The Yorkshire Traction Group was a large independent bus operator that had grown out of bus deregulation in the UK. It was formed in 1986, when Barnsley-based Yorkshire Traction was sold to its management and employees, led by Frank Carter. Yorkshire Terrier was an independent post-deregulation bus company that had been formed in 1988 operating in Sheffield, and had also expanded itself with acquisition of some smaller operators within Sheffield; in 2000 Yorkshire Traction purchased Yorkshire Terrier along with the operations of Andrews, South Riding, Sheffield Omnibus, and Kingsman, all in Sheffield, which all competed with Mainline in the city.