Expansion
In 1989 Thames Transit expanded by buying South Midland, the former country area of The City of Oxford Motor Services, primarily operating rural routes in Oxfordshire. This acquisition strengthened Thames Transit's hand against City of Oxford Motor Services, providing it with several routes where it was the sole provider.
The company then grew significantly in the early 1990s, introducing larger Mercedes-Benz minibuses with 32-seat capacity and buying new vehicles for the Oxford Tube coach service, which was starting to perform well against rival City of Oxford's Citylink service. City of Oxford itself had been forced to spread its defensive tactics following the South Midland acquisition, and this allowed Thames Transit to grow.
In 1994 the firm bought its first midibuses: a fleet of 9.8 metre step-entrance Dennis Darts. 13 were bought for the original number 1 route, and new branding was applied, adorning the buses with a giant blackbird called 'Bertie' and the service named 'The Blackbird Flyer'. Continuing the minibus philosophy, the buses were scheduled every four or five minutes. There was a noticeable shift of traffic away from City of Oxford as passengers responded to Thames Transit's new branding and vehicles.
The new vehicle type and the use of branding proved proved to be a precursor for other route changes; the company later incrementally introduced the Rose Hill Runner (number 3 route running from Rose Hill to Oxford city centre), City Cavalier (number 7 route: Barton to Kidlington via Headington, city centre and Summertown), Kidlington Cavalier (number 7A running originally from Kidlington to St Aldates), Carousel (10/10A "city circle" service from the city centre to Summertown, Marston, Headington, Wood Farm, Cowley and back to the city centre), and Witney Weaver (100, Oxford to Witney and Carterton), as brands for existing routes which were upgraded to new Dennis Darts. It also introduced branding on the X9 Park and Ride service running between Oxford's largest P&R, Redbridge, and the northern Pear Tree Park & Ride. The branding in this case was 'Gloria Glide', with buses featuring a picture of a six foot female chauffeur and the slogan 'Park & Ride with Gloria Glide' – which generated accusations of sexism by the University of Oxford.
Read more about this topic: Thames Transit
Famous quotes containing the word expansion:
“We are caught up Mr. Perry on a great wave whether we will or no, a great wave of expansion and progress. All these mechanical inventions—telephones, electricity, steel bridges, horseless vehicles—they are all leading somewhere. It’s up to us to be on the inside in the forefront of progress.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)
“Every expansion of government in business means that government in order to protect itself from the political consequences of its errors and wrongs is driven irresistibly without peace to greater and greater control of the nation’s press and platform. Free speech does not live many hours after free industry and free commerce die.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“The fundamental steps of expansion that will open a person, over time, to the full flowering of his or her individuality are the same for both genders. But men and women are rarely in the same place struggling with the same questions at the same age.”
—Gail Sheehy (20th century)