 | |
 PreservedBristol VRT inPenzance in April 2012 | |
| Parent | National Bus Company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1929 |
| Ceased operation | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Exeter |
| Service area | Cornwall Devon Dorset Gloucestershire Somerset |
| Service type | Bus operator |
| Hubs | Plymouth, North Cornwall, West Cornwall |
| Depots | Plymouth, Camborne, Penzance |
Western National was a bus company operating inSouth West England from 1929 until the 1990s.
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Western National Omnibus Company[1] was founded in 1929 as ajoint venture between theGreat Western Railway (GWR) and the National Omnibus & Transport Company. The National company had originated in 1909 as the National Steam Car Company, started to runsteam bus services inLondon. The London services ceased in 1919, when the company was renamed National Omnibus & Transport Company. The company expanded outside London, intoEssex (1913),Bedfordshire (1919),Gloucestershire (1919),Somerset (1920),Dorset (1921), andDevon &Cornwall[citation needed] (1927).
The GWR had developed an extensive network ofbus services in Devon and Cornwall. These services, and those of the National Omnibus in Devon and Cornwall, were transferred to Western National. A few months later, the new company bought the operations of the National company in south west Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, and also the GWR bus services aroundTrowbridge andStroud. The result was an operating territory stretching fromCheltenham toPenzance, in five areas: Gloucestershire (based in Stroud),Wiltshire (based in Trowbridge), south and west Somerset (based inTaunton), south Devon (based inPlymouth) and Cornwall. Western National's operating territory was interspersed with those of three other major operators:Bristol in south Gloucestershire and north Somerset,Southern National in north Devon and north Cornwall andDevon General in south and east Devon.
In 1931, a controlling interest in the National Omnibus was acquired by theTilling Group. From then on Western National was run as a Tilling company, although the GWR retained its shares until 1948. Western National and Southern National shared a common management, based inExeter (although curiously neither company had a depot in Exeter).
At the end of 1934, Western National and Southern National boughtRoyal Blue Coach Services.
On 1 January 1948, the Great Western Railway was nationalised and, shortly after, the Tilling Group sold its bus interests to the government. Western National therefore became a state-owned company, under the control of theBritish Transport Commission.
The new regime resulted in some rationalisation of the company's area of operations. In 1950, the Gloucestershire area operations were transferred toBristol Tramways.
On 1 January 1963, Western National was included in the transfer of the British Transport Commission's transport assets to the state-ownedTransport Holding Company which, in turn, passed to the state-ownedNational Bus Company (NBC) on 1 January 1969.
The NBC embarked on more rationalisation of Western National's operations. In 1969, the operations of Southern National were merged with those of Western National, so that Western National acquired the operating areas of north Cornwall, north Devon and Dorset. In 1970 the Wiltshire area operations of Western National were transferred toBristol Omnibus Company. Then, in 1971, the NBC transferred the operations of Devon General to Western National, although Devon General was retained as a brand. Western National pulled out of north Cornwall in 1971, leaving the area to local operators. Then, in 1974, the former Southern National operations in theSwanage area of east Dorset were transferred toHants & Dorset.
In the lead up toderegulation, in January 1983 Western National was divided into four companies:
On 19 August 1986, Devon General became the first National Bus Company subsidiary to be privatised under theTransport Act 1985 being sold in amanagement buyout led by managing director Harry Blundred.[6][7][8] In 1996 it was sold toStagecoach[9] and in 2003 rebrandedStagecoach Devon.
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On 7 August 1987 Western National, was sold to Plympton Coachlines[10] withBadgerline having an initial 39% shareholding, which was increased to 66% in August 1988.[11] Western National was included in the June 1995 merger of Badgerline withGRT Group to formFirstBus.[12][13]
North Devon and Southern National were jointly sold to their management on 29 March 1988.[14][15] On 4 April 1999, both were sold toFirstGroup.[16][17] First split Southern National into two, the Dorset operations became part ofFirst Hampshire & Dorset, and the Somerset operations part ofFirst Somerset & Avon. The North Devon operations were combined with those of First Western National to formFirst Devon & Cornwall.
Media related toWestern National Omnibus Company at Wikimedia Commons
