[3][4] The original bus division, Merseybus, introduced several new brand names, many outside of Merseyside, expanding into Manchester, North London, Lancaster, Warrington and South Lancashire.

The company also owned Sightseers, a coach holiday business and had a full ABTA travel agency, "The TravelShop", in Williamson Square, Liverpool and in Eastbank Street, Southport.

[6] Despite sustained competition from other operators such as Merseybus, North Western and Liverline,[7][8] Fareway would successfully maintain its network of services in Kirkby and North Liverpool for the next few years while also establishing a coach excursion and private hire division, gaining a public reputation for a clean bus fleet, low fares and efficiently-run services.

[9] Fareway's first new vehicles that entered service in January 1989, these being ten Northern Counties Palatine bodied Leyland Olympians, were the first new double-decker buses for an independent operator in North West of England since deregulation.

[citation needed] MerseyRider began life in the autumn of 1992 as a low-cost operation set up by Merseybus a few months prior to the sale to privatisation.

and the bus fleet included Merseybus's remaining Willowbrook bodied Leyland Atlanteans and a number of hired minibuses, which were painted in a cream and green livery.

[citation needed] Originally owned by Gemsam Holdings, Liverbus was an independent operator set up by former Merseybus employees in January 1990.

Rebranded MTL London, the company operated services from four bus garages in Chalk Farm, Finchley, Holloway and Potters Bar.

[26] Being located at least 40–50 miles away from MTL's core operations on Merseyside, the Heysham Travel fleet was managed at an arms' length and had few opportunities for expansion.

[citation needed] Village was acquired by MTL in the spring of 1998, with the Evans Road depot retained by the company to operate ex-Merseybus and MerseyRider services.

[28] Northern Spirit[29] was a large franchise operating services across the whole of Yorkshire, including the Settle & Carlisle line and much of the North East.