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| Founded | 1921 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Campbeltown, Scotland, UK |
| Service area | |
| Service type | Bus, coach and ferry |
| Fleet | 270 [1] |
| Managing Director | Colin Robert Craig |
| Website | www |
West Coast Motors (legally incorporated as Craig of Campbeltown Limited) is a bus, coach and ferry operator, based in Campbeltown, Scotland. The company also operates under the name Borders Buses [2] [3] in the Scottish Borders and formerly under the Glasgow Citybus brand in Greater Glasgow.
The founding of the company dates back to 1921, when Jack Craig commenced a bus operation in Campbeltown. In 1935, William Craig convinced the Royal Mail to allow him to commence an overnight road service from Campbeltown to Glasgow, in lieu of transporting mail by ship. The company remained a Royal Mail contractor until October 2011. [4]
In 1950, the business purchased Dickies of Tarbert, along with the service between East and West Loch Tarbert Piers. In 1955, haulage company West Coast Transport was formed. After purchasing James McPhee Haulage and Ramsays Haulage in 1963, the business was sold to British Road Services in 1966. [4]
In 1970, McConnachie's was purchased, resulting in West Coast operating all services in the Kintyre area. [5] In 1982, McColls of Benderloch was purchased, along with the Oban to Benderloch and Easdale services. In 1986, Stag Garage of Lochgilphead was purchased, along with services to Ford, Kilmartin and Ormsary. In 1999, West Coast Motors purchased Oban & District Buses. [6]
In 2004, West Coast Motors commenced operating in Bute and Cowal, after taking over services from Stagecoach, along with depots in Dunoon and Rothesay. [7] In 2006, service between Oban and Dalavich was purchased from L.F. Stewart & Son, [8] along with Kilberry and Skipness services from D & E Henderson Hiring.
In January 2008, the City Sightseeing franchise in Glasgow was purchased, followed in 2009 by the Kintyre Express ferry operation. [9] Kintyre Express later commenced operating a ferry service from Campbeltown to Ballycastle, in 2011. [10]
In June 2013, Bowman's Tours [11] on the Isle of Mull was purchased, along with 10 vehicles, and was renamed West Coast Tours. [4] [12] In November 2013, the company acquired Fairline Coaches in Glasgow, along with 16 vehicles. [13] [14]
On 12 June 2023, West Coast Motors took over the Tighnabruaich-Otter Ferry and the Tighnabruaich local service from Tighnabruaich Service Station, giving West Coast Motors full dominance on mainland Argyll, excluding Garelochhead Coaches in Lochgoilhead and express operators.
In February 2016, Perryman's Buses of Berwick-upon-Tweed was purchased by West Coast Motors. The sale included 45 vehicles, and both depots at Berwick-upon-Tweed and St. Boswells. [15] [16] Later in the same year, Perryman's also took over several services from First Scotland East. The remainder of First's operations in the Scottish Borders, including the depot at Galashiels, as well as outstations at Hawick, Kelso and Peebles, was sold to West Coast Motors in March 2017. [17] [18] [19]
In July 2017, the business was re-branded as Borders Buses. Re-branding saw the introduction of a new cream and red corporate livery, with a blue stripe along the length of the vehicle. Some vehicles operating on key routes have since received route-specific branding, based on the corporate livery. [20] [21] [22]
Glasgow Citybus was purchased by West Coast Motors in 2006. The company operates local bus services in Glasgow and Dunbartonshire, with a fleet of around 60 vehicles.
As well as operating local bus services, West Coast Motors has, since 1986, operated long-distance express services on behalf of Scottish Citylink. West Coast Motors mainly serve the route between Glasgow and Campbeltown, but also operate on other routes, serving Dundee, Edinburgh, Fort William, Oban and the Isle of Skye.
In May 2008, the company refused to sign a new contract to operate Scottish Citylink routes in the Highlands, and launched a series of routes in competition. Two months later, the services were withdrawn, with a new contract drawn up between the two companies. West Coast Motors resumed operation of Scottish Citylink services in September 2008. [23] [7]
As of April 2023, West Coast Motors operates the following services on behalf of Scottish Citylink:
As of March 2020, West Coast Motors operate bus and coach services from eleven depots.
As at August 2024, West Coast Motors operates a fleet of More than 200 buses and coaches (excluding the Borders Buses operation). [14]
Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch.
Dunoon is the main town on the Cowal Peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the council area of Argyll and Bute, Dunoon also has its own community council. Dunoon was a burgh until 1976.
Lochgilphead is a town and former burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, with a population of around 2,300 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute Council. The village lies at the end of Loch Gilp and lies on the banks of the Crinan Canal. Lochgilphead sits on the A83, with Ardrishaig 2 miles (3 km) to the south and Inveraray 24 miles (39 km) to the north-east; Oban lies 37 miles (60 km) north on the A816.
Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre Peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing port.
Argyll, sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about 30 miles, from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north of Kintyre is known as Knapdale.
Cowal is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland to the north, and is bounded by Loch Fyne to the west, by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde to the east, and by the Kyles of Bute to the south.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Western Scottish Omnibuses Ltd, in Scotland, was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Western SMT Company Ltd and operated until 1997, when it became Western Buses Ltd. This successor company is now a part of Stagecoach West Scotland.
Tighnabruaich; is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, on the western arm of the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. In 2011 the population was 660. It is west of Glasgow and north of the Isle of Arran.
National Cycle Route 75 runs from Edinburgh to Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula, via Glasgow. It is often known as the Clyde to Forth cycle route.
Glasgow Citybus was a bus company operating services across Glasgow and Dunbartonshire. It was a subsidiary of West Coast Motors.
Kames is a small village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland, on the shore of the west arm of the Kyles of Bute.
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.
Borders Buses is a local and regional bus operator based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, England. It operates services in Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and Scottish Borders in Scotland, as well as Cumbria and Northumberland in England. It is a subsidiary of West Coast Motors.
The 478 is a bus route in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, which runs between Dunoon and Portavadie via Tighnabruiach and Kames. It is operated by West Coast Motors, which was established in 1921. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport inaugurated the route, along with that of the 477 and 479, in October 1993. The route is noted for its long stretches of single-track roads with scattered passing places, especially along the B836 between Sandbank and Auchenbreck, at the junction with the A886 Colintraive–to–Strachur road. The drivers of the 477, 478 and 479 have dubbed their routes the "Bermuda Triangle" due to their complexity and remoteness.
Media related to West Coast Motors at Wikimedia Commons