Eastbourne Buses

Eastbourne Buses was a bus operator running within the Borough of Eastbourne and into the surrounding area, including Pevensey, Hailsham, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield and East Grinstead, with a fleet of around 50 vehicles. Eastbourne Buses was sold to the Stagecoach Group in November 2008 for a reported £4 Million, beating Go-Ahead to the ownership.

History

Formed in April 1903, Eastbourne Buses claimed to be the first and oldest municipally owned motor bus operator in the world; the first bus service operated between Eastbourne railway station and Old Town.

In 2007, the company was fined over £25,000 for two accidents involving employees, one of which was fatal.

At the beginning of 2008, the traffic commissioner fined the company for failing to run services on time.

June 2008 reports had announced Eastbourne Council's intention to sell its majority shareholding in the company.

Sale to Stagecoach

In early November 2008, local press reports had indicated that the company was to be sold by the end of the year to either the Go-Ahead Group or Stagecoach Group. The employees' trade union, Unite, wrote to Eastbourne Borough Council to ask the Council to sell to the Go-Ahead Group, because of work conditions and a superior fleet.

On 25 November 2008, it was announced that Stagecoach was...
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