Arriva Southern Counties

Arriva Southern Counties Limited, trading as Arriva Southern Counties, is a bus operator in Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Surrey in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus, which is part of the Arriva group. The company operates local and interurban bus services across its divisions, including Arriva Kent Thameside, which serves north-west Kent. History Origins and early expansion Arriva Southern Counties traces its origins to the privatization of the National Bus Company in the 1980s. In November 1986, Maidstone & District was sold in a management buyout to a newly formed company, Einkorn Limited. Einkorn expanded its operations through several key acquisitions: In June 1988, it acquired New Enterprise Coaches of Tonbridge. In December 1991, it took over Kent County Council contract services previously operated by Shearings. In June 1992, it purchased Boro'line Maidstone, further strengthening its presence in Kent. British Bus acquisition In 1990, British Bus acquired the Alder Valley operations in Cranleigh, Guildford, and Woking. This was followed by the acquisitions of Colchester Borough Transport and Southend Transport in 1993. In April 1995, British Bus acquired Einkorn Limited, which had become a significant regional operator. British Bus already owned Kentish Bus (acquired in 1994) and Londonlinks (acquired in 1988). Following the acquisition, Einkorn was renamed Invictaway in August 1995, reviving a brand name previously used by Maidstone & District for London commuter services. Cowie Group and rebranding In July to August 1996, the Cowie Group plc acquired British Bus, which owned several bus companies in southern England, including Kentish Bus, London & Country, and Maidstone & District, all of which had previously been subsidiaries of British Bus. In October 1997, Cowie Group announced it would change its name to Arriva plc, as part of a strategic rebranding to unify its various transport businesses under a single identity. The rebrand was approved by shareholders on 6 November 1997, and the new name reflected the company's European ambitions and focus on integrated transport services. As part of the subsequent rollout of the new branding, Invictaway, the legal name for the operations that included Maidstone & District and other southern subsidiaries, was renamed Arriva Southern Counties in April 1998. Around the same time, the operations of London & Country were also transferred into Arriva Southern Counties, under Arriva Guildford & West Surrey. The restructuring of former British Bus subsidiaries was carried out as follows: Maidstone & District was divided into Arriva Kent & Sussex and Arriva Medway Towns. Kentish Bus was split between Arriva Kent Thameside and Arriva Kent & Sussex. London & Country became Arriva Guildford & West Surrey. Londonlinks became Arriva Croydon & North Surrey. Further reorganisation Later restructuring saw Arriva Southern Counties take responsibility for: Arriva Guildford & West Surrey Arriva West Sussex Arriva Southend Arriva Kent Thameside Meanwhile, most of Arriva Croydon & North Surrey was transferred to Arriva London, the group's dedicated London bus division. Key developments timeline 2001: Crawley depot was sold to Metrobus. 2001: The Merstham depot was closed. 2004: Arriva Colchester was sold to Tellings-Golden Miller. 2007: Arriva Colchester returned to Arriva ownership, but not under Arriva Southern Counties. 2009: The Horsham depot was sold to Metrobus. 2015: Arriva acquired Network Colchester and Network Harlow from Tellings-Golden Miller, rebranding them as Arriva Colchester and Arriva Harlow. 2021: Sheerness depot was closed, with routes 360, 361, and 367 taken over by Chalkwell Coaches. 2021: Routes 306 and 308 were withdrawn from Northfleet and taken over by Redroute Buses. 2021: Guildford depot was closed, ending Arriva's Surrey operations; routes were transferred to Stagecoach South. 2024: Fastrack routes were transferred to Go-Ahead London. 2025: Route 477 was withdrawn from Northfleet and taken over by Kent Country. 2026: Route 414 is being withdrawn from Northfleet and taken over by Kent Country. Operations Arriva Southern Counties operates a mix of local, interurban, and contracted bus services across Kent, Essex, and parts of Hertfordshire. Its divisions include: Arriva Kent & Sussex: Operates in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, and Tenterden. Arriva Kent Thameside: Serves Dartford, Gravesend, and Northfleet from its Northfleet depot, running commercial and tendered services. Arriva Medway Towns: Covers Chatham, Gillingham, and Sittingbourne, with a £10 million network upgrade branded as Operation Overdrive. Arriva Southend: Provides localized services in Southend-on-Sea, Rayleigh, Hadleigh, Rochford, and Shoeburyness. Arriva Colchester: Operates local services in Colchester and the Colchester Park & Ride. Arriva Kent Thameside services The Arriva Kent Thameside division, based at Northfleet depot, operates the following bus services as of May 2026: Until 31 December 2024, Arriva Kent Thameside operated ArrivaClick, a demand-responsive service covering Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, and Ebbsfleet Valley using Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles. Medway Towns services Medway Towns run many services, served by Gillingham depot. Branded services Sapphire Routes (Kent Thameside): Routes 480, 490, and 491 connect in the areas of Temple Hill, Dartford, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, Northfleet, Gravesend, Valley Drive and Riverview Park. These use Wright StreetLite buses with Wi-Fi, eco-leather seats, and USB charging, branded in a light blue livery with a dark blue front and silver stripe. Sapphire branding was previously used on Medway routes 101 and 700 but discontinued in 2022. Southend Route 9: Operates between Rayleigh and Shoeburyness using Optare Versa buses branded as "We’re heading to the beach." Park & Ride Colchester: Arriva operates the Colchester Park & Ride under contract to Essex County Council, connecting the A12 Park & Ride site, Colchester city centre, and Colchester Station. Maidstone: Arriva operated the Maidstone Park & Ride until February 2022, linking the town centre with sites on London Road and Willington Street. It was withdrawn due to low ridership post-COVID-19. Fastrack Until 10 November 2024, Arriva Southern Counties, primarily through its Kent Thameside division, operated the Fastrack busway in Kent's Thames Gateway for Kent County Council, Prologis, and Amazon. Services included: Route A: Dartford to Bluewater via Temple Hill, The Bridge, and Greenhithe. Route AZ: Amazon LCY3 to Dartford or Gravesend during shift changes. Route B: Temple Hill to Gravesend via Dartford, Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater, and Ebbsfleet International. Fastrack buses used a purple livery with a blue shimmer effect and Fastrack branding. Route B connected with Eurostar at Ebbsfleet International, offering free travel to Eurostar passengers. On 11 February 2008, Arriva trialled its "m-ticket" system on Fastrack. The network transferred to Go-Ahead London on 10 November 2024, with electric buses introduced by 25 April 2025 and 22 January 2026. Fastrack replaced the Bluewater-liveried route 100 on 26 March 2006, which featured an all-blue livery with a water shimmer effect. Depots Current depots Colchester (Arriva Colchester) Gillingham (Arriva Medway Towns) Maidstone (Arriva Kent & Sussex) Northfleet (Arriva Kent Thameside): Operates commercial and tendered services in Dartford, Gravesend, and surrounding areas. Tunbridge Wells (Arriva Kent & Sussex) Southend (Arriva Southend) Gallery References External links Media related to Arriva Southern Counties at Wikimedia Commons Company website