Super
Coaches operated for many years
from their depot close to Upminster Bridge Station and ran both private
hire and a limited number of local stage services using two distinct
operating names: Upminster & District in and around
Upminster and Hornchurch and Redbridge & District for those closer
to
London. Operationally as well as single deckers the fleet
included three RLH double deckers (RLH 3 from
1965
to 1968, and RLH 15 with RLH 41 from 1965 to 1967), and all three of
them were
painted in the mid blue and white livery of Upminster & District.
In the 1960s London
Transport had recognised that there was a need for
marginal bus services within its operating area that it was unable to
provide economically. Therefore there was no objection to the grant of
licenses to operators who were prepared to run such services. Thus
Super
Coaches, Upminster started various services - at first principally from
residential areas to shops and stations - with emphasis on County Park
Estate. Starting on 17th August
1964 a much longer service was introduced from Chadwell Heath to
Woodford Bridge. This was numbered 19 and used the Redbridge
& District fleetname. It was the longest independent route
within the London Transport Central Area at the
time. The Redbridge name came from the London Borough through which the
route operated. Two vehicles were scheduled for the all day service
with four
vehicles needed during morning and evening peaks.
From June to December 1965 it was extended from Woodford Bridge
to Claybury Broadway. Base frequency was reduced from half hourly
to hourly and the route was curtailed once again to terminate at
Woodford
Bridge from 3rd January 1966. Staff shortages were the stated
cause, but
perhaps the service did not prosper to the extent anticipated as from
2nd April 1966 operation passed to D Young, Clayhall, Barkingside
- still using the Redbridge & District name. The route
was finally
withdrawn on 14th May of that same year after only six weeks operation
by Young.
The local
Upminster and Hornchurch routes (the Upminster &
District part of the operation) continued somewhat intermittently for
some years afterwards under a succession of different operators,
including City Coach Lines in 1969, Blue Line Coaches in 1971, Coppins
Coaches in 1974, Dorayme Travel in 1976 and finally Bordabus in
1981.
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Further
information on 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.
The independent
operations in the east of London which had their origins in the London
Transport bus
strike of 1958 make a complex story (in some cases lasting forty years
or so) whch is well told by Ian Taylor
in his article 'A Bridge Too Far?' in the winter 2002/2003 (issue 122)
of the London Bus Magazine.
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