Stagecoach Merseyside

Stagecoach in Merseyside

An Alexander Dennis Enviro 400, operating on Route 20 to Kirkby in 2015.
Slogan	Greener, Smarter, Travel
Parent	Stagecoach Group plc
Founded	Glenvale Transport Ltd (2001) Stagecoach in Merseyside (2005) Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire (2011)
Headquarters	Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire, Gillmoss Depot, East Lancashire Road, Liverpool, L11 0BB
Service area	Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, Wirral
Service type	Local bus services
Routes	See Services operated
Destinations	Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, West Lancashire
Fleet	Approximately 200
Operator	Stagecoach Merseyside and South Lancashire
Chief executive	Brian Souter (CEO Stagecoach Group) Les Warneford (MD Stagecoach UK Bus)
Website	http://www.stagecoachbus.com/merseyside

Brian Souter (CEO Stagecoach Group)

Stagecoach Merseyside is a major operator of bus services in the British city of Liverpool and in the surrounding area of Merseyside. It is a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group. It was formed in July 2005 due to the acquisition of Glenvale Transport Limited (GTL), which in turn had initially been formed by ex-MTL managers bidding for company, following a Competition Commission ruling that Arriva must sell their newly acquired Gillmoss depot to preserve the competition within the Merseyside area.

The fleet of the newly created Glenvale Transport Limited mostly comprised elderly Leyland Titans and aging Dennis Darts, although efforts were made to update the fleet via an agreement with Essex-based dealer Ensignbus, seeing newer buses arrive regularly from the end of 2003 right up to the Stagecoach takeover in the summer of 2005. Several much newer buses, although in need of repair, were permanently stationed at the depot, likely due to financial struggles making it difficult to repair the buses. Glenvale had an annual turnover of approximately £25 million.

The company was sold to Stagecoach Group in 2005, who pledged to invest in new buses for Merseyside. The result since takeover has been a £6.5m fleet of 75 new low-floor Alexander Dennis Dart buses that have entered service with the company, with the sale and disposal of older buses previously in operation with Glenvale.

Also, in late January 2013 Stagecoach purchased First's bus operations in Wirral and these now operate as part of Stagecoach Merseyside.

On numerous occasions Stagecoach made bids for some or all of the companies making up the former MTL Trust Holdings Ltd. In June 1998 MTL sold off MTL London but Stagecoach were outbid by the then independent Metroline. When MTL went bankrupt in January 2000 Stagecoach were very interested in acquiring the company but was again outbid this time by Arriva. It wasn't known at the time but Stagecoach did bid for the Gillmoss depot after Arriva was ordered to dispose of it. But again it was an unsuccessful bidder losing out to Glenvale Transport Ltd (GTL).