Well, it's more because Ensign are primarily a dealer of second hand buses, and only secondarily a (it must be said: consistently - ever since they first started, in the mid-1980s - very very good) bus operator. (Of course their is a divide in practice between the dealership and operation stock)
Indeed, they have shut down/sold off their bus operation division on two separate occasions previously, so as to concentrate on dealing and tourist services in London and elsewhere. - Anyone else remember the "Culture Bus", with DMSs in Yellow and Silver livery? - later taken over by Southend Transport during their, financially disastrous, period of mad, London-centred, expansion)
Ensignbus's first incarnation as a bus operator - which involved itself mostly with what were then LRT tendered routes in East London , and which became Capital Citybus under Hong Kong ownership, is now part of First London. I can't quite remember what became of their second incarnation, which mainly did Essex County Council contracts. But they seem to have been dragged back into operations, although I think their current incarnation is the first one to be primarily concerned with commercial (rather than tendered) operations - they are now the main bus operator in much of the borough of Thurrock.
A pretty good (and well illustrated) overview of their history is here
http://www.ensignbus.com/about_us.htm
hock
- of ex First London London Trident's
