TrønderBilene
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

TrønderBilene AS is a bus company operating in
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
, Norway. As of 2009, it has 324 employees and 238 buses, and is owned by
Torghatten ASA Torghatten ASA is a Norway, Norwegian shipping company based in Brønnøysund. The company's areas of operation include operating RORO, car ferries, High-speed craft, fast ferries, travel agent, travel agencies, real estate, security and mainte ...
. The company operates both coach, bus, charter and school routes, as well as some truck and garage services. The areas of operation are
Innherred or is a traditional district in Trøndelag county in the central part of Norway. It consists of the areas around the inner part of the Trondheimsfjord in the central-east part of the county. The district includes the municipalities of Levange ...
,
Namdalen Namdalen () is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the central part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities of Namsos Municipality, Namsos, Grong Municipality, Grong, Overhalla Municipality, Overhalla, Røyrvik Municipality, Røyr ...
,
Fosen Fosen is a traditional district in coastal Trøndelag county, Norway. The district consists of the municipalities Osen, Åfjord, Ørland, Indre Fosen, Orkland, Heim, Hitra, and Frøya. In colloquial speech, Fosen also refers to the Fosen ...
,
Hitra Hitra may refer to: Places * Hitra Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Hitra (island), an island within Hitra Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Hitra Church, a church in Hitra Municipality in Trøndelag county, Nor ...
and Frøya. TrønderBilene runs three town bus services: Buster in
Steinkjer or is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on the inne ...
, Blåmann in
Levanger Levanger may refer to: Places * Levanger Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Levanger (town), a town within Levanger Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Levanger landsogn, a former municipality (1856–1962) in Trø ...
and
Verdalsøra Verdalsøra or Verdal is a town in Verdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The town is the administrative center of the municipality. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord at the mouth of the river Verdalselva. The village of Vinne ...
, and Elgen in
Namsos Namsos may refer to: Places *Namsos Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Namsos (town) Namsos is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of Namsos Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. ...
. The coach service from Namsos to Trondheim is part of NOR-WAY Bussekspress. The company was founded in 1920 as the county-owned Fylkesbilene i Nord-Trøndelag (FBNT), when the county took over four bus companies. In 1998, the company changed its name and was converted to a limited company. The following year, the county council sold a majority share.


Operation

TrønderBilene is an operator of scheduled, charter and school buses, as well as trucks and mechanical services. The main areas of operation are the districts of Innherred, Namdal and Fosen, and the islands of Hitra and Frøya. As of 2009, the company has 324 employees who do 285 man-years. TrønderBilene has 238 buses, and the majority of these are used for school transport. The scheduled bus transport is on contract with Trøndelag County Municipality based on concessions with subsidies. The company also operates urban buses in four towns in Trøndelag: Buster in Steinkjer, Blåmann in Levanger and Verdalsøra, and Elgen in Namsos. The express bus from Namsos via Steinkjer to Trondheim operates as part of NOR-WAY Bussekspress. Bus transport accounts for 80% of the company's revenue. The company has three main mechanical depots, in Åfjord, Namsos, and Namsos, as well as four garages in Frosta, Kolvereid, Levanger, and Rissa. Twenty-four people work at the garages, and the company sells services to other bus and truck operators. The company also operates trucks on contract with Schenker. TrønderBilene is owned 66% by Fosen Trafikklag and 34% by Nord-Trøndelag County Municipality. The head office is located in Levanger. The company holds a 39.13% ownership in
Gauldal Billag Gauldal Billag is a Norwegian bus operator operating in Røros Municipality, Holtålen Municipality, and Midtre Gauldal Municipality in Trøndelag county. The company also operates express buses to Trondheim and Oppdal and cooperates with Øste ...
(that also owns
Østerdal Billag Østerdal Billag is a Norwegian bus operator operating in Østerdalen in Innlandet. The company also operates in cooperates with Gauldal Billag on a NOR-WAY express bus between Trondheim and Oslo. The company has its headquarters in Tynset. Th ...
) and a 22.7% ownership in
Namsos Trafikkselskap NTS ASA, formerly Namsos Trafikkselskap, is a public transport company in Trøndelag, Norway. The company operates ferries, local bus services, truck transport and ambulance services. The company has its headquarters in Namsos and the ...
. In 2008, the company had a revenue of and an income of NOK 2 million.


