In October 1970 Rita Anita Wheeler (known as Anita), went for a job interview at a company in Harlow. 

Believing it was for a van driving job Anita was surprised to learn it was actually a bus driving job that she had applied for. 

Up for the challenge she agreed to learn to drive a bus.  She had driven her father’s lorries in her younger days so had experience of driving large vehicles. 

Within a couple of months she passed her PSV test in a 10 gear crash box double decker bus, becoming one of the first women in the Country to pass a test of this nature. 

She worked for the bus and coach company for a couple of years before she decided to start up her own company. 

So in April 1972 she bought her first coach, which came with a contract and started up her own coach company “Anita’s Coaches”.

Her husband Ernie was a television engineer at the time and continued with his job whilst Anita got the company established.  However, after a couple of years with the growth of the company, Anita taught Ernie to drive a coach and he then left his job, bought another coach and joined Anita becoming a husband and wife team.

Over the years as the company continued to grow, mini buses were introduced to the fleet giving the company a wider range of vehicle sizes available to meet the customer’s needs.

In 1986 the company was incorporated and became “Anita’s Coach & Mini Bus Hire Limited”.

As the years passed the company grew further but Anita did not want the company to become oversized as she did not want to lose that personal touch.  It was important to her that the company had a good reputation and that the service it provided was second to none. 

As the years have progressed the company has maintained its reputation for providing a reliable service with clean and tidy, well maintained vehicles.

In the years ahead other family members joined Anita and Ernie and the company became a family run business.

Sadly, Anita passed away in September 2001, but the company continues to thrive, keeping Anita’s legacy alive.

Ernie took a step back when Anita passed away leaving the running of the business to the next generation, watching carefully as the company continued to update and move forward to how it is today. 

In February 2019 Ernie also passed away and so the company is now run solely by the next generation of family members committed to continue the legacy.