Parent | Clive Eglington |
---|---|
Founded | 1931 |
Headquarters | Sittingbourne |
Service type | Bus & coach operator |
Fleet | 76 (May 2014) |
Website | www.chalkwell.co.uk |
Chalkwell Coaches [1] is a bus and coach tour operator in Sittingbourne, Kent.
Chalkwell Coaches was founded in 1931 by Harry Eglington as Island Luxury Coaches. [2] In April 1931 a short lived Sheerness to Stoke Newington service began. During World War II all seven coaches were requisitioned. In 1969, the business was taken over by Eglington's son Clyde. [3]
In 1987, Chalkwell commenced its first local bus service from Doddington to Faversham. In 1990, it commenced operating services under contract to Kent County Council. In 1992, Chalkwell commenced operating Maidstone & District Motor Services day tour program. [3]
In 1993, Downsway Coaches of Canterbury was acquired. [3] In July 1993, it commenced operating commuter services from Sittingbourne to Central London. [4]
On 12 July 2021, Chalkwell took over the operations of routes 360, 361 and 367 in Sheerness as a result of Arriva Southern Counties closing their depot in the town and handing the routes back to Kent County Council. [5] [6]
On 12 February 2023, most of the company's rural services in Sittingbourne, as well as the Sunday services in Sheerness were withdrawn as a result of funding for the routes being withdrawn by Kent County Council. [7]
On 24 July 2023, Chalkwell took over the operation of route 334 between Sittingbourne and Sheerness following Arriva Southern Counties withdrawing from the service at the same time. [8]
As of July 2023, Chalkwell operate eight local bus services in the Swale area, centred around the towns of Sittingbourne and Sheerness. The company also operates a number of school services in both areas.
Chalkwell currently operate the following services (excluding school services): [9]
Route | Start | End |
---|---|---|
326/327 | Chatham | Sittingbourne |
334 | Sittingbourne | Sheerness |
347 | Sittingbourne | Kemsley |
349 | Sittingbourne | Murston |
360 | Sheerness | Leysdown-on-Sea |
361 | Sheerness | Rushenden |
362 | Sheerness | West Minster |
Chalkwell Coaches operated commuter coach routes 780, 781, 782 and 784 from Bearsted and Kings Hill to the Tate Britain in London until May 2017 when the routes were withdrawn. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
As at May 2014, the fleet comprised 76 vehicles. [3]
Sheerness is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town of Minster which has a population of 21,319.
Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, 17 miles (27 km) from Canterbury and 45 miles (72 km) from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separating mainland Kent from the Isle of Sheppey. The town became prominent after the death of Thomas Becket in 1170, since it provided a convenient resting point on the road from London to Canterbury and Dover.
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a passenger transport company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Norway and Germany. Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange, in 2022 it was purchased by Kinetic Group and Globalvia.
Arriva London is a major bus company operating services in Greater London. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus and operates services under contract to Transport for London. It was formed in 1998 from a fusion of previously separate Arriva subsidiaries Grey-Green, Leaside Buses, Kentish Bus, London & Country and South London Transport. Operations are split between two registered companies, Arriva London North Limited and Arriva London South Limited.
Arriva Southern Counties is a bus operator in Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Essex, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
Green Line is a commuter coach brand in the Home counties of England. The trademark is owned by Arriva, with services operated by Arriva Shires & Essex.
Maidstone & District Motor Services was a bus company based in Maidstone, Kent. The company operated bus and coach services in Mid and West Kent and East Sussex from 1911 until 1998. The company's surviving operations were absorbed into Arriva Southern Counties.
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.
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.
Fastrack is a bus rapid transit scheme in the Thames Gateway area of Kent. It consists of three routes, operated by Arriva Southern Counties on behalf of Kent County Council with Prologis and Amazon respectively. Measures used to allow buses to avoid traffic include signal priority, reserved lanes, and dedicated busways.
Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.
Ensignbus is a bus and coach operator and bus dealer based in Purfleet, Essex. As of March 2023, it is a part of the FirstGroup.
The Kings Ferry is a coach operator based in Kent, England. Originally a commuter and private hire coach operator, under the new brand of The Kings Ferry Travel Group, the business expanded into VIP services, including car and helicopter hire and tourism services. In the main, the company operates base colour yellow with green striping coaches with a crown logo.
Grey-Green was a bus and coach operator in England. It was based in Stamford Hill and operated in London and the East of England.
Safeguard Coaches is a bus and coach operator based in Guildford.
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, with the fleets of each operator regularly interchanged.
Yourbus was a bus operator in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. It ran commercial and tendered local bus services from its base in Heanor.
London Coaches was a former bus and coach operator operating open top tourist services in London and commuter services from Kent to London.
ArrivaClick is a demand responsive transport service operated by Arriva UK Bus. Passengers book and pay for journeys via a smartphone app, which then matches passengers traveling between similar points, calculating an ad hoc route to the destinations required.
Go-Coachhire Ltd is a bus operator running a total of 40 bus services across Kent and Sussex. The majority of these services are operated on behalf of Kent County Council from their depot in Swanley.