The owners of three financially sound business all say they want to get out of running buses for the same reason — it has become far too stressful to run a bus business in the way that they want to run theirs
INSIDE TRACK with JULIAN PEDDLE
Anyone interested in buses will have noticed that throughout the country the number of private operators is reducing. This has been a pattern for several years.
In the first 20 years after deregulation, the colours and fleetnames would vary, but as one was bought out or collapsed, another would take its place. In many areas the PLCs were tearing their hair out at the level of competition, but no more. Since 2010 the trend is sharply down.
There have been the high-profile failures like Western Greyhound and GHA Coaches, down to the coach operators with one or two buses on tendered routes who cease, as it is all too much trouble.
