First Essex
Encyclopedia
First Essex Buses Limited is owned by First Group. First Essex carries around 29 million passengers each year on a network of routes serving Essex and the surrounding areas. It arose from an amalgamation of Eastern National and Thamesway Buses, whose yellow/maroon livery has only recently disappeared. Both companies originated in the Eastern National Omnibus Company
, founded in 1929, nationalised in 1949 and privatised in 1986.
The company operates 335 vehicles on 70 routes and employs 950 people in Essex, and competes to some extent with several other local operators with services in the same areas, such as Arriva Southend
, Ensignbus
, Regal Busways
, NIBS
, Stephensons of Essex
.
(CF), Basildon
(BN), Colchester
(CR) and Hadleigh
(HH), and also smaller depots in Clacton (CN), Harwich
(DT) and Braintree
(BE), and an outstation at Great Dunmow (DW).
The bus types listed are subject to change, especially in the case of individual vehicles.
services 502, 511, 561, 562, 825.
73/A and 80A/C are Brentwood town services.
Basildon ran the Brentwood town services between 1995 (when Brentwood depot closed) and 1998 (when Harold Wood depot was established). When First London
took over Harold Wood in 2004, Brentwood again took on the Brentwood town services (which were not London Buses
routes).
Springwood Drive was originally an outstation of Chelmsford, consisting of a secure yard and portakabin. There were vehicle washing facilities and fuelling but heavy maintenance was done at Chelmsford. The portakabin had previously been at Maldon outstation (closed 2004).
In 2009 First re-opened a full depot in Braintree, behind the secure yard in Springwood Drive. This now contains washing/fuelling facilities and heavy maintenance facilities, while the Secure Yard now houses the 'reserve' fleet.
Fairfield Road had originally been used by Hicks Brothers, a bus operator which Eastern National took over in 1949. A house adjacent to the old depot site survives, to remind us of a link with the Hicks era.
Chelmsford had outstations at Great Dunmow and Maldon until 2004. Maldon had been a full depot until 1993. Dunmow has since reopened.
There was an outstation of Clacton at Walton on the Naze, until May 1996. This was a small garage at Kino Road, just off the seafront, and housed 4 vehicles. Walton had the depot code of WN. Walton garage was demolished in 1998, with bungalows built on the site. However the enquiry office survives, as a gift shop.
The predecessor of Walton garage was Warners Iron Foundry at Naze Park Road, a building stands to this day.
This had its origins with Silver Queen.
Until 1973, Eastern National had a one bus outstation at West Mersea, acquired from Primrose Bus Service in 1935. The building there survives, but in 1979 it was heavily modified, to become part of a new leisure centre. Service buses still terminate outside, and locals still refer to it as "West Mersea bus station".
Until 1969, Eastern National also had a one bus outstation at Brightlingsea (Victoria Place).
This was acquired with the business of Berry & Sons in 1937.
Low-Floor easy access buses are used on routes 2, 20, 21, 21A, 21B, 24, 26, 26A, 26B, 26C and 27.
Hadleigh took on the work of Canvey (CY) depot in April 1978. Canvey has since become a transport museum.
Hadleigh further expanded its operations in 1992, after Southend (Prittlewell) (PL) depot was closed. The predecessor of Prittlewell, Southend (SD) depot on London Road, closed in 1987, and has now disappeared under a Sainsbury's store.
6 per passenger as part of budget cuts in 2005. Further criticism came from passengers when First Essex and Arriva Southend
decided to withdraw their "Day Rover" ticket, which allowed unlimited journeys on the day of purchase on buses operated by both companies regardless of which company issued the ticket, so day tickets can now only be used on the buses of the company issuing them. They replaced it with a more expensive "Octopus" ticket which is issued by and can be used on any buses operated by Arriva Southend, First Essex, NIBS
, Regal Busways
and Stephensons of Essex
in the Southend, Rochford and Castle Point
districts, covering more bus operators and a wider area of Essex.
Eastern National Omnibus Company
Eastern National was a bus operating company in south east England from 1929 to the 1990s.-Early history:Eastern National Omnibus Company Ltd started in 1929 as a joint venture between the London and North Eastern Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the National Omnibus &...
, founded in 1929, nationalised in 1949 and privatised in 1986.
The company operates 335 vehicles on 70 routes and employs 950 people in Essex, and competes to some extent with several other local operators with services in the same areas, such as Arriva Southend
Arriva Southend
Arriva Southend is a division of Arriva Southern Counties, a subsidiary of transport group Arriva which operates bus services in and around the Southend-on-Sea, Rochford, Rayleigh, Basildon, and Thurrock areas of Essex...
, Ensignbus
Ensignbus
Ensignbus is a Purfleet-based bus and coach dealer, open top bus tour operator and bus service operator. Ensignbus has amassed 20 ex-London vehicles of various ages and conditions in a ....
