Badger Vectis
Encyclopedia
Quayshelf Ltd, trading as Badger Vectis was a former bus company
which was based in Poole
, Dorset, United Kingdom
. A post-deregulation joint venture between Weston-super-Mare
based bus company Badgerline and Isle of Wight
bus company Southern Vectis
, it was set up in September 1987 to compete with incumbent operator Wilts and Dorset. The buses all used the Badgerline brand. After a noted bus war between the two large companies, Badger Vectis unexpectedly folded just six months later in March 1988, and the company was banned from ever registering bus services again.
. Badgerline had already been competing with Wilts and Dorset in Salisbury
from June 1987, while Southern Vectis had already set up a mainland subsidiary, Solent Blue Line
, to compete in Southampton.
Headed by a regional director from Badgerline, the new operation used vehicles from both partners, as well as from elsewhere, and rented garage space
from the other local operator Yellow Buses at their Mallard Road depot, in north east Bournemouth. Like its parent, it also traded as Badgerline, using the same livery as its parent company, although with more green on the front of buses, due to a perceived clash with Yellow Buses' livery.
minibus operated routes, branded as Minilinks, together with 2 person crew-operated larger buses, Bristol RE
single-deck buses, to compete with Wilts and Dorset's largely archaic, complex and infrequent, established operations, which had no minibuses and no crew operated buses, and which had routes which ranged over a large rural area as well as the conurbation. Badger Vectis also operated cross-linked services to differentiate itself with Wilts and Dorset's routes.
After just a week, Wilts and Dorest retaliated by setting up a high-frequency sub-brand of its own, called Skippers, initially using conventional buses, but from November, using brand new MCW Metrorider
minibuses. The competition saw the Poole to Bournemouth corridor eventually served by a total of 18 buses an hour.
Badger Vectis did not operate into Poole bus station however, which was described as a major problem. Other issues for the company which emerged were reliability problems with its older Bristol REs, as well as recruitment issues, and the relatively higher cost of crew operation. Despite their garage rental arrangement, by the beginning of March 1988, Badger Vectis also began to compete directly with Yellow Buses, having previously avoided their routes.
Although Badger Vectis was a failure, Badgerline itself continued its aggressive strategy, and went on to form one of the largest private transport groups in Britain, FirstGroup. Both Wilts and Dorset and Southern Vectis also continued to operate, and eventually and ironically came to be under the same ownership, both being acquired by the Go-Ahead Group
, and operated as sister companies in its Go South Coast
division.
Public transport bus service
Bus services play a major role in the provision of public transport. These services can take many forms, varying in distance covered and types of vehicle used, and can operate with fixed or flexible routes and schedules...
which was based in Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
, Dorset, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. A post-deregulation joint venture between Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare
Weston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury...
based bus company Badgerline and Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
bus company Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
, it was set up in September 1987 to compete with incumbent operator Wilts and Dorset. The buses all used the Badgerline brand. After a noted bus war between the two large companies, Badger Vectis unexpectedly folded just six months later in March 1988, and the company was banned from ever registering bus services again.
Formation
The Badger Vectis joint venture was formed in September 1987 as an 80/20 partnership between Badgerline and Southern Vectis, after both recently privatised companies had failed in a joint bid earlier in the year to buy Wilts and Dorset, which was, like its suitors, a former nationalised National Bus Company (NBC) subsidiary. Wilts and Dorset had instead been privatised via a management buyoutManagement buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
. Badgerline had already been competing with Wilts and Dorset in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
from June 1987, while Southern Vectis had already set up a mainland subsidiary, Solent Blue Line
Solent Blue Line
Solent Blue Line Ltd formerly Musterphantom Ltd is a bus company which operates buses in Hampshire, England under the names Bluestar and Uni-link. The company was taken over along with its parent, Southern Vectis in 2005 by The Go-Ahead Group. From 25 February 2008, all previous Solent Blue Line...
, to compete in Southampton.
