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| Parent | Go South Coast (part of the Go-Ahead Group) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1915 |
| Ceased operation | July 2012 |
| Headquarters | Poole |
| Service area | Dorset Wiltshire Hampshire |
| Service type | Bus services |
Wilts & Dorset [1] was a bus and coach operator providing services in East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. It was purchased by Go-Ahead Group in 2003 and was rebranded as Morebus in Dorset and Salisbury Reds in Wiltshire in 2012.
Wilts & Dorset Motor Services Limited was incorporated in 1915, with its head office in Amesbury, Wiltshire, moving to Salisbury in 1917. The company's first route was between Salisbury and Amesbury. [2] The company grew rapidly in the Andover, Amesbury, Blandford Forum, Pewsey and Salisbury areas. The Southern Railway and Thomas Tilling obtained shares in 1931, with Wilts & Dorset being nationalised in 1948. It acquired Venture of Basingstoke in 1950, in a reorganisation following the nationalisation of Venture's parent, Red & White. Wilts & Dorset acquired Silver Star of Porton Down, Wiltshire in June 1963. [3]
Despite the name, the company's operations were mainly in the southern part of Wiltshire and the northern part of Hampshire.
In 1963, the management of Wilts & Dorset passed to Hants & Dorset, a neighbouring state-owned bus company. In 1969, both companies became part of the National Bus Company and, in October 1972, they were merged under the Hants & Dorset name with the Wilts & Dorset name ceasing to be used. [4]
The Transport Act 1985 led to the privatisation of the National Bus Company. In preparation for privatisation, Hants & Dorset was split into three operating companies in April 1983, one of which was Wilts & Dorset Bus Company. [1] [4]
The new Wilts & Dorset company's operating area was considerably larger than its older namesake, including Swanage, Poole, Bournemouth, Lymington, Devizes, Swindon and Salisbury, but not Basingstoke. Depots were located in Blandford Forum, Lymington, Pewsey, Poole, Ringwood, Salisbury and Swanage. [4]
In June 1987, Wilts & Dorset was sold in a management buyout. [5] The new company fought off competition from Charlie's Cars [6] and Badger Vectis. [7]
Damory Coaches of Blandford Forum was purchased in May 1993, followed by Oakfield Travel [8] and Stanbridge & Crichel Bus Company in November 1993, [9] and by Blandford Bus Company in January 1994; [10] all were combined under the Damory Coaches name.
On 11 August 2003, the business was sold to the Go-Ahead Group; [11] it is now part of the subsidiary Go South Coast.
Coach companies Tourist Coaches, Levers and Kingston Coaches were purchased and consolidated under the Tourist Coaches name; [12] and Bell's Coaches were added in 2003.
On 31 July 2008, a W&D open-top bus collided with two cars between Studland and the local chain ferry, injuring 30 people. The bus, a route 50 service travelling from Swanage to Bournemouth, collided with both a Volkswagen Golf and a Porsche; the latter was driving away from the chain ferry on Ferry Road and crashed head on with the bus and the other car. [13] A number of passengers reported the bus travelled a distance on two wheels and the eventual toppling took place at low speed. The top-deck passengers were all thrown off onto soft ground in a ditch and six passengers were taken to Poole Hospital with minor injuries. [14] The driver of the Porsche was later convicted of driving without due care and attention. [15]
In 2011, Wilts & Dorset trialled Go-Ahead Group's The Key smartcard ticketing system similar to London's Oyster card and the ITSO ticket used on National Rail services; the system was already in use by sister companies Brighton and Hove and Metrobus. In 2012, it was launched across the entire network, with passengers able to save up to 33% against purchasing paper tickets.
In July 2012, it was announced that the Wilts & Dorset name would be dropped from bus services in favour of the Morebus brand in Poole and Bournemouth, and Salisbury Reds in Salisbury and Amesbury. In 2014, it was announced that the bus station on Endless Street in Salisbury would close in favour of town centre stops. The station had opened in 1939 as the headquarters of Wilts & Dorset. [16]
Coach operations were established by the company in the 1990s when Wilts & Dorset purchased Tourist Coaches of Figheldean, Wiltshire. Tourist Coaches operates public services within the Wiltshire area from the Salisbury Reds depot. It was founded in 1920 by E & DF Stanfield in Figheldean, Wiltshire. At the time, it provided both private coach hire and contract coach services for the military establishments around Salisbury Plain. [17]
In Dorset, three acquisitions were made: Damory Coaches in May 1993, Oakfield Travel in November 1993, [8] and Blandford Bus Company in January 1994. [10] The latter three were then combined under the Damory Coaches name. Each operation that was purchased became a brand under the company, which run public and school routes within its own area. These continued during the split under their respective areas managed by the new companies.
The Wimborne Flyer, now known as service 3, replaced the Poole to Wimborne section of service 132 after the major restructuring of Poole services in June 2006. It runs four times an hour Monday to Saturday. The service differs from the old service 132 by taking a direct route between Poole and Broadstone, using a faster route through Merley, and extending the service from Wimborne Square to the Leigh Park estate. The service, when launched, was almost exclusively operated by Mercedes-Benz Citaros in the new standard Wilts & Dorset livery, though 'more' Citaros and Wright Eclipse Urbans were also seen.
