OTHER ISLAND OPERATORS

from years gone by and today .........a scrapbook of names from past and present

Just a kaleidoscope of reminiscences, not an exhaustive history .......

During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s MACLEODS OF DUNTULM  ran a route - taken over from Neil Beaton in 1953 when that company withdrew from bus operation - with a daily service from Kilmaluag through Duntulm and Uig to Portree, along the west coast of the Trotternish peninsula.  The morning journey south and the afternoon journey north were timed to connect with the Macbrayne's mail steamer at Portree - long before Uig became the car ferry terminal for Tarbert and Lochmaddy.  After thirty years the service passed eventually in 1981 from Macleod to Nicolsons of Skeabost Bridge who ran it through the 1980s and 1990s.  But today the route to Kilmaluag is operated by Highland Country Bus, both via Uig and also on the east coast route via Staffin (with extra journeys between Portree and Uig by Scottish Citylink to connect with the outer islands ferry to Harris and North Uist).

Macleods timetable from the mid-1950s

LACHLAN MACKINNON  of Elgol operated from Broadford to Elgol from 1953, using an Austin K2 JS7986 in the late 1950s. Mackinnon continued until April 1972, latterly with 29-seater Bedford OB JR114. He was successor to previous operators MacIntosh (1930s) and MacInnes (from 1939).  In 1972 the route then became only the second Royal Mail Postbus in the country, still driven by Mackinnon's driver Roddy Nicolson.  It continued for 35 years but was withdrawn in 2007, replaced by Rapsons (Highland Country Buses). Elgol is the departure point for the Loch Coruisk sailings. From 1978, there were two other Postbus routes on the island, in the Dunvegan/Glendale/Waternish area, operated by 4-seater estate cars, but now withdrawn.  Illustrated are a ticket and Mackinnon's timetable from the late 1960's.

W  J  SUTHERLAND  ("Willie') of Carbost operated from Portree via Sligachan to Carbost and Fiskavaig until just a few years ago.  There was also a connecting service to and from lonely Glenbrittle on the shores of Loch Eynort.  These services were previously operated by Ewen Macrae of Glenbrittle until 1962. (Earlier they had been operated by Neil Beaton, and before that by Steele of Carbost).  As well as the more traditional schools and shopping journeys, a feature of more recent years has been a summer months early morning departure from Portree with corresponding late afternoon return - a facility useful to walkers and climbers for access to the Cuillin Hills.  

The Carbost - Portree service had passed to NICOLSON of Skeabost Bridge in the last few years.  The Nicolson family have been involved in the bus business on Skye for many years, and it was D J Nicolson who operated the first bus on the island in 1927 as the Portree Coach Company.  They then sold this first business in 1930 to the Highland Transport Company of Inverness.  Highland withdrew from the island in 1935 and the Nicolsons became bus operators again over their old routes, but now running as Skye Transport.  The SCWS (Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society) took over the routes of the former private firm Skye Transport in March 1946, and retained the same trading name as had been used by the previous proprietor, D J Nicolson.  From 1952 the Nicolson name was back in the bus business again, running the ex-Neil Beaton service from Portree to Dunvegan and Glendale.  (This passed from A Nicolson to P CARSON of Dunvegan in 1965, and Carson ran it until taken over by Macbraynes in 1970).

Thus Nicolsons were once again out of the bus business - although still coach operators.  In 1981 they re-entered the bus business when the ex-Macleods of Duntulm route from Kilmaluag via Uig to Portree was taken over and operated by them for some years in the 1980s and 1990s.  The Borve-based firm seems to have been in and out of the timetabled bus service business at different times, especially the period 1965 to 1981, but were always involved in school contract work, sometimes with double deckers (eg an ex-Southdown "Queen Mary" for a time).  In the summer of 2001 we find  Nicolsons operating on their old route from Portree via Edinbane to Dunvegan and Glendale again, as well as Portree to Peinchorran, Portree - Sligachan - Dunvegan (school journeys), Portree to Carbost/Fiskavaig, and the Portree town service.  And then it seems that Nicolsons were once again out of the bus business!  The bus routes were deregistered in January 2002 after retendering and the contract for their operation passed to Highland.

Nicolsons Mercedes parked in Portree (July 2001)

A weekly express service was operated by SKYE CARS (the trading name adopted by A Sutherland and Sons, who also ran excursions on the island from their Sutherlands Garage, Broadford base) between Skye and Glasgow in the 1950s and 60's. The southbound journey was on Friday with return northbound on Saturday. Taken over from Neil Beaton in 1953, this passed to Wallace Arnold Tours of Leeds in the early 1970s who operated from the Glasgow end, so it was then north on Friday and south on Saturday.  Wallace Arnold used vehicles hired in from other operators as they did not have a Scottish base.  Another operator with a similar range of tours and excursions from Broadford and Kyleakin in the 1950s was Campbells Tours.

