GWR road motor services

They learnt that the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway had been forced by local officialdom to cease using the two buses on their pioneering connection to Ilfracombe and so the GWR bought them to operate a Helston service.

Smaller numbers of vehicles were also supplied by Dennis, Dürkopp, Straker-Squire, and Wolseley, as well as a few Clarkson 20 hp steam buses.

Later buses were obtained from AEC, Chevrolet, Daimler, Guy, Leyland, Maudslay, Thornycroft, and a few from Burford, Clement-Talbot, Crossley, Ford, Gilford, Graham Dodge, International, Lancia, Morris, Overland BMT and Vauxhall.

For tourist excursions, vehicles – known as "Jersey Cars" – were open, with seats arranged in tiers so that passengers sitting at the back could see over the heads of those in front.

In 1922 services were introduced from Penzance through St Buryan to Lands End and various villages in the area.

Moretonhampstead railway station was a focal point for tours on Dartmoor, and a regular service to Chagford ran from 9 April 1906 until 31 December 1928.

Other routes in the area ran from Bovey railway station to Newton Abbot and tourist spots such as Widecombe-in-the-Moor and Haytor.

Some steam buses were tried at Highbridge railway station to work a Burnham-on-Sea to Cheddar service during 1905.

Services were run in Weston-super-Mare along the sea front to the Old Pier and Sand Point, and up the hill to Worlebury.

In the Weymouth area, services started in 1905 jointly with the London and South Western Railway.

Other routes could be found at Banbury, Frome, Hungerford, Maidenhead, Marlborough, Newbury, Swindon, and Wantage.

Companies involved were the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company (Midland Red – 1 January 1930), City of Oxford Motor Services (28 February 1930), Thames Valley Traction (1 January 1931), although some of those at Slough went to London General Country Services on 10 April 1932.

Routes radiated from many stations, including Aberavon, Abergavenny, Aberystwyth, Brecon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Corwen, Neath, Newcastle Emlyn, New Quay, Oswestry, and St David's.

Services in south and west Wales transferred to the new Western Welsh Omnibus Company on 1 August 1929, which was half-owned by the railway.