Berrys Coaches
Founded | 1920 |
---|---|
Headquarters | Taunton |
Service area | Somerset |
Website | www.berryscoaches.co.uk |
Berrys Coaches[1] is a coach operator based in Taunton, Somerset. It was established in 1920 and is still a family owned business today.
Superfast coach services[]
Berrys started operating a service between Somerset and London following deregulation of the UK coach industry by the Transport Act 1980, .[2] Today it operates five services under the 'Superfast' brand in each direction to and from Hammersmith bus station in London over three routes:[3]
- Superfast 1 - Tiverton, Wellington, Taunton, North Petherton, Bridgwater
- Superfast 2 - Taunton, Ilminster, South Petherton, Yeovil, Ilchester, RNAS Yeovilton, Wincanton
- Superfast 3 - Taunton, Street, Glastonbury, Wells, Shepton Mallet, Frome, Warminster, Codford, Amesbury
(The order of towns is shown here from Somerset towards London)
Other operations[]
Berrys Coaches run a programme of tours offering a variety of inclusive and coach-only day trips.[4]They also operate home-to-school transport for Somerset County Council and other customers, as of 2021 transporting more than 1,600 students each school day.[5]
Their workshop and maintenance facilities have recently expanded to provide services to external to both other PSV operators and local HGV operators. These include vehicle inspection, repairs and maintenance and an ATF approved testing lane.[6]
Berrys operated local services around Taunton in the 1990s under a 'Beaver Bus' brand using Bristol VRT double-deck buses in completion with Southern National.[7]
Fleet[]
Berrys operated a fleet of buses, coaches and executive minibuses for their own services and private hire work. These range from 16 to 78 seats.[8]
After World war II the company operated a fleet based for a long time on Plaxton bodies and Bedford engines. In the late 1980s, as they had preferred Volvo engines, they began purchasing the first Van Hool bodied coaches, which still today form a large part of the Superfast and Executive fleet. The local school and tour fleet is based mainly on VDL Futura coaches.
Plaxton Pointer bus
Van Hool Alizėe coach
VDL Futura coach
References[]
- ^ Companies House extract company no 3929705 Berrys Coaches (Taunton) Limited
- ^ " Right Place, Right Coach, Right Time" Buses issue 736 July 2016 pages 45-48
- ^ "Coach travel to london". Berrys Coaches. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "Day tours". Berrys Coaches. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "Students in a coach competition". Facebook. Berrys Coaches. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ "Workshop services". Berrys Coaches. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Billington, Colin (2006). West Country Bristol VRs. Colaton Raleigh: West Country Historic Omnibus and Transport Trust. p. 21.
- ^ "Coach types". Berrys Coaches. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
External links[]
Media related to Berry's Coaches at Wikimedia Commons
- Bus operators in Somerset
- 1920 establishments in England
- Companies based in Taunton
- Coach operators in England