Midland Red

Midland Red

Company type	Bus operator
Industry	Public transport, Bus manufacturing
Founded	1904
Founder	Local entrepreneurs (initial), later British Electric Traction (BET)
Defunct	1981
Fate	Split into six companies in 1981
Headquarters	Smethwick , England, UK
Area served	English Midlands (Gloucester to Derbyshire, Northampton to Welsh frontier)
Key people	LG Wyndham Shire (Chief Engineer)
Products	Bus services, Bus manufacturing
Parent	British Electric Traction (initially), later National Bus Company (from 1969)

Midland Red was a prominent bus operator serving the English Midlands from 1905 until 1981, with routes spanning a broad region from Gloucester to Derbyshire and stretching from Northampton to the Welsh frontier. The firm was also engaged in manufacturing its own buses.

Beginnings

In 1899, British Electric Traction (BET) purchased the Birmingham General Omnibus Company, which had originally been created to unify horse-drawn bus services within Birmingham. To distinguish its fleet, BET introduced buses painted in red in 1900. By 1902, BET had also taken over the City of Birmingham Tramways Company, an operator of both horse buses and trams.

The Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Company (BMMO) was founded by local entrepreneurs in November 1904 with the aim of providing motor bus services. When they struggled to attract sufficient investment, BET assumed control and transferred its horse bus operations to BMMO in 1905, along with acquiring a motor bus business established in 1903. BMMO commenced services in July 1905 but encountered technical difficulties that led to a temporary return to horse-drawn buses by 1907.

By 1912, BMMO had invested in petrol-electric buses manufactured by Tilling-Stevens, expanding its motorized fleet so that only 17 horse-drawn buses remained by mid-1913. The company adopted the red livery inherited from Birmingham General and marketed its fleet under the "Midland" name, which eventually earned it the nickname Midland Red.

Growth beyond Birmingham

By 1912, the Birmingham Corporation Tramways had acquired ownership of all local tramways within the city and sought to integrate bus and tram operations. With limited potential for growth inside Birmingham, BMMO agreed to operate routes entering the city from outside areas while transferring its inner-city services to the corporation. Subsequently, the company expanded its coverage beyond Birmingham and moved its headquarters to Bearwood, located in Smethwick.

During World War I, Midland Red took over BET’s operations in Worcester and other towns. After the war, it opened depots in locations including Walsall, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Hereford, Stafford, Banbury, Bromsgrove, Shrewsbury, Nuneaton, Leamington Spa, and Leicester. Throughout the 1920s, tramways owned by BET in the Black Country were progressively replaced by Midland Red’s bus services.

In 1930, ownership of Midland Red was shared equally between the Great Western Railway and the London Midland & Scottish Railway. The limited bus routes operated by GWR in the region were subsequently transferred to Midland Red.

Coach operations

Midland Red began operating express coach routes in 1921, initially running services to destinations such as Weston-super-Mare and Llandudno. These coach services expanded over time, and in 1934 Midland Red became a founding participant in the Associated Motorways consortium.

Coach operations diminished during World War II but experienced growth once again afterward. Following the inauguration of the M1 motorway in 1959, Midland Red introduced direct express coach services between Birmingham and London, later extending these routes to include Coventry. To support these developments, it created Britain’s first fleet of high-speed coaches—ten vehicles constructed at its Edgbaston workshops—capable of reaching speeds up to . The opening of the M5 motorway facilitated express coach connections between Birmingham and Worcester.

Nationalisation

After the railways were nationalised under the Transport Act 1947, Midland Red became half-owned by the state. In 1968, BET divested its UK bus operations to the government, and on 1 January 1969, Midland Red emerged as the largest subsidiary within the National Bus Company (NBC), adopting NBC's signature corporate poppy red color scheme.

In 1973, most garages and routes located in the West Midlands—with the exceptions of Digbeth Coach Station, Bearwood, and Cradley Heath—were transferred to the Passenger Transport Authority. Consequently, Midland Red concentrated on rural and local services primarily across Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire, alongside its express route offerings.

