Stevensons of Uttoxeter

File:Stevensons Seddon Pennine ASD 838T.jpg bodied Seddon Pennine at the company's Swadlincote depot in 1990]]

On 11 September 1926, John Stevenson commenced operating a bus service from Uttoxeter to Burton upon Trent based out of premises at Spath just north of Uttoxeter. In 1971, the business passed to John's son George, who was shortly joined by his son David. By 1977, the fleet consisted of 40 buses and coaches, 16 of which were double-decker buses.{{cite news |url=http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/bus-forbrMr-Stevenson/story-21475510-detail/story.html |title=Last bus for Mr Stevenson |work=Burton Mail |date=14 November 2003 |access-date=30 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701003801/http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/bus-forbrMr-Stevenson/story-21475510-detail/story.html |archive-date=1 July 2015}}

In the early 1980s, a small garage was opened in Rugeley, in conjunction with the Stevensons taking over local services in the town formerly operated by fellow independent Middletons, as well as by National Bus Company (NBC) operator Midland Red. In 1983, George Stevenson sold his 50% share of the business to bus industry entrepreneur Julian Peddle.{{cite magazine |last=Millar |first=Alan |title=What Julian did next |magazine=Buses |date=March 2009 |issue=648 |pages=31–32 |location=Hersham |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing}} On 1 October 1985, Stevensons merged its bus operations with those operated by East Staffordshire District Council, with Stevenson and Peddle owning 51% and the council 49%.{{cite news |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/6th-july-1985/21/east-staffs-merger-starts-privatisation |title=East Staffs merger starts privatisation |work=Commercial Motor |volume=162 |issue=4128 |publisher=Transport Press |page=21 |date=6 July 1985 |access-date=30 April 2015}}

In August 1987, Midland Fox, the eastern division of the split Midland Red company, was sold by the NBC in a management buyout. Stevensons additionally took a minority shareholding of Midland Fox and acquired the 40-vehicle Swadlincote depot of Midland Fox.{{cite news |last1=Stone |first1=John |title=Buy-out will not hurt bus jobs |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leicester-mercury-buy-out-will-not-hurt/169177334/ |access-date=30 March 2025 |work=Leicester Mercury |date=20 August 1987 |page=20 |via=Newspapers.com}} In February 1992, Stevensons became one of the shareholders of the newly-formed Rhondda Buses, running services from former National Welsh depots in Caerphilly and Porth. Stevensons' shareholdings were later sold to Stagecoach Holdings in November 1993, with operations there today forming part of Stagecoach South Wales.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Also in the early 1990s, Stevensons began operating substantial services in the West Midlands, mostly under contract to Centro. Around 100 vehicles were used by Stevensons for these operations, based from freehold sites in Willenhall, West Bromwich and Smethwick, and a separate coaching business named Sealandair was acquired. In August 1994, however, Stevensons pulled out of the West Midlands operating market in order to cut financial losses incurred from running the services, selling or tendering routes to competitor West Midlands Travel and disposing of the Sealandair operation to the Birmingham Coach Company.{{cite magazine |last=Simpson |first=Richard |url=https://archive.org/details/cbw-issue130/page/5/mode/1up? |date=20 August 1994 |issue=130 |page=5 |title=Stevensons pulling out of the West Midlands |magazine=Coach & Bus Week |location=Peterborough |publisher=Emap |access-date=30 March 2025}} This left service 112, serving Burton upon Trent and Birmingham, as Stevensons' only service operating in the West Midlands.

In June 1994, Stevensons of Uttoxeter, by then operating a fleet of 260 buses from five depots in Burslem, Burton upon Trent, Rugeley, Spath and Swadlincote,{{cite news |title=Firm bids to buy Stevenson's |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burton-mail-firm-bids-to-buy-stevensons/169177565/ |access-date=30 March 2025 |work=Burton Mail |date=16 May 1994 |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} was purchased by British Bus.{{cite news |title=Bus sale to bring jobs aid |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burton-mail-bus-sale-to-bring-jobs-aid/169177721/ |access-date=30 March 2025 |work=Burton Mail |date=27 May 1994 |page=3 |via=Newspapers.com}} The company was amalgamated as part of Midland Red North, with buses adopting Midland Red's red and yellow livery with Stevensons fleetnames retained. Stevensons' Rugeley garage was closed by Midland Red North in 1995, and with the merger of British Bus and the Cowie Group from the end of 1997, the Stevensons name began to phased out in favour of Arriva Midlands.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/buscoachbuyer-issue444/page/5/mode/1up |date=30 January 1998 |title=Red turns blue! |magazine=Bus & Coach Buyer |issue=444 |page=5 |location=Spalding |publisher=Glen-Holland Ltd |access-date=30 March 2025}}

Stevensons' original Spath depot was closed by Arriva Midlands in 2000, with the site acquired by the independent Dunn-Line of Nottingham;{{cite news |title=Uttoxeter depot to close |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/burton-trader-uttoxeter-depot-to-close/169178950/ |access-date=30 March 2025 |work=Burton Trader |date=15 December 1999 |page=16 |via=Newspapers.com}} in 2003, this operation, rebranded Dunn-Line Uttoxeter, was sold to Solus Coaches of Tamworth.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/cbw-issue584/page/10/mode/1up |date=10 July 2003 |issue=584 |page=10 |title=Solus acquires Uttoxeter operation from Dunn-Line |magazine=Coach & Bus Week |location=Peterborough |publisher=Emap |access-date=29 March 2025}} Arriva then closed Swadlincote garage in 2007,{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} then later sold Burton upon Trent garage to independent Midland Classic in 2016.{{cite news |title=Arriva transfers Burton operations to Midland Classic |url=https://cbwmagazine.com/arriva-transfers-burton-operations-midland-classic/ |access-date=30 March 2025 |work=Coach & Bus Week |date=30 August 2016 |location=Peterborough}}

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• {{commons category-inline|Stevensons of Uttoxeter (bus company)|Stevensons of Uttoxeter}}

{{Defunct British Bus Companies}}

Category:Companies based in Staffordshire

Category:Former bus operators in England

Category:Transport in Staffordshire

Category:1926 establishments in England