TRIVIA : Most Unusual names for bus/coach operators (current/historical)

[Simon75]

Following on the Transdev thread on the new Team Pennie name for the Yorkshire Tiger company, what are/have been the oddest names for bus/coach operators


Stoke-on-trent had PMT (although it stood for Potteries Motor Traction),
And currently have Scraggs

 

[Bristol LHS]

Always thought VFM Buses (‘means Value For Money’) was an odd name for the South Tyneside bit of Go Ahead Northern in the early 90s. Might have made sense if it was a Magic Bus style low-cost competitive spoiler, but it was just a division of Go Ahead the same as Wear Buses and Coastline.

Kingfisher was a daft name for Yorkshire Rider Huddersfield, especially when FirstBus corporate edicts prevented any kind of development of a brand identity for it. Might have made more sense with a Badgerline style bird graphic.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Following on the Transdev thread on the new Team Pennie name for the Yorkshire Tiger company, what are/have been the oddest names for bus/coach operators


Stoke-on-trent had PMT (although it stood for Potteries Motor Traction),
And currently have Scraggs

The most inappropriate name was Serene Travel of Bedlington https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr-bg...-2dX4R2c-25HQhdd-ZZ8xe3-S5NzTc-22m3NdX-Tv1zTG - credit to photographer but it was a firm that had a selection of dodgy, poor presented tat

Crosville was a portmanteau of the founders' names.

Alder Valley is, of course, a portmanteau of its constituents to create a fictional location

 

[Megafuss]

Banga Buses!

 

[MedwayValiant]

It sold out to First twenty-ish years ago, but there used to be an operator in Great Yarmouth called Flying Banana.

 

[Titfield]

Noah Vale

 

[carlberry]

Musterphantom (however it traded as Solent Blue Line) or King Alfred.

 

[cnjb8]

Kinchbus has always seemed quite weird. It was set up by a former Leicester City Football Club owner with the surname Kinch, but I can’t remember his first name

 

[station_road]

Blue Apple, the trading name of the low-cost Wellglade operation that is now Notts & Derby

Derby based Blue Apple.

Blue Apple was the fleetname used by Notts & Derby, the separate unit set up by Trent Buses during 1998. Operations were based at Meadow Road in Derby. Leyland National 11351A/1R 513 (ACH 513T), one of the original vehicles transferred to the fledgling unit upon formation was seen in Derby on...

www.flickr.com

Photo showing a Blue Apple branded bus, credit to the photographer

 

[MedwayValiant]

Kinchbus has always seemed quite weird. It was set up by a former Leicester City Football Club owner with the surname Kinch, but I can’t remember his first name

Gilbert.

He sold out to Wellglade in 1998. At around the same time he was the victim of a fraud concerning his stake in Leicester City. That cost him a lot of money, although I think he got most of it back after a court case.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I can't help but think Ember, the electric coach operator that run between Edinburgh and Dundee, is a potentially unfortunate name should the worst happen.

 

[cnjb8]

Gilbert.

He sold out to Wellglade in 1998. At around the same time he was the victim of a fraud concerning his stake in Leicester City. That cost him a lot of money, although I think he got most of it back after a court case.

Thank you

 

[Statto]

In the North East there was a company called OK Motors.

I did think Busways was quite unusual name for the former Tyne & Wear PTE bus division

I think London United & former North East bus company United is a weird name, makes me think it's a football team, likewise London General, you'd think that was a hospital, or medical practice.

 

[Mugby]

One of the most delightful names of years gone by has to be Enterprise & Silver Dawn Motors of Scunthorpe.

Formed simply by the amalgamation of two companies, Enterprise.....and.....Silver Dawn. By the time the quite large company (100+ vehicles) sold out to Lincolnshire in 1950, Silver Dawn had been dropped from the name and it was just Enterprise Passenger Services Ltd.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

I've always found Buses Excetera a somewhat strange name - is "excetera" even a word? Whilst it does look more visually appealing than "Buses Et Cetera", it also looks a bit like a spelling mistake.

Special mention to The Big Lemon in Brighton too.

 

[Gloster]

In the era of generally utilitarian names, I was always amused by Mountain Goat. Regrettably, I never got a chance to travel in the Bedford OB.

 

[abn444]

I read on here that there was one called "Ladies Only Travel" which isn't exactly a brilliant name for a bus operator and it's abbreviation (LOT) which I think was usually used makes it sound like a certain Polish airline

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Perhaps a word that didn't have the connotations 30+ years ago but the Go Gash name (for W Gash & Sons in Newark) is a little unfortunate.

In the North East there was a company called OK Motors.

It was OK Motor Services (latter OK Travel) and the name did come from the early American films, I believe.

