Sunray Travel
Encyclopedia
Sunray Travel is a bus and coach operator based in the Surrey
town of Epsom
, England. They operate private hire coaches, and previously a variety of bus services, however as of September 2011 are now only running one Surrey County Council
school bus contract. Previously two standard bus services were run, providing important links to rural Surrey villages, but the contracts for these services were lost to other operators.
in September 2011. Sunray ran the service on a Surrey CC contract on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays using one bus across the day, a route branded Dennis Dart. Latterly this was an ex-Metrobus Dennis Dart SLF
/Plaxton Pointer
MPD, acquired in 2006. Previously a step entrance bus was used. Until October 2010, Sunray operated a commercial Sunday service on the route, operating via a slightly different route and covering roads served on Mondays-Saturdays by routes 420 and 460. Improved Surrey CC supported Sunday services on these routes, starting from August 2010 as a result of phase 1 of the council's Bus Review, was the reason the Sunday 318 was withdrawn. London General now runs on Mondays - Fridays, including Tuesdays.
One notable tender win was route 516, gained from the Surrey operations of Centra
in 2006. Two Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Darts were purchased to operate this Monday - Saturday route, these were the early examples of the type and the first to operate near London.. The contract for this service was lost to Countryliner in 2011, who started running the service on 3 September.
A further hit to Sunray Travel, at around the same time of the losses of the contracts for services 318 and 516, was the Surrey CC school special services review. Route 808, which Sunray operated, was identified as too expensive to run, and the route was terminated on 22 July 2011.
Bus services previously operated:
and Surrey are also operated. Coaches are operated with varying numbers of seats, and seat belts are fitted as standard. In addition to standard coaches, a high-specification Plaxton Panther is named "Y4" as the registration is Y4 HMC from Wiltax. This has a number of luxury features.
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
town of Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
, England. They operate private hire coaches, and previously a variety of bus services, however as of September 2011 are now only running one Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
school bus contract. Previously two standard bus services were run, providing important links to rural Surrey villages, but the contracts for these services were lost to other operators.
Buses
Sunray currently operate one bus service, school special route 518. Previously up to four routes have been operated. Route 318 transferred to London GeneralLondon General
London General is a bus company operating in Surrey ang Greater London. It is owned by the Go-Ahead Group and operates most buses under contract to London Buses...
in September 2011. Sunray ran the service on a Surrey CC contract on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays using one bus across the day, a route branded Dennis Dart. Latterly this was an ex-Metrobus Dennis Dart SLF
Dennis Dart
The 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 Pointer
Plaxton Pointer
The 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...
MPD, acquired in 2006. Previously a step entrance bus was used. Until October 2010, Sunray operated a commercial Sunday service on the route, operating via a slightly different route and covering roads served on Mondays-Saturdays by routes 420 and 460. Improved Surrey CC supported Sunday services on these routes, starting from August 2010 as a result of phase 1 of the council's Bus Review, was the reason the Sunday 318 was withdrawn. London General now runs on Mondays - Fridays, including Tuesdays.
One notable tender win was route 516, gained from the Surrey operations of Centra
Centra (bus company)
Centra was one of many operators of London Buses. They were the transport division of Central Parking Systems of UK Limited who acquired the assets of Wimco Group Coaches Limited in August 2004...
in 2006. Two Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Darts were purchased to operate this Monday - Saturday route, these were the early examples of the type and the first to operate near London.. The contract for this service was lost to Countryliner in 2011, who started running the service on 3 September.
A further hit to Sunray Travel, at around the same time of the losses of the contracts for services 318 and 516, was the Surrey CC school special services review. Route 808, which Sunray operated, was identified as too expensive to run, and the route was terminated on 22 July 2011.
