London Country South West

London Country Bus South West Ltd was a former bus operator which existed between 1986 and 2000. It was formed from a part of London Country Bus Services Ltd. The company was privatised in 1988 and sold to Drawlane, who adopted the trading name London & Country. One section of London Country South West continues to operate today as Arriva Guildford & West Surrey.

History
Preparation for privatisation in 1986 saw London Country Bus Services split into four smaller operating companies as well as Gatwick Engineering a central overhaul unit and Green Line Travel to mangage the companies enquiry unit and London control centres, named as London Country North East, London Country North West, London Country South East and London Country South West divisions. The South West division contained 415 buses.

South West was sold in February 1988 to the Drawlane Group. The official company name was London Country Bus South West Ltd, with the buses branded just London Country South West. In 1989 the London & Country branding was applied with a modern two-tone green and red livery.

In 1986 the company went into LRT route tendering in a significant way under Drawlane, winning several contracts using secondhand Atlanteans from Greater Glasgow, GM Buses and Busways, where bus deregulation was making the major fleets dispose of large numbers of surplus vehicles. In 1989 London & Country was faced with having to update its double-decker fleet if it were to win further contracts and have hope of renewing its existing ones.

The first new buses to be delivered to the company were a batch of Dennis Dominators for route 131, later followed by thirteen Volvo Citybuses with 88-seater East Lancs bodies, entered service at Addlestone garage in September 1989, displacing various Leyland Atlanteans.

In 1989 the airport coach operations at Crawley and Staines had been split off as Speedlink Airport Services. Additionally the private hire fleet was consolidated into Guildford and re-branded Counrtyliner. A new depot was opened at Newington Butts near Elephant and Castle in a former BRS parcels yard for the operation on LRT tendered route 78 and part of 176, this was later moved to the more suitable ex London Transport garage at Walworth. Followed by an outstaion at the Dunton Green Kentish Bus Depot to run LRT route 320 Westerham to Bromley.

Depots at the time 1989 were Crawley, Dorking, Guildford, Leatherhead, Staines, Reigate, Addlestone, Chelsham and Godstone, as well as an outstation of Crawley at Broadbridge Heath.

In 1990, to reflect an increase in London tendered services, a brand new state of the art depot was built at Beddington Farm Road in Croydon and older premises at Chelsham and Godstone closed.

Acquisitions of London & Country during 1989-1995 were:-

Horsham Buses and their depot at Warnahm.

Gem Fairtax, mainly based at Crawley.

The former Alder Valley operations and Depots at Cranleigh, Guildford and Woking which were rebranded West Surrey Buses and later Guildford & West Surrey.

Blue Saloon ABC Taxis of Slyfield, Guildford was acquired and merged with the Countryliner fleet.

AML coaches, a small operator based in Hounslow and their depot and some buses were retained for a time.

As well as Scarlett Coaches of Minehead(1992-4), Stanbridge & Crichel/Oakfield Tarvel of Dorset(1992-3), Southend Transport, Colchester Borough Transport and District Bus of Essex and a small coach operator in North London.

In December 1992 the parent Drawlane Group was renamed British Bus after an internal management re-structure.

Depots by 1992 were located at Cranleigh, Crawley, Croydon, Guildford, Hounslow, Leatherhead, Reigate, Slyfield, Walworth, Warnham and Woking and an outstation at Kentish Bus Depot at Dunton Green.

In 1996, with the demise of the National Greenway project, a new depot was opened at Merstham to replace the old and expensive facility at Reigate.

Also the Croydon, Dunton Green and Walworth operations were separated off into a new Londonlinks company, which was itself a subsidiary of Maidstone and District another British Bus company. The garages returned to London & Country management in late 1998 and in Nov 1999 became part of Arriva London South.

In June 1996 British Bus was sold to the Cowie Group, which rebranded itself Arriva in November 1997.

In 1997 a new depot was opened at Greenford, intended to replace Hounslow, with the acquisition of LT route 105. Also Leatherhaed depot closed and for a short time buses for LT route were out-stationed at Fulwell London United Depot.

During 1999 and 2000, the London & Country and Guildford & West Surrey identity was gradually replaced by the Arriva Turquoise and Stone livery and the company reduced in size to reflect the reduction in LT tendered services.

With the loss of the Redhill Surrey tenders in 2001, Crawley Depot was sold to Metrobus.