Scottish Bus Group

Last updated

Scottish Bus Group
Scottish Bus Group Logo.jpg
Eastern Scottish bus DD65 (OSG 65V), September 1979.jpg
Parent Scottish Transport Group
Founded1961
Ceased operation1991
Service area Scotland
Service typeBus operator
Fleet4,700 (January 1969)
Coaches showing the unified "Midland Scottish" (blue), "Northern Scottish" (yellow) and "Eastern Scottish" (green) livery and branding styles introduced in the late 1970s. Scottish Bus Group Alexander Y-Types, SVBM, 17 August 2014.jpg
Coaches showing the unified "Midland Scottish" (blue), "Northern Scottish" (yellow) and "Eastern Scottish" (green) livery and branding styles introduced in the late 1970s.

The Scottish Bus Group (SBG) was a state-owned group of bus operators covering the whole of mainland Scotland.

Contents

The origin of the grouping was the operators owned by and including the Scottish Motor Traction company, which were transferred to Scottish Omnibuses after nationalisation in 1948 under control of the British Transport Commission. Highland Omnibuses was added to the group in 1952.

A new holding company, Scottish Omnibuses Group (Holdings) was formed in 1961, and this was renamed Scottish Bus Group [1] in 1963. Meanwhile, the group had come under control of the Transport Holding Company in 1962 when the British Transport Commission was wound up. It went on to become part of the Scottish Transport Group on 1 January 1969 along with David MacBrayne. At the time it operated 4,700 buses. [2]

Member companies

In 1970, SBG took over all the routes of David MacBrayne. [10]

In 1985, SBG was restructured as follows in preparation for deregulation: [11] [12]

In May 1988, it was decided to privatise the operating companies with this occurring in 1990/91. [19] Central Scottish and Kelvin Scottish were merged as Kelvin Central Buses, [20] while Clydeside Scottish was merged into Western Scottish so as to provide a healthier prospect for potential buyers, both companies ended up being sold as separate entities. [21] [22]

SBG Engineering had been formed to operate the central repair workshops inherited from six of the original seven operating subsidiaries (Alexander (Northern) not having had a separate engineering works). The company undertook heavy overhauls, refurbishment and accident repairs on behalf of the operating subsidiaries, and also offered these services commercially to other operators. Latterly it also owned a small fleet of rental buses. The Larbert works was transferred to Midland Scottish in 1988 [23] and the rest of the company was dissolved in March 1990 as a prelude to privatisation. Edinburgh and Motherwell works were closed, while Inverness, Kilmarnock and Kirkcaldy works were transferred to Highland Scottish, Western Scottish and Fife Scottish respectively [24]

The holding company, Scottish Bus Group Limited, was dissolved in 2006. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Citylink</span> Intercity coach operator in Scotland

Scottish Citylink is a long-distance express coach operator in Scotland and Ireland and formerly England. The company was formed as a subsidiary of Scottish Transport Group in March 1985. It is operated as a 63/37 joint venture between ComfortDelGro and Stagecoach.

Central Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Central SMT, and operated until July 1989 when it was merged with Kelvin Scottish to form Kelvin Central Buses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Scottish</span> British bus operating company

Eastern Scottish Omnibuses Ltd. was a bus and coach operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland and a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group. Eastern Scottish was formed in June 1985 from the main part of Scottish Omnibuses Ltd., which had itself traded as 'Eastern Scottish' since the 1960s. Following privatisation in 1990 the company traded as 'SMT' reviving the original name of the company. It operated until 1994, when it became part of GRT Bus Group plc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fife Scottish</span> Scottish Bus Group operator in Fife and Tayside

Fife Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a former bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group, formed in June 1985 from Walter Alexander & Sons (Fife) Ltd in preparation for bus deregulation and the subsequent privatisation of the Scottish Bus Group. The company today trades as part of Stagecoach East Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvin Scottish</span> Bus operating subsidiary

Kelvin Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group based in Bishopbriggs, Strathclyde, Scotland. It was formed in March 1985 from parts of Walter Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd and Central SMT, initially with six depots and a varied fleet of 381 vehicles.

Lowland Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operator in south eastern Scotland and parts of Northern England. The company was formed in 1985 and operated under the identities Lowland Scottish, Lowland and First Lowland / First SMT, until 1999 when the company's operations were combined with the operations of Midland Bluebird in a new company, First Edinburgh Ltd. As of 26 March 2017 these operations were transferred to West Coast Motors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Scottish</span> Former Scottish Bus Group bus operator

Midland Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operator formed in June 1985 as a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group, created from part of W. Alexander & Sons (Midland) Ltd. The company operated as Midland Scottish until 1991, when it was renamed Midland Bluebird in preparation for privatisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach Bluebird</span> Scottish bus operating company

Stagecoach Bluebird is a Scottish bus company which operates bus services in the areas of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvin Central Buses</span> Bus operator in Dumbartonshire and Lanarkshire, Scotland

Kelvin Central Buses was a bus operator in Scotland. Formed as a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group in July 1989 from the merger of Kelvin Scottish and Central Scottish, it was sold in a management buyout and in July 1998 became part of First Glasgow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midland Red</span> British bus company that operated from 1905 until 1981

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Scotland West</span> British bus operating company

Arriva Scotland West was a bus company based in Inchinnan, near Paisley, Scotland. It was formed in 1997 as a rebranding of the former Clydeside 2000 company when purchased by Arriva. On 26 March 2012, the business was sold to McGill's Bus Services.

