Southern National

Southern National was a bus company operating in South West England from 1929 to 1969, and again from 1983 to 1999.

Southern National Omnibus Company Ltd started in 1929 as a joint venture between the Southern Railway and the National Omnibus & Transport Company. The National company had originated in 1909 as the National Steam Car Company, started to run steam bus services in London. The London services ceased in 1919, when the company was renamed National Omnibus and Transport Company. The company expanded outside London, in Essex (1913), Bedfordshire (1919), Gloucestershire (1919), Somerset (1920), Dorset (1921) and Devon and Cornwall (1927).

Southern National was formed to improve co-ordination of road and rail passenger services in the operating area of the Southern Railway. The railway had very little involvement in bus services, but the National Omnibus transferred its operations in the operating area to the new company. The result was an operating territory split into two areas: Dorset (based at Weymouth) and north Devon and north Cornwall (based at Barnstaple). The two areas were separated by the operating territories of Devon General and Western National.

In 1931 a controlling interest in the National Omnibus was acquired by the Tilling Group. From then on Southern National was run as a Tilling company, although the railway retained its shares until 1948. Western National and Southern National shared a common management, based in Exeter.

At the end of 1934, Western National and Southern National bought Royal Blue Coach Services.

In 1948 the Southern Railway was nationalised, and shortly after the Tilling Group sold its bus interests to the government. Southern National therfore became a state-owned company, under the control of the British Transport Commission. In 1962 Southern National was passed to the state-owned Transport Holding Company, then in 1969 to the state-owned National Bus Company.

Shortly after its formation, the NBC transferred the operations of Southern National to Western National, so that Southern National ceased to exist as an operating entity.

14 years later, the Southern National name was revived for one of the four companies into which Western National was divided in preparation for privatisation. The territory of the new Southern National Ltd was the old Southern National Dorset area together with the south and west Somerset area, which had not previously been Southern National territory.

In 1988 the new Southern National was sold to its management, who sold it to First Group in 1999. First split Southern National into two: the Dorset operations became part of First Hampshire & Dorset, and the Somerset operations part of First Somerset & Avon. The Southern National name again fell into disuse.

As a postscript, the original legal entity, Southern National Omnibus Company Ltd (incorporated in 1929), was recycled by the National Bus Company in 1986, renamed Northumbria Motor Services Ltd and used as one of the companies into which United Automobile Services was divided in preparation for privatisation. It is now Arriva Northumbria Ltd. [ [http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/ Companes House webcheck] Company number 237558]

References

* Morris, C (2007) "Southern National Omnibus Company" Ian Allan ISBN 978-0711031739