 buses with 34-seat bodies, numbered 1-10, were purchased to operate the services and were thus the first buses to carry the Corporation blue and cream livery.The country was soon plunged into the Great War (1914–18), and many operators were faced with the commandeering of their motorbus chassis.Services had to be pruned as a result, and because BCT was unable to provide any "extras", Austins at Longbridge ran some 15-20 of their own buses which were the origin of the various independent services to works that are still a feature today.