York Independents (Paperback)
Western Stage Bus Operators
Imprint: Key Publishing
Pages: 96
Illustrations: 150
ISBN: 9781913870096
Published: 1st June 2022
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The city of York stands at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss on flat arable land called the Vale of York, which is bordered to the west by the Pennines, to the north-east by the North York Moors and to the east by the rolling Yorkshire Wolds. Outside the city are many beautiful small country villages and 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, the follow-on to York Independent: Eastern Stage Bus Operators, tells the story of stage bus companies, including Hopes Motor Services, Hutchinson Brothers, Reliance Motor Services, G E Sykes & Son and Majestic of Cawood, who operated from the west of York. Including over 150 photographs, many in colour, it shows how most of the companies covered started out as family-based operators running a service to the nearest local market town before expanding to offer excursions and private hires. It also shows how changes to the way of life, including the growth of car ownership, eventually killed off the majority of them.
For those interested in the histories of small businesses Stuart Emmett’s books will certainly whet the appetite; and if you want to see the vehicles in their glorious miscellany of liveries and environments, you are in for a treat. From early Leylands through Bedford WTB, OB, OWB and SBs to twin-steer VALs, bodywork and chassis by dozens of manufacturers, open platforms and centre entrances, half cabs and flat fronts, you will find them all in profusion, sharply and brightly printed, with informative captions. I wholeheartedly commend these books.
Journal of the Road Transport History Association - No103, December 2021
This well illustrated book tells of mostly long forgotten stage bus operators based in villages like Appleton Roebuck, Cawood, Husthwaite and Terrington who ran services into York. Pictures depict mainly single decker post-war buses with many already second hand by the time Yorkshire owners came to run them. So there are examples of 1948 Bedfords with Duple bodywork, Commer Avengers with Plaxton bodies and one double decker, a Bristol with ECW bodywork.
York Model Engineers, September 2022
There’s information about the routes they operated and why they sometimes failed. The rise of TV, decline in cinema going and increased car ownership closed several. Fortunately Reliance buses still operate from their original depot at Sutton on the Forest. A good buy for bus enthusiasts and the nostalgics among our members who may recall seeing these buses or perhaps riding on them.
Reviewer: Roger Backhouse
About Stuart Emmett
Stuart Emmet has trained/consulted in many industries, to many nationalities and in many locations on five continents. He holds a Master of Science degree from Cranfield University UK and a BA (Hons) from the Open University in the UK, and is also qualified as a mentor, a further education teacher and an NVQ assessor/verifier and as has acted as external examiner and verifier to various UK Universities and professional Institutes on many supply chain topics. He is the author of more than 30 books and 100s of articles. His works include Tommy’s Bus, Burrow & Sons, Wombwell 1921 to 1974, York Pullman 1926 to 1985 and more than 30 books on topics covering management, logistics, purchasing and supply chain management. Stuart is now retired and lives in Gosforth and Nether Wasdale in Cumbria and maybe seen regularly walking between these two places accompanied by a black lab called Gilly.
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