About Us

Dartline Coaches began on 4th January 1987, covering Devon county contracts to Torquay, Okehampton, Exmouth, and locally in Exeter by using 6 minibuses and 2 coaches. The capability of our business grew rapidly, expanding within 2 years to 6 minibuses, 3 medium-sized coaches, and 3 coaches of a larger size. One of our coaches was an executive model that was used for Gatwick and Heathrow airport transfers.

History

Dartline Coaches continued to grow, picking up private school contracts from Ottery St. Mary, Sidmouth, and Newton Abbot until 1991. This was when the company purchased the Exeter operation of Roberts Coaches from Western National. We serviced local prison contracts, which included carrying prisoners to Crown Courts in:

  • Bodmin
  • Truro
  • Taunton
  • Plymouth
  • Exeter
  • Manchester
  • Durham
  • Dartmoor
  • Leicester
  • Bristol

We moved into purpose-built workshops and offices at Sowton Industrial Estate and continued to expand on a yearly basis until 1999. This is because we purchased another local operator called Bow Belle of Crediton. We then moved out of the city into a new depot at Clyst St. Mary where we are still situated today.

Numerous Work Contracts

After Bow Belle, we also took on a contract with Majestic Holidays, which included supplying coaches weekly for most of the year to Scarborough, Eastbourne, Scotland, and York. This contract covers weekend breaks for other holiday companies to:

  • London
  • Edinburgh
  • The NEC, Birmingham

and continental breaks including trips to:

  • Prague
  • Vienna
  • Paris
  • Disneyland
  • Strasbourg
  • Brussels
  • Berlin
  • Munich


We also cover school coach trips to Ypres, the Somme Battlefields, and Normandy amongst others. Our company can also pick up students for these educational trips from various countries, normally arriving at ferry ports such as:

  • Portsmouth
  • Dover
  • Southampton
  • Poole

Covering the UK and Europe

Our fleet of 54 coaches includes minibuses, medium-sized coaches, and other vehicles for national UK and European coverage. We ensure regularly serviced vehicles to promise you a service that prioritises reliability, punctuality, and courtesy.

An Excellent Reputation

Dartline Coaches employs approximately 50 drivers and mechanics. We also cover something like 60 car contracts, using our own small taxi fleet and taking on about 40 cars through sub-contracts from various companies. These sub-contracts cover:

  • Paignton
  • Weymouth
  • Totnes
  • Exbourne
  • Ashreigney
  • Barnstaple

Contact us in Exeter, Devon, to learn more about our coach hire company.