Go South Coast
Bus operator in southern England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Go South Coast[4] 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.[5]
 | |
| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Poole |
| Service area | Dorset Hampshire Isle of Wight Wiltshire Somerset[1] |
| Service type | Bus & coach services |
| Depots | 13 |
| Fleet | 850 [2] |
| Annual ridership | 46 million (June 2014)[2] |
| Chief executive | Ben Murray[3] |
| Website | gosouthcoast |
History
In August 2003 the Go-Ahead Group purchased the business of Wilts & Dorset, including its Damory Coaches and Tourist Group subsidiaries,[6] followed in July 2005 by Southern Vectis including its Solent Blue Line subsidiary.[7] In February 2006 Wilts & Dorset purchased bus refurbishment company Hants & Dorset Trim.[8]
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.[9][10]
Thamesdown Transport was purchased from Swindon Borough Council in February 2017[11] and rebranded as Swindon's Bus Company.
In May 2025, Managing Director Andrew Wickham died, reportedly after a long illness, at age 58.[12][13] 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.[14] Ben Murray, Go South Coast's Finance Director, took over as interim Managing Director of the company.[12]
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:[15]
- 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.[2]