Stagecoach Gold bus route S2
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Stagecoach West is the trading name of Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited, a bus operator providing services in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
,
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, Swindon, Oxfordshire,
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
,
North Somerset North Somerset is a unitary district in Somerset, South West England. Whilst its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the ...
and Herefordshire, in the West of England. The company is a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group.


History

In 1983, Bristol Omnibus Company's Gloucestershire-based operations were transferred to the Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company. In 1985, the National Bus Company's Swindon and District operation was transferred to the same company. In 1986, all the assets were transferred to a new legal entity, Western Travel. In 1986, Western Travel was privatised in a management buyout and in December 1987 purchased Midland Red South. In 1993, Western Travel purchased Circle Line of Gloucester (primarily a school bus operator, who had started to compete on regular bus routes) before being sold to Stagecoach in November 1993. In 1988, National Welsh Omnibus Services was privatised in a management buyout. After being placed in receivership in January 1992, the Eastern Division was purchased by Stagecoach South Wales. After the Western Travel purchase, the Wye &
Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
operations were transferred to Stagecoach West. In August/September 2017, four Enviro 200's from Stroud and eight Enviro 200's alongside the four
Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...
's from Cheltenham that were used for service 99 (primarily run to transport staff and walking patients between Gloucester Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals, before the contract moved to Pulhams Coaches), were transferred to the South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach Depot in Patchway, along with Stroud's 84/85/86/621/622 and Gloucester's 60/62 Routes. In July 2018, Service 60 was transferred back to Gloucester Depot, with the 62 remaining operated by Bristol but only running between Dursley and Bristol. In September 2018, the company took over the operation of eight routes in the Bristol and Bath areas from Wessex Bus. Stagecoach purchased nine of their vehicles, three of which were found to have serious defects and were subsequently scrapped. On 1 September 2019, Stagecoach West took over operation of the X5 (
Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...
to
Cribbs Causeway Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...
) and Severn Express ( Newport to Bristol) routes from
First West of England First West of EnglandCompanies House extract company no 25088
...
but the X5 would be withdrawn in June 2020, as a result of low ridership, with the route transferring back to First.The Severn Express would also be withdrawn in the same month for the same reason and be replaced by the T7 ran by
Newport bus Newport Bus (the operating name of Newport Transport Limited) is the main provider of bus services in the city of Newport, Wales. A limited company whose shares are wholly owned by Newport City Council, it is one of the few remaining munici ...
which began operating on the 4th January 2021.In October 2019, Stagecoach West took over the South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach business with 53 vehicles. On 4 April 2020, service 62 transferred to CT+ Bristol. In February 2021, it was announced that Stagecoach West would merge with neighbouring
Stagecoach Oxfordshire Stagecoach in Oxfordshire is the trading name of Thames Transit Ltd. It is a bus operator serving the county of Oxfordshire, England. Since 1997 has been a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group, and since February 2021 it has been part of Stagecoach ...
. The HQ of the combined operating company is in Gloucester and would see Oxfordshire's three depots and 4 outstations, along with around 500 vehicles, move to West's ownership. It would also see the final part of the takeover, that of the Stagecoach Midland Banbury Depot.


Depots

Stagecoach West has nine depots: *
Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...
(Canal Street) *
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
(Gipsy Patch Lane, Patchway) * Cheltenham (Lansdown Industrial Estate, Gloucester Road) *
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
(London Road) *
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
(Horspath Road) * Milkwall * Stroud (London Road) * Swindon (Cheney Manor Industrial Estate) * Witney (Corn Street) There are also outstations at
Bicester Bicester ( ) is a historical market towngarden town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in Southern England that also comprises an eco town at North-East Bicester and self-build village aGraven Hill Its loca ...
, Coleford, Chipping Norton and Grove. As of October 2022, the Stagecoach West fleet consists of 270 buses and coaches.


Services

Stagecoach West mainly operates services in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
,
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, Herefordshire,
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, Oxfordshire and into South Gloucestershire, although some routes serve more distant destinations including
Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inter ...
, Hereford, Monmouth and Bath. Routes branded as
Stagecoach Gold Stagecoach Gold is a luxury bus sub-brand used by various Stagecoach bus subsidiaries in the United Kingdom. Stagecoach Gold (originally Goldline) was launched in 2007 and was designed to attract more middle-class passengers to choose bus travel ...
have vehicles of a higher specification and provide more frequent, higher profile or interurban journeys. These services are: *7
Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...
to
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
*55 Chippenham to Swindon *94/94X Cheltenham to Gloucester *S3 Chipping Norton/
Charlbury Charlbury () is a town and civil parish in the Evenlode valley, about north of Witney in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of Wychwood Forest and the Cotswolds. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's po ...
to Oxford *S5
Bicester Bicester ( ) is a historical market towngarden town and civil parish in the Cherwell district of northeastern Oxfordshire in Southern England that also comprises an eco town at North-East Bicester and self-build village aGraven Hill Its loca ...
to Oxford *S6 Swindon to Oxford *S9
Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire since 1974. T ...
to Oxford When Stagecoach West bought South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach in November 2019, it took over operation of its existing local bus, private hire and Megabus work. The fleet was also taken over, but gradually replaced with newer vehicles sourced from across Stagecoach Group. After merging with Stagecoach Oxfordshire in February 2021, it took over the operation of their Oxford Tube coach service between Oxford and London. In March 2021, the Bath Clean Air Zone came into force and affected services 69/620. As Stroud Depot had no vehicles meeting the zone requirement, they had to temporarily swap four Enviro 200s from Cheltenham with four of their own
Optare Solo The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is ...
s. 21 new Scania Enviro 400MMC double-decker vehicles were delivered for Gloucester Depot's 10 and 97/98 route in June 2021. They carry the new Stagecoach "Long Distance" livery. This meant the 10 route is no longer classed as Gold. These new buses commenced driver training operations in mid-June, operating from the Gloucester Depot, and many had entered service by the end of the month.


Oxford Tube

The Oxford Tube currently operates a fleet of 24 Plaxton Panorama vehicles, built on Volvo B11RLE chassis double decker coaches alongside 6 Vanhool Astonomega on limited stops services between Oxford and
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
. On 3 March 2014 Stagecoach Group announced its biggest vehicle order to date. Costing Stagecoach over £100 million in total, it included 26 new VanHool TX Astromega coaches to operate the Oxford Tube service. The first of the new coaches entered service on 16 July 2014 with the entire fleet following shortly after. The new coaches increased comfort and facilities for passengers including more leg room, 4G WiFi, power sockets and USB ports in selected seats and a brand new audio information system providing passengers with departure and arrival information and the top deck also features a panoramic glass sun roof allowing more natural light into the coach. In 2020, Stagecoach announced that it would replace their current Tube fleet with 34 new Plaxton Panorama vehicles, built on Volvo B11RLE chassis.


See also

* Buses in Bristol * Buses in Swindon


References


External links

* {{Cheltenham, Gloucestershire Stagecoach Group bus operators in England Transport companies established in 1983 Transport in Bristol Transport in Cheltenham Transport in Gloucestershire Transport in Monmouthshire Transport in Oxfordshire Transport in Swindon Transport in Wiltshire 1983 establishments in England Bus operators in Bristol Bus operators in Herefordshire Bus operators in Wiltshire Bus operators in Oxfordshire