Links
Useful Websites
Transport, Timetables and Further Reading
We aim to offer a selection of links to Essex related bus sites. This list is split into a number of discrete headings but, as with any such list, it will never be complete or fully up to date!
Journey planners and timetable information
- Traveline – public transport across the UK
- Bus Passenger News – the latest issues of Essex County Council’s monthly update of service changes
- Essex CC Transport & Travel Update service – click here to register
- Essex CC interactive route maps/timetables and X (Twitter) feed
- see also various operator sites listed below
- Timetables are also available from the BusTimes site, select the operator, area or bus stop you require from the landing page for this area.
- Neighbouring local authority sites:
- Hertfordshire – Intalink
- Suffolk – Suffolk On Board
- Transport for London – Buses
Tracking individual buses
The Bus Times web site uses vehicle tracking data and presents it in a variety of formats, including by bus fleet numbers – ideal if you are looking to photograph, cop or ride on a particular bus. Use the links here to access a fleet list for the relevant operator (but be aware that reporting is by the fleet number programmed into the ticket machine, occasionally machines may be on a different bus):
- Arriva Essex operations
- Ensign
- First Essex
- Konect Buses (former Hedingham & Chambers ops)
- Stephensons, NIBS (and group fleet list including Galloway)
- Central Connect
- Transport Made Simple (whole group)
Bus Times live map – all operators in Essex submitting data
Vehicles can also be tracked from Regional Bus Finder by LVF (London Vehicle Finder – no longer just London) – see help page first!
Major Bus Operators & Dealers
- Arriva in Essex, Facebook, X(Twitter)
- Central Connect
- Ensign Bus, Ensign vintage vehicle hire and Southend seafront service 99
- First Essex, and Facebook
- Ipswich Buses
- KonectBuses – previously Hedingham & Chambers
- National Express
- NIBS Buses, Wickford, Facebook and X(Twitter)
- Stephensons of Essex
- Zero Two Bus Museum/Gt Yeldham Buses
Bus Strategies
How Local Authorities are responding to the Government’s
Bus Back Better national strategy:
Smaller Operators – list not recently updated!
- A2B Travel, Cambridgeshire
- Acme Transport Services, Takeley
- Advance Mini Buses, Southend
- Amber Coaches, Rayleigh (website still exists although operations have ceased)
- APT Coaches, Rayleigh (website still exists although operations now part of REL Davian)
- Arrow Taxis, Maldon
- Barker Bus, Harlow
- Brentwood Coaches
- Cooks Coaches, Westcliff
- Crest Coaches, Southend
- Crusader Holidays (Motts Travel), Clacton
- Dons Coaches, Dunmow
- Flagfinders, Braintree
- Fords Coaches, Althorne
- Fourways Coaches, Chelmsford
- Galleon Travel, Roydon/Stansted – coach operations; see Central Connect for bus services
- Golden Boy, Roydon
- Hailstone Travel, Wickford
- Keane Travel, Linford
- Kelly’s of Essex, Nazeing
- Kevendys Travel (Rayleigh Roadways), Wickford
- Kings Coaches, Colchester
- Kirbys Coaches, Rayleigh
- Klarners Executive Travel, Colchester
- Lodge’s Coaches, High Easter
- M&M Staffing, Chelmsford and FB
- Marc One Travel, Horndon on the Hill and FB
- Milestone Coaches, Canvey Island
- Panther Travel
- Peter Godward Coaches/Tours R Us, Basildon
- REL Davian
- Reliance Coaches, Benfleet
- SBC Leisure, Southend
- South East Coaches – South Woodham
- Thorns of Rayleigh (Chariot)
Community bus schemes
- Brentwood Community Transport
- Coggeshall Community Bus
- Epping Forest Community Transport
- Essex County Council Ugobus
Suppliers and manufacturers in Essex
- Ensign Bus Sales – Britain’s biggest bus dealers
- Marden Commercials, Benfleet – vehicle refinishers and on Facebook
User Groups
- Bus Users UK (BUUK)
- Colchester Bus Users Support Group (C-Bus)
- Chelmsford and South Essex bus users group on FB
- Colchester borough bus users on FB
- Dengie Hundred Bus Users Group on FB
- Southend Area Bus User Group
- Transport Focus
Newsgroups
Plus there are plenty of groups on Facebook, too numerous to list here!
