New Enterprise Coaches

New Enterprise Coaches

Van Hool Alizée HE-II bodied Scania K113CRB
Parent Arriva
Founded February 1974
Headquarters Tonbridge
Service type Bus & coach services
Website www.newenterprisecoaches.co.uk

New Enterprise Coaches[1] is a bus and coach company based in Tonbridge, Kent. It is an arm of Arriva Southern Counties.

History

East Lancs Spryte bodied Dennis Dart in Sevenoaks in June 2009
easyBus liveried Optare Soroco bodied Mercedes-Benz Sprinter at London Victoria in April 2008
Plaxton Premiere bodied DAF SB3000 in Sevenoaks in June 2009

New Enterprise Coaches was formed in February 1974 as a small West Kent-based family-run business.

In the early 1980s New Enterprise started running local bus services in the Tonbridge area, mainly competing against Maidstone & District Motor Services, until the latter purchased New Enterprise in June 1988. In August 1996, Maidstone & District Motor Services' parent company British Bus, was purchased by Arriva and New Enterprise Coaches incorporated into Arriva

Unlike many of Arriva's acquisitions which have adopted the corporate aquamarine livery, New Enterprise retains its white with red and blue ribbon livery.

Discontinued operations

New Enterprise operated commuter services 781 and 784 to London from the Maidstone area out of Arriva's Maidstone Depot, which were inherited from Green Line in August 2005. However this service was withdrawn from 19 January 2009, replaced by an alternative service provided by Chalkwell Coaches of Sittingbourne.

From 18 March 2008, New Enterprise began to run the new EB3 easyBus service from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria, using a fleet of Optare Soroco bodied Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. A new outstation at Gatwick was opened for this operation. While the new vehicles are awaited, some older easyBus minibuses were on loan from Arriva Shires & Essex. Route EB3 was replaced by route EB4 in August 2008 from Gatwick Airport to Fulham Broadway, with the EB3 ceasing on 21 September 2008. From early 2009, the Gatwick base was moved to Tellings-Golden Miller's (also owned by Arriva) Gatwick depot. The operation by New Enterprise was discontinued in late 2009, when easyBus took this and other similar sub-contracted routes 'in-house', from a base in London.

Current operations

New Enterprise now operates a number of local bus services in the Tonbridge and Sevenoaks areas under contract to Kent County Council. They also offer a wide range of daybreaks and holidays from the Tonbridge and Maidstone areas, as well as coach hire with a choice of coaches from 25, 49 to 53 seaters.

Current fleet

As at March 2014 the fleet consisted of 25 buses and coaches.

References

  1. ↑ Companies House extract company no 1161234 New Enterprise Coaches (Tonbridge) Limited
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