Stagecoach in Cambridge

Under the control of the National Bus Company, Cambus Ltd. was set up when the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company was split in preparation for privatisation. The company was incorporated on 8 June 1984;[1] it took over Eastern Counties' bus and National Express coach operations from garages in Cambridgeshire and parts of Suffolk (Newmarket and Haverhill) on 9 September 1984. On 5 December 1986, Cambus was sold to its management team, off-the-shelf company Minuteflush Ltd. being used for this purpose; Minuteflush Ltd. was renamed Cambus Holdings Ltd.

In September 1989, Cambus's Peterborough operations were split off to form The Viscount Bus and Coach Company Ltd., while in May 1990 Cambus Holdings acquired most of the bus and coach operations of Cambridge-based Premier Travel Services Ltd., the exception being the Cambridge - London Airports coach services, which remained with the AJS Group Ltd. as part of a new Cambridge Coach Services Ltd. (which retained the old Premier livery). A reorganisation followed on 20 May 1990, with all coach operations (including National Express contracts) being transferred to Premier Travel, and Premier Travel's stage bus routes being transferred to Cambus.

In February 1992, Cambus Holdings bought Millers Coaches Ltd. of Foxton (Cambs) from its owner, Bernard Miller, on his retirement. Millers Coaches had been competing with Cambus on a number of bus routes, using the Millerbus name, and this operation became a new Millerbus Ltd. subsidiary, under the direct control of the Cambus Ltd. management; the operation lasted for about three years before being absorbed into its parent. Meanwhile, Millers Coaches Ltd. itself was placed under the control of Premier Travel, although the name was retained (and both companies adopted liveries using different colours applied in the same style). By the autumn of 1995, however, the operations of Premier Travel and Millers Coaches had been absorbed into the main Cambus Ltd. company, although the Premier Travel name survived in use with Cambus a few years longer.

On 25 November 1992, Cambus Holdings expanded in Buckinghamshire, with the purchase of Generalouter Ltd., the holding company of Milton Keynes City Bus Ltd. and Buckinghamshire Road Car Ltd. - offshoots of former National Bus Company subsidiary United Counties.

Cambus Holdings Ltd. was sold to Stagecoach Holdings plc on 6 December 1995. However, following a report by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, Stagecoach was required to divest itself of its Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire operations, as well as United Counties' Huntingdon garage. In late 1997, new company MK Metro Ltd. took over those operations, independent from Stagecoach. More recently (and following several changes of ownership), Stagecoach re-acquired the Huntingdonshire operations (now trading as Huntingdon and District) on 31 March 2008, forming new subsidiary Stagecoach in the Fens Ltd., also part of Stagecoach East.

The original Cambus livery was light (Cambridge) blue with an off-white stripe, applied in the standard National Bus Company style. Dual purpose vehicles (Bristol REs) were light blue lower and cream upper, while coaches were cream and light blue with dark blue and light blue stripes (with those used on National Express work carrying full National Express colours). The fleetname "CAMBUS", written in dark blue with wavy lines through it (to represent waterways), was applied in the usual place, accompanied by the National Bus Company double N logo for the first couple of years.

In 1986 a new livery was introduced, comprising dark blue, white and light blue (bottom to top), and including stripes on dual purpose vehicles and non-National Express coaches; this was soon followed by a new and bolder CAMBUS logo, written in a less fussy style. The strap line "It's much less fuss" was added later. In 1990 one single-deck dual purpose vehicle gained a maroon and light blue livery with a "CAMCOACH" logo, but this was not continued.

Following the Stagecoach takeover, standard Stagecoach livery was applied to the fleet, with "Stagecoach Cambus" branding. The current Stagecoach livery with "Stagecoach in Cambridge" fleetnames appeared later. Vehicles used on Park and Ride services in Cambridge wear special liveries (there have been a variety), as do guided buses for use on The Busway; there have also been special liveries for certain other services.

• Cambridge section of Stagecoach website
• Bus routes on Google Maps