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Go South Coast
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 | |
| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Poole |
| Service area | Dorset Hampshire Isle of Wight Wiltshire Somerset[1] |
| Service type | Bus & coach services |
| Depots | 13 |
| Fleet | 850 [2] |
| Annual ridership | 46 million (June 2014)[2] |
| Chief executive | Ben Murray[3] |
| Website | gosouthcoast |
Go South Coast[4] is a bus operator on the south coast of England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. All services under the company come under its operating certificate, although the buses run under a multitude of brands.[5]
History
[edit]
In August 2003 the Go-Ahead Group purchased the business of Wilts & Dorset, including its Damory Coaches and Tourist Group subsidiaries,[6] followed in July 2005 by Southern Vectis including its Solent Blue Line subsidiary.[7] In February 2006 Wilts & Dorset purchased bus refurbishment company Hants & Dorset Trim.[8]
Later in 2006, Go-Ahead consolidated the management of its south coast operations under Go South Coast in Poole.
In October 2006, Marchwood Motorways was purchased and integrated into Bluestar.[9][10]
Thamesdown Transport was purchased from Swindon Borough Council in February 2017[11] and rebranded as Swindon's Bus Company.
In May 2025, Managing Director Andrew Wickham died, reportedly after a long illness, at age 58.[12][13] Wickham was a respected figure in the UK bus industry where he had worked for almost 40 years, and was appointed MBE in 2024 for services to the industry.[14] Ben Murray, Go South Coast's Finance Director, took over as interim Managing Director of the company.[12]
Subsidiaries
[edit]All public bus services come under local brands, which have distinct liveries. These are:
- Bluestar – The brand for Southampton
- Unilink – The brand for the University of Southampton
- Morebus – The brand for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- UNIBUS – The brand for Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth
- Salisbury Reds – The brand for Salisbury
- Southern Vectis – The brand for the Isle of Wight
- Swindon's Bus Company (formerly Thamesdown Transport) – The brand for Swindon
The company also has three coach brands:[15]
- Excelsior Coaches – Bournemouth, offering private coach hire, school services and tours
- Damory Coaches – school buses and services in central East Dorset
- Tourist Group – Dorset and Wiltshire, providing services to schools in Wiltshire
The company has a bus refurbishment and repair shop, 'Hants and Dorset Trim', based in Eastleigh.
Fleet
[edit]As at May 2023, Go South Coast operated over 850 buses and coaches from thirteen depots.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "X76 - Marlborough - Calne - Melksham - Bath". Bustimes.org. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ a b c "About Go South Coast". Go South Coast.
- ^ "Tributes paid as Go South Coast managing director has died". Salisburyjournal.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ Companies House extract: Company no 3949597 – Go South Coast Limited formerly Southern Vectis Transport Limited
- ^ "Go South Coast" Buses issue 714 September 2014 page 72
- ^ Bus buy for Go-Ahead The Guardian 12 August 2003
- ^ Recommended Cash Offer for Southern Vectis plc Archived 15 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead Group 11 July 2005
- ^ Acquisition of Hants & Dorset Tram Limited Archived 2 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead Group 6 February 2006
- ^ Acquisition of Marchwood Buses Archived 15 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Go-Ahead Group 24 October 2006
- ^ Go-Ahead purchases Marchwood Motorways Archived 6 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine busandcoach.com 26 October 2006
- ^ "Swindon council sells loss-making Thamesdown Transport bus firm". BBC News: Wiltshire. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Obituary: Andrew Wickham, Go South Coast". Route One. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ Barrett, Bruce (25 May 2025). "Go South Coast managing director Andrew Wickham MBE dies". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "Andrew WICKHAM | Order of the British Empire". London Gazette. 31 December 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ "Excelsior Coaches". Excelsior-coaches.com. Retrieved 13 May 2021.