Travel Your Bus
Encyclopedia
Your Bus was a trading name of Smiths Coaches (Shenington) Ltd who were also known as Smiths of Tysoe. The company was based on the Arden Forest Industrial Estate in Alcester
in Warwickshire
.
and Birmingham City Centre
via Alcester Road using second-hand Daimler Fleetline
double deck buses purchased from Greater Manchester Buses
. The company adopted the orange brown and white livery these vehicles arrived in as their fleet colours for the bus operation and uniquely added a Y to the end of all its bus service numbers. To get buses to and from the West Midlands and Alcester the company introduced placing journeys initially just at peak times, which ran the most direct way via the A435 and thus bypassing Redditch
.
On September 3, 1988, a peak hour route 51Y of three journeys each way was introduced that diverted via Redditch New Town when it ran between Alcester and Birmingham
. This service was withdrawn on January 13, 1992.
The company also introduced route 47Y on October 31, 1988 which was also a way of getting buses to and from the West Midland that ran via Redditch New Town, it however accessed Birmingham via West Heath
and the Pershore Road. This service was renumbered 45Y on October 28, 1989 and was finally withdrawn on January 13, 1992. This brought to an end of the brief operation of Your Bus in Redditch. Your Bus continued to develop services in south Birmingham and Solihull
over the next few years and invested heavily in new single deck vehicles.
who continued to run it as a separate subsidiary. The operating centre was soon moved to Miller Street in Birmingham where the coaching interests of West Midlands Travel under the Central Coachways trading name were absorbed.
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
History
The Your Bus network of bus services started on November 30, 1987 when route 50Y was introduced. This ran every 20 minutes in competition with the West Midlands Travel's route 50 between Druids HeathDruids Heath
Not to be confused with Druid's Heath, WalsallDruids Heath is an area of southern Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is located on the A435 road. Nearby settlements include Kings Heath, Kings Norton and Yardley Wood.-Etymology:...
and Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
via Alcester Road using second-hand Daimler Fleetline
Daimler Fleetline
The Daimler Fleetline is a rear-engined double-decker bus chassis built between 1960 and 1973 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, and from 1973 until 1980 in Farington, Lancashire, England. However, the last complete vehicle did not enter service until 1983...
double deck buses purchased from Greater Manchester Buses
GM Buses
GM Buses was the main bus company serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. The company was public owned by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, which is a public body responsible for helping to co-ordinate public transport services in the Greater...
. The company adopted the orange brown and white livery these vehicles arrived in as their fleet colours for the bus operation and uniquely added a Y to the end of all its bus service numbers. To get buses to and from the West Midlands and Alcester the company introduced placing journeys initially just at peak times, which ran the most direct way via the A435 and thus bypassing Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
.
On September 3, 1988, a peak hour route 51Y of three journeys each way was introduced that diverted via Redditch New Town when it ran between Alcester and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. This service was withdrawn on January 13, 1992.
The company also introduced route 47Y on October 31, 1988 which was also a way of getting buses to and from the West Midland that ran via Redditch New Town, it however accessed Birmingham via West Heath
West Heath, West Midlands
West Heath is a residential area on the southern outskirts of metropolitan Birmingham, England and near the boundary with Worcestershire. Located in the ward of Northfield it is situated between Kings Norton, Northfield, Longbridge and Cofton Hackett and lies on traditional heathland formed in...
and the Pershore Road. This service was renumbered 45Y on October 28, 1989 and was finally withdrawn on January 13, 1992. This brought to an end of the brief operation of Your Bus in Redditch. Your Bus continued to develop services in south Birmingham and Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
over the next few years and invested heavily in new single deck vehicles.
National Express Takeover
During 1993, Your Bus was taken over by West Midlands Travel's parent company National ExpressNational Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
who continued to run it as a separate subsidiary. The operating centre was soon moved to Miller Street in Birmingham where the coaching interests of West Midlands Travel under the Central Coachways trading name were absorbed.
Rebranded Travel West Midlands
On February 4, 2001, following a group restructuring the Your Bus services were absorbed into the main company which by now was trading as Travel West Midlands. This ended the Your Bus operation. The Central Coachways name and some contract work was sold to Flights Coaches.Routes Operated By Travel Your Bus
- S1 Sutton Coldfield Falcon Lodge Circular (Anti-Clockwise) (as of 1997 Centro guide)
- S2 Sutton Coldfield Falcon Lodge Circular (Clockwise) (as of 1997 Centro guide)
- 2Y Birmingham - Maypole via Warstock
- A6Y Birmingham - Northfield - Solihull - Birmingham Circular
- C6Y Birmingham - Solihull - Northfield - Birmingham Circular
- 37A Birmingham - Woodcock Lane via Warwick Road (tendered by Centro as of 1997 guide)
- 37Y Birmingham - Solihull via Acocks Green
- 47Y Birmingham - Cofton Common - (Alcester peak time only) via Cotteridge
- 50Y Birmingham - Druids Heath - (Alcester peak time only) via Kings Heath and Maypole
- 53Y Birmingham - Cotteridge via Selly Oak
- 54Y Birmingham Circular via Moseley, Druids Heath, & Bournville (as of 1997 cCntro guide)
- 56Y Birmingham - Solihull via Sheldon & Olton (as of 1997 centro guide)
- 81Y Langley Green - Shard End via Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham City Centre (as of 1997 centro guide)
- 99 Birmingham - Chelmsley Wood North and Heartlands Hospital (tendered by Centro as of 1997 guide)
- 118Y Erdington - Aldridge via Kingstanding (Contract on behalf of Centro until February 2001)
- 192Y Acocks Green - Coventry via Solihull
- 194Y Acocks Green - Coventry via Solihull