Rebranding

Starting in 1977, following comprehensive passenger surveys, Midland Red underwent a rebranding initiative under the Viable Network Project (later renamed the Market Analysis Project), which gained widespread acceptance throughout NBC and the broader bus sector. This strategy involved creating distinct local area brands for each network, including:

Breakup

On 6 September 1981, Midland Red was segmented into six separate companies:

• Midland Red East, rebranded as Midland Fox in January 1984: covering operations in Leicestershire, south Derbyshire, and east Staffordshire (including Lancer and Leicester divisions)
• Midland Red North: serving Shropshire, south Staffordshire, and northern parts of West Midlands (encompassing Chaserider, Hotspur, Mercian, Tellus operations)
• Midland Red South: operating within Warwickshire and northern Oxfordshire (including Avonbus, Hunter, Leamington & Warwick, Ridercross, Rugby services)
• Midland Red West covering Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and southern/eastern West Midlands (comprising Reddibus, Severnlink, Wandaward, Wayfarer, Wendaway operations)
• Midland Red Express, later renamed Midland Red Coaches: responsible for central coach and express services; this division merged into Midland Red West in 1984
• Midland Red Engineering, subsequently Carlyle Works: operating as the central engineering workshops located at Carlyle Road, Edgbaston

Privatisation

During the privatisation process of the National Bus Company, the various subsidiaries were divested as follows:

• Midland Fox, previously known as Midland Red East, underwent a management buyout on 18 August 1987. Subsequently, the operations at the Swadlincote depot were acquired by Stevensons of Uttoxeter. Eventually, these entities were consolidated under Arriva Fox County, a branch of Arriva Midlands.
• On 27 January 1988, Midland Red North was transferred to the Drawlane Transport Group. This entity later became part of Drawlane's sale to British Bus, which was eventually absorbed into the Cowie Group. It currently functions within Arriva Midlands.
• Midland Red South was sold on 10 December 1987 to Western Travel Limited, owners of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company. Today, it operates as part of both Stagecoach West and Stagecoach Midlands, with Midland Red (South) Ltd. serving as the legal name for Stagecoach Midlands.
• Midland Red West was divested on 22 December 1986 through a management buyout led by managing director Ken Mills to Midland West Holdings, which simultaneously acquired Midland Red Coaches. Presently, it forms part of First Midland Red, maintaining a single depot in Worcester. The Kidderminster and Redditch branches were sold to Rotala, and operations in Hereford were discontinued.
• Carlyle Works, formerly known as Midland Red Engineering, was sold to Frontsource Limited, which specialized in acquiring engineering divisions from multiple National Bus Companies. The facility ceased operations in October 1991.

Bus manufacture

The company introduced its initial batch of Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric vehicles in 1912, with Tilling-Stevens becoming the principal supplier of bus chassis. Under Chief Engineer LG Wyndham Shire’s leadership, these designs were modified and enhanced, ultimately leading to the development of proprietary bus models.

Between 1923 and 1969, BMMO produced the majority of its own buses. Models manufactured before 1940 carried the SOS designation (believed to stand for Superior Omnibus Specification) and were supplied to other British Electric Traction (BET) group operators such as Trent, PMT, and Northern General. After 1940, buses bore the BMMO initials and were built exclusively for the company. Model codes included FEDD (Front Entrance Double Decker), REDD (Rear Entrance Double Decker), while coaches were initially designated "ONC," later reclassified as "C" or "CM" for Motorway coaches.

Postwar single-decker models ranged from S6 through S23; double-deckers spanned D1 to D10. The D10 model—with a front entrance/rear exit layout and underfloor engine—is widely considered BMMO’s design peak, although only two units were produced. Exceptions such as AD2, GD6, and LD8 referred to batches from AEC, Guy, and Leyland acquired during periods of high demand. Bus fleet numbers typically ranged between 2000 and 5900 with registration codes associated with Smethwick ("HA"). This numbering excluded buses obtained through operator acquisitions.

Production, maintenance, and refurbishment took place at Carlyle Works, located near Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham, adjacent to BMMO’s Vernon Road headquarters.

