Independents Strong in
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the Cider AppleCountry HEREFORDSHIRE, chiefly an agricultural and fruit-growing county with many hop ffelds and cider-apple orchards, is an area where the advent of the Motorbus has completely changed the habits of its widely scattered population. Excepting Hereford itself, where some 5,000 acres hold a population of nearly 33,000, there are only a few sizeable towns. Leominster, 13 miles north of Hereford, has a Population of nearly 6,000, whilst Kington, 19 miles west and close to the Welsh border, accounts for nearly another 5,000. Almost mid-way between Hereford and Gloucester is Ross—with a fewer hundred inhabitants. L edbury accounts for rather more than 3,000, and Bromyard for some 1,600.
The historical town of Ludlow, in south Shropshire, also comes into the picture, as it is only about five miles from the north Herefordshire boundary and is, therefore, a centre to which much traffic flows from villages in that part of the county.
From this it is obvious that the establishing and main
tenance of motorbus routes, and especially daily workings, present different problems from those encountered in industrial areas, and yet some routes have been served for more than 35 years; as long ago as 1920, market-day services from the villages to the towns had been introduced.
One of the earliest operators was Mr. F. Yarrartton, owner of Messrs, Ten bury Wells Motor Services, who, although based in Worcestershire, operates services into firomyard, Leominster and Ludlow with Commer and Bedford single-deckers. Messrs. Yarranton Bros., Eardiston, who operate Bedford-Duple coaches under the name of Eardiston Motor Services, run stage services to Tenbury Wells and Worcester, as well as several in the immediate locality.
At Ludlow, the Corvedale Motor Co., Ltd., have built up a business which started some 16 years ago with two vehicles to the present fleet strength of 29. This includes Bedford, Leyland and Sentinel chassis, with bodywork seating from 29-40 passengers. In recent years, some changes have taken place in the routes covered by this company.
Some •three years ago, certain stage services were handed over to the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. These included Ludlow to Bridgnorth, which operated daily, and Ludlow to Walsall (week-ends only). Some market-day runs were passed over to another private operator, and about eighteen months ago, the service between Ludlow and Knighton (Rads.), previously operated by Messrs. Radnorshire Motor Services and then by Yeomans' Motors (from whom it was taken over originally), was added to the Corvedale runs.
Express services are also operated. These include a service from the Ludlow district to the R:N.A.D. at Ditton Priors and one to Sankey's works at Wellington, Salop. Excursion and tour licences operating from Ludlow, Craven Arms and certain other points are held, and private-party work is catered for on a wide scale.
The operations of the "small than " have always been prominent in these counties, and during the last three decades there have been many changes of ownership. Some of the pioneers have fallen by the wayside, the interests of others have been absorbed into the larger undertakings, and still other, and more vigorous, • operators have taken over services piecemeal according to their Own districts until nothing• is left of the original concerns. Over 32 years ago, however, the B.M.M.O. were well established over a wide circle, with both daily and market routes pivoting on Hereford, Leominster, Rosson-Wye, Biornyard and Worcester. Although many of these services are now worked daily, at intervals varying from 30 minutes to two hours, there is still a preponderance of market-day routes of those which run only on some days of the week.
This is inevitable in such an area, and many places are served by differing routes according to the relative position of the nearest market town and the day that a market is held there, whilst in other cases a skeletoh daily service is worked with aug mentation on particular days.
Just under 12 miles south of Ludlow is the borough of Leominster, and although it is served by B.M.M.O. and Messrs. Yeomans' Motors, there is a local operator, Mr. A. E. Bengry, whose 12 vehicles work under the fleet name of Primrose Motor Services. Originally, this business was started at Kingslancl, six miles west of Leominster, and the main route was, and still is, from Leominster to Kington, via Kingsland and Eardisland.
.. Additional daily routes which have been added since the war now serve Shobdon via Yarpole, Tenbury Wells via Leysters, and Bromyard. A market-day service also
runs into-.Tenbury Wells, and recently two routes formerly operated by Yeomans' Motors have come into
Mr. Bengry's control. These are between Leominster and -Leintwardine and Kington and Prcsteigne, via Titley. • •
In the former case, the through-bookings between points on the Hereford-Leominster stretch. to points beyond, towards Leintwardine, have been incorporated in the new licences. The Primrose fleet includes Bedford, Foden and Leyland single-deckers.
Hereford itself now has a group of city routes, operated by B.M:M.O., which cover all the main roads to the fringe of the city. Sixteen services are provided, headways varying from 15 to 30 minutes.. clg An important inter-town route is the hourly service between Hereford and Shrewsbury, via Church Stretton, Ludlow and Leolninster. There are, in fact, two services: X34 which runs via Richard's Castle between Ludlow and Leominster and uses the by-pass road at Church Stretton, and X35 via Little Stretton (the old road through Chufch Stretton) and Wootferton. This route is 53 miles tong, and there are additional short workings between Shrewsbury and Church Stratton, and between Hereford and Leominster.
