Stagecoach in Preston was the main bus operator within the city of Preston, Lancashire and surrounding areas. It was founded in 2009 after Stagecoach Group acquired Preston Bus that was founded in 1904. The company operated from the main depot on Selbourne Street. In January 2011, the company was sold to Rotala, who returned the use of the Preston Bus brand.
Preston Bus was founded in 1904 as Preston District Travel and was bought from the local authority by its employees in 1993 as part of deregulation, becoming a limited company.
Both companies accused each other of unprofessional behaviour, with some Stagecoach drivers reported to have thrown eggs at Preston Buses.[3]
On 10 June 2008, both companies were agreed to a code of practice by the traffic commissioner.[4] Competition continued, with Stagecoach operating routes within Preston and Preston Bus operating a route between Preston and Penwortham.
On 30 December 2008, it was announced that Stagecoach had approached Preston Bus to negotiate a possible sale. This was agreed and on 23 January 2009 Stagecoach North West purchased Preston Bus for £10.4 million.[5] From March 2009, the combined network of routes was rebranded as Stagecoach in Preston.
On 28 May 2009, the Office of Fair Trading announced that it was referring the purchase of Preston Bus by Stagecoach to the Competition Commission.[6] Their provisional findings were that the purchase had reduced competition and may potentially harm the interests of passengers. Possible remedies involved the sale of part or all of the business and measures to encourage new entry by other operators, as well as controls on fares and requirements to maintain service levels. The final report was due by 12 November 2009.[7]
On 12 November 2009, the Competition Commission submitted that Stagecoach would have to sell a "reconfigured" (i.e. profit making) Preston Bus. Stagecoach had some freedom over what it sells, although it had to be approved by the Competition Commission.
Stagecoach appealed to the Competition Appeal Tribunal, stating that the Competition Commission's decision was "perverse and irrational" and that the Commission had committed an error in law with its use of the counterfactual argument and handling of Stagecoach's responses.
When the Competition Appeal Tribunal announced their verdict, Stagecoach began actively looking for a buyer. The result was that Stagecoach retained route 11. Things reverted to how they were before the takeover, with services transferring between Stagecoach and Preston Bus. Service 7 was withdrawn, and service 4 revised among other changes. Services 19, 22 & 8 reverted from giving change to fast fare. The 19-22 system was replaced by the original system operated by Preston Bus, and smaller buses were now used on the 19.
From the moment the Competition Commission announced it was investigating, Stagecoach stopped repainting buses out of Preston Bus livery. Some of those that were painted in Stagecoach colours were later returned to Preston Bus livery before the sale.
In January 2011, the company was sold to Rotala, which now operates the services under the Preston Bus brand.
Services
Brands
Stagecoach in Preston had 6 different brands for services.
All park and ride buses operated by Stagecoach in Preston were "Easy Access" Optare Solos. Services 1 & 2 primarily used Solo SRs, while conventional Solos were additionally used at peak periods.
Depots
Stagecoach in Preston used two depots. The main depot was located on Deepdale Road, acquired by Stagecoach with the purchase of Preston Bus and capable of holding over 150 buses. A smaller depot was on Selbourne Street, which was previously owned by Stagecoach in Lancashire, and before that Ribble Motor Services.
Fleet
Before Preston Bus was sold to Stagecoach, the fleet had originally had only consisted of double-decker buses, but latterly the company moved to single deckers and midibuses, with the most common vehicle as of 2008 being the Optare Solo midibus.
When Preston Bus was sold to Rotala in January 2011, the Stagecoach in Preston fleet consisted of 221 buses.[citation needed]
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