TM Travel


TM Travel is a bus operator based in Halfway, Sheffield, operating bus services in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Founded in 1995 as a family-owned operation with one bus, by March 2008 it had expanded to become the largest independent operator in Derbyshire. The company was taken over by the Wellglade Group in January 2010, and as of August 2016 operate more than 70 buses.

History

TM Travel was founded in November 1995 by former Hulleys of Baslow employee Tim Watts. Its first vehicle was a Leyland Tiger coach used on coach hire operations from a depot near Chesterfield. Two similar vehicles were added to the fleet in early 1996. Two school bus services were taken on in the same year and the fleet expanded to ten vehicles. In 1997 vehicles maintenance work was taken in-house by the company, and work on National Express services was introduced.
The company moved into scheduled bus service operation in 1999, winning a contract from Derbyshire County Council. A local route in Bolsover was launched a year later. In 2004 TM Travel took over a route between Sheffield and Chesterfield previously run by Thompson Travel. A number of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive contracts were won over the following few years and the fleet increased in size to over 100 vehicles, prompting a move from Chesterfield to Halfway.
In December 2006, the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority's Transport User's Advisory Group noted that TM Travel "provided a punctual service" – although it was also suggested that larger buses could be used.
As of March 2008, TM Travel was the largest independent coach and bus operator in Derbyshire, employing 120 staff, with all operations handled in-house.
On 5 January 2010 TM Travel was sold to the Wellglade Group.

Fleet

As of September 2017, the fleet consists of 66 buses. Of note are two East Lancs Nordic-bodied Volvo B7L tri-axle double-deckers, two of only ten built for the UK market, and an Ikarus Blue Danube-bodied DAF SB3000 coach.