Coventry Buses - past and present

The bus, Reg AC43 belonged to an early firm 'North Warwickshire' which first ran in July 1913. The photograph was taken in Queens Road, Nuneaton and the driver is believed to be Frederick Scarr. The full story would take too much room on this forum but basically its first routes were along the Tamworth-Nuneaton corridor. A service was introduced to Bedworth which linked with the tram to Coventry. This may account for the advert on the bus. As the firm expanded it was absorbed into Midland Red, again a complicated story. Hope that this helps Philip.

Hi Heritage You are just magic, bril. Thank you so much. I have just added another bit of detail to our model & all I can say is that I wish we could be in the tea rooms.

My pleasure, the picture just rang a bell (3 or 4 rings). It is a very interesting firm that many people have not heard about. I only knew because a good friend of mine, Ashley Wakelin from Midland Red Coaches, gave me a book about the firm a couple of years ago.

Hi again It's a small world. I bought my Midland Red DD in the picture & a couple of B'ham corporation DDs from Ashley, when he had his (Platform Five) shop on Nuneaton station. Thank you again.

Hi all Did Coventry & B'ham corporation buses ever meet? When Rover first started in Solihull, I was told that Coventry Transport provided a works contract service from Coventry, but I cannot find any confirmation of that. I always liked the livery of Cov & B'ham buses.

Anyone looking for the posts relating to the new Coventry bus routes, can find them here in this new thread New Coventry Bus Timetables

Hi all I am just home after spending a lovely morning visiting the Coventry Transport exhibition in Bedworth. A fabulous insight into a hundred years of our transport history. Well appointed displays, pictures & touch screen info. It is a fact that we often get the best history about an issue, by looking in from the outside. That is the case with some aspects of Roman history where the Phenician trader records paint a very true picture of real events in that part of the world. Even the UK trading history of two thousand years ago is better recorded by them. The people running the event in Bedworth are all volunteers & I am so glad to have met & spent some time with them. Bravo!

Look out for the red bus ! New bus celebrates 100 years of travel in Coventry

I did see this bus the other day and am a bit confused what exactly it is celebrating because if it is Coventry Transport then surely it is in the wrong colour it should be maroon and cream shouldn't it. Both my parents worked for Coventry Transport whose company colours where maroon and cream and when it became under the West Midlands Travel umbrella the colours were blue and cream. So where does the red come from?

Hello Annie During the last four years of Coventry Corporation Transport all buses were repainted Marshall Red and Ivory instead of the previous Maroon and Cream.

My late father worked for Coventry Transport for 45 years as a coachbuilder. He always maintained that the atmosphere and camaraderie at work declined once CT was incorporated under the WMPTE umbrella.

Hi David. As you lived in freehold Street up till 1953. Do you remember The "Scout Hut" or the building in the street used by the Cubs & Scouts? It was on the left/hand side as you walked up towards the canal. It wasn't till probably 1957 or 58 that I started going to the "Cubs" there with my mate Barry Alldrick, but I remember well having to get ready & put my cubs uniform on correctly. A new hut was built later I believe, & I'm sure my picture along with all the other cubs & Scouts from that hut was in The Cov. Eve Telegraph at the "Opening" of the new hut.

Hello: My old dancing partner, Gayle Lydster (now Gayle Radford) used to work as a clerk-typist at Harnell Lane in the 1960s/1970s. I wonder if your dad remembers her. She lived in Bedworth (Exhall Lane) and was the town's beauty queen in 1971. Barry Page, Goderich, Ontario, Canada

Hi all I have just read this item off the BBC news website - "Bus crime falls by 65% in West Midlands" I am not so surprised to read this because what I have noticed as I travel around is nearly a total absence of young people travelling. Most of them cannot afford to travel by bus. Just one return trip will set them back over £3.

Hi all Vintage buses go on show in Coventry I popped into the museum & bought this for our railway. The museum placed a bulk order with 'Oxford Models' and are selling them at a third of the normal price. Hope you like. The model has some aspects which are not spot on, but it is so Coventry & it now brings my Coventry Transport fleet to six on the railway. Ding, ding? In service what was noticeable was the string for the conductor to ring the bell which did not appear until much later on Coventry buses & also the absence of the front bench seat. So, please "Hold tight" & "Anymore fares please". Ding ding.