Central Connect
Central
Connect was the first Rotala-owned company to operate
bus services in Redditch when it successfully won the
contract to run many of the daytime journeys on service
350 between Redditch and Worcester.The origins of
Central Connect can be traced back to Zak's Bus & Coach
Services Ltd, which was founded in 1978 by the late
Kevin Fazakerley and based in Great Barr, North
Birmingham. The company name came from Kevin's nickname,
"Zak". Initially, the business concentrated on private
coach hire and special needs school transport operated
on behalf of Birmingham City Council. As the company
expanded, it relocated to larger premises off Shady Lane
in Great Barr, allowing it to introduce a larger fleet
of vehicles and broaden its operations.Zak's entered the
local bus market in 1992, initially operating only a
Sunday service. The company took over the commercial
operation of service 52 between Birmingham City Centre
and Great Barr, allowing Kevin Fazakerley to assess the
viability of expanding into local bus services. The
venture proved successful, and Zak's subsequently
secured a number of subsidised bus contracts awarded by
Centro. Further contract wins enabled the company to
expand into Staffordshire and Worcestershire, with the
fleet growing rapidly through the acquisition of
numerous low-floor Dennis Dart buses. During 2002, the
company modernised its ticketing equipment by
introducing the Wayfarer TGX150 electronic ticket
machine system. Tragically, Kevin Fazakerley died
suddenly in October 2003 after suffering a heart attack
while at Stansted Airport. Fittingly for someone who had
spent his career behind the wheel, he was operating a
rail replacement coach service on behalf of Central
Trains at the time. In September 2005, Zak's Bus & Coach
Services Ltd was acquired by its directors, Matt Lawton
and Chris Hart. The company continued to expand and,
only a month later, purchased the private hire and
contract coach operations of Birmingham Coach Company.
These services were operated under the new name of
Birmingham Coach Services, using several coaches
acquired specifically for the purpose. Expansion
continued in March 2006 with the acquisition of the
coaching division of Chase Coaches Ltd, extending the
company's activities into South Staffordshire. A major
change came on 19 October 2006 when Zak's Bus & Coach
Services Ltd was acquired by Rotala Group plc. Rotala
already owned the Flights Hallmark coaching business,
based at Nechells in Birmingham on the site of the
former Aston locomotive depot. Following the takeover,
the bus operations of Zak's and Flights Hallmark were
brought together under the new trading name of Central
Connect, although many vehicles continued to carry Zak's
distinctive blue and white livery for several years
afterwards. Rotala expanded further on 24 December 2006
with the purchase of Birmingham Motor Traction Ltd and
Birmingham Motor Traction (North) Ltd, acquiring a
substantial portfolio of Centro-supported bus services.
Following the re-tendering of Worcestershire County
Council's contracts, Central Connect successfully
secured the daytime operation of service 350 between
Redditch and Worcester. The company commenced operation
on Monday 26 February 2007, taking over from Harding's
Coaches. This marked the first occasion that a
Rotala-owned company had operated local bus services in
Redditch. The service remained with Central Connect for
just over a year before being transferred internally
within the Rotala Group to Diamond Bus on 2 August 2008,
continuing the company's growing presence in the
Redditch area.