Local residents criticised the change of route, specifically through Merley where the buses took a narrower but more direct road through the estate. Some criticism has also been aimed at the Citaro buses after a number of accidents, including buses demolishing walls while trying to pass each other on a narrow road [18] and tearing hanging baskets from walls in Wimborne Square while turning. [19] Following numerous complaints, Wilts & Dorset rerouted the service through Merley from 29 October 2006, reverting to part of the old 132 route through Merley Gardens. [20]
From 6 April 2008, two out of the four buses per hour started to run via Corfe Mullen rather than Merley with all services also stopping at Broadstone Broadway. Services to and from Leigh Park only run during the morning and evening peak. With the Wimborne Flyer now covering the section of route between Broadstone and Corfe Mullen, most service 4 journeys started to terminate at Broadstone.
As part of the 3 June 2012 network changes, the 3 was withdrawn and was merged with Route 4, which was extended beyond Broadstone to Wimborne either via Merley or Corfe Mullen. After many complaints, Route 4X was introduced between Poole & Broadstone/Merley via the old Route 3 during the morning and evening rush-hours towards the end of June 2012. [21] Towards the end of July 2012 however, it was announced that Route 3 would be re-instated from 17 September 2012 [22] [23] and that both routes 3 & 4 would join the more brand. [24]
PulseLine was the name of services around Salisbury to the District Hospital. In 2010 the name was replaced by Salisbury Reds, using the previous Mercedes-Benz Citaros repainted in the revised Wilts & Dorset livery with Salisbury Reds branding. In addition to the Citaros, ex Southern Vectis Dennis Dart MPDs were transferred and repainted into Wilts & Dorset livery with branding applied.
Wimborne Minster is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, 5 miles (8 km) north of Poole, on the Dorset Heaths, and is part of the South East Dorset conurbation. According to Office for National Statistics data the population of the Wimborne Minster built-up area as of 2014 was 15,552.
Corfe Mullen is a village in Dorset, England, on the north-western urban fringe of the South East Dorset conurbation. The community had a population of 10,133 at the 2011 Census. It is served by six churches, four pubs, five schools, a library, various shops and local businesses, a village hall, and many community and sports organisations. On 10 December 2019 The Corfe Mullen Parish Council resolved to adopt Town Council status, citing potential financial benefits. In all other aspects Corfe Mullen is still very much a village, albeit a large one.
The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath and Bournemouth, with a branch from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater. Strictly speaking, the main line ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone, as the line between Broadstone and Bournemouth was owned by the London and South Western Railway, while the line between Bath Junction and Bath was owned by the Midland Railway.
Mid Dorset and North Poole is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Vikki Slade, a Liberal Democrat.
The Castleman Trailway is a footpath in Southern England. Portions of the trailway are also used as a cyclepath but the middle section from East Wimborne to the River Allen bridge is not cyclable.
Broadstone is a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) from Hamworthy railway station and 7 miles (11 km) from Bournemouth International Airport. The ward had a population of 10,303 at the 2011 Census, increasing from 10,256 at the 2001 Census.
Corfe Hills School is a co-educational upper school in Broadstone, Poole, Dorset, England, in the urban fringe between Poole and Wimborne. The school became an academy in 2011. The school serves Corfe Mullen, Broadstone, Wimborne, Merley and Sturminster Marshall. The current headteacher is James Sankey.
Poole railway station is a stop on the South West Main Line, serving the town of Poole in Dorset, England. It is situated near the town centre, next to Holes Bay. It is one of four stations in the Borough of Poole and is 113 miles 62 chains (183.1 km) down the main line from London Waterloo.
Yellow Buses was a bus operator based in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England. Yellow Buses was the trading name for Bournemouth Transport Ltd. The company fell into administration in July 2022 and ceased operations on 4 August 2022.
Bearwood is a suburb of Poole, Dorset, England.
Hants & Dorset Motor Services Ltd was a stage carriage bus service operator in southern England between 1920 and 1983.
Dorset is a county in South West England. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Owing to its position on the English Channel coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes has led to the decline of its ports.
The Southampton and Dorchester Railway was an English railway company formed to join Southampton in Hampshire with Dorchester in Dorset, with hopes of forming part of a route from London to Exeter. It received parliamentary authority in 1845 and opened in 1847.
Go South Coast is a bus operator on the south coast of England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. All services under the company come under its operating certificate, however the buses run under a multitude of brands.
Salisbury Reds is a bus operator in Salisbury, as well as the surrounding Wiltshire area. It is part of the Go South Coast sector of the Go-Ahead Group. Much of the company's operations formerly came under the Wilts & Dorset brand, though this was phased out from 2012.
Dorset & Wilts 3 South was an English Rugby Union league, forming part of the South West Division, primarily for clubs based in Dorset, sitting at tier 10 of the English rugby union system. Promoted teams generally moved up to Dorset & Wilts 2 South. Relegated teams dropped to Dorset & Wilts 4 until the cancellation of this division at the end of the 2015–16 season; after that there was no relegation. The league was created in 2005 and disbanded after the 2018–19 season.
Morebus is a bus operator in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, as well as the surrounding Dorset area. It is part of the Go South Coast sector of the Go-Ahead Group. Much of the company's operations formerly came under the Wilts & Dorset brand, though this was phased out from 2012.
The 2020 Wareham Forest fire was a wildfire in Wareham Forest, Dorset, in May 2020. It destroyed over 220 Hectares of the heathland, and was described "one of the most devastating fires in Dorset, in living memory" by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
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