[2] White-painted minibuses operated by each division were branded "Mini Busways" to allow them to be quickly transferred between divisions,[citation needed] while low-cost subsidiaries, such as Blue Bus, Economic and The Favourite,[3] were also set up by Busways to compete with rival operators, such as Trimdon Motor Services, Go-Ahead Northern, the Tyne and Wear Omnibus Company (TWOC) and Welcome Passenger Service, on services across Tyne and Wear for passengers.

[10] This eventually resulted in Busways being ruled to have unfairly dismissed TWOC workers by an industrial tribunal in June 1992.

[11][12] By March 1994, the company was considering options of geographic expansion, merger, acquisition or sale to a national group.

The name "Economic" had been used by the associated businesses of GR Anderson and EW Wilson of Whitburn for their services between Sunderland and South Shields.

Prior to deregulation, TWPTE had painted a Leyland Atlantean double-decker bus in the old Economic colours of maroon and off-white with black lining to mark the 60th anniversary of the business, and as deregulation approached, two brand-new Leyland Olympian double-deckers were delivered to the PTE in those colours, bearing gold "ECONOMIC" fleetnames.

Armstrong Galley introduced a flagship service to London in the early 1980s, competing with National Express, using MCW Metroliner coaches branded as the "Non-Stop Clipper".

[25] As of the purchase by Stagecoach in July 1994, Busways Travel Services was operating a fleet of over 600 buses based at four depots.

[28] The double deck fleet was also added to with the purchase of Northern Counties-bodied 1987 Leyland Olympians from London Transport's Bexleybus operation.