Arriva Southern Counties

Arriva Southern Counties Limited^[1], trading as Arriva Southern Counties^[2], is a bus operator in Kent^[3], Essex, Hertfordshire, and Surrey in England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus, which is part of the Arriva group owned by Deutsche Bahn^[4]. The company operates local^[5] and interurban bus services^[6][7] across its divisions^[8], including Arriva Kent Thameside, which serves north-west Kent.

Arriva Southern Counties

Enviro 400 operating the 700 route which serves from Chatham Waterfront Bus Station to Bluewater Shopping Centre, photographed July 2024
Formerly	Invictaway
Parent	Arriva UK Bus
Founded	November 1986 (1986-11)
Commenced operation	April 1998
Headquarters	Maidstone
Service area	Essex Harlow Hemel Hempstead Kent Watford Ware
Service type	Bus services
Hubs	Chatham, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells
Depots	11
Operator	Arriva Colchester Arriva Kent & Sussex Arriva Kent Thameside Arriva Medway Towns Arriva Southend
Website	www.arrivabus.co.uk

History

Origins and Early Expansion

Arriva Southern Counties traces its origins to the privatization of the National Bus Company in the 1980s. In November 1986, Maidstone & District was sold in a management buyout^[9] to a newly formed company, Einkorn Limited.^[10][11]

Einkorn expanded its operations through several key acquisitions:

• In June 1988, it acquired New Enterprise Coaches of Tonbridge.^[12]
• In December 1991, it took over Kent County Council contract services previously operated by Shearings.^[13]
• In June 1992, it purchased Boro'line Maidstone, further strengthening its presence in Kent.^[14][15][16]

British Bus Acquisition

In 1990, British Bus acquired the Alder Valley operations in Cranleigh, Guildford, and Woking. This was followed by the acquisitions of Colchester Borough Transport and Southend Transport in 1993.^[17]

In April 1995, British Bus acquired Einkorn Limited^[18], which had become a significant regional operator. British Bus already owned Kentish Bus (acquired in 1994) and Londonlinks (acquired in 1988). Following the acquisition, Einkorn was renamed Invictaway in August 1995^[19][20], reviving a brand name previously used by Maidstone & District for London commuter services.

Cowie Group and Rebranding

Arriva Kent & Sussex bus 5916 (M916 MKM) at the M&D 100 rally in Detling, wearing a distinctive cream-and-dark blue livery highlighting Kent People's Trust branding. New to M&D in 1994, it remained in West Kent service until its preservation in 2013.

In July to August 1996, the Cowie Group plc acquired British Bus^{[21][22][23][24]}, which owned several bus companies in southern England, including Kentish Bus^[25], London & Country, and Maidstone & District^[26], all of which had previously been subsidiaries of British Bus.

In October 1997, Cowie Group announced it would change its name to Arriva plc^[27][28][29], as part of a strategic rebranding to unify its various transport businesses under a single identity.^[30] The rebrand was approved by shareholders in November 6 1997^[31], and the new name reflected the company’s European ambitions and focus on integrated transport services.

As part of the subsequent rollout of the new branding, Invictaway, the legal name for the operations that included Maidstone & District and other southern subsidiaries^[32], was renamed Arriva Southern Counties in April 1998^[33]. Around the same time, the operations of London & Country were also transferred into Arriva Southern Counties, under Arriva Guildford & West Surrey.^[34]

The restructuring of former British Bus subsidiaries was carried out as follows:

• Maidstone & District was divided into Arriva Kent & Sussex and Arriva Medway Towns.
• Kentish Bus was split between Arriva Kent Thameside and Arriva Kent & Sussex.^{[citation needed]}
• London & Country became Arriva Guildford & West Surrey.^[35]
• Londonlinks became Arriva Croydon & North Surrey.^[36]

Further Reorganisation

Later restructuring saw Arriva Southern Counties take responsibility for:

• Arriva Guildford & West Surrey
• Arriva West Sussex
• Arriva Southend
• Arriva Kent Thameside

Meanwhile, most of Arriva Croydon & North Surrey was transferred to Arriva London, the group's dedicated London bus division.

Key Developments Timeline

• 2001: Crawley depot was sold to Metrobus.^[37]
• 2001: The Merstham depot was closed.
• 2004: Arriva Colchester was sold to Tellings-Golden Miller.
• 2007: Arriva Colchester returned to Arriva ownership, but not under Arriva Southern Counties.
• 2009: The Horsham depot was sold to Metrobus.^[38]
• 2015: Arriva acquired Network Colchester and Network Harlow from Tellings-Golden Miller, rebranding them as Arriva Colchester and Arriva Harlow.
• 2021: Sheerness depot was closed^[39], with routes 360, 361, and 367 taken over by Chalkwell Coaches.
• 2021: Routes 306 and 308 were withdrawn from Northfleet and taken over by Redroute Buses.^[40]
• 2021: Guildford depot was closed, ending Arriva’s Surrey operations; routes were transferred to Stagecoach South.^[41]
• 2024: Fastrack routes were transferred to Go-Ahead London.^[42]
• 2025: New electric buses are scheduled to begin service in April.^[43]

Operations

Arriva Southern Counties operates a mix of local, interurban, and contracted bus services across Kent, Essex, and parts of Hertfordshire. Its divisions include:

• Arriva Kent & Sussex: Operates in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, and Tenterden.
• Arriva Kent Thameside: Serves Dartford, Gravesend, and Northfleet from its Northfleet depot, running commercial and tendered services.[1]
• Arriva Medway Towns: Covers Chatham, Gillingham, and Sittingbourne, with a £10 million network upgrade branded as Operation Overdrive.
• Arriva Southend: Provides localized services in Southend-on-Sea, Rayleigh, Hadleigh, Rochford, and Shoeburyness.
• Arriva Colchester: Operates local services in Colchester and the Colchester Park & Ride.

