Countywide Travel

Countywide Travel

A Fleet Buzz Mercedes-Benz Vario in Reading on service 72 to Aldershot.
Founded	Various
Service area	Surrey Berkshire Hampshire
Service type	Bus
Routes	11

Countywide Travel is a UK bus operating company which operates a fleet of buses in North Hampshire and adjoining parts of Surrey and Berkshire.^[1] The company's contact address is Bowenhurst Farm, Crondall, Farnham. In recent years the vehicles have been branded as "Fleet Buzz".

History

The company was formed in 1995 as a coach and bus company, based on vehicles from Marchwood Motorways and established a depot near to Basingstoke railway station in Basingstoke, Hampshire. In 1998 the operation was moved to the site formerly used by Oakley Coaches in Oakley, Hampshire. Countywide took over many of the routes which the Tillingbourne Bus Company company had been running when that company ceased trading in 2001. On 1 October 2007 the coach business was sold to Weavaway Travel and the bus operation moved to Crondal near Farnham in Surrey.^[2] In 2008-2009 the company upgraded its fleet with the purchase of 8 new Optare vehicles. These include four Solos and four Versas. The buses are painted in a livery of yellow (lower body) and black (upper body).

Routes

The company's services include school contracts and local bus services, using a fleet of 23 buses (as at January 2009) plus support vehicles. Routes operated as at April 2011^[3] by Countywide (as "Fleet Buzz") are:

• 13 - Ellisfield to Brighton Hill College, and Cliddesden via Farleigh Wallop

• 70 - Aldershot to Elvetham Heath via Fleet

• 71 - Quetta Park (Church Crookham) to Yateley via Fleet

• 72 - Reading to Fleet via Three Mile Cross, Spencers Wood, Swallowfield, Riseley and Hartley Wintney

• 73 - Church Crookham to Frimley Park Hospital via Fleet, Farnborough and Frimley

• 75 - Fleet local service, serving Calthorpe Park School Schooldays only

• 82 - Reading to Fleet via Three Mile Cross, Spencers Wood, Swallowfield, Riseley, Bramshill, Eversley, Yateley and Farnborough Monday to Friday only

• 145 - Three Mile Cross to Winnersh via Spencers Wood, Riseley, Swallowfield, Farley Hill, Eversley, Finchampstead, Wokingham and Arborfield Cross. Tuesday only morning shopper service

See also

• List of bus operators of the United Kingdom
• Historical bus routes in Basingstoke

External links

• Countywide Travel website
• Fleet list
• Bother in Basingstoke - competition between Countywide and Stagecoach

References

1. ^ Countywide Travel website
2. ^ "Buszone - Fleet Buzz (Countywide Travel)". http://www.buszone.co.uk/CWT.html. Retrieved 31 January 2010. 
3. ^ Fleet Buzz bus info