Stagecoach Yorkshire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stagecoach Yorkshire is an operating division of Stagecoach UK Bus.

It was formed in 2005 to take over the former Traction Group fleets in Yorkshire by Stagecoach Group, which took over Traction from Frank Carter on 14 December 2005; Yorkshire Traction, Yorkshire Terrier and Barnsley & District. Barnsley & District was closed and absorbed into Yorkshire Traction in July 2006. Yorkshire Traction now operates as Stagecoach Yorkshire, whilst Yorkshire Terrier now operates as Stagecoach Sheffield.

[edit] History

Traction Group was formed in 1986, when Barnsley-based Yorkshire Traction was sold to its management and employees, led by Frank Carter. In 2000 Sheffield-based Yorkshire Terrier was formed to take over the operations of Andrews, South Riding, Sheffield Omnibus, Yorkshire Terrier and Kingsman, all in Sheffield, which all competed with Mainline in the city.

Barnsley & District was formed in July 1990 when Traction bought Tom Jowitt Travel of Tankersley. It was enlarged in 1992 when Pride of The Road, Royston was purchased, and in 1995, when the bus operations of Globe of Barnsley were taken over.

Mainline was sold to First Group, became First Mainline and then First South Yorkshire. It still competes with Stagecoach Yorkshire and Stagecoach Sheffield today, which brings Britain's largest two bus groups into competition with each other.

The company has announced plans for more than 50 new low floor buses in the near future to be added to its Yorkshire fleet.

[edit] Fleet

Stagecoach Yorkshire's vehicles are mainly varied. Traction Group was known for a lot of variety among its bus fleet; Yorkshire Traction's fleet includes the unique KIRN Mogul with East Lancashire Flyte body, a large fleet of Scania buses dating back to the 1990s, which were relatively rare then, and Traction has been the only major buyer of MAN 14.220s, all with East Lancashire Myllenium bodies. Many more rare vehicles operate in the fleet, as well as more familiar vehicles, such as Dennis Darts, with Plaxton and Alexander bodies, low-floor Dart SLFs and Volvo B6BLEs with East Lancashire Spryte bodies, plus some ex-Blazefield Volvo B10Bs and B10BLEs with Wright bodies and Alexander ALX200-bodied Volvo B6LEs.

The company's last MCW Metrobuses were withdrawn in the first quarter of 2007^[1].

Terrier's fleet is a bit more standardised with Alexander Dash-bodied Volvo B6s, East Lancashire Spryte-bodied Dennis Darts and Volvo B6BLEs, East Lancashire Myllenium-bodied DAF SB220s, a single low-floor Volvo B6 with Plaxton Pointer bodywork, and now 10 Alexander Dennis Pointer Darts.

Since Stagecoach takeover, 20 new Alexander Dennis Pointer Darts have entered service at Rawmarsh and Ecclesfield, along with seven MCV Evolutions at Rawmarsh. 30 Alexander ALX300-bodied MAN 18.240s are also expected this year for Sheffield.