Eastleigh based independent bus operator Xelabus, which took over Yellow Coaches – the coaching subsidiary of Yellow Buses – from its former directors and shareholders, is to withdraw from operations in Bournemouth.
Commercial Manager of Xelagroup Philip Blair said in a statement that the company had continued the Yellow Coaches operation for six months to permit continued operation of local bus services and school services within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole areas following Yellow Buses’ collapse.
Xelabus had taken over former Yellow Buses council-tendered services 18, 33 and 36 after that operator ceased trading on a six-month basis, he said, following which the routes would be re-tendered. Operating costs and difficulty securing an operating base were cited as further factors in the decision to withdraw from the area. All 30 staff have been offered alternative employment at the Xelabus depot in Eastleigh and the company reports that a number of staff have expressed an interest in transferring.
