Stephensons of Essex

Stephensons of Essex is a privately owned bus company based in south Essex, in England, operating local bus and contract services in the same areas as Arriva Southend, Ensignbus, First Essex, NIBS, and Regal Busways. It also runs private hire coaches, and has a bus and coach dealership and sales service. It is one of the largest independent bus operators in Essex and employs over 40 full and part-time staff.

History
Stephensons was founded in Rochford in 1975, and has since expanded by gaining contracts for bus routes. In 2005, the company won the contract to operate the Dengie Connections services from Arriva Southend, which it will run for five years from 1 April 2007 at a cost of £407,300 per year. In 2008 it won the contract to run the Withamlink services 38 and 39. Stephensons have introduced an SMS Text Messaging service for their school bus services which provides updates on delays and cancellations.

Routes
For a list of all bus services in Essex, please see List of bus routes in Essex. Stephensons run a variety of services, including local services, some under contract to Essex County Council, and school contract bus services.

Southend, Basildon, and South Woodham area routes

 * 1: Basildon - Fryerns - Ashlyns - Pitsea
 * 1A: Basildon - Glebefields - Fryerns - Ashlyns - Pitsea
 * 6: Southend Travel Centre stop F - Southchurch Road - White Horse public house - Hamstel Road - Garons Park roundabout. Sundays and bank holidays only, except 25 and 26 December. Introduced on 18 May 2008.
 * 7 Southend Travel Centre - Rochford - Ashingdon - Hockley - Rayleigh (Mon - Sat Evenings ECC Contract)
 * 14: Southend - Barling - Great Wakering - Shoeburyness or Foulness
 * 37 South Woodham Circular: South Woodham, Town Centre, ASDA - Collingham Road - Inchbonnie Road, Gandalfs Ride - Albert Road - Town Centre, ASDA - Inchbonnie Road, Leighlands Road - Rail Station - Inchbonnie Road, Leighlands Road - Town Centre, ASDA
 * 60: Canewdon - Rochford - Sutton Road - Southend Travel Centre
 * 61 Fossetts Park Clipper: - Southend Travel Centre - Chichester Road - Victoria Circus - Southchurch Road - Bournemouth Park Road - Eastern Avenue - Sutton Cemetery - Fossetts Park. Introduced on 23 July 2007.

Chelmsford, Maldon and Witham area routes

 * 32 Chelmsford - Writtle - Highwood - Blackmore - Ongar
 * 38 Withamlink: Witham Allectus Way - Town Centre - Rail Station - Morrisons - Forest Drive
 * 39 Withamlink: Witham Collingwood Road - Powers Hall End - Morrisons - Rail Station - Collingwood Road (Circular)
 * 71C  Witham - Hatfield Peverel - Boreham - Chelmsford Town Centre (One journey Mon - Sat Witham to Chelmsford)
 * 73A: Maldon - Langford - Chelmsford
 * 90 Blackwater Link: Maldon Heybridge - Great Totham - Wickham Bishops - Witham
 * 91 Witham - Kelvedon - Tiptree - Tolleshunt Knights - Tollesbury
 * 95 Tollesbury - Goldhanger - Maldon (one journey each way Mon - Fri evening)

Shopper Bus routes

 * 200: Bradwell-on-Sea - Steeple - Mayland - Althorne - South Woodham Ferrers (Starts Bradwell-on-Sea Kings Head)
 * 220: Burnham-on-Crouch - Southminster - Althorne - South Woodham Ferrers -Wickford - Basildon
 * 250: South Woodham Ferrers - Rayleigh - Southend
 * 260: South Woodham Ferrers - Bicknacre - Maldon
 * 288: Maldon Tesco Store - High Street, Swan Hotel - Blackwater Leisure Centre, a free service

Dengie Connections routes

 * D1: Maldon - Purleigh - Cold Norton - Maylandsea - Steeple - St. Lawrence - Tillingham - Bradwell-on-Sea - Southminster
 * D2: Maldon - Woodham Mortimer - Purleigh - Cold Norton - Maylandsea - Mayland - Steeple - Southminster
 * D3: Maldon - Woodham Mortimer - Purliegh - Cold Norton - Maylandsea - Althorne - Burnham - Southminster
 * D4: Burnham-on-Crouch - Southminster - Tillingham - Bradwell
 * D5: South Woodham - Cold Norton - Althorne - Ostend - Burnham-on-Crouch
 * D6: Southminster - Tillingham - Mayland - Maylandsea - Latchingdon - Althorne
 * D8: Maldon - Roundbush - Mundon - Maldon

