Buckinghamshire Buses

The book will tell the story of the omnibus as it developed from its roots in stage coach travel across Buckinghamshire, to the present day.

Proximity to London gave the London General company access to Buckinghamshire in the early years of the twentieth century but pirate bus companies like the Cain brothers Red Rover also competed. All the express coach services radiating from London into towns like Ayslesbury, and the ever expanding suburbia, were nationalized by the London Transport Act of 1933 , forming Greenline. Tillings’ Eastern National were also another important player in the county, jointly operating a new route from Aylesbury to Buckingham in 1927, followed by United Counties.

Aylesbury was an accidental county town and focus for buses across the county. Private coach companies ran works buses and seaside outings. A second World War took its toll on transport infrastructure, accelerating the national bus company development, which also worked in harmony with small private operators like Red Rover. Bucks became a massive target for post war London overspill, reaching its peak with the development of Milton Keynes in the 1970s. Today bus operators in the area face serious challenges, with many names disappearing in an age of reduced subsidy. Schools have provided a new source of revenue, but car travel has expanded, the age of coach excursions has become much reduced. Arriva is now the dominant operator in Buckinghamshire.