Central Buses

Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 in September 2012
ParentGeoff Cross
FoundedSeptember 2003
Defunct24 February 2018
HeadquartersPerry Barr
Service areaBirmingham
Coventry
Staffordshire
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
Shropshire
Service typeBus operator
Routes23 (February 2018)
Depots3
Fleet31 (February 2018)
Websitewww.centralbuses.com

Central Buses[1] was a bus company based in Birmingham, England.

History

Central Buses was founded in September 2003 by 16-year-old Geoff Cross.[2][3]

Later, a separate arm of the company was created. Centrad was created under the CEN Group brand, which Central Buses also joined. This supplies electronic equipment to the bus industry.[2]

Many of the services operated by Central Buses were operated under contract to Transport for West Midlands. All buses were equipped to use prepaid fare cards.[4][5][6][7]

In February 2018, Central Buses was purchased by Rotala for £1.95 million, with its 23 services and 31 buses taken over by its Diamond West Midlands subsidiary.[8][9][10] Operations ceased at the conclusion of services on 24 February 2018.[11][12]

Fleet

As of February 2018, the fleet consisted of 31 buses. Fleet livery was red and grey.[11]

References

  1. ^ Companies House extract company no 4754447 Cen Group Limited
  2. ^ a b Start your own business: Young bus operator takes slow lane to success Daily Express 24 February 2010
  3. ^ "Rotala grows again with £2m Central Buses deal" Buses issue 756 March 2018 page 7
  4. ^ "Buses to trial new pre-paid systems". Express & Star. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  5. ^ John, Patrice (9 October 2009). "Date set for Birmingham's delayed bus smartcard system". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  6. ^ John, Patrice (17 October 2009). "West Midlands public transport users soon to see electronic ticketing system". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  7. ^ Authi, Jasbir (20 January 2010). "Smartcard a step closer on Midlands transport". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
  8. ^ Rotala buys Central Buses Coach & Bus Week 2 February 2018
  9. ^ Rotala buys Central Buses for £1.95 million Route One 2 February 2018
  10. ^ "Central Buses to become Diamond Bus Services". Diamond Bus. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Central Buses bows out in style" Buses issue 757 April 2018 page 10
  12. ^ "Central Farewell" Bus & Coach Preservation May 2018 page 21

Media related to Central Buses at Wikimedia Commons