Bus and coach timetables/literature

One of the best buys was the twice yearly National Express coach guide. The covers varied with each issue.

One of the best buys was the twice yearly National Express coach guide. The covers varied with each issue.

One of the best buys was the twice yearly National Express coach guide. The covers varied with each issue.

The timetable for National Express service 098 taken from the Summer 1982 edition of the National Express coach guide.

One of the best buys was the twice yearly National Express coach guide. The covers varied with each issue. I think this one was the last ever and sadly missed even after all these years. Where else could you see all the services in one easy place? The National Express website doesn't present the picture in anywhere near the same manner.

The National Express Coach Guide had become rather large following deregulation and so this additional guide was produced by the National Bus Company as a supplement to the principal long distance service guide. It contained timetables for the medium distance or 'local' coach services available as connections to the main National Express coach network. Limited stop services operated by the likes of Green Line, City of Oxford, Maidstone and District, Ribble, etc etc etc were included.

Scott's Greys Darlington-Blackpool service timetable. Neither side of the leaflet contained a year but in 1975 and 1980 the 24th May was a Saturday. (In 1976 the return fare from Barnard Castle to Blackpool on Primrose/National Express was £2.90 which might suggest that year). According to the book 'History of British Bus Services - The North East' by David Holding, Fred Scott began operating this service in 1923. He had once been a tram conductor in Darlington and then delivered groceries using a grey horse. Around 1921 he acquired a motor wagon which he converted into a passenger vehicle at weekends and, taking the grey theme from the horse, adopted the name "Scott's Grey's".

On 7 July 2014 the Tour de France Cycle Race set out from Cambridge (England) and as result there were quite a lot of road closures and disruption to bus services. One example was the Citi7 service which normally runs from Cambridge (Emmanuel Street) via Addenbrokes Hospital, Great Shelford, Sawston, Duxford to Saffron Walden. It was modified to only work between the Babraham Road Park & Ride site and Sawston and this was the timetable for that one day.

Premier Travel of Cambridge and Percivals Coaches of Oxford were two independent coach operators that had worked a joint service between those two university cities for a number of years. National Express (and its predecessor Associated Motorways) had operated services between East Anglia and Cheltenham/Bristol which also travelled via Cambridge and Oxford. The three operators subsequently entered into a joint working arrangement from Sunday 28 October 1984 which gave a more improved frequency of service on what became a cross country link between Bristol to Lowestoft numbered 747. This arrangement resulted in the vehicles of Premier Travel and Percivals operating west of Oxford and east of Cambridge and in the latter case also involved Ambassador Travel, United Counties Omnibus Company and Wessex of Bristol operating on behalf of National Express.

Premier Travel of Cambridge and Percivals Coaches of Oxford were two independent coach operators that had worked a joint service between those two university cities for a number of years. National Express (and its predecessor Associated Motorways) had operated services between East Anglia and Cheltenham/Bristol which also travelled via Cambridge and Oxford. The three operators subsequently entered into a joint working arrangement which gave a more improved frequency of service on what became a cross country link between Bristol to Lowestoft numbered 747. This arrangement resulted in the vehicles of Premier Travel and Percivals operating west of Oxford and east of Cambridge and in the latter case also involved Ambassador Travel, United Counties Omnibus Company and Wessex of Bristol operating on behalf of National Express. (The original of this timetable was printed in green which did not reproduce at all well here so I re-scanned the timetable in black and white)

Premier Travel of Cambridge and Percivals Coaches of Oxford were two independent coach operators that had worked a joint service between those two university cities for a number of years. National Express (and its predecessor Associated Motorways) had operated services between East Anglia and Cheltenham/Bristol which also travelled via Cambridge and Oxford. The three operators subsequently entered into a joint working arrangement which gave a more improved frequency of service on what became a cross country link between Bristol to Lowestoft numbered 747. This arrangement resulted in the vehicles of Premier Travel and Percivals operating west of Oxford and east of Cambridge and in the latter case also involved Ambassador Travel, United Counties Omnibus Company and Wessex of Bristol operating on behalf of National Express. (The original of this timetable was printed in green which did not reproduce at all well here so I re-scanned the timetable in black and white)

Premier Travel of Cambridge and Percivals Coaches of Oxford were two independent coach operators that had worked a joint service between those two university cities for a number of years. National Express (and its predecessor Associated Motorways) had operated services between East Anglia and Cheltenham/Bristol which also travelled via Cambridge and Oxford. The three operators subsequently entered into a joint working arrangement from Sunday 28 October 1984 which gave a more improved frequency of service on what became a cross country link between Bristol to Lowestoft numbered 747. This arrangement resulted in the vehicles of Premier Travel and Percivals operating west of Oxford and east of Cambridge and in the latter case also involved Ambassador Travel, United Counties Omnibus Company and Wessex of Bristol operating on behalf of National Express.

Premier Travel of Cambridge and Percivals Coaches of Oxford were two independent coach operators that had worked a joint service between those two university cities for a number of years. National Express (and its predecessor Associated Motorways) had operated services between East Anglia and Cheltenham/Bristol which also travelled via Cambridge and Oxford. The three operators subsequently entered into a joint working arrangement which gave a more improved frequency of service on what became a cross country link between Bristol to Lowestoft numbered 747. This arrangement resulted in the vehicles of Premier Travel and Percivals operating west of Oxford and east of Cambridge and in the latter case also involved Ambassador Travel, United Counties Omnibus Company and Wessex of Bristol operating on behalf of National Express.

Premier Travel of Cambridge and Percivals Coaches of Oxford were two independent coach operators that had worked a joint service between those two university cities for a number of years. National Express (and its predecessor Associated Motorways) had operated services between East Anglia and Cheltenham/Bristol which also travelled via Cambridge and Oxford. The three operators subsequently entered into a joint working arrangement which gave a more improved frequency of service on what became a cross country link between Bristol to Lowestoft numbered 747. This arrangement resulted in the vehicles of Premier Travel and Percivals operating west of Oxford and east of Cambridge and in the latter case also involved Ambassador Travel, United Counties Omnibus Company and Wessex of Bristol operating on behalf of National Express.

This glossy leaflet issued by National Express just covered their Mildenhall service departures - quite a selective audience compared with a timetable leaflet that would cover a number of places. The theme was rather natty and featured a model coach in National Express livery. However, the model was made by Corgi rather than Dinky but the message was clever nonetheless.

The cover of the Tyne-Tees-Mersey coach services leaflet (Summer 1972). The M62 Motorway over the Pennines had only recently been opened and certain Liverpool-Newcastle services speeded up by using it. The cover has a depiction of what may be based on Rakewood Viaduct near Littleborough, Lancashire.

The 'Tyne Tees Mersey' public timetable for 1972. Codes: S - operates Saturdays only 27 May to 23 September 1972 SSu - operates Saturdays and Sundays only 27 May to 24 September 1972 A - These journeys will only pick up and set down at the points indicated in the timetable between Leeds and Liverpool or Liverpool and Leeds B - Operates Fridays only from 21 July to 25 August 1972 R - Refreshment stop at Leeds City Station

During the summer months Primrose Coaches operated its own independent service between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Blackpool. Ribble and Northern General operated their own joint service over the same route. Try as they might Primrose had wanted its own winter service for many years but the Traffic Commissioners would not grant this and so they had to work jointly with Ribble and Northern General during the winter months. This is the cover of the timetable leaflet covering the winter period 1970/1971. The winter service featured one journey each way per day unchanged for many years.