The splendid city of York lies on flat, arable land called the Vale of
York. Once out of the city and into the Vale of York, many beautiful
small country villages are hidden away in the flat, fertile,
agricultural land that dominates the area, and farms line the roads. Bus
operators were needed to provide services linking these local villages
and towns with York, especially on market days. Consequently, routes
were very rural, and besides catering for the traditional market day
shoppers, they often carried a considerable volume of passengers to work
in York. This book, containing over 150 photographs, many in color,
tells the story of stage bus companies, including Everingham Brothers,
Baileys, J. Broadbent, Milburn and Gorwood Brothers, who operated from
the east of York. All of these companies had similarities, and, like
many rural bus services, they started by running a service to their
nearest market town. This was often done to get a second income to
supplement their main living, which usually came from farming and
agriculture. As time progressed, most of the operators grew their bus
network and offered excursions and private hires. However, changes to
the way of life in the 1950s and 1960s, including the growth of
television and car ownership, led to the demise of many true country bus
operators, including all of those featured in this book.
