Shropshire Routes to Roots

4. Regulated growth: 1931 to 1939

1930 Road Traffic Act

The effects of the 1930 Road Traffic Act were profound. Both large and small operators were now closely controlled in terms of the routes that they could run on, the vehicles that they could use and the competencies of their drivers and conductors. A system of compulsory route licensing introduced in 1931 lasted without significantly change until 1980. The regional traffic commissioners made the decisions in a quasi-judicial way in road traffic courts. This legislation had the effect of consolidating the status quo and reducing competition. It did, however, create a stable environment in which services could be run economically and safely. Operators who held road service licenses for particular routes could invest in vehicles and infrastructure on a longer term basis. The industry prospered and became mature. In many cases bigger operators absorbed the road service licences of smaller concerns, especially in the areas around Shrewsbury and Oswestry. The exceptions to this trend were in the East Shropshire coalfield where independent operators combined to run collaboratively on busy routes through the organisation of the Shropshire Omnibus Association and in the sparsely populated rural enclaves where it was easier for local people to provide a basic service into nearby market towns.

Better services

From 1931 to 1939 works services greatly increased as more people chose to live in suburbs or in the countryside and commute to work. As the momentum towards rearmament increased, many construction workers were bussed to new airfield sites such as at Tern Hill or Cosford, or to new army camps, as at Nesscliffe. More scholars were travelling to secondary schools in towns, especially those who had secured places in grammar schools. Many people chose to travel at evenings or weekends for pleasure. Long distance coaches offered a slower but cheaper alternative to trains and holiday makers were able to travel conveniently to seaside resorts in the summer by coach from near to their home.

The Square in Shrewsbury was used before the bus station moved to Barker Street Larger image, in a new window [25kb] [Shropshire Archive reference: PC/S/12/S/5]

The reliability and comfort of vehicles improved massively, though average speeds remained relatively slow. Some train services were threatened. The Bishop's Castle Railway was the first to close in 1935. The Great Western Railway tried to fight back by building additional halts to make rail services more convenient. This golden age for the bus and coach industry was brought to a shattering halt by the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939.

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