The Red Diamond.

During March 2008, Rotala purchased the West Midlands operation from Go Ahead known as, Diamond Bus Company. This included services in Worcestershire based at the Redditch depot.
At the time of the takeover the fleet carried Diamond Livery which was a basic Red and White livery with the slogan 'Better Buses, Better Service, Better Catch One'.

Diamond 499, R488 LGH

Following the sale of the service to Rotala, the decision was made to rebrand the services under there own identity.

- Red Diamond - For services in Redditch and Worcestershire

- Black Diamond - For services in the Black Country. 

(There was also later a Blue Diamond brand added for Birmingham service.)

In July 2008 services were rebranded under the Red Diamond brand, with a fleet of 11 brand new Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban's, as well as repainted Dennis Dart SLFs and a second hand B7RLE.

Diamond 858, BU08 DHP

To begin with services 57 and 58 (Matchborough Circulars) received dedicated Volvo B7RLE's 850-853 which carried dedicated branding including the service numbers within the Diamond, These were later joined by 857 and 858 with the PVR of services being 6 vehicles at the time. 

New services 55A and 56A (Oakenshaw Circulars) were registered to compete with First Group services, however these would also compete with the 51 and 68 services by serving Webheath and Batchley and also received brand new 854-6/9-60 as well as 861, the lone second hand B7RLE.

Following the rebranding all services run from Redditch depot were run with Red Diamond branded vehicles. The starting Red Diamond fleet was as follows;

-454 - Y211 HWJ - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2. (30454)

-455 - Y212 HWJ - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2. (30455)

20502, S759 RNE

-456 - PJ02 RGX - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2.

-457 - PJ02 RGY - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2.

-458 - PJ02 RHA - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2.

-501 - S758 RNE - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20501)

-502 - S759 RNE - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20502)

-503 - T71 JBA - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20503)

-504 - V266 BNV - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20504)

-505 - V267 BNV - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20505)

-517 - KX57 OWM - Alexander Dennis Enviro 200. (20512)

-518 - KU02 YUA - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20518)

20517, KX57 OWM

-519 - KP51 UFC - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20519)

-520 - W142 WGT - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2. (30520)

-850 - BU08 DAO - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30850)

-851 - BU08 DBV - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30851)

-852 - BU08 DBX - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30852)

-853 - BU08 DBY - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30862)

-854 - WX58 FSE - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30854)

-855 - WX58 FRZ - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30855)

-856 - WX58 FSD - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30856)

-857 - BU08 DHO - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30857)

-858 - BU08 DHP - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30858)

-859 - WX58 FSC - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30859)

-860 - WX58 FRR - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30860)

-861 - MX07 OYT - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30861)

547, T469 HNH

Soon after 4 more Mini Pointer Darts joined the fleet for recently won service 19 between Maypole and Northfield, these were 545-548 which had been repainted and transferred from within the company, mainly from Central Connect.

-545 - W573 JVV - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20573)

-546 - T468 HNH - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20546)

-547 - T469 HNH - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20469)

-548 - T546 HNH - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2. (20646)

During September 2009 it was announced that Diamond had won service in Droitwich Spa for which they had agreed to operate with a local company in the area bringing newer low floor vehicles to local town services. For these services MPD's 501-5 were moved over to the newly opened Droitwich Depot. Soon services were expanded with the addition of service 144 between Bromsgrove and Birmingham with 4 branded Urbans moving over from Redditch, 853, 856, 859 and 860 following the withdrawl of services 55A and 56A. 

To replace the Mini Darts at Redditch 6 further Dennis Darts were moved over from Tividale, these being Wright Crusader bodied examples, two received branding, 412 for service 51 and 416 for service 70.

-412 - R527 YRP - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader (51 Branded)
-413 - R529 YRP - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-414 - R530 YRP - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-415 - R531 YRP - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-416 - R532 YRP - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader (70 Branded)

Also following expansion of work from Redditch an additional Red vehicle was required, so at the time, the only ALX200 bodied Dennis Dart at Tividale was moved to Redditch

-516 - W906 JNF - Dennis Dart SLF, Alexander ALX200

Further expansion soon came in 2010 with Worcester local and rural services added, many competing with First Group. For this several more vehicles were brought into the Red Diamond fleet. These services included the 30 (Green), 31 (Orange) and 37 (Pink) services using dedicated route colour coded vehicles.

529, P863 PWW

The newly registered services also coincided with Diamond picking up several WCC contracts for services between Worcester and places like Malvern Hills, Pershore and Belmont, amongst others. To operate these services several vehicles were brought in and operated from the Droitwich Spa depot, many of these ex Ludlows vehicles, as well as several vehicles acquired second hand.
-219 - S372 SET - Scania L94, Wright Access Floline
-220 - S371 SET - Scania L94, Wright Access Floline
-405 - P827 BUD - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-406 - P829 BUD - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-430 - T441 EBD - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader (Pink 37)
-479 - R403 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-480 - R404 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-481 - R405 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-482 - R46 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-483 - R407 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-484 - R409 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-485 - R410 FFC - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-524 - R76 GNW  - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-525 - R562 XOM - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2
-526 - P878 PWW - Dennis Dart SLF, Plaxton Pointer 2
-527 - P865 PWW - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-528 - P864 PWW - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-529 - P863 PWW - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader (Green 30)
-530 - P862 PWW - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader (Green 30)
-531 - P912 PWW - Dennis Dart SLF, Wright Crusader
-533 - X372 CUY - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2 (Gray 39)
-537 - Y37 YVV - Dennis Dart MPD, Plaxton Pointer 2
-538 - KS03 EXG - Optare Solo - (Orange 31)
-539 - KS03 EXN - Optare Solo - (Orange 31)
-540 - KS03 EXL - Optare Solo - (Orange 31)
-541 - KS03 EXM - Optare Solo - (Orange 31)
-542 - KS03 EXP - Optare Solo - (Orange 31)

602, AE10 CSV

Majority of these vehicles were refurbished to a high standard and all entered service at Worcester in Red Diamond livery, albeit some with route branding for certain services. Majority of these vehicles were from Ludlows, however it also included the former Oxford Crusaders that were moved to Diamond when Go Ahead owned them. Sadly these vehicles proved to be somewhat troublesome and Diamond took the move to acquire a number of new vehicles to operate the WCC services from Worcester depot in the shape of MCV Evolution bodied MAN's.

601 - AE10 CSU - MAN MCV Evolution
602 - AE10 CSV - MAN MCV Evolution
603 - AE10 CSX - MAN MCV Evolution
604 - AE10 CSY - MAN MCV Evolution
605 - AE10 CSZ - MAN MCV Evolution
606 - AE10 CTF - MAN MCV Evolution
607 - AE10 CTK - MAN MCV Evolution
608 - AE10 KFV - MAN MCV Evolution
609 - AE10 KFW - MAN MCV Evolution

These would prove the be the last vehicles to receive the Red Diamond livery, which was soon discontinued with the Black and Blue versions also seizing to exist, replaced by Diamond Blue.

Now in November 2017, no vehicles in service wear the Red Diamond livery, some remain in store however are unlikely to ever see service again and only 1 vehicle from the Red Diamond days remains on Red Diamond services, this being,

-857 - BU08 DHO - Volvo B7RLE, Wright Eclipse Urban. (30857)

The last of its type to remain at Redditch.