Uno (formerly UniversityBus) is a bus service operated by the University of Hertfordshire, England, serving members of the general public, and also its own students and staff (at a discounted rate). The service was set up in 1992, growing out of a shuttle service previously operated for students at Wall Hall college near Watford connecting them to the other campuses of the University and the Polytechnic (Hatfield) before it.
It provides student transport to the expanding university from local areas as well as improving east-west travel across Hertfordshire and has opened up new links from North London. Services have expanded rapidly as the University has closed outlying sites at Watford and Hertford and developed the new de Havilland Campus on the site of the former Hatfield airfield. Other developments on this site, including business premises for companies such as Veolia, DHL and T-mobile have also provided passengers.
History
Uno, whose legal title is Universitybus Limited, was set up as an 'arms length' company by the University of Hertfordshire in 1992. It has its own Board of Directors and is expected to run on a fully commercial basis.
In 2005 it was re-branded "Uno" and the buses were painted in pink and purple, a departure from the previous black and white colour scheme. According to the University's student newspaper "Universe", the reason for the re-branding "is to have a name that reflects the wider market the buses serve in the community, basically not just for the inhabitants of the University of Hertfordshire".
Shortly after buying the St Albans operations of Centrebus (Holdings), UNO helped to found a voluntary partnership of local authorities, the university and the bus and rail operators serving the city with the aim of co-ordinating and improving public transport across St Albans. The partnership uses powers under the most recent Transport Act as a Quality Network Partnership (QNP) but will be known publicly as 'Network St Albans'. Uno is now the second largest bus operator in Hertfordshire.
On 20 April 2009 Uno recast many of its services to integrate a number of the former Centrebus routes. Further changes occurred from 28 September 2009, following the opening of the new University Of Hertfordshire Forum. These changes included significant improvements to late evening services and the extension of operating hours until as late as 3:30 am on some routes. The main timetable change each year takes place in September to coincide with the start of the school, college and university academic year.
In March 2008 Uno bought Centrebus's St Albans garage, taking over all Centrebus routes operating from there, including the S St Albans City route network, PB1 (a Potters Bar local route), various routes connecting St Albans with outlying towns and housing estates and a number of schools services provided under contract to Hertfordshire County Council.
In April 2009 several former Centrebus services were intregated into the main network (mainly as services 620 and 621) while a further route (304) provided under contract to Herfordshire County Council was transferred to Arriva Shires & Essex.
In March 2010 some of the smaller local routes around Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City, that only ran a couple of times a day or one day a week, were lost to Sullivan Buses.[5] The evening 620 service contract was also lost to Arriva Shires & Essex. The 694 service, introduced in September 2009 as a park-and-ride service between College Lane and Stanborough Lakes, was axed, presumably due to low passenger numbers. A further timetable change was made, as is customary to coincide with the start of the 2010-11 academic year in September 2010.
In September 2011 changes were made to routes 607, 610, 615, 625, 635, 658, 659 (increasing frequency/new services), route 700 (cutting back service as result of 625/635), routes 602, 603, 622, 634, 636 and 712 (general timing changes) and removal of route 641, with assurances that the peak hour connection would be kept on the route 341.[6]
However in January 2012 the peak hour connection was lost from 341, with shortening of some late/early journeys on the 602, 603, 620, 621, 622, 625, 635, 658 and PB1 services (with removal of 604 and 634 outside of peak times and changing all evening 644 buses to run via Barnet via route 614).[7]
Garages and buses
Uno operates from a head office and garage in the Hatfield Business Park. The garage and offices were purpose built and opened in 2003. Following the takeover of Centrebus' St Albans operations, Uno continued to operate them from the St Albans garage. However, this was subsequently closed and operations centralised at the Hatfield location.
These London buses were also imported into the Uno (bus company), which is after London General had withdrawn their PVL's due to the incoming Enviro400s and London United had withdrawn all the Scania N230UD/Optare Olympus after choosing the Scania OmniCity as a staple vehicle. These vehicles were subsequently delivered in 2009. In addition, one of the Dublin Bus RA195-198 were also sold to Ensignbus, before subsequently going to Uno (bus company), but it was withdrawn a few months later in 2008 due to problems with their accessibility.[8]
As a result of winning the Northampton University contracts a depot has opened at the Park Campus of the university as of 01/09/12.
A promotional bus advertising the PlusBus ticketing scheme
The company participates in various county-wide ticketing schemes where appropriate, such as PlusBus (discounted combined rail and bus tickets), Intalink Explorer (a ticket allowing unlimited travel around Hertfordshire), discounted travel for children with a Hertfordshire SaverCard. There are buses decorated specially to advertise both the Explorer and PlusBus ticketing schemes owned by Uno.[citation needed]
