Product Code Database
Ensign Bus Company Limited, Companies House extract company no 2656574 Ensign Bus Company Limited trading as Ensignbus, is a bus and coach operator and bus dealer based in Purfleet, Essex. As of March 2023, it is a part of FirstGroup.
It was announced on 8 February 2023 that with the retirement of its owner Peter Newman and his sons Ross and Steve, Ensignbus was to be purchased by FirstGroup, with its bus dealer business and bus service operations remaining separate from the operations of First Essex. The company's heritage fleet operation was not included the sale and remains with the Newman family. The last day of independent operations was on 9 March 2023.
As the vehicles arrived, Ensignbus moved to larger premises in Purfleet. While some were scrapped, Ensign sold many of these buses to operators around the country and abroad, with many ex-municipal companies and new operators requiring cheap reinforcements for enhanced competition following the deregulation of bus services in 1986. Over 400 were sold to China Motor Bus in Hong Kong. Ensign shows flag Commercial Motor 16 May 1981
During the London Pride Sightseeing operation, Ensignbus continued selling buses in smaller numbers from a site in Rainham. With the sale of London Pride, Ensignbus moved to another site in Purfleet, and grew its sales business.
Ensignbus was involved in the sale of London's AEC Routemaster buses following their withdrawal from regular use. The great bus sale BBC News 10 December 2004 As of 2013, it was the largest used bus dealer in the UK. Vantage Power's hybrid engines The Daily Telegraph 1 July 2013
Starting in 1998 with an operation in Seville, in 1999, Ensignbus launched the City Sightseeing global sightseeing bus brand with a worldwide franchise model, and proceeded to rapidly expand into several cities. In May 2002 City Sightseeing bought out its main rival Guide Friday.
In November 2000, Ensignbus reacquired the London Pride Sightseeing business but sold it in 2001 to The Original Tour. In June 2004, Ensignbus purchased Bath Bus Company and transferred its City Sightseeing operations in Cardiff, Eastbourne, and Windsor to the company. Martin Curtis: Top draw sightseeing in Bath Bus & Coach Professional 30 August 2006
In February 2011, the Bath Bus Company business was sold to the RATP Group. Tour de France: city bus firm bought by European business Bath Chronicle 2 March 2011 RATP Dev announces the acquisition of the Original Tour RATP Group 11 September 2014 In April 2011, Ensignbus sold City Sightseeing to Enrique Ybarra.
In July 1989, it purchased the business of Frontrunner South East from Stagecoach East Midlands with route 248 and 252. EBS to buy Frontrunner Commercial Motor 6 July 1989 In December 1990, Ensignbus sold its London tendered bus services to Hong Kong company Citybus with the Dagenham depot and 87 buses. It was rebranded as Ensign Citybus and then Capital Citybus. From Hong Kong by bus Commercial Motor 10 January 1991
Ensignbus briefly re-entered London tendered services on 7 February 1999, taking over route 324 (Hornchurch-Lakeside) and school service 648 (Romford-Thurrock College) from First London who had bought Capital Citybus on 8 July 1998, even later creating a night variant of route 324 numbered N324, which only lasted five nights, when the route was extended to Bluewater from Lakeside and Romford Market from Hornchurch on 16 March 1999. Ensignbus also created a school variant of the 324 numbered 623 between Hornchurch and Belhus on the same day that route 324 was taken over, however the service did not last long as it was withdrawn by 22 July 1999. Ensignbus later took over London tendered service route 348 (Romford-Lakeside) on 12 June 1999 from Eastern National after the route was re-introduced after being withdrawn and replaced by an extension of Eastern National route 351 to Lakeside, and Ensignbus extended route 348 to Gravesend via Bluewater, although this only lasted until 11 December 1999, when the route was withdrawn back to Lakeside. Routes 325 and 509 were later added before Ensignbus once again sold its London services on 11 December 1999, this time to Town & Country Buses.
