THE firm providing the team bus from Rangers has been sacked, with the contract going instead to the company owned by a leading club director.

Bruce's Coaches have had their contract terminated a year early The Herald understands, with Parks of Hamilton reinstated as the Rangers official transport provider after a gap of around three years.

The firm is owned by Douglas Park, a director and one of the trio dubbed 'The Three Bears' which bought a slice of the club last year and was part of the successful takeover along with chairman Dave King.

Mr Park had also been involved in several attempts to take control of Rangers previously.

His coach firm had a long-standing relationship with Ibrox but this was terminated under the previous regime led by Charles Green.

The Herald last night contacted North Lanarkshire-based Bruce's Coaches but owner John Bruce was unavailable.

A spokesman for Rangers said simply that that Parks of Hamilton contracted had been "reinstated".

The Herald understands several within the Ibrox hierarchy believe the move "rights a wrong" in the tumultuous three years since the liquidation in 2012.

No details have yet emerged for the official reasons given for bringing the Bruce's deal to an early end, although it is understood the original contract had been extended last year.

In July 2013 a fire-raising attack on the Bruce's coach depot near Shotts destroyed the Rangers' team bus, along with a second one used by the club.

Rangers had only taken delivery of the Netherlands-built vehicle the previous month, with the old regime charging fans £1 for a look inside it.

Former manager Ally McCoist at the time said the fire "sounded like a premeditated attack on Rangers' bus".

Mr Park, who the Sunday Times Rich List said had a personal fortune of £78million a few years back, founded Park's in 1971 as a small, three-coach operation before expanding into the motor trade six years later.

He was part of an unsuccessful, last-minute bid, along with legendary manager Walter Smith and entrepreneur Jim McColl, to buy 'oldco' Rangers a month before its liquidation in the summer of 2012.

Following his acquisition of several million shares, along with fellow 'Three Bears' George Letham and George Taylor he provided Rangers with a loan of £1.5million in March of this year.