Northern. Some vehicles operated in the Elgin area were, however, branded as Moray Bluebird, whilst those operating in the Peterhead and Fraserburgh areas were branded Buchan Bluebird. Though its operations remained largely the same since its formation in 1985 (and earlier) and with little competition, Northern Scottish was not one of the most profitable of the Scottish Bus Group subsidiaries, largely due to the sparse population in its large operating area. However, the company was successfully privatised, being bought by Perth-based transport group Stagecoach for £5.7m in March 1991 in their first acquisition of a former SBG company. The yellow and cream livery was replaced with the Stagecoach corporate white with red, orange and blue stripes, and shortly after privatisation the legal company name was changed to Bluebird Buses Ltd. In 1996, Stagecoach Bluebird were granted a royal warrant from Elizabeth II for bus and coach services. Following the closure of the Deeside Railway, which provided royal trains from Balmoral Castle to Aberdeen, in 1966, Northern and its successors provided coach transport to the castle for the royal family's summer holidays. The warrant expired with the death of Elizabeth II in 2022. Fleet Together with Stagecoach Highlands, as of April 2019, the combined Stagecoach North Scotland operation operates 383 buses and coaches. References External links Stagecoach Bluebird website Stagecoach Group bus operators in Scotland Companies based in Aberdeen Transport in Aberdeen Transport in Aberdeenshire Transport in Moray 1985 establishments in Scotland Transport companies established in 1985 British Royal Warrant holders