Was D-Reg pointless?

[Metroline1511]

RE: Was D-Reg pointless?
Two big ironies stood out in Greater Manchester. Firstly, many ex-GMPTE Atlanteans and Fleetlines were sold upon deregulation, and quite a few landed in the hands of companies who provided competition with GMB. Secondly, the government in 1993 insisted that GMB split as it was deemed too big to encourage and maintain competition. Whereas GMB had just under 2000 buses, their successors First and Stagecoach own approximately 7000 and 8000 buses across the country respectively. They are therefore bigger giants than an independent GMB Ltd would have been. (Admittedly we will never know whether a unified "GMB Ltd" would have been taken over by a bus giant itself).