the same O-licence

 

[341o2]

I think think that is just a case of different brands as Bluestar and Morebus are on the same O-licence

They are listed as separate companies as part of Go South Coast

Go South Coast operates a fleet of over 850 buses across Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Read more about our individual companies here.

https://gosouthcoast.co.uk/our-companies

 

[Megafuss]

They are listed as separate companies as part of Go South Coast



https://gosouthcoast.co.uk/our-companies

They are trading/brand names. They are all under the Go South Coast license - PH1121126

 

[robertclark125]

Don't know if they still do, but Moffat and williamson used to outstation buses from their St Fort depot, in the Stagecoach east Scotland depot at Forfar.

 

[PaulWC]

Further back, Potteries and North Western (later Crosville after NW was split up) shared Biddulph depot, and Crosville had a number of buses based at Potteries' Newcastle (under Lyme) depot.

Prior to deregulation, PMT had a couple of buses at Crosville's Crewe depot in addition to the Crosville buses at PMT's Newcastle depot. When PMT won contracts from Crosville in 1986 it put an end to both agreements with PMT opening their own depot in Lockitt Street in Crewe and Crosville using a facility in Madeley before opening a depot at Etruria.

 

[Cesarcollie]

In the TfL area:

• London Sovereign (First) and Metroline share Edgware Garage.
• Arriva London North and Stagecoach East London technically share Ash Grove, though Arriva don't have any London routes based there at present.
• London United (First) and Transport UK technically share Fulwell, though they have separate entrances - Wellington Road and Stanley Road, respectively - and TUK call their end Twickenham

And there is a very solid wall at Fulwell between the TUK half and the London United half…….

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

It would be interesting to know if there are any legalities covering this. Not exactly the same, but several companies I've worked for, the building has been owned by the parent company but market rent is still paid as if we were nothing to do with them. I suspect a lot is just being 'tax efficient', but I wonder if competition law is also involved - not giving an unfair advantage. It may even complicate some things - such as accounting for fuel used separately.

I think you're overthinking it.

N&D is a low cost subsidiary. Drivers will be on lesser pay rates. There may be some wooden dollars in terms of journaling costs across as a provision to create some fixed cost recovery (so N&D isn't living there rent free). The only thing of particular concern is regarding fuel duty as you can't sell from one firm to another without incurring fuel duties. Competition law.... nah, not really.

They are listed as separate companies as part of Go South Coast

They are trading/brand names. They are all under the Go South Coast license - PH1121126

Indeed - only the 6 is a Bluestar route and they are all under the same license. Otherwise you'd have buses with "on hire" licenses in the window and different legals. Bit like the X8 at Pimperne which is a Damory route but operated by vehicles in More livery.

Wilts & Dorset and Badgerline (yes, it was while ago) used to park alongside each other in the car park at Devizes, which is on the site of the railway station.

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that one. Usually a VR and a Metrorider from W&D, and some Nationals and a VR from Badgerline, back in the early 1990s.


Another celebrated one was North Devon's South Western operation in Exeter that was based in the bus station next to Devon General vehicles. For DG, they were happy for a friendly firm to have the tendered big bus work that they didn't want.

 

[Hyebone]

Whilst perhaps a little off topic, Stagecoach East Midlands' Mansfield depot stabled a Pronto branded Enviro400 MMC at Stagecoach Yorkshire's Chesterfield depot overnight due to the floods of Storm Babet back in 2023. The vehicle was left stranded in Chesterfield when the entire town was gridlocked due to floods, it wasn't a pleasant day for anyone!

 

[DunsBus]

I made the same observation.


It was one building that had two doorways opening out onto the bus station (which was essentially a road about 12 metres wide with an arrivals platform and a downward departures platform that opened up to a turning area in front of the doors).

They were totally separate and had their own offices (as shown). They also had their own rear entrances though they were never used in later years. As I say, after closure in readiness for redevelopment, both firms moved together to the industrial estate, then to Scremerston in a building that had been a car dealership. Photos from David Devoy, Mark Harrington and Dick Darlington on flickr.

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Of note too is that up until deregulation, SMT and United (and their respective successors) jointly ran the Berwick town services. After deregulation the working relationship fell apart in spectacular fashion with first Northumbria and then Lowland introducing minibuses, resulting in a bus war that was to last for just under eight years and which was solved in early 1995 by a gentleman's agreement after both companies had changed hands the previous year.

