Coach company mergers

[Shrimper]

I was discussing this with a former coach driving colleague last night, and neither of us could work out a reason for it!

In (and around) Manchester, there have been a few takeovers amongst some of the larger coach firms - notably Bullocks (who took on the Finglands coaching business) and Selwyns (who took over Haytons). Despite both mergers being well in the past (Bullocks around 2 years, Selwyns even longer) both have coaches running round in their own corporate schemes but with the names of the former companies:

YT09 FLL. Finglands by Rod Whitaker, on Flickr

Selwyns Travel (Haytons) Van Hool Alizee YJ06LFV by Andy, on Flickr

Is there a reason for this or is it simply to keep the brand alive?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I guess brand goodwill? "I need to hire a coach, I'll call Finglands, they were OK last time"?

 

[Amberley54]

In both cases it is to keep the name alive and exploit the goodwill that was built-up

Finglands dates from the 1920's and at least on 15-plated coach has been delivered carrying the Finglands fleet name, in the current Bullocks style

Whilst Haytons were a much more recent operator, Selwyns, based in Runcorn 30 miles away, sensibly continued with a familiar names, but in the Selwyns corporate style. Since then Selwyns has been taken over, by RAPT (?), yet no livery or fleetname changes have been made to date.

 

[iantherev]

It also stops a new operator starting up using that name.

 

[northwichcat]

Selwyns and Bullocks were also the two companies who acquired the coach operations of Ambassador Coaches t/a Starline Travel. Selwyns acquired the Airport division while Bullocks acquired the Knutsford division and merged it with their existing operations. In those instances they couldn`t keep the old name as North Western had acquired it with the bus operations and wanted to use it on routes which would be getting new low floor buses opposed to elderley Leyland Nationals.

 

[Shrimper]

Thanks chaps, makes a lot of sense!

Finglands dates from the 1920's and at least on 15-plated coach has been delivered carrying the Finglands fleet name, in the current Bullocks style

I seem to think it was even older than that (though perhaps not as a pure coaching operation) - some of the buses had stickers celebrating 100 years (round about the offside entrance door; just about visible in the image!)
Finglands, Manchester YX56DZJ. Manchester, 2013. by Alan Urquhart, on Flickr

 

[robertclark125]

One other reason that trading names may be kept on, or even liveries, is that it's a condition of the takeover, that the name and/or livery is retained for a period of time. When Stagecoach Fife bought Allisons in 2000, the name had to be kept on for a year. In fact, the name and livery were retained for 18 months.

 

[fgwrich]

One company very good at this kind of thing here in the south is Weavaway Travel, who operate vehicles in these different names. The Countywide name was taken into Weavaway when the original Countywide Split - The bus side spinning off into Fleetbuzz and now part of Stagecoach, and Countywide Coaches which was bought into Weavaway.


Tappins Coaches Limited

Newbury & District Limited

Weavaway Travel

Abingdon Coaches

Countywide Top Travel

 

[Andyh82]

York Pullman have taken over a number of coach operators in North Yorkshire, and they have coaches with numerous fleet names keeping those former names alive.

 

[theblackwatch]

York Pullman have taken over a number of coach operators in North Yorkshire, and they have coaches with numerous fleet names keeping those former names alive.

And even featuring the names/liveries of firms they didn't take over!

Here's an example....

Wrays were acquired by another firm (Eddie Brown) in the 1990s.

 

[Amberley54]

In the north west Holmeswood has also kept alive the fleet names of several operators it has acquired over the years:

Aspdens, Blackburn

Bostocks, Congleton.

Walker, Anderton.

Flanagan; Warrington

 

[northwichcat]

In the north west Holmeswood has also kept alive the fleet names of several operators it has acquired over the years:

Aspdens, Blackburn

Bostocks, Congleton.

Walker, Anderton.

Flanagan; Warrington

In the case of Bostocks the Bostock family sold the company to Holmeswood on condition that they would continue to use the name.

The reason for a lot of coach company acquisitions in Cheshire (and probably other areas) was operators were finding it hard to get their coach tours filled up during certain months and were finding they had to cope with over demand in other months.

 

[AnonymousUser1]

It also stops a new operator starting up using that name.

which is probably closer to the truth

and as seen with service bus operations as well (trent barton , NCT keeping the south notts name alive etc etc )

 

[Amberley54]

which is probably closer to the truth

and as seen with service bus operations as well (trent barton , NCT keeping the south notts name alive etc etc )

Yet the exception is the once mighty Crosville fleetname that has 'migrated' a couple of hundred miles south from north wales and the north west down to Somerset!

However, don't get me going in the abuse of the once great North Western Road Car fleetname by the short lived pseudo North Western of the 1990's :-x

 

[34D]

And even featuring the names/liveries of firms they didn't take over!

Here's an example....

Wrays were acquired by another firm (Eddie Brown) in the 1990s.

York Pullman bought the rights to use the Wrays name from the liquidator of Eddie Brown Tours Ltd in late 2014.