MTL (transport Company) - Merseybus

Merseybus

The principal branding for the former Merseyside Transport (PTE) bus operation from 26 October 1986, Merseybus encompassed the following depots and divisions:

• Liverpool North Division - Gillmoss, Green Lane and Walton (Carisbroke Road, also known as Spellow Lane).
• Liverpool South Division - Edge Lane, Garston (Speke Road) and Speke (Shaw Road, also known as Woodend Avenue).
• St Helens Division - Jackson/Shaw Street.
• Southport Division - Canning Road.
• Wirral Division - Birkenhead, Laird Street.

Liverpool's Prince Alfred Road (Penny Lane), Litherland and Wallasey's Seaview Road depots were not transferred to Merseybus and remained with Merseyside PTE, ultimately being sold for redevelopment. Prior to this Merseyside PTE used these depots to store 'non-standard' vehicles Merseybus did not take on. These included a batch of five relatively modern Wiilowbrook-bodied Dennis Dominators that had been based at the Speke depot. Four were purchased by Maidstone & District, the other by Citybus of Hong Kong. Other notable types not operated by the privatised Merseybus included the Bristol VR/East Lancs, many of which ended up with Merseybus's first notable competitor, Fareway Passenger Services Ltd, MCW/Scania Metropolitans and some life-expired Leyland Atlanteans and Nationals. However a significant proportion of the vehicles taken on by Merseybus were considerably older than these vehicles and included some of the K and most of the L-registration Leyland Atlantean/Alexander AL-types dating from 1971–73 and the increasing age profile of the Merseybus/MTL fleet - including the companies MTL would eventually acquire - would become a major issue for Merseybus/MTL right up to its acquisition by Arriva plc in 2000.

At the end of 1992 the Merseybus parent company Merseyside Transport Ltd was being prepared for sale by Merseyside PTA. Prior to this MerseyRider had been formed to operate Mersytravel contracts and compete with other operators at a lower cost structure - payscales in particular, than those within Merseybus. At the beginning of 1993 Merseybus was sold to its management and employees in an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP) and in turn Merseyside Transport Ltd became MTL Trust Holdings Ltd and quickly began refocusing the Merseybus operation.

Prior to the formation of MTL, the Merseybus fleet had aged significantly with the oldest Atlanteans - the mainstays of Merseybus fleet, now approaching 20 years of age or more. MTL therefore made a major effort to update the fleet throughout the 1990s in the form of:

• A deal with London Buses to purchase approximately 250 mid-life Leyland Titan double deckers dating from 1978 to 1984 between 1992 and 1994.
• 11 new Optare MetroRider midibuses from 1993 to 1995.
• 12 new Neoplan N4016 integral low-floor single deckers in 1994 - these vehicles were initially owned by Merseytravel and operated by Merseybus on SMART services in Liverpool.
• 3 new Volvo B10B/Alexander Strider single deckers in 1994.
• 120 new Volvo B10B/Wright Endurance single deckers from 1994 to 1996.
• 36 new long-wheelbase Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties Palatine II in 1995/96 mainly for use on cross river services between Liverpool and Wirral.
• 38 new Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer low-floor midi-sized single deckers from 1995 to 1998.
• 20 new Scania L113/Wright Axcess-Ultralow low-floor single deckers in 1996.
• 22 new Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties Palatine II in 1998 for operations based at Gillmoss depot in North Liverpool and branded The Millennium Fleet.
• 4 new gas-powered Dennis Super Dart/Plaxton Pointer for use on park and ride services in Southport.
• 75 new Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall Capital in 1999.