Hedingham Omnibuses
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 Hedingham Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart and Alexander Dennis Enviro400 at Showbus 2007, in normal fleet livery. |
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| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
| Founded | Various (see below) |
| Service area | North Essex and Suffolk |
| Service type | Bus |
| Routes | 58 |
| Fleet | 86 |
| Fuel type | Diesel |
| Chief executive | Robert MacGregor (Managing Director)[1] |
| Web site | Official website |
Hedingham Omnibuses is an Essex bus company founded by Aubrey Ernest Letch shortly after serving in World War I, with his parents' help and trading under his own name. It started as a coach hire company, but gradually expanded as Letch started running bus services to Braintree and Sudbury on their market days of Wednesday and Thursday respectively. He then bought a competing business from P W Finch of Castle Hedingham in March 1935. This allowed Letch to take over the Monday to Saturday workers' service to Braintree. In the last 1950s, he further expanded the business with routes to Gestingthorpe, Pebmarsh and Halstead.
In early 1960, Letch retired due to ill health and sold his company, which was renamed Hedingham and District Omnibuses. Since then company has grown by acquiring other companies, including Blackwells of Earls Colne, C & R Coach of Little Tey, Jennings of Ashen, Kemps Coaches of Clacton-on-Sea, W Norfolk and Sons of Nayland, Wents of Boxford, Freemans Coaches and G W Osborne of Tollesbury.[2] In March 2012 the company was sold to the Go-Ahead Group but the existing managing team remain in place.[3]
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[edit] Services
Hedingham operates coach hire, commercial services, school services and council contracts. Timetables for their services can be found on Traveline South East.
Services operated as at 31st August 2010 (excluding most school contracts):
- 1: Ashen - Sudbury (Thursdays)
- 2: Mistley - Manningtree - Tendring - Weeley - Clacton (Monday - Saturday) ECC
- 3: Colchester Town Service: Town Centre - Bridgebrook - Longridge Park - Hythe (Monday - Friday)
- 4: Colchester Town Service: Stanway (Medical Centre) - Westlands - Home Farm - Prettygate - Town Centre (Monday - Friday)
- 5: Sible Hedingham - Castle Hedingham - Sudbury (Thursdays) ECC
- 7: Stambourne - Gestingthorpe - Halstead (Tuesdays) ECC
- 8: Toppesfield - Stambourne - Steeple Bumpstead - Haverhill (Fridays) ECC
- 9: Walton - Frinton - Kirby Cross - Great Holland (Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays) ECC
- 10: Cornish Hall End - Stambourne - Braintree (Wednesdays)
- 14: Tiptree - Great Totham - Heybridge - Maldon - Chelmsford (Fridays)
- 16, Colchester Town Service: Old Heath (Speedwell Road) - St. Helena School (Schooldays) ECC
- 17: West Bergholt - Stanway Secondary School (Schooldays) ECC
- 23: Steeple Bumpstead - Braintree (Wednesdays) ECC
- 50: Malting Green - Layer de la Haye - Colchester (Monday - Friday) Part ECC.To Network Colchester, 8/11.
- 50A/B/C: Tollesbury - Layer de la Haye - Colchester (Monday - Friday)
- 73A: Maldon (Lower Plume School) - Heybridge Basin (Schooldays) ECC
- 80: Fordham - Colchester - Boxted (Monday - Friday)
- 85: Brightlingsea - Great Bentley - Mistley (Wednesdays) ECC
- 86: Aingers Green - Great Bentley Rail Station
- Colchester (Wednesdays) ECC - 88: Colchester - Earls Colne - Halstead (Monday - Saturday)
- 89: Braintree - Halstead - Hedinghams - Great Yeldham (Monday - Friday)
- 89B: Halstead - Hedinghams - Great Yeldham - Ashen - Haverhill (Fridays)
- 91/A: Witham - Kelvedon - Tiptree - Tollesbury (Monday - Fridays)
- 92: Tollesbury - Birch - Colchester (Monday - Friday)
- 95: Maldon - Heybridge - Tollesbury (Monday - Friday)
- 129: Ramsey - Harwich - The Oakleys - Stones Green - Beaumont - Clacton (Tuesdays)
- 131: Clacton Town Service Jaywick (Sheldrake) - Town Centre (Pier Ave) - Tudor Estate - Jaywick(Sheldrake) (Monday - Friday)
- 134: Clacton Town Service Holland Haven - Roaring Donkey - Town Centre (Pier Ave) - Sea Front - Holland Haven (Monday - Friday)
- 135: Clacton Town Service Great Clacton - Town Centre (Pier Ave) - Coppins Green - Constable Avenue - Retail Park - Great Clacton (Monday - Friday)
- 136: Clacton Town Service Brook Retail Park - Bishops Park College - Jaywick (Tower Camp) - Tudor Estate - Great Clacton - Brook Retail Park (Monday - Friday). Withdrawn from 4/4/11.
