vain attempt to win back customers, Central embarked on a major rebranding exercise. The Central Scottish trading name and the deep red and cream livery the vehicles wore gave way to a number of new local identities. Vehicles in Airdrie received a dark blue and grey colour scheme branded as Monklands Bus, East Kilbride vehicles gained a dark green and cream livery with EK Chieftain fleetnames, leaving vehicles in the remaining depots gaining a more vibrant red and cream livery, branded as Lanarkshire Bus. The Central Scottish identity was buried with the strike action, and the company was renamed Kelvin Central Buses in preparation for the merger. However, a significant retrenchment of the company's operations followed. In July 1989, the merger between the two companies was fully enacted, and Central Scottish ceased trading as an independent concern. Kelvin Central Buses was later privatised by sale to its employees, who later sold the firm to Strathclyde Buses, before it in turn was purchased by First Glasgow. However, many of the former Central routes have been surrendered to independent operators. The last remaining former Central garage, Airbles in Motherwell, closed in 2007. Depots and works Central SMT and Central Scottish operated from the following depots: Airbles depot, Motherwell (opened 1962, closed by First Glasgow 2007 when replaced by a new facility in Blantyre); Burnbank depot, Hamilton (closed 1962, replaced by Airbles) Carluke depot (closed in 1976) Clarkston depot, Airdrie (ex Scottish Omnibuses in 1985, closed by First Glasgow); Clydesdale depot, Hamilton (closed April 1988) East Kilbride (original small depot replaced by a new depot in 1956, once SBG's most profitable depot, but closed by Kelvin Central Buses in December 1990); Gavinburn depot, Old Kilpatrick (opened 1936 to replace various small outstations, passed to Kelvin Scottish 1985, closed by Kelvin Central Buses May 1996) Harthill depot (closed in 1962 as part of a minor re-organisation of services between Central SMT and Scottish Omnibuses); Muirkirk depot (a small outstation of Carluke, closed in the 1970s) Traction House, Motherwell (replaced as depot by neighbouring Airbles in 1962, but retained as head office and central works. Closed by Kelvin Central Buses); Wishaw (closed by Kelvin Central Buses December 1990) The fleet At its formation in 1932, Central SMT inherited a varied collection of vehicles. However, Leyland quickly became the preferred supplier for new buses. Although there were also some Albions, new buses purchased in the 1930s