Additionally I believe that Lowland rented its part of the Berwick depot building following privatisation in 1990. It was the first to close at the end of 1994, with Northumbria closing its part soon after.

 

[TR673]

Hawkes Coaches use a section of the Arriva depot on Ascot Drive, Derby.
Most of the Hawkes vehicles are ex-First and still in First livery, so you get the unusual sight of what looks like a First bus driving out of an Arriva depot.

 

[DunsBus]

Western SMT lodged with Ribble at Willowholme after closing its Lonsdale Street, Carlisle depot in November 1981.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

York Pullman (K&J Logistics) and Transdev York shared a depot in Hospital Fields Road until a few years ago.
Ribble used Burnley and Pendle's Queensgate depot after the Ribble garage in Burnley closed c.1988. This continued through the takeover of Ribble by Stagecoach and up until B&P also sold to Stagecoach in 1996/7, at which point they became the same company.
Huntingdon and District had an outstation at another operator's depot but I can't recall which...it may have been Burton's of Haverhill- can anyone remember?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Aug 2025 ==

PC Coaches of Lincoln's Grimsby depot is shared with GMB (Grimsby Minibuses), and indeed a lorry company!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Ribble used Burnley and Pendle's Queensgate depot after the Ribble garage in Burnley closed c.1988.

Good call. Another Burnley oddity was that National Travel West outbased coaches at the Ribble depot in Burnley; the operation was then later absorbed into Ribble where it had originally come from. It was a separate unit in NBC but hard to say it was that separate though!


Plymouth Citybus and Summercourt Travel used to share their site at Bodmin in mid/late 2010s.

 

[Trainman40083]

Once upon a time, in deepest Mansfield. BET companies Trent and East Midland would share Mansfield Westgate and THC companies Mansfield District and Midland General would share Sutton Road

 

[Teapot42]

PC Coaches of Lincoln's Grimsby depot is shared with GMB (Grimsby Minibuses), and indeed a lorry company!

That reminds me, Derbyshire Community Transport - before going bust - operated some buses out of the Ford and Slater yard just off Chatsworth Road in Chesterfield.

 

[Stan Drews]

York Pullman (K&J Logistics) and Transdev York shared a depot in Hospital Fields Road until a few years ago.
Ribble used Burnley and Pendle's Queensgate depot after the Ribble garage in Burnley closed c.1988. This continued through the takeover of Ribble by Stagecoach and up until B&P also sold to Stagecoach in 1996/7, at which point they became the same company.
Huntingdon and District had an outstation at another operator's depot but I can't recall which...it may have been Burton's of Haverhill- can anyone remember?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Aug 2025 ==

PC Coaches of Lincoln's Grimsby depot is shared with GMB (Grimsby Minibuses), and indeed a lorry company!

I think Huntingdon & District kept a few buses at Dews, Somersham for a period of time.

 

[GCH100]

First Manchester kept its Vantage Buses for a while at Arriva North West's Bolton Depot, they used a subsite really owned by Roger Jarvis, but Arriva washed and cleaned those buses on its own premises, and it was not uncommon to see Vantage buses parked in the Arriva Depot, this was of course in the period between First selling all but its Vantage routes at Bolton depot to Diamond Bus North West, and the Bee Network starting, I think this is the only example of such an occurance in Greater Manchester.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

I think Huntingdon & District kept a few buses at Dews, Somersham for a period of time.

That was the one, thank you!

 

[DunsBus]

During the early nineties, Davidson's of Bathgate based some of his buses in SMT's Bathgate depot, to run services on behalf of SMT. They carried SMT livery and had SMT ticket machines.

This was an operating agreement so may have to be disqualified on a technicality.

 

[Fletcj10]

Reading Buses' depot (Great Knollys Street, Reading) is an outstation for First's Railair coaches, and has in the past (but not sure it is now) had Thames Travel buses outstationed there. There were also buses operated there under the 'Green Bus' brand on school services, but not sure if they were under Reading Buses' O Licence or what. Conversely, when Reading Buses operated the National Express Heathrow - Woking 925, a few coaches were outstationed at the Heathrow Coach Centre, Sipson, which is used by a few other operators as well - not sure who actually owns it.

Further back, Potteries and North Western (later Crosville after NW was split up) shared Biddulph depot, and Crosville had a number of buses based at Potteries' Newcastle (under Lyme) depot.

A couple of London Transport country bus garages had an Aldenham or Chiswick Works staff bus allocated there, and this continued in to London Country days at at least some - Tring, Garston, Luton, Reigate had buses outstationed there.

