Could the red and yellow buses of Poole & Bournemouth ever have merged? (If literally, into a sort of orange, I suppose). The answer is ‘almost’ before and immediately prior to Transdev...

Missed Opportunity?

Those of us who remember the February 1978 south east Dorset bus reorganisation will recall that it wasn’t just about cuts. In fact, there was quite some expansion (though some of it was short-lived). What happened at the time was a more co-ordinated service in Poole & Bournemouth. Hants & Dorset and Bournemouth Transport shared and co-ordinated mileage to fill network gaps (e.g. 68/9 & 168/9). This recognised employment, leisure, education and shopping no longer respected political boundaries. At that time, BT operated to Poole for the first time (ser 30), extended its open tops from Christchurch over H&D’s route to Sandbanks, H&D extended considerable Poole-Bournemouths to Lansdowne while renumbering its buses into the 100s, thereby avoiding confusion with BT.

1978 was viewed as the first phase of ever-greater co-operation not seen since Bournemouth trams worked through to Poole up to 1935 though idle speculation of a full operational merger was just that: Bournemouth’s city fathers would never have conceded. Phase two of co-operation got nowhere, as H&D embarked on its Market Analysis Project. Along came deregulation and co-operation was no longer on the agendum. The co-existence that followed turned to enmity in 1987 as Yellow Buses began housing Badger Vectis, a move not forgotten and barely forgiven to this day. From late 2004 Morebus services and subsequently other competition from H&D’s successor Wilts & Dorset damaged a paralysed and out-manoeuvred Yellow Buses.

At the time in 2005 when Bournemouth council put its arms length Yellow Buses on the open market, W&D made a defensible and logical play. Instead, Transdev was successful. At their purchase, Transdev grandees privately expressed some surprise that W&D hadn’t succeeded. Transdev acknowledged the logic behind one unified network and the opportunity missed.

But that has never tainted their mood for increasing ridership to the extent that, while W&D has needed to cut (and will do so again next month), TYB has gone the other way.

The transformation in Bournemouth was perhaps made easier because services were at a lower base. Nevertheless, Transdev has proved itself wrong in suggesting one network. It’s demonstrated that quality competition in the sub-region is in fact the better course and not amalgamation. Till the issue of co-ordination is perhaps raised again under the terms of the Local Transport Act 2008.