History


Predecessors

The first bus service in Nord-Trøndelag opened on 25 July 1908, when Stenkjær og Namsos Automobilselskap started a service from Steinkjer to Rødhammeren. The route started at
Steinkjer Station Steinkjer Station () is a railway station located in the town of Steinkjer in Steinkjer Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located on the Nordland Line, serving both local and express trains northbound through Innherred ...
, where it connected to the
Hell–Sunnan Line The Hell–Sunnan Line () is a railway line between Hell, Norway, Hell (in Stjørdal Municipality) and Sunnan (in Steinkjer Municipality) in Trøndelag county, Norway. The name is no longer in official use and the line is now considered part o ...
that had opened three years earlier, and ran to the south shore of the river
Namsen or is one of the longest rivers in Trøndelag county, in the central part of Norway. The long river flows through the municipalities of Røyrvik, Namsskogan, Grong, Overhalla, and Namsos before emptying into the Namsenfjorden. The river is t ...
, where a ferry took passengers to
Namsos Namsos may refer to: Places *Namsos Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Namsos (town) Namsos is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of Namsos Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. ...
. The company bought two seven-seat
Rex Simplex Rex or REX may refer to: * Rex (title) (Latin: king, ruler, monarch), a royal title ** King of Rome (Latin: Rex Romae), chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom Animals Dogs * Rex (Ronald Reagan's dog) * Rex (search and rescue dog), a dog that r ...
cars, that made the route in two and a half hours. The line was the second in Norway and the first to also carry post. The next bus company to start in Nord-Trøndelag was Namdalen Automobilselskap. In June 1913, it started a route from
Namsos Namsos may refer to: Places *Namsos Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Namsos (town) Namsos is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of Namsos Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. ...
to
Fiskum Fiskum is a parish in the municipality Øvre Eiker in Buskerud, Norway. The parish name comes from the farm Fiskum. In the 17th century, Fiskum Manor (''Fiskum gård'') was a nobleman's estate. Among the owners were Governor-general Jens ...
, using a seven-seat Labuire. The route was later the same year extended to
Brekkvasselv Brekkvasselv is a village in Namsskogan Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the river Namsen about southwest of the Namsskogan (village), village of Namsskogan and about northeast of Trones, Namsskogan, Trones. The vi ...
. The following year, the route was further extended to Gjersvika. By 1920, the company had six cars. In
Verdal Municipality Verdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...
, John Fiske started a route from
Verdalsøra Verdalsøra or Verdal is a town in Verdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The town is the administrative center of the municipality. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord at the mouth of the river Verdalselva. The village of Vinne ...
and
Verdal Station Verdal Station () is a railway station located in the town of Verdalsøra in Verdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. History The station was opened on 1 November 1904 on the Hell–Sunnan Line as the section to Verdal was finished. ...
on the Hell–Sunnan Line, to
Sandvika Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a List of cities in Norway, city by the municipal council (Norway), municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003. Sandvika is situated approximately ...
, adjacent the Swedish border. Fiske bought two
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
cars, that were still in service in 1920.
Inderøy Automobillag Inderøy may refer to: Places *Inderøy Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Inderøya, a peninsula within Inderøy Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway Other *Inderøy District Court, a former district court in Trøndel ...
was founded in 1917, and operated a route from Røra Station on the Hell–Sunnan Line via Straumen to Utøy.


