5:30pm Monday 8th March 2010
A BITTER bus war is over with two rival firms joining forces for the benefit of their passengers.
Transport giant, Bluestar, and minnow, Black Velvet, are now teaming up to save a vital route for shoppers and workers.
The Eastleigh-based bus operators say their “pioneering partnership” is the first of its kind in Hampshire.
Bluestar, owned by the huge Go-Ahead Group, had announced that it was to cut its No 3 service from Botley to Hedge End to once an hour. However, at the last minute, the company brokered a deal with its fiercest competitor.
Family-owned Velvet will now run its own hourly “A”
service, filling in the time slot that’s left. Both companies have also agreed to accept competitor’s return journey tickets on the 20- minute route.
Velvet boss, Phil Stockley, said: “The bus war is over and I think both companies realise it is sensible to work together to get as many people on buses as possible and provide the best service we can.”
Bluestar operations manager, Alex Hornby, said: “This new partnership brings many benefits for customers, who are the reason for our existence. This shows what can be achieved when proactive bus operators work together.”
The agreement comes after a year of battles and a top-level investigation.
Velvet first clashed with their huge rival when they took up a route Bluestar had abandoned months earlier, running through Velmore and Chilworth.
Bluestar responded by launching its Beep service on the same route three minutes ahead of Velvet, with cut-price introductory fares.
The smaller company dropped the route, claiming it had been “squeezed out” and accusing its giant opponent of “bully boy tactics”.
Weeks later, Bluestar announced that it was stopping the service and slammed Velvet for “muscling in”.
The battle then spilled onto the roads of Fair Oak where the same thing happened again with an Eastleigh shuttle service.
Both companies insist they are now looking to a positive working relationship in the future.
Eastleigh Borough Council worked with the firms to negotiate the deal.
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