Initially, there were 25 franchises, but the number of different operating companies is smaller as some firms, including First Group, National Express Group and Stagecoach Group, run more than one franchise.

TOCs may use what they like: examples include Futura ( Stagecoach Group ), Helvetica ( FirstGroup and National Express ), Frutiger ( Arriva Trains Wales ), Bliss ( CrossCountry, an Arriva franchise but not branded as such ), and a modified version of Precious by London Midland.

Since deregulation the majority ( 80 % by the late 1990s ) of these local bus companies have been taken over by one of the " Big Five " private transport companies: Arriva ( part of Deutsche Bahn AG ), First Group, Go-Ahead Group, National Express Group ( owners of National Express ) and Stagecoach Group.

* Stagecoach Thameslink Trains Limited ( Stagecoach Group plc )

The Group agreed to open its books to the Cosmen and CVC consortium on 10 September 2009, though had reportedly been looking into selling its bus and rail franchises to rival Stagecoach Group, according to The Times.

Virgin Trains ( legal name West Coast Trains Limited, company no 3007940 ) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom owned by Virgin Group ( 51 %) and Stagecoach ( 49 %) that has operated the InterCity West Coast franchise since March 1997.

Virgin Rail Group bid for a number of rail franchises being awarded the InterCity West Coast franchise after beating Sea Containers and Stagecoach.

In October 1998 Virgin Group sold 49 % of the shares in Virgin Rail Group to Stagecoach.

Stagecoach Group buses in Banbury in 2004.

They lost their contract to Stagecoach Group in 2004.

Banbury has an intra-urban bus service provided by Stagecoach Group which feeds the outlying villages and provides transport to places such as Oxford, Chipping Norton and Brackley.

It was the bus division of SJ AB rail company until 1996 and was briefly part of Stagecoach Group.

The Stagecoach Group took over the franchise on the privatisation of British Rail in 1996 and retained it against stiff competition in 2007 making it, with Chiltern Railways and Virgin West Coast, one of the three longest-running franchises.

Category: Stagecoach Group rail services

He oversaw Bus deregulation in Great Britain with the Transport Act 1985 which led to a period of intense competition between rival bus companies, known at the time as the ' Bus wars ' and the dramatic subsequent growth of Stagecoach Group, First Group and the other major bus operators.

On August 1, 2011, the RATP Group purchased Stagecoach Metrolink Ltd, the operators of the Metrolink light rail system in the English city of Manchester.

Stagecoach has been lauded as one of the most influential films ever made.

When John Ford ’ s production of Stagecoach pulled into town in 1938 ( a Sedona connection that has eluded historians since the film was made ), it set off three solid decades of A-picture activity — forty-four features through 1973, helped along by the construction of Sedona Lodge, the only permanent boarding and production facility ever built specifically for movie crews on remote location in the United States.

It has an annual festival, Stagecoach Trail days.

This has proved to be very controversial, with the town's major bus operator Stagecoach in Warwickshire threatening to reduce many bus services if the road is closed to traffic.

Stagecoach acquired the company from Yorkshire Traction in 2005, and has come under fire for operating the service poorly.

They have had a tumultuous and fairly barren period in recent times, however this has changed in the past few seasons, buying players from senior teams such as Brian McGinty and Mark Crilly with them doing well in the Scottish Junior Cup, winning promotion from the Stagecoach Ayrshire League in 2005 – 06 and winning promotion from the Stagecoach Super League Division One in 2006 – 07.

Eastleigh has 17 bus routes, served by 6 different companies: Stagecoach South, Bluestar, Brijan Tours, First Group Hampshire, Wilts & Dorset or Velvet.

Stagecoach South bus company has its headquarters here.

There are no train stations in the village itself, but a bus service run by Stagecoach connects the village to Walmer railway station, which has direct trains to London.

* Island Line Trains-Island Line, the rail system for the Isle of Wight, has also been operated by Stagecoach since privatisation and was merged into the South West franchise in 2007.

: Stagecoach Supertram-Stagecoach has operated the Sheffield Supertram under a concession from the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive since 1997.

For its part, Stagecoach has defended the actions of its driver.

At both subsidiaries great improvement has been made, such as most of the Stagecoach buses have been replaced.

Since the administration period and restructuring of the former TransBus International, Alexander Dennis has secured a number of major orders from UK operators, and is the favoured manufacturer of the Stagecoach Group.

Since 2006 it has been operated as a 65: 35 joint venture between Singapore based ComfortDelGro and Perth ( Scotland ) based Stagecoach Group.

Since privatisation, however, Fife Scottish has built up its own substantial network of express services under the Stagecoach Express banner.

