 Preserved 1956 Leyland Titan | |
| Founded | May 1920 |
|---|---|
| Ceased operation | April 1973 |
| Headquarters | Winchester |
| Service area | Hampshire |
| Service type | Bus and coach operator |
King Alfred Motor Services was a bus and coach operator based in Winchester, England, between 1920 and 1973.
King Alfred Motor Services was founded by a Winchester entrepreneur named Robert Chisnell, who had many business interests in Winchester, including tobacconist shops, cafes and later a garage business.. [1] His first involvement with passenger transport was in 1915, using a variety of small motor vehicles to transport troops to and from various camps in the Winchester area. [2] As well as a range of cars, he acquired three Delaunay-Bellevilles and a Napier, which were converted to carry up to 12 passengers each for this purpose [1]
After the end of World War 1, a large number of surplus trucks became available, and Robert Chisnell acquired two ex-RAF Leylands, to which he had charabanc bodies fitted, with a 'King Alfred' fleetname painted on the rear. The first excursion was on Whit Monday, 24 May 1920; the destination is believed to have been Bournemouth. [1] . The first regular bus services began on 9 October 1922, serving the new council estate at Stanmore via two circular routes, together with other routes to Compton, Shawford, Twyford and Flowerdown [1]
Through the remainder of the decade, King Alfred Motor Services continued to expand, both in the size of the fleet and in the area covered. In May 1928 an express coach service to London started operation, although this only ran for less than four years. [1]
By the early 1930s, the King Alfred fleet included vehicles based on Leyland, Thornycroft, Dennis, Albion and Commer chassis. [2] The network continued to expand, with improved frequencies on many routes. The 1930 Road Traffic Act reduced competition on many routes, although the western routes to Stockbridge and King's Somborne continued to be disputed with other competing operators for many more years. [1] By 1939, R,Chisnell & Sons Ltd (as the company had now become) had an up to date fleet of vehicles and was established as the principle operator in the Winchester area.
In common with many other bus operators, World War 2 brought many difficulties, including shortages of fuel, rubber, buses and staff. Five vehicles were requisitioned by the War Department (of which only one later returned). [1] However, the increased number of passengers, including servicemen, evacuees, and war workers meant that King Alfred was able to purchase several replacement vehicles. The first of these, in May 1942, was King Alfred's first double decker, a Leyland Titan TD7. This was followed by several other Ministry of Supply specification "Utility" buses during the remainder of the wartime years.
Robert Chisnell, died shortly before the end of World War 2, on 5 June 1945. The business remained within the Chisnell family, as the founder's two sons continued to run the company.
Starting from 1947, King Alfred Motor Services were able to continue replacement of some of the older vehicles in the fleet, with the arrival of four Leyland Titan PD1A double deckers. For the following ten years, virtually all new vehicle purchases were from Leyland, with the exception of two Bedford OBs in 1947, and two Albion Valkyries in 1950. Amongst the Leylands was a 1950 Olympic HR40, which was the first underfloor engined single deck bus vehicle purchased by any Hampshire operator. [3] It was followed a year later by the company's first underfloor engined coach, a Leyland Royal Tiger. [4]
By the early 1950s, King Alfred was still providing an extensive service across the Winchester area. [5] However, as the 1950s progressed, an increase in traffic congestion in Winchester, a reduction in passengers, and staff shortages became increasing challenges (and ones which King Alfred Motor Services continued to face for the remainder of its existence).
High capacity, low height double deckers joined the fleet. These were initially AEC Bridgemasters, moving on to AEC Renowns and Leyland Atlanteans. New single deckers were introduced bringing the 36-footer to the streets of Winchester in 1962. This policy continued right through to 1971 when King Alfred became the first operator to purchase a batch of Metro-Scania single deckers. [6]
The combined problems of traffic congestion and staff shortages, with the two Chisnell brothers approaching retirement age, eventually led to the end of King Alfred Motor Services. The final services ran on Saturday 28 April 1973, with the services and many of the vehicles being taken over by Hants & Dorset. [1]
Thirteen former King Alfred vehicles have been preserved by a local charity, the "Friends of King Alfred Buses". [7] These range from a 1931 Dennis and 1935 Albion as the earliest, to a pair of 1970 Leyland Panthers as the newest, and the collection includes both buses and coaches. [8] The vehicles, several of which have been returned from overseas and restored from almost derelict condition, are often seen at local events and rallies.
