South Notts Bus Company
Northern Counties bodied Daimler Fleetline in Loughborough in 1989 | |
Parent | Arthur Dabell (50%) Barton Transport (50%) |
---|---|
Founded | 13 March 1926 |
Ceased operation | 13 March 1991 |
Headquarters | Gotham |
Service area | Nottinghamshire |
Service type | Bus operator |
South Notts Bus Company[1] was a bus company operating in Nottinghamshire from 1926 until 1991 when sold to Nottingham City Transport who continue to use the brand name today.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/South_Notts_bus_55_%28RAU_804M%29%2C_2011_Trans_Lancs_bus_rally.jpg/220px-South_Notts_bus_55_%28RAU_804M%29%2C_2011_Trans_Lancs_bus_rally.jpg)
In March 1926, Christopher Dabell commenced operating a service between Gotham and Nottingham with a 20-seat Guy BB. Barton Transport already provided a bus service on this route but Dabell gained enough local customers to make his service successful. In 1929, an agreement was made with Barton Transport which involved Barton acquiring a 50% share of South Notts whilst withdrawing from the South Notts route. The South Notts service was extended to Loughborough, and this continued to be the company's main route until its takeover.[2][3]
Single-deck buses, mainly Guys, joined the fleet until 1932, when
The double-deck fleet was of
On 13 March 1991, the business was sold to Nottingham City Transport. East Lancs bodied Leyland Olympian and Volvo Olympians with were added to the fleet to oust the remaining Atlanteans and Fleetlines. Newer Olympians did operate the main service, now numbered 1. Since 21 September 2009 the route has been branded as South Notts The One.[4]
On 1 April 2015, seven new
On 27 March 2021, the Gotham depot was closed, with operations moving to Nottingham City Transport's two other depots, Parliament Street and Trent Bridge.
Liveries
The original livery was dark blue and cream; maroon was later added. For much of the company's existence, the livery for double-deckers was dark blue with a cream relief band and a maroon roof, whilst coaches had a slightly different livery of two-tone blue and cream. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the company in 1986, Leyland Fleetline 117 was repainted with a cream roof, as the original livery, as well as receiving special branding, and later the rest of the fleet also saw the maroon replaced with cream.[2]
Following takeover, the blue and cream livery was retained, with the area of cream expanded, and variants were created for minibuses and single-deckers, the latter involving two shades of blue.
The livery was changed to NCT's two-tone green livery, with navy blue around the upper deck windscreen and front and rear sections of the roof.[2] The South Notts fleetname was dropped in 2014. Coinciding with the introduction of new vehicles, on 1 April 2015, a new livery of navy front and rear with silver in between was introduced and the South Notts name reinstated.[5]
Depot
South Notts' depot, was at Leake Road, Gotham from its inception until 27 March 2021.
References
- ^ Companies House extract company no 227446 DB (Gotham) Limited formerly South Notts Bus Company Limited
- ^ a b c d e f History of the South Notts Bus Company South Notts Buses
- ^ a b Happy 80th Birthday South Notts Buses Nottingham City Transport March 2006
- ^ South Notts "The One" Nottingham City Transport
- ^ a b Brand New Buses on South Notts Launched with Smart Paint Technology Nottingham City Transport 1 April 2015
- ^ NCT Invests in South Notts 1 Nottingham Local News 2 April 2015
- ^ Fleetlist NCT Fleetlist
External links
Media related to South Notts Bus Company at Wikimedia Commons
- Flickr gallery
- South Notts Remembered - website dedicated to South Notts buses