White Bus Services

Last updated

White Bus Services
White Bus Services Logo.png
YX68ULW.jpg
Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC at Guildford bus station in January 2019
ParentRowgate Group
Founded
  • 1922 (as Republic Bus Company)
  • 1930 (as White Bus Services)
Headquarters Winkfield
Service area Berkshire
Service typeBus service
Destinations Windsor, Woking, Guildford, Ascot, Staines, Frimley
Fleet55 (Jan 2020)
Chief executiveSimon Rowland
Website www.whitebus.co.uk

C.E. Jeatt & Sons Limited, [1] trading as White Bus Services (sometimes shortened to White Bus), is a bus operator based in Berkshire and runs bus and coach hire services within Windsor and Ascot. [2] [3] It is part of the Rowgate Group.

Contents

History

White Bus Services Bedford YLQ/Duple at Showbus in 2004 White Bus Services bus (HRO 958V), Showbus 2004.jpg
White Bus Services Bedford YLQ/Duple at Showbus in 2004
White Bus Services Optare Tempo at Wisley Airfield in 2009 White Bus Services YJ57 EHV.JPG
White Bus Services Optare Tempo at Wisley Airfield in 2009

White Bus Services was founded by George Ackroyd in July 1922 in Winkfield as the Republic Bus Company, introducing a service linking Windsor and Ascot. [4] Ackroyd ran the business until selling it to William Rule Jeatt in 1930, renaming it as White Bus Services. The company would continue to be run by the Jeatt family for over 80 years, passing down to Cecil Jeatt, then in 1972 to his son Doug Jeatt. [5] [6]

In 1932, a new service was introduced that skirted the edge of Windsor Great Park. By 1936 buses were running through the park itself and White Bus remains as the only operator to provide a public transport link into the park. [4] [7]

The private hire side of the business became a separate company in 1955, despite continuing to share the same site, operating as Winkfield Coaches. The two companies were re-amalgamated in 1990. [6]

White Bus further expanded in 1987 when it acquired vehicles and contracted school services from A. Moore & Sons (trading as Imperial) in Windsor upon the company's closure. [6] This, alongside the introduction of free school transport for eligible pupils, has led to White Bus developing a network of school services in Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead and Wokingham. [4]

In 2014, White Bus was awarded contracts to operate routes P1 and W1. [4]

Acquisition by Rowgate Group

White Bus Services was sold to Fernhill Travel of Bracknell in November 2016, which is managed by Rowgate Group's chairman, Simon Rowland. [3]

In 2017, following Abellio's departure from Surrey bus operations, White Bus were awarded contracts in the Staines area for routes 438, 566/567 and Sunday operations of routes 446 and 456. It also registered the Monday to Saturday service of the 446 commercially. [4] Later, it commercially took over route 441 from Abellio in March 2018. [8] [9]

In September 2018, White Bus won more contracts from Surrey County Council, mainly in the Woking area, taking over routes 437, 462/463 and two morning journeys on route 81 from Arriva Guildford & West Surrey. It also took over routes 48 and 500 from Dickson Travel of Frimley Green. Five more Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMCs joined the fleet, these being the 8.9m examples to Euro VI specification. [4] [10] To celebrate their centenary anniversary, White Bus bought two 10.8 m variants of the same model which arrived in January 2020. [3]

In December 2022, White Bus announced they would not be participating in the government's £2 fixed price bus fare scheme. [11]

In June 2023, the company was taken to an Employment Tribunal over the unlawful and unfair dismissal of a former employee. The former employee won the case in January 2024. [12] [13]

Since August 2023, there were a number of route changes and additions to White Bus such as route 458 (running between Staines and Kingston upon Thames) from Diamond South East [14] , December 2023 with route 446 extended from Staines to Ashford Hospital, Heathrow Airport and Hatton Cross tube station, alongside an increased frequency to half-hourly throughout the core Woking-Staines section [15] , and September 2024 with another service from Diamond South East, route 555 (running between Heathrow Airport to Whiteley Village). [16]

Services

As of January 2023, White Bus Services runs 19 public services. The majority of the routes would start at Staines, Windsor or Woking and would terminate elsewhere within Berkshire or Surrey. [17]

The Bus Services they run as of August 31st 2024 are:

