 | |
 Northern Counties Paladin bodied Dennis Lance in June 2006 | |
| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2 December 2005 |
| Defunct | 3 March 2008 |
| Headquarters | Tividale |
| Locale | West Midlands |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Fleet | 130 (March 2008) |
| Website | www.birmingham-coach.co.uk |
Go West Midlands [1] was a bus company in the West Midlands. It was a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group in March 2006.
On 2 December 2005, the Go-Ahead Group purchased Diamond Bus [1] [2] and in February 2006 Probus Management [3] (trading as People's Express) with over 100 vehicles and merged the two companies to form Go West Midlands. [4] [5]
In 2006, Diamond relaunched its image, by increasing its frequency on route 16, which basically matched that of Travel West Midlands and increased its frequencies on routes 17, 63, 64, 74 and 87.
However, in November 2007, Diamond withdrew its services on routes 17 and 63 and majorly altered its operations on routes 74 and 87 (cutting parts of the route off completely).
Diamond also lost many Centro and Staffordshire County Council contracts to other operators.
In March 2008, Go West Midlands was sold to Rotala and rebranded as Diamond Bus. [6] [7] [8]
As at March 2007, Go West Midlands operated a fleet of over 130 buses. [8]
The Go-Ahead Group Limited is a passenger transport company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The majority of its operations are within the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Singapore, and Norway. Go-Ahead was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange prior to being purchased by Kinetic Group and Globalvia by 2022.
Travel London was a bus company operating services in Greater London. It was a subsidiary of National Express before being sold in May 2009 to NedRailways. In October 2009, it was rebranded as Abellio London.
Midland Red was a bus company that operated in The Midlands from 1905 until 1981. It was one of the largest English bus companies, operating over a large area between Gloucester in the south and Derbyshire in the north, and from Northampton to the Welsh border. The company also manufactured buses.
Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. It was formed in November 1996 as a joint venture between Go-Ahead Group (65%) and Keolis (35%) to bid for rail franchises during the privatisation of British Rail.
Arriva Midlands is a bus operator providing services in the East Midlands and West Midlands areas of England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
First Greater Manchester is a bus operator in Greater Manchester. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup, operating franchised Bee Network bus services on contract to Transport for Greater Manchester. The operator was once dominant in the northern areas of the county, competing against Stagecoach Manchester, which was dominant in southern areas of the county; however in recent years it has scaled back its operations, now primarily serving north eastern suburbs of Manchester, and the metropolitan boroughs of Oldham and Rochdale.
Stagecoach Manchester is a major bus operator in Greater Manchester, operating franchised Bee Network bus services on contract to Transport for Greater Manchester. It is the largest UK bus subsidiary of Stagecoach Group outside of Greater London, as well as the largest within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester by passenger numbers, carrying up to 96.2 million passengers in 2019/20.
Preston Bus is a bus operator running in the city of Preston, England, and surrounding areas. It is a subsidiary of Rotala. It gained some notoriety in 2009 when the Competition Commission ordered Stagecoach to sell it.
Diamond Bus Ltd., trading as Diamond West Midlands, and also operating under the West Midlands Bus brand identity, is a bus operator in the West Midlands. It is a subsidiary of Rotala.
Probus Management was a bus company in the West Midlands which was acquired by the Go-Ahead Group in March 2006.
People's Express was an English bus company in the West Midlands which was acquired by Probus Management in June 1998 and then by the Go-Ahead Group in March 2006.
Diamond Bus Ltd., trading as Diamond North West, is a bus operator providing services in the districts of Bolton and Wigan in Greater Manchester operating an extensive commercial network as well as franchised Bee Network bus services on contract to Transport for Greater Manchester. It also serves some areas of the districts of Salford and Trafford.
First Midland Red Buses, trading as First Worcester, is a bus company operating services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire in the English Midlands. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Rotala Limited is a company established in 2005, which owns a number of bus operators in England. It was listed on the Alternative Investment Market from 2005 until 2024.
Hallmark Connections Limited, trading as Diamond South East, is a bus operator in South East England and, through the Hotel Hoppa operation, in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Rotala.
Central Buses was a bus company based in Birmingham, England.
Julian Peddle is an entrepreneur who has worked in the bus industry since the early 1980s, having owned or part-owned numerous bus companies. He spent 11 years as co-owner of Stevensons of Uttoxeter between 1983 and 1994, having previously been its traffic manager. During the late 1990s and early 2000s he ran Status Group, a group of small bus companies spread across England which included BakerBus, Choice Travel and MK Metro. He was a major shareholder in Tellings-Golden Miller and Centrebus Holdings before their sale to Arriva.
'First Manchester, Midlands & South Yorkshire is an operating unit of FirstGroup operating in the English Midlands, Manchester and South Yorkshire. The unit was formed in 2008 with the merger of the management and administration of First Potteries, First Worcester and First Leicester. On 1 June 2020, First Midlands merged with First Manchester and First South Yorkshire. During a group restructure in 2022, Worcester moved from Midlands control to First West & Wales.
D&G Bus is a bus operator based in Stoke-on-Trent. They operate local & interurban bus services in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent. D&G Bus is the largest bus operator in Cheshire East & the second-largest in Staffordshire.
Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel is a bus and coach operator based in the Warwickshire town of Henley-in-Arden.