In 2023, a 1929 Leyland Lion was added to the collection. Although this is not an ex-King Alfred vehicle (originating from the local fleet of Hants & Dorset), it is almost identical to a vehicle from the King Alfred fleet and has been repainted in their livery. [9] Similarly, a Leyland Titan PD2 is being restored to represent similar vehicles once operated by King Alfred, but which were subsequently scrapped. [8]
Notable within the fleet was the single aforementioned Leyland Olympic HR40, which had been rescued from a field in Ireland and had undergone a lengthy restoration by volunteers. [3] However, this vehicle was severely damaged by fire at its storage base in December 2023 [10]
The AEC Routemaster is a front-engined double-decker bus that was designed by London Transport and built by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) and Park Royal Vehicles. The first prototype was completed in September 1954 and the last one was delivered in 1968. The layout of the vehicle was conventional for the time, with a half-cab, front-mounted engine and open rear platform, although the coach version was fitted with rear platform doors. Forward entrance vehicles with platform doors were also produced as was a unique front-entrance prototype with the engine mounted transversely at the rear.
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They appear in many places around the world but are presently most commonly used as mass transport in cities of Britain and Ireland, in Hong Kong, and in Singapore.
Central Scottish Omnibuses Ltd was a bus operating subsidiary of the Scottish Transport Group formed in June 1985 from Central SMT, and operated until July 1989 when it was merged with Kelvin Scottish to form Kelvin Central Buses.
The Leyland B15 Titan is a rear-engined double-decker bus manufactured by Leyland between 1977 and 1984, primarily for London Transport.
Albion Motors was a Scottish automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer.
The Leyland Titan was a forward-control chassis with a front-mounted engine designed to carry double-decker bus bodywork. It was built mainly for the United Kingdom market between 1927 and 1942, and between 1945 and 1969.
The Leyland Atlantean is a predominantly double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland Motors between 1958 and 1986. Only 17 Atlantean chassis were bodied as single deck from new.
Aldershot & District Traction Company Limited was a major bus company operating services in East Hampshire, West Surrey and parts of adjoining counties for sixty years during the 20th century, from 1912 until 1972 when it became part of Alder Valley.
The East Kent Road Car Company Ltd is a bus company formed in 1916 and based in Canterbury, Kent. The company operated bus and coach services in Kent. In 1993 it was one of the first companies to be acquired by the Stagecoach Group, which eventually rebranded the operation as Stagecoach in East Kent, and made it part of the Stagecoach South East bus division.
Southdown Motor Services was a bus and coach operator in East and West Sussex and parts of Hampshire, in southern England. It was formed in 1915 and had various owners throughout its history, being purchased by the National Bus Company (NBC) in 1969. The company fleet name was lost when it was acquired by the Stagecoach Group in 1989 but buses operated under that legal name until 2015 when the operating licence was transferred to another company within the Stagecoach Group and 1915 company became dormant but still owned by the Stagecoach Group.
Hants & Dorset Motor Services Ltd was a stage carriage bus service operator in southern England between 1920 and 1983.
A lowbridge double-deck bus is a double-decker bus that has an asymmetric interior layout, enabling the overall height of the vehicle to be reduced compared to that of a conventional double-decker bus. The upper-deck gangway is offset to one side of the vehicle, normally the offside, and is sunken into the lower-deck passenger saloon. Low railway bridges and overpasses are the main reason that a reduced height is desired.
Barton Transport was a bus company that operated in Nottinghamshire from 1908 until 1989.
The AEC Swift was a rear-engined step entrance single-decker bus chassis manufactured by AEC between 1964 and 1980. The chassis design was closely related to the Leyland Panther. It was available in 33-foot (10 m) and 36-foot (11 m) lengths, with an AEC AH505 or AH691 engine.
The Leyland Tiger Cub was a lightweight underfloor-engined chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1952 and 1970.
The Daimler Freeline was an underfloor-engined bus chassis built by Daimler between 1951 and 1964. It was a very poor seller in the UK market for an underfloor-engined bus and coach chassis, but became a substantial export success.
The Leyland-MCW Olympic was an underfloor-engined single-deck bus manufactured for at least eighteen countries from 1949 to 1971. 3,564 Olympics were built at four factories from 1949 to 1971, with 1,299 Olympics (36%) built as right hand drive and 2,265 (64%) as left hand drive. It was a very durable heavy-duty bus which ran in arduous conditions for longer periods than ever envisaged by its designers.
The Leyland Tiger was a heavyweight half-cab single-decker bus and coach chassis built by Leyland Motors between 1927 and 1968, except the period of World War II.
H. V. Burlingham was a British coachbuilding business based in Blackpool, Lancashire from 1928 until 1960 when they were taken over by London-based rivals Duple Motor Bodies. Duple initially renamed Burlingham as Duple (Northern) but in 1969 they closed their Hendon factory and concentrated production in Blackpool. Duple coach bodies were built in the former Burlingham premises until Duple itself was liquidated in 1989.
The Albion Lowlander was a Scottish-built low-height double-decker bus.
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