Historical register of Midland Red depots

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• Banbury, Canal Street – [BY]
• Bearwood, Bearwood Road – (Ceased operations 1973) – [BD]
• Birmingham, Digbeth Coach Station – [DH]. Utilized by Midland Red West for West Midlands PTE services.
• Birmingham, Sheepcote Street, Five Ways (Transferred to WMPTE) – (Closed 1975) – [SH]
• Birmingham, Tennant Street (Handed over to Birmingham Corporation in 1914)
• Bishops Castle, Midland Red West satellite facility
• Brierley Hill, Dudley Road [Harts Hill], (Transferred to WMPTE) – (Closed 1993) – [HL]. Previously a tram depot; subsequently demolished
• Bromsgrove, The Strand, Birmingham Road – (Closed 1981) – [BE]
• Cannock, Delta Way. The final depot inaugurated by Midland Red; later served as Midland Red North headquarters (eventually Arriva Midlands North). Sold to D&G Bus operating as 'Chaserider' in autumn 2020.
• Coalville, Ashby Road – (Closed 2011) – [CE]
• Cradley Heath, Forge Lane – (Closed 1977) – [CY]. Currently used for commercial purposes.
• Dudley, Birmingham Road (Transferred to WMPTE) – (Closed 1993) – [DY]. Former tram depot; demolished for bypass construction.
• Evesham, Abbey Road – (Closed 2006) – [EM]
• Heath Hayes, Hednesford Road (previously Harper Brothers) – (Closed 1977)
• Hereford, Friar Street – (Closed 2015) – [HD]. Operations now managed by independent companies.
• Hinckley, Lower Coventry Road – (Closed 1979) – [HY]
• Kidderminster, KDL&T depot (currently Tram Road), originally a tram depot
• Kidderminster, New Road – (Closed 2001) – [KR]. Services transferred to Diamond Bus in 2013.
• Kineton, Brookhampton Road (formerly Stratford Blue)
• Leamington Spa, Old Warwick Road – (Closed 1980) – [LN]
• Leamington Spa, Myton Road – (Closed 1991)
• Leicester, Southgate Street – (Closed 2009) – [SS]
• Leicester, Sandacre Street – (Closed 1996) – [SA]
• Lichfield, Trent Valley Road (currently utilized by Staffordshire County Highways Department) – [LD]
• Ludlow, Weeping Cross Lane – (Closed 1983) – [LW]
• Malvern, Portland Road – (Ceased operations 1954)
• Malvern Link, Spring Lane – (Closed 1976) – [MN]
• Market Harborough, formerly N&S depot – (Closed 2005)
• Markfield, Shaw Lane, previously Brown's Blue Coaches Ltd – (Closed 1968)
• Nuneaton, Coton Road – (Ceased operations 1960)
• Nuneaton, Newtown Road – [NN]
• Oldbury, Birchley Crossing (Transferred to WMPTE) – (Closed 1975) – [OY]
• Redditch, Church Road – (Closed 2004) – [RH]. Services sold to Diamond Bus in 2013.
• Rugby, Railway Terrace – [RY]
• Shrewsbury, Ditherington – (Closed 2012) – [SY]. Transferred to Arriva Midlands; site redeveloped.
• Stourbridge, Foster Street (Transferred to WMPTE) – (Closed 1985) – [SE]. Demolished and replaced with a car dealership.
• Stafford, Pilgrim Place, Newport Road – (Closed 1992) – [SD]
• Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Road (formerly Stratford Blue) – (Ceased operations 1990). Currently a commercial tyre facility.
• Sutton Coldfield, Upper Holland Road (Transferred to WMPTE) – (Closed 1984) – [SN]. Demolished for residential development.
• Swadlincote, Midland Road – Demolished in 2010; site redeveloped for housing. [SW]
• Tamworth, Watling Street, Twogates (Reliant works) – [TH]. Now replaced by housing development.
• Tamworth, Aldergate
• Warwick, Emscote Road (formerly L&WT Co Ltd) – Closed in 1957
• Wellington, Charlton Street – Shut down in 2012; replaced by a new Arriva Midlands depot located in Telford. [WL]
• Wigston, Station Street, South Wigston – [WS]
• Wolverhampton, Bilston Street – Closed in 1964; situated opposite the former Wolverhampton Corporation depot.
• Wolverhampton, Dudley Road – Ceased operations in 1971; later used by Travel Express Ltd ("Let's Go"). [WN]
• Worcester, East Street and Padmore Street

