It seems that Spirit Buses still have quite a few hoops to jump through. First, they need financial backing; this means that they can prove to the Traffic Commissioners that they are of good financial standing. Next, they'll need an operating centre and suitable vehicle maintenance arrangements; next, they need a transport manager with the relevant Certificate of Professional Competence. Then they can apply to the Traffic Commissioner for the grant of an operating licence. If granted, they can then register services with eight weeks' notice. If they're planning to start operating this summer, they'll need to get their skates on...

Buying or leasing the buses is the easy bit!