Enthusiast sites, museums and societies - list not recently updated!
(primarily Essex related)
- AJN 825 – preserved Bristol K5G ex Westcliff Motor Services
- Blackwater Preservation Group – a collection of former Essex buses
- The Bus Archive – combining the archives of the Omnibus Society and the Kithead Trust
- Bus blinds – various Essex operators, presented by Geoff Toon
- Bus Lists On The Web – searchable records of virtually every UK bus & coach, at least since WW2
- Canvey Island Transport Museum and on Facebook
- Colchester Corporation (Mark Colyer’s history and photos)
- Colchester Corporation Trams – uniforms and insignia, Ashley Birch
- Colne Estuary Preserved Buses collection
- EBEG on Facebook
- Essex Bus Boys – blog telling the story of ONO59’s round the world tour
- Essex Bus Rally – on Facebook
- Harlowride buses in & around Harlow
- Ipswich Transport Museum
- LOTS – the London Omnibus Traction Society
- M&D and East Kent Bus Club
- The Omnibus Society
- On The Buses Fan Club – featuring the ENOC buses and depot used in the filming of this classic TV sitcom
- ONO59 – the bus that went round the world – various coverage including blog, BBC News, Leigh Times, Echo newspaper
- PSV Circle
- Public Transport Services in the Southend-on-Sea District, 1900 – 1955 – an ebook by Richard Hayden
- Rally Calendar – probably the most comprehensive listing on-line of bus rallies etc, thanks to Skyline Aviation
- Route diagrams – Westcliff, Benfleet, Campbells, City, Southend CT – by Richard Hayden
- SCT61 – extensive photo galleries; includes some historical notes, particularly history of Southend Corporation Transport
- Southend Corporation Trams – uniforms and insignia, Ashley Birch
- The Transport Ticket Society
- The story of WNO481 (Eastern National KSW – the Wings Tour Bus) from Radio Jammor, also from owner Tom Jennings
- Working On The Buses – staff stories, including some from Essex (site currently off line)
Photo galleries – list not recently updated!
(sites comprised purely of photos, eg Flickr, etc.
A number of galleries previously listed here are no longer available following the demise of the Fotopic site but some replacement sites are now coming on-line)
- Buses in & around Southend (20th century) – a group hosted by David Moth and featuring various photographers
- Colchester Corporation photo gallery (SCT 61 site)
- Dave Arnold – Essex and beyond!
- David Christie – various photo sets including an East Anglian gallery of 44 brilliant shots from 1967-1970
- “Eastbeach68” – John G Lidstone’s excellent photos, regularly updated
- Eastern National extensive photo gallery (SCT 61 site)
- “Eastern National 1982’s gallery” – Dale Pretty
- Essex Bus Photos Google photo group
- Ian Banks photos – plenty of Essex interest, mainly recent shots but some historic views
- Jonathan Bale’s photos – various Essex operators
- Kevin Smith – lots of excellent topical photos, look for sets with Essex interest
- Nick Field’s photos – mostly Eastern National
- Paul Bateson – 1960s Southend CT etc (progressively being uploaded)
- Paul Harvey – Essex 1987 etc and some present day shots here
- Paul Redmond – extensive b/w collections, including:
o Osbornes
o Super Coaches, Upminster & Upminster & District
- “Regional Bus Photos” – sets including EN & SCT in the 1950s and EN, ST & CBT in the 1970s/1980s
- Shenfield depot – Chris Stewart’s collections, being added to progressively
- Southend Corporation historical notes and extensive photo gallery (SCT 61 site)
- Southend Transport 1974-1976, 25 nostalgic photos by Phil Clarke
- Southend CT – English Electric official photos of tram, 1930s bus and trolleybuses
- Wayne Bell’s photos – various North Essex views (to 2016)
- Zero Two Bus Museum/Gt Yeldham Buses
Bus Operators Serving Essex
Timetables and Journey Planning
Enthusiast and History Groups
Publishers and Dealers
Reference and Research
EBEG Website Pages
Important Notice
All links are correct at the time of publication but may change without notice. Inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement by the Essex Bus Enthusiasts Group.