This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2009) |
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Much of this article refers to First London which ceased trading around 2013-2014..(March 2024) |
Founded | 1979 |
---|---|
Service area | Greater London |
Service type | Bus |
Routes | 1 |
Fleet | Dennis Dart SLF |
Ealing Community Transport (ECT) is a London social enterprise which provides community transport in the Ealing, Milton Keynes, and Dorset areas. In the past it has also operated in the national rail industry. In 2008 the Group experienced severe trading difficulties which led to a team of corporate finance and restructuring experts from TLT Solicitors advising the ECT Group on a three phase restructuring including the refinancing of the business, the share sale of the recycling division and the share sale of its rail business. The 24 companies in the Group turning over more than £70million and employing 1,100 were reduced to just eight, focused solely on transport.
The £15.5 million sale of £47 million turnover business 'ECT Recycling' to AIM listed maintenance services contractor May Gurney and the share sale of ECT's rail business to British American Railway Services, a subsidiary of American rail operator Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC (for an undisclosed sum), meant that the ECT Group returned to its Community Transport roots.
In early 1995 ECT started its first green box recycling service, using a carton roughly the size of a milk crate, into which paper, glass, cans, foil, textiles, shoes, household batteries and engine oil can be placed, collected once a week by ECT. Materials are sorted into compartments on the recycling vehicle at the kerbside to avoid contamination and mix-up of items. This recycle from home service is now used by 860,000 people in sixteen local authority areas, across parts of London, Avon, Somerset, Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
As well as doorstep green box recycling, ECT also runs flat recycling services, whereby a block of between 25 and 125 households has several recycling containers between them, and depots. These depots collect all the materials collected by the doorstep recycling service as well as items such as books, electrical items, fluorescent tubes, fridges, furniture, green waste, plastic waste, scrap metal, tyres, white goods, paint and wood.
ECT has developed into a company with an annual turnover of around £50million pounds, with 600 staff working in its recycling, community transport, engineering and refuse collection.
Ealing Community Transport was established in the 1970s to serve the small towns on the outskirts of Ealing. Due to a lack of revenue the service was shut down in the late 1990s.
During the early 2000s it decreased its frequency to 15 minutes. ECT also experienced problems with vandalism and arson attacks on its buses, and came third from last in the best contractor survey. Initial problems with window etching were quickly addressed and ECT Bus was involved in Operation Eyesore in west London, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police and TfL, where front-page images on local papers identified local vandals, leading to a number of convictions. Performance of the route was exemplary in terms of operated mileage (before traffic causes) and, despite operating through Southall, an area renowned for its challenging traffic environment, reliability was extremely good - at April 2006, ECT Bus was in second position in TfL's league table for smaller operators. The bus fleet for the 195 contract stood at 14 vehicles.
From 14 March 2009 ECT stopped trading as a bus operator and its sole route is now being run by First London on a temporary contract.
ECT operated one garage in Greenford, which used to run London Buses route 195. The Greenford bus depot is part of a local council depot and was first used in 1993 as a midibus base. The opening of Greenford garage led to the closure of Hanwell, and in 1995 the garage was operating 110 midibuses. The standard vehicles in the late 1990s were midibuses by Renault/Wright and Marshall but unfortunately both types had a bad reputation and did not last long. In later years the allocation was much more diverse, ranging from Marshall-bodied Darts to Dennis Trident 2/Plaxton vehicles. In late 2003 Ealing Community Transport moved into the depot with their first London route - 195, using garage code EY.
The service uses the Dennis Dart SLF 10.2m/Caetano Nimbus.
ECT entered the railway rolling stock hire and maintenance market, owning hire companies RT Rail and Mainline Rail and also RMS Locotec of Wakefield. ECT also operated two heritage railways: the Dartmoor Railway at Okehampton in Devon and the Weardale Railway in County Durham.
By 2008, the company was pulling out of this area of activity. Mainline Rail ceased to trade, and the Dartmoor Railway was suspended on 18 April 2008 [1] (although services have since been resumed), while ECT was seeking a buyer for its stake in the Weardale line. [2]
West Ealing railway station is on the Great Western Main Line in Ealing, situated in west London. It is 6 miles 46 chains (10.6 km) down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Ealing Broadway to the east and Hanwell to the west. Its three-letter station code is WEA.