01: Windsor - Ascot. 48: Woking - Frimley Park Hospital. 73: Chobham - Woking. 81: Woking - Woking (Morning service). 438: Staines - Royal Estate. 441: Staines - Englefield Green. 441A: Staines - Royal Holloway University. 446: Hatton Cross - Woking (via Terminal 4, Ashford and Staines) 456: Woking - Addlestone. 458: Staines - Kingston. 462: Woking - Guildford. 463: Woking - Guildford. 500: Staines - Frimley Park Hospital. 555: Heathrow CBS - Whitley Village. 566: Staines - Virginia Water. 567: Staines - Virginia Water. P1: Windsor Park & Ride. W1: Windsor - Dedworth. X94: Ascot - Frimley Park Hospital.

Fleet

White Bus Services were known for its wide fleet of Bedford buses, the last of which finally departed in October 2008. [6] From the 1990s until Rowgate's acquisition, White Bus' fleet consisted mainly of Optare buses. In the late 2010s, White Bus gradually replaced the Optare fleet with Alexander Dennis Enviro200s or new Enviro200 MMC buses. In 2023 the company acquired 9 Volvo B8RLE MCV eVoRa vehicles to operate routes 458 and 446. In 2024, 2 additional Volvo B8RLE MCV eVoRas were acquired for route 555 and above routes.

The buses that are used for public routes are ADL, Volvo and Optare products.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guildford railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Guildford railway station is at one of three main railway junctions on the Portsmouth Direct Line and serves the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30 miles 27 chains down the line from London Waterloo via Woking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staines railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Staines railway station is on the Waterloo to Reading line and is the junction station for the diverging Windsor line, in southern England to the west of London. It is 19 miles 2 chains (30.6 km) down the line from London Waterloo. It serves the town of Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frimley railway station</span> Railway station in Surrey, England

Frimley railway station is in the town of Frimley in Surrey, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South Western Railway. It is situated on the Ascot to Guildford line, 37 miles 48 chains (60.5 km) from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach South</span> Bus operator providing services in South East England

Stagecoach (South) Limited, trading as Stagecoach South, is a bus operator providing services in South East England as a subsidiary of Stagecoach. It operates services in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex with some routes extending into Brighton and Wiltshire. It operates 487 buses from eight depots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire Coastliner</span> Bus operator in North Yorkshire, England

Yorkshire Coastliner is a bus company that operates both local and regional bus services in North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, England. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Blazefield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Countryliner</span> British bus operating company

Countryliner was a bus and coach operator, based in Uckfield, England. It ran over fifty bus services, mainly operating in Sussex and Kent with some operations into Hampshire. On 8 October 2012, it was placed in administration. It continued other services under a different licence trading as SwiftBus, this ceased trading on 18 January 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascot–Ash Vale line</span> Railway line in southern England

The Ascot–Ash Vale line is an 11-mile-58-chain (18.9 km) railway line in Berkshire and Surrey, England. It runs from Ascot station, on the Waterloo–Reading line, to Ash Vale, on the Alton line. There are intermediate stations at Bagshot, Camberley and Frimley, all three of which are in the Borough of Surrey Heath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arriva Guildford & West Surrey</span>

Arriva Guildford & West Surrey Limited, which traded as Arriva Guildford & West Surrey, was a bus operator based in Guildford, England. It was a subsidiary of Arriva. The company operated services in West Sussex and Surrey, as part of the Arriva Southern Counties division. Services that were run were primarily centred on hubs at Guildford, Woking and Cranleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travel Surrey</span> Former bus company

Travel Surrey was a bus company operating services in Surrey. It was a subsidiary of National Express before being sold in May 2009 to NedRailways. In October 2009, it was rebranded as Abellio Surrey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Single-deck bus</span> Bus with a single deck for passengers

A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term single-decker refers to a standard two-axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which is essentially a bus with two passenger decks and a staircase. These types of single-deckers may feature one or more doors, and varying internal combustion engine positions. The majority of single-deckers have a length of up to 12 m, although some exceptions of longer buses exist. They also typically weigh between 11 and 14 t.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safeguard Coaches</span>

Safeguard Coaches is a bus and coach operator based in Guildford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Beeline</span> Bus operator in the United Kingdom

First Beeline Buses Limited, trading as First Beeline, is a bus operator providing services in and around Slough. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carousel Buses</span> Buckinghamshire bus operator

