Network Colchester is a Tellings-Golden Miller bus operating company. TGM have upgraded the fleet, and it is no longer the second from bottom bus company, profit wise. Its main operations are Colchester town services in competition with First Essex, Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council contract services.
The company has its roots in 1904 with the establishment of Colchester Corporation Tramways, operating, at its peak, 4 routes and 18 trams. Bus operation started up in 1928 as Colchester Corporation Transport to replace the trams, the first route to be axed being High Street - East Gates followed by Lexden - North Station, North Station - Hythe and North Station - Recreation Ground. With bus deregulation in 1986 the company was renamed Colchester Borough Transport and became an arms length division of the council. In 1993, during a bus war with Eastern National (later First Essex), the company was sold to British Bus for the sum of £1, but the new owners took on considerable debts. After discussions the bus war ended in 1994 with a share out of routes between the two companies. In 1996 British Bus was taken over by the Cowie Group, which in 1997 became Arriva, the company being rebranded as Arriva Colchester, the Tuscan red & cream livery being replaced by Arriva corporate colours. Profits did not improve and the company was sold to Tellings Golden Miller (TGM) in 2004, placed under the control of Burton's Coaches and rebranded as Network Colchester. The introduction of a pair of Scania N230UD chassied East Lancs Olympus double-deckers in 2008 saw the first appearance of the Network Colchester.com fleetname.
Ironically, in 2008, Arriva bought Tellings, bringing ownership full circle. The Network Colchester name has continued however. In early 2010 the Burton's Coaches operations were sold to their management by TGM but ownership of Network Colchester remained with the TGM Group.
Read more about Network Colchester: Depots, Registered Routes
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