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Trivia: Bus firms with unfortunate nicknames

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TheGrandWazoo

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We all know that First Bus gained the moniker "Worst Bus" but there have been some other firms that have attracted unfortunate and unwanted alternative names.

Not wishing to offend anyone but Go OK Travel was an unfortunate portmaneau/corruption. However, more in the nickname stakes were:

  • Pride of the Road (West Yorkshire) - nicknamed Side of the Road on account of their reliability
  • TMS (aka Trimdon Motor Services) - known locally as Trimdon Muck Shifters
Any others out there?
 
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Dai Corner

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Not heard it actually used, but Newport Bust (in view of their financial situation)
 
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Well, obviously, there is Slavecoach, which is both a nickname and an accurate description.

TWOC, whilst meant to be Tyne and Wear Omnibus Company, was also a play on Taking Without Owners Consent, which was rife at the time.

NMS Northumbria Motor Services stood for No Money Spent, at least, to the drivers.
 

Titfield

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The brown colour used by Bere Regis - "Bere Regis Brown" - was widely used as a way of describing the colour of excrement.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Yorkshire Traction was often shortened to "Tracky", and this was further b*stardised to "Crappy".
The nickname for County Motors which latterly was simply a different brand operated out of Tracky's Waterloo depot, is not suitable for this forum... but I'm sure you can guess!

In my primary school days, Stott's Coaches were used to take us swimming once a week. They improved later, but at the time we nicknamed them "Stopp's".
 

Peter Mugridge

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Buses Excetera ( which went bust a few years ago ) was known locally round here as "Buses Excreta".
 

GusB

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I've heard people refer to Stagecoach as "Slowcoach", and when they brought out the Stagecoach Express brand in the early 90s, I recall someone referring to it as Stagecoach Depress!

Anyone not happy with Stagecoach on certain journeys was welcome to travel with Scottish Sh***link instead! :D
 

Ken H

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I've heard people refer to Stagecoach as "Slowcoach", and when they brought out the Stagecoach Express brand in the early 90s, I recall someone referring to it as Stagecoach Depress!

Anyone not happy with Stagecoach on certain journeys was welcome to travel with Scottish Sh***link instead! :D
I have heard Scottish Citylink referred to as the 'chunderbus'. No idea why that particular operation earned that name.

Of course there was 'Midland Dread'
 

LUYMun

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Aldershot & District had play-on words by their passengers: "Have a shot & risk it!"
 
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burns20

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PC Coaches of Lincoln when I was at school was known as pricey crap Coaches

They're much improved these days
 

Brooke

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Yorkshire Traction was often shortened to "Tracky", and this was further b*stardised to "Crappy".
The nickname for County Motors which latterly was simply a different brand operated out of Tracky's Waterloo depot, is not suitable for this forum... but I'm sure you can guess!

In my primary school days, Stott's Coaches were used to take us swimming once a week. They improved later, but at the time we nicknamed them "Stopp's".
You were lucky if you had Stotts! We had Kenmargra…. Who were known as “Fat Fred’s” in some quarters….
 
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We all know that First Bus gained the moniker "Worst Bus" but there have been some other firms that have attracted unfortunate and unwanted alternative names.

Not wishing to offend anyone but Go OK Travel was an unfortunate portmaneau/corruption. However, more in the nickname stakes were:

  • Pride of the Road (West Yorkshire) - nicknamed Side of the Road on account of their reliability
  • TMS (aka Trimdon Motor Services) - known locally as Trimdon Muck Shifters
Any others out there?
I have heard some people refer to Compass Bus as both "Compost Bus" and "Conpass Bus" in the past. To be fair they are not that bad and they have good drivers but their fares are extortionately expensive. In every area they operate their fares are much higher than any of their competitors.
 

LowLevel

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Banga Travel of Wolverhampton was quite an unfortunate name without even needing a nickname, given their penchant in a previous era for operating derelict bread vans and subsequently being shut down by the traffic commissioner, whereby the unfortunate Mr Banga claimed he was being victimised.

His son started a replacement up as Banga Buses, which do seem to have a better reputation than their predecessor.
 
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Banga Travel of Wolverhampton was quite an unfortunate name without even needing a nickname, given their penchant in a previous era for operating derelict bread vans and subsequently being shut down by the traffic commissioner, whereby the unfortunate Mr Banga claimed he was being victimised.

His son started a replacement up as Banga Buses, which do seem to have a better reputation than their predecessor.
That entire area is notorious for cowboy bus operators. Travel Express, Lets Go, Discount Travel, Social Travel, Sunny Travel, R K Travel, Hi Ride, Sandwell Travel, Thandi Coaches, etc. I am sure there were probably a lot of other nicknames for bus operators in that area.
 

GrimsbyPacer

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I once caught a bus in Manchester about a decade ago and the ticket said "Bullock's Bus Company" or something, my brother found it funny as he could alter it with a pen.
 

Baxenden Bank

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Well PMT wasn't even a nickname, it was it's proper name. Originally Potteries Motor Traction, later just PMT Ltd.

Referred to locally as Potteries Muck Trucks.
 

Glasgowbusguy

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I have heard Scottish Citylink referred to as the 'chunderbus'. No idea why that particular operation earned that name.

Of course there was 'Midland Dread'
Due to the amount of drunk people being sick on them
 

High Dyke

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MASS Transit, whilst operating services around Grantham were known as MASS Trans**t. The bus services were cut back and often didn't operate.
 

DunsBus

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Well, obviously, there is Slavecoach, which is both a nickname and an accurate description.

TWOC, whilst meant to be Tyne and Wear Omnibus Company, was also a play on Taking Without Owners Consent, which was rife at the time.

NMS Northumbria Motor Services stood for No Money Spent, at least, to the drivers.
TWOC was also appropriate when Busways got Tyne & Wear Omnibus Company via Go-Ahead Northern. Taken Without Owner's Consent (as TMS had refused to sell Tyne & Wear Omnibus Company to Busways directly).

When the short-lived Yorkbus outfit went under, I dubbed it Yorkbust.

But the best one IMO came from a float entered in the 2013 Jedhart Callants fancy dress parade, just over a week after Munro's of Jedburgh went bust. It played upon the company's Jedliner branding and was called the Shedliner, complete with jibes regarding the unreliability which had plagued Munro's in later years along with its ultimate fate.
 
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noddingdonkey

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When Arriva first had the rail franchise in the North and various staffing problems somebody on a forum doctored their logo to NODRIVA which could probably apply to some of their bus operations at the moment.
 
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