Western National to split?
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ANOTHER of the National Bus Company's large operating subsidiaries — Western National — could be divided along Midland Red lines at the end of this year, if plans are authorised by the NBC board.
Midlands and West regional executive John Bodger, who is acting general manager at Western National following the retirement through ill health of Ian Campbell, has recommended that the 720-vehicle fleet be subdivided into four autonomous companies, each of which would depend upon a central company at Exeter, providing secretarial and engineering services. The Western National name would be kept for operations in mid and West Cornwall, which operate at present with the local identity name of Cornish Fairways.
The Southern National name would be revived for a Tauntonbased company providing services in East Devon and Somerset.
South Devon, based at Exeter, would inherit the operations around Exeter and Torbay, while the smallest autonomous company, South Devon, would operate fewer than 100 buses on services around Barnstaple and Ilfracombe. It would be based at Barnstaple.
The proposed sub-division, which comes around a year after Midland Red was divided into five operating and one support company, has already been put to Western National's workforce and to the local authorities which would be affected by the change. It is aimed at making the company more manageable.
NEXT WEEK'S CM includes details of Volvo's not-so-secret underfloor-engined double-decker. It has been on pre-launch trials with Strathclyde PTE since the spring, and amalgamates the well-tried technology of the Ailsa double-decker and the BlOM coach.