An Essex bus company has launched two news buses to improve services from Maldon to Witham.
Stephensons of Essex has a vehicle fleet of 129 across Essex and Suffolk covering the Maldon district.
On Wednesday, the company unveiled four brand new buses at the Museum of Power in Langford.
This was for the number 90 service which goes from Witham to Wickham Bishops to Great Totham to Heybridge to Maldon.
Staff, councillors, and members of the public enjoyed the inaugural bus ride before the buses went into action in the afternoon.
Ian Wardrop, chairman of Wickham Bishops Parish Council, spoke to the Standard while on the first ride of the new bus.
When asked about whether the bus services were good for residents, Ian said: “Once you get out of the main built-up area, the transport area is not a good as it can be in the town centre.
“On the edges of the towns, that’s where you get into the rural areas – where in some places there is a bus every two hours.
“This one is every half-hour – it is a good service.”
Mr Wardrop said it was positive the bus was greener – though not fully electric due to the high costs.
He said pensioners, like all bus users, would now be able to adjust to the regularity of the services saying this could increase usership.
Ryan Scott of Stephensons said the company has invested £2million in the Essex area within their service since becoming an employee-owned trust in October 2024.
He said the newest buses were brand new and custom-made low-carbon buses, saying: “What we have asked ADL to produce, and they have, are the 33-seaters out there which will go around the route perfectly.
“A perfect size for the route and being new, they’re going to be reliable and being rural sometimes you want reliability.”
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Mr Scott said Stephensons has also invested into an app which makes it easier for passengers to travel.
He added: “We’ve got some further exciting news that in April 2026 we’ve been awarded some government funding to enhance our funding to enhance our 38/38a service which does link in with the 90.
“So that will now operate every 20 minutes throughout the day from Monday to Friday.”
Mr Scott said this was the first of a series of improvements to the area as Stephensons welcome new and or newer vehicles into their business.
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