Since joining the Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach Strathtay now has an operating area bounded by Aberdeen in the north, Gauldry & Newport-on-Tay to the south and Perth to the west.

Before joining Stagecoach, Strathtay operated only as far as Laurencekirk in the north ; however, the Montrose depot has acquired some work from Bluebird's Stonehaven depot, including route 24 from Brechin to Stonehaven, route 103 from Laurencekirk to Aberdeen and a handful of School Contracts serving Mackie Academy in Stonehaven.

Strathtay is bordered to the north, east and south by Stagecoach subsidiaries, all part of Stagecoach East Scotland, which Strathtay has also joined.

Stagecoach was the first of many Westerns that Ford shot using Monument Valley, in the American Southwest on the Arizona-Utah border, as a location, many of which also starred John Wayne.

Pickens appeared in dozens of films, including Old Oklahoma Plains ( 1952 ), Down Laredo Way ( 1953 ), One-Eyed Jacks ( 1961 ) with Marlon Brando, Dr. Strangelove ( 1964 ), Major Dundee ( 1965 ) with Charlton Heston, the remake of Stagecoach ( 1966 ; Pickens played the driver, portrayed in the 1939 film by Andy Devine ), Never a Dull Moment ( 1968 ), The Cowboys ( 1972 ) with John Wayne, Ginger in the Morning ( 1974 ) with Fred Ward, Blazing Saddles ( 1974 ), Poor Pretty Eddy ( 1975 ), Rancho Deluxe ( 1975 ), The Getaway with Steve McQueen, Tom Horn ( 1980 ), also with McQueen, An Eye for an Eye ( 1966 ) and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid ( 1973 ) in a small but memorable role.

Stagecoach in Hampshire runs the number 87 to Andover every two hours from Salisbury and also every other journey on route 8 to Andover via Amesbury and Tidworth along with Wilts & Dorset.

The band also performed at the 2012 Stagecoach Festival.

He had also been a co-star with Robert Bray and Richard Eyer in the western series Stagecoach West, a Four Star Television production on ABC from 1960 – 1961.

* Old Stagecoach Stop ( also known as " Black Hotel " or " Pulaski House ")

The village was also the crossroads of two major stagecoach lines, Butterfield Stagecoach and the Santa Fe Trail.

Bus services are provided by Stagecoach in Huntingdonshire and Whippet coaches, the former also having its depot near the town.

Stagecoach also provides direct services to Nuneaton, Bulkington, Keresley, Atherstone, Hinckley & Leicester and a direct service to the University Hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry is provided by Travel de Courcey.

Stagecoach passengers also faced the danger of Indian attack on coaches or at way stations.

Among the companies operating bus services, Stagecoach on Teesside and Arriva North East are the major providers, while six minor providers also operate in the area.

Part of the stage road is also a Historic-Cultural Monument of Ventura County and of the city of Los Angeles under the name ' Old Stagecoach Trail '.

Stagecoach Lincolnshire is the main operator in the town with regular services operating up the coast as far as Mablethorpe ; there are also regular services inland to both Boston and Lincoln.

The town is also served by a number of buses operated by Stagecoach in Bassetlaw, Stagecoach in Lincolnshire, Yourbus as well as smaller local bus operators, to destinations including Worksop, Newark, Robin Hood Airport and Bawtry.

Along with The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, and Stagecoach, it is also widely considered to be one of director John Ford's best westerns and generally ranks alongside Red River, The Searchers, The Big Trail, and Stagecoach as one of John Wayne's best films.

Buses in Mansfield are primarily operated by Stagecoach, with Trent Barton, K & H Doyles and National Express also operating in the area.

The Killingworth Centre also incorporates a covered Killingworth bus station which is served by Stagecoach, Arriva, Go-North East and Connect South Tyneside.

A primary bus route supported by Stagecoach services is also accessible, with the popular 192 service running regularly through Buxton Road.

In April 2009, she was part of the concert line-up at the annual Stagecoach Festival in Palm Springs, which also included concerts by Charlie Daniels, Kevin Costner, and Reba McEntire.

Warwickshire County Council also funds a service to Stratford-upon-Avon operated by Stagecoach in Warwickshire ( formally known as Stratford Blue ).

Stagecoach North West routes 84 and 86 also serve Cleveleys.

On 14 December 2005 Stagecoach purchased Barnsley-based Traction Group ( Yorkshire Traction ) for £ 26m, and also assume Traction's £ 11m debt.

Stagecoach are also active in the rail industry, currently operating the South West Trains franchise ( extended for 10 years from February 2007 ) and having a 49 % stake in Virgin Trains.