Category:Citilink (Hull bus company)

English: Citilink was a post-deregulation bus operator in Kingston upon Hull. Set up by Toyshop owner David Coster, it started operation on route 643 to the Greatfield Estate, where Coster's Toy shop was located, with a single 25 seat Optare CityPacer midibus in a blue and silver livery - no. BAC 1 (reg. E941 WWE), purchased new in November 1987.

In early 1988, tenders were won for evening services on routes 53 to Bridlington Avenue and 15A to Gipsyville. The fleet was expanded with two open rear platform Routemaster buses, 1963 RM1741 (reg. 741 DYE) purchased from Stagecoach Western in April 1988, and 1959 RM188 (reg. VLT 188) purchased from London Buses in May 1988. Both Routemasters had entered service by the summer when services were expanded to route 644 to Bilton Grange via Greatfield. RM1741 was painted in a blue and silver livery similar to the Optare but RM188 retained its London red livery throughout its time with the company. Main daytime services were usually operated by the two Routemasters with the Optare providing early morning and evening journeys plus acting as cover. An ex East Kent Daimler Fleetline was also added to the fleet but rarely used.

In March 1989 the company was bought by the city's municipal operator Kingston upon Hull City Transport. Instead of winding it up however, it transferred it to their Cottingham Road depot, intending to use it to compete against other post-deregulation independents, as well as the rural incumbent East Yorkshire Motor Services, now free to compete over its city services.^[1]

KHCT relaunched the Citilink operation in May 1989 with a fleet of 6 dual-door Roe bodied Leyland Atlantean PDR1s cascaded from their main fleet, operating in a 3-tone green livery with 'CITILINK' fleetnames, given the fleetnumbers C1 to C6. They were operated as conductor crewed vehicles, competing directly with services run by Good News Travels and Rhodes Coaches. Most routes were numbered in the 600 series, usually the last two digits being the competitors route they most closely followed.

KHCT sold the Routemasters to EYMS in July 1989 (becoming EY fleet nos 808 (RM188) and 809 (RM1741)), who went on to operate them and others in their traditional dark blue and cream striped livery. The Optare was retained by KHCT for some time and used mostly on Private Hires still in its Blue and Silver livery but without fleetnames.

KHCT subsequently added to the Citilink fleet with more PDR1 Atlanteans and later AN68 examples, bringing the fleet size up to a peak of 16 double deckers (though a total of 19 different examples carried the livery - numbers C4, C7 & C8 were each used twice), plus four Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard coaches transferred from the Kingstonian private hire fleet, which were given fleetnumbers C101 to C104. 10 further Atlanteans operated in plain white with Citilink or KHCT and sometimes both fleetnames nominally as a contract/schools service fleet but were also used on regular services. These retained their main fleet numbers.

Citilink was absorbed into the main fleet in September 1992 as part of a financial restructuring of the ailing company which saw other peripheral businesses sold off, the fleet size reduced and also the closure of the Cottingham Road depot.^[2] The Citilink vehicles that remained were repainted into the standard KHCT blue & white livery.