PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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MOTOR BUS SERVICE "B" It was not route A that was the first to start running in Plymouth but route B. The date was Monday July 19th 1920. The original route started at Durnford Street, Stonehouse, and ran via Millbay Road, George Street, York Street, Russell Street, Pennycomequick, Alma Road, Milehouse, Wolseley Road, and Kent Road to Station Road at Keyham Barton. The minimum fare was to be two pence. Business increased quite well. The return for the three weeks ending June 4th 1921 shew 57,100 fares had been paid, totalling £586 5s 5d. This worked out at an average income of 19.42 pence per bus mile and over 7,245 miles had been covered during that three weeks. By April 1922 lettered routes had been replaced by numbered ones, the B becoming route 2. From July 1st 1922 there were to be five penny stages, some longer than others. These were from Durnford Street to Caroline Place; from there to the Theatre Royal; from the Royal to the top of York Street; from York Street to Milehouse and from De La Hay Avenue to Station Road. Thus from Keyham to the Theatre Royal was threepence single. The return fare was fivepence. Circa 1924/25 the first buses off the Theatre for Durnford Street was at 6.45am and the first buses off Ford and Durnford Street were at 7.15am. Another bus left the Theatre Royal for Ford at 7.25am. The last bus from Ford for Durnford Street was at 10.15pm but there were also buses at 10.45, 11, 11.10 and 11.15 for Milehouse Depot. The last bus off Durnford Street for Ford was at 10.45pm with the last bus off the Theatre at 10.55pm. On Sundays the buses operated between 2 and 10pm only. The fact that there were now bus routes and tram routes carrying the same number but not going to the same places caused a great deal of confusion so on Sunday December 6th 1925 the 2 reverted to its original B and also became a circular service continung from Station Road along Goschen Street, to Devonport and back to Durnford Street. There was a suitable increase in traffic, with the return for the five weeks ending January 9th 1926 showing 11,4,188 passengers as having been carried at a total income of £862 9s. The average per bus mile had dropped, however, to 15.83 pence as now the vehicles were covering over 13,071 miles on the route. The reverse service from Durnford Street via Devonport to Keyham, Milehouse and the Theatre Royal was known as route B2. Under the new route licensing regulations that came into force on Wednesday July 8th 1931, route B was officially known as H.1293 and was licensed to run from the Theatre Royal via Millbay Road, Fore Street, Morice Square, Goschen Street, Station road, Kent Road, Wolseley Road, Alma Road, and Bedford Street back to the Theatre Royal. The reverse service became the B1, officially H.1294, and ran from the Theatre Royal via George Street, York Street, Alma Road, Station Road, Goschen Street, William Street, Marlborough Street, Fore Street, Devonport Hill, Millbay Road and back to the Theatre Royal. The B2 became a special service, H.1331, from Fore Street, through William Street and Kent Road to Swilly Isolation Hospital. Double-deck vehicles were to be introduced on route B soon after the roadway under the GWR railway arch in Station Road was lowered, it was announced on Sunday June 4th 1933. In the timetable for July 1935 the B2 had become the reverse service of the B1. When the whole network was renumbered on Monday April 5th 1937, the B1 became route 18 and the B2 became the 19. RETURN TO Motor Bus Services, Plymouth Corporation Tramways Department
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