- 137: Clacton Town Service Town Centre (Jackson Road) - Burrsville Park - Shopping Village - Retail Park - Town Centre (Daily)
- 139: Clacton Town Service Brook Retail Park - Burcart Corner - Pier Avenue - Magdalen Green - Brook Retail Park (Monday - Friday)
- 176: East Mersea - West Mersea - Great Wigborough - Layer - Stanway - Colchester Town Centre - Highwoods (Mondays)
- 323: Greenstead Green - Earls Colne - Pebmarsh - Lamarsh - Middleton - Sudbury (Thursdays)ECC
- 417: Rayne - Stebbing - Great Bardfield - Finchingfield - Radwinter - Saffron Walden - Newport Grammar School (Schooldays) ECC
- 418: Great Saling - Great Bardfield - Finchingfield - Radwinter - Saffron Walden - Newport Grammar School (Schooldays) ECC
- 419: Finchingfield - Sampford - Radwinter - Saffron Walden - Newport (Schooldays) ECC
- 702: Clare Middle School - Glemsford - Sudbury Upper School (Schooldays).Ceased after 22/7/11.
- 706: Lavenham - Sudbury (Schooldays). Ceased after 22/7/11.
- X16: Chappel - Coggeshall - Halstead - Bury St Edmunds (Wednesdays)
ECC - Essex County Council Contract
[edit] Depots
The company's depot codes and locations are: HD (Hedingham):
- Wethersfield Road, Sible Hedingham
CN (Clacton):
- Stephenson Road, Gorse Lane Industrial Estate, Clacton
- Brunel Road, Gorse Lane Industrial Estate, Clacton (workshop)
HW (Harwich):
- Iconfield site, Parkeston, Harwich - outstation of CN
KN (Kelvedon):
- Unit 8, 215-7 High Street, Kelvedon
- Church Lane, Little Tey - outstation of KN
SY (Sudbury):
- Meekings Road, Chilton Industrial Estate, Sudbury, Suffolk
TY (Tollesbury):
- 62 New Road, Tollesbury
[edit] Liveries
Hedingham Omnibuses' standard livery is cream with red relief, previously being blue and cream.
[edit] Disability incidents
Hedingham Omnibuses has been criticised three times for incidents involving disabled people. In 2007 and February 2008, its drivers were criticised by Tendring Community Transport for leaving their vehicles unattended in special bus stops in Station Road and Pier Avenue in Clacton meant for services for disabled and vulnerable people, blocking designated services from using the stop.[4] In September 2008, a disabled man was unable to board a bus as the wheelchair area was full with buggies. The mothers refused to fold their buggies to let the man on board the bus, despite the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 giving priority to wheelchair users. The bus driver refused to get involved and enforce the Act, so the disabled man had to wait half an hour for the next bus. The company responded by saying that they would put up posters from Essex County Council telling passengers to give up the wheelchair space to disabled people.[5]
[edit] Doctor Who
Two former Hedingham Omnibuses (Bristol VRTs RUA 461W, HJB 455W) masqueraded as London Buses in the 2009 Doctor Who Easter special, Planet of the Dead. The original livery can be seen in the accompanying behind-the-scenes special Doctor Who Confidential: Desert Storm.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Home". http://www.hedingham.co.uk/. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
- ^ Hedingham Omnibuses (4 December 2004). "Hedingham Omnibuses - Company history". http://www.hedingham.co.uk/comphistory.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-30.[dead link]
- ^ Hedingham Omnibuses (4 December 2004). "Go-Ahead acquires Hedingham Omnibuses". http://www.go-ahead.com/media/news/2012news/2012-03-05.aspx. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
- ^ Claire Owen (February 15, 2008). "Echo News: Clacton: Bus drivers' behaviour "disgraceful"". http://www.echo-news.co.uk/search/2047877.Clacton__Bus_drivers__behaviour__disgraceful_/. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ Claire Owen (September 16, 2008). "Echo News: Clacton: disabled Dominic angry after being turned away from bus". http://www.echo-news.co.uk/search/3676335.Clacton__disabled_Dominic_angry_after_being_turned_away_from_bus/. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
[edit] External links
- Official Hedingham Omnibuses website
- Essex Bus Enthusiasts Group
- Showbus pictures
- Complete History of Hedingham Omnibus Bristol VR's
- Hedingham Bus Blinds
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