IN the past 30 years Stagecoach has emerged as the dominant force in Cumbrian bus transport but only after a complex story of rival firms offering cross-country and town centre services.

A major shake-up of the bus industry in the mid-1980s effectively ended council-controlled bus fleets - such as Barrow Corporation Transport - and ushered in fierce competition with regional giants like Cumberland Motor Services and Ribble.

An amazing array of rival bus services once operated from, or into, Cumberland,

The 1962 official guide to the county lists 15 companies, most of which have vanished or were later merged into Cumberland and Ribble.

The bus operators included Blair and Palmer, which had a base at Tower Street bus station, Carlile and ran a service from the city to Anthorn.

You could also ride on services from Hartness Bus and Coach Services, of Penrith; R. W. Simpson, of Keswick; Titterington’s Bus Service of Blencow, Penrith; or Young’s Coaches, of Aspatria.

One of the bigger operators was United Bus Services which came to Carlisle in January 1931 with the take over of the Emmerson service between Newcastle and Carlisle.

The firm built its own garage in Peter Street in 1937 and the following year opened a depot at Scotch Street.

United’s services were taken over by Ribble in January 1969.

Cumberland Motor Services started life in October 1912 as the Whitehaven Motor Service Company.

It started a first regular bus service between Whitehaven and Cleator Moor using second-hand Arrol Johnston buses.

It became Cumberland Motor Services on June 1 in 1921, having expanded to run services between Whitehaven and Carlisle, Keswick, Cleator Moor, Maryport, Cockermouth and Egremont.

The first double-deckers were purchased in 1927.

Cumberland opened England’s first purpose-built covered bus station at Workington in 1926.

The company became part of Stagecoach in 1987.

Ribble Motor Services was formed in 1919, growing to be the largest public transport service in the north west of England.

It provided bus services from southern Lancashire as far north as Carlisle.

The company’s headquarters was at Preston and it became part of Stagecoach in 1989.

Barrow Corporation had powers from 1925 to operate buses.

In May 1925 the route from Roose to Rampside was extended to Whitehall and subsequently to Ulverston using new Guy single-deck vehicles.

The bus garage was next to the tram depot in Salthouse Road and remained in use until January 1936 when a new bus depot was officially opened on Hindpool Road.

Crossley, Guy and Leyland provided the bulk of the expanding bus fleet and by 1930 the council adopted a bus colour scheme of Prussian blue and cream.

Postwar expansion gave Barrow one of the most modern and standardised fleets in the country.

The municipal bus firm became Barrow Borough Transport in October 1986, a move forced on councillors by the 1985 Transport Act.

It accumulated £1m in losses and ceased to trade on May 26 in 1989 after a lengthy price war with Ribble, which had established its own Barrow base at Emlyn Street.