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Post by jay38a on Jun 4, 2011 22:12:30 GMT
Hi all
On 26th May, Thames Travel of Wallingford, were brought by Go Ahead Group. Go Ahead have already mentioned that management will still be kept local and seperate from its nearby Oxford Bus Company subsidy. Existing livery, branding and routes will remain. Most of Thames Travel's fleet is leased so that remains to be seen what Go Ahead do with them, as they are very non standard at the moment with a mix of ADL E200s, MAN/MCV Evolutions, ADL/MCV Evolution, Optare Solo, Scania Omnidekka, Scania Omnicity, ADL/Enviro 400H.
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Post by eggmiester on Jun 4, 2011 23:34:10 GMT
I like the phrase "management will still be kept local "!! But for howe long??
Just look at Go South Coast, all 6 operations (Bluestar, Wilts & Dorset, Southern Vectis, Marchwood, Moss and Damory) all share a common management based in Poole! Previously they all had their own seperate offices.
Knowing Go-Ahead too well i see it wont be long before TT and OXBC are amalgamated into Go-Ahead Thames Valley perhaps??, or Go Oxfordshire!! They will keep thier operating names but all back room ops will eventually without a doubt be centralised.
Its just a thing they say to calm any nerves of the satff but Once they get thier foot in theres no stopping them. Good luck to them, Stagecoach Oxfordshire are probably gonna need to watch thier back!!
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Post by jay38a on Jun 4, 2011 23:39:25 GMT
Reading Transport also need to watch their backs and as Reading's finanical state is not the greatest at the moment, I can see Go Ahead trying to have a go at competition in Reading, which when Reading Council sells Reading Buses (which it will undoubtly do in the end), Reading Buses will be worth less.
I think they might actually keep the seperate management also the operating enviroments are totally different where Oxford Bus Company runs mainly Urban and City Services (not counting the country section to Wheatley Campus on Routes U1 and U5X) and Thames Travel operates rural services which can be commerical (such as the Reading to Oxford Routes X40 and X39) but also run Oxfordshire CC and Berkshire tendered services. Just look at Metrobus as an example.
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Post by eggmiester on Jun 4, 2011 23:54:27 GMT
We'll see, interesting times in the Thames Valley region.
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Post by jay38a on Jun 10, 2011 23:23:36 GMT
ex Oxford Bus Company R9 OXF, a Dennis Trident with Plaxton President body has been moved to Thames Travel from OBC, no doubt released after the new E400Hs arrived to operate Park and Ride routes.
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