Travel Your Bus
| Industry | Bus transport |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merger |
| Successor(s) | West Midlands Travel |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters | West Midlands |
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.
History
The Your Bus network of bus services started on 30 November 1987 when route 50Y was introduced. This ran every 20 minutes in competition with West Midlands Travel's route 50 between Druids Heath 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 3 September 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 This service was withdrawn on 13 January 1992.
The company also introduced route 47Y on 31 October 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 This service was renumbered 45Y on 28 October 1989 and was finally withdrawn on 13 January 1992. This brought to an end 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.
West Midlands Travel Takeover
During 1993, Your Bus was taken over by West Midlands Travel who continued to run it as a separate subsidiary, eventually adopting the branding 'Travel Your Bus'. 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. In 1995 West Midlands Travel was taken over itself by National Express Group.
Rebranded Travel West Midlands
On 4 February 2001, following a group restructuring the Travel Your Bus services were absorbed into the main company's West Midlands bus operation which by this time was trading as Travel West Midlands (and now trades as National Express West Midlands). This ended the Your Bus operation. The Central Coachways name and some contract work was sold to Flights Coaches.
Routes
Operated By Your Bus (Smiths)
with approximate dates of operation
- 2Y Birmingham - Maypole via Warstock (1992/1993)
- 6Y Birmingham - Solihull via Shirley (1988/1989)
- A6Y Birmingham - Northfield - Solihull - Birmingham Circular (1989-1993)
- C6Y Birmingham - Solihull - Northfield - Birmingham Circular (1989-1993)
- 37Y Birmingham - Solihull via Acocks Green (1992/1993)
- 45Y Birmingham - Cofton Common - (Alcester peak time only) via Cotteridge (1989-1992)
- 47Y Birmingham - Cofton Common - (Alcester peak time only) via Cotteridge (1988/1989)
- 50Y Birmingham - Druids Heath - (Alcester peak time only) via Kings Heath and Maypole (1987-1993)
- 51Y Birmingham - Alcester via Maypole and Redditch (peak time only) (1988-1992)
- 53Y Birmingham - Maypole via Brandwood Road (-1993)
- 57Y Birmingham - Solihull via Sheldon (1992/1993)
- 182 Solihull - Dorridge (-1991, evenings & Sundays, sponsored by Centro)
Operated By Your Bus/Travel Your Bus (West Midlands Travel/National Express)
- 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 (1993-2000)
- 6Y Airport/Solihull - Northfield (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- A6Y Birmingham - Northfield - Solihull - Birmingham Circular (as of 1995 Centro guide)
- C6Y Birmingham - Solihull - Northfield - Birmingham Circular (as of 1995 Centro guide)
- 37Y Birmingham - Solihull via Acocks Green (as of 1995 Centro guide)
- 37A Birmingham - Woodcock Lane via Warwick Road (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- 38Y Birmingham - Birmingham Airport via Acocks Green (tendered by Centro as of 1999 guide)
- 39Y Birmingham - Northfield via Solihull (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- 50Y Birmingham - Druids Heath via Kings Heath and Maypole (1993-2001)
- 53Y Birmingham - Cotteridge via Brandwood Road (1993-2001)
- 54Y Birmingham Circular via Moseley, Druids Heath, & Bournville (as of 1997 Centro guide)
- 56Y Birmingham - Solihull via Sheldon & Olton (as of 1997 Centro guide)
- 58Y Birmingham - Airport via Sheldon (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- 81Y Langley Green - Shard End via Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham City Centre (as of 1997 Centro guide)
- 97Y Birmingham - Chelsmsley Wood via Meadway (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- 99 Birmingham - Chelmsley Wood North via Heartlands Hospital (tendered by Centro as of 1997 & 1999 guides)
- 118 Erdington - Aldridge via Kingstanding (Contract on behalf of Centro until February 2001)
- 192Y Birmingham/Acocks Green - Coventry via Solihull (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- 193Y Birmingham - Coventry via Solihull (as of 1999 Centro guide)
- 194Y Birmingham/Acocks Green - Coventry via Solihull (as of 1999 Centro guide)
Travel Your Bus also ran two services branded 'The Link' these were numbered as follows:-
- L1 Birmingham - Walmley via Tyburn Road
- L2 Sutton Coldfield - Erdington via Walmley
External links
Photos
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