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus services to TfL, controlled by the Mayor of London.
RT Rail was a small British railway spot-hire company, a subsidiary of Ealing Community Transport (ECT), that specialised in Class 08 shunting locomotives. It was sold in 2008 to British American Railway Services along with ECT's other rail assets. It is now part of the locomotive hire division of their subsidiary company, RMS Locotec. Its fleet was available to hire to both industrial and railway operators. Customers included Bombardier Transportation at Ilford EMU Depot, Freightliner, First ScotRail at Inverness, and Silverlink. The company also owned two Class 73 locomotives, and a single Class 20 locomotive which was placed on loan to the Weardale Railway.
Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses and express coaches in the United Kingdom.
Greenford is a London Underground and National Rail station in Greenford, Greater London, and is owned and managed by London Underground. It is the terminus of the National Rail Greenford branch line, 2 miles 40 chains down the line from West Ealing and 9 miles 6 chains measured from London Paddington. On the Central line, it is between Perivale and Northolt stations while on National Rail, the next station to the south on the branch is South Greenford.
Sullivan Bus & Coach Limited, trading as Sullivan Buses, is a bus company based in South Mimms, Hertfordshire, England. Founded in 1998, it operates local bus services in and around Hertfordshire including school services, rail replacement bus services near London, bus links in Surrey to and from Thorpe Park and vehicle hire for television programmes.
Metroline is a bus company operating bus services in Greater London and Hertfordshire. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro. It also operates bus services under contract to Transport for London.
First London was a bus company operating services in east, west and south-east London, England. It was a subsidiary of FirstGroup and operated buses under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in the late 1990s through the acquisition of three London bus operators. First London's garages were sold off between December 2007 and June 2013 with the last closing in September 2013.
East Thames Buses was the trading name of London Buses Limited, an arms length subsidiary of Transport for London. In 2009, it was sold to Go-Ahead London.
London Overground is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greater London as well as Hertfordshire, with 113 stations on the six lines that make up the network.
Boro'line Maidstone, previously Maidstone Borough Council Transport was a municipal bus operator in Maidstone and the surrounding villages. Maidstone Borough Council Transport was formed in 1974 from Maidstone Corporation Transport following local government reorganisation. In 1986 Boro'line Maidstone was formed as an arm's length company of Maidstone council from the operations of Maidstone Borough Council Transport. The company had a brief London operation. Following financial difficulties, the London operation was sold to Kentish Bus, and after a period of administration, the assets of the Maidstone operation was sold to Maidstone & District in 1992.
Fulwell Bus Garage is a Transport for London bus garage located in Twickenham in west London. It is north of Fulwell railway station and operates as two halves, with entrances on the A311 Wellington Road and B358 Stanley Road. It is currently operated by Transport UK London Bus and London United.
RATP Dev Transit London Limited, trading as RATP Dev Transit London, is a bus company operating mostly in west and south-west Greater London. The London United brand is a subsidiary of RATP Dev Transit London and operates services under contract to Transport for London.
London Buses route 31 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between White City bus station and Camden Town station, it is operated by Metroline.
London Buses route 207 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between Hayes Bypass and White City bus station, it is operated by Transport UK London Bus.
London Buses route SL8, formerly London Buses route 607, is a Transport for London contracted Superloop express bus route in London, England. Running between Uxbridge station and White City bus station, it is operated by Metroline.
British American Railway Services (BARS) was a British locomotive and spot hire company. It was a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings.
Transport UK London Bus, formerly Abellio London, is a bus company operating services under contract to Transport for London in Greater London, England.
London Country North East was a bus operator in South East England and London. It was formed from the split of London Country Bus Services in 1986 and operated a fleet of around 350 buses from six garages, with its headquarters located in Hatfield.
RMS Locotec is a railway company based in Wolsingham, England. It has specialised in industrial railway management, infrastructure maintenance, and rolling stock leasing; one major customer was its former sister company and rail freight operator DCRail.