Cumberland Motor Services was one of the first National Bus Company (NBC) subsidiaries to be privatised: this was almost immediately after gaining the Penrith and Carlisle depots from Ribble.

[4] On 11 January 2005, Stagecoach North West's Carlisle depot on Willowholme Road was severely damaged by flooding after nine inches of rain fell in three days, resulting in the River Petteril bursting its banks.

The Stagecoach Group loaned buses of varying types and ages to Carlisle from across the country to replace the written-off buses,[5] and the following June, 39 new Plaxton Pointer 2 bodied Dennis Dart SLFs were delivered to Carlisle as permanent replacements for the damaged fleet, featuring colour-coded route branding for the new 'Carlisle Citi' network.

The company's previous operations in Blackburn, Hyndburn, Clitheroe and Bolton were sold in April 2001 to the Blazefield Group for £13 million (equivalent to £27,157,000 in 2023), which rebranded them as Lancashire United and Burnley & Pendle.

In early 2009, Stagecoach lost the contract for some Fylde Villager branded services to Cumfybus and Coastal Coaches, who operate them on behalf of Lancashire County Council.

The company under Stagecoach operated routes within the City of Preston, its suburbs (e.g., South Ribble, Longridge, Chipping) and the surrounding area, all based from a single depot on Deepdale Road.