Kinchbus
Kinchbus is a private East Midlands regional bus operator serving Loughborough, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham with nine routes, 24/7 airport connectivity, and integrated digital ticketing across smart cards, mobile apps and contactless payments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersChesterfield, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kinchbus does
Kinchbus Limited is a privately held regional bus operator serving the East Midlands of England, with its registered office in Heanor, Derbyshire. The company runs nine bus routes connecting Loughborough, Leicester, Derby, and Nottingham, including 24/7 skylink services to East Midlands Airport and a high-frequency Sprint shuttle serving Loughborough University. Kinchbus carries over 3.5 million passengers per year across a fleet of 30+ vehicles and a team of approximately 90 employees.
The core technology layer consists of three proprietary and integrated fare products: Kinchkard (a reloadable smart card for 10-trip, 28-day and annual passes), the mango mobile app (digital ticketing with daily and 28-day fare caps), and an account-based contactless Travel system that calculates and caps fares at journey end. Real-time passenger information is delivered through integration with the third-party Hugo live-arrivals app. Multi-operator interoperability is achieved through partnerships with the Robin Hood, Spectrum, and Derbyshire Wayfarer ticketing schemes, plus local-authority concessionary-pass arrangements with Leicester City, Leicestershire County, and Derbyshire County councils.
Revenue is generated from transactional bus fares (cash, contactless, mango), prepaid smart-card loads (Kinchkard 10-trip and subscription tiers such as Leicester Flexi), and joint multi-operator tickets. Pricing is segmented by user type — adult, student, young person, senior (66+), and disabled concessionary — with daily fare caps providing upside protection on longer journeys. Kinchbus operates as a subsidiary within the Wellglade Holdings group, alongside trentbarton, TM Travel, Kleanline and Midland General, sharing ticketing platforms and group-level administration.
Kinchbus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kinchbus
- Legal name
- Kinchbus Limited
- Website
- https://kinchbus.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kinchbus is a private East Midlands regional bus operator serving Loughborough, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham with nine routes, 24/7 airport connectivity, and integrated digital ticketing across smart cards, mobile apps and contactless payments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kinchbus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Bus Services
- NAICS
- Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation (485210)
- SIC
- Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Economy/Conventional Scheduled Intercity Bus Services (THAIADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Intercity Coach & Bus Operators (TLAFAAAH)
Keywords
Where Kinchbus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chesterfield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Kinchbus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Bus Fares - Single Tickets: Single journey tickets purchased directly from drivers with cash or contactless payment. Customers tell the driver their destination and pay accordingly.
- Kinchkard Prepaid Cards: Prepaid smart cards loaded with 10 trips, 28-day unlimited, or annual travel passes. Revenue collected upfront when customers load value onto cards.
- mango Mobile App Payments: Digital ticket purchases through mobile app with daily and 28-day spending caps. Revenue from fare payments processed through the app.
- Contactless Travel Payments: Account-based ticketing where customers touch on/off with contactless cards. Fares calculated per journey with automatic capping applied.
- Multi-Operator Joint Tickets: Joint ticketing deals with train services and other bus operators including Derbyshire Wayfarer, Spectrum, and Robin Hood multi-operator schemes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Single adult cash fare |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | mango app daily caps |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Kinchkard 10-trip tickets |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Leicester Flexi Area tickets |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Derbyshire Wayfarer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Children and concessionary fares |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kinchbus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kinchbus operates nine local bus routes across the East Midlands, providing scheduled passenger transport connecting Loughborough, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, and East Midlands Airport. The portfolio includes high-frequency urban routes, the Sprint university shuttle, and the 24/7 skylink Derby and skylink Nottingham airport shuttle services. Customers can pay via Kinchkard smart cards, the mango mobile app, or contactless payment with daily fare capping.
Product overview
Kinchbus is a regional bus operator serving Loughborough and the wider East Midlands area. The offering consists of nine core bus routes (Kinchbus 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 12, Skylink Derby, Skylink Nottingham, and Sprint) supplemented by multiple payment and information add-on modules. The local routes (Kinchbus 2-12) provide coverage within Loughborough and connections to Leicester and Nottingham, while the Skylink services offer high-frequency airport connectivity 24/7 between major East Midlands cities and East Midlands Airport. The Sprint service focuses on university connectivity with high frequency during term time. Payment is facilitated through Kinchkard (physical smart card), mango (mobile payment app with spending caps), contactless travel (card and mobile payments), and Zigzag (daily unlimited tickets). Information services include live bus departures and the Hugo app for real-time arrivals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Kinchbus 2: Bus route between Loughborough and Sileby, running every 60 minutes.
- Kinchbus 3
- Kinchbus 5
- Kinchbus 9
- Kinchbus 11
- Kinchbus 12
- skylink Derby
- skylink Nottingham
- Sprint
Products and services
- Kinchbus Route 2 Local scheduled bus service route serving communities in the East Midlands, available to the general public for daily travel.
- Kinchbus Route 3 Local scheduled bus service route serving communities in the East Midlands, available to the general public for daily travel.
- Kinchbus Route 5 Local scheduled bus service route serving communities in the East Midlands, available to the general public for daily travel.
- Kinchbus Route 9 Local scheduled bus service route serving communities in the East Midlands, available to the general public for daily travel.
- Kinchbus Route 11 Local scheduled bus service route serving communities in the East Midlands, available to the general public for daily travel.
