Badger Vectis private transport groups in the United Kingdom, FirstGroup in June 1995. Both Wilts & Dorset and Southern Vectis also continued to operate, ironically coming together under common ownership, both being acquired by the Go-Ahead Group, and now both operating as part of its Go South Coast division. Badger Vectis Badger Vectis was an English bus company based in Poole. A post-deregulation joint venture between Weston-super-Mare based bus company Badgerline and Isle of Wight bus company Southern Vectis, it was set up in September 1987 to compete with incumbent operator Wilts & Dorset. The buses all used the Badgerline brand. After
Badger Vectis would stop operating in early May 1988. The company closed early however, on 29 March, after employees were told that the company would no longer be operating and were offered a deal not to speak to the press. The traffic commissioner then banned the Badger Vectis company from registering bus services ever again. The bus war between Badger Vectis and Wilts & Dorset was described as a rare instance of post-deregulation competition between a large newcomer against an established operator, with the intention of complete elimination of the incumbent. This was in contrast to the norm which had been, and