Yorkshire Traction

File:Yorkshire Traction Scania N113 X92 to Doncaster.jpg bodied Scania N113 at Meadowhall Interchange in 2005]]

File:Barnsley Tramway - Bus shed 06-05-06.jpg in May 2006]]

In March 1902 the Barnsley & District Electric Traction Company Limited was formed. It operated trams around the Barnsley area until around 1930. In 1928, prior to the trams being withdrawn, the company was renamed from the Barnsley & District Traction Company Limited (the 'electric' part of the name being dropped some years earlier).

In October 1968, Yorkshire Traction, by then part of the Transport Holding Company, absorbed fellow subsidiaries Mexborough & Swinton Traction Company and County Motors.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/25th-october-1968/33/yorkshire-traction-absorbs-local-fleets |title=Yorkshire Traction absorbs local fleets |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=25 October 1968 |page=33 |access-date=24 July 2014}}{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/24th-january-1969/27/yorkshire-traction-buys-county-motors |title=Yorkshire Traction buys County Motors |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=24 January 1969 |page=27 |access-date=24 July 2014}}

As part of the privatisation of the National Bus Company, Yorkshire Traction was sold in January 1987 to a management buyout.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/7th-february-1987/18/nbc-sells-tracky |title=NBC sells 'Tracky' |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=7 February 1987 |page=18 |access-date=24 July 2014}}{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/16th-may-1991/20/ytc-set-to-win-strathtay |title=YTC set to win Strathtay |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=16 May 1991 |page=20 |access-date=24 July 2014}} The business subsequently expanded through purchasing other operators including:

• Ridings Travel{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/19th-january-1989/14/-wakefield-based-west-riding-is-pulling-out-of-coa |title=In Brief |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=19 January 1989 |page=14 |access-date=24 July 2014}}
• Barnsley & District formed in July 1990 when Yorkshire Traction bought the bus business of Tom Jowitt Travel and the local bus services of Shearings and Globe Travel {{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/2th-august-1990/16/tom-jowitt-sells-its-bus-business |title=Tom Jowitt sells its bus business |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=2 August 1990 |page=16 |access-date=24 July 2014}}
• Lincolnshire RoadCar{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/4th-february-1988/16/nbc-sells-off-lincs-road-car |title=NBC sells off Lincs Road Car |magazine=Commercial Motor |publisher=Temple Press |date=4 February 1988 |page=16 |access-date=24 July 2014}}
• Lincoln City Transport
• Yorkshire Terrier
• Andrews (merged with Yorkshire Terrier in 1998)
• Sheffield Omnibus (merged with Andrews in 1996)
• South Riding (merged with Andrews in 1995)
• Strathtay Scottish in May 1991
• Meffans Coaches (a subsidiary of Strathtay)
• London Traveller 35% shareholding, sold on to Thorpes in October 2001{{cite magazine|title=Sovereign and Traction sell up in London |magazine=Buses |issue=573 |date=December 2002 |page=5 |location=Hersham |publisher=Ian Allan Publishing}}

In December 2005, Yorkshire Traction was sold to the Stagecoach Group, with operations in South Yorkshire subsequently rebranded to Stagecoach Yorkshire.{{cite news |author= |date=15 December 2005 |title=Stagecoach buys Yorkshire Traction Group |url=http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=226&categoryid=0 |url-status=dead |work=Bus & Coach Professional |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022231254/http://www.busandcoach.com/newspage.aspx?id=226&categoryid=0 |archive-date=22 October 2013 |access-date=24 July 2014}} In May 2008, Stagecoach sold its Huddersfield operations to independent operator Centrebus, with the part of the business remaining with Stagecoach retained as part of the Yorkshire subsidiary.{{cite news |last=Ward |first=Elaine |date=3 May 2008 |title=Stagecoach operation is sold - but not to Arriva |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/stagecoach-operation-sold---not-5037114 |work=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |access-date=1 January 2024}}

{{unreferenced|section|date=January 2024}}

File:Yorkshire Traction MCW Metroliner.jpg 400GT coach at Green Line Coach Station]]

The company operated services across Barnsley, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Rotherham and parts of Sheffield and Wakefield Metropolitan Districts. From the 1974 formation of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, which took over the Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster municipal bus operations until the mid-1990s, the operating area of South Yorkshire was split between South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Yorkshire Traction with the former dominating Sheffield and Rotherham. Through the acquisitions of Sheffield Omnibus, South Riding, Andrews and Yorkshire Terrier in the early 1990s, the company gained a significant foothold in Sheffield.

Yorkshire Traction had for decades been a major regional operator of National Express services covering nationwide routes in addition to its regular and long established services in and out of London to Yorkshire towns and cities. It had also operated alongside National Travel, the short break holiday arm of National Bus Company. Upon privatisation, YTC launched "Yorkshire Traction's Coachlink" which became a popular choice for the short break coach holidaymaker within the region. In 1989, neighbouring operator West Riding Automobile Company left the coaching industry and sold the name "Ridings Travel", the order book and the goodwill, but no vehicles, to YTC. They merged this operation into their existing coaching unit and painted several coaches in full Ridings Travel livery.

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• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last=Banks |first=John |title=The Prestige Series No.5: Yorkshire Traction |location=Glossop |publisher=Venture Publications |ISBN=978-1-898432-21-0}}
• {{cite book |last=Banks |first=John |title=The Prestige Series No.36: Yorkshire Traction 2 |location=Glossop |publisher=Venture Publications |ISBN=978-1-905304-11-0}}

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{{Defunct British Bus Companies}}

Category:1902 establishments in England

Category:2005 disestablishments in England

Category:Companies based in Barnsley

Category:Former bus operators in South Yorkshire