- Kinchbus Route 12 Local scheduled bus service route serving communities in the East Midlands, available to the general public for daily travel.
- skylink Derby 24/7 scheduled bus shuttle service linking Derby to East Midlands Airport, available to airline passengers and airport employees requiring round-the-clock transport.
- skylink Nottingham 24/7 scheduled bus shuttle service linking Nottingham to East Midlands Airport, available to airline passengers and airport employees requiring round-the-clock transport.
- Sprint University Shuttle High-frequency scheduled shuttle service connecting university campuses and student accommodation in the Loughborough corridor, targeted at university students and staff.
- Kinchkard Smart Card Reloadable smart card sold to passengers for cashless fare payment and annual subscription travel on the Kinchbus network.
- mango Mobile App Mobile application enabling passengers to purchase tickets, plan journeys, and access live bus arrival information across the Kinchbus network.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 3.5 million passengers carried annually
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kinchbus
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Kinchbus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
Kinchbus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Trentbarton (Wellglade Group)coreKinchbus is part of the Wellglade Group alongside Trentbarton and other bus companies including TM Travel, Kleanline, and Midland General. Parent company relationship with shared systems, ticketing platforms, and brand standards. The Wellglade Group includes: Trent Motor Traction Company Limited t/a trentbarton, Barton Buses Limited t/a trentbarton, Wellglade Limited, TM Travel Limited, Kleanline Limited, Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Traction Company Limited, Midland General Omnibus Company Limited, and Kinchbus Limited.
- Leicester City CouncilminorLocal authority partner for Leicester Flexi Area tickets and Leicester Flexi 4-week ticket. Also manages concessionary travel arrangements for senior and disabled passengers.
- Leicestershire County CouncilminorCounty council partner for concessionary bus pass schemes and local ticketing arrangements.
- Derbyshire County CouncilminorPartnership with Derbyshire County Council for Derbyshire Wayfarer multi-modal ticket covering buses and trains throughout Derbyshire and Peak District.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Kinchbus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Leicester CityBus (Kinchbus Loughborough competitor services): Local bus services operating in the Leicester urban area, overlapping with Kinchbus's Skylink Derby corridor and Loughborough connections. Closest municipal-level competitor in Leicester.
- Diamond Bus: Mid-sized regional bus operator covering parts of the Midlands and Northwest. Comparable by fleet size and local-scheduled-service model, with similar exposure to concessionary and short-distance passenger demand.
- Nottingham City Transport: Municipal bus operator running the majority of scheduled services in Greater Nottingham. Direct competitor on overlapping corridors (e.g., Kinchbus 9) and overlapping multi-operator ticketing schemes such as Robin Hood.
Emerging players
- FlixBus: Tech-enabled long-distance coach operator with a UK intercity network. Competes with Kinchbus's interurban and airport services on price and frequency, representing a digitally-led emerging threat to traditional regional operators.
Broad incumbents
- First Bus: One of the UK's largest bus operators with regional subsidiaries across multiple cities. Comparable business model and overlapping Midlands demand, though at substantially greater scale and geographic reach.
- Stagecoach: Major UK regional bus and interurban operator with significant East Midlands presence. Competes with Kinchbus on regional corridors and brings much greater scale, marketing and contract-bidding capacity.
- Arriva: One of the UK's largest bus operators with a national intercity and regional footprint. Competes with Kinchbus on interurban routes and at East Midlands Airport, but at materially larger scale and brand reach.
- National Express: National coach and airport transfer operator. Competes with Kinchbus's Skylink services for East Midlands Airport passengers and operates long-distance coach services that overlap with regional demand.
Direct peers
- Trentbarton: Sister brand under Wellglade Holdings, operates scheduled bus services across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire using the same group-level ticketing and platform infrastructure. Closest direct comparable by group structure, service model and East Midlands geography.
- TM Travel: Also part of Wellglade Group, operating local and regional bus services in South Yorkshire and adjacent East Midlands corridors. Comparable by group affiliation, fleet size and short-distance scheduled bus model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kinchbus social profiles
Digital presenceKinchbus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kinchbus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Kinchbus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kinchbus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kinchbus
What does Kinchbus do?
Kinchbus operates nine local bus routes across the East Midlands, providing scheduled passenger transport connecting Loughborough, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, and East Midlands Airport. The portfolio includes high-frequency urban routes, the Sprint university shuttle, and the 24/7 skylink Derby and skylink Nottingham airport shuttle services. Customers can pay via Kinchkard smart cards, the mango mobile app, or contactless payment with daily fare capping.
Is Kinchbus a public or private company?
Kinchbus is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Kinchbus founded?
Kinchbus was founded in 2000. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kinchbus based?
Kinchbus is headquartered in Chesterfield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Kinchbus make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Bus Fares - Single Tickets are the primary driver. The others are kinchkard Prepaid Cards, mango Mobile App Payments, contactless Travel Payments and multi-Operator Joint Tickets.
Who are Kinchbus's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Leicester CityBus (Kinchbus Loughborough competitor services), Diamond Bus and Nottingham City Transport. FlixBus is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are First Bus, Stagecoach, Arriva and National Express. Direct peers are Trentbarton and TM Travel.
Does Kinchbus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kinchbus.
What industry is Kinchbus in?
Kinchbus's product category is Local Bus Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAIADAE, Economy/Conventional Scheduled Intercity Bus Services, with a secondary code of TLAFAAAH, Intercity Coach & Bus Operators. Its NAICS code is 485210 and its SIC code is 4100.