Establishment

The idea to have a county-owned bus company was launched by engineer Emil Astrup, who was head of the Public Roads Administration in Nord-Trøndelag. He wrote a letter in 1918, where he stated that it would be more operationally efficient and easier to coordinate traffic if the bus routes in the county were merged into a single entity that was controlled by a political body. He also wanted to introduce cross subsidies, where profitable routes on main roads would pay the losses suffered on marginal routes in less populated areas. Negotiations with the four incumbent operators started in 1920, and agreements were made whereby the county would purchase them for . The money was borrowed as county-guaranteed bonds. The purchase gave Fylkesbilene 18 cars. Fylkesbilene i Nord-Trøndelag was established as a county agency, with County Governor Halvor Bachke Guldahl as the first chair. The board was identical to the County Road Board. In addition to the existing routes, the company established new routes from Steinkjer to Ogndal, from Steinkjer to Kvam, from Verdalsøra to Grunnan, from Namsos to
Nordli Municipality Nordli is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1915 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now the northern part of Lierne Municipality in Trøndelag county. The administrative cen ...
and from Namsos via
Høylandet Høylandet (a Norwegian word meaning ''the highlands'') may refer to: Places * Høylandet Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Høylandet (village), a village in Høylandet Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Høyland ...
to Kongsmo. The routes were largely planned to supplement the railway line, that would operate as the main artery north–south through Innherred. The company also took over the operation of the ferry from Rødhammeren to Namsos. It took over the ferry ''Oma'' that had been in service since 1912. ''Oma'' was 28.13 tonnes and had a capacity for 50 passengers. It was replaced by the 100-passenger ''Kaulgarden'' in 1921, that was in service until 1924, when a bridge was opened. This was the only ferry service operated by Fylkesbilene.


Pre-war operations

The first year of operation showed 21,000 passengers and a profit of NOK 41,000. During 1920, there was a strike in the
Norwegian State Railways Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...
, and Fylkesbilene had to operate a post car on the route from Trondheim via Steinkjer to
Sunnan Sunnan or Sundan is a village in Steinkjer Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the area between the lakes Snåsavatnet and Fossemvatnet about northeast of the town of Steinkjer. The village of Følling lies about to t ...
. The company's first head office was at Grand Hotell in Steinkjer, a block away from the railway station. In 1929, the Nordland Line opened from Sunnan via Snåsa to Grong, and the bus route was terminated. In 1928, the company bought its first buses, a series of 16 and 22-seat vehicles from
Strømmens Værksted Strømmens Værksted A/S was an industrial company based in Skedsmo, Norway, specialising in the production of rolling stock. Founded in 1873, it remains as a part of Bombardier Transportation. The plant is located just off Hovedbanen west of S ...
.
Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...
s were introduced in 1937 and
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
s in 1938. A bus terminal and offices were built in the center of Steinkjer in 1938. In 1938, the route from Steinkjer to Follafoss and from Steinkjer to
Sandvollan Sandvollan is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1907 until its dissolution in 1962. It was located in the north part of what is now Inderøy Mu ...
, Kjerknesvågen and
Utøya Utøya () is an island in the Tyrifjorden lake in Hole municipality, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. The island is , situated off the shore, by the E16 road, about driving distance south of Hønefoss, and northwest of Oslo city centre. ...
were opened. At the break-out of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in Norway on 9 April 1940, all the company's buses were taken over by the armed forces. From 17 May, the buses were returned to the company, but quotas for petrol were introduced, and the company was forced to install
wood gas Wood gas is a fuel gas that can be used for furnaces, stoves, and vehicles. During the production process, biomass or related carbon-containing materials are gasified within the oxygen-limited environment of a wood gas generator to produce a c ...
ifiers on its fleet. Both Steinkjer and Namsos were bombed in 1940, but in both towns the company's facilities survived, except the garage in Steinkjer. The buses were at the time spread around the county, and only a single bus was destroyed. After the war ended in 1945, the company had 21 operational buses. The company needed to have a license to purchase buses, and in the following five years, 17 buses were bought for about NOK 1 million. They were mostly Volvos and
Scania-Vabis Scania AB ( , ), stylised SCANIA in its products, is a major Swedish manufacturer headquartered in Södertälje, focusing on commercial vehicles—specifically heavy lorries, trucks and buses. It also manufactures diesel engines for heavy veh ...
, including one from the municipal bus company in
Høylandet Municipality Høylandet is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Høylandet. Other villages include Kongsmoen and Vassbotna. The municipality is the ...
. In 1946, Fylkesbilene bought Kvam Billag and the routes from Steinkjer to Øvre Kvam. At the same time, the route to Follafoss was extended to the county border. From 1 January 1948, Fylkesbilene bought the private bus operators in Ytre Namdal, and started routes from
Vikna Municipality Vikna is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1869 until its dissolution in 2020. It is now part of Nærøysund Municipality in the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipalit ...
,
Nærøy Municipality Nærøy () is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality of Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. It is now part of Nærøysund Municipality in the Nam ...
,
Leka Municipality Leka is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leknes, Trøndelag, ...
and
Bindal Municipality Bindal is a municipality in the Helgeland region in the extreme southwest part of Nordland county, Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Terråk. Other villages include Bindalseidet, Holm, Vassås, Horsfjord and Åbygda. The ...
via Ottersøy Municipality to Namsos. The company in Høylandet was bought to allow direct connection from Ytre Namdal via Høylandet to Grong. The same year, the company introduced a direct service between Verdalsøra and Levanger, that previously had only been served by the railway.


