Operator Competition in the North West

[Mayneway]

RE: Stagecoach Chester & Wirral

(25/05/2014 19:43)Dentonian Wrote:  Bearing in mind your second para, maybe Stagecoach could see that UK North were damaging the reputation of the whole bus industry locally, rather than just posing a short term threat to their operational profits.

Hmm I think Stagecoach got worried when UK North had thier VA reduced then went and set up a sister company and effectively doubled thier VA so in a lot of people's eyes - even Stagecoach's, they were unstoppable and posed a real threat hence why a full on war took place.
Just to add. The comments from the MD of EYMS about damage caused to Finglands by UK North in my opinion are rubbish. Lets not forget UK North had been around since the late 90's and were no flash in the pan (so to speak lol), and in the early days it was Finglands and Bullocks that were offering cheap day and week tickets and flat student fares, and didn't Finglands take on Stagecoach and GMS on the 192 years ago offering cheap fares?

[CX06 EBK (Administrator)]

RE: Operator Competition in the North West
I thought Finglands 192 operation was actually Stagecoaches initial operation that was sold to make way for the much bigger takeover of GM Buses South.

[Mayneway]

RE: Operator Competition in the North West

(25/05/2014 22:07)CX06 EBK Wrote:  I thought Finglands 192 operation was actually Stagecoaches initial operation that was sold to make way for the much bigger takeover of GM Buses South.

I was still at school at this time so memory isn't that good but I seem to remember the original Stagecoach Manchester, GMS, Finglands, and Bullocks all competing on the 192 at the time. Stagecoach sold their 192 operation to Finglands some months before the GMS takeover. Must have been a massive shock to Fingands, getting rid of one worrying competitor on the 192 only for them to take over another and come back even bigger than the first time around

[Mayneway]

RE: Operator Competition in the North West

(26/05/2014 08:34)Dentonian Wrote:  Interesting wording; describing GMS as a "worrying competitor" to Finglands on the 192. I think GMS' direct predecessors might have been running 192s a little before Finglands......best part of a Century before, maybe.

Obviously, the point I was making, or trying to make was that like UK North, Finglands also exploited the rich pickings of the 192 back in the day, and they like UK North offered some tickets cheaper than GMS etc.

I would have thought GMB and GMS were a worry to smaller operators at the time as they could be very competitive. Just look at their battle with Maynes on the 231 in the mid 90's. They piled buses onto the service bringing Littlemoss to resemble a bus depot!