Truronian = Dartline?

Go-Ahead has confirmed it will acquire Truronian Coaches and the Truro depot from First Bus as part of First’s exit from Cornwall, with the deal completing on 15 February, a day after First ends its local bus services. While no vehicles are included, the existing work commitments are part of the sale. Go-Ahead hasn’t revealed plans for Truronian, though integrating it into Exeter-based Dartline Coaches, acquired in 2022, has been suggested. First says no FlixBus contracts are involved, and staff were told the sale wasn’t originally planned but fits broader changes in the county. 

When First announced its departure in November 2025, Go South West quickly confirmed it would cover most services, though not identically. Go-Ahead has already bought Camborne and Summercourt depots and is set to run the Truro park-and-ride, soon to be served by council-owned electric buses. 

First notes Truronian will keep operating from Truro depot, with all staff protected under TUPE, ensuring continuity for customers. Managing Director Simon Goff praised Truronian’s strong customer relationships and said the sale followed careful consideration, expressing confidence in its future under Go-Ahead.

Interestingly, we now have an official answer on who is running the Truro Park & Ride. Today, we saw the registration for Dealtop - Dartline to operate the service. This suggests that the 'Truronian' operation was purchased under the Dartline licence. It remains to be seen whether they will use the Truronian name or Dartline for these operations.

PH0005305/125

PR1, PR1A

Service type

Normal Stopping

Start point

Tregurra Park

Finish point

Langarth

Effective date16 Feb 2026

The existing Mercedes Citaro buses from the Park & Ride are apparently being transferred to Go Ahead, with fleet numbers 50-57 (formerly First 64050-57). I’m pretty sure I read that somewhere, but I can’t seem to find it right now.

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I’ll be away for the next couple of days, so posting will be limited, but I’ll still be able to publish any comments left on the site. With so much happening right now, any interesting sightings or comments are always welcome!