Starting in August 1964, this East London service was operated by Super Coaches of Upminster under the Redbridge & District Motor Services trading name. From June to December 1965 it was extended from Woodford Bridge to Claybury Broadway. In April 1966 the route passed to D Young of Barkingside (still using the Redbridge name) but it lasted only another month until final withdrawal in May. Further information on this operator - and other similar operations in and around London - can be found in the book "London Transport Connections 1945 - 1985" by Philip Wallis. Published by Capital Transport in 2003.
This long established operator was aptly named for its town services in the Windsor area. Founded by the Moore family in 1917, trading as A Moore & Sons. Bus operations started in 1926, originally with others running between Windsor and Slough (this passed to the newly formed London Passenger Transport Board in 1933). In 1928 their 'traditional routes' to the west of Windsor started. The two routes ran from Windsor to Dedworth via Clewer (route 1) and Windsor to Dedworth Manor Estate via Clewer Village (route 2) and eventually met at Ruddlesway, each running half hourly. As housing areas grew they eventually they combined to form a circular service operated in both directions ('A' clockwise and 'B' anti-clockwise). The firm was known locally as 'the brown bus' and catered for what wer often very busy routes. A limited company was formed in 1946 and the Imperial garage was in Firs Avenue, off Clewer Hill Road. Interestingly this base was almost adjacent to the terminus of another one route independent operator - Borough Bus - who ran half hourly from Windsor to Clewer Green, Hatch Lane. But the route taken by Borough from Windsor was completely different to the Imperial routes. Borough Bus sold their route to Thames Valley in 1955. The brown and cream liveried Imperial vehicles continued to operate until 24th January 1987 when the routes passed to Alder Valley North. The undated timetable is thought to be from the 1960s and another later example is also shown, dating from 1982.
Based in Weymouth in Dorset this business grew from taxis to minibuses to coaches. Named after the proprietor Barry Newsam the first bus service was introduced in October 1980. This was a once weekly Wednesday market service to Dorchester. It was later run on Saturday mornings too. Several other such routes followed and the bus operations expanded considerably in 1982 to include the town routes in the county town of Dorchester under the Interbus name. Although no longer running buses, this family firm is still very much in business as coach operators in Weymouth.
Commenced operations in 1976, founded by Roger Brown, operating school transport contracts and several local market day bus services. Still very much in business in 2007 with a fleet of twelve buses and coaches on a range of services in Dorset and Wiltshire. Routes operated include the ex-Adams Victory Tours service from Tollard Royal and Handley to Salisbury on Tuesdays. School transport is still predominant but private hire is important too. The firm also operates two former London double deckers for private hire and special occasions: a 72 seat Routemaster and a 56 seat RT. Their website lists the routes and times currently operated. In the first year 1976 a short lived summer only service was operated to Lulworth Cove and Bovington Tank Museum - this is the timetable reproduced alongside.
With deregulation of buses following the 1985 Transport Act, Kingston Coaches (Coleman) of Yeovil introduced three bus routes competing with Safeway from Yeovil to Crewkerne and South Petherton, and with Southern National from Yeovil to Martock. Operations commenced on 11th January 1988 and continued for just over two years, ceasing in February 1990. Very low fares were charged by Yeovilian in an attempt to gain customers from the incumbent operators, but ultimately this was not successful. The all day vehicle commitment was three, one on each of the three routes. In the morning peak five were needed (one extra each on Crewkerne and Martock), and in the evening peak four buses (one extra on Crewkerne).
David Morris is one of those larger than life characters that you sometimes meet and never forget in the bus industry. The name of the firm reflects his initials, and his business is a long and well established operation in Herefordshire, based in Bromyard. The accompanying timetables reflect the bus services operated in 1988 and a new service introduced then which offered free travel in the first week. The firm continues to operate a wide range of services in the area.
A family business still - over eighty years old, founded in 1924 by Mrs Annie Newman - and now run by the fifth generation of the same family. Safeguard have been providing local bus services and luxury coaches to Guildford and the surrounding areas from the days of the charabanc to the present modern fleet of seven buses and thirty coaches. The timetable represents the local service operations as they were in 1988, including not only their traditional town services in Guildford but also post-deregulation expansion onto the Aldershot to Camberley route. Coming forward to the summer of 2010 we find Safeguard still operating a circular service from Guildford to Woodbridge Hill, Hospital and Park Barn (services 4 and 5 according to direction). Current PVR for the all day services of six vehicles.
Over the years I have visited the Isles of Scilly three times, in 1987, 1990 and 2004. Apart from summer coach tours and the all year round airport bus a circular bus route has been operated around the principal island of St Marys. The size of the vehicles are restricted by the narrowness of the island roads with a particularly difficult bend in the Watermill area. Two timetables are illustrated, the first from 1987 when the bus service was provided by Woodcocks; and the other from 2004 when the route is described as the Community Bus Service (but it is privately operated rather than being a community bus in the usual legal definition).
This was a long standing service which ran from the county town of Dorchester a few miles northwards to Herrison Hospital and Forston Clinic. It had been started by the early 1930s as the Dorset Mental Hospital is listed as holding a Road Service Licence for the route at that time. In later years the service was run by the West Dorset Health Authority, and was unusual in seemingly being exempted from normal road service licencing. Later it was run by the West Dorset Community Health NHS Trust. The hospital lies to the north of the village of Charminster. Since 24th October 1994 this has been operated hourly as a normal registered route by Coach House Travel of Dorchester following the run-down of the hospital (the NHS left Herrison in 1992) and the subsequent development of substantial housing in both Charminster and the old hospital grounds, now known as Charlton Down with a population of some 1400 people.
