A new bus company called High Peak will soon become a familiar sight on the roads of Derbyshire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

The company has been formed by the merger of two of the area's long standing bus operators - Bowers based at Chapel-en-le-Frith and trent barton's Dove Holes unit near Buxton.

The new company will operate from Dove Holes and will have a combined fleet of 50 buses and around 100 employees. All the staff currently employed by the two operators will transfer to the new operation and no jobs will be lost.

It is expected that High Peak will start operating in the late summer or early autumn as soon as the necessary Operating Licences have been granted by the Traffic Commissioner.

"Bringing the resources of Bowers and trent barton together is great news for bus users as it will create a substantial new business which will be better equipped to consolidate and develop the area's network of local bus services. Running buses in rural areas is not getting any easier and small operators will find it increasingly difficult in the future," said trent barton's Managing Director, Jeff Counsell.

"The merger will give the employees of both companies improved job security," he added.

All staff involved have been advised and further consultations will be held with them and their representatives in the next few weeks.