Post by wirewiper on Apr 21, 2020 11:34:39 GMT
On 1st April 1970, the bus services and assets of Exeter Corporation Transport Department passed to the Devon General subsidiary of the National Bus Company. It was second such acquisition of a municipal operator by the NBC that year, with Luton Corporation having passed to United Counties on 4th January.
Exeter Corporation took over the Exeter Tramways Company from 1st February 1904, following lengthy negotiations that eventually went to arbitration. They wasted no time in electrifying the system and relaying the track, and the horse trams were withdrawn in April 1905.
Devon General started operating bus services within Exeter, with the agreement of the Corporation. However in 1928 the Corporation decided to operate its own buses and gave three months notice to terminate the agreement. The first bus services commenced in April 1929. In 1930 there was an abrupt change of policy when the Corporation announced that it would be replacing the trams with buses, due to increasing congestion in the narrow city centre streets caused by centre-of-road running and trams waiting to enter single-line sections. The last Exeter tram operated on 19th August 1931. Towards the end the trams had carried route letters and this was continued by the Corporation buses, to avoid confusion with Devon General buses which used numbers. This has been a feature of Exeter's buses ever since and even today route letters are still used by Stagecoach today for Exeter City services.
After the Second World War Exeter Corporation and Devon General entered into discussion about the possibility of running joint services, to reduce duplication and unnecessary waste. On 14th January 1947 an agreement was signed, covering an area up to ten miles from the City Centre. This saw Corporation buses carrying route numbers and operating into the surrounding countryside, whilst Devon General buses appeared on City routes carrying letters for the first time. A change of fleetname, from Exeter Corporation to City of Exeter, occurred around this time.
In 1954 continuing losses saw Exeter Corporation reach provisional agreement with Devon General to sell its transport undertaking, but a lack of guarantees regarding security of jobs and pensions for Corporation staff saw it fall through. Opportunities for the Corporation to reduce its losses though were hampered by the insistence of the City Council and local police force that open-platform, rear-entrance buses had to be used on City services. This did not change until 1966, when the first buses suitable for one-man-operation were permitted.
On 1st January 1969 the National Bus Company was formed to take over the assets of the Government-owned Transport Holding Company, which had owned the former Tilling Group companies since 1948 and had acquired the BET companies such as Devon General the previous year. At the same time NBC approached the Corporation about a takeover and this time, due to the continuing losses which the Council saw as a burden on ratepayers, the Corporation agreed. The last Exeter Corporation-operated bus entered the depot at 23.30 on 31st March 1970 and from the following day the routes and vehicles were operated by Devon General.
Devon General did not seem to be in any particular hurry to repaint its assets, with some vehicles appearing in Exeter's green and cream livery as late as 1977 and two buses even managing a summer season in Torquay in these colours. That said, the 1970s were a trying time for bus operators, with vehicle shortages, late deliveries of new vehicles and high failure rates of the newer rear-engined buses, and a lot of older rear-entrance vehicles were retained in service for longer than had been intended. Also it is said that Exeter Corporation's paint shop had done an excellent job, so the vehicles stayed presentable.
Exeter Corporation took over the Exeter Tramways Company from 1st February 1904, following lengthy negotiations that eventually went to arbitration. They wasted no time in electrifying the system and relaying the track, and the horse trams were withdrawn in April 1905.
Devon General started operating bus services within Exeter, with the agreement of the Corporation. However in 1928 the Corporation decided to operate its own buses and gave three months notice to terminate the agreement. The first bus services commenced in April 1929. In 1930 there was an abrupt change of policy when the Corporation announced that it would be replacing the trams with buses, due to increasing congestion in the narrow city centre streets caused by centre-of-road running and trams waiting to enter single-line sections. The last Exeter tram operated on 19th August 1931. Towards the end the trams had carried route letters and this was continued by the Corporation buses, to avoid confusion with Devon General buses which used numbers. This has been a feature of Exeter's buses ever since and even today route letters are still used by Stagecoach today for Exeter City services.
After the Second World War Exeter Corporation and Devon General entered into discussion about the possibility of running joint services, to reduce duplication and unnecessary waste. On 14th January 1947 an agreement was signed, covering an area up to ten miles from the City Centre. This saw Corporation buses carrying route numbers and operating into the surrounding countryside, whilst Devon General buses appeared on City routes carrying letters for the first time. A change of fleetname, from Exeter Corporation to City of Exeter, occurred around this time.
In 1954 continuing losses saw Exeter Corporation reach provisional agreement with Devon General to sell its transport undertaking, but a lack of guarantees regarding security of jobs and pensions for Corporation staff saw it fall through. Opportunities for the Corporation to reduce its losses though were hampered by the insistence of the City Council and local police force that open-platform, rear-entrance buses had to be used on City services. This did not change until 1966, when the first buses suitable for one-man-operation were permitted.
On 1st January 1969 the National Bus Company was formed to take over the assets of the Government-owned Transport Holding Company, which had owned the former Tilling Group companies since 1948 and had acquired the BET companies such as Devon General the previous year. At the same time NBC approached the Corporation about a takeover and this time, due to the continuing losses which the Council saw as a burden on ratepayers, the Corporation agreed. The last Exeter Corporation-operated bus entered the depot at 23.30 on 31st March 1970 and from the following day the routes and vehicles were operated by Devon General.
Devon General did not seem to be in any particular hurry to repaint its assets, with some vehicles appearing in Exeter's green and cream livery as late as 1977 and two buses even managing a summer season in Torquay in these colours. That said, the 1970s were a trying time for bus operators, with vehicle shortages, late deliveries of new vehicles and high failure rates of the newer rear-engined buses, and a lot of older rear-entrance vehicles were retained in service for longer than had been intended. Also it is said that Exeter Corporation's paint shop had done an excellent job, so the vehicles stayed presentable.