Buckinghamshire Buses

The history of the bus companies in Buckinghamshire from the earliest beginnings to the present day.

---

Buckinghamshire Buses tells the story of the omnibus in the county, from its roots in stagecoach travel to the present day. Proximity to London gave the London General Omnibus Company access to Buckinghamshire in the early years of the twentieth century, but pirate bus companies like Red Rover also competed. All the express coach services radiating from London into towns like Ayslesbury and the ever-expanding suburbia were nationalised 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. Private coach companies ran works buses and seaside outings.

Buckinghamshire 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 so the age of coach excursions has become much reduced. Arriva is now the dominant operator in the county.