Manchester Community Transport

[cumbria0902150]

RE: Manchester Community Transport

(04/03/2013 10:41)bolton bus basher Wrote:  whats all this about these buying maytree? any truth behind this at all?

From Route One magazine:

Maytree Travel sells to Manchester CT operator

Bolton-based Maytree Travel, which has run bus routes across Bolton, Bury, Salford and Wigan since 2008, has been bought for an undisclosed sum by Manchester Community Transport Ltd (MCT).
The deal, which completed on Friday (1 March), sees Maytree becoming a trading subsidiary of the not-for-profit community operator.
In a statement MCT says: “The natural complement of both organisations’ locations will allow us to drive forward our agenda to deliver accessible, affordable and reliable transport solutions to the wider Greater Manchester communities.
“Passenger transport is a heavily regulated industry, with providers facing significant costs to ensure the highest standards of compliance and safety; naturally these costs impact on our customers.
“By bringing the two organisations together, we are confident that the shared resources and skill sets that now sit within a combined team will allow us to drive efficiencies and raise operational standards.”
Maytree Travel MD Gary Hawthorne, who becomes Head of Development with MCT, says: “This has been a very friendly deal to assist both companies in stability/cost sharing and enable us to stabilise and grow within the stage carriage and related market sectors.
“It has been a fantastic four years, enjoyable, challenging, stressful, but most importantly, successful.
“I now feel it’s time for Maytree to move to the next level; the best way forward is to take the path that I have chosen.
“What will be important to our partners is the knowledge that Maytree Travel continues to exist, and thrive, as a company in its own right - it isn’t being dissolved or merged, just a change in the major shareholder.”
Maytree Travel Ltd, originally trading as Tyrer Bus (Bolton), had been in operation as part of Tyrer Tours Ltd.
In December 2008, when Tyrer Bus (Bolton) was operating with 10 vehicles and 25 staff, then owner Robert Tyrer offered Mr Hawthorne the chance to buy the majority (85%) share of the Bolton operation, which he did, with Mr Tyrer retaining a 15% share.
Since then, the fleet has grown to 26 vehicles and 60 staff, many of which are under three years old and all are DDA compliant.
MCT was established in 1982 through Urban Aid Funding to provide accessible transport to the local community.