, Regal Busways
Regal Busways
Regal Busways Ltd is a small bus operator established in 2001 and based in Essex. Their services operate through 30 local communities including Chelmsford, Epping, The Hanningfields, Canvey Island, Harlow, Ongar, Pleshey, Toot Hill, Upshire, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross and Wickford.-History:Regal...
, NIBS
NIBS
NIBS may refer to:*National Institute of Building Sciences*NIBS , British bus company*Cacao nibs, pieces of roasted cocoa beans, generally ground into powder, but also inserted into chocolate bars to give additional "crunch"...
, Stephensons of Essex
Stephensons of Essex
Stephensons of Essex is a privately owned bus company based in south Essex, in England, operating local bus and contract services in the same areas as Arriva Southend, Ensignbus, First Essex, NIBS, and Regal Busways. It also runs private hire coaches, and has a bus and coach dealership and sales...
.
Depots
First Essex has 7 bus depots in the towns of ChelmsfordChelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
(CF), Basildon
Basildon
Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
(BN), Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
(CR) and Hadleigh
Hadleigh, Essex
Hadleigh is a town in southeast Essex, England, on the A13 between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea with a population of about 18,300.-History:Hadleigh is known for its castle, and the country park that surrounds it. The castle has been a romantic ruin for a few hundred years, but parts of two towers are...
(HH), and also smaller depots in Clacton (CN), Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
(DT) and Braintree
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
(BE), and an outstation at Great Dunmow (DW).
The bus types listed are subject to change, especially in the case of individual vehicles.
Basildon
This garage runs bus routes 5, 8/A/B/C, 25/A/B 73/A, 80A/C, 99, 100, 101, 140, 200, 256, 351, 551 and schoolservices 502, 511, 561, 562, 825.
73/A and 80A/C are Brentwood town services.
History
Basildon depot is on Cherrydown East. It was opened by Eastern National in 1961 to replace premises at Bull Road, Vange.Basildon ran the Brentwood town services between 1995 (when Brentwood depot closed) and 1998 (when Harold Wood depot was established). When First London
First London
.First London is one of many operators of London Buses and owned by First Group. They did also run the Tramlink network, in a partnership with Tramtrack Croydon before June 2008. Their registered office is at Paddington station in London...
took over Harold Wood in 2004, Brentwood again took on the Brentwood town services (which were not London Buses
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
routes).
Bus types in use
- Dennis DartDennis DartThe Dennis Dart is a rear-engined midibus built by Dennis in the United Kingdom. More than 11,000 were built during 18 years of production....
/Plaxton PointerPlaxton PointerThe Plaxton Pointer is a successful single-decker bus body manufactured during the 1990s by Plaxton and latterly built by Alexander Dennis.With the launch of the Dennis Dart in 1989, Plaxton's subsidiary Reeve Burgess made the Pointer body on the short 8.5 m... - Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Super Pointer
- Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Mini Pointer
- Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall
- Dennis LanceDennis LanceThe Dennis Lance is a single-decker bus built by Dennis between 1991 and 2000, replacing the Dennis Falcon. Its low-floor variant, the Dennis Lance SLF, was built between 1993 and 1996...
/Northern Counties - Leyland OlympianLeyland OlympianThe Leyland Olympian was a double-decker bus built by British Leyland/Leyland Bus in the United Kingdom from 1980 to 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production before the demise of Leyland Bus.-Construction:...
/AlexanderWalter Alexander CoachbuildersWalter Alexander Coachbuilders was a Scottish bus coachbuilder and operater based in Falkirk.-History:Walter Alexander, notice a lack expasion by the Falkirk and District Tramways Company's especially in to Grangemouth which never hdd a tram line. In 1913 Alexander's Motor Service was created to... - Scania L113/Wright
- Scania L94UB/Wright SolarWright SolarThe Wright Solar is a low floor single-deck bus body built on Scania L94UB and later the new Scania K-series chassis by Wright. An articulated version, the Wright Solar Fusion of similar appearance was available for the Scania L94UA....
- Volvo B7RLEVolvo B7RLEVolvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck citybus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 to supplement the B7L single-decker, which was unsuccessful in both countries. It is similar to the B7L's predecessor, the B10BLE...
/Wright EclipseWright EclipseThe Wright Eclipse is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on Volvo B7 chassis. It shares its design with the Wright Solar on Scania L94 chassis.... - Volvo OlympianVolvo OlympianThe Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....
/Northern Counties
Braintree
This garage runs routes X32, 17, 21/A, 30, 70, 131, 132, 302, 306, 318, 347 and school service 509.History
The current depot, on Springwood Drive, opened in April 2005. It replaced the long standing premises on Fairfield Road, in Braintree town centre, which was redeveloped for retail/residential use.Springwood Drive was originally an outstation of Chelmsford, consisting of a secure yard and portakabin. There were vehicle washing facilities and fuelling but heavy maintenance was done at Chelmsford. The portakabin had previously been at Maldon outstation (closed 2004).
