Bus firm had run out of road

SPEEDWELL, which ran the 343 and 344 bus services in Oldham and suddenly ceased trading, was about to lose its licence, it has been revealed.

Last week it was unclear why the Hyde-based company stopped running. A statement on the company website said that “mistakes have been made from time to time over the last decade, but we did our best and we walk away with dignity”.

It has since emerged that deputy traffic commissioner Elizabeth Perrett had decided to revoke the firm’s licence at the end of March, following a public inquiry over the firm’s finances.

The company was also ordered to pay a £5,600 fine over an alleged failure to operate a registered bus service without notice. The services are now being run by Stagecoach Manchester.