North Western Road Car Company (1986)

North Western Road Car Company

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Bus transport
Predecessor	Ribble Motor Services (depots at Aintree, Bootle, Skelmersdale, and Wigan)
Founded	September 7, 1986 (1986-09-07) in Aintree, Merseyside, England
Defunct	January 1998 (1998-01)
Fate	Renamed Arriva North West; merged into Arriva group
Successor	Arriva North West, Arriva Manchester, Arriva Merseyside
Headquarters	Aintree , England
Area served	Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside
Products	Bus services
Owner	National Bus Company (until 1988), Drawlane Group (1988–1993), British Bus (1993–1996), Cowie Group/Arriva (1996–1998)
Parent	Drawlane Group; later British Bus; finally Cowie Group/Arriva

The North Western Road Car Company, often referred to simply as North Western, was a bus service provider headquartered in Aintree, Merseyside. It operated routes across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside. Following its divestment from the National Bus Company, it became part of the Drawlane Group and subsequently British Bus, managing services from September 1986 until January 1998. Today, it functions under the umbrella of Arriva North West.

Establishment

In preparation for the deregulation of the bus sector in Great Britain, the government mandated the division of larger entities within the National Bus Company (NBC) to foster competition. One such entity was Ribble Motor Services, which covered areas in North West England, including Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside. In March 1986, Ribble’s depots located at Aintree, Bootle, Skelmersdale, and Wigan were reassigned to a re-established North Western Road Car Company, which officially commenced operations on 7 September at the Aintree Racecourse.

The North Western Road Car Company title was originally used by an NBC subsidiary founded in 1923, based out of Stockport. This earlier firm operated throughout Cheshire, Derbyshire, southeast Lancashire, and Greater Manchester. In 1972, NBC divided this original company, with segments incorporated into several operators including Ribble Motor Services.

Upon its formation, North Western took over a fleet of 260 buses from Ribble and introduced a new livery featuring diagonal red and blue bands separated by a grey stripe, replacing Ribble’s NBC red design. The fleet was branded with white 'North Western' lettering. Initially operating out of Bootle, the company relocated its headquarters to Aintree in 1989.

In March 1988, ownership of North Western transferred from NBC to the Drawlane Group, which continued to operate it as an independent subsidiary.

Expansion

In February 1989, the Drawlane Group took over the English operations of the former NBC subsidiary Crosville Motor Services, which included areas such as Cheshire, the Wirral, and sections of Greater Manchester, from ATL Group. Initially preserved as a separate entity, these Crosville English operations were reorganized in November 1989, with depots and 80 vehicles located in Runcorn, Warrington, and Winsford being transferred to Drawlane’s North Western division.

By October 1989, Drawlane swapped North Western’s Blackburn operations with Stagecoach Holdings in exchange for Bee Line Buzz Company, a minibus operator based in Greater Manchester, along with Stagecoach East Midland's FrontRunner North West. These assets were combined into a North Western subsidiary running from depots in Glossop and Stockport. Bee Line shifted its focus from high-frequency minibuses to standard double-decker buses, which were relocated from Drawlane's London & Country subsidiary and other sources, thereby streamlining services across south and central Manchester. The Stockport depot was closed in November 1990, reducing the fleet size from 320 to 260 vehicles.

Following Drawlane’s acquisition of the national coach operator in 1991, National Express’ bus operations were divided into British Bus during spring 1993 to prepare for a London Stock Exchange listing. North Western expanded by absorbing Crosville Cymru’s Welsh routes and Liverpool-based Amberline. British Bus further strengthened its Liverpool footprint by purchasing Liverline Travel Services in July 1993, which continued as a North Western subsidiary.

Rebranding and consolidation

In 1994, North Western updated its livery from the distinctive diagonal red and blue to a more traditional red, yellow, and blue scheme. This rebranding introduced distinct service identities such as the Runcorn Busway and 'CityPlus' in Liverpool, supported by newly acquired buses with bodies by Northern Counties and East Lancashire Coachbuilders. The Bee Line fleet was streamlined through a three-year lease of 50 MCW Metrobus vehicles from West Midlands Travel.

January 1995 saw North Western broaden its operations from the Warrington depot by launching the 'Warrington Goldlines' network, entering into intense competition with municipal operator Warrington Borough Transport. To challenge Warrington Borough Transport’s market share, North Western introduced new Plaxton Pointer bodied Dennis Dart buses. This rivalry diminished by mid-1996 after both companies agreed to pull back from unprofitable routes.

That same year, North Western formed two informal agreements with major competitors: coordinating services with Merseyside’s principal operator, Merseybus, and transferring Wigan town services to GM Buses North following its acquisition of the Wigan Bus Company. This arrangement also involved handing over routes linking Wigan and Leigh to St Helens and Warrington. These agreements were later investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, which found several operators, including North Western, guilty of collusive behavior.

In August 1996, British Bus—the parent company of North Western—was acquired by the Cowie Group, which rebranded itself as Arriva in November 1997. Subsequently, the North Western Road Car Company was renamed Arriva North West in January 1998; Bee Line was rebranded as Arriva Manchester, while Liverline was incorporated into Arriva Merseyside.