COMPANY HISTORY
Quicksilver is owned and operated by the fictitious character Donovan Quick, who was of course played by Colin Firth in the television programme of the same name.
Our story begins in the summer of 1999: Donovan Quick had left Quick & Pannick Buses following intense competition with Windmill Transport; wanting to get away from Scotland, he moved to the attractive small town of Tinglewick, at the heart of the North Yorkshire Moors, best known as 'Heartbeat Country'. However, having spent a lifetime involved with public transport, he could not resist the opportunity to set up his own bus operation. Donovan had always thought silver and blue made a particularly attractive livery, so this was chosen for his new company: combining his surname with the colour created the Quicksilver name. Two vehicles were acquired, an O-licence applied for, and Donovan crossed his fingers. The application was granted in September, and Quicksilver was in business!
Business was slowly built up,
mainly through word of mouth,
but to supplement the private hire work,
a couple of council contracts were also taken on. Fleet-wise,
nothing changed for the remainder of the year,
but the start of the new millennium saw some expansion,
including the takeover of Ashfordly-based Valley Transport,
which brought two vehicles and a couple of rural services. Things seemed to be going well,
the fleet increasing to over a dozen vehicles,
but then a visit by the Vehicle Inspectorate caused a nasty shock: maintenance standards were seriously below par and most the fleet attracted prohibition notices! At this time,
the buses were kept in rented accommodation on an industrial complex and maintenance contracted to the owners of the site. In hindsight,
it was inevitable that Quicksilver's vehicles would suffer,
but what can be said,
except that it seemed like a good idea at the time!
Relations with the site's owners understandably deteriorated after this,
so the search was on for a new home. Fortunately,
a unit on the Fieldside Lane Industrial Estate in central Tinglewick had just been vacated and was on the market. If anything,
this was too large for Quicksilver's requirements at the time,
but was purchased with future expansion in mind. The new premises included a reasonably-sized garage,
plus a huge outdoor yard,
and extra income was generated by renting parts of this out. The move to the new depot allowed a clear-out of many of the older vehicles,
which left the fleet looking seriously depleted,
but acquisitions soon started in earnest.
In September 2000,
the company began operation of a dial-a-ride/community transport service under contract to Tinglewick District Council,
initially using a Renault Trafic minibus. After a while,
this was replaced by a bigger vehicle,
but the service was killed off by the Rural Bus Grant,
which allowed enhancements to normal routes and the introduction of low-floor buses.
Several other tendered services were taken on over the following months,
but the first commercially-operated route was registered in January: an open-top sightseeing tour of the North Yorkshire Moors,
running only in the summer months. Known as the 'Heartbeat Tour',
it is now into its sixth season and still as popular as ever. Another effect of the Rural Bus Grant at the same time was the introduction of council service 65,
a 'quality' route using a low-floor bus. Quicksilver tendered successfully,
but the service ultimately proved to be a failure,
as the low-floor Scania used was totally unsuited to the conditions and did not attract sufficient custom. The service was withdrawn and the vehicle disposed of after just a year.
In February came a very significant development for the still-small operation. The council of Pokémon Island,
hitherto a bus-free area,
introduced three new circular services and,
once again,
Quicksilver's bid was successful. This was effectively a self-contained operation,
the vehicles being outstationed in Pallet Town and maintained by a local garage. Quicksilver operated reasonably profitably for a couple of years,
but the eventual demise of these services was caused by a refocusing of the company's operations.
Around this time,
Donovan had spotted a gap right at the top end of the market: there was no one in the Yorkshire area who offered a Band Bus service,
a situation which he sought to rectify. Operations commenced in March 2001 with a super-luxury coach; this accommodated many famous faces over the years but with the appearance of several new operators specialising in this work it was decided to quit this market early in 2005. In addition, the normal side of the coach business had also steadily expanded, and saw the beginnings of a holiday and excursion programme that year, enabled by a recently-granted International O-licence for thirty vehicles.