Aldershot and District's Alton depot at one time had both Wilts and Dorset and Southdown buses outstationed there, and there were a number of similar arrangements within the BET and 'Tillings' groups.

Further back in time, to the 'pirate' era of independent operators in London (mainly in the 1920s) a lot of the smaller operators didn't have their own premises, but rented space/s in a yard or garage, so many shared premises.

Reading Buses used to store 1 Citaro for Thames Travel for there 143 and sometimes 2 however when Reading took the 143 and renumbered to 43 the agreement stopped

 

[Taunton]

I just saw this discussion, certainly back in the 1970s-80s the express overnight coaches from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, run by the Eastern Scottish company, used to be based at the London end in the large London Transport buses garage at the back of Victoria station which ran the 'Red Arrow' routes. If I remember it correctly this was on two floors, the London buses were on one floor and the Scottish ones on the other. There would be a substantial number of coaches in there during the daytime, all leaving in the evening but being replaced by the ones arriving from the daytime journeys.

 

[Roger1973]

Reading Buses used to store 1 Citaro for Thames Travel for there 143 and sometimes 2 however when Reading took the 143 and renumbered to 43 the agreement stopped

Thanks. I was aware that one or two Thames Travel buses were based at Reading when they did the 144 (Reading - Arborfield - Wokingham, now Reading Buses 3) - and that was a while ago now.

I just saw this discussion, certainly back in the 1970s-80s the express overnight coaches from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, run by the Eastern Scottish company, used to be based at the London end in the large London Transport buses garage at the back of Victoria station which ran the 'Red Arrow' routes. If I remember it correctly this was on two floors, the London buses were on one floor and the Scottish ones on the other. There would be a substantial number of coaches in there during the daytime, all leaving in the evening but being replaced by the ones arriving from the daytime journeys.

I'd never quite thought of it like that - I'd thought of it more as an arrangement to park (and probably to clean and re-fuel) rather than an outstation. But might be an interesting one to argue with the traffic commissioners about, how often and how long do buses / coaches have to be parked somewhere for that location to become an 'operating centre' (the law on these things was different then.)

Yes, Victoria had a basement - from the mid / late 80s it was treated as a separate 'garage' for mini / midi buses with garage code 'GB' (Victoria garage was garage code GM for Gillingham Street, as V had already been used, so GB for Gillingham street Basement) - it had been intended as a base for London Transport's private hire fleet, then as a base for the 'one and a half deck' airport coaches (you couldn't get a double decker in to it) - and yes, parking for Scottish and other coaches. Although at one time it was leased out to the Post Office for vehicle parking / maintenance.

And Stockwell was also used for parking (and presumably fuelling) Scottish coaches at some times (photo - not my photo or account - on Flickr here)

A few other coach operators parked (or outstationed or based) coaches at Samuelsons' garage in Victoria.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

A few other coach operators parked (or outstationed or based) coaches at Samuelsons' garage in Victoria.

East Yorkshire used to refuel and park their coaches at Samuelsons in the 1960s and 70s

 

[Roger1973]

There are quite a few operators based at the compound behind Heston Services on the M4. It seems to be the main base of New Bharat Coaches - not sure if they own it and rent space to other operators, or if they are all renting space from an owner.

 

[izvor]

Aldershot & District had an outstation in Southdown Horsham for many years. There was even a single journey on A&D 50 worked by Southdown. There was a similar arrangement at Petersfield but I can't remember the details of who shared whose.

For a few years in the 1950s Maidstone & District outstationed a couple of buses at Southdown East Grinstead, until they opened their own depot at Edenbridge.

I believe East Kent shared the M&D depot in Rye after they closed their own depot there. (These last were all BET companies so under the same ownership)

More recently Go-Ahead London had an outstation in Brighton & Hove Newhaven for some years.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Aldershot & District had an outstation in Southdown Horsham for many years. There was even a single journey on A&D 50 worked by Southdown. There was a similar arrangement at Petersfield but I can't remember the details of who shared whose.

For a few years in the 1950s Maidstone & District outstationed a couple of buses at Southdown East Grinstead, until they opened their own depot at Edenbridge.

I believe East Kent shared the M&D depot in Rye after they closed their own depot there. (These last were all BET companies so under the same ownership)

More recently Go-Ahead London had an outstation in Brighton & Hove Newhaven for some years.

Southdown had the depot at Petersfield so would have been the landlord.