Stephensons of Essex

Stephensons of Essex is a bus company based in south Essex, in England, operating local bus and contract services. It also runs private hire coaches, and has a bus and coach dealership and sales service. It was founded in 1975, and has a fleet of 53 vehicles, with depots in Rochford, Maldon and Witham. [cite web | url=http://stephensonsofessex.com/index.htm | title=Stephensons of Essex Website Homepage | author=Stephensons of Essex | date=May 17, 2008 | accessdate=2008-06-21] It operates in the same areas as First Essex, Arriva Southend, Regal Busways, and Ensignbus.

History

Stephensons was founded in Rochford in 1975, and has since expanded through gaining contracts for routes.

In 2005, the company won the contracts to operate the Dengie Connections services from Arriva Southend. A new fleet of Optare Solo Slimlines were purchased to replace the Mercedes-Benz Sprinters used by Arriva.

Routes

"For a list of all bus services in Essex, please see List of bus routes in Essex".Stephensons run a variety of services, including local services and school contract bus services.

Main routes

*6: Southend - Southchurch Road - White Horse public house - Hamstel Road - Garons Park. Sundays and bank holidays only, except December 25 and 26. Introduced on May 18, 2008.
*14: Southend - Barling - Great Wakering - Shoeburyness or Foulness
*20X: Rochford - Hullbridge - Rayleigh - Sweyne School
*38: Witham Allectus Way - Town Centre - Rail Station - Morrisons - Forest Drive
*39: Witham Collingwood Road - Powers Hall End - Morrisons - Rail Station - Collingwood Road (Circular)
*60: Canewdon - Rochford - Sutton Road - Southend Travel Centre
*61 Fossetts Park Clipper: - Southend Travel Centre - Chichester Road - Victoria Circus - Southchurch Road - Bournemouth Park Road - Eastern Avenue - Sutton Cemetery - Fossetts Park. Introduced on 23rd July 2007.
*90 Blackwater Link: Maldon Heybridge - Great Totham - Wickham Bishops - Witham
*200: Bradwell - Steeple - Mayland - Althorne - South Woodham Ferrers
*220: Burnham-on-Crouch - Southminster - Althorne - South Woodham Ferrers -Wickford - Basildon
*201: Copford - Coggeshall - Honywood School
*203: Chappel - Coggeshall - Honywood School
*204: Kelvedon - London Road - Coggeshall - Honywood School
*205: Kelvedon - Railway Tavern - Coggeshall - Honywood School
*206: Kelvedon - London Road - Coggeshall - Honywood School
*229: Kelvedon - London Road - Coggeshall - Honywood School
*250: South Woodham Ferrers - Rayleigh - Southend
*260: South Woodham Ferrers - Bicknacre - Maldon
*288: Maldon Tesco Store - Blackwater Leisure Centr, a free service
*503: Althorne - Burnham - Southminster - Latchingdon - South Woodham Ferrers - Westcliff High Schools - Southend High School for Boys - Southend High School for Girls
*504: Wickham Bishops - Great Totham - Maldon - Danbury - Bicknacre - Westcliff High Schools - Southend High School for Boys - Southend High School for Girls
*505: Great Baddow - Danbury - Maldon - Great Totham - Tiptree - Inworth - Colchester
*509: Shoebury - Thorpe Bay - Southend Seafront - Chalkwell - St. Thomas More School
*510: Southminster - Burnham-on-Crouch - Althorne - Latchingdon - Cold Norton - Danbury - Chelmsford Schools
*513: Chelmsford - Chelmer Village - Great Baddow - East Hanningfield - Westcliff & Southend High Schools
*514: Hatfield Peverel - Danbury - Woodham Ferrers - South Woodham Ferrers - Westcliff High Schools
*515: Rochford - Stambridge - Canewdon - Ashingdon - Hullbridge - Rayleigh - Sweyne School
*516: North Fambridge - Ferry Road - South Woodham Ferrers - William De Ferrers School
*560: Temple Sutton - Southchurch - Southend - Westcliff - St. Thomas More School
*602: Little Baddow - Jarvis Field - Great Baddow School
*603: Chelmer Village - Beeleigh Link - Great Baddow School
*605: Great Baddow High School service
*620: Braintree - St. John Payne School
*623: Witham - St. John Payne School
*637: South Woodham Ferrers - St. John Payne School
*665: Great Leighs - Aragon Road - Chelmer Valley High School
*667: Hatfield Peverel - The Street - Chelmer Valley High School
*676: Colchester County High & Colchester Royal Grammar Schools
*698: John Payne School & Chelmer Valley High School
*800: Southend - Leigh - Hadleigh - Canvey - Thurrock College
*801: Hockley - Wickford - Billericay - Basildon - Thurrock College
*806: Stambridge - Canewdon - Rochford - King Edmund School
*807 - 813: Foulness - Landwick - Great Wakering - Little Wakering - North Shoebury - King Edmund School
*814: Barling - Stonebridge - Westcliff - St. Thomas More School
*887: Southminster - Rain Station - Burnham-on-Crouch - St. Peters High School
*888: Southminster - North End - Burnham-on-Crouch - St. Peters High School
*SH1: Rayleigh - Eastwood - Fairfax Drive - Southchurch - Shoeburyness Asda
*SH2: Rayleigh - Hullbridge - Hockley - Rochford - Southchurch - Shoeburyness Asda
*SH3: Benfleet - Hadleigh - Leigh - Westcliff - Southend - Shoebury - Shoeburyness Asda
*SH4: Southchurch - Wakering - Shoebury - Shoeburyness Asda
*SH5: Canvey - Hadleigh - Leigh - Westcliff - Southend - Southchurch - Shoeburyness Asda
*T1: South Ockendon - Tilbury Asda
*T2: Corringham - Tilbury Asda
*T3: Chadwell St Mary - Tilbury Asda
*T4: Canvey Island - Tilbury Asda
*T5: Grays - Tilbury Asda
*T6: Aveley - Tilbury Asda
*Tesco service: Canvey Leigh Beck - Pitsea Tesco
*Tesco service: Barking Tesco
*Tesco service: Mayflower Tesco