Walter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Falkirk. The company was formed in 1947 to continue the coachbuilding activities of W. Alexander & Sons when their bus service operation was nationalised. After several mergers and changes of ownership it now forms part of Alexander Dennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buchanan bus station</span> Bus station in Glasgow, Scotland

Buchanan Bus Station is the main bus terminus in Glasgow, Scotland, and is located between the Townhead and Cowcaddens districts on the north eastern side of the city centre. It is the terminus for journeys between the city and other towns and cities in Scotland, as well as long-distance services to other parts of the United Kingdom and some international journeys.

The Transport Holding Company (THC) was a British Government-owned company created by the Transport Act 1962 to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission (BTC). It came into existence on 1 September 1962, with certain assets of the BTC vested in it on 1 January 1963.

Scottish Motor Traction (SMT) was a Scottish bus operator founded in 1905 that ran services for most of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seddon Pennine 7</span> Motor vehicle

The Seddon Pennine 7 was a mid-underfloor-engined single-deck bus or coach chassis built by Seddon Atkinson between 1974 and 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David MacBrayne</span> Government-owned Scottish Ferry holding company

David MacBrayne is a limited company owned by the Scottish Government. Formed in 1851 as the private shipping company David Hutcheson & Co. with three partners, David Hutcheson, Alexander Hutcheson and David MacBrayne, it passed in 1878 to David MacBrayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albion Lowlander</span> Scottish-built low-height double-decker bus

The Albion Lowlander was a Scottish-built low-height double-decker bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. Alexander & Sons</span> Former bus operator and coachbuilder

W. Alexander & Sons Ltd was a bus operator and coachbuilder in Scotland. The company grew from small beginnings to become the largest bus operator in Scotland, and one of the largest in the U.K., by the time it was split up in 1961. Its coachbuilding activities, which were transferred to a separate company in 1947, still survive as part of Alexander Dennis.

References

  1. 1 2 Companies House extract company no SC13181 Scottish Bus Group Limited
  2. Scottish Transport Group Commercial Motor 3 January 1969
  3. Companies House extract company no SC331915 Central SMT Company Limited
  4. 1 2 Companies House extract company no SC15912 Highland Scottish Omnibuses Limited formerly Highland Omnibuses Limited
  5. 1 2 Companies House extract company no SC26792 Eastern Scottish Omnibuses Limited formerly Scottish Omnibuses Limited
  6. 1 2 Companies House extract company no SC26126 Fife Scottish Omnibuses Limited formerly W Alexander & Sons (Fife) Limited
  7. 1 2 Companies House extract company no SC16923 Midland Bluebird Limited formerly Midland Scottish Omnibuses Limited formerly W Alexander & Sons (Midland) Limited
  8. 1 2 Companies House extract company no SC19039 Bluebird Buses Limited formerly Bluebird Northern Limited formerly Northern Scottish Omnibuses Limited formerly W Alexander & Sons (Northern) Limited
  9. 1 2 Companies House extract company no 131237 Western Buses Limited formerly Western Scottish Buses Limited formerly Western Scottish Limited formerly Western SMT Company Limited
  10. SBG absorbs McBrayne Commercial Motor 5 June 1970
  11. SBG dereg plans Commercial Motor 15 September 1984
  12. Coach and Bus News Commercial Motor 3 November 1984
  13. Companies House extract company no SC14210 KCB Limited formerly Kelvin Central Buses Limited formerly Central Scottish Omnibuses Limited formerly Central SMT Company Limited
  14. Companies House extract company no SC91904 Schoolbus Limited formerly Stagecoach Western Scottish Limited formerly Western Engineering Limited formerly Clydesdale Scottish Omnibuses Limited
  15. Companies House extract company no SC91921 Kelvin Scottish Omnibuses Limited
  16. Companies House extract company no SC91923 First Scotland East Limited formerly First Edinburgh Limited formerly Lowland Omnibuses Limited formerly Lowland Scottish Omnibuses Limited
  17. Companies House extract company no SC91931 Scottish Citylink Coaches Limited
  18. Companies House extract company no SC91932 Strathtay Scottish Omnibuses Limited
  19. SBGs split decision Commercial Motor 2 June 1988
  20. Companies House extract company no SC127012 First Glasgow (No 2) Limited formerly Kelvin Central Buses Limited
  21. All clear for SBG sale Commercial Motor 3 August 1989
  22. SBG sale rules prepared Commercial Motor 8 February 1990
  23. SBG's bus repair unit transferred Commercial Motor 22 September 1988
  24. Workshop shutdown Commercial Motor 25 January 1990