Parent | Jim Stones |
---|---|
Founded | 1968 |
Defunct | 18 April 2020 |
Headquarters | Leigh |
Service area | Greater Manchester |
Service type | Bus services |
Routes | 11 (January 2020) |
Hubs | Leigh bus station |
Depots | 1 |
Fleet | 9 (January 2020) |
Website | www.jimstonescoaches.com |
Jim Stones Coaches was a bus operator that operated a number of commercial and supported routes on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The main hub was located in Leigh bus Station.
Jim Stones Coaches was established in 1968 as a charter operator. Upon the bus deregulation in October 1986 the company started bus operations with two routes, 596 from Leigh to Landside and 599 from Leigh to Higher Folds. The company expanded operations by filling the bus network where the larger incumbent operator GM Buses retracted services, as well as winning school and tendered contract services from Transport for Greater Manchester. [1] In January 2020, Jim Stones announced his intention to retire with operations ceasing on 18 April 2020. [2] [3] [4] Diamond North West, Vision Bus and Warrington's Own Buses took over the services. [5]
As of January 2020, nine routes and two school bus services were operated. [6] [7]
As of January 2020, the fleet consisted of eight Alexander Dennis Enviro200s and one heritage Leyland-DAB Tiger Cub. [8] Fleet livery was a white upper body separated by light blue stripes from much darker blue lower panels.
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, which is based in Aberdeen in the north-east of Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Warrington's Own Buses is a municipal bus company which operates a network of services within the Borough of Warrington and the surrounding area, including Altrincham, Leigh, Earlestown, Wigan, Halton, Bolton and Northwich.
MTL Trust Holdings was an English bus, coach and train operator based in Liverpool. MTL was originally part of the MPTE. To comply with the Transport Act 1985, the bus operations were divested into a new independent company, Merseyside Transport Limited (MTL). Merseyside PTA retained shareholding, but the company was purchased by its management and staff in 1993. On 17 February 2000, MTL was purchased by Arriva.
First Greater Manchester is a bus operator in Greater Manchester. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. It was once a major operator 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. 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. It is made up of two brands: Stagecoach and Magic Bus.
Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney, and in the Central Coast, Great Lakes, Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales and Adelaide. It is the largest privately owned bus operator in Australia.
The Burnley Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
The Blackburn Bus Company operates both local and regional bus services in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield, which operates bus services across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
JPT Bus Company, was a bus company based at Middleton, Greater Manchester, England. Operations ceased on 25 April 2014, with the business taken over by Stagecoach Manchester.
GHA Coaches was a bus and coach operator serving North East Wales, Cheshire, and Shropshire. It also operated bus services extending into Telford & Wrekin, Staffordshire, Gwynedd, and Merseyside.
Diamond Bus Ltd., trading as Diamond West Midlands, is a bus operator in the West Midlands. It is a subsidiary of Rotala.
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 along with tendered services on behalf of Transport for Greater Manchester. It also serves some areas of the districts of Salford and Trafford. The company was founded as Green Triangle Buses and then subsequently renamed South Lancs Travel before being purchased by Rotala and rebranded as Diamond North West in 2015. In August 2019, Diamond North West purchased First Manchester's Bolton depot.
Mayne Coaches is a coach operator with depots in Manchester and Warrington. Administrators were appointed to the business, following an insolvency notice issued on 14 February 2022. Mayne Coaches now operates under the Go Goodwins Group of Eccles, Manchester.
GM Buses was the main bus company serving the ten metropolitan districts of Greater Manchester in North West England. The company was formed in 1986 by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. In December 1993, it was split into GM Buses North and GM Buses South in order to increase competition for services in the area, before they were sold to the FirstGroup and Stagecoach respectively.
Arriva North West is a major bus operator running services in North West England primarily in the Merseyside area and the county of Cheshire. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
Manchester Community Transport was a bus operator in Greater Manchester, based in Oldham.
Bullocks Coaches is a bus and coach operator in Cheadle, Greater Manchester.
The Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit scheme in Greater Manchester, England provides transport connections between Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Ellenbrook and Manchester city centre via Salford. The guided busway and bus rapid transit (BRT) scheme promoted by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) opened on 3 April 2016. Built by Balfour Beatty at a total cost of £122 million to improve links from former Manchester Coalfield towns into Manchester city centre, the busway proposal encountered much opposition and a public enquiry in 2002 before construction finally started in 2013. A branch route from Atherton, and an extension to the Manchester Royal Infirmary have been added to the planned original scheme.
D&G Bus is a bus operator based in Adderley Green. They operate local & interurban services around Stoke-on-Trent, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire & Greater Manchester. It is a subsidiary of Centrebus
Go North West is a bus operator in Greater Manchester, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Media related to Jim Stones Coaches at Wikimedia Commons