Quality Line

East Lancs Esteem at the Longcross bus rally in April 2007
Parent RATP Group
Founded 1980
Spun off from Epsom Coaches
Headquarters Epsom
Service area Surrey and South West London
Service type Bus services
Routes 13 (London Buses)
5 (Non-London Buses)
Total: 18
Destinations Cobham
Epsom
Kingston
Dorking
Sutton
Morden
Website www.epsomcoaches.com

Quality Line is the trading name of the bus division of Epsom Coaches,[1] and operates over 60 buses throughout the South West London and Surrey area, with many under contract to Transport for London or Surrey County Council. On 20 April 2012 it was announced that the Epsom Coaches Group will be taken over by the RATP Group.[2]

History

Mercedes-Benz O530 Citaro

In the mid-1980s Epsom Coaches took advantage of the deregulation of the bus industry, and initially began operating hopper type services around the Epsom area.

Since 1997, Epsom Buses have expanded into the London Bus market initially winning the tenders for routes S1 and 413. Other London tenders were successfully tendered for including route 293.

In 2003, Epsom Coaches decided to rebrand its bus division as Quality Line and repainted its vehicles from their traditional cream and brown into all over red to comply with Transport for London contractual requirenments.

From July 2006 with the introduction of routes E15 and E16, Quality Line began to return to operating outside London with buses in their traditional cream and brown livery, however since the displacement of Alexander bodied Darts from route S1, buses outside London have been appearing in red once again. In late 2012 out of London buses were starting to appear in all over cream with burgundy flashes.

Until May 2007 the whole fleet consisted of only single decker buses. Since June 2007 Quality Line have operated Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-deck vehicles on routes 406 and 418. A number of single decker Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart were delivered at the same time.

Garage

Quality Line operates from a garage in Epsom.

Epsom (EB)

Alexander Dennis Enviro400 on route 418 at Kingston in December 2008

As at May 2015, Epsom garage operated London routes 404, 406, 411, 418, 463, 465, 467, 470, 641, K5, S1, S3 and X26.[3] It also operates Surrey County Council routes 408 and E10, also commercial Epsom area routes E5, E9, and E16.[4]

On 12 October 2012, Quality Line took over the commercial operation of Surrey County Council route 479, from Countryliner, who had gone into administration earlier in the week. On 15 October a service registration by Sunray Travel was accepted by the regulator, while Quality Line's was not, so Quality Line ceased operating the route on 16 October 2012.[5]

Fleet

As at May 2015, 99 buses were dedicated to the Transport for London services.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Companies House extract company no 281992 HR Richmond Limited
  2. ↑ RATP buys Epsom Coaches - busandcoach.com :: Bus and Coach Magazine
  3. ↑ Carr, Ken (May 2015). The London Bus Guide (5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-9931735-3-0.
  4. ↑ Bus Services Operated Epsom Coaches Group
  5. ↑ Notices and Proceedings The Traffic Commissioner for the South Eastern and Metropolitan Area 26 October 2012
  6. ↑ Carr, Ken (May 2015). The London Bus Guide (5 ed.). Boreham: Visions International Entertainment. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-9931735-3-0.

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