tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post2500734017482934944..comments2023-10-23T16:56:40.695+01:00Comments on Public Transport Of The Plymouth Area: Memories from a MercedesLaurence Mayhewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01619217735699476860noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post-15380909318256214362013-01-02T23:17:40.905+00:002013-01-02T23:17:40.905+00:00Wow, talk about rewriting history!
That was a di...Wow, talk about rewriting history! <br /><br />That was a different episode altogether, although timewise it was a similar point in time - July 1988.... for just two weeks. It wasn't aimed at Burtons at all, they just happened to caught up in it but no doubt suffered a bit of collateral damage during those two weeks.<br /><br />The operation was called Freebus and used six Leyland Nationals (if a mere six buses can 'swamp' a whole route running between St Marychurch and Paignton Zoo!). The only part of Burtons route that was covered was Torquay to Paignton town centre. <br /><br />It was, however, organised by Stagecoach (Hampshire Bus to be precise) but was a joint venture with City of Oxford Motor Services. It was partly in retaliation for Devon General's owners having set up Thames Transit to compete with COMS in Oxford a year earlier and partly to try to disuade them from doing the same thing in Basingstoke in competition with Hampshire Bus. Thus it was designed to harm Devon General rather than Burtons but in the event it was stopped after two weeks when DG obtained an injunction. <br /><br />It had no effect on what was happening in Oxford but in the end the Basingstoke operation was never run by Transit Holdings/Devon General as they sold it to Hampshire Bus before it started, although Transit Holdings kept the 24 buses that had already been delivered. See my photostream: <br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/14218609@N02/4470069301/<br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/14218609@N02/4557877409/Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289456162510146247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post-39619123148443129242013-01-02T23:13:32.336+00:002013-01-02T23:13:32.336+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289456162510146247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post-10368483697446654232013-01-02T01:42:26.569+00:002013-01-02T01:42:26.569+00:00Ah my apologies, many thanks for the info on the r...Ah my apologies, many thanks for the info on the real story Graeme. Blame my A-Level Economics teacher, a man you would hope you could have trusted on all matters, especially considering that he lived in the Bay during this period! He told this very extravagant story of Stagecoach coming in and swamping Burtons by running buses for free up and down the Bay until they could sustain it no longer... Makes you wonder what else may have been said over the years as inaccurate as this account... <br /><br />Laurence Mayhewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01619217735699476860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post-24216016489429508172013-01-02T01:28:41.486+00:002013-01-02T01:28:41.486+00:00I don't know. With deregulation, Burtons gave...I don't know. With deregulation, Burtons gave up running the 118 between Kingswear and Brixham jointly with DG and went head to head running from Kingswear through to Torquay in the mid/late 80s. Whether death, competition or something else caused the sale, I have no idea.<br /><br />The 100 came about in Transit Holdings days when they introduced the G-UDV Merc minibuses along with the 'Riviera Connection' brand. Prior to that they ran five Leyland Tiger buses on the route that South Midland had ordered but were delivered to Transit Holdings after the takeover.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289456162510146247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post-2334423591687212912013-01-01T16:26:03.137+00:002013-01-01T16:26:03.137+00:00Am I right in thinking that Burtons was only sold ...Am I right in thinking that Burtons was only sold after the death of old Mr Geddes, and it was his nephew (I think), that sold it.<br />Mind you Devon General O&T Co Ltd (the proper Devon General) had been after the business for years.<br />Remember buses running on a renumbered 12 service, Torquay to Brixham, as service 100 using the Burton Fleet name.Ex DGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04645322018076405592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7712781400433441765.post-28934331592586887292012-12-28T18:05:33.842+00:002012-12-28T18:05:33.842+00:00Nothing whatsoever to do with Stagecoach, Laurence...Nothing whatsoever to do with Stagecoach, Laurence.<br /><br />The owners of Burtons sold the business (Brixham Coaches Ltd) to South Midland, the former NBC company in Oxfordshire. <br /><br />Transit Holdings, owners of Devon General and Thames Transit, then bought South Midland, merging South Midland into Thames Transit and later using Brixham Coaches Ltd, renamed to Bayline Ltd, to demerge the Bayline operation out of Devon General onto a seperate licence.<br /><br />Stagecoach didn't come onto the scene for several more years (not until 1996).<br /><br />H989 FTT was new to another Transit Holdings company, Red Admiral in Portsmouth.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09289456162510146247noreply@blogger.com