- Nu-Venture
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Nu-Venture Coaches Ltd (Nu-Venture) 
A Leyland Lynx in new livery on route 179 in ChathamFounded Various Service area Kent Service type Bus Routes 52 Nu-Venture Coaches Ltd is an Aylesford, Kent-based bus company. Established in 1960s as a coach company, Nu-Venture once operated coach tour holidays all over Europe, and, in the 1980s, a London commuter service, but coach hire activities ceased in 2010.
On UK deregulation of local buses in 1986, local bus operation started with a joint service 58 between Maidstone, West Malling and Trottiscliffe/Ryarsh. Since the 1990s, the fleet and area of operation has expanded to allow 28 buses to serve Maidstone, Medway, Malling, Gravesham, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells.
Daily operation of bus service 151 (Medway/Kings Hill) under contract to Kent & Medway Councils commenced in April 2008, part-replacing a previous and long-established Nu-Venture commercial operation. This and other Nu-Venture operations in Medway serve Chatham Town Centre's new Waterfront Bus Station, opened 10 October 2011 and used by all local bus operators. Previously, Nu-Ventre used on street stands, rather than entering the Arriva-controlled Pentagon bus station.
Under contract to Kent County Council, Nu-Venture operate a number of services, including TRANSWEALD 295 / 297 route from Tunbridge Wells and Tenterden to Ashford during the daytime on Mondays to Fridays; other contractors provide evening and weekend services.
From April 2010, Nu-Venture's operation of Kent County Council services altered, routes 23, 26, 66, 404 and 405 being assumed in place of operations on services 71, 81, 82, 85, 88 and 158. A new commercial service 406 linking West Kingsdown with Maidstone Hospital/Maidstone commenced in late April 2010 but lasted only 1 year when poor revenue prompted its withdrawal. From September 2010, routes operated under contract to Medway Council altered with the assumption of routes 172/173 (Chatham-Earl Estate) but loss of 179 (Chatham-Walderslade) and 172/173 have subsequently had journeys diverted (as 174/175) to serve Medway City Estate (using a newly-constructed bus-only link road); this road is also part of the 170 route, provided from August 2011 by Nu-Venture on a commercial basis to link Medway Gate with Chatham.
From April 2011, a Medway/Kent contract to provide services 130/131 (Maidstone/Hempstead Valley/Rainham/Twydall, with a limited service beyond to Medway Maritime Hospital), was assumed.
Nu-Venture operate a growing number of modern accessible low-floor easy access single-deck buses, but, amongst older buses, a quantity of new-to-London 1980s Leyland Titan double-deck buses, converted from dual- to single-door specification, remain.
Since December 2010, the 'Ticketer' ticketing system has been in use, providing smartcard and vehicle location functions as well as the normal ticket-issuing function.
Routes
Routes operated include the following (more details and timetables at www.nu-venture.co.uk) :
Service From To Via Notes 13 Maidstone Hollingbourne Otham & Leeds Mondays to Fridays 14 Sutton Valence Cornwallis Academy Mondays to Fridays schooldays 20 Yalding & Chainhurst Cornwallis Academy Mondays to Fridays schooldays 21 Bearsted Cornwallis Academy Maidstone Mondays to Fridays schooldays 23 Yalding Maidstone Tovil Mondays to Saturdays 26/27 Goudhurst/Marden Maidstone Yalding Mondays to Saturdays 28 Hunton/Chainhurst Maidstone Marden Mondays to Fridays 53 West Peckham West Malling Kings Hill Tuesdays & Fridays only 58 Maidstone Trottiscliffe West Malling Mondays to Fridays schooldays 66 Headcorn/Kingswood Cornwallis Academy Mondays to Fridays schooldays 70 Lunsford Park Borough Green West Malling Mondays to Fridays 78 Maidstone Barming Queens Road Mondays to Fridays 83 Park Wood Maidstone Maidstone Hosp Mondays to Fridays, limited service 87 Park Wood Maidstone Hospital Maidstone Mondays to Fridays, limited service 89 Coxheath Maidstone Hospital Maidstone Mondays to Saturdays incl Evenings 123 Kings Hill West Malling Mondays to Fridays 130 Twydall Shops Maidstone Hempstead Valley & Boxley Mondays to Saturdays 131 Medway Maritime Hospital Maidstone Twydall, Hempstead Valley & Boxley Mondays to Fridays 149 Chatham Malling School & Kings Hill Mondays to Fridays schooldays 151 Chatham Kings Hill Snodland & West Malling Daily 170 Chatham Medway Valley Park Daily 172/3/4/5 Chatham Earl Estate Rochester/Strood Mondays to Saturdays 176 Chatham Hazelmere Drive Gillingham Sundays only 181 Chatham Tunbury Wood Luton & Walderslade Sundays only 192 Chatham Lodge Hill Strood Mondays to Fridays only 277 Pembury Tunbridge Wells Sherwood 1 early Monday to Friday journey only 282 Speldhurst Hawkenbury Tunbridge Wells Mondays to Fridays not evenings 283 Ravenswood Ave Tunbridge Wells Mondays to Fridays limited service 285 Speldhurst Hawkenbury Tunbridge Wells Mondays to Saturdays not evenings 295 Ashford Tenterden Shadoxhurst and Woodchurch Mondays to Fridays not evenings 297 Tunbridge Wells Tenterden Pembury, Goudhurst, Cranbrook, Benenden Mondays to Fridays not evenings 404 Edenbridge Sevenoaks Ide Hill Mondays to Fridays 405 West Kingsdown Sevenoaks Wednesdays 406 West Kingsdown Maidstone West Malling Mondays 416 Gravesend Meopham Shorne Mondays to Saturdays 417 Gravesend Cliffe Cliffe Woods, Higham, Shorne Mondays to Saturdays | 422 East Hill Gravesend West Kingsdown, Farningham, Bluewater Thursdays only 601 Cliffe Hundred of Hoo School Cliffe Woods Schooldays only Gallery
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Marshall Bus bodied Dennis Dart carrying the previous standard Nu-Venture blue/white bus livery which is now being gradually superseded by a green-based livery.
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Former London Transport Leyland Titan T857 (A857 SUL), pictured wearing Maidstone Corporation Transport centenary livery applied in 2004 by Nu-Venture. The fiesta-blue and cream colours were used on Maidstone Corporation's bus fleet from the 1970s for a period. This bus has since been repainted to carry an overall advert for the Kent County Council 'Freedom Pass' scheme.
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Alexander RH bodied Leyland Olympian, 100 (H838 PTW), new to Dublin Bus in 1990, pictured when still owned by Nu-Venture and wearing a representation of the Maidstone Corporation brown and cream livery used until the 1970s and again in the early 1980s. The bus was disposed of in 2006 by Nu-Venture and is believed to be in the South Humberside area.
External links
Categories:- Maidstone (borough)
- Bus operators in England
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