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 ...

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon unitary authority area had a population ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

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 Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouths ...

, in the West of England. The company is a subsidiary of

Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Group is a transport group based in Perth, Scotland. It operates buses, express coaches and a tram service in the United Kingdom. History Stagecoach was born out of deregulation of the British express coach market in the early ...

History

AlexanderDennis Enviro200 MMC YX65 PXU Oxford Summertown

In 1983,

Bristol Omnibus Company The Bristol Omnibus Company was a dominant bus operator in Bristol, and was one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. It ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. History ...

'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 A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management-, and/or leveraged buyout became noted phenomena o ...

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 A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

in November 1993. In 1988,

National Welsh Omnibus Services National Welsh Omnibus Services was a bus company which operated in south-east Wales and in the Forest of Dean area of Gloucestershire from 1978 to 1992. It used the trading name ''National Welsh'' and its Welsh equivalent ''Cymru Cenedlaethol'' ...

was privatised in a

. After being placed in receivership in January 1992, the Eastern Division was purchased by

Stagecoach South Wales Stagecoach in South WalesCompanies House extract company no 255550 ...

. After the Western Travel purchase, the Wye & Dean 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 South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach Company Ltd was a bus and coach operator operating school bus services under contract to Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council and coach services under contract to Megabus. History South Glouce ...

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 Wessex Bus was a bus operator in the West of England that operated from June 2007 until September 2018. History In June 2007 the bus side of the South Gloucestershire Bus & Coach company was purchased by Rotala subsidiary Flights Hallmar ...

. 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) 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 which began operating on the 4th January 2021.In October 2019, Stagecoach West took over the

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) *

(Gipsy Patch Lane, Patchway) *

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

(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 o ...

(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 Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five Va ...

(London Road) *

(Cheney Manor Industrial Estate) *

Witney Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...

(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 Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population ...

and Grove. As of October 2022, the Stagecoach West fleet consists of 270 buses and coaches.

Services

Stagecoach West mainly operates services in

and into

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming ...

, 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 Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

and

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. 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 ...

*55

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement i ...

*94/94X Cheltenham to Gloucester *S3

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

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

in November 2019, it took over operation of its existing local bus, private hire and

Megabus Megabus may refer to: * Megabus (Europe), a low-cost coach service with services in Europe owned by ComfortDelGro. * Megabus (North America), a low-cost bus service in the United States and Canada owned by Variant Equity Advisors. * Megabús, a ...

work. The fleet was also taken over, but gradually replaced with newer vehicles sourced from across

. After merging with Stagecoach Oxfordshire in February 2021, it took over the operation of their

Oxford Tube The Oxford to London coach route is an express coach route between Oxford and London along the M40 motorway. Operated by Stagecoach West under the brand name ''Oxford Tube'', there are up to five coaches an hour via Lewknor, Hillingdon, and Sh ...

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

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 The Plaxton Panorama is a double decker coach bodywork, produced by Plaxton's Scarborough factory on the newly built Volvo B11RLE chassis. The Panorama was launched in 2018, and in standard configuration seats 87 with a toilet, or 91 without. ...

vehicles, built on

Volvo B11RLE The Volvo B11R is a 10.8-litre engined coach chassis available as both two- and tri-axle from Volvo since 2011. It was introduced as the second of the Volvo BXXR series, replacing the rest of the B12B range in 2011, and later its fellow BXXR pl ...

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

vehicles, built on

chassis.

References

External links