Part of the route, between Ludlow and Hereford, was at one time worked by an independent, and it was taken over and merged into one throughservice. Amongst the many other services operated may be mentioned those which work daily from Hereford to Bromyard, Ledbury, Malvern, Worcester, Hay. and Ross, and the X91 service between Hereford and Leicester, via Worcester and Coventry.
Summer long-distance routes co-ver Aberystwyth from Hereford and Worcester, and Blackpool and Weston-super-Mare from Worcester I only. Apart from 40-44-seat singledeckers, a number of double-deck vehicles is used in both Hereford and Worcester. ,M any of the Here
ford city routes are served by double-deckers, whilst in Worcester all the city routes are worked by singledeckers.
Although they have never had their own passenger transport, Hereford Corporation have provided a large bus station for the use of all operators. From this station, an except the city route ones now operate. Opened in 1935, the station has double-width bays for five platforms and supplementary parking space as well. Each platform is provided with covered-in •queue barriers divided for each important destination: two platforms are for B.M.M.O. services, and one each for Red and White Services, Ltd., Messrs. Wye Valley Motors and Yeomans' Motors.
Red and White enter the Hereford area because one . of their early constituents was Hereford Transport, Ltd.. which, with other concerns such as the Lydney and Forest of Dean Services, helped to form the nucleus from which the present widespread network was formed. Present activities in this locality include daily services to Hay, Abergavenny, Tredegar, Monmouth, Ross, LYclney and Chepstow, covering routes mainly south of the city into the adjoining counties of Monmouthshire
and Gloucestershire. There is also a through hourly service between Hereford and Gloucester, via Ross, worked jointly with Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd. Double-deckers are used by both companies on this route, other Red and White services from Hereford employing single-deckers.
Incidentally, this is not the only Bristol Tramways route which enters Herefordshire. There is a service between Gloucester and Ledhury, and others around Ross. Associated Motorways' routes pass through this area in conjunction with Red and White on services into Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire, and there is the Black and White Motorways' service to Aberystwyth in summer (terminating at LIandrindod Wells in winter).
Of the independents, Messrs. Wye Valley Motors,' owned by Mr. W. E. Margan, date back to the 1920s. One of their early routes was between Hereford and Ludlow but, as I have already mentioned, this service is now run entirely by the B.M.M.O.
Wye Valley Motors' activities include extensive tours and excursion programmes, and a number of daily and market services from Hereford to Pontrilas. Pandy, Garway, Ewyas Harold, Abbeydore, Longtown and Madley. The concern also run into Hay from Ewyas Harold, and to Abcrgavenny from the Pontrilas and Miclaaelchurch districts. Special workers' services operate to the M.O.S. depot at Rotherwae (Hereford). Wye Valley Motors' fleet comprises single-deck buses and coaches on Bedford and Leyland chassis.
Yeomans' Motors introduced their first service in 1924. This was a market service to Hereford from their base village, Canon Pyon, seven miles away. The service, worked by a Ford 14-seater, was the idea of the late Mr. H. H. Yeomans, father of the present partners.
Within the past four years, the growth of their stage services has been pruned by disposals of interests at Bishops Castle (Shropshire), Knighton (Rads.), Ludlow, Llandrindod Wells and Rhayader, and operations are now confined to two main daily routes: HerefordWeobley-Kington (with short workings to Credenhill and Foxley) and Hereford-Canon Pyon-Leominster. A number of subsidiary routes works on certain days only, such as Hereford-Pembridge; daily school services and market routes from Kington, where there is a subdepot, and sortie market routes around the LeOrninster area. .
Holiday tours and excursion work now forms a large part of Yeomans' activities, and to further this side of the undertaking branches • have been established at Stroud and Malvern Link. There is also a. seaside express service to Torthcawl and several express camp Services for Forces personnel.
The fleet comprises some 40 vehicles, nine of which are double-deck buses, most of the remainder being coaches. Chassis makes repre sented are A.E.C., Maudslay, Leyland and Bedford, with seating capacities of from 29 to 44 passengers. Amongst the latest acquisitions is a number of oil-engined Bedford 40-seaters.
Other operators working market-day services into Hereford ate Sargeants' Motors, Ltd., Builth Wells, D. J. Brown, from Hundred House, near Builth Wells, and P. H. E. Tummey, of Llangarron, near Ross. There are also several concerns operating special camp and workpcoples' services as well as contract and excursion work. One of the oldest of these is the Hereford Motor Co., Ltd., who, many years ago, were also stage operators. Their present fleet comprises sonic 20 passenger-carrying vehicles of Leyland, A.E.C., and Bedford make.