Moss Motor Tours

Moss Motor Tours


Founded	1921
Headquarters	Sandown, Isle of Wight
Service area	Isle of Wight
Service type	Bus Services, Coach Tours & Private Hire

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.

Following Southern Vectis' purchase by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005, "Moss Motors" was resurrected as one of several fleet names for the company's coach unit (also including, amongst others, Fountain Coaches and the West Wight Bus & Coach Company).^[1] "Moss Motors" was also used for a short time to brand a commuter coach service into Newport. In January 2013, a change in management and significant investment in new vehicles (mostly buses, not coaches) meant that these classic fleetnames were abandoned in favour of one "home to school" brand "Vectis Blue".^[2]

History

Moss Motor Tours was started in 1921. The company operated several bus routes and tours of the Island to cater to tourists, these included trips to see cruise liners, mystery tours, and round the island tours. The company also operated private hire vehicles. Moss' was based in Sandown, Isle of Wight and had shops where tickets for the various tours were sold. One of Moss' coaches is now viewable at the Isle of Wight Bus Museum.

Post-deregulation, Moss Motor Tours operated several bus routes against the incumbent privatised bus operator Southern Vectis, these typically used red buses with 'Blue Ferret' branding.

Most if not all original Moss Motor Tours coaches were bought new and were kept inside for much of the winter, in fact as testament to this, several of the coaches left from the company's sale in 1994 are still in use by both mainland and Island operators, for example, island based Gange's Coaches, still use the last coach purchased by Moss - "Island Princess" in its original blue and cream livery.^[3]

Gallery

Some of the many promotional noticeboards used by Moss to promote their coach tours.
A leaflet promoting Moss Motor Tours, picturing a Plaxton Paramount coach.
Preserved ex-Moss Motor Tours 1957 Bedford SBG/Duple Vega, at the 2008 Isle of Wight Bus Museum running day.
Former Moss Coach "Wight Envoy", pictured operating by Gange's Coaches.
Former Moss Coach "Island Princess", the last coach purchased by Moss, also part of the Gange's Coaches fleet.

References

↑ Southern Vectis. "Southern Vectis - bus hire". Retrieved 8 November 2011.
↑ THE BUS PEOPLE. "New double deck buses introduced to island's school bus transport". Retrieved 15 March 2014.
↑ Gange's Coaches. "Gange's Coaches - Coach & Minibus Hire on the Isle of Wight". Retrieved 8 November 2011.

External links

Media related to Moss Motor Tours at Wikimedia Commons

Former bus companies of the United Kingdom

National

England

Former bus companies operating in England

North West England	Birkenhead Transport Blackburn Transport Blue Bus and Coach Services Bluebird Bus and Coach Bu-Val Buses ChesterBus Citibus Tours Crosville Motor Services Finglands Coachways First Chester & The Wirral Glenvale Transport GM Buses John Fishwick & Sons JPT Lancashire United Transport Maynes Bus Maytree Travel MTL North Western Road Car Company (1923) North Western Road Car Company (1986) Pennine Blue Red & White Services Ribble Motor Services Speedwellbus Transdev Northern Blue UK North Yelloway Motor Services

North East England	Black Prince Buses Busways Travel Services Durham Travel Services Geldards Coaches Jolly Bus Leon Motors Mexborough and Swinton Traction Company Northern General Transport Company OK Motor Services Samuel Ledgard South Yorkshire Transport Tates Travel United Automobile Services Venture Transport West Riding Automobile Company West Yorkshire Road Car Yorkshire Rider Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Traction

Midlands	A2Z Travel Barton Transport Birmingham City Transport Birmingham Motor Traction Chase Coaches First Northampton Glossopdale Bus Company Go West Midlands Ludlows North Birmingham Busways People's Express Premiere Travel Probus Management South Notts Bus Company Stevensons of Uttoxeter Travel Merry Hill Travel Your Bus Wesley Coaches Zak's Buses

Eastern England	Eastern National Omnibus Company MK Metro TWH Bus & Coach

South West England	Badgerline Bristol Omnibus Company Devon General Greyhound Motors Great Western Railway Hants & Dorset Motor Services Shamrock Buses Southern National Sureline Trathens Travel Services Truronian WebberBus Western Greyhound Western National

South East England	Alder Valley Aldershot & District Traction Badger Vectis Boro'line Maidstone Brijan Tours Bygone Buses Cavendish Motor Services Centra City Clipper Countryliner East Kent Road Car Company Invictaway Kent Top Travel Maidstone & District Maidstone Corporation Transport Marchwood Motorways Moss Motor Tours Portsmouth Corporation Transport Shamrock Buses Southampton Citybus Southdown Motor Services Thames Transit Thames Valley Traction Tillingbourne Bus Company Velvet Yellow Bus Services

Greater London	Bexleybus Birch Brothers Boro'line London Capital Citybus Capital Logistics Connex East Thames Buses First London Grey-Green Harris Bus Imperial Buses London Buslines London Country Bus Services London Country North East London Country North West London Country South East London Country South West London Easylink London Electrobus Company London Forest London Pride Sightseeing London Traveller MTL NSL Buses Thorpes Travel London Travel Surrey Westlink

Scotland

Former bus companies operating in Scotland

Scottish Bus Group	Central Scottish Clydeside Scottish Eastern Scottish Highland Scottish Kelvin Central Buses Kelvin Scottish Lowland Scottish Midland Scottish Northern Scottish Western Scottish

Other operators	Arriva Scotland West A1 Service Dart Buses First Stop Travel Gibson's of Moffat McKindless Munro's of Jedburgh Oban and District Scottish Motor Traction Strathclyde Buses Western SMT

Wales

Former bus companies operating in Wales

Companies	Crosville Motor Services Islwyn Borough Transport National Welsh Omnibus Services Padarn Bus Red & White Services Rhondda Transport Company South Wales Transport Western Welsh

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