Based in Carentan in the département of Manche this firm was operating the winter months only service on the route from Carentan to Carteret in 1971. In the summer months the service was by rail, whilst in previous winters the bus service had been operated by the STN.
This operator, based in Domfront in the Orne, ran two routes. Their original 'local' route was a circular service through the Canton de Passais. This was joined in September 1968 by a longer route taken over from the STN, which went from Domfront through Mortain to Avranches. Whilst the bus routes mentioned no longer operate, there is still a passenger transport operation from the old Lebossé address in Domfront in 2007 under the Mayen'Voyages name.
Operating from Villedieu in Manche, Villain et Cie were in 1969 providing several services from their home town, including to Saint-Lô and to Coutances. The former route had been previously operated by Courriers Normands. Believed to be still in business today as coach operators under the trading name Villedieu-Evasions.
Voyages Lechanteur of Périers in Manche are long established coach and holiday operators with over fifty years experience, still very much in the tourism business today. In 1969 they were operating market day services from Cérisy-la-Salle to both Saint-Lô and Coutances, whilst the main bus service was from Périers to Saint-Lô. This had been taken over from Courriers Normands. This service (since September 2007 as Manéo ligne 109), as well as various other schools services, continues to operate. The company is a member of the REUNIR grouping of independent transport companies.
On my very first visit to Le Havre in 1963 the town network of the CGFTE (Compagnie Générale Française de Transports et d'Entreprises) comprised five motor bus routes and three trolleybus routes. The latter being the 5, 6 and 8 on the uphill routes to La Hetraie, Sanvic-Bleville and Hallates-Aplemont respectively. The first trolleybus route was introduced in 1947 to Hallates and all three routes were replaced by motor buses in December 1970 (although motor buses were habitually used in substitution on Sundays and holidays anyway). The trolleybuses were almost exclusively Vetra except for four new Chaussons bought in 1960. CGFTE also operated the urban networks in Nancy and Bordeaux.
1963 was also the year of my first visit to Rouen, in March. Although still called the Compagnie des Tramways de Rouen the last tram had run ten years previously in February 1953. Rouen had been one of the earliest trolleybus operators in France, with the first route being introduced in 1933. This grew to an eight route system by 1950 but the first conversions to motor bus soon took place in 1953. In 1961, as shown on our map, four routes of the twenty route system were still worked by trolleybus - these were 'hilly' routes: 11 Mt St Aignan Village, 15 Les Sapins, 16 Mt St Aignan Mairie and 20 Bihorel. Route 11 was converted in October 1962, and all three remaining trolleybus routes were diesel bus operated by 1970.
LES CARS DE LA SUISSE NORMANDE
A recent acquisition is a timetable booklet believed to date from the early 1930s. It shows the services of three operators, all of whom favoured Renault vehicles:
(a) Cars Robert Loison, Falaise
(b) Cars Jules Loison, Bayeux
(c) Cars de la Suisse Normande, Flers
The range of routes included in the booklet link all three of the towns just mentioned with Caen, as well as other services from Flers to Mayenne, Flers to Alencon, Domfront to Falaise, Caen to Carentan via Bayeux, and Bayeux to Grandcamp. Caen is linked to Falaise by three different routes. No further information is available but all of these routes (except Flers to Mayenne) were being operated by Les Courriers Normands by 1938. A considerable rationalisation of both routes and operators in the département of Calvados had taken place in 1937.