Another slightly unfortunate issue was in its final existence when purchased by Go Ahead Group when it go the "Go" prefix https://www.flickr.com/photos/markh...Qb-eJcX6u-usPUmF-effBTm-cUsBXm-c4dycJ-6e2foF/ (photo credit to the much missed Mark Harrington) - Go OK Travel can be read to be a very offensive term....

As well as Big Lemon and Blue Apple, there was also the Big Orange which was a trading name/brand used in the post de-reg period by Go Ahead Northern for their anti-competitor services in Gateshead and Stanley.

 

[Taunton]

Badgerline had to be especially stupid for a major bus company.

These nonsense/invented names, generally two normal words strung together, come from the "£100 off-the-shelf" already formed company names that you can just purchase from accountants. They normally have a range of them to choose from. Company law requires that your company name does not misrepresent what you do, thus "Best Bus Ever Ltd" or "Australian Buses Ltd" in Wolverhampton would not be acceptable, but completely invented words do not misrepresent anything.

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

I read on here that there was one called "Ladies Only Travel" which isn't exactly a brilliant name for a bus operator and it's abbreviation (LOT) which I think was usually used makes it sound like a certain Polish airline

Yeah, they used to run Transit vans and the occasional (very unhealthy sounding) Plaxton Primo.

I remember them showing up to Leeds Bus Station in a Transit to operate a Sunday evening tendered route, usually run by Arriva in the daytime. Much to the amazement (and amusement) of the Metro bus station staff.

 

[A0wen]

Noah Vale

That was one of Weavaway's names.

One which I recall was Sovereign set up an operation to try to impede University Bus (now UNO), with the trading name of Petlen Travel, but on the sides of the vehicles it had 'The Noddy Bus' - a photo here, not one of mine

Petlen(NoddyBus)-BAZ7379(JJG886P)-Watford-250194iia

Who remembers the Noddy Bus, who ran route 285 between Hatfield and Watford in an attempt to compete with Universitybus for the Hertfordshire University traffic? Petlen Travel Ltd tried to pretend that they were nothing to do with Sovereign, but the adoption of an identical font for the...

flickr.com

 

[rcro]

Lugg Valley Primrose, Midland Red West, Red and White, Yeomans Canyon are all carbuncles of names - but names they are, and by the nature of where they appeared they were associated with transport. None are any more or less silly than naming a supermarket “Safeway”, a chocolate bar “Snickers”, or a person “Lilibet”… a name is a name, or a brand, and you just accept it and carry on.

 

[scosutsut]

Allander Travel had Loch Lomond Coaches in the 1990s, which as far as I know only ran buses, on short routes largely centred around Dumbarton, thus only a few of it's routes actually got anywhere near the Loch itself.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Around The Wirral you have Cumfybus, which you could say is an unusual name!

 

[carlberry]

Badgerline had to be especially stupid for a major bus company.

These nonsense/invented names, generally two normal words strung together, come from the "£100 off-the-shelf" already formed company names that you can just purchase from accountants. They normally have a range of them to choose from. Company law requires that your company name does not misrepresent what you do, thus "Best Bus Ever Ltd" or "Australian Buses Ltd" in Wolverhampton would not be acceptable, but completely invented words do not misrepresent anything.

Whilst the Musterphantom example I quoted was from an already formed company (Poolesquay was another at the time I think) Badgerline and most names like that are terms that have been invented for marketing purposes (Badgerline certainly was as the company was still Bristol Omnibus at the time and the Badgerline company was formed later on). Lots of the NBC buyouts involved ready formed companies with meaningless names as it was an easy way to perform all the legal maneuvers, however most disappeared or were renamed fairly quickly and were never the trading names.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Whilst the Musterphantom example I quoted was from an already formed company (Poolesquay was another at the time I think) Badgerline and most names like that are terms that have been invented for marketing purposes (Badgerline certainly was as the company was still Bristol Omnibus at the time and the Badgerline company was formed later on). Lots of the NBC buyouts involved ready formed companies with meaningless names as it was an easy way to perform all the legal maneuvers, however most disappeared or were renamed fairly quickly and were never the trading names.

I seem to recall the original sell off of Alder Valley South went to one such peculiarly named company Frontsource Ltd (along with several other parts of NBC). The company then passed to Q Drive, with some depots (including what is now Arriva Guildford) later being sold to another such example Randomquick Ltd.

 

[WY Bus Spotter]

Leeds Independent 'Squarepeg'.

 

[Ianno87]

Cumfybus of Southport

 

[NorthOxonian]

Whippet? I suppose it is fairly sensible, as animal names go.

 

[bobslack1982]

Bakers Dolphin in the south west always seemed an odd name despite it simply being the portmanteau of two companies.