MACDONALD AND MACLEAN  were taken over in 1948 and this brought Macbrayne's buses on to the island for the first time on their Ardvasar - Armadale - Kyleakin route, which they had in turn inherited from Neil Beaton (date uncertain but by 1946).  Their garage at Ardvasar in the south of the island became the Macbrayne base.  Then MACBRAYNE'S, after modest beginnings on one route on the island between Ardvasar and Kyleakin, took over the remaining Neil Beaton bus route from Portree to Armadale in 1953.   Subsequently they took over all of the Skye Transport bus operations in 1958 when SCWS wished to withdraw from the bus business, which made Macbrayne's the major operator on the island.   The garage at Ardvasar still stands (summer 2001), now used for car and tractor repairs.  (For further information about past operations of David Macbrayne in the Highlands and Islands, follow this link).

The classic Isle of Skye bus picture - waiting for the ferry at Kyleakin are two Thornycroft Nippys: FGE 678 of 1947 with 14 seats and mail compartment; behind is HGG 357 of 1950, a 20-seater.

From the 1950s, three Maclennan sailing bills for the Armadale - Mallaig ferry and also pleasure cruises from Mallaig.

Some years later in 1970 Macbraynes took over the Portree - Dunvegan - Glendale route, which left only Macleods of Duntulm, MacKinnon of Elgol and Sutherlands of Carbost operating independently.  Following the break-up of the Macbraynes bus operations in 1970, their routes passed to Highland Omnibus (the wheel having turned full circle nearly 40 years later after Highland's withdrawal from the island in the 1930's).  

		Cover of 1969 Macbraynes timetable - if you are interested in the activities of David Macbrayne you may wish to view the website of the Macbrayne Circle.
		Macbraynes as fondly remembered
		Macbraynes summer 1955 timetable for their then only two Isle of Skye routes: Armadale - Portree and Armadale - Kyleakin   Clicking on this link will take you to the full Macbrayne's Islands Area timetable dated 2nd May 1955 If you remember the Clarion of Skye published in the 1950s by Alli Nicolson of Struan, or the Vest Pocket Guides to the Isle of Skye published by Duncan Macpherson in Kyle of Lochalsh you may find this link of interest!

		In more recent years, since bus deregulation in the mid-1980's, routes have changed hands from time to time.  The opening of the Skye bridge itself in 1995 bought changes too.   From 1981, there was competition between SKYEWAYS and Citylink's predecessors, with Skyeways operating a summer only service from Kyle of Lochalsh to Glasgow.  Extending on to the island in 1982, over the next two or three years the fleet was gradually increased and services to Glasgow and Inverness were successfully extended to operate as far as Portree and Uig on the Isle of Skye for 7 days a week, 12 months of the year.  Their blue liveried coaches and buses were to be a familiar sight on the island for nigh on twenty years.  But for the past few years these services have been rationalised into a Citylink-only operation after Citylink invested in the Skyeways business.   Skyeways / Clan Coaches still continue in the private hire and contract business with a fleet of over thirty vehicles from their mainland base. Skyeways (based primarily in Kyle of Lochalsh and known formerly for many years as Clan Coaches) also operated in the summer months over "local" routes on the island, Kyle/Kyleakin/ to Portree/Armadale and Armadale to Portree.  These routes are now served year round by HIGHLAND COUNTRY BUS (the name adopted after the sale of the Highland Omnibus business to then new owners Rapsons of Brora).   However, the Skyeways local services ceased at the end of the summer 2000 season and were not being operated in 2001.   To a degree CITYLINK competes with Highland Country Bus on the island bus routes as local passengers are conveyed on the five times a day express coach services between Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh, on the way to Glasgow and Inverness respectively.

At their Portree depot, Highland Country Bus in the summer of 2001 had an allocation of 17 buses plus 3 express coaches that park overnight, crewed by 22 bus and 5 coach drivers.  The coaches are operated on behalf of Citylink on routes to Inverness and Glasgow.  In practice many of the buses are outstationed around the island, 2 at Flodigarry, 1 at Uig, 2 at Broadford and 1 at Kyleakin (also 5 on the mainland just across the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh).  In January 2002 Highland assumed responsibility for the routes until recently operated by Nicolson of Borve from Portree to Glendale; Peinchorran; Fiskavaig; also the Portree town service.

		Highland Country Bus in action in Broadford (July 2001)

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These are the services that were operated in the SUMMER OF 2001

Comments on 2001     The only Sunday buses were the Citylink services and the 355 Skye Bridge shuttle.   In 2001, in the absence of the Skyeways services, there were no early buses westwards from Kyle and Kyleakin to Portree, and no late afternoon buses back.  There were also no direct services that year linking Kyle/Kyleakin with Armadale Pier (for Mallaig).    The winter service on Skye is very much reduced from summer levels, and is basically to meet shopping and school requirements only.   An additional provider in the winter months was Waterloo Bus Service of Broadford (a taxi and minibus operator) who provided some shoppers journeys (MWF Armadale to Broadford and Kyleakin) and TThS Armadale to Broadford and Portree).  

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And these are the services that were operated in the SUMMER OF 1956

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 In contrast, these are the services that were operated seventy odd years ago in the SUMMER OF 1936

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Click here to return to the Countrybus index page

Clicking on this link will take you to the full Macbrayne's Islands Area timetable dated 2nd May 1955