Diamond Bus North West

[Metroline1511]

RE: Diamond Bus North West

(10/07/2019 21:54)gilesbus1 Wrote:  The problem with the bus industry and I will be frank is that it recruits fools who seem to think they can do things on the cheap, and then ships them immediately off no places hundred's of miles away they have no idea about. That is First's problem in a nutshell. Someone with a decent geographic knowledge could have saved them £m's also First refused to allow managers to take risk unlike Stagecoach again, another reason why they have failed.

Think with First the remainder will be broken up by this time next year, buyers at a guess will be:-

First Aberdeen - Aberdeen City Council
First Glasgow - Glasgow City Council and Lanarkshire Council
First Scotland East - Stirling Council
First Oldham - Closed - remains to Transdev, Rotala and MCT
First Vantage - Stripped by TfGM due to poor performance and re-let to Stagecoach Wigan
First West Yorkshire - Stagecoach
First York - Transdev
First South Yorkshire - Wellglade/Centrebus/MBO co-orp
First Potteries - Rotala
First Leicester - Centrebus
First Midland Red - Rotala
First Slough - Reading Buses
First Eastern Counties - MBO with First Eastern National as Eastern Counties National
First Eastern National - MBO with First Eastern Counties as Eastern Counties National
First Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth depots- MBO
First Bristol - Stagecoach
First Dorset - MBO plus Property Company MBO
First Buses of Somerset - Dorset Bus as above plus Property MBO
First Cornwall - Go Ahead
First South Wales - Go Ahead

Elsewhere looks like Arriva is heading to Venture Capitalists who will then break it up and sell it in order to raise capital within 2 - 3 years

Buyers

Arriva North East - North East Property Company buses sold onwards to Stagecoach and Go Ahead in seperate sales all older depots redeveloped
Arriva North West - Merseyside opps to GoAhead, Cheshire Opps to Transdev, Manchester opps, Wythenshawe to Rotala, Bolton closed and demolished routes to Rotala and Stagecoach Wigan
Arriva Yorkshire - Go Ahead
Arriva Midlands North - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva Derby/Fox - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva The Shires - Sold to Australian operator
Arriva Colchester - Sold to Go Ahead
Arriva Southend - Sold to Go Ahead
Arriva Southern Counties (Except Guildford) - Sold to GoAhead
Arriva Guildford - Closed - routes taken on by independent operators and Stagecoach
Arriva Cymru - Sold to Lloyds, Property Company and Craig Group
Arriva London - Tower Transit/Transdev/RATP/Stagecoach/MBO depot by depot.

Some really interesting ideas here. I have heard about Councils in Scotland wondering whether they could re-municipalise the buses. Could this Australian operator be connected with Tower Transit? National Express could want some key urban operations eg Arriva Merseyside and First Glasgow. Also Comfort DelGro, having bought NAT Group, may want First Cymru or Arriva Cymru. WCM may want First Lanarkshire & Dunbartonshire operations.