Post-war operations

On 16 December 1948, the
snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...
route from Steinfjellet to Gjersvika was opened. Within two weeks, additional routes were introduced from Brekkvasselv to Gjersvika and over Lifjellet. The company had four Bombardier vehicles for the routes. The routes were terminated in the early 1960s, when proper roads were built. A new bus station opened in Namsos in 1953, with the city receiving a new garage three years later. Routes from Steinkjer to Stod were started in 1961, after Fylkesbilene bought Østgårds, and the following year from Steinkjer to Vingsand. From 1964, the board was no longer identical to the County Road Board, but was instead directly appointed by the county council. In 1965, Fylkesbilene attempted an airport coach service from Steinkjer and Levanger to Trondheim Airport, Værnes, but failed to make money and terminated it the same year. The same year, the company established a route from
Vanvikan Vanvikan is a village in Indre Fosen Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord in the southeastern part of the municipality. The village of Seter lies about northeast of Vanvikan and the lake Storvatnet ...
via
Leksvik Leksvik may refer to: Places *Leksvik (village), a village in Indre Fosen Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Leksvik Church, a church in Indre Fosen Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Leksvik Municipality Leksvik is a List of for ...
to
Mosvik Mosvik may refer to: Places * Mosvik (village), a village in Inderøy Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Mosvik Municipality, a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway * Mosvik Church, a church in Inderøy Municipalit ...
and onwards to Steinkjer. From 1 January 1967, the company took over the route Vanvikan– Kråkmo and started a direct service from Leksvik to
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
. In 1966, the first town buses were introduced in Namsos, in 1967, a direct route from Namsos via
Foldereid Foldereid is a village in Nærøysund Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located near the inner part of the Folda, Trøndelag, Folda fjord, the ''Innerfolda'', just south of the border with Nordland county. The Norwegian ...
to Rørvik was introduced, and on 1 February 1968, the company took over Olav Hårberg's route from Namsos to Kjerstivika. From 1 July 1969, a combined bus and cargo route was established from Namsos to
Sørli Sørli may refer to: * Sørli (surname), a Norwegian surname Places *Sørli Municipality, a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway *Sørli Church, a church in Lierne Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Mebygda, a vil ...
. The company's main depot was opened on 25 November 1969 outside Steinkjer, and cost NOK 2 million. In 1972, the company opened a garage in Verdal for NOK 680,000. It was supplemented by two urban services, to Brannan and Ydsedalen, in 1975. In 1973, Fylkesbilene introduced a route parallel to the Nordland Line from Steinkjer via
Snåsa Snåsa may refer to: Places

