Seaview ServicesCompanies House extract company no 355075
A & MA Robinson Seaview Services Limited formerly Seaview Services Limited formerly Newells (Seaview) Limited is a coach hire and tour operator operating on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

. It is a subsidiary of

Xelabus Xelabus LimitedCompanies House extract company no 7338043
Xelabus Lim ...

History

Early 20th Century

In 1922 Richard Newell commenced operating a bus service between Seaview and

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

. By the end of the 1920s Newell had commenced operating charter services. The development of holiday camps at

Puckpool Puckpool is a small coastal settlement on the outskirts of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The area is best known for Puckpool Park, a park with an 18-hole putting green, 12 hole mini golf and two tennis courts. Puckpool Battery is located within the ...

and St Clare in the late 1930s boosted business considerably on the bus route as well as providing additional excursion work. The extra revenue created from this was used to fund the purchase of new coaches. In July 1939 Newells (Seaview) Limited was registered, being renamed Seaview Services Limited in July 1942. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

trade increased rapidly particularly in connection with the holiday camps. In 1950, the company purchased two new Leyland Titan double deck buses to cope with the increased passenger numbers.

Late 20th Century

In 1980 Seaview Services was sold to Mary Robinson and in December 1981 the company name was renamed A & MA Robinson Seaview Services Limited. The company continued to run route 12 from Seaview to Ryde under ''RedLynx'' branding, and in May 1986, (several months before deregulation day) extended this route to

Nettlestone Nettlestone is a village on the Isle of Wight, England about south east from Ryde. It is listed in the Domesday Book and was established c.1086. Together with Seaview, it forms the civil parish of Nettlestone and Seaview. The Priory Bay Hotel ...

, St Helens,

Bembridge Bembridge is a village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to the implausible claim by some residents that Bembridge ...

and

Sandown Sandown is a seaside resort and civil parish on the south-east coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom with the resort of Shanklin to the south and the settlement of Lake in between. Together with Shanklin, Sandown forms a built-up area of ...

. However this move encouraged

Southern Vectis Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. ...

to compete against Seaview Services with a minibus service to Seaview, leading to a

bus war A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for ...

between the two firms. After this period of initial competition, in May 1987 Seaview Services retreated back to its previous Seaview to Ryde route and Southern Vectis withdrew its competing service.In 1989 the Seaview garage was sold and a new garage opened in

. In 1992 the bus side of the business was sold to

and the company has since concentrated solely on coach charters and tours.

Purchase by Xelabus

In May 2022, the company was acquired by Xelabus of

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, ...

. Since the purchase, Seaview Services is undergoing a refresh with new logo and livery while retaining its name.

References

External links

www.seaview-services.co.uk
{{Isle of Wight Transport, state=collapsed Transport on the Isle of Wight Coach operators in England