The story of this Winchester operator has been recorded more fully elsewhere so the main focus of this present article is to look briefly at the bus routes that they operated over the post-war years.  It was unusual in being one of the few privately owned companies of size that provided a municipal type of service for its host city with a fleet of thirty to forty vehicles; perhaps all the more notable that it continued to do so until its demise fifty plus years later in 1973.  An operation ever identified by the portrayal on the sides of their vehicles of the statue of King Alfred to be found in Winchester Broadway, the hub of their bus routes over the years.

To set the historical context the firm was founded by Robert Chisnell senior in 1915 during the first world war with shooting-brakes linking the city to military establishments and army camps in the surrounding area.  Bus services per se started in 1922 with four services, comprising two circular routes to new housing developments at Stanmore, to the south of the city; a route to Shawford and Twyford, also south of the city; and a route to Flowerdown to the north-west.  Other routes followed and the map below from their 1936 timetable book shows the geographical extent of the eleven (four country and seven city) services at that time. At 24 miles in length the route to Basingstoke via Whitchurch was the longest. There was also present in the city the established combine company Hants & Dorset with routes to Romsey, Salisbury, Andover, Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham and Petersfield.  Wilts & Dorset jointly operated the routes from Andover and Salisbury.  Aldershot & District had their route 14 coming in from the east from Alresford and Aldershot.  Amongst independent operators coming into the city were Winchester & District (Whapshare) from Alresford and Empress Coaches (Martin-Cooper) who ran on the road west to Stockbridge in competition with King Alfred, resulting in several battles in the traffic courts.  Competition from Empress, which had commenced in 1928, would remain along the Stockbridge road until 1961.

Further services were added to the route network, the 12 to East Stratton in April 1953, previously operated by Callaway of Micheldever; followed by the 13 to Weeke Estate in September of that year to serve new housing developments.  The number 14 was not used as it was already employed by Aldershot & District on their route coming in to Winchester from Alton.  In November 1953 the fleet size stood at 45 of which 18 were double-deck (all Leyland Titans except for 3 utility Guy Arabs), 13 single deck buses and 14 coaches. The 15 to Owslebury followed in November 1955, with the 16 to Highcliffe in January 1956, both replacing the previous Greyfriars services which had been withdrawn.  King Alfred assumed these services somewhat reluctantly as it was already experiencing staff shortages.  1960 saw new service 18 to Winnall, extended the next year to Spingvale (replacing short workings on route 10 to Sutton Scotney), alternating with the 17 to there from Highcliffe.  November 1965 saw the final route extensions with 19 to Teg Down and 20 to Harestock, both of which were to serve new housing areas to the north west of the city.  The illustration below gives details of the routes at this time, requiring some 22 daytime buses in service.