Wilts and Dorset

More

Salisbury Reds
Scania OmniCity in Salisbury in July 2009
Parent	Go South Coast (part of the Go-Ahead Group)
Founded	1915
Headquarters	Poole
Service type	Bus services
Fleet	133 More, 74 Salisbury Reds (August 2016)
Chief executive	Andrew Wickham
Website	www.morebus.co.uk www.salisburyreds.co.uk

Wilts & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. It operates services around Bournemouth and Poole under the More brand and around Salisbury and Amesbury under the Salisbury Reds brand. It is part of Go South Coast, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.

The current bus company has operated since 1983. Wilts & Dorset was also the name of a former Salisbury based bus company from 1915 until 1972.

The history of Wilts & Dorset is an interesting one, with its name both appearing and disappearing from the sides of buses. Its history is linked to that of erstwhile south coast operator, Hants & Dorset.

Wilts & Dorset Motor Services Limited was incorporated in 1915, with its head office in Amesbury, moving to Salisbury in 1917. The company's first route was between Salisbury and Amesbury. The company grew rapidly in the Andover, Amesbury, Blandford Forum, Pewsey and Salisbury areas. The Southern Railway and Thomas Tilling obtained shares in 1931, with Wilts & Dorset being nationalised in 1948. It acquired Venture of Basingstoke in 1950, with a reorganisation following the nationalisation of Venture’s parent, Red & White. Wilts & Dorset acquired Silver Star of Porton Down in June 1963.

Despite the name, the company's operations were mainly in the southern part of Wiltshire and the northern part of Hampshire.