By now,
the ever-expanding fleet had actually outgrown the Fieldside Lane depot,
once forecast as adequate! The time had come to invest in purpose-built facilities,
so Clifton Garage was built on a large site on the Whitby Road,
and remains as the company's headquarters. The previous site remained in use for a short period as an overflow parking location,
but was soon closed on completion of Clifton Garage. The first major development following the move was the acquisition of a fairly extraordinary park and ride contract for Tinglewick Arena,
a world-famous venue for rock and pop concerts,
which consequently attracts huge crowds and requires an articulated bus!
Meanwhile,
Donovan was starting to look at expansion opportunities away from Yorkshire. The Republic of Ireland was deemed an ideal target: the ailing Ballykissangel Bus Service became a Quicksilver subsidiary in May,
and soon benefited from Donovan's years of experience. Another acquired company around the same time was Cerbydau Jones,
a small Holyhead-based coach firm,
who operated an express service and some private hire,
as well as competing with Garn Coaches on a route to Llangefni.
Two new subsidiaries were also started during the year,
turning the business into something of a group. Following Donovan's acquisition of a classic coach with television history,
he identified a marketing opportunity and set up OnSet Film & TV Services specifically to provide buses and coaches for use in films and television programmes. The other operation wasn't really new: Quick & Pannick was revived in September to operate the route previously lost to Windmill,
and grew to four vehicles before its sale to the Pannick family.
The main fleet continued to expand throughout 2001,
and by the end of the year,
about fifty vehicles were in use; indeed,
an additional depot was opened in Ashfordly to cope with ever-increasing numbers of vehicles. A decision was made during this year to concentrate primarily on contract services and private hire. With this area being so thinly-populated,
the stage services only carried very small passenger numbers and struggled to make money,
so the tenders were not renewed.
School contracts were initially avoided,
but the very same fact that killed off most of the stage services makes them extremely profitable: children have to travel miles to get to school. These services are described by Donovan as a 'necessary evil' to ensure the company's survival,
as other work is notoriously unpredictable. Rail replacement services are a good example: major engineering provides a great deal of work,
but at other times there is very little.
A development which would have major significance for Quicksilver was the 2002 purchase by the Ramsden Transport Group of High Moors Buses,
a small company based in Castleton. It was feared that this would lead to intense competition,
but we have been able to develop a good working relationship with the Ramsden group,
and indeed the remaining Quicksilver route network has been completely revised to complement High Moors' services and eliminate competition.
In March 2003,
the company was approached by Perpetua PLC,
the major operator in this area,
to provide a replacement service for Perpetua's Esk Valley Railway. This has led to excellent links with Perpetua,
and a number of exciting developments are in the pipeline. Both companies are part of the Tinglewick Railway Group,
proposing to reopen the long-disused line from Tinglewick to Battersby,
and a transport museum was opened on the site of the former RAF Tinglewick airbase in April 2004; both Quicksilver and Perpetua are members of the Transperience partnership,
owners of the museum.
In connection with this expansion in our own area,
a decision was made in mid-2003 to dispose of all subsidiary fleets. OnSet was closed down as unprofitable,
but the vehicles went to a good home in the new museum. Ballykissangel Bus Service was bought out by its management and Quick & Pannick is now wholly owned by the Pannick family. Cerbydau Jones was sold to the Provincial bus company and has retained its identity as a subsidiary.
Quicksilver entered 2004 with a fleet of just over sixty vehicles,
a number which has steadily increased ever since. After all the developments of the last few years, this was largely a year of consolidation. However, a number of joint ventures with Perpetua came to fruition, including a proposal for a classic coach service to connect Tinglewick with the Esk Valley Railway at Whitby. One significant development on the property side was the purchase of the former Hills Coaches depot in Woodend Lane,
Aidensfield; this is considerably larger than the previous Ashfordly depot,
which was vacated as a result. Also on the subject of property, the disused bus station in Loftus was purchased from Perpetua in May 2004, but this never achieved its potential and was sold off in June 2006.
Another joint venture commenced trading in May 2004. This involves a range of European coach holidays in conjunction with a local travel agent, Heart of the Country Travel. Quicksilver provide the vehicles and staff, while the holidays are sold through Heart of the Country's chain of travel shops throughout the North East; as such they do not clash with Quicksilver's own direct-marketed holiday and excursion programme. Starting with just one coach, this venture has proved a success and three vehicles are now dedicated to Heart of the Country work in their own livery.
