Truronian
Plaxton Panther bodied Volvo B12B in May 2007 | |
| Parent | Go-Ahead Group |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1987 |
| Headquarters | Truro |
| Locale | South West England |
| Service area | Cornwall |
| Hubs | Truro bus station |
| Depots | 2 |
| Fleet | 70 (February 2008) |
| Website | https://www.dartline.co.uk/ |
Truronian[1] is a coach operator based in Cornwall. Since February 2026 it has been owned and operated by Go South West,[2] a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. Previously, it also had a bus operation and a holiday business.
History
Truronian was formed in September 1987 by former Western National managers Ken Branchett, David Rabey, and Geoff Rumbles. In 1988, the business of Flora Motors, Helston, was purchased, followed in 1993 by CR Williams Coaches, St Agnes.[3][4]
Services operated included park and ride services for the Eden Project and express services for National Express.[4][5]
In April 2008, Truroninan was purchased by FirstGroup with 50 buses and 20 coaches and integrated into its First Devon & Cornwall operation.[6][7]
The holiday business ceased in November 2011.[8] In March 2012, Newell's Travel, a travel agent within Cornwall, began using the Truronian Holidays name for British, Irish and Continental Holidays programme.[9]
In November 2025, as a result of ongoing financial challenges, competition from other operators and significant falls in passenger numbers, First Bus announced that it was to withdraw from Cornwall entirely on 14 February 2026.[10] While not part of the original proposal for exiting the Cornwall market, First Bus sold Truronian Coaches to the Go South West, under their Plymouth Citybus operating license.[2]
As of February 2026, the Go-Ahead Group has started the process of bringing in new vehicles to Truronian, as no vehicles were included in the sale. The new vehicles share the red and white livery style of Dartline coaches, which was previously acquired in 2022 .[11]
References
- ^ Companies House extract company no 2140599 Truronian Limited
- ^ a b Rooney, Kevin (6 February 2026). "Notices and Proceedings" (PDF). No. 3050. Office of the Traffic Commissioner (West of England). p. 9. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ Companies House extract company no 623661 CR Wiliams (Coaches) Limited
- ^ a b Truronian West Country Historic Omnibus & Transport Trust Web News 31
- ^ Citaro arctics for Truronian's Eden route Archived 25 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach 20 June 2006
- ^ First to buy Truronian Archived 24 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Bus & Coach 15 February 2008
- ^ First takes over Truronian buses BBC News 8 April 2008
- ^ Truronian Holidays to cease trading BBC News 31 May 2011
- ^ "Newells Travel; Award winning Travel agents & Cruise specialist, for cruises from Plymouth and Falmouth, Coach Trips from Devon & Cornwall". newellstravel.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "An update on our Cornwall operations | First Bus". www.firstbus.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ Deakin, Tim (9 February 2026). "Go-Ahead confirms Truronian Coaches purchase from First Bus". routeone. Retrieved 16 February 2026.