In 2009 First re-opened a full depot in Braintree, behind the secure yard in Springwood Drive. This now contains washing/fuelling facilities and heavy maintenance facilities, while the Secure Yard now houses the 'reserve' fleet.
Fairfield Road had originally been used by Hicks Brothers, a bus operator which Eastern National took over in 1949. A house adjacent to the old depot site survives, to remind us of a link with the Hicks era.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer
- Volvo B7RLE
- Volvo Olympian
- NB: Vehicles are frequently exchanged with Chelmsford depot, for maintenance purposes.
Chelmsford
This depot runs Chelmsford Park & Ride, routes X30, 31B/C/X, 33, 36, 40, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48/A/B/C, 50, 54/A/C, 55, 56/A, 70(Chelmsford), 71, 71C, 72, 73, 352 and schools services 508, 512, 525History
When the old Chelmsford Duke Street bus depot/bus station was redeveloped in autumn 2004, operations moved to a new site at Westway. The new Duke Street bus station opened in March 2007.Chelmsford had outstations at Great Dunmow and Maldon until 2004. Maldon had been a full depot until 1993. Dunmow has since reopened.
Bus types in use
- Optare Solo
- Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer
- Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer
- Dennis Lance/Northern Counties
- BMC Schoolbus
- Scania OmniCityScania OmniCityThe Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
- Volvo B7RLE/Wright Eclipse - transferred from First ManchesterFirst ManchesterFirst Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
- Volvo B9R/Plaxton - Aircoach livery for X30
- Volvo B10MVolvo B10MThe Volvo B10M is a popular mid-engined bus and coach chassis built by Volvo between 1978 and 2001. It was built as the successor of the B58 and was equipped with a 9.6-litre horizontally-mounted Volvo THD100/THD101/THD102/THD103/THD104/DH10A diesel engine mounted under the floor, near the middle...
/Plaxton PremierePlaxton PremiereThe Plaxton Premiere, Plaxton Excalibur and Plaxton Prima were closely related designs of coach bodywork built by Plaxton.The Premiere and Excalibur were introduced in 1991 as replacements for the Paramount. The Premiere was the mainstream design, available in the same two heights as its predecessor...
350 - Aircoach livery for X30
Clacton
This depot runs routes 5/A/B, 6, 7/X, 8/A, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 74/B, 75 (some peak journeys), 76 and schools service 15.History
Clacton depot has been at Telford Road, on the Gorse Lane Industrial Estate since 1988, at premises previously occupied by Coastal Red, a competitor on the Tendring Peninsular bought by Eastern National. Telford Road replaced the garage at Castle Road, near Clacton town centre, which was redeveloped as flats.There was an outstation of Clacton at Walton on the Naze, until May 1996. This was a small garage at Kino Road, just off the seafront, and housed 4 vehicles. Walton had the depot code of WN. Walton garage was demolished in 1998, with bungalows built on the site. However the enquiry office survives, as a gift shop.
The predecessor of Walton garage was Warners Iron Foundry at Naze Park Road, a building stands to this day.
This had its origins with Silver Queen.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer
- Dennis Dart SLF/Alexander ALX200
- Dennis Dart SLF/Marshall
- Enterprise Primo
- Dennis Trident/Plaxton President
Colchester
This depot runs routes 1E, 2C, 8E, 11, 15, 61/61A, 62/A, 63, 64/A, 65, 66/A, 67/A/B/C/D/E, 68, 70(Coggeshall), 70(Chelmsford), 71, 71C (some journeys), 75, 76 (1 journey), 83, 88A/B, school services 16A, 69, 92, 175, 193, football services 120, 121, 122.History
The garage in Queen Street is the main First garage in Colchester. It was built in 1920 on the site of the Theatre Royal, burnt down circa 1917. Buses were kept in the old Colchester Corporation tram shed at Magdalen Street after it was vacated by Network Colchester in 2006. This ceased in July 2009 when the yard next door was used instead, also previous occupied by Network Colchester. First has another Colchester site at Haven Road, which is mainly used for engineering.Until 1973, Eastern National had a one bus outstation at West Mersea, acquired from Primrose Bus Service in 1935. The building there survives, but in 1979 it was heavily modified, to become part of a new leisure centre. Service buses still terminate outside, and locals still refer to it as "West Mersea bus station".
Until 1969, Eastern National also had a one bus outstation at Brightlingsea (Victoria Place).
This was acquired with the business of Berry & Sons in 1937.