Carousel Buses Limited, trading as Carousel Buses, is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Originally an independent company, it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. It is grouped together with Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, both of Oxfordshire, and with Pulham's Coaches of Gloucestershire, with the fleets of each operator regularly interchanged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport UK London Bus</span> Bus company operating services in Greater London

Transport UK London Bus, formerly Abellio London, is a bus company operating services under contract to Transport for London in Greater London, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thames Valley Buses</span> British bus company

Thames Valley Buses Limited, trading as Thames Valley Buses, is a bus company based in Bracknell, England. It was known as Courtney Buses until 2021. Founded in 1973, the company operates a network of commercial and contracted local bus services and school buses in Berkshire, north Hampshire and small parts of Oxfordshire, Surrey and Buckinghamshire. In March 2019 it was purchased by Reading Buses, with the company having gradually rebranded to its current name between October 2019 and April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tillingbourne Bus Company</span> Former Surrey bus operator

Tillingbourne Bus Company was a bus company based in Cranleigh, Surrey. The company operated bus and coach services in Surrey, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire from 1924 until 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC</span> Low-floor double-decker bus

The Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC is a low-floor double-decker bus produced by the British bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis since 2014, replacing the Alexander Dennis Enviro400. The Enviro400 MMC is produced at Alexander Dennis' Falkirk and Scarborough factories in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heathrow Southern Railway</span> Proposed train service in Berkshire, Surrey and Greater London

The Heathrow Southern Railway is a proposed new railway in the United Kingdom which would link Heathrow Airport to railway lines south of London. The scheme, announced in August 2017, is promoted by Heathrow Southern Railway Limited and would be financed privately. In a government paper published in November 2019, the project has been officially called SAtH - Southern Access to Heathrow. The reason given is that it is not only heavy rail access that is being considered but other transport options too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCV Evora</span> Low-floor bus bodywork on Volvo B8RLE and B5LH chassis

The MCV Evora is a single-decker bus bodywork produced by Manufacturing Commercial Vehicles (MCV) since 2018, as the successor to the MCV Evolution. The Evora is currently available on Volvo B8RLE and Volvo B5LH chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascot lines of the London and South Western Railway</span>

The Ascot lines of the London and South Western Railway were formed of a line from Staines to Wokingham, and another from Ascot to Aldershot East Junction. The London and South Western Railway was operating trains from London to Staines and Windsor in 1850. An independent but friendly railway company, the Staines, Woking and Wokingham Junction Railway built a line from Staines to Wokingham, where it connected with the Reading, Guildford and Reigate Junction Railway. The Staines company had running powers giving it access to Reading. It never built the Woking part of the network in its title. The opening of the line in 1856 gave the LSWR the opportunity to run throughout from London to Reading

References

  1. ↑ Companies House extract company no 1184445 C.E. Jeatt & Sons Limited
  2. ↑ "White Bus | Bushub". www.bushub.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "White Bus takes delivery of new Enviro200 models | Alexander Dennis". www.alexander-dennis.com. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lyons, Mark (February 2021). "White Bus Services". BUSES. Key Publishing.
  5. ↑ "Author pens the remarkable story". Windsor Express. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Bus Zone - White Bus Services". www.buszone.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "How To Find Us". Windsor Great Park. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "New Operator for Route 441 from 17th March 2018". Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ "Abellio Surrey maintain a commercial toehold in Surrey" Buses issue 749 August 2017 page 7
  10. ↑ Team, routeone (12 December 2018). "White Bus Services' five Mistral-supplied E200s". routeone. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  11. ↑ "£2 Single Fare Cap Scheme". 29 December 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Lettice Bromovsky (12 January 2024). "Bus company manager wrongly sacked after filming colleague's Morecambe and Wise striptease". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  13. ↑ "Mr G Lovejoy v Rowgate Group Ltd and CE Jeatt & Sons Ltd: 3323008/2021". GOV.UK. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  14. ↑ Lyons, Mark (September 2023). "Operator changes for cross-border services". BUSES. Key Publishing.
  15. ↑ "Changes to 446 from 4 December". White Bus. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "555 takes off with White Bus | White Bus". www.whitebus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  17. ↑ "Bus Services | White bus". www.whitebus.co.uk. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.