Trivia: The big four

[Deerfold]

Sadly??

Don't you mean joyfully!

I don't believe all journeys that were previously possible are with the reduced number of operators and routes.

 

[Abpj17]

Luton has a Arriva as one of the main provider; two regional companies - Grant Palmer and Centre Bus also operate routes locally. E.g. all three provide services along the new guided bus way. Stagecoach provide services to other large towns such as Bedford.

First (then Govia) provide the train services. As Luton has three stations (Leagrave, Luton town, and Luton Airport Parkway); it's provides some direct competition to local bus services.

Given the airport and size of the town, it also has National Express, Easybus and Greenline. And uno (university bus service for herts.)

 

[GazUk]

Rugby has got Stagecoach in Warwickshire as the main operator for local services,also we have Hinckleybus (formerly centrebus) to Leicester,Decourcey travel and johnsons to Coventry,and also served by national express to brixham (first from Leicester operate that by all accounts) and ofcourse megabus aswell.

Years ago rugby used to have a pretty decent route to Banbury (via daventry) by Geoff Amos but they went bust and that route got split into 2 by stagecoach...

 

[Deerfold]

Are we just starting to list random places and their bus companies rather than places the big 4 all operate?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Are we just starting to list random places and their bus companies rather than places the big 4 all operate?

There also seems to be some dispute over which 4 constitute the "Big 4"... First, Arriva and Stagecoach seem to be three of them but we've had Go Ahead, Transdev and National Express fighting over the 4th spot. For a relatively small place, Wakefield has 4 of the big six, with Arriva dominating (both Arriva branded services and Yorkshire Tiger) but both Stagecoach and First having at least some presence. For the fourth it's a bit of a cheat, with National Express coaches!

 

[northwichcat]

For the fourth it's a bit of a cheat, with National Express coaches!

Some NX Coaches routes have sections which are registered as local bus services due to the stops being very close together e.g. http://coach.nationalexpress.com/nx...AtT05TSDA2MA==&searchSessionKey=1409568596564 Although, technically the operator is Haytons Travel?

 

[Robertj21a]

There also seems to be some dispute over which 4 constitute the "Big 4"... First, Arriva and Stagecoach seem to be three of them but we've had Go Ahead, Transdev and National Express fighting over the 4th spot. For a relatively small place, Wakefield has 4 of the big six, with Arriva dominating (both Arriva branded services and Yorkshire Tiger) but both Stagecoach and First having at least some presence. For the fourth it's a bit of a cheat, with National Express coaches!

The 'Big 4' are Stagecoach, First, Arriva and GoAhead.

I've no idea why posters keep referring to Transdev, National Express, Centrebus etc

 

[Deerfold]

I've no idea why posters keep referring to Transdev, National Express, Centrebus etc

Besides which, very few National Express coach journeys are actually operated by National Express

 

[KendalKing]

The 'Big 4' are Stagecoach, First, Arriva and GoAhead.

I've no idea why posters keep referring to Transdev, National Express, Centrebus etc

It should really be the "big 5" as GoAhead & Transdev are roughly the same size.

The original question was apart from Reading, where else do Arriva, First, GoAhead, and Stagecoach operate into the same town. Upto now nobody has come up with anywhere else. Plenty of people myself included, have came up with places where, three out of four of them operate.

To the best of my knowledge National Express, only own two bus companies NXWM (formerly WMPTE), and NXDundee (formerly Tayside Regional Transport)

 

[Deerfold]

It should really be the "big 5" as GoAhead & Transdev are roughly the same size.

Really? Do you have any figures about their relative sizes? Transdev don't only operate in Yorkshire and Lancashire in this country whilst Go-Ahead have large subsidiaries across the country including several London operations, Brighton and Hove, Oxford Bus Company, Go North East etc - I'd have expected them to be much bigger.

