GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

[knutstransport]

RE: GHA Group (Bryn Melyn, Vale Travel + Others)

(21/09/2016 21:37)Mayneway Wrote:  Don't forget that up until a few months before thier demise, on the face of it they looked to be doing well. They were picking up contracts and nobody would have guessed how things would have ended up so I'm sure HMRC were happy they would get the debt paid - obviously once things changed HMRC began a pitition to wind the company up.

It was really December 15/January 16 when the problems first became apparent. They started using non-DDA deckers and coaches to replace non-DDA saloons and a number of drivers disappeared from their regular routes with cancellation of services due to staff shortages occurring. More warning signs appeared when Cheshire East awarded GHA 4 new contracts (2 being replacement contracts for routes they already had and 2 being new routes) but the contract awards for 2 of the routes were annulled and went to D&G and Arriva instead. Also GHA were stripped of all their Reaseheath College contracts when a random inspection on vehicles at the college found their were using multiple buses which weren't fit to be on the road.

With hindsight I imagine the former GHA management will see the 84 bus war as a catastrophic disaster. While they were successful in getting Routemaster to abandon their C84 service, they were using resources which could have been more effectively used elsewhere and the number of potential GHA passengers which Routemaster had picked up would probably have been minimal and mainly ENCTS pass holders.