Parent | Go South Coast (part of the Go-Ahead Group) |
---|---|
Founded | 1940s |
Defunct | 3 July 2010 |
Headquarters | Totton |
Service area | Hampshire Pembrokeshire |
Service type | Bus & coach services |
Fleet | 51 (October 2006) |
Website | www.marchwoodcoaches.co.uk (archive) |
Marchwood Motorways [1] was a bus and coach operator based in Totton, Hampshire. Formed as an independent in the 1940s, it was a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group from 2006 until it became dormant in 2010. Its operations were subsumed by those of Bluestar, but its licence remains legally separate.
Marchwood Motorways was formed in the 1940s. [2] In the 1960s, Marchwood Motorways established a subsidiary in Haverfordwest to operate services during the construction of the Pembroke Refinery, requiring 60 coaches, at its peak. In the 1970s, Marchwood purchased the business of Bill Colins of Roch, including a service from Haverfordwest to St Davids. This was sold, in 1982, to Richards Bros. [3]
In July 2006, a major fire at the company's Totton depot, caused by arson, destroyed three buses and offices, causing an estimated £250,000 of damage. [4]
In October 2006, Marchwood Motorways was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group with 51 buses and coaches. [5] [6] The company became part of Solent Blue Line. Marchwood had an unusual, but long standing arrangement, to run buses under franchise to Solent Blue Line on Southampton routes 18 and 19. Most of the buses were bodied with the DAF chassis including eleven Wright Cadet bodied SB120s [6] and two East Lancs Myllennium Lowlander bodied DB250s.
In December 2008, the company took part in an Asda scheme to fill a coach with Christmas presents for charity. It was hoped that customers would fill the coach with up to 2,000 gifts. [7]
It continued to operate as a separate brand until 2009, with its operations integrated into Go South Coast and the company becoming dormant in 2010, [8] however for a time in October 2013, some buses continued to operate under the Marchwood Motorways licence.
October 2006 saw an attack on one of the company's vehicles, a stone being thrown at a school coach nearly injuring pupils. [9]
Along with Solent Blue Line, in May 2008, the company was found to have been running services to lower than expected reliability levels, and faced a fine from the Traffic Commissioner. [10]
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed western shores lie the New Forest villages of Dibden, Hythe and Fawley, and the Fawley Refinery. On the slightly steeper eastern shore are the Southampton suburb of Weston, the villages of Netley and Hamble-le-Rice, and the Royal Victoria Country Park. To the south, Southampton Water enters the Solent between Calshot Spit and Hill Head.
Totton and Eling is a civil parish in Hampshire, England, with a population of about 28,100 people. It contains the town of Totton and is situated between the eastern edge of the New Forest and the River Test, close to the city of Southampton but outside the city boundary; the town is within the New Forest non-metropolitan district. Surrounding towns and villages include Ashurst, Marchwood, Cadnam and Ower.
Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, England. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water and directly east of the New Forest. The population of the village in the 2011 census was 6,141.
The Go-Ahead Group Limited is a passenger transport company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The majority of its operations are within the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Singapore, and Norway. Go-Ahead was formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange prior to being purchased by Kinetic Group and Globalvia by 2022.
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Hythe Pier, the Hythe Pier Railway and the Hythe Ferry provide a link between the English port city of Southampton and the Hampshire village of Hythe on the west side of Southampton Water. It is used both by commuters and tourists, and forms an important link in the Solent Way and E9 European coastal paths. The ferry is the only one remaining of the various ferries that once linked Southampton with points around Southampton Water.
First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
Solent Blue Line Limited, trading under the name Bluestar, is a bus operator providing services in Southampton and the surrounding areas of Hampshire. It is a subsidiary of the Go South Coast sector of the Go-Ahead Group.
Southampton is a port city in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately 80 miles (130 km) south-west of London, 20 miles (32 km) west of Portsmouth, and 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253,651 at the 2011 census, making it one of the most populous cities in southern England. Southampton forms part of the larger South Hampshire conurbation which includes the city of Portsmouth and the boroughs of Havant, Eastleigh, Fareham, and Gosport. A major port, and close to the New Forest, Southampton lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water, at the confluence of the River Test and Itchen, with the River Hamble joining to the south. Southampton is classified as a Medium-Port City.
The Fawley branch line, also known as the Waterside line, is a standard-gauge railway line to Fawley, in the English county of Hampshire. It is on the opposite side of Southampton Water from the city of Southampton itself, in an area known as Waterside. For 40 years a passenger service operated, but this was withdrawn except for the occasional enthusiasts' railtour. The line serves the freight needs of Marchwood Military Port, having also served the same function for Fawley Refinery until 2016.
Go South Coast is a bus operator on and around the south coast of England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Black Velvet Travel Limited, trading as Velvet, was an English bus company based in Eastleigh, that operated between November 2007 and January 2015.
Wilts & Dorset is a bus and coach operator providing services in East Dorset, South Wiltshire, and West Hampshire. It operates services under the morebus brand around Bournemouth and Poole, and under the Salisbury Reds brand around Salisbury and Amesbury. It is part of Go South Coast, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Fawley railway station was the terminus of the Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway, which was built along the coast of Southampton Water to connect Totton and Fawley and to provide a freight link from the South West Main Line to Fawley Refinery.
Marchwood railway station was an intermediate station on the Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway, which was built along the coast of Southampton Water to connect Totton and Fawley and to provide a freight link from the South West Main Line to Fawley Refinery. It was 86 miles 10 chains measured from London Waterloo.
Totton College is a further education college located in Totton, Hampshire, providing courses for mainly 16- to 19-year-olds as well as adult education courses. These include BTECs, NVQs, GCSEs and Access courses. Courses are also available to students aged 14 and above who would benefit from additional hands-on experience and training in addition to their mainstream learning. A range of accredited professional and leisure courses are available to adults both in the daytime and evening.
Southampton Citybus was a bus operator which operated local services throughout the English city of Southampton. It was formed in 1898 as Southampton Corporation Transport. In 1986, as a result of deregulation an 'arms-length' limited company was formed in the name of Southampton Citybus and the coat of arms of the City of Southampton was removed, and replaced with the new branding. The company was owned by the town council until 1954, and the city council until 1993. It was then bought by its employees, in 1997 it was purchased by FirstGroup and was part of First Hampshire & Dorset until their Southampton operations ceased in February 2023.
Xelabus Limited is an independent bus and coach operator, based in Eastleigh, Hampshire. It primarily operates public bus services within the Southampton area. All their operations come under their parent, Xelagroup Ltd.
Buses in Portsmouth are a form of public transport in the city of Portsmouth, England. Motor bus services in Portsmouth began in 1919, and were expanded in the 1930s following the closure of the Portsmouth Corporation Transport tram network. Trolleybuses were also operated between 1934 and 1963. Until 1988 the majority of services were provided by Portsmouth Corporation Transport, a municipal bus company owned by Portsmouth City Council. Other services into the city were operated by Southdown Motor Services, latterly as a subsidiary of the National Bus Company.
Richards Bros Buses is a bus operator based in Cardigan, Wales. It has purchased many smaller bus companies over time, and currently has 65 vehicles running local bus services and school buses in south-west Wales, as well as coach tours. Richards Bros also operates a share of the new demand-responsive Bwcabus service.