Sureline
| Founded | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Unit 17, Tradecroft Industrial Estate, Isle of Portland, Dorset[1] |
| Service area |
 |
| Service type | Urban bus services |
| Destinations | Isle of Portland, Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport, Yeovil |
| Fleet | 15[2] |
Sureline was a bus operator based in the Isle of Portland, Dorset, on the south coast of England. It operated from Portland through Weymouth to Dorchester. Formed in 2002 Sureline became defunct in 2009 and then taken over by South West Coaches.[3]
History
Sureline was established in 2002 by David Beaman and Bill Landucci. Operations began on 24 August that year with a service running between Portland and Dorchester on weekdays only.[3] Sureline was initially based at Southwell Business Park but relocated to Tradecroft Industrial Estate, near the village of Easton, in July 2003. They first began operating with a fleet of eight Mercedes 709 buses. By early 2003, four more buses of the same type had been acquired with seven used for daily services. Sureline's operations extended from 2003 with new routes and timetables, including an extension to Portland Bill. In 2004, the fleet was increased with the arrival of two Dennis Dart buses, while one of the 709s were scrapped.[3]
While local services continued to evolve and expand, in September 2005, Sureline also began two services from Dorchester to Yeovil. One went via Maiden Newton and Cattistock, while the other went via Cerne Abbas and Sherborne. 2006 saw the opening of the operator's new maintenance facility at Southwell Business Park. By this time, Sureline was employing approximately thirty drivers and had a peak vehicle requirement of fourteen. Some service reduction was seen in 2007, including a reduction of Saturday operations on the main Portland to Dorchester route. Weekend operations of the two Yeovil routes were transferred to Nordcat of Sturminster Newton. The timetable changes continued into 2008 and 2009; the 212 and X37 services from Dorchester to Yeovil were amended to run on schooldays only, while more focus was given to the X10 and X20 routes in the Weymouth to Dorchester sector. This resulted in a much reduced service to and from Portland, despite being the operator's base.
On 26 October 2009, Sureline was taken over by South West Coaches of Wincanton, who were also the successors to the long-established Wakes of Sparkford and Wincanton. Both Sureline founders, Beaman and Landucci, left the company. To date, the new operators continue many of the services that were provided by Sureline including the original route on Portland.[3] Speaking to the Dorset Echo, Beaman claimed the decision to sell Sureline was made to "safeguard its future", while he also blamed increasing government regulation for small bus firm, resulting in increased difficulty to generate profit.[2]
References
- ↑ "Sureline Coach Operators, Unit 17, Portland, DT5 2LN - Bus Operators and Stations". Directory.thesun.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- 1 2 "End of the Sureline for Portland (From Dorset Echo)". Dorsetecho.co.uk. 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- 1 2 3 4 "Sureline". Countrybus.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
