About the Wellglade Group

The Wellglade group consists of 4 different company identities. These are Trent Barton (Trent buses, Barton), Notts + Derby Kinchbus, and the recently revived Midland General. The group operates into many different counties the main ones being, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Kinchbus mainly serves the Loughborough area.

The company is based at Langley Mill, which is just outside Heaner in Derbyshire. There are many other depots around the operational areas. There are depots at, Derby (Meadow Road), Dove Holes, Langley Mill, Nottingham (Manvers Street), Sutton Junction (Midland Road), and a mainly kinchbus depot at Loughborough. The Derby depot houses many of the Notts and Derby buses although some are kept at other locations.

Trent Barton

Here is Scania 664 in Ilkeston in the standard Trent Barton livery.

Trent Motor Traction and Barton Transport joined in the late 1980s. The recently introduced Trent Barton livery is now replacing the older Trent buses and Barton identities. Many of the vehicles are now route branded, so there is a lot of variety regarding livery. The majority of the vehicles are Wright Solar bodied Scanias, with Optare Excels, Solos,  Dennis Darts & 6 Optare Tempos making up the fleet.  The entire Trent Barton bus fleet is now low floor.  Volvo B10M coaches operate part of the transpeak service, and Scania/Irizar coaches are used on the Red Arrow coach service to Nottingham.

notts&derby

Former Trent Paladin 136 in the Notts + Derby livery. Seen here in Ilkeston.

The Notts and Derby traction company is also owned by the Wellglade group. They operate Unibus network of services, serving the University of Derby and the High Peak Campuses aswell as low cost services with infrequent journeys on most. Free shopping buses, works services and other contract work is also undertaken. The majority of the fleet was made up of Leyland Nationals. However all of these have now been withdrawn. The bulk of the fleet is now made up of  Volvo B10Bs/Paladins. These are in both the notts and derby livery and UNIbus livery, although some B10Bs still carry trent livery, and others special advert liveries. Mercedes minibuses are also in the fleet, again in a variety of liveries. There are also some Double deckers, Leyland Olympians which are mainly in the old blue apple livery, and two Volvo Citybuses that still carry Arriva colours! Other vehicles in the fleet are 2 ex Kinchbus Darts 891 and 892, aswell as two Optare Excels for contract services.

Kinchbus

Former Trent Dart 923 now branded for the Kinchbus route 2. This is the new look Kinchbus livery!

Kinchbus operates many routes in the Loughborough area. It has only been part of the Wellglade group for the past few years since the late 1990s. The fleet consists of a variety of vehicles some of which are from the Trent fleet. The fleet is made up of a number of Optare Excels and Solos, alongside a variety of Mercedes minibuses and older double deckers from the Kinch fleet..  A new livery of mainly dark blue, with yellow around the top has now been introduced.  Route branding is carried on many buses.   

Midland General

Midland General Vario 286 in Sutton. This was used on the former "Borrowash Flyer" Trent service.


Midland General only have one bus, former Trent Vario 286. This is used on a service in the Mansfield area.

For a complete fleetlist for the whole of the Wellglade group click here