BakerBus

BakerBus / Bakers Coaches

Alexander Dennis Enviro200 at in December 2009
Parent	Island Fortitude
Founded	1936
Headquarters	Biddulph
Service area	Staffordshire Cheshire Shropshire
Service type	Bus & coach services
Fleet	70
Website	www.bakerbus.com

BakerBus was the trading name used by the bus fleet of Bakers Coaches, a bus and coach operator based in Biddulph, Staffordshire, England. They operated a fleet of around 50 vehicles on local bus services and coach hire work.

Bakers Coaches was founded in 1936 by James Baker operating chauffeured car services, before purchasing a small fleet of coaches in 1967. In 1990 it diversified into bus operation with the launch of the "China Link" service connecting major pottery factories in Stoke-on-Trent for visitors to the area. It was withdrawn after three years. The company then launched an off-peak service between Leek and Buxton which was also later withdrawn.

In 1998 Bakers' were awarded Cheshire County Council contracted route 27 between Macclesfield and Knutsford. The route was initially operated every two hours with one bus, but was doubled in frequency in 1999. The contract was lost in 2008. Contracted journeys on route 99 (Biddulph - Congleton) were also taken over in 1998. The company joined Julian Peddle's newly formed Status Group in 1999, and the trading name BakerBus was adopted for local services. The company left Status Group in 2002.

In 2001, two new routes were started, both to the AstraZeneca factory near Alderley Edge. Both were withdrawn in 2007 as passenger numbers had fallen and AstraZeneca withdrew funding. However the company's route 99 was made fully commercial in 2006 and extended to operate to Macclesfield and continued to serve the AstraZeneca site at nearby Hurdsfield.

In September 2004, First Potteries had its operator licence cut, and abandoned several routes with BakerBus taking over three routes in the Newcastle-under-Lyme area, losing one after three years but retaining the other two routes, 33 and 33A Newcastle-under-Lyme - Westlands on a long-term basis. They were registered commercially, and eventually taken over by D&G Bus. It also gained route 77 between Hanley and Congleton, which it also registered commercially. This too, is now operated by D&G Bus. In February 2005 a new limited stop route, X1, was launched between Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent railway station and Stafford. It was funded by Staffordshire University, whose campus it served. Once the university closed the Beaconsfield campus, the service was withdrawn.