Stagecoach in East Kent

Company Name	East Kent Road Car Company Ltd
Group	Stagecoach
Based at	Canterbury, Kent
Operating area	East Kent
Livery	Maroon with cream (NBC livery: poppy red). Buses are now in Stagecoach corporate colours and carry "Stagecoach in East Kent" fleetnames.
Garages	Ashford, Broadstairs (closed), Canterbury, Deal (closed), Dover, Faversham (closed 1972), Folkestone (Cheriton), Hastings, (closed 1969), Herne Bay (closed), Margate (closed), New Romney (closed), Ramsgate (closed 1927), Rye, (closed 1973), Westwood
Web Site	http://www.stagecoachbus.com/eastkent/
Notes	East Kent served the area from which it was named and part of East Sussex (operations in Rye and Hastings passing to M&D in return for that company's Ashford interests). Since acquisition by Stagecoach, the company has made some radical alterations to its traditional route network, linking some services into long distance circulars. There is some co-ordination with its Stagecoach neighbour, South Coast Buses.
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	Tilling Stevens B10C2 with Brush body at Amberley, 1990
	1947 Leyland Tiger PS1 with Park Royal bodywork, seen at Showbus 2002 Photo: Leslie Chatfield
	1955 AEC Regal with Weymann bodywork KFN 220, seen at Amberley 1990.
	PFN 874, an AEC Regent V with Park Royal bodywork. Photo: British Bus Archives
	AFN 780B is another AEC Regent V with Park Royal bodywork. The bus is seen at Beltring Hop Farm near Paddock Wood in September 1989.
	Another view of AFN 780B. East Kent continued to purchase the Regent until production ceased in 1969. Photo: Ken Lansdowne
	Marshall bodied AEC Swift VJG 187J is typical of East Kent single deckers of the late 1960s/early 1970s. This bus is seen at Showbus 2002. Photo: Leslie Chatfield
	Bristol VRT/ECW 7667 on a service 10 journey to Sevenoaks passes through Ightham in July 1985. Photo: Neil Gow
	With privatisation, East Kent had a dubious flirtation with the minibus. Ford Transit 20 is seen outside Dover Garage in October 1987
	Another picture taken the same day illustrating East Kent Leyland Nationals (once the mainstay of this company) in NBC red and the post deregulation version of the original livery. Photo: Leslie Chatfield
	East Kent Leyland National 1890, seen at Pencester Road in October 1987 on service 90 (Folkestone - Dover - Deal). Prior to deregulation, service 90 operated between Folkestone and Dover, the section between Dover and Deal being covered by services 80/80A. The traditional East Kent livery carried by this vehicle has now given way to Stagecoach white and "drive bus in this direction" stripes, a livery more suited to a Boeing 747 than a Leyland National.
	After acquiring a number of ex M&D Leyland Atlanteans, East Kent purchased a batch of AN68s with ECW bodywork in 1976. 7005 (JJG 5P) is seen in Broadstairs in 1989.
	Leyland National 1164, seen outside Dover Garage in October 1987
	7667 again, seen in Maidstone High Street in 1986 wearing a post deregulation version of East Kent's traditional livery.
	East Kent are now part of the Stagecoach empire. Leyland Olympian/Northern Counties 7828 is seen at Showbus 2000 in Duxford, Cambridgeshire
	Stagecoach East Kent 246 a 1993 Volvo Olympian with Northern Counties bodywork was in traditional livery when seen at Showbus 2002.
	Not so traditional looking is Stagecoach East Kent 7285, an ex London Titan (T1125). The bus is in the latest version of Stagecoach livery and is seen at Stagecoach 2002
	Stagecoach East Kent 16365 heads for Camber sheltered by the sea wall on coastal service 711 from Dover to Hastings. This bus is a Volvo Olympian with Alexander bodywork and was exhibited at Showbus 1999 and is seen here on 22nd February 2007.