Stagecoah’s Shines new buses.

[Inspector Knacker]

At Stockton, all very nice as they come into town on the 36. Meanwhile, looks like we get someone else's old vehicles cascaded down to us?
Just like everything else in this town.

[mk1]

I have no idea why 'The Council' let Stagecoach scoop up all the Hartlepool passengers with the 36. I am pretty sure the 36 passenger numbers will be used to show how 'successful' the Teesside buses are (so they deserve new busses) whilst Hartlepool passenger numbers (minus all the ones scooped up by the 36) are not high enough to warrant the purchase new  vehicles.

[Grumblstiltskin]

I'm still struggling to see how privatisation of the buses has been good for us? Reading various comments from bus users it would seem you would struggle to get about after 7pm or if you lived in the outlying villages. It just looks like another way for the council to dump more expenses, the Corporation bus service and service subsidies, in another short sighted penny-pinching exercise.

[mk1]

I'm still struggling to see how privatisation of the buses has been good for us?

Or why the drivers sold out to Stagecoach?

[Grumblstiltskin]

Or why the drivers sold out to Stagecoach?

I don't know about that, as I lived out of town for a fair few years. Did the drivers sign on to work for Stagecoach?

[Inspector Knacker]

I have no idea why 'The Council' let Stagecoach scoop up all the Hartlepool passengers with the 36. I am pretty sure the 36 passenger numbers will be used to show how 'successful' the Teesside buses are (so they deserve new busses) whilst Hartlepool passenger numbers (minus all the ones scooped up by the 36) are not high enough to warrant the purchase new  vehicles.

In total agreement. They reintroduced the No 6 service, but it only runs from West View to the town centre where surprise, surprise it links up with the 'Sacred 36' adding even more revenue to a service from out of town at the expense of local services on the profit sheet.
De-regulation of buses has been a disaster for this town and from the outset in the early 90's fares went up on a far too regular basis and services were cut and altered frequently so as to make use of buses to get to work non viable. It's the reason I bought a car in 1995, reluctant choice, but looking back a necessity it turns out.

[mk1]

The Drivers 'owned ' the Busses.

[no6bus]

And apparently were given the option to sell out to Stagecoach who were prepared to run against them until they folded if they didn't agree.
At the time they had history for it.
Stagecoach Teesside operates both stagecoach transit and Stagecoach Hartlepool. So the money goes into the same pot.

[mk1]

And apparently were given the option to sell out to Stagecoach who were prepared to run against them until they folded if they didn't agree.
At the time they had history for it.

Indeed. Look at the way The Souter's bankrupted the Darlington busses by running free buses one minute ahead of their busses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlington_Bus_War

[jeffh]

And apparently were given the option to sell out to Stagecoach who were prepared to run against them until they folded if they didn't agree.
At the time they had history for it.

Indeed. Look at the way The Souter's bankrupted the Darlington busses by running free buses one minute ahead of their busses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darlington_Bus_War

Ironic Stagecoach then sold out to Arriva

[Inspector Knacker]

Then did a swap here with Arriva and the the 227 became the 36. Stagecoach then had all services going south. So much for deregulation encouraging competition.

[Inspector Knacker]

And apparently were given the option to sell out to Stagecoach who were prepared to run against them until they folded if they didn't agree.
At the time they had history for it.

They did run against them with free services.
If someone opens a shop next door to you and offers free groceries, you soon go out of business. Pity when the did that the authorities didn't make them carry on running free services to their new timetable for say a 12 month period.

[Grumblstiltskin]

Ironic Stagecoach then sold out to Arriva

Isn't the old United Bus Company part of the modern day Arriva?

[Inspector Knacker]

Yes. Everything has to have a poncey name and a livery like a hippies ice cream van.

[mk1]

Current owners are German but a sale is going through. They also own Grand central, Cross Country & Northern Rail.