Go South Coast
Go South Coast is a bus operator on the south coast of England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. All services under the company come under its operating certificate, although the buses run under a multitude of brands.
History
In August 2003 the Go-Ahead Group purchased the business of Wilts & Dorset, including its Damory Coaches and Tourist Group subsidiaries, followed in July 2005 by Southern Vectis including its Solent Blue Line subsidiary. In February 2006 Wilts & Dorset purchased bus refurbishment company Hants & Dorset Trim.Later in 2006, Go-Ahead consolidated the management of its south coast operations under Go South Coast in Poole.
In October 2006, Marchwood Motorways was purchased and integrated into Bluestar.
Thamesdown Transport was purchased from Swindon Borough Council in February 2017 and rebranded as Swindon's Bus Company.
In May 2025, Managing Director Andrew Wickham died, reportedly after a long illness, at age 58. Wickham was a respected figure in the UK bus industry where he had worked for almost 40 years, and was appointed MBE in 2024 for services to the industry. Ben Murray, Go South Coast's Finance Director, took over as interim Managing Director of the company.
Subsidiaries
All public bus services come under local brands, which have distinct liveries. These are:- Bluestar – The brand for Southampton
- *Unilink – The brand for the University of Southampton
- Morebus – The brand for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- *UNIBUS – The brand for Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth
- Salisbury Reds – The brand for Salisbury
- Southern Vectis – The brand for the Isle of Wight
- Swindon's Bus Company – The brand for Swindon
- Excelsior Coaches – Bournemouth, offering private coach hire, school services and tours
- Damory Coaches – school buses and services in central East Dorset
- Tourist Group – Dorset and Wiltshire, providing services to schools in Wiltshire