Bakers Dolphin is the trading name of Baker's Coaches, a bus and coach company based in

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

History

Weston-super-Mare Locking Road - Bakers 96 (AJ58PZE)

In 1889, Charles Baker established a business with a pony chair for hire in

. The business expanded and in the early 1900s, Baker won a contract from the

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

to deliver mail to the Cheddar Valley. Horses and carriages were also provided to funeral directors. With the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, most of Baker's horses were commandeered by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

.History
Bakers Dolphin In 1923, two motor coaches and began operating leisure trips. By the beginning 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 opposin ...

the fleet had grown to 12. During the war, Bakers operated services transporting aircrews for British Empire Airways. By 1945, the fleet had grown to 30. With the end of the war, Bakers began operating day tours from Weston-super-Mare. In 1952, the Weston-super-Mare branch of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

's largest operator Wessex Coaches, was purchased. With the opening of Britain's

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

network in the 1960s, Bakers expanded its tour operations. In 1981, Bakers purchased the business of Wems Coaches, its largest competitor in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

, the combined fleet totaled 77 vehicles. In November 1984, Bakers merged with travel company Dolphin Travel, with the business rebranded Bakers Dolphin Travel with 100 shops. In 1998, the travel business was sold to

First Choice Holidays First Choice Holidays Limited (trading as First Choice) is a British online travel agency and tour operator, headquartered in Luton, England. It is a subsidiary of TUI UK, itself a subsidiary of TUI Group, and its holidays are sold in TUI stores ...

. Following an inquiry into a large number prosecutions for

tachograph A tachograph is a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity selected from a choice of modes. The drive mode is activated automatically when the vehicle is in motion, and ...

offences, the Traffic Commissioner temporarily reduced the operating licence from 85 to 75 vehicles in 2013. In 2008, Bakers Dolphin opened a high street store in Weston-super-Mare, followed In 2014 by another in

Broadmead.

Services

Bakers Dolphin previously operated public bus routes but now only run school bus services in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. Until August 2013, Bakers Dolphin operated a service to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

under the ''London Flyer'' banner.Bakers Dolphin to axe London Service
''

Weston & Somerset Mercury ''The Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury'' is a weekly paid for newspaper that covers Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding areas of Somerset and North Somerset in England. The ''Weston Mercury'' was established 1 April 1843 and was family-owned fo ...

'' 19 August 2013

References

External links

*
Company website
{{Bus companies in South West England, state=collapsed Bus operators in Somerset Coach operators in England Weston-super-Mare 1889 establishments in England