Silver Star Holidays

Silver Star Holidays
Seren Arian

Founded	1918
Headquarters	Caernarfon
Service area	Gwynedd
Service type	Bus; coach
Depots	Caernarfon
Manager	Gavin Owen[1]
Website	silverstarholidays.com

Silver Star Holidays is a coach operating company based in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales. Founded in 1918, its primary operation is coach holiday tours. Local bus services in Gwynedd were run by Silver Star until November 2010, when they were sold to Express Motors. Silver Star also trades under the Welsh name Seren Arian, with offices is both Caernarfon and Wrexham. The company entered administration on 6 October 2011 and ceased operation, but resumed services under new management later in the same month.

History

Silver Star was established in 1918.^[2] It was initially managed by Edward Thomas, who was succeeded by his son Elfyn.^[3] The company began operation on a single-vehicle route linking Rhosgadfan and Caernarfon, expanding onto other routes and coach hire work after World War II.^[4]

The local bus operations of Express Motors were taken over by Silver Star in 1970.^[5] Following bus deregulation in 1986 the company's established routes between Caernarfon and Y Fron faced competition from other operators, but the competing routes proved short-lived. A new competing route in the Nantlle Valley was introduced by Silver Star, and a Bws Gwynedd contract for several routes in Caernarfon was won in 1990.^[6]

In 2008 Silver Star was named Best Coach Tour Operator at the Coach Tourism Awards.^[2] The firm opened a new travel office in Wrexham in late 2008; this contributed to the company's ability to maintain its business levels through the recession in 2009 and 2010.^[7] In August 2009 a heritage tour operation branded as Snowdonia and Menai Strait Vintage Coach Tours was introduced, covering Anglesey, Snowdonia and the Welsh Highland Railway.^[8]

Negotiations to sell the company's four local bus routes to Express Motors began in 2010, with operation ending at the start of a new timetable on 1 November. This ended almost 90 years of continual local bus service operation by Silver Star. Four vehicles and several staff members transferred to Express Motors. There were no redundancies.^[3][5]

Silver Star ceased trading and entered administration on 6 October 2011, with the loss of twelve jobs. A statement by the company's managing director blamed the closure on increasing fuel prices and the economic crisis at the time.^[9] The company's closure affected around 800 people who had booked holidays with the firm.^[10] Later in the same month it was announced that Silver Star was to be reformed and would resume operation under new ownership.^[11] Services resumed on 19 October 2011, with most of the company's former staff re-hired.^[12]

Promotion and sponsorship

Advertising on a Silver Star minibus for the firm's 2006 coach tour programme

In September 2008 Silver Star announced a plan to plant 12,500 trees, one for each passenger carried by its coach holiday business during the summer of 2008, in schools and public land to reduce its carbon footprint.^[13]

Silver Star sponsor the Gwynedd Football League.^[14] The league was for part of 2007 styled as the Silver Star Holidays Gwynedd League.^[15]

Fleet

Silver Star's coach fleet consists largely of high-quality coaches of various designs.^[5] The heritage operation used two vehicles new in the 1950s: an AEC Regal coach with 33 seats and 31-seat Leyland PS1 initially built for local bus service.^[8]

The bus fleet was more varied. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Bristol vehicles were used, including RE and LH class single-deckers and a small number of Bristol VR double-deck buses. The award of a Bws Gwynedd contract in 1990 saw the purchase a new Dennis Dart by the company.^[16] Two AEC Reliances were also operated.^[17]

More recently, Mercedes-Benz minibuses were used on local routes.^[5]

References

Former bus companies of the United Kingdom National Associated Motorways Blazefield Holdings British Bus British Coachways British Electric Traction Fraser Eagle GRT Group National Bus Company Thomas Tilling England Former bus companies operating in England North West England Birkenhead Transport Blackburn Transport Blue Bus and Coach Services Bluebird Bus and Coach Bu-Val Buses ChesterBus Citibus Tours Crosville Motor Services Finglands Coachways First Chester & The Wirral Glenvale Transport GM Buses Lancashire United Transport JPT Maynes Bus Maytree Travel MTL North Western Road Car Company (1923) North Western Road Car Company (1986) Pennine Blue Red & White Services Ribble Motor Services Speedwellbus Transdev Northern Blue UK North Yelloway Motor Services North East England Black Prince Buses Busways Travel Services Durham Travel Services Geldards Coaches Jolly Bus Leon Motors Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company Northern General Transport Company OK Motor Services Samuel Ledgard South Yorkshire Transport United Automobile Services Venture Transport West Riding Automobile Company West Yorkshire Road Car Yorkshire Rider Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Traction Midlands A2Z Travel Barton Transport Birmingham City Transport Birmingham Motor Traction Chase Coaches First Northampton Glossopdale Bus Company Go West Midlands Ludlows North Birmingham Busways People's Express Premiere Travel Probus Management South Notts Bus Company Stevensons of Uttoxeter Travel Merry Hill Travel Your Bus Wesley Coaches Zak's Buses Eastern England Eastern National Omnibus Company MK Metro TWH Bus & Coach South West England Badgerline Bristol Omnibus Company Devon General Greyhound Motors Great Western Railway Hants & Dorset Motor Services Shamrock Buses Southern National Sureline Truronian Western Greyhound Western National South East England Alder Valley Aldershot & District Traction Badger Vectis Boro'line Maidstone Brijan Tours Bygone Buses Cavendish Motor Services Centra City Clipper Countryliner East Kent Road Car Company Invictaway Kent Top Travel Maidstone & District Maidstone Corporation Transport Marchwood Motorways Moss Motor Tours Portsmouth Corporation Transport Shamrock Buses Southampton Citybus Southdown Motor Services Thames Transit Thames Valley Traction Tillingbourne Bus Company Velvet Yellow Bus Services Greater London Bexleybus Birch Brothers Boro'line London Capital Citybus Capital Logistics Connex East Thames Buses First London Grey-Green Harris Bus Imperial Buses London Buslines London Country Bus Services London Country North East London Country North West London Country South East London Country South West London Easylink London Electrobus Company London Forest London Pride Sightseeing London Traveller MTL NSL Buses Thorpes Travel London Travel Surrey Westlink Scotland Former bus companies operating in Scotland Scottish Bus Group Central Scottish Clydeside Scottish Eastern Scottish Highland Scottish Kelvin Central Buses Kelvin Scottish Lowland Scottish Midland Scottish Northern Scottish Western Scottish Other operators Arriva Scotland West A1 Service Dart Buses First Stop Travel Gibson's of Moffat McKindless Munro's of Jedburgh Oban and District Scottish Motor Traction Strathclyde Buses Western SMT Wales Former bus companies operating in Wales Companies Crosville Motor Services Islwyn Borough Transport National Welsh Omnibus Services Padarn Bus Red & White Services Rhondda Transport Company South Wales Transport Western Welsh