 | |
 | |
| Founded | January 1998 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 13 March 2015 |
| Headquarters | Summercourt |
| Service area | Cornwall Devon |
| Depots | 2 |
| Fleet | 65 (December 2014) |
| Chief executive | Mark Howarth (1998–2014) Michael Bishop (2014–2015) |
| Website | www.westerngreyhound.com |
Western Greyhound [1] was a bus operator based in Summercourt, near Newquay, which operated services in Cornwall and Devon from January 1998 until March 2015.
Western Greyhound was established in January 1998 to take over the three vehicles and the contracts of Cornishman Coaches, whose owner was retiring. The new company's managing director was Mark Howarth who had previously managed Western National, the local Badgerline (later FirstGroup) operation, and he was joined by Robin Orbell who had also worked for Badgerline. Within a few weeks R&M Coaches, another local operator, also sold out to Western Greyhound which brought one more vehicle and an office near Newquay bus station. [2] This left one other independent bus operator in the town, Pleasure Travel Minicoaches, but this went out of business and the contracts were also taken on by Western Greyhound. [3]
The company expanded beyond contract and private hire work with its first scheduled services on 14 December 1998. These two routes (592 and 594) were contracts awarded by Cornwall Council and were operated by three new minibuses. Further contracts were awarded in 2001, and double decker buses were added to the fleet to operate school routes relinquished by First Devon & Cornwall. After that many more routes were added to the network including some from Plymouth Citybus and DAC Coaches in the south east, and Hookways in the north. There were also some new routes, such as Newquay to Bodmin, two towns which had not previously been directly connected by bus (the service has not survived).
The expanding fleet meant that the company needed a larger depot, and nearby Summercourt was chosen. Initially the depot was on existing premises, but in 2004 a new depot and offices were built. In the same year the ex-Western National bus station in East Street, Newquay was closed on safety grounds and replaced by a new and larger terminal at nearby Manor Road. This is owned by Cornwall Council but was managed on its behalf by Western Greyhound until 2015. Western Greyhound’s town centre shop was also moved to the Manor Road site where it became the bus station enquiry office. [3] The company maintained its bus stops and used satellite tracking to monitor its fleet. [2]
In December 2014, the Liskeard based operations were sold to Plymouth Citybus with nine buses, [4] [5] [6] [7] while the remainder of the business was sold to Michael Bishop. [8] [9] [10]
On 13 May 2013, a serious fire broke out at the Summercourt depot, the alarm being raised just after 01:00. Strong winds fanned the flames which reached more than 50 feet (15 m) height; the fire was put out by 05:00. The fire service prevented it spreading from the parked buses to the workshops or offices and no one was injured. Investigations suggested it was an arson attack. [11] [12] Thirty-four buses (about one-third of the fleet) were destroyed with a value in excess of £1 million. [13] Certain services had to be withdrawn or reduced in frequency for a while but a number of buses were hired from other companies as short-term replacements. [14] [15]
Buses were hired from Anglian Bus, Carmel Coaches, Arriva Midlands, Blackpool Transport, Nottingham City Transport, Norfolk Green, Summercourt Travel, Stagecoach South West and Stagecoach West. [13] All had been returned to their owners by the end of the year. [16]
Another arson attack at the company's Liskeard outstation in January 2014 destroyed three further buses. [17]
Western Greyhound ceased trading on 13 March 2015 citing insurance and financial issues. [18] [19] [20] Western Greyhound's services were taken over by First Devon & Cornwall, Plymouth Citybus and Stagecoach South West. [21]
Western Greyhound was based at Summercourt, near Newquay. It operated throughout Cornwall and into Devon, serving Plymouth, Okehampton and Exeter. [22]
From 2008 until September 2013 Western Greyhound operated the Truro park & ride service under contract to Cornwall Council. This passed to First Devon & Cornwall. [23] [24]
In December 2014, the fleet consisted of 65 buses. [8]
Most service buses were painted in a bright green livery. A large fleet name and a greyhound logo was applied in white. One Mercedes-Benz/Plaxton Beaver midibus (599) and an Optare Solo carried a silver livery for a while but in 2012 (599) was repainted into a grey livery to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. [25]
Bright green had not always been the fleet livery. When the services were first introduced the main colour was pink. This was used for several years but when FirstGroup introduced a blue and pink livery to their buses in the area a decision was taken to change the buses to a green livery which was paler than the colour which was used at the end of the company lifespan. [2] The Citaros which used to be used on the Truro Park & Ride service were painted blue. [25]
Newquay is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, future spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall, approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of Truro and 20 miles (32 km) west of Bodmin.
St Austell is a town in Cornwall, England, UK, 10 miles (16 km) south of Bodmin and 30 miles (48 km) west of the border with Devon.
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The South Western Football League was an English association football league composed of clubs from Cornwall and west and north Devon. It consisted of a single division at the eleventh overall tier of the English football league system, the seventh and lowest "Step" of the official National League System. The East Cornwall League and Cornwall Combination ranked below the South Western on the overall pyramid, and in turn have feeder leagues of their own.
Surfside Buslines is an Australian bus operator on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It operates 53 services under contract to the Government of Queensland under the TransLink banner. It also operates nine services in the adjoining Tweed Valley of northern New South Wales under contract to the Government of New South Wales.
Badgerline was a bus operator in and around Bristol from 1985 until 2003. Its headquarters were in Weston-super-Mare. Initially a part of the Bristol Omnibus Company, it was privatised in September 1986 and sold to Badgerline Holdings in a management buyout. It went on to purchase a number of bus companies in England and Wales. In November 1993, Badgerline Group was listed on the stock exchange and, on 16 June 1995, it merged with the GRT Group to form FirstBus.
Par railway station serves the villages of Par, Tywardreath and St Blazey, Cornwall, England. The station is 282 miles (454 km) from London Paddington via Bristol Temple Meads. It is the junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay.
Plymouth Citybus is a bus operator in Plymouth. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Greyhound Australia is an Australian coach operator running services in all mainland states and territories. It is owned by KordaMentha (85%) and the Chapman Group (15%). The company was established in 1928 and is not affiliated with similarly named companies in other countries.
Stagecoach South West is a bus operator providing services in Devon and East Cornwall along with coach services to Bristol. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach.
First South West is a bus company operating services in the English counties of Somerset and Cornwall. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in Cornwall and Devon in the United Kingdom. It runs from Penzance to Plymouth, crossing from Cornwall into Devon over the famous Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash.
The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places served in order to improve the local economy.
The evolution of transport in Cornwall has been shaped by the county's strong maritime, mining and industrial traditions and much of the transport infrastructure reflects this heritage.
First West of England is a bus operator providing services in Bristol, Bath, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Western National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 until the 1990s.
Glasgow Citybus is a bus company operating services across Glasgow and Dunbartonshire. It is a subsidiary of West Coast Motors.
Greyhound UK was a low-cost intercity scheduled coach service in the United Kingdom owned by FirstGroup. It was launched in September 2009 following their purchase of the long-established Greyhound service in the United States and developed in the following two years in South East England and South Wales. The last service ceased in December 2015.
The Buses of Somerset is the trading name used by bus operator First South West for services operated in Somerset from depots in the towns of Taunton and Bridgwater since 2014. The services were formerly managed as part of First Somerset & Avon.
Kernow is a bus company operating services in Cornwall, England. It is part of First South West, a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Media related to Western Greyhound at Wikimedia Commons