School Contract Bus service routes

 * 20X: Rochford - Hullbridge - Rayleigh - Sweyne School
 * 201: Copford - Coggeshall - Honywood School
 * 203: Chappel - Coggeshall - Honywood School
 * 204: Kelvedon - London Road - Coggeshall - Honywood School
 * 205: Kelvedon - Railway Tavern - Coggeshall - Honywood School
 * 206: Kelvedon - London Road - Coggeshall - Honywood School
 * 229: Kelvedon - London Road - Coggeshall - Honywood School
 * 503: Althorne - Burnham - Southminster - Latchingdon - South Woodham Ferrers - Westcliff High Schools - Southend High School for Boys - Southend High School for Girls
 * 504: Wickham Bishops - Great Totham - Maldon - Danbury - Bicknacre - Westcliff High Schools - Southend High School for Boys - Southend High School for Girls
 * 505: Great Baddow - Danbury - Maldon - Great Totham - Tiptree - Inworth - Colchester
 * 509: Shoebury - Thorpe Bay - Southend Seafront - Chalkwell - St. Thomas More School
 * 510: Southminster - Burnham-on-Crouch - Althorne - Latchingdon - Cold Norton - Danbury - Chelmsford Schools
 * 513: Chelmsford - Chelmer Village - Great Baddow - East Hanningfield - Westcliff & Southend High Schools
 * 514: Hatfield Peverel - Danbury - Woodham Ferrers - South Woodham Ferrers - Westcliff High Schools
 * 515: Rochford - Stambridge - Canewdon - Ashingdon - Hullbridge - Rayleigh - Sweyne School
 * 516: North Fambridge - Ferry Road - South Woodham Ferrers - William De Ferrers School
 * 550: Heybridge - Hatfield Peverel - Terling - Witham, Maltings Academy
 * 560: Temple Sutton - Southchurch - Southend - Westcliff railway station - St. Thomas More School
 * 602: Little Baddow - Jarvis Field - Great Baddow School
 * 603: Chelmer Village - Beeleigh Link - Great Baddow School
 * 605: Great Baddow High School service
 * 620: Braintree - St. John Payne School
 * 623: Witham - St. John Payne School
 * 637: South Woodham Ferrers - St. John Payne School
 * 665: Great Leighs - Aragon Road - Chelmer Valley High School
 * 667: Hatfield Peverel - The Street - Chelmer Valley High School
 * 676: Colchester County High & Colchester Royal Grammar Schools
 * 698: John Payne School & Chelmer Valley High School
 * 701: Harwich - Dovercourt - Ramsey - Little Oakley - Great Oakley - Wix - Colchester (operated by Network Colchester)
 * 702: Frinton - Kirby Cross - Thorpe-le-Soken - Little Clacton - Frating - Elmstead - Colchester (operated by New Horizon)
 * 703: Jaywick - Clacton - Bockings Elm - Point Clear - St Osyth - Alresford - Colchester (operated by Network Colchester)
 * 704: Great Holland - Clacton - Bockings Elm - Aingers Green - Great Bentley - Colchester (operated by Network Colchester)
 * 706: Tolleshunt Major - Tollesbury - Layer - Colchester (Operated by Five Sevens Taxis)
 * 707: Silver End - Coggeshall - Marks Tey - Copford - Colchester
 * 708: Lamarsh - Great Horkesley - Mile End - Colchester (Operated by Five Sevens Taxis)
 * 709: Langham - Boxted - Mile End - Colchester (Operated by Five Sevens Taxis)
 * 710: Walton-on-the Naze - Tendring - Colchester (Operated by Five Sevens Taxis)
 * 716: Castle Hedingham - Sible Hedingham - Halstead - Earls Colne - Chappel - Eight Ash Green - Colchester (Operated by Florida Taxis & Coaches )
 * 800: Southend - Leigh - Hadleigh - Canvey - Thurrock College
 * 801: Hockley - Wickford - Billericay - Basildon - Thurrock College
 * 806: Stambridge - Canewdon - Rochford - King Edmund School
 * 807 - 813: Foulness - Landwick - Great Wakering - Little Wakering - North Shoebury - King Edmund School
 * 814: Barling - Stonebridge - Westcliff - St. Thomas More School
 * 887: Southminster - Rain Station - Burnham-on-Crouch - St. Peters High School
 * 888: Southminster - North End - Burnham-on-Crouch - St. Peters High School

Shoeburyness Asda routes

 * SH1: Rayleigh - Eastwood - Fairfax Drive - Southchurch - Shoeburyness Asda
 * SH2: Rayleigh - Hullbridge - Hockley - Rochford - Southchurch - Shoeburyness Asda
 * SH3: Thundersley - Hadleigh - Leigh - Westcliff - Southend - Shoebury - Shoeburyness Asda (Starts Thundersley, Kenneth Road top)
 * SH4: Southchurch - Wakering - Shoebury - Shoeburyness Asda
 * SH5: Canvey - Hadleigh - Leigh - Westcliff - Southend - Southchurch - Shoeburyness Asda

