buses optare solo in borough bus livery on route 6 in windsor in august 2006 parent courtney group founded 1973 headquarters bracknell service area berkshire service type bus services fleet 60 july 2016 chief executive bill courtney smith website www.courtneybuses.com courtney buses 1 is a bus company based in bracknell berkshire england . founded in 1973 it operates a network of commercial and contracted local bus services and school buses in berkshire north hampshire and small sections of oxfordshire and buckinghamshire . the company is known for its use of alternative fuels having been the first bus company in the united kingdom to operate a bus run on 100 % soya oil . contents 1 history 2 alternative fuels 3 routes 4 fleet 5 references 6 external links history edit the company was formed in 1973 as a taxi hire firm in bracknell by bill courtney smith who still manages the company and moved into coach hire in the 1980s . 2 in 2000 courtney coaches commenced its first local route 53 wexham park hospital maidenhead bracknell . this was taken over by first berkshire & the thames valley in 2003 . 3 the company expanded dramatically in january 2004 when all seven local routes in maidenhead were taken over from first berkshire . 2 in september 2006 courtney coaches had its licence revoked by the traffic commissioner . 4 an appeal was launched operations continued and the decision overturned by the end of 2006 . 5 between 2005 and 2007 a park & ride service was operated between maidenhead town centre and a temporary site at stafferton way . the stafferton way site had been used to provide replacement parking during a period in which a town centre car park was shut . 6 in october 2007 the company introduced a unique ticketing system etmss which uses mobile computer technology to replace fare charts and reporting software with one computerised system . 7 other features include the ability to modify fares from anywhere using the internet gps tracking of individual buses and reduced insurance costs as a result of this and the ability to calculate fares cash exchanges and refunds . 8 the cost of installation was reportedly paid back within the first 12 months . 7 8 the routes in maidenhead were changed significantly in early 2009 . however changes to the stopping pattern on route 6 maidenhead windsor received criticism from some residents 9 and were further changed in april 2009 . 10 further expansion came in january 2009 when the shuttle service between didcot parkway station and milton park was expanded from one bus to two using a new low floor double deck vehicle at a cost of 175 000 . over 400 passes for the service were issued to workers prior to its introduction . 11 in november 2009 a courtney coaches driver ejected a woman from a bus following a complaint from another passenger because of fears over swine flu . 12 courtney moved its depot from downmill road bracknell to hogwood lane industrial estate in finchampstead in late 2010 . 13 the company announced a change of trading name to courtney buses in late 2011 . 14 in november 2011 courtney began operation of a new christmas park & ride service in windsor . 15 there was more expansion in early 2014 when four contracted routes in the bracknell area were taken over by courtney following the withdrawal of thames travel . 16 in july 2015 courtney buses took over the operation of nine routes in bracknell previously operated by first berkshire & the thames valley . 17 18 as from 6 july 2016 courtney group headquarters will be based at coldborough house in market street bracknell former first buses depot . all operations run from the new premises . existing site in finchampstead is now housing courtney atf vosa authorised test facility for mot s which is now open for business . this includes courtney bodyworks for all commercial repairs using the full size spray booth and bake oven facilities . alternative fuels edit optare solo slimline 8.8 m converted to run on vegetable oil at bracknell bus station in june 2010 in 2002 courtney coaches became the first bus company in britain to operate a bus on 100 % soya oil . 19 abingdon based company regenatec converted an optare solo minibus to operate on the fuel 20 which gained the company appearances on working lunch 21 and in the daily telegraph newspaper . 22 the cost of conversion was around 3 500 . 19 fuel savings of around 80 % were reported 23 and this cost was paid back in eight months . 21 in march 2007 courtney director bill courtney smith and regenatec director mike lawton were invited to 10 downing street by then prime minister tony blair to demonstrate another converted vehicle at an environmental presentation . 23 bill courtney smith later bought half shares in regenatec when the company experienced financial trouble in early 2009 . 2 in may 2012 it was announced that as part of the government s green bus fund initiative courtney had received funding to purchase two double deck hybrid electric buses . 