Bus types in use
- Scania L94UB/Wright Solar:
- Scania L94UB/Wright Axcess-FlolineWright Axcess-FlolineThe Wright Axcess-Floline is a low-floor single-deck bus body built on Scania L94UB chassis by Wrightbus between 1998 and 2001.It was the successor to the Axcess-Ultralow on the Scania L113CRL chassis, and was visually almost identical to this model, but had slightly different side window spacing...
: - Dennis Lance/Northern Counties PaladinNorthern Counties PaladinThe Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-deck bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998....
: - Volvo Olympian/Alexander RL:
- Volvo Olympian/Northern CountiesNorthern CountiesNorthern Counties Motor and Engineering Company was a manufacturer of bus bodywork located in Wigan Lane, Wigan, in North West England.-Overview:...
: - Scania L113/Wright
- Volvo B7TL ALX400
History
Dunmow is currently an outstation of Braintree. It reopened in 2008, having been closed in 2004, after the new Chelmsford depot opened. It is located on the premises of Dons Coaches.Hadleigh
This garage runs routes 2, 3(Sunday Evenings), 15/A/B/C, 16, 20, 21A/B, 24, 26A/B/C, 27, 28 and school services 820, 821, 822.Low-Floor easy access buses are used on routes 2, 20, 21, 21A, 21B, 24, 26, 26A, 26B, 26C and 27.
History
Hadleigh garage is located on London Road, just west of Hadleigh shopping centre. It is a former Westcliff on Sea Motor Services depot, controlled by Eastern National from 1955.Hadleigh took on the work of Canvey (CY) depot in April 1978. Canvey has since become a transport museum.
Hadleigh further expanded its operations in 1992, after Southend (Prittlewell) (PL) depot was closed. The predecessor of Prittlewell, Southend (SD) depot on London Road, closed in 1987, and has now disappeared under a Sainsbury's store.
Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart/Plaxton Pointer
- Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer 2
- Dennis Dart SLF/East Lancs SpryteEast Lancs SpryteThe East Lancs Spryte is a single-decker bus body built by East Lancashire Coachbuilders. It was designed to body the Dennis Dart chassis, but a handful had been built on others, for example, the Volvo B6...
- Volvo Olympian/Alexander
- Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
9.9m Plaxton PresidentPlaxton PresidentThe Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...
History
The depot at Harwich Bus Station, off Main Road, was opened by Eastern National in 1974. It replaced the old Dovercourt depot at Kingsway, whose building is now used as a public library. The DT depot code (for Dovercourt) was retained for the new premises.Bus types in use
- Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer
- Enviro 200s
- Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...
9.9m Plaxton PresidentPlaxton PresidentThe Plaxton President was a double-decker bus body built at Northern Counties plant in Wigan, England and branded as a Plaxton product for its main production run. It was unveiled in 1997 and built between 1999 and 2005. When Plaxton became part of TransBus International, the body was sold under...
Criticism
The company has been criticised by users and the Southend Area Bus Users' Group for withdrawing services which it considered no longer economically viable due to low passenger numbers even when parts of the route were profitable when Southend Borough Council withdrew bus subsidies of up to £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
6 per passenger as part of budget cuts in 2005. Further criticism came from passengers when First Essex and Arriva Southend
Arriva Southend
Arriva Southend is a division of Arriva Southern Counties, a subsidiary of transport group Arriva which operates bus services in and around the Southend-on-Sea, Rochford, Rayleigh, Basildon, and Thurrock areas of Essex...
decided to withdraw their "Day Rover" ticket, which allowed unlimited journeys on the day of purchase on buses operated by both companies regardless of which company issued the ticket, so day tickets can now only be used on the buses of the company issuing them. They replaced it with a more expensive "Octopus" ticket which is issued by and can be used on any buses operated by Arriva Southend, First Essex, NIBS
NIBS
NIBS may refer to:*National Institute of Building Sciences*NIBS , British bus company*Cacao nibs, pieces of roasted cocoa beans, generally ground into powder, but also inserted into chocolate bars to give additional "crunch"...
, Regal Busways
Regal Busways
Regal Busways Ltd is a small bus operator established in 2001 and based in Essex. Their services operate through 30 local communities including Chelmsford, Epping, The Hanningfields, Canvey Island, Harlow, Ongar, Pleshey, Toot Hill, Upshire, Waltham Abbey, Waltham Cross and Wickford.-History:Regal...
and Stephensons of Essex
Stephensons of Essex
Stephensons of Essex is a privately owned bus company based in south Essex, in England, operating local bus and contract services in the same areas as Arriva Southend, Ensignbus, First Essex, NIBS, and Regal Busways. It also runs private hire coaches, and has a bus and coach dealership and sales...
in the Southend, Rochford and Castle Point
Castle Point
Castle Point is a local government district and borough in south Essex. The borough comprises the towns of Canvey Island, Hadleigh, South Benfleet, and Thundersley which also provides the site of the council headquarters.-History:...
districts, covering more bus operators and a wider area of Essex.