Western National
Encyclopedia
Western National was a bus operating company in South West England
from 1929 to the 1990s.
and the National Omnibus & Transport Company. The National company had originated in 1909 as the National Steam Car Company, started to run steam bus
services in London. The London services ceased in 1919, when the company was renamed National Omnibus and Transport Company. The company expanded outside London, in Essex (1913), Bedfordshire (1919), Gloucestershire (1919), Somerset (1920), Dorset (1921) and Devon and Cornwall (1927).
The GWR had developed an extensive network of bus services
in Devon and Cornwall. These services, and those of the National Omnibus in Devon and Cornwall, were transferred to Western National. A few months later, the new company bought the operations of the National company in south west Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, and also the GWR bus services around Trowbridge
and Stroud
. The result was an operating territory stretching from Cheltenham
to Penzance
, in five areas: Gloucestershire (based at Stroud), Wiltshire (based at Trowbridge), south and west Somerset (based at Taunton
), south Devon (based at Plymouth
) and Cornwall. Western National's operating territory was interspersed with those of three other major operators: Bristol
in south Gloucestershire and north Somerset, Southern National
in north Devon and north Cornwall and Devon General
in south and east Devon.
In 1931 a controlling interest in the National Omnibus was acquired by the Tilling Group. From then on Western National was run as a Tilling company, although the GWR retained its shares until 1948. Western National and Southern National shared a common management, based in Exeter
(although curiously neither company had a depot in Exeter).
At the end of 1934, Western National and Southern National bought Royal Blue Coach Services
.
In 1948 the Great Western Railway was nationalised, and shortly after, the Tilling Group sold its bus interests to the government. Western National therefore became a state-owned company, under the control of the British Transport Commission
.
The new regime resulted in some rationalisation of the company's area of operations. In 1950 the Gloucestershire area operations were transferred to Bristol Tramways
.
In 1962 Western National was passed to the state-owned Transport Holding Company
, then in 1969 to the state-owned National Bus Company.
The NBC embarked on more rationalisation of Western National's operations. In 1969, the operations of Southern National were merged with those of Western National, so that Western National acquired the operating areas of north Cornwall, north Devon and Dorset. In 1970 the Wiltshire area operations of Western National were transferred to Bristol Omnibus Company
. Then in 1971 the NBC transferred the operations of Devon General to Western National, although Devon General was retained as a brand. Western National pulled out of north Cornwall in 1971, leaving the area to local operators. Then in 1974 the former Southern National operations in the Swanage
area of east Dorset were transferred to Hants & Dorset
.
government embarked on a programme of deregulation
and privatisation of bus services. In 1983 the National Bus Company divided Western National into four companies: Southern National Ltd in Somerset and Dorset; Devon General Ltd in the old Devon General's area in south and east Devon; North Devon Ltd trading as Red Bus in North Devon; and Western National Ltd in Cornwall and Plymouth.
In August 1986 Devon General became the first NBC subsidiary to be sold to its management, who sold it on to Stagecoach
as Stagecoach in Devon in 1995.
Western National Ltd was acquired by Badgerline by 1993, and therefore became part of First Bus, later First Group, formed when Badgerline merged with Grampian Regional Transport. First changed the company's name to First Western National.
Southern National and North Devon were jointly sold to their management in 1988. In 1999 they were sold to First Group. First split Southern National into two: the Dorset operations became part of First Hampshire & Dorset
, and the Somerset operations part of First Somerset & Avon
. The North Devon operations were combined with those of First Western National to form First Devon and Cornwall.
Therefore today almost all of the operations of the original Western National and Southern National companies are part of First Group. The only exceptions are the old Gloucestershire area, now part of Stagecoach
, and the small Swanage depot, now part of the Go Ahead Group's Wilts & Dorset
.
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
from 1929 to the 1990s.
Early history
Western National Omnibus Company Ltd started in 1929 as a joint venture between the Great Western RailwayGreat Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and the National Omnibus & Transport Company. The National company had originated in 1909 as the National Steam Car Company, started to run steam bus
Steam bus
A steam bus is a bus powered by a steam engine. Early steam-powered vehicles designed for carrying passengers were more usually known as steam carriages, although this term was sometimes used to describe other early experimental vehicles too.-History:...
services in London. The London services ceased in 1919, when the company was renamed National Omnibus and Transport Company. The company expanded outside London, in Essex (1913), Bedfordshire (1919), Gloucestershire (1919), Somerset (1920), Dorset (1921) and Devon and Cornwall (1927).
The GWR had developed an extensive network of bus services
GWR road motor services
The Great Western Railway road motor services operated from 1903 to 1933, both as a feeder to their train services, and as a cheaper alternative to building new railways in rural areas...
in Devon and Cornwall. These services, and those of the National Omnibus in Devon and Cornwall, were transferred to Western National. A few months later, the new company bought the operations of the National company in south west Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, and also the GWR bus services around Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
and Stroud
Stroud, Gloucestershire
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District.Situated below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills at the meeting point of the Five Valleys, the town is noted for its steep streets and cafe culture...
