 Stevensons Optare Spectra at Lichfield bus station | |
| Founded | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operation | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Staffordshire |
| Service area | Midlands |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Fleet | 270 (June 1994) |
Stevensons of Uttoxeter [1] was a bus company that operated in Staffordshire from 1926 to 1997.
On 11 September 1926, John Stevenson commenced operating a bus service from Uttoxeter to Burton upon Trent based out of premises at Spath just north of Uttoxeter. In 1971, the business passed to John's son George, who was shortly joined by his son David. In 1977, the fleet comprised 40 buses. [2]
In the early 1980s, a small garage was opened in Rugeley in conjuction with the company taking over local services in the town formerly operated by fellow independent, Middletons and by Midland Red. In 1983, George Stevenson sold his 50% share of the business to Julian Peddle. On 1 October 1985, Stevensons merged its bus operations with that of East Staffordshire District Council, with Stevenson and Peddle owning 51% and the council 49%. [3] In 1987, Stevensons took a shareholding in Midland Fox including acquiring the Swadlincote depot. [4] [5]
In February 1992, Stevensons acquired a shareholding in Rhondda Buses. This was sold to Stagecoach South Wales in November 1993. [6]
Also in the early 1990s, Stevensons operated substantial services in the West Midlands, mostly under contract to Centro. These routes were later sold or tendered to West Midlands Travel, leaving service 112, serving Burton upon Trent and Birmingham, as its only route in the West Midlands.
In June 1994, the business was purchased by British Bus who operated it in conjunction with their Midland Red North business which today is part of Arriva Midlands. [4] At the time of the purchase Stevensons owned 270 buses and were the largest independent bus operator in the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ]
Under Arriva, the Stevensons name was phased out from the end of 1997 and the original Uttoxeter (Spath) depot closed in 2000 (the Rugeley garage having already closed in 1995), then the Swadlincote garage closed in 2007 before the Burton operation was sold to Midland Classic in 2016.
Uttoxeter is a market town and civil parish in the East Staffordshire borough of Staffordshire, England. It is near to the Derbyshire county border.
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,270. The demonym for residents of the town is Burtonian. Burton is located on the River Trent 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Derby and 20 miles (32 km) south of the Peak District National Park.
Tellings-Golden Miller is a charter coach operator in England. It was a subsidiary of Arriva twice previously, but once again has returned to family ownership. The company is now a subsidiary of Falcon Buses based in Byfleet, Surrey.
Trentbarton is a bus operator providing both local and regional services in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, England. It is a subsidiary of the Wellglade Group.
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.
Uttoxeter railway station serves the town of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. It is on the Crewe–Derby line, which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.
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Centrebus Limited, trading as Centrebus, is a bus company based in Leicester operating services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.
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Midland, previously known as Choice Travel, was a bus company operating mostly in the Wolverhampton and Walsall areas of the West Midlands. Some services also operated in the Staffordshire and Shropshire area.
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, Shropshire, Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent. D&G Bus is the largest bus operator in Cheshire East & the second-largest in North Staffordshire.
Diamond East Midlands, formerly Midland Classic, is a bus company from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. Since August 2022, the company is a subsidiary of Rotala.
Chaserider is the brand name for bus services operated around Cannock and Staffordshire by D&G Bus, a local bus operator owned by Centrebus who are based in Adderley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
Centrebus Group, is a public transport company based in Leicester with bus services in the Midlands, North West and South East of England.
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