Headed by a regional director from Badgerline, the new operation used vehicles from both partners, as well as from elsewhere, and rented garage space
Bus garage
A bus garage or bus depot is a building where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where Streetcars or Trams were stored, and the operation transferred to buses...
from the other local operator Yellow Buses at their Mallard Road depot, in north east Bournemouth. Like its parent, it also traded as Badgerline, using the same livery as its parent company, although with more green on the front of buses, due to a perceived clash with Yellow Buses' livery.
Operation
Badger Vectis competed with Wilts and Dorset using a network focused on urban routes, radiating from Poole, with an important corridor being the coast road between Poole and Bournemouth. The company's tactic was to use a combination of a frequent and simple to understand IvecoIveco
Iveco, an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat , Unic and Magirus. Iveco is now an Italian truck, bus, and diesel engine manufacturer, based in Turin...
minibus operated routes, branded as Minilinks, together with 2 person crew-operated larger buses, Bristol RE
Bristol RE
The Bristol RE was a rear-engined single-deck bus chassis built by Bristol Commercial Vehicles from 1962 until 1982. It is widely considered the most successful of the first generation of rear-engined single-deckers....
single-deck buses, to compete with Wilts and Dorset's largely archaic, complex and infrequent, established operations, which had no minibuses and no crew operated buses, and which had routes which ranged over a large rural area as well as the conurbation. Badger Vectis also operated cross-linked services to differentiate itself with Wilts and Dorset's routes.
After just a week, Wilts and Dorest retaliated by setting up a high-frequency sub-brand of its own, called Skippers, initially using conventional buses, but from November, using brand new MCW Metrorider
MCW Metrorider
The MCW Metrorider, launched by MCW at the 1986 Motor Show, was a midibus designed built by Metro Cammell Weymann between 1986 and 1989. Constructed in two lengths, 7.0 m and 8.4 m, the Metrorider was an integral bus, marking it out from its van-based rivals of the time.It was the second...
minibuses. The competition saw the Poole to Bournemouth corridor eventually served by a total of 18 buses an hour.
Badger Vectis did not operate into Poole bus station however, which was described as a major problem. Other issues for the company which emerged were reliability problems with its older Bristol REs, as well as recruitment issues, and the relatively higher cost of crew operation. Despite their garage rental arrangement, by the beginning of March 1988, Badger Vectis also began to compete directly with Yellow Buses, having previously avoided their routes.
Cessation
The financial health of Badger Vectis declined due to its problems, and the retaliation by Wilts and Dorset. In a development described as an implosion, Badger Vectis gave notice to the traffic commissioner that it would stop operating in early May 1988. The company had to close early however, on 29 March, after employees walked out, leading to the traffic commissioner banning the Badger Vectis company from registering bus services ever again.Legacy
The bus war between Badger Vectis and Wilts and Dorset was described as a rare instance of post-deregulation competition between a large newcomer against an established operator, with the intention of complete elimination of the incumbent. This was in contrast to the norm which had been, and continued to be for some years afterward, characterised by small operators taking on large incumbents to take a share of their profitable routes in short term competition, and then either withdraw, fail, or be bought out by the incumbent. Industry insiders had at the time predicted however that in this case, by Christmas 1987 Badger Vectis had come very close to forcing Wilts and Dorset to cease operating entirely, had it continued with its own expansion in their territory.Although Badger Vectis was a failure, Badgerline itself continued its aggressive strategy, and went on to form one of the largest private transport groups in Britain, FirstGroup. Both Wilts and Dorset and Southern Vectis also continued to operate, and eventually and ironically came to be under the same ownership, both being acquired by the Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...
, and operated as sister companies in its Go South Coast
Go South Coast
Go South Coast is a bus operator in the south of England, owned by the Go-Ahead Group. It was established in late 2005, after Go-Ahead purchased Southern Vectis and its subsidiary Solent Blue Line, and combined its operations with existing subsidiary Wilts & Dorset.It is based in Poole, at the...
division.