Moss Motor Tours
Encyclopedia
Moss Motor Tours Ltd. was a bus and coach company that operated on the Isle of Wight
between 1923 and 1994. The company sold its assets in 1994 to various bus and coach providers on the Island and off. The name and "goodwill" of the company, but little else, was purchased by Southern Vectis
in 1994 and is now used by the company's coach unit as one of several fleet names.
Post-deregulation, Moss Motor Tours operated several bus routes against the incumbent privatised bus operator Southern Vectis
, these routes which used red buses, were branded 'Blue Ferret' bus services.
Most if not all original Moss Motor Tours coaches were bought new and were kept inside for much of the winter, in fact as testament to this, several of the coaches left from the company's sale in 1994 are still in use by both mainland and Island operators, particularly island based Gange's Coaches, who operate two ex-Moss coaches, "Wight Envoy" and "Island Princess", in their original blue and cream livery.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
between 1923 and 1994. The company sold its assets in 1994 to various bus and coach providers on the Island and off. The name and "goodwill" of the company, but little else, was purchased by Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
in 1994 and is now used by the company's coach unit as one of several fleet names.
History
Moss Motor Tours was started in 1923. The company operated several bus routes and tours of the Island to cater to tourists, these included trips to see cruise liners, mystery tours, and round the island tours. The company also operated private hire vehicles. Moss' was based in Sandown, Isle of Wight and had shops where tickets for the various tours were sold. Several of Moss' coaches are now viewable at the Isle of Wight Bus Museum.Post-deregulation, Moss Motor Tours operated several bus routes against the incumbent privatised bus operator Southern Vectis
Southern Vectis
The Southern Vectis Omnibus Company Limited is the dominant bus operator on the Isle of Wight. It was purchased by the Go-Ahead Group in 2005 and is a part of the company's Go South Coast division. The firm employs 299 staff, with 105 single deck, double deck and open-top buses and coaches...
, these routes which used red buses, were branded 'Blue Ferret' bus services.
Most if not all original Moss Motor Tours coaches were bought new and were kept inside for much of the winter, in fact as testament to this, several of the coaches left from the company's sale in 1994 are still in use by both mainland and Island operators, particularly island based Gange's Coaches, who operate two ex-Moss coaches, "Wight Envoy" and "Island Princess", in their original blue and cream livery.