Rotala’s Wessex Bus operation is to be taken over by Stagecoach, following 11 years of serving Bristol and Bath.
In a statement, Rotala said: “Over the last couple of years, business opportunities have reduced and our presence in the area has fallen to a level that doesn’t warrant the size of the depot and overhead we have in place.”
Stagecoach-owned Cheltenham and Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited will be taking over the contracted routes from 2 September, 2018.
The routes are as follows:
| Route Number | Destination | Customer | Tender basis |
| 3A, 3B, 3C and 3X | Aztec West | WS Atkins | Commercial |
| 11/11A | Southmead Hospital | BCC | Tendered |
| 508 | Southmead Hospital | BCC | Tendered |
| 513 | Knowle | BCC | Tendered |
| 514 | Knowle | BCC | Tendered |
| 515 | Imperial Park | BCC | Tendered |
| 625 | UWE Frenchay | SGC | Tendered |
| TSB | TSB Staff Shuttle | TSB Bank | Tendered |
Routes 42, 12 and 51 will be de-registered from this date and will no longer be operated by Wessex or Stagecoach.
Additionally, the 20A and C services in Bath were lost to First during a retender process, and the 10 hospital service has been discontinued as it is ‘no longer viable’ for the local authority.
Eight ADL Enviro200s and one Optare Solo will operate on the routes.
All current Wessex driving and engineering staff will TUPE transfer to Stagecoach from 2nd September – joining the company’s Bristol operation.
A full consultation with staff is due to take place in the coming weeks, with Stagecoach staff on hand to offer assistance and answer questions.
A spokeswoman for Stagecoach said: “We are pleased to confirm that Stagecoach West (Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Ltd) has agreed to acquire certain assets of Rotala plc (Wessex Bus Ltd).
“The assets acquired include nine vehicles and the transfer to Stagecoach of eight routes across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. The agreed sale is expected to complete at the beginning of September.
“Around 60 staff are due to transfer to Stagecoach West under TUPE arrangements.
“This acquisition will allow us to further expand our successful bus operations in the west of England where we currently employ around 750 staff and operate around 270 vehicles.
“We have a strong track record in the region of attracting more people to bus travel and we will continue to focus on providing good value, high-quality bus travel for people in the area.”
Rotala, owner of Wessex, said in a statement: “We would like to thank staff for their continued support and we recognise that the last few months have been a very uncertain time.
“We feel sure that the opportunity with Stagecoach allows for an exciting time ahead, with a large, well-known operator who wants to grow within the North Bristol area.”