In terms of legislation, 2004 was a milestone for the coach industry as vehicles longer than 12 metres were legalised to operate in the UK. Keen to take advantage of the new rules, Quicksilver soon hired an impressive tri-axle Mercedes coach, 13.7m in length and seating 57 in comfort. After extensive evaluation, the vehicle was ultimately rejected due to difficulties in scheduling to keep it away from the narrow roads and tight bends that characterise the area, and Quicksilver has continued to purchase standard 12m coaches.
Early 2005 saw the company's largest-ever single investment in new vehicles, with no fewer than five arriving in the space of two months. Among them were two interesting vehicles intended to open up new market niches. The first was a brand-new open-top Transbus Trident, apparently a cancelled City Sightseeing order, for use as a private hire vehicle for horse racing events and the like where the top deck makes an excellent grandstand, but with rather more comfort than the average open-topper. The other was our first fully wheelchair-accessible coach, designed in conjuction with disabled persons' groups and charities: it took six months to complete the bespoke build. Both vehicles continue to generate great demand and justify their place in the fleet.
The company ended 2005 with the creation of a separate Heritage Division, managed by the most enthusiastic staff, whose aim is to develop and encourage sympathetic use of the fleet's older and historically-significant vehicles; Quicksilver is a firm believer that classic vehicles should be used and enjoyed rather than confined to static display. As such the Heritage fleet of around a dozen vehicles can be seen throughout the year at bus rallies, running days and other special events, as well as operating tourist services in the summer months.
2006 was a fairly unremarkable year for Quicksilver's Yorkshire operation, although vehicles continued to arrive and depart, resulting once again in a net increase in fleet size. A new urge to seek out opportunities beyond Yorkshire led to the opening, in April, of a small outpost in the Hollyoaks district of Chester; around half a dozen vehicles are based there and operate a couple of contracts for the local college as well as private hire throughout Cheshire, Merseyside and even North Wales. Although some distance from head office, this operation is largely self-sufficient.
Another new depot opened at Old Ford End Road, Ashfordly, during the year, having been formerly occupied by a scrapyard that had been cleared under new waste disposal regulations. This accommodates around thirty vehicles and vastly reduced the company's dependance on various small rented parking areas and outstations throughout the area. Quicksilver do however still believe in the practice of outstationing vehicles as close as possible to the area in which they will be working, to cut down on the amount of dead mileage travelled, a philosophy that seems at odds with that of the major operators.
Once again the most significant development occurred at the close of the year: December 3rd saw the purchase of Albion Coachways, a Barstock-based coach operator who had been through some turbulent times in recent years, being at various times independent or part of the A+ Travel Group. The Albion name is recognised and respected locally so the business has been retained as a separate and largely autonomous subsidiary. Fuller details of the Albion operation can be found on the company's own page.
So far, 2007 has been another year of consolidation with no major developments to report. Albion Coachways continues to settle in under its new ownership, and has already benefitted from an influx of newer purchases to replace some of the motley selection of coaches inherited from its previous owners. The Hollyoaks operation is thriving but no further expansion is planned, it having reached what is considered to be an optimal size. The main Yorkshire business goes from strength to strength, with a fleet now in excess of a hundred vehicles employed on a wide range of work from school contracts and stage services to European tours and corporate hires.
It may seem controversial but we firmly believe that the Disability Discrimination Act is an ill-conceived piece of legislation that forces a compromise on the majority for the sake of one wheelchair user per bus. You will not find low-floor buses in our fleet; we continue to operate step-entrance vehicles as that is what our passengers have made it clear they prefer. We are by no means prejudiced against the disabled, but we feel that conventional bus services will never be the ideal means of travel for many of them and are working with local authorities, taxi companies and community transport organisations to provide a range of alternative travel solutions for those who are unable to use our bus services.
As ever, the company remains receptive to co-operation and joint ventures, much preferring to work with rather than against other operators. We enjoy a good working relationship with many of our fellow local operators, and prefer to seek out new markets instead of engaging in head-to-head competition that is ultimately of no benefit.
The past few years have seen the rise of Quicksilver from a small and insignificant operator to one of the major public service providers in Yorkshire and beyond. Who knows what the future will bring? Be sure to check out the news page at regular intervals to find out!
