to the future, began dismantling its larger operating subsidiaries, of which Hants & Dorset was one. The goal was the formation of units that could better serve their local markets, although later splits were to ensure a successful privatisation. So on 1 April 1983, Hants & Dorset Motor Services was divided into three operating companies: Wilts & Dorset, Provincial and Hampshire Bus. There re-emerged the name Wilts & Dorset, albeit with a significantly different operating area from that of the old company (from 1983, covering Bournemouth, Poole, Lymington, Salisbury, with a head office remaining at Bournemouth). Wilts & Dorset was sold to its management in 1987 and bought by the Go-Ahead Group in August 2003. Recognizing the increasing level of joint working, Hants & Dorset's Fareham activities merged with the Gosport and Fareham undertaking, under the Provincial name, trading from Hoeford, Gosport Road, Fareham, and all but closing the former Hants & Dorset Fareham garage other than for storage. Provincial was acquired by FirstGroup as First Provincial, then merged into First Hampshire & Dorset in 2003. Finally, the former Hants & Dorset operations in Basingstoke, Winchester and Southampton became Hampshire Bus, whose head office was in Eastleigh. Of the three, Hampshire Bus was the weakest, yet this was one of the first companies to sell under the privatisation of the National Bus Company, in April 1987. It was acquired by Stagecoach, but in October 1987 Stagecoach sold the Southampton area operations to Solent Blue Line (itself acquired by the Go-Ahead Group in July 2005). Stagecoach retains the Winchester, Andover and Basingstoke operations. Trivia The Hants & Dorset company was affectionately known as "Pants & Corset". The company operated from the higher level of a unique two-tier bus & coach station in Bournemouth, dating from 1930. Having been rebuilt in the 1950s, it was rendered unsafe following a fire in 1976, and demolished and replaced with a car park in the early 1980s. See also List of bus operators of the United Kingdom References External links 1920 establishments in England 1983 disestablishments in England Former bus operators in Dorset Former bus operators in Hampshire British companies disestablished in 1983 British companies established in 1920