Centrebus facts for kids
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Two Volvo B8RLE bodied MCV Evolutions operating on the Luton to Dunstable Busway
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| Slogan | Your local bus service provider |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Wenlock Way, Leicester |
| Service area | Bedfordshire Hertfordshire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Rutland |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Depot(s) | Grantham Leicester Luton |
| Fleet | 350+ (February 2024) |
| Chief executive | Julian Peddle |
| Web site | www.centrebus.info |
Centrebus is a bus company based in Leicester, England. It runs bus services in several counties. These include Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland.
Centrebus also owns a big part (51%) of High Peak Buses. Since 2019, through its director Julian Peddle, it fully owns D&G Bus. However, these companies still run as separate businesses.
Contents
History of Centrebus
Centrebus started in 2001. It was first known as Anstey Buslines. In 2002, several bus companies joined together. These were inMotion, Lutonian, and the original Centrebus in Leicester. This merger created the Centrebus company we know today.
Growing the Company
In January 2004, Centrebus bought the St Albans part of Blazefield. Later, in March 2008, it was sold to Uno. In February 2005, Centrebus began running buses around Grantham. This happened after another company, MASS Transit, closed down.
In June 2007, Centrebus bought Bowers Coaches. Bowers ran services in Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Greater Manchester. In April 2012, Centrebus teamed up with the Wellglade Group. They formed a new company called High Peak Buses. Bowers' operations then moved to a different depot.
In September 2008, Centrebus bought the local bus services of Woods Coaches in Leicestershire. A year later, in August 2009, Centrebus bought Trustybus. Trustybus ran buses in Essex and Hertfordshire. In August 2010, Centrebus took over Judges Mini Coaches. This company ran routes serving places like Kettering and Milton Keynes.
In May 2011, Centrebus took over West End Travel. This company ran buses in Melton Mowbray. In October 2011, Centrebus bought Paul James Coaches. This added 21 more buses to their fleet.
In July 2011, Centrebus took over Kimes Buses. Kimes Buses had been around since 1945. It had 23 vehicles when Centrebus took over. Centrebus kept the Kimes name and its green and cream bus colors. In August 2013, the Kimes depot closed. Its operations moved to Centrebus's Grantham depot.
Shrinking the Network
In November 2012, Centrebus closed its Harlow depot. Most routes went to Roadrunner Buses. The remaining routes moved to the Stevenage depot. This helped Centrebus manage its East Hertfordshire services from one place.
In June 2017, Centrebus closed its Saxby depot. They said it was because costs were going up and fewer people were using the buses. In October 2019, the Corby depot also closed for similar reasons.
In May 2021, the Stevenage Depot was closed by Centrebus. Some routes moved to the Luton depot. Other routes were taken over by different bus companies. Some of these routes later returned to Centrebus in October 2022.
Bus Depots
Centrebus currently runs its buses from four depots in England:
- Wenlock Way in Leicester, which is also the main office for the Centrebus Group.
- Tollemache Road for buses in Grantham.
- Hallsteads, Dove Holes for HighPeak operations.
- Bilton Way for buses in Luton and Hertfordshire.
Bus Fleet
As of June 2022, Centrebus has 264 buses. Most of these are single-deck buses. Centrebus is changing the look of its buses. The new design has orange at the front and blue at the back. A wide white stripe separates these colors.
In 2021, Leicester City Council got money to buy electric buses. Centrebus now runs four Yutong E12 electric buses. These buses are used for the Hospital Hopper service at University Hospitals of Leicester. Centrebus will also get six more Yutong E10 electric buses in late 2022. These will be for the Leicester Outer Orbital service.
Bus Routes
Centrebus operates several bus routes. Some well-known ones include the Rutland Flyer, the Leicester Orbital, Hop!, and the 747 Uppingham–Leicester.
Route 747
The 747 is a bus service that connects Uppingham and Leicester. It mostly follows the A47 road.
This bus route used to go all the way to Peterborough. That part of the route was stopped and replaced by a less frequent service.
In January 2017, Centrebus said the route was not making enough money. However, the route kept running. Local councils gave £60,000 to help pay for it until January 2018. Rutland County Council and Leicestershire County Council continue to help fund the route.
Fab 80’s Routes
The Fab 80’s was a group of bus services (80, 81, 81A) run by Centrebus's Stevenage depot. They started in 2015. These routes connected Westmill Estate in Hitchin, through Hitchin town, to places like Purwell or Ninesprings Way and Stevenage. The buses used were Optare Solo SRs. This was part of a plan to offer Wi-Fi, more frequent services, and newer buses.
However, when the Stevenage depot closed in 2021, the Fab 80s brand ended. Route 81 was greatly reduced. Newer Enviro 200 buses from the Luton Depot now run on some of these routes.
Routes 314 and 315
These routes run between Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City. They take two different paths. Route 314 goes through Codicote and Langley. Route 315 goes through Whitewell and Kimpton. In 2023, route 315 was extended to Hitchin.
In the past, these routes mainly used Plaxton Centro buses. But since the Stevenage depot closed, they now use Enviro 200 and Optare Solo SR buses.
