Go South CoastCompanies House extract: Company no 3949597 – Go South Coast Limited formerly Southern Vectis Transport Limited 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, although the buses run under a multitude of brands."Go South Coast" Buses issue 714 September 2014 page 72
History
In August 2003 the Go-Ahead Group purchased the business of Wilts & Dorset, including its Damory Coaches and Tourist Group subsidiaries,Bus buy for Go-Ahead The Guardian 12 August 2003 followed in July 2005 by Southern Vectis including its Solent Blue Line subsidiary.Recommended Cash Offer for Southern Vectis plc Go-Ahead Group 11 July 2005 In February 2006 Wilts & Dorset purchased bus refurbishment company Hants & Dorset Trim.Acquisition of Hants & Dorset Tram Limited Go-Ahead Group 6 February 2006
Later in 2006, Go-Ahead consolidated the management of its south coast operations under Go South Coast in Poole.
In October 2006, Marchwood Motorways was purchased and integrated into Bluestar.Acquisition of Marchwood Buses Go-Ahead Group 24 October 2006Go-Ahead purchases Marchwood Motorways busandcoach.com 26 October 2006
Thamesdown Transport was purchased from Swindon Borough Council in February 2017 and rebranded as Swindon's Bus Company.
In May 2025, Managing Director Andrew Wickham died, reportedly after a long illness, at age 58. Wickham was a respected figure in the UK bus industry where he had worked for almost 40 years, and was appointed MBE in 2024 for services to the industry. Ben Murray, Go South Coast's Finance Director, took over as interim Managing Director of the company.
Subsidiaries All public bus services come under local brands, which have distinct liveries. These are: Bluestar – The brand for Southampton Unilink – The brand for the University of Southampton Morebus – The brand for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole UNIBUS – The brand for Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth Salisbury Reds – The brand for Salisbury Southern Vectis – The brand for the Isle of Wight Swindon's Bus Company (formerly Thamesdown Transport) – The brand for Swindon
The company also has three coach brands: Excelsior Coaches – Bournemouth, offering private coach hire, school services and tours Damory Coaches – school buses and services in central East Dorset Tourist Group – Dorset and Wiltshire, providing services to schools in Wiltshire
The company has a bus refurbishment and repair shop, 'Hants and Dorset Trim', based in Eastleigh.
Fleet As at May 2023, Go South Coast operated over 850 buses and coaches from thirteen depots.
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