BRYLAINE TRAVEL

BRYLAINE TRAVEL OF BOSTON

Over forty years service to the people of Lincolnshire

Please note this is a site of historical record and does NOT contain current service information

As significant innovative providers in today's bus network in the east of the county Brylaine aim to run both rural and town routes successfully and reliably despite the constant challenges of lower passenger numbers, traffic congestion and reductions in funding.

Compared to the history of some operators Brylaine Travel is a comparative newcomer to the roads of Lincolnshire, but with a history stretching back to the early 1980s. In May 1981 Bryan and Elaine Gregg started in the transport business with the acquisition of Fenwicks Coaches, a four coach operation based at Old Bolingbroke, a village a few miles west of the market town of Spilsby. As can be deduced the name Brylaine comes from the first names of the husband and wife founders. The next purchase was the business of J E Lancaster of Tetford, a few miles north west of Spilsby. This was in 1982 on the retirement of Mr Lancaster.

In 1987 Brylaine started to operate between Boston and Woodhall Spa when Lincolnshire Road Car failed to register the route after the deregulation of bus services in October 1986. Subsequently this was extended to operate through to Lincoln and for a time in the late 1990s three operators shared the departures on this route (Brylaine, Applebys and Road Car). This grew into what was Brylaine's showcase hourly InterConnect 5 route from the cathedral city of Lincoln to Boston (passing on the way through New York !).

Further expansion of activities came through the acquisition of Hogg International Coachways of Benington near Boston in 1990. (Hogg's had earlier acquired the businesses and routes of Sharp of Boston in 1977 and Milson of Coningsby in 1979). Their depot in Coningsby passed from Milson to Brylaine (closed and relocated to Horncastle early in 2025).

With express service deregulation in 1980 Hogg had introduced a twice weekly service from Boston and Spalding to London and this was continued by Brylaine (with Skegness added) until 1999. Other firms added to the expanding Brylaine portfolio in 1989 and 1990 included Sams Coaches and Atkins Coaches of Skegness, which gave access to operations and a base in this important seaside resort and holiday destination.

In 1994 Brylaine took over the operation of the town services in Boston from Road Car, keeping the previous route numbers 58A and 58B. 1996 saw Brylaine move their main base to the ex-BRS depot in Wyberton near Boston.

A. Fenwick of Old Bolingbroke was in business by 1930 with three bus routes. Two of those went from his home village to Spilsby, by way of Hareby on Mondays and West Keal on Fridays. The other run was to Boston via Stickney on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In 1935 three further routes were acquired with the business and vehicle (a Reo Gold Crown) of J W Streets of nearby Keal Cotes. However just one year later these routes and the Reo passed to Hunts of Alford. Street's services were from Stickford Fenside to Skegness, Boston and Spilsby. The blue and cream liveried fleet of Fenwicks Coaches (H A and C Fenwick since 1963) numbered eight in 1962 and seven in 1966. Included were two Leyland Comets: GFU44 with Rainforth body (one of only two such ever built, the other example GBE81 being with nearby Gosling of Mareham-le-Fen), and HRK905 fitted with Strachans body.

The business was incorporated as Brylaine Travel Limited in April 2001. In the same year two unusual high capacity vehicles were acquired for school work, a pair of ex-Hong Kong Metro Cammell double deckers seating over a hundred passengers. At the beginning of 2005 the fleet overall numbered thirty three buses, of which seven were double decked. A new fleet livery of dark and light blue with red and yellow was adopted in 2007, completed by a diagram of the company's operating area at the rear.

The town services in Boston were substantially enhanced from June 2008 with increased frequencies and better coverage of the town, using three slimline Optare Solos under the county brand IntoTown. But this was not without controversy as it required the buses to traverse a narrow pedestrian street in the town centre called Strait Bargate. There was much local protest and controversy about using this street for buses at the time, and it took a while for this to be assuaged.

Brylaine Travel became one of the largest independently owned bus operators in the county of Lincolnshire, with substantial schools work as well as an extensive network of public bus services operated from bases in Boston, Skegness, Coningsby and Lincoln. Primarily focused on Boston today's Brylaine routes include the hourly Interconnect 5 service between Boston and Lincoln and Interconnect 7 from Boston to Skegness. Within Spalding, Boston and Skegness town services are provided under the IntoTown brand. Other routes include Boston to Spalding via Kirton (B13, half-hourly), Boston to Spilsby (B11), Boston to Horncastle (A6A), Spilsby to Mablethorpe via Alford (G96A), and a Skegness town service (F39).

Extension of routes came with the take-over of the ex-Kimes routes from Boston to Spalding via Donington (K59) and Boston to Kirton (K58) following the closure of the former Kimes depot at Folkingham by Centrebus at the end of August 2013. Five ex-Dublin Bus Olympians also made the journey east to the Brylaine depot and head office at Boston at that time. New smart ticketing and a new website and 'app' were introduced in August 2015.

The map that appeared on the rear of Brylaine vehicles
- reminiscent of the map that used to be on Kimes buses

Bus routes operated by Fenwick in 1977
Old Bolingbroke - East Kirkby - Sibsey - Boston		Wednesdays (one return journey)
Old Bolingbroke - Hundleby - Spilsby		Mondays (four return journeys, one of which extended beyond Old Bolingbroke to East Kirkby)

Bus routes operated by Lancaster in 1977
Tetford - South Ormsby - Swaby - Louth		Wednesdays (two return journeys)
Tetford - Toynton - Horncastle		Saturdays (two return journeys)
Tetford - Bag Enderby - Spilsby - Firsby - Wainfleet - Skegness		Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (two return journeys)

Two pictures of Brylaine vehicles in typical watery Lincolnshire surroundings
(photos by Keith Newton with thanks)

The official Brylaine website is here

incorporating information from articles and publications

(including those by LEYTR, P R White and A Tye)

found in the libraries of Lincolnshire

DORSET (RURAL)	DORSET (URBAN)	SOMERSET	WILTSHIRE	HAMPSHIRE
FAROE ISLANDS	NORMANDIE	ISLE OF SKYE	LINKS	LINCOLNSHIRE