Jennings of Bude 1973

A somewhat inappropriate statement used by British Rail in this leaflet. Rather than 'This is the age of the train' this leaflet really means 'This is NOT the age of the train' as it deals with tickets for a rail replacement coach service!

in July 1971 the Southern National Omnibus Company, which was part of the National Bus Company, chose at rather short notice to close its garage in the small Cornish town of Bude and to withdraw all local bus services in the surrounding area plus the Exeter-Okehampton-Bude Royal Blue coach service.

Five years earlier (in 1966) the railway line between Bude and Okehampton had closed and then in 1972 the onward section from Okehampton and Exeter was also closed.

Geoffrey Stephenson, the owner of W. J. O. Jennings of Limited of Bude, Cornwall, was very enthusiastic to provide replacement facilities from the town and fought to obtain a road service licence to operate a through service from Bude to Okehampton and Exeter which would give direct connections at Exeter to the remaining long distance rail and coach services.

Without such facilities it was feared that the small resort town might become a backwater.
Jennings achieved its goal and was granted a licence and even managed to get British Rail on side so that rail passengers could book their Exeter-Bude coach tickets through British Rail ticket sales offices and agents countrywide.