it advertised the following Express Services:- X1 London - Rayleigh - Southend-on-sea X10 London - Basildon - Southend-on-sea X11 Enfield - Basildon - Southend-on-sea X12 London - Colchester - Clacton - Jaywick Sands X14 London - Braintree - Halstead - Sudbury .. Hadleigh, Sudbury, Bury St Edmunds X20 Southend - Basildon - Wrotham - Tonbridge - Tunbridge Wells - Brighton - Worthing X21 Southend - Basildon - Wrotham - Tonbridge - Tunbridge Wells - Hailsham - Eastbourne X22 Southend - Basildon - Rochester - Faversham, Canterbury - Dover and Folkestone X23 Southend - Basildon - Maidstone - Battle - Hastings - Eastbourne X24 Southend - Basildon - Sittingbourne - Faversham - Canterbury - Margate - Ramsgate X25 Southend - Basildon - Colchester - Lowestoft - Gorleston - Great Yarmouth X26 Southend - Basildon - Romford - Southampton - Bournemouth / Isle of Wight (using Red Funnel Steamer) X27 Southend - Colchester - Jaywick Sands, Clacton-on-sea - Holland-on-sea - Frinton-on-sea - Walton-on-naze X28 Southend - Chelmsford - Dunmow - Cambridge (connections to Midland Red for Northampton, Rugby, Coventry and Birmingham) X29 Southend - Basildon - Harlow - Hertford - Stamford - Oakham - Nottingham - Derby X30 Southsea - Portsmouth - Bognor-Regis - Crawley - Dartford - Basildon - Southend X32/X34 Clacton - Colchester - Chelmsford - Basildon - Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury, Birchington, Margate .. Ramsgate - Dover - Folkestone X33 Walton - Clacton - Colchester - Chelmsford - Basildon - Dartford - Medway Towns - Maidstone - Hastings X40 Tilbury ferry- Basildon - Lowestoft - Gorlestone - Great Yarmouth Privatisation As part of the privatisation of the National Bus Company, Eastern National was sold in a management buyout. In 1990, Eastern National passed to Badgerline. Badgerline divided the company into two: Thamesway Buses in the south of Essex and Eastern National in the north. Eastern National was included in the June 1995 merger of Badgerline with GRT Group to form FirstBus. FirstBus combined the two operations and renamed the company First Essex. Depots The following locations hosted depots to maintain Eastern National's fleet: Brentwood (BD) Brentwood depot was a small site, located near to the High Street on North Road. Braintree (BE) Braintree depot was situated on Fairfield Road, in Braintree town centre. Fairfield Road had originally been used by Hicks Brothers, a bus operator which Eastern National took over in 1949. A house adjacent to the old depot site