- Chase Coaches
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One of Chase's Leyland Nationals while in service.
A now preserved Leyland National previously operated by Chase.
A Dennis Dart SLF of Chase Bus now owned by Arriva MidlandsChase Coaches Limited operated buses under the trading name of Chase Bus Services. They operated mainly Leyland National buses, many nearly 30 years old, from a depot based in Chasetown, Burntwood, Staffordshire. Bus services operated within the areas of Walsall, Cannock and Brownhills within Staffordshire and the West Midlands county.
Chase Coaches Limited was sold to Arriva Midlands on 25 February 2007 and ceased to operate completely on 28 April 2007.
Contents
History
Chase Bus Services was setup by Graham Dodd (who also ran up to eleven coaches operating as Chase Coaches Limited) after bus deregulation in 1986. The livery of white, orange and brown was adopted after the purchase of some former Greater Manchester PTE Leyland National buses.[1] Prior to the adoption of the orange/white/brown livery, the fleet colours were off-white with prussian blue relief. This paint scheme probably originated from a previous Cannock area operator, Churchbridge Luxury Coaches, who ceased to operate when Graham Dodd started operating.
The first service buses were East Lancs bodied Leyland Leopards. These were used on works services from around 1983 and moving onto bus services in 1986. Further Leyland Leopards once operated by Midland Red North were added to the fleet in 1987, but Leyland Nationals eventually became the standard bus type.[1] At one stage three Bristol RE / ECW buses were operated. In the early days of bus service operation around 1987 coaches would sometimes be used on bus services, for example an AEC Reliance /Plaxton and Bristol LHS types.
Chase Coaches Limited owned 27 buses at the time of the Arriva Midlands takeover.[2] The majority of these were Leyland Nationals, but also included DAF SB220/Ikarus Citibus and three Dennis Dart SLF/UVG Citistar single-deckers. As part of the takeover 40 employees transferred from Chase to Arriva Midlands.
All the buses apart from the Ikarus and three Darts were sold off at auction. The DAF and one of the Darts have been moved to Shrewsbury depot, with Cannock garage using the other two Darts.
Arriva Midlands operated a Leyland National day on 28 April 2007 to commemorate the end of Leyland National operations which took in a majority of the routes operated. The last day services included an additional two Leyland National buses duplicating the scheduled services. However, six Nationals were retained for a further month due to a lack of vehicles.[3]
Routes
This is a list of known bus services previously, at some stage, operated by Chase Coaches Limited under the Chase Bus Services banner:
Route From Via Via To 1 Walsall Bloxwich Great Wyrley Cannock 2 The Palfrey Circular Service 2 Walsall Bloxwich Cheslyn Hay 3 Walsall/The Delves Circular 4 Walsall Friar Park Wednesbury Great Bridge 5 Walsall Willenhall Bentley Bilston 6 Walsall Darlaston Moxley Bilston 7 Walsall Wednesbury Darlaston Walsall 8 Walsall Darlaston Wednesbury Walsall 9 Walsall Darlaston Bentley (Lodge Farm) 12 Lichfield Burton 45 Walsall Pelsall Norton Canes 46 Walsall Pelsall Brownhills Norton Canes 51 Walsall Park Hall Scott Arms Birmingham 57 Burntwood Brownhills Aldridge Sutton Coldfield 67 Walsall Aldridge Walsall Wood Brownhills 94 Walsall Walsall Wood Brownhills Burntwood 303 Cannock Hednesford Rose Hill 319 Walsall Goscote Blakenall Bloxwich 325 Bloxwich Willenhall Lane Head Wednesbury 326 Bloxwich New Invention Willenhall 327 Willenhall Darlaston Wednesbury 355 Walsall Rushall Daw End Aldridge 360 Walsall Pelsall High Heath Aldridge 361 Walsall Pelsall Lower Farm 362 Walsall Rushall Pelsall Brownhills 363 Walsall Bentley Lodge Farm Willenhall 364 Walsall Beechdale New Invention Coppice Farm 365 Walsall Beechdale Bentley Ashmore Park 367 Walsall Aldridge Castlefort 374 Hundred Acre Estate Four Oaks Sutton Coldfield 381 Walsall Aldridge Shenstone Lichfield 529 Walsall Bentley Willenhall Wolverhampton 560 Bloxwich New Invention Wednesfield Wolverhampton 561 Walsall Bloxiwch Wednesfield Wolverhampton 562 Wolverhampton Wednesfield Bloxwich Burntwood 860A Lichfield Burntwood Chase Terrace Cannock 867 Norton Canes Cannock X55 Birmingham Brownhills Burntwood X58 Lichfield Merry Hill Centre Coaches Operated
The following is a list of coaches previously operated under the Chase Coaches Limited banner:
Fleet Reg Engine Body Seating 251 PSU 988 Volvo B10MGL Caetano Algarve C53F 252 PSU 989 Volvo B10MGL Caetano Algarve C53F 253 PSU 906 Setra S215HD Setra C49FT 268 PSU 946 Volvo B10M-62 Van Hool Alizee C49FT 269 PSU 987 Volvo B10M-62 Van Hool Alizee C49FT 270 PSU 954 Volvo B10M-62 Van Hool Alizee C49FT See also
References
- ^ a b Brown, Stewart J (September 1993). Buses in Britain. Capital Transport. p. 109. ISBN 1854141589.
- ^ Arriva acquires Chase Coaches :: Bus And Coach Magazine
- ^ Millar, Alan (June 2007). "Chase Leyland Nationals bow out (almost)". Buses (Ian Allan Publishing) (627): 7.
External links
Bus companies Arriva London · Arriva Midlands (Arriva Derby, Arriva Fox County, Arriva Midlands North) · Arriva North East · Arriva North West · Arriva Buses Wales · Arriva Northumbria · Arriva Scotland West · Arriva Shires & Essex · Arriva Southern Counties · Arriva Yorkshire · Centrebus Holdings (40% stake) · Green Line Coaches · MK Metro · New Enterprise Coaches · Tellings-Golden Miller · The Heritage Fleet · The Original TourRailway companies Herefordshire First Midland Red (as part of First Midlands)
Shropshire Staffordshire Arriva Midlands · BakerBus · Blue Bus · First Potteries (as part of First Midlands) · Wardle Transport (part of Arriva Midlands
Warwickshire Stagecoach in Warwickshire (as part of Stagecoach Midlands)
West Midlands (PTE) AM PM Travel · Central Buses · Central Connect · Diamond Bus · Hansons · Midland · National Express Coventry · National Express West Midlands · The Green Bus · Travel de Courcey
Worcestershire First Midland Red (as part of First Midlands) · Hardings
National Categories:- Former bus operators in England
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