 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Stagecoach Midlands . (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024. |
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| Parent | Stagecoach |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1981 |
| Headquarters | Northampton |
| Service area | Warwickshire Leicestershire West Midlands |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Depots | 4 |
| Website | www.stagecoachbus.com/warwick |
Stagecoach in Warwickshire [1] is a bus operator in and around the county of Warwickshire. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach.
In 1927, Stratford-on-Avon Motor Services commenced operating a service between Stratford-on-Avon and Royal Leamington Spa.
In June 1935, Midland Red purchased Stratford Blue but continued to operate under its own identity until January 1971 when the National Bus Company integrated the Stratford Blue operation into Midland Red. [2]
In September 1981, Midland Red South [1] was formed with 163 buses operating from five depots in Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. [2]
In December 1987, Midland Red South was sold in a management buyout to Western Travel Group, [3] which also owned Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus. During Western Travel ownership, Midland Red South opened a garage in Coventry, and also revived the Stratford Blue name.
In 1993, Western Travel was sold to Stagecoach who re-branded part of it as Stagecoach Midland Red. [2] It set about simplifying the routes and improving the profitability of the operation, which included the closure of the depots in Coventry and Stratford in 1999. Upon national re-branding in 2000, Stagecoach Midland Red became Stagecoach in Warwickshire for operations from Leamington, Nuneaton and Rugby and Stagecoach in Banbury for operations in Banbury. For a long time Midland Red shared a management team with Stagecoach Oxford, but this was split in July 2002 with the Banbury operations becoming part of Stagecoach in Oxfordshire. [2]
Meanwhile, Guide Friday, an operator of sight-seeing tours in Stratford had established a small number of local and tendered bus services in the town following Stagecoach's departure. This company was eventually purchased by Ensignbus, who rebranded the Stratford services by once again reviving the Stratford Blue fleetname.
In February 2007, Stagecoach purchased the Stratford operation from Ensignbus, once again giving them a depot in the town. On 12 November 2007, Stagecoach in Warwickshire introduced the second Stagecoach Goldline service in the UK, on route 66 (renumbered G1) between South Farm, Leamington Spa and Warwick, using Optare Solos.
The 'Unibus' brand is used for services operating predominantly between Leamington Spa and the University of Warwick, mainly direct via the A46, although variations exist at weekends.
In 2010 - Stagecoach in Warwickshire merged with Stagecoach East and Stagecoach in Northants to create Stagecoach Midlands. The Warwickshire HQ was moved from Rugby to Northampton after a management restructure. However the legal name for the Warwickshire operations remains as Midland Red (South) Ltd. with the other Stagecoach Midlands operations maintaining the historic legal name of United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd..
Stagecoach in Warwickshire operate depots in Leamington Spa, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington, is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities. In the 19th century, the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town.
Southam is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Southam is situated on the River Stowe, which flows from Napton-on-the-Hill and joins Warwickshire's River Itchen at Stoneythorpe, just outside the town.
Warwickshire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcestershire and the West Midlands county to the west. The largest settlement is Nuneaton and the county town is Warwick.
Kineton is a village and civil parish on the River Dene in south-east Warwickshire, England. The village is part of Stratford-on-Avon district, and in the 2001 census it had a population of 2,278, increasing to 2,337 at the 2011 Census.
Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is the trading name of Thames Transit Ltd. It is a bus operator serving the county of Oxfordshire, England. Since 1997 has been a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group, and since February 2021 it has been part of Stagecoach West, managed from the latter's headquarters in Gloucester.
Leamington Spa railway station serves the town of Leamington Spa, in Warwickshire, England. It is situated on Old Warwick Road towards the southern edge of the town centre. It is a major stop on the Chiltern Main Line between London and Birmingham, and is the southern terminus of a branch line to Coventry.
The Chiltern Main Line is a railway line which links London (Marylebone) and Birmingham, the United Kingdom's two largest cities, by a 112-mile (180 km) route via High Wycombe, Bicester, Banbury, Leamington Spa and Solihull.
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.
The National Bus Company (NBC) was a nationalised bus company that operated in England and Wales between 1969 and 1988. NBC did not run buses itself, but was the owner of a number of regional subsidiary bus operating companies.
Stagecoach West is a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England. The company is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group.
The Leamington–Stratford line is a railway line linking Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. It follows the Chiltern Main Line from Leamington Spa to Hatton before diverging to the south. It serves Stratford-upon-Avon, Wilmcote, Bearley, Claverdon, Hatton, Warwick, and Leamington Spa. At Wilmcote, it joins the North Warwickshire Line.
Stratford-upon-Avon railway station is the southern terminus of the North Warwickshire Line and Leamington–Stratford line, serving the market town of Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England. The station is served by West Midlands Trains (WMT) and Chiltern Railways.
Tyseley railway station serves the district of Tyseley in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is at the junction of the lines linking Birmingham with Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Cradley Heath railway station serves the town of Cradley Heath in the West Midlands of England. It is on the Birmingham to Worcester via Kidderminster line. The station is managed by West Midlands Railway, who provide the majority of train services; there are also occasional services provided by Chiltern Railways.
United Counties Omnibus was an English bus company, operating in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of surrounding counties.
Stagecoach Midlands operates most bus routes in Northamptonshire and Warwickshire; the legal name for the company is Midland Red (South) Ltd.The company was previously split into Midland Red in Warwickshire and United Counties Omnibus in Northampton; however, the two were merged together under the Midland Red identity in 2021.
Capital Mid-Counties is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Coventry, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, south Staffordshire, the Cotswolds and north Oxfordshire.
Bus operators in the West Midlands | ||
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| Herefordshire |  | |
| Shropshire | ||
| Staffordshire | ||
| Warwickshire | ||
| Transport for West Midlands | ||
| Worcestershire | ||
| National | ||