Rover Coaches
| Parent | Lewis family |
|---|---|
| Commenced operation | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Cessnock |
| Service area | Hunter Valley |
| Service type | Bus & coach operator |
| Routes | 10 |
| Depots | 3 |
| Fleet | 56 (October 2014) |
| Website | www.rovercoaches.com.au |
Rover Coaches is an Australian bus company operating services in the Hunter Valley.
In 1925, George Ryder purchased two small bus operators, the South Maitland Motor Company and the Marble Bar Motor Service, and named the company Rover Motors. Ryder was soon joined in the business by Rab Lewis. In the 1930s, Rover Motors introduced the first centre-door double decker buses in Australia and purchased the Cessnock to Maitland service from the Fogg family. In 1944, Rover Motors introduced the first semi-trailer bus in New South Wales. In the 1940s, the Fogg and Mordue families become part owners of the business.
By the 1950s, services ran to Maitland every half-hour from 04:30 until midnight. Services commenced to Wangi Wangi and Swansea on Friday nights, returning on Sundays. Services commenced operating to transport employees to the BHP Steelworks in Newcastle. In the 1960s, Rover Motors begins operating coach tours to the Gold Coast and Snowy Mountains. With the withdrawal of passenger services from the South Maitland Railway to Cessnock, Rover Motors began operating services to Newcastle on 3 October 1967.
In the 1970s, Rover Motors opened a travel agency and began operating tours across Australia as well as providing overseas and domestic travel arrangements. In 1986, the Lewis and Mordue families terminated their shared interests in Rover Motors and Hunter Valley Coaches, with the Lewis family taking full ownership of Rover and the Mordue family, Hunter Valley.
In July 2009, a Cessnock to Morisset station service was introduced.
Since 2008, Rover's services have been part of Sydney Outer Metropolitan Bus Region 1. It primarily operates services from Cessnock to Maitland, with limited services to Morisset and Newcastle.
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