Vista Coachways - Company History

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Company History

Fleet History

Route 660

Vehicles for Hire

A Profile of Vista Coachways

1988 to 2008

Hello,
this is me, Terry Jones,
standing beside Bosworth.

Terry Jones and Bosworth Below, you will find a brief history of Vista Coachways.

For those interested in acquisitions and disposals of vehicles, you will find, in Fleet History, photos and information on the vehicles, each of which played her part in making the company what it was for 20 years.

Vista Coachways commenced trading in 1988, using a freshly-restored 1950 classic Bedford/Duple coach, and offering wedding hires and nostalgic journeys for special occasions. The coach was originally purchased for preservation in 1975, purely as a hobby.

In the summer of 1989, a modern 16-seater mini-coach was purchased, to enable the business to establish itself, and to undertake contract and private hire work of a more general nature.

In 1992, the first full-size coach joined the Vista Coachways fleet, giving the scope to cater for large as well as small groups. From that time, vehicles were changed and updated, and several were refurbished to ensure a good standard of presentation. We could then offer standard coach hire from 17 to 53 seats. The 1950 Classic coach can still be hired for special occasions, subject to availability. She seats 29 passengers.

In April 2004 Vista was awarded a contract to operate the 660 local bus service, on behalf of North Somerset Council. This fully occupied one bus and driver every weekday from then, and in April 2007 a Saturday service was added in. The contract expired on 5 April 2008, when the full-time operation of Vista Coachways ceased.

Towards the end of 2005, it was decided that the business would be scaled down, and the contract and private hire commitments would be reduced. At the end of the 2006 summer peak, the first coach was sold, each one following in turn, until the last coach departed in May 2007. We regret that we are therefore no longer running coaches, and cannot undertake contract or private hire any more. The business exclusively ran the 660 bus service, until finishing in April 2008.

I would like to thank all past customers, for their loyal support over the years. I could not have done it without them, as I always relied on repeat business, and word-of-mouth recommendation, rather than spend a fortune on costly advertising. Over the years, I have made many good friends, through my coach work.

To view the vehicles that formed the history of Vista Coachways, see Fleet History, where you will find interior and exterior photographs of each bus and coach.

'Fosse' and 'Teise'

Fosse and Teise at Ashton Court, Bristol

(All photos by Vista Coachways)

Hello, this is me, Terry Jones, standing beside Bosworth.		Below, you will find a brief history of Vista Coachways. For those interested in acquisitions and disposals of vehicles, you will find, in Fleet History, photos and information on the vehicles, each of which played her part in making the company what it was for 20 years.
Vista Coachways commenced trading in 1988, using a freshly-restored 1950 classic Bedford/Duple coach, and offering wedding hires and nostalgic journeys for special occasions. The coach was originally purchased for preservation in 1975, purely as a hobby.
In the summer of 1989, a modern 16-seater mini-coach was purchased, to enable the business to establish itself, and to undertake contract and private hire work of a more general nature.
In 1992, the first full-size coach joined the Vista Coachways fleet, giving the scope to cater for large as well as small groups. From that time, vehicles were changed and updated, and several were refurbished to ensure a good standard of presentation. We could then offer standard coach hire from 17 to 53 seats. The 1950 Classic coach can still be hired for special occasions, subject to availability. She seats 29 passengers.
In April 2004 Vista was awarded a contract to operate the 660 local bus service, on behalf of North Somerset Council. This fully occupied one bus and driver every weekday from then, and in April 2007 a Saturday service was added in. The contract expired on 5 April 2008, when the full-time operation of Vista Coachways ceased.
Towards the end of 2005, it was decided that the business would be scaled down, and the contract and private hire commitments would be reduced. At the end of the 2006 summer peak, the first coach was sold, each one following in turn, until the last coach departed in May 2007. We regret that we are therefore no longer running coaches, and cannot undertake contract or private hire any more. The business exclusively ran the 660 bus service, until finishing in April 2008.
I would like to thank all past customers, for their loyal support over the years. I could not have done it without them, as I always relied on repeat business, and word-of-mouth recommendation, rather than spend a fortune on costly advertising. Over the years, I have made many good friends, through my coach work.
To view the vehicles that formed the history of Vista Coachways, see Fleet History, where you will find interior and exterior photographs of each bus and coach.
Fosse and Teise at Ashton Court, Bristol