Epsom Coaches

Epsom Coaches
Setra coach at Woking in May 2008
Parent RATP Group
Founded 1920
Ceased operation 25 June 2017
Headquarters Epsom
Service type Bus & coach operator
Fleet 115 (April 2017)
Chief executive Steve Whiteway
Website www.epsomcoaches.com

Epsom Coaches[1] was an English bus and coach operator based in the town of Epsom, Surrey. Formed in 1920, it closed in June 2017 after a corporate restructure.

History

Duple Vista bodied Bedford SB

The coach business was established by Herbert Roderick Richmond in 1920[2][3] and operates a fleet of mostly Setra coaches.

In 1986 Epsom Coaches entered the bus market after deregulation.[3][4] In 2003, Epsom Coaches rebranded its bus division as Quality Line and repainted its vehicles from their traditional cream and brown into allover red to comply with Transport for London requirements.

It operated a staff shuttle service for the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, between Epsom, St Helier and Sutton Hospitals. These were in a plain silver livery. It also operated bus services in Surrey, both commercial and for the county council using the silver livery.

Since March 2012 Epsom Coaches have operated a London Victoria Coach Station to Wolverhampton service under contract to National Express.[5]

On 19 April 2012 Epsom Coaches was purchased by the RATP Group.[2][6][7] In June 2017 as part of a restructure of RATP's operations, Epsom Coaches ceased trading with the remaining operations continuing under the Quality Line brand.[8][9]

In 2014, Epsom Coaches appeared in rock band Twin Atlantic's 'Hold On' music video.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Companies House extract company no 281992 HR Richmond Limited
  2. 1 2 History Epsom Coaches
  3. 1 2 King, Nicholas, London Bus Handbook Part 2: Independents (Capital Transport, 1990). ISBN 1-85414-127-9
  4. ↑ Hymans, Michael (2016). British Coaching. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445661803.
  5. ↑ New National Express contract Epsom Coaches 15 March 2012
  6. ↑ RATP buys Epsom Coaches Bus & Coach Professional 20 April 2012
  7. ↑ 'Epsom Coaches Will Not Merge after French sale', says new MD Epsom Guardian 26 April 2012
  8. ↑ The end of Epsom Coaches operation Coach & Bus Week 5 April 2017
  9. ↑ Epsom Coaches to close in three months time Route One 5 April 2017
  10. ↑ "Atlantic Twins - Hold On video". YouTube. Retrieved 7 October 2014.

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