Avon Buses - Licence surrendered

[Deleted]

I was wondering if anyone can throw any light on this.

According to the North West Area Traffic Commissioners website, Wirral based Avon Buses surrendered their operating licence on the 29th October. However, I was in Morton on Friday and noticed the company is still operating. Have they been bought out by one of the larger groups or are they in administration?

This is or was one of the Wirral's largest independents with over forty vehicles. What I'm finding strange about this is that there is nothing in the public domain, other than the notice below, to suggest that it has gone under.

Licence surrendered WEF 29 October 2010
L W SMITH & G LEWIS T/A AVON BUSES
Partner(s): George Lewis, Lawrence William Smith.
PC1002775 SN
(2411)
10 BROOKWAY, NORTH CHESHIRE TRADING ESTATE , PRENTON CH43 3DT
Registered Bus Services running under this licence have also been surrendered with immediate effect.

[RICEY]

first ive heard of it steve. According to the dartslf forum the buses were still running as of friday as you stated

[Deleted]

Strange isn't it! There can't be many companys with the ability to take on 40 vehicles under their own licences. So, must be a fair sized operator running it at the moment but who?

[sfp]

Is it possible that this licence has been surrendered (t/a Avon Buses) because there is now a limited company (Avon Buses Ltd) that has been granted a licence?

I can recall similar moves when I think it was Huyton Buses became a limited company.

[Deleted]

Thanks sfp, It would seem a logical explanation and your probably right. The company has been incorporated since February 2000 under the name Avon Coaches Ltd. Company No. 03929294 T/A Avon Buses. They had an official name change in April this year to Avon Buses Ltd. It could be that this name change has taken a while to get through to the Traffic Commissionaire and that they have made a mistake in "Notices and Proceedings" naming the outgoing licence as Avon Buses.

I bumped into a couple of friends the other day with contacts in both MT and Avon so hopefully we should get to the bottom of it pretty soon.

Will let you know the outcome.

Steve

[RICEY]

Avon are still out running as there has been photos of them in the past few days on the road and plus are getting emergency tenders following A1As decision to pull of majority of its tendered routes

[Deleted]

Yes, I saw them myself on Tuesday night and the guy with the MT connection drew a blank. The other guy wont see the bloke from Avon until mid January but it's all pointing to the legal name change.

It's very sad about A1A as you've probably heard one of the owners died suddenly and it's his family and staff that have been keeping it going. I don't know if they wanted to sell it as a going concern with those contracts in place and drew a blank or have decided to go back to their roots as a private hire operation. Either way, I saw the last of their remaining bus services (107 and 207) being operated by Stagecoach yesterday. Although this could be a subcontract due to the weather I think it more likely that they have finally called it a day.

[RICEY]

A1A only operate it mon-fri now steve and stagecoach have taken over the weekend routes using the solos they bought from Merseytravel