A regular bus service was then began which operated from Ilkeston via West Hallam, Stanley and Chaddesdon to Derby and has remained as
such to the present day. Over the years the fleet has grown and other routes operated with a variety of buses. The present day base is
situated in Station Road, Stanley and since the death of Mr.Frost in 1937 has been run by his nephew Geoffrey Middup.
Since the 1980s the company have also run a busy coaching operation alongside the bus business.
From the early days until the 1940s the fleet was made up of Willowbrook bodied Dennis built vehicles followed by a selection of Bedford
types from the war period onwards to 1986. Up to then the size of the fleet had remained modestly constant at around seven or eight dual-purpose
specified vehicles.
As a result of bus deregulation in 1986 the fleet was doubled in number to a peak operation of seventeen buses and coaches in 2002. However,
by 2008 the fleet size had been cut back to thirteen vehicles and has remained so ever since.
During this period a variety of vehicles have been acquired either from new or second-hand. Included were such types as built by Dennis,
Irisbus, Leyland, Optare, Scania, VDL and Volvo and over time have changed from a coaching to mainly bus service operator, the majority of
which is of easy access, low-floor design.
The main route continues to be what was route 12 Ilkeston to Derby, which is now operated jointly and marketed as “The Black Cat” with
Trent Barton. Alongside this though is the “Ilkeston Flyer”, also run jointly, but as an express service from Derby via Kirk Hallam and
Spondon to Ilkeston.
For a while during the mid-2000s a third route was run, the 59 on a Derbyshire County Council contract, again between Derby and Ilkeston via
Breadsall and Stanley Common. However, upon retender in 2007 this was lost to another operator.
Other operations have included school services and football specials to Derby County’s ground on Pride Park as well as a selection of daytime
excursions and for a while a limited number of holiday tours.
In the earlier days the fleet livery was chocolate brown and cream. However, by the 1950s, this had changed to red and maroon with gold
fleetnames and black "Felix" cartoon cat emblems. More recently the buses sport a red and white livery whilst the coaches remain red.
For many years the vehicles sported a large cat motif inspired by a popular song of the day “Felix Kept On Walking”, which obviously
appealed to Mr.Frost and was retained by the Middup family. That was until early 2009, when “Felix the Cat Creations Inc”, a company based in
the United States claimed the copyright to the motif and the images of cats such as that on the fleet. Regrettably the company was unable to
prove otherwise owing to the possible high cost of litigation and therefore had no alternative but to remove all images of cats from their
vehicles. But as we are aware, nothing could stop the creation of “The Black Cat” marketed service, along with just such a motif.
