bus company bus company based surrey company operated bus coach services surrey founded valley limited company taking initially operated routes area garage small single deck buses painted coach hire began years later activities split separate company operated independently years owned managed generations family sold company changed changing blue yellow moved garage year second garage opened expansion operations late 1970s early 1980s award county council contracted routes took company vehicles hampshire surrey took services london operator following company collapse run separately main company metropolitan sold management form company moved settling new larger garage town opened february local bus services led expansion including establishment new brand operations high quality coaching subsidiary operated end life began operations single vehicle expanding operate buses range types operated including early dennis vehicles later guy products company fleet updated 1990s new vehicles following closure fleet disposed vehicles sold company placed administration march following years heavy losses closed permanently month later led series service changes saw operations covered range different operators effects causing collapse included fall total number passengers buses hampshire local criticism following increase number vehicles later closed garage sites converted use industries history creation early history formed initially known operated single vehicle garage service smith left company late 1920s new route introduced time vehicles owned route extended briefly faced competition prior takeover withdrew competing route company garage rebuilt destroyed fire vehicles limited company october following death control business passed son called george coach hire excursion business introduced july split new company operated independently early 1930s service run jointly operation entire route taken august falling passenger numbers meant route cut frequency year later new grey introduced retired succeeded son sold september year route numbering introduced time routes operated company operating loss route local service withdrawn october poor usage cut frequency garage owned operations transferred open air site early change expansion company changed following introduction service new blue yellow grey introduced new managing director joined year small garage acquired maintenance work transferred majority fleet continued based company long established route extended daily service haven bus route serve community introduced number service changes saw vehicles operating day week withdrawn years service withdrawn replaced local half hourly route september company moved depots larger site collapse early prompted company launch new operation split main operation metropolitan july sold managerial team adopted continues operate june new weekly routes linking brighton introduced second replace withdrawn service improve profits brighton route beer carried sussex brewery near public houses route alongside passengers scheduled service operations coach firm acquired vehicles november withdrawn year later expansion came april following year consultation county council members new routes introduced operated competition took place services withdrawn operators following changes operator serve new vehicles purchased routes time services renumbered new digit sequence avoid confusion routes year later second new services circular route reduced frequency hourly hourly route covered extending route new service linking introduced august operation number council contracted services including route local route taken companies post following october small number service changes new route introduced service withdrawn time new brand introduced operations left company december replaced managing director early operations reduced following loss route new service briefly introduced february withdrawn months july new service site introduced expansion eastwards came november operation routes requiring buses won county council operated new service linking normandy days week introduced october second route villages added january new route normandy launched direct service village opened following award contracted work reading introduced new tourist route summer operating sundays months year provided circular service linking number nearby rural locations served routes similar services operated new service designed avoid direct competition route operated single acquired bus september reduced number journeys contracted route linked terms contract criticised residents intermediate villages claimed communities relied particular cancelled morning journey operations moved new larger site located february company believed reduce operating costs allow future expansion closure march abruptly ceased operations placed hands receivers followed years company lost receivers blamed losses increasing costs low subsidies local councils falling passenger numbers closure left staff unemployed caused large numbers passengers stranded replacement services organised bus operators majority routes covered days temporary contracted services forced find means transport workings routes covered initially thought sold operator companies reported interested early april clear place offers submitted lower value vehicles owned company criticised council members refusing company operational replacement services arranged mole valley councillor stated withdrawal services short notice totally unacceptable county councillor described closure local tragedy council leaders denied claim subsidies low related operations valley coaches bus coach operations split coaching unit taken previously employee operated depot company bought second hand coaches run private hire operations years operation launched bus service died passed wife sold established operator year later taken service withdrawn metropolitan limited february long standing operator collapsed financial difficulties decided launch test operation services proved successful services added new coaches purchased operation july operation given separate licence metropolitan limited vehicles allocated clear local area management metropolitan wanted develop business different way main company september operation directors bought subsidiary form coaches following takeover late 1990s coaching division set management traffic manager operated high quality coaches including air vehicles joined fleet coach hire tour work fleet vehicle bought single deck chevrolet seats entered service launch company route joined similar bus later year vehicles purchased depot fire destroyed buses replaced second hand buses including seat dennis vehicles november outbreak world war progressively replaced new buses built double deck vehicle bought joined fleet bought replace entire previous fleet succeeded wide variety types coaches buses numerous 1970s number second hand ecw bodies operated period shortly range types large number vehicles continued bought new late 1980s fleet included models single built company bought seat fleet late 1980s early 1990s included rare bought new coach body built fleet substantially updated shortly prior company closure single bought followed number products including single built common type fleet late 1990s use total fleet bought low floor buses new legacy subsequent history routes taken variety local operators took majority operations west sussex division took services operations taken took route took routes reading following end operations newer vehicles sold use buyers included took bought surviving bought biggest customer took vehicles including mercedes vehicles remained surrey including leased passed bought fall bus passenger numbers areas hampshire served explained result loss services caused company closure increased vehicle requirements garage took routes led criticism residents area suggestion site closed operations moved location depot buses operation sold september moved operations garage closed site garage sites converted uses permission granted february smaller site abandoned shortly company closed taken plant vehicle hire firm larger site final months operation converted use mail order firm permission change granted local council november
Tillingbourne Bus Company