Dengie Connections routes

*D1: Maldon - Purleigh - Cold Norton - Maylandsea - Steeple - St. Lawrence - Bradwell
*D2: Maldon - Woodham Mortimer - Purleigh - Cold Norton - Maylandsea - Mayland - Steeple - Southminister
*D3: Maldon - Woodham Mortimer - Purliegh - Cold Norton - Maylandsea - Althorne - Burnham - Southminister
*D4: Burnham-on-Crouch - Southminister - Tillingham - Bradwell
*D5: South Woodham - Cold Norton - Althorne - Ostend - Burnham-on-Crouch
*D6: Southminister - Tillingham - Mayland - Maylandsea - Lachingdon - Althorne
*D8: Maldon - Roundbush - Mundon - Maldon

pecial New Year's Day Heritage services

On January 1, 2008, Stephensons operated two special New Year's Day services in the Southend area in conjunction with other local operators using Heritage buses and a modern Optare Tempo from Regal Busways. Profits were donated to the charities Essex Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support and the The Royal British Legion, and they are planning to run this event again on New Year's Day 2009.
*3: Southend - Westcliff-on-Sea - Leigh Elms - Hadleigh - Tarpots - Benfleet railway station -
Canvey Haystack
*7: Southend - Thorpe Bay - Shoebury, RenownThey also ran an hourly route 61 service using Dennis Darts 411 and 412, which were also used to run an hourly service 7 between Southend Travel Centre and Southend Hospital, on part of the route normally operated by Arriva Southend's route 7. [cite web | url=http://www.signal-training.com/ebeg/ebn525.pdf | title=Essex Bus News Issue 525 January 2008, Essex Bus Enthusiasts Group | author=Stephensons of Essex | date=January, 2008 | accessdate=2008-07-12]

London Link Express

The London Link Express coach service has had a long history with various operators, starting in 1980. In 2001, after Arriva Southend decided to withdraw the then route 721 service, Stephensons took over, providing the Green Line routes X1 and X10 coach services, branded "London Link Express". X1 was the original number of the service when it was first launched in 1980. Stephensons withdrew the service on Friday July 11 2008, blaming a number of factors. [cite web | url=http://stephensonsofessex.com/soefiles/londonlinkexpress.htm | title=Stephensons of Essex - London Link Express | author=Stephensons of Essex | date=May 17, 2008 | accessdate=2008-06-21] A replacement service is being planned by Swallow Coach Company, to start on August 4, 2008.

Bus fleet

Stephensons currently has a fleet of 55 vehicles, mostly painted in their white and light green livery, but with a few in ASDA and Tesco liveries which run the free bus services to these supermarkets. The fleet consists 16 single-deckers, 31 double-deckers, and 8 coaches [cite web | url=http://stephensonsofessex.com/soefiles/busenthusiastspage.htm | title=Stephensons of Essex Operational Fleet - Bus Enthusiast's Page | author=Stephensons of Essex | date=May 17, 2008 | accessdate=2008-06-21] :

ingle-deckers

*3 Volvo B10M/Alexander
*4 Optare Solos
*1 Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer
*8 Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer 2

Double-deckers

*11 Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coach Works
*11 Leyland Olympian/Alexander
*6 Leyland Olympian/Northern Counties
*1 Dennis Trident 2/East Lancashire Coachbuilders
*1 Leyland PD3: 424 - part of Heritage fleet
*1 Daimler Fleetline: 1233 - part of Heritage fleet

Coaches

*6 Volvo B10M/Premier
*1 Volvo B10M/Van Hool Alizée
*1 Volvo B10M/Plaxton Paramount

References

External links

* [http://stephensonsofessex.com/index.htm Stephensons of Essex company website]
* [http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk/se/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en&timeOffset=15 traveline south east - for travel information in South East England]