Other Operators: M–Z

I can’t locate the routeings of Maidstone & District routes 31 and 32 at present, as they are not shown in my Gravesend, Sevenoaks or East Grinstead timetables, so I can only assume they ran into Tunbridge Wells, which was not covered by London Transport’s local guides. If anybody knows where the routes ran please so that I can add it to the description.

I know these routes ran in the Kent area, but not sure of their exact routeings. If anybody knows where either of these two routes ran, please as I will be happy to add the info here.

The lettering on this “E” plate is somewhat irregular as it was hand-painted onto a square of aluminum.

Maidstone & District routes 98, 100 and 101. This “E” plate is presumably from Gravesend (but I’m not an expert on Maidstone and District routes!).

This plate would have been used on a stop where Maidstone & District express services picked up for their excursions and tours. It could have been on stops in the Gravesend or Dartford areas, or possibly other stops towards central London. It is rare to find “E” plates for other operators that used LT stops.

Route 853 was introduced in April 1969, running between Orpington and Croydon via Locksbottom, Coney Hall, Addington and Coombe Road. It was run by an independent operator, North Downs, who already ran routes in the Horsham area, and the number was chosen to fit into their existing series. It initially ran every two hours but was increased to hourly and used a Ford Transit minibus. The route was tranferred from North Downs to Orpington & District in 1976. Interestingly, the number 853 has been the basis of the similar route run for London Buses which today uses the number 353.

Unfortunately I have not been able to establish exactly where or when Oxford route 70 ran. It could have been a London to Oxford service, but I doubt it, and I would guess it is more likely to have been a more local service from perhaps High Wycombe to Oxford. It is very unusual to find “E” plates with numbers on a red background, although there are a few that exist. Interestingly, many of those that do are for Oxford services.

“Mr. J.R.G. Dell founded Rover Bus in 1928 following a period of service with the ‘Gleaner’ bus business of Dunham, Chesham. Mr. Dunham had been a driver with the London General Omnibus Company (Gleaner is an anagram of General) and established his own business which eventually passed to Chesham & District, and thus in turn to Amersham & District and thence London Transport Country Area route 316.

“The well-known independent operator in the Hemel Hempstead area ran the service between Hemel Hempstead Bus Station and Chesham Broadway. The direct route from Chesham to Hemel Hempstead via Whelpley Hill had been jointly operated with London Transport until 1964—a very rare instrance of a joint LT working—while the service via Boxmoor, Bovingdon, Flaunden, Latimer and Lye Green has always been a Rover operation. By February 1969, Rover was providing a daily service, generally hourly (two-hourly on Sundays) although not all journeys served Flaunden and Latimer. During 1986 the services became Hertforshire County Council routes 51 and 52.”

In 1966 Southdown route 30 ran daily between Chelwood Gate (Red Lion) and Brighton (Pool Valley) via Chelwood Common, Danehill, Horsted Keynes, Lindfield, Burgess Hill and Hassocks. It’s not obvious from this routeing why “E” plates would have been needed for the route, so it must have been altered in later years to run either in the Crawley or East Grinstead area. If anybody can add further information please so that I can add it to the description.

I am not sure where either of these two routes ran, and have looked in some timetable booklets during the era of “E” plates. If anybody knows where either of these two routes ran, please as I will be happy to add the info here.

It is possible that an enamel “E” plate was not produced using the same wordings as the aluminum plate we have here, so each pair could be unique.

Southdown 132 ran from East Grinstead to Uckfield from 1971 until 1976 when it was renumbered 172. Prior to that it was part of Southdown service 92 to Eastbourne. It then ran as Metrobus route 261 until the end of 2005 when it became Eastbourne buses route 54 all the way to Eastbourne.

I do not know where Southdown’s Summer Express services ran.

This is another hand-lettered aluminum “E” plate. I don’t know why Southdown had so many (relatively speaking) as they were rather uncommon.

Thames Valley service “A” ran between Victoria Coach Station and Reading via Chiswick, Egham, Sunningdaler, Ascot, Bracknell and Wokingham. There were seven return journeys daily. Operation was taken over by Alder Vally upon its formation on 1st January 1972, and service “A” was renumbered as their 310 in 1976.

Thames Valley Service B ran daily from Victoria Coach Station to Reading via Kensington, Hammersmith, Turnham Green, Osterley, Cranford, London Airport North, Colnbrook, Langley, Slough, Cippenham, Maidenhead and Twyford. It was withdrawn in the ’70s when Alder Valley (who were formed by an amalgamation of Thames Valley and Aldershot & District bus companies) revamped the London express services.

Thames Valley route 20 provided a regular daily service between High Wycombe (Bus Station) and Windsor Central Station via Wycombe Marsh, Loudwater, Wooburn Green, Bourne End, Cookham, Boulters Lock, Maidenhead and Fifield. One bus per hour was numbered 20A and served Hatch Bridge instead of Fifield. This “E” plate could have come from a busy stop in any of the places where London Transport ran: High Wycombe, Slough or Windsor, although most likely from Slough.

The 25 was a short route and ran on Mondays to Saturdays between Bourne End (Post Office) and High Wycombe (Bus Station) via Flackwell Heath, Loudwater and Wycombe Marsh. This plate would therefore have come from one of the few stops in High Wycombe town centre. Needless to say it is a rather uncommon “E” plate.

These “E” plates are for four routes running in the Country Area of London Transport which were operated I believe by either Thames Valley or Aldershot & District, where they were the majority operator; hence the plates do not carry the operator name, nor are they in green. They could not have been for London Transport Central bus routes as these routes did not run together. Nevertheless, they are very interesting combinations for split plates, and are not to be seen very often. “E” plates with three route numbers are particularly unusual.

In the 1963 Luton area local timetable, Luton & District route 12 ran between Luton (Vauxhall Works) and Biscot Mill during Monday to Friday rush hours and lunchtimes with one morning journey on Saturdays. However, this L&D route may not have been the one that became United Counties route 12, and I have been advised (many thanks) that by 1965 route 12 ran a local service in Luton between Round Green and Roman Road via Park Square, with some journeys to Vauxhall Works. This route was parallel to London Transport routes 364/364A for a short distance and may have been the one that became United Counties route 12.

This plate would have been used on a stop where United Counties express services picked up for their excursions and tours. It could have been on stops in the Luton or Dunstable areas, or possibly other stops towards central London.

This plate would have been used on a stop where Western SMT (or Western Scottish Motor Transport, to give its full name) picked up for their long-distance express services to and from London. It would probably have come from a stop in central London or on one of the main roads to the north.