Quantock Motor Services

Quantock Motor Services[1] is a privately owned bus operator in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England. The company operates a substantial heritage fleet for private hire and on route 300.

Quantock Motor Services
Heritage Bristol LDL6G & Volvo B10M service bus at Bishops Lydeard depot in August 2012
ParentStephen Morris
Founded2001
HeadquartersBishops Lydeard
Service areaSomerset
Service typeBus & coach services
HubsMinehead
Fleet15 (October 2013)
Chief executiveStephen Morris
Websitewww.quantockheritage.com

History
Coach fleet at Bishops Lydeard depot in September 2012
Alexander Dennis Enviro200 in Minehead in October 2010

Rexquote, a transport engineering business in Bishops Lydeard, operated a fleet of old buses under the name of Rexquote Heritage. As well as private hire, some regular circular tourist routes were advertised. One such was between Weston-super-Mare, Sand Bay and nearby tourist attractions in the summer of 2000.[2] In 2002 the Exmoor Explorer circular service was started from Minehead.[3][4]

In 2001 Rexquote established a new Quantock Motor Services operation. It was initially based in Ilfracombe, with three vehicles to operate schools contracts and a service from Combe Martin to Barnstaple.[5] On 6 September 2014, Quantock Motor Services ceased operating its four route services as well as school services. The vintage hire business continues to trade.[6]

Routes

Public services ceased in September 2014, at which time four services were being operated:[6][7]

Service 300

Route 300, between Lynmouth and Minehead, was for a time branded 'Exmoor Coastal Link'; it appeared in April 2008 in the Daily Telegraph list of the 20 best bus routes in England for over 60s to use free their bus passes.[8] In 2010 it featured on a local BBC programme that featured "great South West journeys".[9]

The regular vehicle for many years was an East Lancashire bodied Scania N94UD open top bus. After the 2012 season this was sold and replaced with a single-deck open top Alexander PS bodied Volvo B10M.[10] The service ceased operating in September 2014,[11] but returned the following summer using heritage (not necessarily open top) buses.[12][13]

Today, the 300 is now run by The Buses of Somerset as the open top 'Exmoor Coaster' service. [14]

  • Minehead sea front
    Minehead sea front
  • Woodcombe
    Woodcombe
  • Near the top of Porlock Hill
    Near the top of Porlock Hill
  • Countisbury Hill, Lynmouth
    Countisbury Hill, Lynmouth

Service 400

Until 2011 the service 400 'Exmoor Explorer' operated a circular tour from Minehead to Dunster, Timberscombe, Wheddon Cross, Exford and Porlock. Operated by heritage open top buses, it only ran on selected days during the summer but was withdrawn after Somerset County Council funding was withdrawn. It had been a recommended route in Scenic Britain by Bus.[15]

Depots

During 2010 the depot was relocated from Norton Fitzwarren, to a facility next door to Bishops Lydeard railway station on the heritage West Somerset Railway.[16] Heritage vehicles undergoing restoration are at an outstation in Langley Marsh, Wiveliscombe.[17]

  • Taunton
    Taunton
  • Bishops Lydeard
    Bishops Lydeard
  • Langley Marsh
    Langley Marsh

Fleet

As at October 2013 Quantock Motor Services operate 15 modern vehicles painted in a red livery.[18] A new Alexander Dennis Enviro200 was purchased in 2010 for new contracts.[19]

Heritage vehicles

A number of older vehicles are operated by Quantock Motor Services, although not all are licensed for paid operations.

References
  1. Companies House extract company no 4997048 Quantock Motor Services Limited
  2. Lidstone, John G (July 2000). "Fleet News". Buses. Ian Allan. 52 (544): 54. ISSN 0007-6392.
  3. Lidstone, John G (October 2002). "Fleet News". Buses. Ian Allan. 54 (571): 48. ISSN 0007-6392.
  4. Lamb, Philip (October 2002). "Lodekkas on Exmoor". Bus & Coach Preservation. Ian Allan. 5 (5): 28–29. ISSN 1462-1886.
  5. Lidstone, John G (February 2002). "Fleet News". Buses. Ian Allan. 54 (563): 48. ISSN 0007-6392.
  6. "Quantock Heritage bus operations cease trading" Buses issue 716 November 2014 p. 8
  7. "Scheduled services". Quantock Motor Services. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  8. Free bus pass: 20 great bus routes Daily Telegraph 5 April 2008
  9. "Open-top bus journey to Lynmouth". BBC. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  10. Lidstone, John G (June 2013). "Fleet News". Buses. Key Publishing: 74. ISSN 0007-6392.
  11. Tourists left stranded after Lynmouth to Minehead bus service comes to an end North Devon Journal
  12. Fodor's Travel Guides (2015). Fodor's England 2016: with the Best of Wales. Fodor's Travel. p. 590. ISBN 978-1-101-87911-5.
  13. "Time Tables". www.quantockheritage.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014.
  14. https://www.firstbus.co.uk/sites/default/files/public/adventures-by-bus/exmoor%20coaster%20leaflet%20feb23%20web.pdf
  15. "Scenic Britain by Bus" (PDF). Transport Marketing. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  16. "QMS moves to new location". Quantock Motor Services. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  17. "QMS Bus Rallies". Quantock Motor Services. 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  18. "Our modern fleet". Quantock Motor Services. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  19. "New Enviro200 for Quantock Motor Services". Alexander Dennis. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
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