Additional short-term facilities included sites at Birmingham Ladywood Road; Coventry Sandy Lane; Cradley GWR station yard; Halesowen Mucklow Hill GWR yard; Hereford Bridge Street; Kingswinford The Portway; Leicester Frog Island, Hastings Road and Welford Road; Nuneaton Burgage Walk and Heath End Road; Sedgley WDET Co depot; Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate and Roushill; Stafford Co-operative Street; Wellington Mansell Street.

Timeline

• 1904: BMMO established.
• 1905: Commencement of initial services.
• 1914–1920: Rapid growth extending beyond Birmingham to cover the Midlands extensively.
• 1920s: Introduction of long-distance coach journeys utilizing charabanc vehicles.
• 1923: Production of the first BMMO bus, the SOS 'S' type, notable as one of the earliest British buses fitted with pneumatic tyres.
• 1927: Launch of the 'QL' bus, the first Midland Red model equipped with brakes on every wheel.
• 1930s: Progress in petrol and diesel engine technology; development of experimental buses with rear engines.
• 1940s: Start of manufacturing single-deck buses featuring under-floor engines.
• 1950s: Implementation of integral chassis construction, independent front suspension, air and rubber suspension systems, fiberglass bodies, and disc brakes.
• 1958: Introduction of the D9 half-cab double-decker incorporating significant 1950s technological advancements.
• 1959: Release of the CM5T turbocharged coach designed for non-stop motorway routes; launch of Birmingham-London express service aligned with the opening of the M1 motorway. The CM5T code signifies motorway capability ('M') and onboard toilet facilities ('T').
• 1960: Presentation of experimental D10 double-deckers featuring under-floor engines.
• 1963: Inauguration of one of the UK's earliest fully enclosed city centre bus stations at Birmingham's Bull Ring, consolidating Midland Red operations.
• 1960s: Deployment of larger CM6T motorway coaches (1963–66); Midland Red becomes a pioneer in employing large-scale computer systems for scheduling and staff management.
• 1970s: Cessation of vehicle manufacturing; last Midland Red-built bus (S23 single-decker no. 5991) completed in 1970; operational territory divided with West Midlands PTE assuming metropolitan depots.
• 1980s: Midland Red segmented into five operational companies plus an engineering division, leading to privatisation through management buy-outs.
• 1990s: Acquisition by major transport groups, resulting in integration within larger corporate entities.

See also

• The Transport Museum, Wythall

Further reading

• Anderson, R.C. A History of The Midland Red. Newton Abbot: David and Charles (1984).
• Gray, P. Midland Red (Vol.1) – A history of the company and its vehicles up to 1940. Glossop: Transport Publishing Company (1978).
• Gray, P. Midland Red (Vol.2) – A history of the company and its vehicles from 1940–1970. Glossop: Transport Publishing Company (1979).
• Greenwood, M. The Heyday of Midland Red. Hersham: Ian Allan (2005).
• Keeley, M. Midland Red. London: Ian Allan (1983).
• Keeley, M. Midland Red – Working Days. Hersham: Ian Allan, in conjunction with the Transport Museum, Wythall (2008).
• Richards, S. More Room on Top – Midland Red: The BMMO D9 and D10. Steve Richards (2012).
• Torode, R. and Keeley, M. Midland Red Style. London: Capital Transport (2011).

External links

• Flickr gallery
• MidlandRed.net
• Extensive collection of preserved Midland Red buses and coaches Transport Museum, Wythall
• Black Country Living Museum – custodian of preserved BMMO D9 bus, fleet number 5342