Stagecoach revenge?

The surprise, possibly shock in some quarters, announcement that Stagecoach may likely abort their anticipated merger with National Express in favour to a European takeover by an ‘Infrastructure Fund Co’ has all the hallmarks of sweet revenge.

For 40 years, this now respected company has had to put up with constant harassment from the overpaid ‘busybodies’ in the form of various competition authorities at every turn. For the first 20 years, and in spite of following lawful procedures, albeit perhaps not always alongside the spirit, it was vilified by other transport groups, politicians and certainly the enthusiast community.

Who can forget the uniform burning in Lancashire when Stagecoach made one of their very few departures from an area.

But slowly and steadily, by expansion, good networks were set up, the infamous and often feared ‘stripes’ replaced with a more dignified livery, and Brian Souter’s ideas and recipes on how to both create and sustain a good network were not only copied eventually, but admired by government when ‘kick-start’ became a catchphrase. Huge investments have been made in UK vehicles and unsurprisingly, Stagecoach grew to be the market leader, with Dame and Knighthoods des…

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