YEOVILIAN Competitive operations in and around Yeovil in the late 1980s |
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Please note - this is a site of historical record and does not contain current service information | ||||||
With
deregulation of buses following the
1985 Transport Act, Kingston Coaches (Coleman) of Yeovil introduced
several local bus services. The Coleman family
had been in the hire car business in Yeovil since 1966 and grew - like
many such firms - into coaching. In 1988 Kingston Coaches had a go at running local bus
services under the name of Yeovilian, initially via three separate
routes to South Petherton and later on Yeovil town services. The latter
only lasted a few months, but the country services survived in reduced
form until 1990.
The original three country routes all ran from Yeovil to South Petherton but by different roads, competing with Safeway from Yeovil both via Crewkerne (service 001) and via Montacute (service 002); and also with Southern National from Yeovil via Martock (service 003). A probably unexpected and definitely unwelcome surprise for Safeway after having the South Petherton road to themselves for ten years after National had withdrawn from there in 1978! In March 1989 route 001 to South Petherton via Crewkerne was cut back to terminate at Merriott and route 003 was withdrawn altogether. Several second-hand Leyland Nationals and Bedfords were used and very low fares were charged by Yeovilian in an attempt to gain customers from the incumbent operators, but ultimately this was not to prove successful. The all day vehicle commitment for the country routes was three, one on each of the three routes. In the morning peak five were needed (one extra each on Crewkerne and Martock), and in the evening peak four buses (one extra on Crewkerne). Also starting later, at least by the summer of 1988, several town services were attempted in Yeovil (routes 010 and 030). 010 ran from Wessex Road to Yeovil Bus Station via Westfield Road; details not known for 030. Yeovilian bus operations commenced on 11th January 1988 and continued for just over two years, ceasing in February 1990. |
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Kingston Coaches' RBD 108M, former United
Counties Bedford YRT / Willowbrook, leaving Yeovil bus station on
service 002
to South Petherton via Montacute and Stoke-sub-Hamdon on 28th November 1988. (photo by Michael Wadman) |
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Kingston Coaches' STM 178R, Bedford YMT /
Caetano, in Yeovil bus station on service 001 on 26th May 1989. (photo by Michael Wadman) |
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Kingston Coaches PNR320M 53-seater in
Yeovil bus station (photo by John Law) |
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Lettered to Yeovilian TAL971L 53-seater
awaits departure from Yeovil to Crewkerne on route 001 (photo by John Law) |
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1988 timetable of Yeovilian country services |
Revised timetable with route 001 cut back to Merriott |
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with grateful acknowledgement to Michael
Wadman and Laurie James for additional information |
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