MK Metro

Updated on Dec 06, 2023

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Parent Arriva Headquarters Milton Keynes Chief executive Nigel Snow Operator Arriva Shires & Essex		Ceased operation 2010 Service type Bus operator Founded 2 May 1997 Fleet 120 (February 2006)

Service area Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Northamptonshire

MK Metro was a bus company operating in Milton Keynes from 1997 until 2010.

History

In 1997, Stagecoach was ordered by the Office of Fair Trading to divest of its operations in Milton Keynes and Huntingdon. This followed an investigation in 1996 into its acquisition of Cambus Holdings which was deemed to have led to an unacceptable monopoly of bus operations in Cambridgeshire, Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford and Mid Bedfordshire.

The assets of Milton Keynes Citybus were purchased on 2 May 1997 by bus entrepreneur Julian Peddle, using a new company Premier Buses Limited both to operate in Huntingdon (under the Premier Buses brand name) and also as a holding company with which to purchase MK Metro. The operation was rebranded as MK Metro with a bright yellow and blue livery introduced.

In February 2006, the business was purchased by Arriva and integrated into its Arriva Shires & Essex subsidiary. The MK Metro brand was retained with a new logo introduced in 2007.

On 25 April 2010, the Arriva brand and livery were introduced. Milton Keynes services began to operate under the sub brand of MK Star, and the change of name coincided with a number of controversial service changes.

Fleet

The fleet ranged from mainly Dennis Darts (high floor and low floor, with a variety of bodywork), to Mercedes-Benz minibuses and Optare Solos. Double-deck Optare Spectras, and Wright Solar bodied Scania L94UBs were also operated.

Fleet summary

Dennis Dart

Dennis Dart SLF

VDL SB120

Mercedes-Benz Vario

Optare Solo

Optare Spectra

Scania L94UB

Alexander Dennis Enviro300

Mercedes-Benz Citaro

Routes

MK Metro ran over 30 services. Most routes passed through or served Central Milton Keynes. However, routes 16 and 30/31 did not. The routes were generally numbered from 1 to 30, although there were some omissions and some routes in the 30s, as well as a new service numbered 300.

The key services were numbered 1 to 8, and ran every 10 to 20 minutes. Key services ran through the busiest parts of the city, for example to Bletchley and the District centres. Intermediate services ran from every 20 minutes up to every hour. These routes cover areas in more detail, for example serving through the grid squares, while key services mostly ran on the main roads. The other routes ran at a frequency of every hour or less. These services linked locations outside Milton Keynes into the city, or linked neighbourhoods into the nearest centre.

Note that this list of routes is for historical interest. It is not a list of the current routes operated by Arriva Shires & Essex.

Former key services

1 / B / C: City Centre – Green Park – Newport Pagnell – Olney – Bedford / Northampton

2: Westcroft – Oxley Park – Grange Farm – City Centre – Willen – Poets Estate – Newport Pagnell

4 / A / E: Wolverton – Stony Stratford – City Centre – Hospital – Whaddon Way – Bletchley

5 / E: Wolverton – Bradville – City Centre – Hospital – Bletchley – Lakes Estate

7 / E: Wolverton – Stantonbury – City Centre – Bletchley – Newton Longville / Lakes Estate

7 A: Wolverton – Great Linford – Neath Hill – City Centre

8: Westcroft – Shenley Brook End – City Centre – Kingston – Bletchley / Woburn Sands

Intermediate Services

These routes were operated by MK Metro after its take-over by Arriva, but before the rebranding and new timetable launch on 24 April 2010.

2E: Wolverton – Heelands – City Centre – Willen – Poets Estate – Newport Pagnell

3E: Wolverton – Great Linford – City Centre – Shenley Church End – Furzton – Westcroft

6 / A: Wolverton / Bradville – Heelands – City Centre – Hospital- Emerson Valley – Bletchley

9 / A: City Centre – Shenley Lodge – Furzton – West Bletchley – Bletchley

12: Wolverton – Greenleys – Bradwell – City Centre – Kents Hill – Open University – Caldecotte

20: Bletchley – Tattenhoe – Westcroft – City Centre – Hospital – Walnut Tree

26E: Bletchley – Furzton – City Centre – Walnut Tree – Kingston Centre

29: Bletchley – Hospital – Oldbrook – City Centre – Crownhill – Shenley Church End

32: City Centre – Buckingham – Little Tingewick (peak hours)

39: Bletchley – Whaddon Way – Oldbrook – City Centre – Crownhill – Shenley Church End

300: City Centre – Broughton Gate – Kingston / Magna Park

Other former services

11: Milton Keynes – Monkston – Kingston – Woburn Sands – Bow Brickhill – Bletchley

13: Stony Stratford – Stantonbury – City Centre – Bletchley – Lakes Estate

14: City Centre – Stony Stratford – Old Stratford – Deanshanger / Wicken

16: Bletchley – West Bletchley – Emerson Valley – Westcroft

17A: Milton Keynes – Moulsoe – Cranfield

17B: City Centre – Great Linford – Newport Pagnell – Cranfield

18: City Centre – Woolstone – Woughton Park – Simpson – Bletchley

30 / 31: Newport Pagnell – Wolverton – Stony Stratford – Bletchley

32A: Buckingham Town Service

33: Milton Keynes – Blue Bridge – Wolverton – Hanslope – Roade – Northampton

(NN)11 Northampton – Kingsley – Parklands – Links View – Kingsley – Northampton (only serves Links View on return from Parklands)

(NN)21 Northampton – University Avenue Campus – Kingsthorpe – University Park Campus (ceased due to contract loss)

References

MK Metro Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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