Arriva Kent Thameside Services

The Arriva Kent Thameside division, based at Northfleet depot, operates the following bus services as of February 2025:

Arriva Kent Thameside Bus Services

Route	Start	End
190	Gravesend	Chatham
414	Dartford	Horton Kirby
477	Orpington	Bluewater
480	Temple Hill	Gravesend
481	Gravesend	Riverview Park
482	Gravesend	Kings Farm
483	Bluewater	Gravesend
489	Gravesend	New Ash Green
490	Gravesend	Valley Drive
491	Gravesend	Riverview Park
497	Temple Hill	Ebbsfleet Academy

Until December 31, 2024, Arriva Kent Thameside operated ArrivaClick^[44], a demand-responsive service covering Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, and Ebbsfleet Valley using Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles.^[45]

Branded Services

• Sapphire Routes (Kent Thameside): Routes 480, 490, and 491 connect Dartford, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, Northfleet, and Gravesend. These use Wright Streetlite buses with WiFi, e-leather seats, and USB charging, branded in a light blue livery with a dark blue front and silver stripe.Sapphire branding was previously used on Medway routes 101 and 700 but discontinued in 2022.
• Southend Route 9: Operates between Rayleigh and Shoeburyness using Optare Versa buses branded as “We’re heading to the beach.”

Park & Ride

• Colchester: Arriva operates the Colchester Park & Ride under contract to Essex County Council, connecting the A12 Park & Ride site, Colchester city center, and Colchester Station.
• Maidstone: Arriva operated the Maidstone Park & Ride until February 2022, linking the town center with sites on London Road and Willington Street. It was withdrawn due to low ridership post-COVID-19.

Fastrack

Until November 2024, Arriva Southern Counties, primarily through its Kent Thameside division, operated the Fastrack busway in Kent’s Thames Gateway for Kent County Council, Prologis, and Amazon. Services included:

• Route A: Dartford to Bluewater via Temple Hill, The Bridge, and Greenhithe.
• Route AZ: Amazon LCY3 to Dartford or Gravesend during shift changes.
• Route B: Temple Hill to Gravesend via Dartford, Darent Valley Hospital, Bluewater, and Ebbsfleet International.

Fastrack buses used a purple livery with a blue shimmer effect and Fastrack branding. Route B connected with Eurostar at Ebbsfleet International, offering free travel to Eurostar passengers. In 2008, Arriva trialed its “m-ticket” system on Fastrack. The network transferred to Go-Ahead London in November 2024, with electric buses introduced by April 2025. Fastrack replaced the Bluewater-liveried route 100 in March 2006, which featured an all-blue livery with a water shimmer effect.

Depots

Current Depots

• Colchester (Arriva Colchester)
• Gillingham (Arriva Medway Towns)
• Maidstone (Arriva Kent & Sussex)
• Northfleet (Arriva Kent Thameside): Operates commercial and tendered services in Dartford, Gravesend, and surrounding areas.
• Tunbridge Wells (Arriva Kent & Sussex)
• Southend (Arriva Southend)

Gallery

• 
  A Maidstone & District bus, number 5896 (Leyland Olympian), photographed on 1 October 1988
• 
  Kentish Bus RML2574 (JJD 574D), a long-wheelbase AEC Routemaster, at the Eastbourne bus rally in July 1993.
• 
  MLL818, a London Country Green Line RF281, featuring an AEC Regal IV chassis with Metro-Cammell bodywork, photographed on 25 September 2022
• 
  Londonlinks bus AN264 (KPJ 264W) at the 2012 North Weald Bus Rally, photographed on 1 July 2012
• 
  C454GKE, a Leyland Olympian with ECW coach bodywork, originally 5454 with Maidstone & District for Invictaway services, photographed on 19 June 2017
• 
  5909 (K909 SKR), a Leyland Olympian with Northern Counties Palatine body, on Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, operating route 6.
• 
  Arriva Medway Towns 6419 (GN04 UEJ), a Volvo B7TL/TransBus ALX400, seen on Brooklands Road, Weybridge, operating a shuttle between Weybridge railway station and Mercedes-Benz World. The bus was part of Operation Overdrive in 2004.
• 
  Arriva Kent Thameside 3272 (R272 EKO), a Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer 2, seen on London Road, Sevenoaks, at the bus stop outside Sevenoaks railway station on route 308.
• 
  Arriva Guildford & West Surrey 3944 (GK52 YVL), a DAF SB120/Wright Cadet, branded for routes 34/35, seen on route 26 at the University of Surrey.
• 
• 
  Network Colchester 190 (KN52 NDX), a Dennis Trident/Alexander ALX400, seen outside Clacton Factory Outlet on 5 June 2011.
• 
  Network Harlow (Arriva-TGM) 3874 on Route 724, seen at Heathrow Central Bus Station on 8 March 2014.
• 
  Arriva Guildford & West Surrey 3122 (N542 TPK), a Dennis Dart/East Lancs EL2000, in Carfax, Horsham, West Sussex, on route 62, seen on 3 September 2008.
• 
  Arriva Southern Counties 6465 (GN61 JRU) on Route 492, in Bexleyheath, photographed on 29 December 2014