Kelvin Central Buses

Kelvin Central Buses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group formed in July 1989 from the merger of Kelvin Scottish and Central Scottish in preparation for privatisation, and operated until July 1998 when it became First Glasgow (No.2) Ltd.

Operation

From its head office in Traction House, Motherwell, Kelvin Central had an operating area stretching from Loch Lomond in the west, the Campsie Fells in the north, Shotts to the east and Strathaven to the south.

Kelvin Central was the largest operator in Lanarkshire and Dunbartonshire, and was responsible for urban, rural and interurban services in and around the towns of Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch, Motherwell, Hamilton, Airdrie, Cumbernauld and much of Glasgow.

On formation of the company, depots were located in Old Kilpatrick, Milngavie, Kirkintilloch, Kilsyth, Stepps, Cumbernauld, East Kilbride, Airdrie, Motherwell, Wishaw and Hamilton. However, Wishaw and East Kilbride were to close very soon after the merger, and at that time the company would largely withdraw from services around East Kilbride.

History

Kelvin Central Buses Ltd was formed when Central Scottish changed its legal company name in preparation for the merger with Kelvin Scottish in 1989. The new merged company would have a difficult birth. Central's network had been paralysed for weeks due to strike action, and by the time the dispute was resolved a number of new operators had stepped in to take on the abandoned services. Whereas Kelvin had been one of the more successful of the Scottish Bus Group subsidiaries, Central was financially weakened, suffered from heavy competition and burdened with a large debt.

Despite the head office of the new company remaining at the former Central headquarters in Motherwell, Kelvin management assumed control and swiftly embarked on turning the company around. Immediately after the merger, services, vehicles and depots were rationalised and a vibrant red and cream livery was introduced for the bus fleet. It could be argued that the depot closures at East Kilbride and Wishaw were management retaliation for the strikes, as they were widely viewed at the time as the most militant in the operation.

The company restricted itself to purchasing only used vehicles and the company readied itself for the transition to the private sector. Upon the break-up and privatisation of the Scottish Bus Group it was rumoured that Stagecoach was the preferred bidder for Kelvin Central until they had an opportunity to examine the company's accounts.

In 1991 the company passed to its management and employees, but due to the company's debt and continued operating losses, the purchasers did not have much money to invest.

Many of the smaller independent operators that competed heavily with Kelvin Central were successfully purchased, paving the way for Kelvin Central to become the dominant operator once again in much of Lanarkshire but also giving it a rather mixed and sometimes rather elderly fleet. Stagecoach's Magic Bus operation in Glasgow was also purchased, bringing in mainly Stagecoach-standard Volvo B10M-55/Alexander PSs and Alexander Dash-bodied Dennis Darts, and the company slowly returned to profitability, with new vehicle purchases starting again in 1993, these were mainly Volvo B10B/Alexander Striders, Volvo B6/Alexander Dashes and Volvo Olympian/Alexander Royales. The choice of the Volvo/Alexander combination probably came from the fact that Kelvin found the PSs very good buses.

The neighbouring Glasgow city operator, Strathclyde Buses, was itself employee-owned. At that time, Stagecoach Western Scottish were poised to launch a network of Glasgow city services under the Stagecoach Glasgow banner, competing directly with Strathclyde Buses and Kelvin Central. Weeks before these new services were due to commence, Stagecoach acquired a 20% stake in SB Holdings (Strathclyde Buses and Kelvin Central Buses parent group) and the "bus war" was averted. Kelvin Central purchased the vehicles intended to be used by Stagecoach Glasgow and took over the planned new services.

Further rationalisation of vehicles, depots and services took place between Strathclyde Buses and Kelvin Central, which by that time had begun trading as KCB Network.

However, while the Monopolies and Mergers Commission cleared the Strathclyde/Kelvin Central merger, it found the Stagecoach stake in the combined company to be against the public interest. It ordered Stagecoach to divest its 20% share in the firm early in 1995.

The ownership issue was not to be resolved until June 1996, however, when FirstBus agreed to purchase SB Holdings, including the 20% Stagecoach share, for £110m.

A new all-over red livery was adopted for the combined company, and the KCB Network trading name was replaced with Kelvin, and later First Kelvin.

In 1998, Kelvin Central Buses Ltd was renamed First Glasgow (No.2) Ltd, trading as First Glasgow.

External links

Former bus companies of the United Kingdom

National

England

Former bus companies operating in England

North West England	Birkenhead Transport Blackburn Transport Blue Bus and Coach Services Bluebird Bus and Coach Bu-Val Buses ChesterBus Citibus Tours Crosville Motor Services Finglands Coachways First Chester & The Wirral Glenvale Transport GM Buses Lancashire United Transport JPT Maynes Bus Maytree Travel MTL North Western Road Car Company (1923) North Western Road Car Company (1986) Pennine Blue Red & White Services Ribble Motor Services Speedwellbus Transdev Northern Blue UK North Yelloway Motor Services

North East England	Black Prince Buses Busways Travel Services Durham Travel Services Geldards Coaches Jolly Bus Leon Motors Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company Northern General Transport Company OK Motor Services Samuel Ledgard South Yorkshire Transport United Automobile Services Venture Transport West Riding Automobile Company West Yorkshire Road Car Yorkshire Rider Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Traction

Midlands	A2Z Travel Barton Transport Birmingham City Transport Birmingham Motor Traction Chase Coaches First Northampton Glossopdale Bus Company Go West Midlands Ludlows North Birmingham Busways People's Express Premiere Travel Probus Management South Notts Bus Company Stevensons of Uttoxeter Travel Merry Hill Travel Your Bus Wesley Coaches Zak's Buses

Eastern England	Eastern National Omnibus Company MK Metro TWH Bus & Coach

South West England	Badgerline Bristol Omnibus Company Devon General Greyhound Motors Great Western Railway Hants & Dorset Motor Services Shamrock Buses Southern National Sureline Truronian Western Greyhound Western National

South East England	Alder Valley Aldershot & District Traction Badger Vectis Boro'line Maidstone Brijan Tours Bygone Buses Cavendish Motor Services Centra City Clipper Countryliner East Kent Road Car Company Invictaway Kent Top Travel Maidstone & District Maidstone Corporation Transport Marchwood Motorways Moss Motor Tours Portsmouth Corporation Transport Shamrock Buses Southampton Citybus Southdown Motor Services Thames Transit Thames Valley Traction Tillingbourne Bus Company Velvet Yellow Bus Services

Greater London	Bexleybus Birch Brothers Boro'line London Capital Citybus Capital Logistics Connex East Thames Buses First London Grey-Green Harris Bus Imperial Buses London Buslines London Country Bus Services London Country North East London Country North West London Country South East London Country South West London Easylink London Electrobus Company London Forest London Pride Sightseeing London Traveller MTL NSL Buses Thorpes Travel London Travel Surrey Westlink

Scotland

Former bus companies operating in Scotland

Scottish Bus Group	Central Scottish Clydeside Scottish Eastern Scottish Highland Scottish Kelvin Central Buses Kelvin Scottish Lowland Scottish Midland Scottish Northern Scottish Western Scottish

Other operators	Arriva Scotland West A1 Service Dart Buses First Stop Travel Gibson's of Moffat McKindless Munro's of Jedburgh Oban and District Scottish Motor Traction Strathclyde Buses Western SMT

Wales

Former bus companies operating in Wales

Companies	Crosville Motor Services Islwyn Borough Transport National Welsh Omnibus Services Padarn Bus Red & White Services Rhondda Transport Company South Wales Transport Western Welsh

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