 |
 | |
| Parent | Xelabus |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 |
| Headquarters | Sandown |
| Service area | Isle of Wight |
| Service type | Coach operator |
| Website | www.seaview-services.co.uk |
Seaview Services [1] is a coach hire and tour operator operating on the Isle of Wight. It is a subsidiary of Xelabus.
In 1922 Richard Newell commenced operating a bus service between Seaview and Ryde. By the end of the 1920s Newell had commenced operating charter services. [2]
The development of holiday camps at Puckpool and St Clare in the late 1930s boosted business considerably on the bus route as well as providing additional excursion work. The extra revenue created from this was used to fund the purchase of new coaches. In July 1939 Newells (Seaview) Limited was registered, being renamed Seaview Services Limited in July 1942. [1] After the end of World War II trade increased rapidly particularly in connection with the holiday camps. In 1950, the company purchased two new Leyland Titan double deck buses to cope with the increased passenger numbers.
In 1980 Seaview Services was sold to Mary Robinson and in December 1981 the company name was renamed A & MA Robinson Seaview Services Limited. [1] The company continued to run route 12 from Seaview to Ryde under RedLynx branding, and in May 1986, (several months before deregulation day) extended this route to Nettlestone, St Helens, Bembridge and Sandown. However this move encouraged Southern Vectis to compete against Seaview Services with a minibus service to Seaview, leading to a bus war between the two firms. [3] After this period of initial competition, in May 1987 Seaview Services retreated back to its previous Seaview to Ryde route and Southern Vectis withdrew its competing service. [3] In 1989 the Seaview garage was sold and a new garage opened in Sandown. In 1992 the bus side of the business was sold to Southern Vectis and the company has since concentrated solely on coach charters and tours.
In May 2022, the company was acquired by Xelabus of Eastleigh. Since the purchase, Seaview Services is undergoing company rebranding and the licence of the company would be replaced and placed under its coach brand 'Xelacoach', thus ending one hundred years of independent ownership. [4]
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest and second-most populous island of England. It is located in the English Channel, two to five miles off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the island has resorts that have been popular holiday destinations since Victorian times. It is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland and chines. The island is historically part of Hampshire, and is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Shanklin is a seaside resort and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake and Sandown. The sandy beach, its Old Village and a wooded ravine, Shanklin Chine, are its main attractions. The esplanade along the beach is occupied by hotels and restaurants for the most part, and is one of the most tourist-oriented parts of the town. The other is the Old Village, at the top of Shanklin Chine. Together with Lake and Sandown to the north, Shanklin forms a built up area of 21,374 inhabitants (2011).
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Moss Motor Tours Ltd. was a bus and coach company that operated on the Isle of Wight between 1921 and 1994. The company sold its assets in 1994 to various bus and coach providers on the Island and off. The name and "goodwill" of the company was purchased by Southern Vectis in 1994.
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