Tilbury Asda routes

 * T1: South Ockendon - Tilbury Asda
 * T2: Corringham - Tilbury Asda
 * T3: Chadwell St Mary - Tilbury Asda
 * T4: Canvey Island - Tilbury Asda
 * T5: Grays - Tilbury Asda
 * T6: Aveley - Tilbury Asda

Free Tesco shopper bus routes
On 30 October 2008, Tesco stopped its funding for the free Stephensons-run bus service from Shotgate Post Office to its store in the Mayflower retail park.
 * Tesco service: Canvey, Leigh Beck - Admiral Jellicoe - Furtherwick Park School - Haystack Corner - William Read School - County School - Silver Jubilee - Benfleet, Church - Junior School - Cemetery Corner - Tarpots - Pitsea Tesco
 * Tesco service: Barking Tesco

Special New Year's Day Heritage services
On 1 January 2008 and 2009, Stephensons operated two special New Year's Day services in the Southend area in conjunction with other local operators using Heritage buses and a modern Optare Tempo from Regal Busways. Profits were donated to the charities Essex Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support and the The Royal British Legion. They also ran an hourly route 61 service using Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer IIs 411 and 412, which were also used to run an hourly service 7 between Southend Travel Centre and Southend Hospital, on part of the route normally operated by Arriva Southend's route 7.
 * 3: Southend - Westcliff-on-Sea - Leigh Elms - Hadleigh - Tarpots - Benfleet railway station - Canvey Haystack
 * 7: Southend - Thorpe Bay - Shoebury, Renown

London Link Express
The London Link Express coach service has had a long history with various operators, starting in 1980. In 2001, after Arriva Southend decided to withdraw their route 721 service, Stephensons took over, providing the Green Line routes X1 and X10 coach services, branded as "London Link Express". X1 was the original number of the service when it was first launched in 1980. Stephensons withdrew the service on Friday 11 July 2008, blaming a number of factors. Replacement services by Swallow Coach Company started on 4 August 2008 but were withdrawn on 29 May 2009.

Bus fleet
Stephensons currently has a fleet of 59 vehicles, mostly painted in their white and light green livery, but with a few in Asda and Tesco liveries which run the free bus services to these supermarkets. The fleet consists of 35 single-deckers, 50 double-deckers, and 4 coaches. A fleet of four new low-floor, 24-seat, 7.8m Optare Solo Slimlines were purchased in April 2007 to replace the Mercedes-Benz Sprinters used by Arriva on the Dengie Connections services. Two more new low-floor, 28-seat, 8.8m Optare Solo Slimlines were purchased in October 2008 to run the Withamlink routes 38 and 39 under contract to Essex County Council.

Single-deckers

 * 6 Optare Solo Slimlines
 * 12 Dennis Dart SLF/Plaxton Pointer
 * 5 Dennis Dart SLF/Alexander ALX200
 * 12 Alexander Dennis Enviro200 Dart

Double-deckers

 * 12 Leyland Olympian/Northern Counties
 * 7 Leyland Olympian/Alexander
 * 1 Leyland Olympian/Eastern Coach Works
 * 3 Scania N230UD/Optare Olympus - the first brand-new double deckers bought by Stephensons
 * 1 Leyland PD3: 424 - originally with Southdown Motor Services, part of Heritage fleet
 * 8 Volvo Olympian/Alexander
 * 4 Volvo Olympian/Northern Counties
 * 1 Leyland Fleetline/Northern Counties
 * 2 Scania N94/East Lancs OmniDekka
 * 4 Scania N230UD/Alexander Dennis Enviro400
 * 6 Scania N230UD/East Lancs Olympus
 * 1 Scania N230UD/Scania OmniCity

Coaches

 * 1 Volvo B10M/Plaxton Paragon
 * 1 Scania K114/Irizar Century
 * 2 Volvo B10M/Alexander

Fuel theft
Stephensons has been the victim of diesel fuel theft from their bus depot on the Riverside Industrial Estate in Rochford on at least two occasions. On 20 April 2008, two thieves pumped 3,500 litres of fuel from a diesel supply tank into containers in the back of a Ford Luton van, but were disturbed by a patrol and escaped, abandoning the van and the fuel in a park playground behind the depot. On June 24, 2009, thieves siphoned diesel from the fuel tanks of Stephensons coaches and loaded it into a Ford Luton and a Ford Transit van. On both occasions Stephensons offered a reward for information leading to the identification and conviction of the thieves.