Stagecoach South

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Stagecoach South
Stagecoach-logo.svg
Stagecoach South, SN18 KNF.jpg
Coastliner liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC in Worthing in August 2018
ParentStagecoach
HeadquartersChichester
Service areaSouth East England
Service typeBus services
Routes115 (April 2013)
Depots8
Fleet473 (April 2013)
Annual ridership34.1 million (April 2013)
Websitewww.stagecoachbus.com/south

Stagecoach South is a bus operator providing services in South East England. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach. It operates services in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex with some routes extending into Brighton and Wiltshire. It operates 473 buses from eight depots.[1]

It is branded as four sub-divisions: Stagecoach in Hampshire, Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey, Stagecoach in the South Downs, and Stagecoach in Portsmouth.

Stagecoach in Hampshire[]

Goldline liveried Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 bodied MAN 18.240 in February 2009
Coastliner 700 branded Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 bodied Scania N230UD in Emsworth in July 2011

Stagecoach in Hampshire[2] operates from depots in Andover, Basingstoke, and Winchester.[1] It also formerly operated services in Fleet under the Fleet Buzz name.

Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey[]

Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey[3] operates from a depot in Aldershot and Peasmarsh just outside of Guildford.

The company operates a number of routes across Hampshire, serving Aldershot, Camberley, Farnborough, Godalming, and Guildford.

Many of the routes are branded, with large route number vinyls, or with names such as Yo-Yo and The Kite.

On 9 February 2009 route 1 was upgraded to Goldline status with new vehicles. Route 2 lost its service name of The Marbles in 2008/9. Due to Hampshire County Council cuts in October 2011, routes 2 and 3 lost some of their evening services on Monday-Friday. Route 18 also lost a handful of evening services. Route 41 Ash to Farnborough was taken over by Countryliner.[4]

In September 2012, Surrey County Council's bus review phase 3 saw route 92 renumbered to 72 to fit with routes 70 and 71.[5]

However, a month later, Countryliner went into administration, with Stagecoach taking back route 46, as well as Surrey County Council school routes 43, 45, and 87, all on an emergency basis until July 2013.[6] Countryliner ceased trading on 18 January 2013 with Stagecoach operating route 41 for one week before it passed to sister company Fleet Buzz.[7][8]

Stagecoach in the South Downs[]

Stagecoach in the South Downs[9] operates from depots in Chichester, Portsmouth, Worthing, and Bordon and Petersfield. In August 1989, Stagecoach purchased Southdown Motor Services,[10][11] which had previously been owned by the National Bus Company until sold in a management buy out.

Stagecoach in Portsmouth[]

Stagecoach in Portsmouth operates buses in the Portsmouth city area as well as Havant, Waterlooville, and Hayling Island areas.

The main routes in which they operate are as follows: Route 20 From Havant to Portsmouth Hard via QA Hospital; route 21 from Havant to Portsmouth via Anchorage Park; route 23 from Southsea to Leigh Park via Farlington; route 39 from Havant Bus station to Wecock Farm in Waterlooville via Asda after 9:00 and before 3:00; routes 30 and 31 from Havant to Hayling island.

The company also operates the Coastliner 700 service from Portsmouth to Brighton.

Fleet Buzz[]

Fleet Buzz Optare Versa at Reading in July 2014

Fleet Buzz, known initially as Countywide Travel, was formed in 1995 as a bus and coach company, based on vehicles from Marchwood Motorways and a depot was established in Basingstoke. In 1998 the depot relocated to the site formerly used by Oakley Coaches in Oakley, Hampshire.

Countywide Travel took over many of the routes from Tillingbourne Bus Company when it ceased trading in 2001. On 1 October 2007 the coach business was sold to Weavaway Travel and the bus operation moved to Crondall.[12] Around this time, the company was renamed Fleet Buzz as a wordplay for its predominant presence at Fleet, Hampshire.

Mercedes Varios used to form the backbone of the fleet, but in 2008/09 the company upgraded its fleet with the purchase of four new Optare Solos and four Optare Versas, as well as two Caetano Nimbuses that previously operated with Travel de Courcey and Reading Buses. These buses were painted in a livery of yellow (lower body) and black (upper body).[13] Afterwards, other Stagecoach-branded buses replaced the remainder of the step-entrance fleet.

In December 2011, the business was sold to Stagecoach with 22 buses and 29 staff. It was run as a division of Stagecoach South. Alongside the new Optare buses, four Plaxton Pointers and three Alexander ALX200s - one of which in plain white - were transferred from Selkent. Further step-entrance Stagecoach buses, which were also withdrawn, were transferred or placed on loan to the division.

Major network changes in April 2013 saw the Fleet Buzz franchise expand further into Surrey, Basingstoke and Reading.

On 31 December 2014, three years after the Stagecoach takeover, the website was updated to announce the end of the Fleet Buzz name with operations fully integrated into Stagecoach South from the date of a major network change on 5 January 2015. The depot at Crondall closed on 23 May 2015, with staff, routes and buses transferred to Basingstoke and Aldershot.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Stagecoach South Annual Report May 2012 - April 2013 Stagecoach
  2. ^ Companies House extract company no 2230625 Hampshire Bus Company Limited
  3. ^ Companies House extract company no 1673542 Stagecoach (South) Limited formerly Hampshire Bus Company Limited
  4. ^ Retendering of local bus services - Blackwater Valley Hampshire County Council
  5. ^ [1] Surrey County Council archived on Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Surrey bus routes taken away from Countryliner Get Surrey 9 October 2012
  7. ^ Route 41 timetable Archived 16 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Surrey County Council 21 January 2013
  8. ^ Route 41 timetable Fleetbuzz 15 April 2013
  9. ^ Companies House extract company no 140534 Southdown Motor Services Limited
  10. ^ Stagecoach down South Commercial Motor 24 August 1989 page 6
  11. ^ Southdown Motor Services Limited Mergers & Monopolies Commission June 1993 page 5
  12. ^ https://cbwmagazine.com/demise-of-fleet-buzz-criticised/page/734/
  13. ^ http://www.buszone.co.uk/SSFBfleet.xls

External links[]

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