24 routes edit alexander dennis enviro200 dart in basingstoke centre shuttle livery at basingstoke leisure park in may 2009 courtney buses operates a number of local routes in the towns of maidenhead wokingham and bracknell ; longer distance routes take its buses to windsor henley on thames reading and in the case of a demand responsive service marlow . the company also runs contracts to bedfont lakes milton park chineham park foundation park and sony in basingstoke . 25 fleet edit as at july 2016 the fleet consisted of 60 buses . 26 since local bus service work began the predominant type in the fleet has been the optare solo although other vehicles are also owned . two notable buses delivered in 2006 were the only alexander dennis enviro 300s with east lancs esteem bodywork 27 which left the fleet in 2011 . two optare tempos powered by 100 % pure plant oil the first 12m single deckers to run on this fuel were ordered in 2010 . 28 29 references edit companies house extract company no 1128598 courtney coaches limited a b c courtney buses about us courtney buses news oxford & chiltern bus page april 2003 fleet news england & wales . buses 619 44 . october 2006 . fleet news england & wales . buses 622 50 . january 2007 . maidenhead & windsor new maidenhead hines meadow multi storey takes over from temporary park and ride maidenhead berkshire.co.uk a b etmss ltd a b courtney pioneers ticketing advance . buses 658 27 . january 2010 . maidenhead and windsor bus route 6 u turn bus stops to be reinstated maidenhead advertiser 1 april 2009 bus link boosted from oxford mail cough girl is booted off bus over swine flu the sun gymnastics club wants new home reading post 8 march 2011 courtney buses to replace courtney coaches courtney buses park and ride scheme launched for christmas shoppers maidenhead advertiser 22 november 2011 new bus providers to ring in the new year bracknell news 29 december 2013 . changes coming for bracknell s bus users get reading 25 june 2015 courtney buses takes over first bracknall services coach & bus week issue 1198 21 july 2015 page 10 a b courtney coaches going green regenatec case studies courtney coaches a b regenatec media tv courtney coaches britain has low pollution technology but it needs to be supported telegraph a b regenatec media visit to the prime minister millar alan july 2013 . more gbf money allocated new clean up fund announced . buses 700 6 7 . services courtney buses courtney coaches fleet list bus zone 29 september 2013 fleet news england and wales . buses 618 46 . september 2006 . courtney orders low carbon tempos busandcoach.com optare press releases optare external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to courtney coaches . company website v t e bus operators in south east england berkshire arriva shires & essex bath bus company courtney buses first berkshire & the thames valley fleet buzz reading buses stagecoach in hampshire thamesdown transport thames travel the green bus white bus services wilts & dorset buckinghamshire arriva shires & essex carousel buses first berkshire & the thames valley stagecoach east east sussex arriva southern counties bath bus company brighton & hove compass travel cuckmere buses metrobus renown coaches southdown psv stagecoach south east stagecoach in hastings stagecoach in eastbourne the sussex bus hampshire amk group bluestar damory first hampshire & dorset fleet buzz reading buses stagecoach south stagecoach in hampshire stagecoach in hants & surrey stagecoach in portsmouth stagecoach in the south downs uni link wilts & dorset xelabus isle of wight southern vectis island breezers kent arriva southern counties chalkwell coaches the kings ferry metrobus nu venture stagecoach south east stagecoach in east kent sullivan buses southdown psv oxfordshire arriva shires & essex oxford bus company reading buses stagecoach oxfordshire oxford tube thamesdown transport thames travel surrey abellio surrey arriva guildford & west surrey arriva london atbus compass travel countywide travel epsom coaches quality line first berkshire & the thames valley fleet buzz london general metrobus safeguard coaches southdown psv stagecoach south stagecoach in hampshire stagecoach in hants & surrey sullivan buses the green bus transdev london west sussex arriva southern counties arriva guildford & west surrey new enterprise coaches brighton & hove compass travel tellings golden miller minerva accord metrobus southdown psv stagecoach south stagecoach in hampshire stagecoach in hants & surrey the big lemon the sussex bus national megabus national express retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title courtney buses & oldid 736348392 categories bus operators in berkshirebus operators in buckinghamshirebus operators in hampshirebus operators in oxfordshirecompanies based in bracknelltransport in berkshire1973 establishments in englandhidden categories use dmy dates from march 2016commons category with local link same as on wikidata 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