Routes
Current bus service:| No. | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 518 | Banstead Banstead Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in the county of Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London. It lies south of London, west of Croydon and of the county town of Kingston-Upon-Thames. Banstead is on the North Downs and is protected by the Metropolitan Green Belt;... , Drift Bridge, Tattenham Corner Tattenham Corner Tattenham Corner is a small town in Surrey, UK, located inside the M25 motorway thus being part of the London commuter belt. It is home to the Epsom Downs Racecourse. The location is to the west of the A240, with the M25 approximately five miles to the south... , Epsom, Ashtead Ashtead Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.- History :... |
School Service |
Bus services previously operated:
| No. | Route | Notes | Reason it is no longer run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 318 | Epsom, Burgh Heath Burgh Heath Burgh Heath is a residential area of the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is located on the A217 road, between Banstead and Tadworth. A neighbouring village is Nork... , Tattenham Corner Tattenham Corner Tattenham Corner is a small town in Surrey, UK, located inside the M25 motorway thus being part of the London commuter belt. It is home to the Epsom Downs Racecourse. The location is to the west of the A240, with the M25 approximately five miles to the south... , Banstead Banstead Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in the county of Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London. It lies south of London, west of Croydon and of the county town of Kingston-Upon-Thames. Banstead is on the North Downs and is protected by the Metropolitan Green Belt;... , Tattenham Corner, Burgh Heath, Epsom (Circular) |
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays only. | Contract lost to London General London General London General is a bus company operating in Surrey ang Greater London. It is owned by the Go-Ahead Group and operates most buses under contract to London Buses... . Sunray's last day on Friday 2 September 2011. |
| 516 | Chart Downs, Dorking Dorking Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately south of London, in Surrey, England.- History and development :... , Dorking railway station Dorking railway station Dorking railway station is one of three railway stations that serve the town of Dorking in Surrey, England. The station is within walking distance of Dorking Deepdene station and interchange on a through ticket is permitted... , Brockham Brockham Brockham is a village in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. 'Broc-ham' is so called from the Anglo Saxon meaning 'river meadow by the brook' and is first recorded in 1241. It is often mistakenly believed that there is an association with badgers but this is a modern affectation from the... , Box Hill Box Hill, Surrey Box Hill is a summit of the North Downs in Surrey, approximately south west of London. The hill takes its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole. The western part of the hill is owned and managed by the National Trust, whilst... , Headley Headley, Surrey Headley is a small village and civil parish in Surrey, England covering 675 hectares.The village is bordered to its west by Leatherhead, to the north by Ashtead and Langley Vale, Walton-on-the-Hill to the east and to its south by Box Hill. It is just outside the M25 motorway encircling... , Leatherhead Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin... , Woodbridge Woodbridge, Suffolk Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with... Tesco Tesco Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits... , Leatherhead Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the County of Surrey, England, on the River Mole, part of Mole Valley district. It is thought to be of Saxon origin... , Ashtead Ashtead Ashtead is a village situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt of Surrey, England, and is just outside of the suburbia of London. It is separated from Leatherhead by the M25, and from Epsom by Ashtead Common.- History :... , Epsom |
Irregular timetable Monday to Saturday. | Contract lost to Countryliner. Sunray's last day on Friday 2 September 2011. |
| 808 | Stoneleigh Stoneleigh, Surrey Stoneleigh is located in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, with small parts in the north of the suburb in the London Borough of Sutton. Stoneleigh is centred around Stoneleigh railway station and Stoneleigh Broadway. Much of the area was open fields prior to the early 1930s when... , Newbury Gardens, Kingston Road, Kenilworth Road, Sparrow Farm Road, London Road, Ewell Ewell Ewell is a village in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, close to the southern boundary of Greater London. It is located 14 miles south-south-west of Charing Cross and forms part of the suburbia that surrounds Greater London. Despite its growing population it is still referred to as a... , Ewell East railway station Ewell East railway station Ewell East is a railway station in Ewell, Surrey. It has two platforms, one for services to Sutton, West Croydon and London, the other for services to Epsom. The ticket office and main entrance is on the London-bound side, accessed from Cheam Road... , Nonsuch High School Nonsuch High School Nonsuch High School is an all-girls' grammar school located in Cheam, South London, England, standing in of grounds on the edge of Nonsuch Park. The school holds Specialist Science College and Specialist language status.-Awards:... |
School Service | Service axed by Surrey CC as part of review of school special bus serviced. Last day 22 July 2011. |
Coaches
Sunray currently use their coaches for private hire services, such as airport transfers, weddings, and school parties. Excursions around South West LondonSouth West (London sub region)
The South West is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of London Borough of , Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton and Wandsworth. The sub region was established in 2008. The south west has a population of 1,600,000 and is the location...
and Surrey are also operated. Coaches are operated with varying numbers of seats, and seat belts are fitted as standard. In addition to standard coaches, a high-specification Plaxton Panther is named "Y4" as the registration is Y4 HMC from Wiltax. This has a number of luxury features.
See also
- Transport in DorkingTransport in DorkingDorking, a town in Surrey, England, has many road and rail links, as part of the London commuter belt.-Road:Dorking is situated at the junction of the A24 and A25 roads.-Rail:...
- Transport in Surrey
- Arriva Guildford & West Surrey
- Epsom CoachesEpsom CoachesEpsom Coaches is a coach operator in the United Kingdom, based in the Surrey town of Epsom. The coach business was established in the 1920s and has prided itself on being one of the best coach operators in the UK. It operates a luxury fleet of mostly Setra coaches, and provides a number of tours...
(Quality LineQuality LineQuality Line is the trading name of the bus division of Epsom Coaches, and operates over sixty buses throughout the south London and Surrey area, with many under contract to London Buses or Surrey County Council.-History:...
)