Its August 1929 and local businessman Harry Phillips decides to buy his own coach. Not doing anything in half measures he buys a new Dennis GL with 20 seat body direct from the Dennis factory in Guildford in Surrey at a cost of £800. The first group to hire it was said to have been the Hastings Ramblers Cricket Club, Harry and his family all having very strong Cricket connections locally.

The coach and bus industry faced changes due to restrictions introduced with part IV of the 1930 Road Traffic Act. Harry as ‘an established operator’ was very well placed though as he was already licenced. It is known that by 1933 a regular service to Hellingly Hospital near Hailsham had been established for friends and relatives of patients there, as there was no direct service from the local area. Day trips and excursions were popular from Hastings seafront to a range of places as well as race days to Folkestone, Plumpton and Lingfield.

The decade had only just started and Harry senior had already invested in a new Bedford OB with a 29 seat Plaxton body. At a cost of over £2,000 it demonstrated Harry’s faith in the years ahead for Empress. The post war trade boomed in the 1950’s and these were perhaps the Golden years of the seaside trade for the company. With no regulations for drivers’ hours in existence as yet, the days for a coach driver were long ones, a full day out, with a pub stop in the evening was certainly part of the culture for many groups enjoying some carefree time together.

By the 60’s Harry’s fleet had grown to three vehicles, all Bedford in make, all Petrol engined too, which were still commonplace in many coach fleets. Harry’s original depot in Clive Vale in Hastings had to be enlarged to cope with newer coaches which were getting bigger in size! 29, 35 & 41 seats were now offered in Harry’s smart livery of Maroon and Ivory. Fondly remembered regular drivers included Tom Thomas and Harry Phillips ‘son’.

In trend with the changing face of the coach industry, Tony decided in late 1980 to launch a new livery of white with orange and red, to freshen up the image of Empress. Over the next 5 years, the old colours were soon to disappear as new purchases were made and the business moved forward. By now all full range of sizes could be offered from 12, 16, 29, 33, 41 & 53 seats, although it was interesting to note that on many occasions the 29 seat size was the most popular for the firm. After some 50 years in operation, the regular service to Hellingly Hospital ceased at the end of 1983 due to increases in car ownership after some 50 years in operation. In 1988 the Channel Tunnel opened, paving the way for even longer days to the Continent as part of our excursion work.

As the decade started, serious investment was made in two new CVE Omni 21 seat vehicles. They were low floor, wheelchair accessible and a real boost for the regular school contracts undertaken. Latterly used on Mobility Link bus services, it was just another different type of work the company was undertaking in this changing time. In 1991 the decision to close our original Clive Vale depot brought to an end 62 years of use. Our customer base increases and bookings are diverse. Tony starts to think of retirement and in 1998 decides to sell to a local businessman. After just 22 months though Stephen Dine, who has worked for the company full time since 1987, takes on Empress. By now it’s operating 13 vehicles.

We don’t rest on our laurels, we listen to what our customers want and the fleet is gradually being updated with vehicles that generally feature air-conditioning, reclining seats and double glazed windows as standard in the main. In 2016 a welcome new arrival comes in the form of a classic coach! Just like buses as the saying goes, you wait for one and two arrive, this has certainly been the case at Empress, as a second vehicle soon joined it. Both are Bedford J2 Plaxtons. They herald the start of customers having a choice to book either modern, or indeed for that special occasion, something classic to travel in. Former Empress owner Tony Patten called in not long after to see if we had gone mad! Stephen & Jayne’s son Josh starts at Empress in September 2016 as an apprentice – perhaps the next chapter is just beginning for our family run firm.