Buckinghamshire Buses tells the story of the omnibus in the county, from
its roots in stagecoach travel to the present day. Proximity to London
gave the London General Omnibus Company access to Buckinghamshire in the
early years of the twentieth century, but pirate bus companies like Red
Rover also competed. All the express coach services radiating from
London into towns like Ayslesbury and the ever-expanding suburbia were
nationalised by the London Transport Act of 1933, forming Greenline.
Tillings' Eastern National were also another important player in the
county, jointly operating a new route from Aylesbury to Buckingham in
1927, followed by United Counties. Private coach companies ran works
buses and seaside outings. Buckinghamshire became a massive target for
post-war London overspill, reaching its peak with the development of
Milton Keynes in the 1970s. Today bus operators in the area face serious
challenges, with many names disappearing in an age of reduced subsidy.
Schools have provided a new source of revenue, but car travel has
expanded so the age of coach excursions has become much reduced. Arriva
is now the dominant operator in the county.
