Surrey independents
Page 17
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THREE SURREY independents have drawn up proposals for them to act as a consortium to replace subsidised National Bus services in the Guildford area with their own combined commercial bus network.
The plan by Cranleigh-based Tillingbourne Bus, Safeguard Coaches and Blue Saloon Coaches of Guildford would replace 13 routes of Alder Valley and London Country serving 100,000 in Guildford and surrounding villages at present running at an annual loss of approaching £500,000.
Turnover to be shared by the independents would be about £1.25m a year on which they would expect to make a profit. Between them they would need an extra 14 buses and the replacement services would include the Villager mini bus for the Leith Hill beauty spot.
The county may decide to ap point consultants to give an independent view of the plan and to compare it with National Bus proposals for economy mea
sures on its services in the area.
If implemented, the scheme would mean the certain closure of one of the two National depots in Guildford and loss of jobs. All three of the independents already have some stage carriage operations.