Descriptive Guide to the Omnibus Services operated by the Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd : Maidstone : E. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd. : nd [c.1930]

During the inter-war period many of Britain's bus and motor coach operators issued guides to their growing network of routes and destinations. As was the case with many "official" handbooks and guides many of these were produced on their behalf by the Cheltenham based publisher E. J. Burrow & Co. Ltd. who complied the text and images, often including map of the routes, and adverts for local concerns who may benefit from the trade of prospective passengers and customers.

 

This "official descriptive guide to the omnibus services through the Garden of England, West Kent and East Sussex" was issued by the Maidstone & District Motor Services Ltd., a company whose origins dated back to 1908 when the motor bus was truly in its infancy. In fact, the enterprise was so much in the early days that the original concern failed and was purchased and re-registered as M&D in 1911. The burgeoning transport empire, the British Electric Traction, took a holding in M&D in 1913 whilst rivals Tilling also acquired a holding in 1921 helping to give the concern capital to grow at a time when motor buses and coaches were technologically rapidly developing, allowing a growth in the routes and destinations operated by such companies. As can be seen M&D expanded across the west of Kent and down into East Sussex covering countryside and seaside along with 'express coach services' to and from London.

 

Carefully not dated, so as to preclude appearing 'out of date', the guide is likely to be c.1930 as; the London services are still serving Lupus St bus station in Pimlico and these would transfer to the new Victoria Coach Station in 1932 but the company's head office is given as Knightrider House that opened in 1928.

Done