. The result was an operating territory stretching from Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
to Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, in five areas: Gloucestershire (based at Stroud), Wiltshire (based at Trowbridge), south and west Somerset (based at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
), south Devon (based at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
) and Cornwall. Western National's operating territory was interspersed with those of three other major operators: Bristol
Bristol Omnibus Company
The Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
in south Gloucestershire and north Somerset, Southern National
Southern National
Southern National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 to 1969, and again from 1983 to 1999.-Original company :...
in north Devon and north Cornwall and Devon General
Devon General
Devon General was the brand name for the principal bus operator in south Devon from 1919. The name was first used by the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company which was created in 1919. In 1922 it was purchased by the National Electric Construction Company which merged with British Electric...
in south and east Devon.
In 1931 a controlling interest in the National Omnibus was acquired by the Tilling Group. From then on Western National was run as a Tilling company, although the GWR retained its shares until 1948. Western National and Southern National shared a common management, based in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
(although curiously neither company had a depot in Exeter).
At the end of 1934, Western National and Southern National bought Royal Blue Coach Services
Royal Blue Coach Services
Royal Blue Coach Services was a coach operator in the south and west of England from 1880 until 1986.-Origins:The Royal Blue business was started in 1880 by Thomas Elliott in Bournemouth. The business, at first known as Royal Blue and Branksome Mews, included the hire of every kind of horse-drawn...
.
Nationalisation
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
.
The new regime resulted in some rationalisation of the company's area of operations. In 1950 the Gloucestershire area operations were transferred to Bristol Tramways
Bristol Omnibus Company
The Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
.
In 1962 Western National was passed to the state-owned Transport Holding Company
Transport Holding Company
The Transport Holding Company was a British Government owned company created by the Transport Act 1962 to administer a range of state-owned transport, travel and engineering companies that were previously managed by the British Transport Commission ; it came into existence on 1 January...
, then in 1969 to the state-owned National Bus Company.
The NBC embarked on more rationalisation of Western National's operations. In 1969, the operations of Southern National were merged with those of Western National, so that Western National acquired the operating areas of north Cornwall, north Devon and Dorset. In 1970 the Wiltshire area operations of Western National were transferred to Bristol Omnibus Company
Bristol Omnibus Company
The Bristol Omnibus Company is the former name of the dominant bus operator in Bristol, one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. The company once ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties. The name was in operational use until 1985...
. Then in 1971 the NBC transferred the operations of Devon General to Western National, although Devon General was retained as a brand. Western National pulled out of north Cornwall in 1971, leaving the area to local operators. Then in 1974 the former Southern National operations in the Swanage
Swanage
Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...
area of east Dorset were transferred to Hants & Dorset
Hants & Dorset Motor Services
Hants & Dorset Motor Services Ltd was a stage carriage bus service operator in southern England, between 1920 and 1983.-Early history:The Bournemouth & District Motor Services Ltd was incorporated in 1916. In 1920, a change of name to Hants & Dorset reflected the wider aspirations of its owners...
.
Privatisation
In 1980 the new ThatcherMargaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
government embarked on a programme of deregulation
Bus deregulation
Bus deregulation in Great Britain came into force on 26 October 1986, as part of the Transport Act 1985.The 'Buses' White Paper was the basis of the Transport Act 1985, which provided for the deregulation of local bus services in the whole of the United Kingdom except for Northern Ireland and...
and privatisation of bus services. In 1983 the National Bus Company divided Western National into four companies: Southern National Ltd in Somerset and Dorset; Devon General Ltd in the old Devon General's area in south and east Devon; North Devon Ltd trading as Red Bus in North Devon; and Western National Ltd in Cornwall and Plymouth.
In August 1986 Devon General became the first NBC subsidiary to be sold to its management, who sold it on to Stagecoach
Stagecoach Group
Stagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Sir Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
as Stagecoach in Devon in 1995.
Western National Ltd was acquired by Badgerline by 1993, and therefore became part of First Bus, later First Group, formed when Badgerline merged with Grampian Regional Transport. First changed the company's name to First Western National.
Southern National and North Devon were jointly sold to their management in 1988. In 1999 they were sold to First Group. First split Southern National into two: the Dorset operations became part of First Hampshire & Dorset
First Hampshire & Dorset
First Hampshire & Dorset is a subsidiary bus company within FirstGroup, which operates buses and trains throughout Great Britain.First Hampshire & Dorset has its head office in Empress Road, Southampton and operates bus services in the Weymouth and Bridport areas in Dorset; and services in...
, and the Somerset operations part of First Somerset & Avon
First Somerset & Avon
First Somerset & Avon Ltd provides bus services in Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Bath and West Wiltshire. It is part of First Group. First Somerset & Avon operates an extensive network of services in and around Bath, Bridgwater, Bristol, Taunton, Trowbridge, Wells, Weston-super-Mare and...
. The North Devon operations were combined with those of First Western National to form First Devon and Cornwall.
Therefore today almost all of the operations of the original Western National and Southern National companies are part of First Group. The only exceptions are the old Gloucestershire area, now part of Stagecoach
Stagecoach West
Stagecoach West is an operating division of the Stagecoach Group. Based in Gloucester, it operates bus services in Cheltenham , Gloucester , the Cotswolds , the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean and Swindon .- History :Stagecoach West...
, and the small Swanage depot, now part of the Go Ahead Group's Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
.