New Enterprise Coaches

New Enterprise Coaches was a coach company based in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It was an arm of Arriva Southern Counties.

New Enterprise Coaches
Van Hool Alizée HE-II bodied Scania K113CRB
ParentArriva
FoundedFebruary 1974
Ceased operationJanuary 2020
HeadquartersRoyal Tunbridge Wells
Service areaUK and Europe
Service typeBus & coach services
Websitehttps://www.arrivabus.co.uk/
newenterprisecoaches

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 retained 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 However this service was withdrawn from 19 January 2009, replaced by an alternative service provided by Chalkwell Coaches of Sittingbourne.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.

New Enterprise began to operate a number of local bus services in the Tonbridge and Sevenoaks areas under contract to Kent County Council. They also offered 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- or 53-seaters.

Current operations

In 2018, New Enterprise Coaches became a coach hire company only[1] with all vehicles and bus services transferring to the Arriva Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells depots,[2][3]

In January 2020 New Enterprise Coaches permenently closed.

Fleet

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

References
  1. "Low cost coach hire from New Enterprise Coaches". arrivabus.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  2. "This weekend all our remaining buses transfer from our Tonbridge home to join the Arriva bus fleet at Tonbridge Wells. The Kings Hill Connect buses are now being run from Arriva Maidstone. We wish all our bus drivers the very best and thank them for all their work over the years. This will leave just a few coaches running out of their Tonbridge home for a week or two before they move to Tunbridge Wells". Facebook. New Enterprise Coaches. 6 July 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  3. "Well this is it. The last few weeks or our coaches running from Tonbridge. Soon they move to Tonbridge Wells. Once a depot full of friends laughing, phones ringing computer keys clicking, hammers tapping, drills spinning, coaches beeping. Today just silence. So many memories. If the walls could talk! Well we are really sad to be moving from our home since 1974. We are keeping a few coaches going. We are still on 01732 350509 and we are on newenterprise.sc@arriva.co.uk and www.arrivabus.co.uk/newenterprisecoaches. We will keep you updated with the move". Facebook. New Enterprise Coaches. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
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