Southern Vectis
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Scania OmniCity in Cowes in August 2009
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| Slogan | the island's buses |
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| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Headquarters | Newport |
| Service area | Isle of Wight |
| Service type | Bus services |
| Fleet | 105 |
| Operator | Go South Coast (part of the Go-Ahead Group) |
| Chief executive | Andrew Wickham |
| Website | www.islandbuses.info |
Southern Vectis is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. Formed in 1921 and later owned by the Southern Railway, it was nationalised in 1948 and became part of the National Bus Company in 1969. Privatised in 1987, it became a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group in July 2005.
In the 1980s it engaged in some aggressive tactics to try and stifle its competitors. This attracted the attention of the Office of Fair Trading.
The origins of Southern Vectis began with a company called Dodson & Campbell, founded in 1921. In 1923, this was renamed the Vectis Bus Company, based in Cowes and with a distinctive livery of saxe blue and red, and 'VECTIS' fleet name. It had an association with London bus body builder Christopher Dodson, therefore, all Vectis buses of the period had Dodson built bodies.
In 1929 the business was bought by the Southern Railway and incorporated as The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited. In 1948, the Southern Railway was nationalised, and as a result, so was Southern Vectis. This led to Southern Vectis becoming part of the National Bus Company in 1969. In 1986 as a consequence of the Transport Act 1985 the business was sold in a management buy out.
Deregulation meant that other companies could register and run bus routes against previously nationalised bus companies. This was significant for Southern Vectis in two ways: the company which had a virtual monopoly on Isle of Wight transport was exposed to competition from no fewer than five operators, and Southern Vectis itself expanded in 1987 forming Badger Vectis in Poole, and Solent Blue Line in Southampton using older Southern Vectis buses and second-hand double-deckers, to compete with the dominant Southampton Citybus on their most profitable routes.
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Wikipedia