InterCity is a passenger transport and tourism company in New Zealand. Parent company Entrada Travel Group operates the country's only long distance bus network, and ferries and cruises in the Bay of Islands. Its brands are: InterCity, New Zealand's only long distance bus network, servicing around 600 towns and communities daily Gray Line, New Zealand license holder of premium sightseeing tours within New Zealand GreatSights New Zealand, premium sightseeing coach services Fullers GreatSights, sightseeing cruises and day tours in the Bay of Islands and Northland awesomeNZ.com (formerly Kings Dolphin Cruises and Eco Tours), sightseeing tours and boat cruises Auckland Explorer Bus, hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour bus company in Auckland Skip Bus, low-cost North Island bus express Ownership InterCity is currently the only New Zealand-owned long distance bus service, after competitor Nakedbus was acquired by ManaBus, who ceased operating in 2018. In November 2018, InterCity started a new express bus service, SKIP, offering affordable, reliable and faster connections between major North Island cities. InterCity and Entrada Travel Group are controlled by Ritchies Transport and Tranzit Group, each owning 46%. History InterCity is the direct successor to New Zealand Railways Road Services long-distance routes. New Zealand Railways' rail and road services were combined in 1985 as the Passenger Business Group of the New Zealand Railways Corporation. InterCity began in 1987 as the brand for long-distance rail and road services. In 1991 the rail-based assets were transferred to New Zealand Rail and the long distance buses and InterCity name were bought by InterCity Management Limited, a group of seven of the country's largest private coach companies - Whangarei Bus Services, Bayline Group, Ritchies Transport, Tranzit Group, Guthreys Coachlines, Nelson SBL and PTL Route Services - as a franchise-based operation. Each of the franchisees is responsible for operating set routes, usually close to their home base. Of the original seven franchisees four remain, with one new franchisee (SDK Ltd) operating services in Northland where Whangarei Bus Services previously held the franchise. Over the years the company name has changed from InterCity Coachlines Ltd to Coachnet NZ Ltd, followed by InterCity Group Ltd and InterCity Holdings Ltd. In 2019, the group name changed from InterCity Group to Entrada Travel Group. Trademark protection In 2014 InterCity Group won a landmark Google Adwords case against competitor Nakedbus in the Auckland High Court for breach of trade mark. Justice Raynor Asher ruled that Nakedbus deliberately infringed InterCity Group