In 2006, Ensignbus commenced operating services under contract to Thurrock Council and began operating services in Thurrock in competition with Arriva Southend. Bus Services EnsignbusNetwork Ensign Coach & Bus Week issue 1260 3 October 2016 pages 16-24 As at October 2016, it operated 16 routes. In April 2017, Ensign took over two further routes in Thurrock from Amber Coaches. Ensign Buses step in to run two key routes Your Thurrock 4 April 2017
Ensignbus had combined all their separate routes X21, X31 and X81 running between Ongar, Shenfield and Lakeside Shopping Centrehttp://www.londonbusroutes.net/times/X81X21.pdf into one route numbered the X90 on February 18, 2019 between Brentwood and Lakeside Shopping Centre via Warley, Great Warley, North Ockendon, South Ockendon and
In June 2019, Jetlink X1, a night bus service between London Southend Airport and London Victoria via Lakeside Shopping Centre, Canning Town, and Embankment stations commenced. It was withdrawn after a few weeks due to Ensignbus being denied access to Southend Airport.New Ensignbus service withdrawn due to Southend Airport banning its vehicles] Coach & Bus Week issue 1398 18 June 2019 page 8 It recommenced on 5 October 2019 but was withdrawn again in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
On 17 June 2019, Ensignbus' services in Brentwood were taken over by NIBS Buses. Brentwood Ensignbus Services NIBS Buses 29 April 2019 NIBS to takeover Ensignbus Brentwood services Route One 1 May 2019NIBS buses to acquire Brentwood Bus Operations from Ensignbus Coach & Bus Week issue 1392 7 May 2019 page 6
Ensignbus also operates a dealership selling used buses from several major UK and Irish operators. Bus Sales Ensignbus In 2016, it became a dealer for BCI Bus products, starting with the BCI Enterprise high capacity integral double-decker. Ensignbus goes high capacity with decker deal Route One 14 June 2016 The company acts as a partner to Vantage Power, a firm developing technology to retrofit existing buses with diesel-electric hybrid engines.
Ensignbus maintains a fleet of heritage buses with AEC Regent III, AEC Routemaster, Daimler Fleetline, Leyland Titan, MCW Metrobus, and Scania Metropolitans represented. Restorations Ensignbus As well as being available for charter, Ensignbus operate these at an annual running day on the first Saturday in December each year. Into Autumn - the countdown to running day starts here... Ensign Vintage Buses Blogspot Vintage buses running for one day only Thurrock Gazette 29 November 2016
Open top tour operations
In October 1985, Ensignbus purchased the London Pride Sightseeing open top bus tour business. Ensign now is the pride of London Commercial Motor 19 October 1985 Through links gained by selling open top buses to other operators around the world, Ensignbus expanded the concept to other cities setting up new tours. In January 1998, the open-top tour business was sold.
London tendered services
As a result of deregulation in the mid 1980s Ensignbus expanded into tendered London Buses work in East London. Outside firms win London bus tenders Commercial Motor 4 January 1986 LRT allocates 10 bus routes Commercial Motor 25 October 1986 Starting with one or two routes, Ensignbus gained a network of routes, using several second hand vehicles and batches of new vehicles:
Essex and Kent services
In 2004, Ensignbus commenced operating a 12-month rail replacement contract in Kent for South Eastern Trains while the Higham and Strood tunnels were closed to strengthening. To avoid being charged the £2 crossing fee for each empty bus on the Dartford Crossing, as well as making use of the dead running from its Purfleet depot, a bus route was introduced between Chafford Hundred and Gravesend via Lakeside and Bluewater Shopping Centres, being numbered as X80. Despite its infrequent timetable, the X80 proved successful and was kept going after the rail contract finished, albeit being cut back to run between Lakeside and Bluewater only.
/ref> However, route X90 did not last long as the service was withdrawn on June 15, 2019 due to an unviable amount of passengers as at the time the Elizabeth line was not fully open, with the intended replacement being the already existing commercial 269 service operated by NIBS Buses between Brentwood and
Today
Today, Ensignbus retains a small bus service network centred on Grays station and Lakeside Shopping Centre. It also regularly provides buses for rail replacement services to train operators including Abellio Greater Anglia, c2c, Southeastern, and Transport for London.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Hybrid moves on the buses The Engineer 12 May 2016
Fleet
As of February 2023, Ensignbus operates 55 single and double deck buses, which are a combination of new and second-hand purchases. Fleet livery is light blue and silver. The fleet includes six hybrid electric buses delivered in 2012.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Six new Volvo hybrids for Ensign Bus Coach & Bus Week 28 November 2012
See also
External links
Categories: Auto Dealerships Of The United Kingdom, Firstgroup Bus Operators In England, Bus Operators In Essex, Bus Operators In Kent, City Sightseeing, Former London Bus Operators, Purfleet, Transport Companies Established In 1972, Transport In Essex, Transport In Thurrock, Vintage Bus Operators In The United Kingdom, 1972 Establishments In England
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