ChesterBus
ChesterBus was an English municipal bus company operating services in the city of Chester and across the county of Cheshire. It was owned by the Chester City Council.
 | |
 | |
| Parent | Chester City Council |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1930 |
| Ceased operation | 19 June 2007 |
| Headquarters | Chester |
| Service area | Cheshire |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Depots | 1 |
| Fleet | 84 (June 2007) |
ChesterBus was an English municipal bus company operating services in the city of Chester and across the county of Cheshire. It was owned by the Chester City Council.
History
[edit]Chester City Transport commenced operating bus services in Chester in 1930.[1] It was operated as part of Chester City Council. To comply with the Transport Act 1985, the bus operation was transferred to a separate company in 1986.[2] It continued to trade as Chester City Transport until rebranded as ChesterBus in April 2005.
In July 2006, Chester City Council placed the business up for sale.[3]
In October 2006, Arriva North West & Wales registered a network of services to commence in January 2007, which duplicated a number of ChesterBus's routes.[4][5] On 11 October 2006, Chester City Council commenced an action in the High Court against Arriva, claiming that the registrations were anti-competitive under the Competition Act 1998, and asking for an injunction requiring Arriva to de-register them.[6][7] In December, the registrations were cancelled[8] though revised registrations for the 1/1A and 15 were made in January 2007.
Chester City Council's claim centred on the allegation that Arriva were abusing a dominant position, but in a judgement dated 15 June 2007, it was held that Arriva had not been demonstrated to hold a dominant position, and the claim was therefore dismissed.[9]
Four days later on 19 June, ChesterBus, by then consisting of a fleet of 84 buses and facing over £200,000 in legal fees from the collapsed trial, was sold to First Chester & The Wirral.[10][11] The FirstGroup later sold the operation to the Stagecoach Group for £4.5 million in 2012, who now operate in Chester as part of Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "A decade of municipal bus operation in an historic city". The Commercial Motor. Vol. 71, no. 1831. London: Temple Press. 20 April 1940. pp. 62–63. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Chester City Transport Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Chester Bus sale attracts potential buyers". Bus & Coach Professional. Telford: Plum Publishing. 30 August 2006. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Arriva plans Chester assault". Bus & Coach Professional. Telford: Plum Publishing. 25 September 2006. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Notices & Proceedings" (PDF). Traffic Commissioner for the North Western Traffic Area. 6 October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Chester council takes Arriva to court". Bus & Coach Professional. Telford: Plum Publishing. 14 October 2006. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Chester cries foul as bus firm muscles in on existing routes". Local Government Chronicle. 18 October 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Notices & Proceedings" (PDF). Traffic Commissioner for the North Western Traffic Area. 15 December 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ Murphy, Liam (16 June 2007). "Chester loses 'bus war' legal battle with Arriva". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay. p. 8. Retrieved 5 November 2025 – via General OneFile.
- ^ "First trumps Arriva with Chester Bus purchase". Bus & Coach Professional. 20 June 2007. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ Murphy, Liam (19 June 2007). "Bus company is finally sold off". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay. p. 17. Retrieved 5 November 2025 – via General OneFile.
- ^ "£4.5million bus buyout for Stagecoach in region". Chester First. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