To the best of my knowledge National Express, only own two bus companies NXWM (formerly WMPTE), and NXDundee (formerly Tayside Regional Transport)

They also operate (expensive) link buses around Heathrow.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/Assets/uploads/pdf/timetables/HotelHoppa.pdf

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Really? Do you have any figures about their relative sizes? Transdev don't only operate in Yorkshire and Lancashire in this country whilst Go-Ahead have large subsidiaries across the country including several London operations, Brighton and Hove, Oxford Bus Company, Go North East etc - I'd have expected them to be much bigger.

Transdev UK is c.650 vehicles. That's smaller than GoNorthEast

 

[bussnapperwm]

Really? Do you have any figures about their relative sizes? Transdev don't only operate in Yorkshire and Lancashire in this country whilst Go-Ahead have large subsidiaries across the country including several London operations, Brighton and Hove, Oxford Bus Company, Go North East etc - I'd have expected them to be much bigger.



They also operate (expensive) link buses around Heathrow.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/Assets/uploads/pdf/timetables/HotelHoppa.pdf

And the NX owned op coaches from London to Gatwick, heathrow, Brighton, Luton and Stanstead.

NXWM has over 1000 buses and 150-200 buses in Dundee, plus the NX owned op coaches makes them bigger than at least Transdev and possibly RAPT.

 

[Deerfold]

And the NX owned op coaches from London to Gatwick, heathrow, Brighton, Luton and Stanstead.

I thought we were talking about buses rather than coaches. It's still a fairly small number.

NXWM has over 1000 buses and 150-200 buses in Dundee, plus the NX owned op coaches makes them bigger than at least Transdev and possibly RAPT.

And still much smaller than Go-Ahead.

What was the relevance of adding RAPT to this? They've not much of a prescence in the UK outside London.

 

[bussnapperwm]

I thought we were talking about buses rather than coaches. It's still a fairly small number.



And still much smaller than Go-Ahead.

What was the relevance of adding RAPT to this? They've not much of a prescence in the UK outside London.

Rapt own Bath Bus Company and Yellow Buses as well as Selwyns coaches. So effectively they are on a par with Transdev at least...

Plus is go ahead not a more recent group then the traditional Arriva First Stagecoach NX 4Groups?

 

[Deerfold]

Rapt own Bath Bus Company and Yellow Buses as well as Selwyns coaches. So effectively they are on a par with Transdev at least...

And we've already mentioned Transdev aren't very big compared with the big 4.

Plus is go ahead not a more recent group then the traditional Arriva First Stagecoach NX 4Groups?

Go-ahead was formed in 1987, about the same time as Stagecoach and First's constituent groups. It made most of its aquisitions in the 90s.

The Arriva name only dates from 1997 though Cowie plc dated back to the 1930s. Much of the network was aquired from the mess that was British Bus in 1996.

I'm not sure why you keep putting NX in as one of the big 4. In the UK, Goahead have around 4500 buses, Stagcoach over 8000. First and Arriva are somewhere in between those two.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

And we've already mentioned Transdev aren't very big compared with the big 4.



Go-ahead was formed in 1987, about the same time as Stagecoach and First's constituent groups. It made most of its aquisitions in the 90s.

The Arriva name only dates from 1997 though Cowie plc dated back to the 1930s. Much of the network was aquired from the mess that was British Bus in 1996.

I'm not sure why you keep putting NX in as one of the big 4. In the UK, Goahead have around 4500 buses, Stagcoach over 8000. First and Arriva are somewhere in between those two.

Go Ahead is based on Northern General Transport (est 1913) which became Go Ahead Northern in readiness for privatisation in 1987. From there, they acquired pubs and taxi firms as well as other bus companies (Oxford, B&H) before a stock market listing.

Agree with Deerfold. It's Stagecoach, Arriva, First and Go Ahead in terms of UK fleet strength. Businesses such as ComfortDelGro, Transdev and RATP have large fleets globally but their UK businesses are relatively modest.