JPT Bus Company

[Owl]

RE: JPT Bus Company
How things change....

I have just driven past the JPT depot. There are no buses to be seen from te road, just three cars on the front with a price sticker in the windscreen, and half a dozen more cars and vans lined up inside the yard, which was padlocked shut.

There are a couple of ex-JPT vehicles at the back of Middleton Depot, but no sign of the green and white deckers, so I guess they are out and about earning Stagecoach some income.

[126th street]

RE: JPT Bus Company

(02/05/2014 17:34)WhiteVanMan Wrote:  or in places like Accrington, Barrow-in-Furness, Darlington, Hartlepool, Lancaster

Why don't you remind us how long ago all of those unsavoury affairs took place?

[Metroline1511]

RE: JPT Bus Company
I saw 22185 on an evening working on route 88 (or 88a, sorry I forget) on Tuesday. So it could be like when First took over ChesterBus routes, mostly with their own buses eventually but just a few acquired.

So now the only sizable independents in Manchester city will be MCT and to some extent M Travel. Others a little further afield include Go Goodwins, Jim Stones and South Lancs Travel.

[Mayneway]

RE: JPT Bus Company

(03/05/2014 22:07)Metroline1511 Wrote:  I saw 22185 on an evening working on route 88 (or 88a, sorry I forget) on Tuesday. So it could be like when First took over ChesterBus routes, mostly with their own buses eventually but just a few acquired.

So now the only sizable independents in Manchester city will be MCT and to some extent M Travel. Others a little further afield include Go Goodwins, Jim Stones and South Lancs Travel.

Don't forget Stotts in Oldham who are doing ok at the moment, picking up the 200 Rochdale Metro shuttle contract, although as you say there's not really that many sizeable independents left.

[rod_259]

RE: JPT Bus Company

(04/05/2014 08:00)Mayneway Wrote:  Don't forget Stotts in Oldham who are doing ok at the moment, picking up the 200 Rochdale Metro shuttle contract, although as you say there's not really that many sizeable independents left.

You are right about Manchester. I have been very surprised that Stagecoach , until recent takeover of First Chester and Wirral, haven't made any expansion moves in Merseyside. You would have thought that some expansion and consolidation on the Liverpool side would have taken place by now. It is strange how independents thrive in Merseyside but now with demise of JPT there is hardly any independent presence in Manchester. Mind you same in West Yorkshire also where virtual First monopoly - very dull.

[Mayneway]

RE: JPT Bus Company

(04/05/2014 08:35)rod_259 Wrote:  You are right about Manchester. I have been very surprised that Stagecoach , until recent takeover of First Chester and Wirral, haven't made any expansion moves in Merseyside. You would have thought that some expansion and consolidation on the Liverpool side would have taken place by now. It is strange how independents thrive in Merseyside but now with demise of JPT there is hardly any independent presence in Manchester. Mind you same in West Yorkshire also where virtual First monopoly - very dull.

Your right about Liverpool, thier does seem to be pockets of area's ideal for expansion where Stagecoach and Arriva haven't really gone near which could be a reason why independents seem to do better, although as I've said there are still independants in Manchester but they only really seem to do tenders and schools rather than venturing onto commercial services. It's almost like every possible corridor has been eaten up by the bigger company's, and when independants do create commercial services they don't seem to last, just look at the recent situation with Club Class travel and their 'little gem' service.

Whereas down the road in Warrington you have Fairbrothers taking on Warrington Transport and really giving the passenger the choice. It's a very sharp contrast to the Manchester I grew up with in the 90's, where Piccadilly gardens and indeed my local bus station was awash with different coloured and liveried buses, but on the other hand standards have improved greatly.

[mbonwick]

RE: JPT Bus Company
The CMA are now investigating the JPT takeover.

[SandyDrew]

RE: JPT Bus Company
As part of the CMA investigation, none of the assets from JPT are to be disposed of, and the businesses cannot yet to be fully integrated.

Though much of the CMA order does look like a 'copy and paste' from previous pre-takeover investigations.

Deadline for this is shown as 26th August.

Struggling to share the link - but you can find it on the CMA gov website, under CMA cases.

[Mayneway]

RE: JPT Bus Company

(04/05/2014 10:05)SandyDrew Wrote:  As part of the CMA investigation, none of the assets from JPT are to be disposed of, and the businesses cannot yet to be fully integrated.

Though much of the CMA order does look like a 'copy and paste' from previous pre-takeover investigations.

Deadline for this is shown as 26th August.

Struggling to share the link - but you can find it on the CMA gov website, under CMA cases.

That's very interesting and certainly explains whyStagecoach are using and storing most of the JPT fleet.

In the route one article Stagecoach said the deal was too small for the OFT or CMA to investigate but would look over the deal, so clearly they got that wrong and although the deadline is the 26th August, pertentially that date can be extended like the case with the First/Finglands takeover.

Could the CMA potentially block the takeover?

[mbonwick]

RE: JPT Bus Company
The CMA order actually means very little in terms of not selling vehicles.

If Stagecoach can show that a vehicle was being readied for scrap by JPT, or that it's no longer fit for use (though no fault of Stagecoach), then they can apply for permission to dispose of it.

The CMA have no grounds to block the takeover, it's just an unnecessary formality.