*Snåsa Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Snåsa (village), a village in Snåsa Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Snåsa Church, a church built in 1200 in Snåsa Municipality in Trø ...
to Grong. Routes in
Beitstad Beitstad () is a village in Steinkjer Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located along the Beitstadsundet strait at the end of the Beitstadfjorden at the inner end of the Trondheimsfjord, about southwest of the village o ...
were taken over from Ivar Sems Bilruter on 1 November 1976. School routes in Overhalla were taken over in 1977. In 1978, passenger transport on the
Namsos Line The Namsos Line () is a railway line between the village of Medjå and the Namsos (town), town of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The line branch line, branches off from the Nordland Line at Grong Station and runs through Grong Municipality ...
from Grong to Namsos was terminated, and Fylkesbilene took over the route. On 1 April 1979, Fylkesbilene took over the routes and nine buses in Levanger from Fjerdingen Busselskap, including five scheduled services and four school services. On 29 April 1979, Fylkesbilene opened its combined bus station and train station at
Steinkjer Station Steinkjer Station () is a railway station located in the town of Steinkjer in Steinkjer Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located on the Nordland Line, serving both local and express trains northbound through Innherred ...
. It was the first such combined station in Norway, having cost NOK 3.7 million. In 1981, Fylkesbilene bought Arne Bruem's concessions and buses that operated the town bus in Steinkjer. From 1 September 1985, the infrastructure was upgrade and higher
frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. Frequency is an important parameter used in science and engineering to specify the rate of oscillatory and vibratory phenomena, such as mechanical vibrations, audio ...
introduced. The yellow Buster buses were introduced on the town routes in 1991. A garage was opened in Kolvereid in 1979, costing NOK 1.5 million. From 15 September 1983, Fylkesbilene started distribution of food produce from the cooperatives Namdalsmeieriet, Bøndenes Salgslag and Gartnerhallen to food stores in Namdalen, in a cooperation to reduce transport costs. In
Verdalsøra Verdalsøra or Verdal is a town in Verdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The town is the administrative center of the municipality. It is located along the Trondheimsfjord at the mouth of the river Verdalselva. The village of Vinne ...
, the company opened a bus station at
Verdal Station Verdal Station () is a railway station located in the town of Verdalsøra in Verdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. History The station was opened on 1 November 1904 on the Hell–Sunnan Line as the section to Verdal was finished. ...
on 1 October 1983 for NOK 2 million. In 1985, the bus route from Ytre Namdal was moved, so it went to Grong instead of Namsos. A town bus service was introduced in Levanger in 1985. In 1989, a new garage opened in Levanger. The same year, the company introduced the Environment Card monthly pass, that halved the price. The following year, the company's ridership doubled. 1990 also saw the introduction of a new livery: the old brown, red and beige colors were replaced with a "eurowhite" livery with a brown, red and beige
cheatline An aircraft livery is a set of comprehensive insignia comprising color, graphic, and typographical identifiers which operators (airlines, governments, air forces and occasionally private and corporate owners) apply to their aircraft. As aircraf ...
. From 1994, the Blåmann town bus branding was introduced in Levanger and Verdal.


TrønderReiser

The work to establish a charter division began in the early 1980s, when the company realized that it had a large amount of idle capacity during the daytime, in the evenings and in the weekends. A concession was granted in 1983 and the first trip was from Follafoss to
Meråker Meråker or Meraker may refer to: Places *Meråker Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Meråker (village), a village within Meråker Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Meråker Church, a church in Meråker Municipal ...
for two days. In 1984, eight trips were offered, and six were made. Sales were done through Bennett Reisebureau and NSB ReisebyrÃ¥. By 1986, the division had a revenue of NOK 4 million. By 1994, it had reached 17 million and offered 92 trips. That year, the division was rebranded TrønderReiser. TrønderReiser was in 1997 sold to some of the employees. In 1999, it was taken over by Sende Busstrafikk, but the company was not making money and filed for bankruptcy in December 2000.


