Your
Bus was a trading name of Smiths Coaches (Shenington)
Ltd who were also known as Smiths of Tysoe. The Company
was based on the Arden Forest Industrial Estate in
Alcester in Warwickshire. The Your Bus network of bus
services started on 30th November 1987 when a 50Y
service introduced. This ran every 20 minutes in
competition with the West Midlands Travel’s route 50
between Druids Heath and Birmingham City Centre via
Alcester Road using second hand Daimler Fleetline double
deck buses purchased from Greater Manchester Buses. The
company adopted the orange brown and white livery these
vehicles arrived in as their fleet colours for the bus
operation and uniquely added a Y to the end of all it’s
bus service numbers. To get buses to and from the West
Midlands and Alcester the Company introduced placing
journeys initially just at peak times, which ran the
most direct way via the A435 and thus bypassing
Redditch.
On
3rd September 1988 a peak hour 51Y service of 3 journeys
each way was introduced that diverted via Redditch New
Town when it ran between Alcester and Birmingham. This
service ran until 13th January 1992 when the service was
withdrawn. The Company also introduced a 47Y on 31st
October 1998 which was also a way of getting buses to
and from the West Midland that ran via Redditch New Town
It however accessed Birmingham via West Heath and the
Pershore Road. This service was renumbered 45Y on 28th
October 1989 and was finally withdrawn on the 13th
January 1992. This brought to an end the brief operation
of Your Bus in Redditch. As a Company Your Bus continued
to develop services in south Birmingham and Solihull
over the next few years and invested heavily in new
single deck vehicles. During 1993 the Company was taken
over by West Midlands Travel’s parent Company National
Express who continued to run it as a separate
subsidiary. The operating Centre was soon moved to
Miller Street in Birmingham where the coaching interests
of West Midlands Travel under the Central Coachways
trading name were absorbed. Following a group
restructuring that was introduced on 4th February 2001
the Your Bus services were absorbed into the main
Company which by now was trading as Travel West
Midlands. This ended the Your Bus operation. The Central
Coachways name and some contract work was sold to
Flights Coaches.