Essex is a very varied county ranging from the urban areas in the south, such as Brentwood, Basildon and the huge Southend conurbation, to the less built up middle and north areas of the county, which themselves include interesting places such as Chelmsford, Maldon, Braintree, Halstead, Colchester and Harwich. The varied nature of Essex is reflected in the fascinating abundance of bus operators in the county, ranging from national operators such as Arriva and First, to growing regional companies such as Stephensons and Hedingham and small independents such as Panther and the now defunct Regal Busways. This book covers almost every corner of Essex, ranging from Southend, Basildon and Brentwood in the south to Finchingfield, Halstead, Colchester and Harwich in the north via other busy locations such as Chelmsford, Maldon and Braintree.