Privatization

A project group concluded in 1996 that the agency should be converted to a limited company. TrønderBilene was converted to a limited company from 1 January 1998, and at the same time Managing Director Alf Kroglund announced that he wanted to merge, join an alliance or sell part of the company. Three companies bid for part or all of TrønderBilene: Fosen Trafikklag,
Hemne og Orkladal Billag Hemne Orkladal Billag or HOB was a Norway, Norwegian transport company based in Kyrksæterøra, Sør-Trøndelag. HOB was founded in 1937 and mergers and acquisitions, merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap in 2001 to form Team Trafikk. History Hem ...
and the consortium NT-Buss, led by Namsos Trafikkselskap. In October, the board rejected all the bids, stating that they were too low. The bid from Fosen involved them purchasing 66% of the company, while the other bids were for 100% of the shares. Fosen also proposed transferring Fosen's and Fosen's largest owner,
Torghatten Trafikkselskap Torghatten ASA is a Norwegian shipping company based in Brønnøysund. The company's areas of operation include operating car ferries, fast ferries, travel agencies, real estate, security and maintenance. The company's main asset is a 100% ...
's bus divisions to TrønderBilene, and base the new company in Steinkjer. On 20 January 1999, the county council approved the Fosen bid, who paid NOK 29.7 million for the company. The Socialist Left Party and the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
were the only to vote against the sale. In March 2000, TrønderBilene announced the take-over of Fosen's bus divisions, as well as the ownership of Fosen's subsidiary
Bilruta Frosta–Åsen Bilruta Frosta–Åsen AS is a defunct bus company based in Frosta Municipality, Norway. It operated the route from Frosta to Åsen, and onwards north to Levanger. The company was bought by TrønderBilene TrønderBilene AS is a bus company op ...
from 1 January 2001. The take-over increased TrønderBilene's revenue from NOK 100 to 180 million. At the same time, the company started serving
Trondheim Airport, Værnes Trondheim Airport (; ), more commonly known as Værnes, is an international airport serving Trondheim (city), Trondheim and the surrounding areas in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, Trøndelag, Værnes, a village i ...
with its coach service from Namsos to Trondheim. TrønderBilenes fleet increased by 95 vehicles to 210 buses and trucks. The plans to include Torghatten's bus routes in the take-over were canceled. The take-over was financed through a NOK 11.4 million private placement by the two owners. In 2002, the company applied to start a coach service from Trondheim to Bodø in cooperation with
SB Nordlandsbuss Nordlandsbuss AS, trading as SB Nordlandsbuss, is a Norwegian bus company that operates in Nordland county. The company was created in 2002 when Nettbuss Helgeland merged with the bus division of Saltens Bilruter. The company is owned 34% by Ne ...
, and concession was granted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications the following year. The concession had been supported by the county council in Nord-Trøndelag, but their administration and the county council in Nordland was opposed because the coach service would take customers away from the railway. The route started on 1 March 2004. The route was terminated from 1 September, because the company failed to make it profitable. On 1 March 2003, TrønderBilene moved its head office from Steinkjer to Levanger. In 2003, the company increased its subsidies by NOK 8 million and its profits by NOK 4.8 million to 11.7 million. In June 2004, TrønderBilene bought 39% of Gauldal Billag from several private investors. The company held a 23% market share in Sør-Trøndelag, and the remaining shares were owned by
Røros Municipality ( Norwegian) or is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Some of the villages in Røros include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen. The municip ...
,
Holtålen Municipality Holtålen is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is located in the Ålen area o ...
and
Midtre Gauldal Municipality Midtre Gauldal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Støren. ...
. From 1 January 2006, TrønderBilene merged with its subsidiary Bilrute Frosta–Åsen. In January 2007, TrønderBilene increased their ownership in Namsos Trafikkselskap from 8.7 to 20.7%, becoming the company's second-largest owner after Helgelandske.


References


Biography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:TronderBilene Bus companies of Trøndelag Transport companies established in 1920 1920 establishments in Norway Companies formerly owned by municipalities of Norway Torghatten ASA Nor-Way Bussekspress operators Companies based in Levanger Companies based in Steinkjer Trøndelag County Municipality