On Friday 1st June 1928, the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) commenced operation of a new network of local bus routes in the City of Worcester. This network replaced the electric tramway network that ceased operation on the previous day, and was introduced as part of the historic “Worcester Agreement”, in which BMMO oversaw and operated local bus routes in Worcester on behalf of the local authority.
The new Worcester bus network was the first of many area networks to be introduced by BMMO carrying a letter prefix on route numbers to denote the area, with Worcester route numbers having a “W”-prefix. To operate this new network, BMMO moved a fleet of approximately thirty new SOS “QL” buses to the city. The existing Worcester (East Street) depot could not accommodate all these, so a former factory in Padmore Street was acquired and converted for bus operation.
Index of Worcester local network routes operated at formation on Friday 1st June 1928.
New Routes introduced by between 1928 and 1940
New Routes introduced by between 1940 and 1950
New Routes introduced by between 1950 and 1960
The Worcester agreement came to an end on Tuesday 1st September 1959, but this did not trigger any large changes to the local Worcester network, which continued to evolve from the original 1928 network.
New Routes introduced between 1960 and the network replacement on Saturday 14th February 1976
The National Bus Company (NBC) was formed on Wednesday 1st January 1969, with BMMO being a founding member. Now under government control BMMO saw significant changes throughout the 1970s, notably with the company selling depots in Birmingham to West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) on Monday 3rd December 1973, and renaming to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on Friday 29th March 1974. In Worcester, on Saturday 14th February 1976, the existing local bus network was “revised and improved”, which effectively saw the whole network withdrawn and replaced with a new network with heavy emphasises on cross-city connections. The “W”-prefix route number were once again used, but this time they were in the ranges W32–W37 and W53–W57, with only Service W37 remaining unchanged. The new local bus network in Worcester was run exclusively (almost *4) with one-man operated Leyland National single-deck buses, replacing the BMMO-built single-deck and Daimler Fleetline double-deck buses that had previously been used.
The Worcester local bus network continued to operate with “W”-prefix route numbers until Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) ceased trading as a bus and coach operator in 1981, although there had been further significant changes with the introduction of the “Severlink” MAP Scheme on Saturday 13th January 1979. The network was then passed to Midland Red (West) Limited, who also used “W”-prefix route numbers until the introduction of a new minibus network in 1985.
*1 Route later changed or extended, terminus locations shown are at the time the route was first introduced.
*2 Service W17 was withdrawn in January 1958 only to be reinstated over a similar route in November 1958.
*3 Exact route for Service W35 is unclear, please see the information page for that route for more details.
*4 New Service W34 remained crew operated for a short time after the changes came into effect.
Worcester's horse-drawn tramway network started operating on Monday 18th February 1884 with three routes. One of these operated between Worcester City Centre (The Cross), Foregate Street, Barbourne, and Ombersley Road, to a terminus at The Vine Inn, near the junction with Vine Street.
A fleet of new single-deck omnibuses operated by Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) replaced the entire tramway network from Friday 1st June 1928. As part of this network, new Service W1 directly replaced the Worcester City Centre to Ombersley Road tramway route, and continued past the tram terminus by approximately 200 metres to a new bus terminus at the junction of Ombersley Road and Checkett's Lane. Fares from the City Centre were 1d. as far as St George's Square or 1½d. to the terminus at Checkett's Lane.
Buses on Service W1 ran every ten minutes on weekdays between 07:05 and 23:05. On Saturdays, buses ran during the same hours but the frequency was increased between 11:12 and 22:24 to run every eight minutes. Buses also ran on Sundays, starting at 10:00 running every twenty minutes, with the frequency increasing to every ten minutes between 13:55 and 22:25. The last journey on a Sunday departed The Cross at 22:45. Journey times were ten minutes in each direction throughout the day.
As this route directly replaced a former tramways route it was protected under the terms of the Worcester Agreement, and thus could not be changed or withdrawn without the consent of the Worcester Corporation (local authority). All ticket receipts from the service passed to the Corporation with BMMO keeping 3d. per mile to cover their operating cost.
By 1938, Service W1 has been extended to terminate at Green Lane, with the first departure from Worcester City Centre at 06:52 each morning, Monday to Saturday, or 09:58 on Sunday. Buses ran every 8 to 10-minutes throughout the day, or every 20-minutes on Sunday. The last departures in the evening were between 23:05 and 23:08.
From September 1959, the local Worcester bus network was no longer subject to the controls imposed under the terms of the Worcester Agreement, and BMMO had more freedom to change and upgrade the routes. In c. 1967, Service W1 was merged with Service W6 to become a cross-city route. The newly merged route continued to use route number W1 and ran every 12 to 15-minutes Monday to Saturday, or every 30-minutes Sunday, between Ombersley Road (Green Lane), Worcester City Centre, and London Road.
By 1972, the frequency of Service W1 had reduced to run every 15-minutes during the day and every 30-minutes during the evening, Monday to Saturday, and hourly on Sunday.
| W | 1 |
| March | 1972 | Ombersley Road ↔ Worcester ↔ London Road |
On Monday 3rd December 1973, Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited (BMMO—Midland “Red” Motor Services) sold a number of depots in the Birmingham area, and the operations of those depots, to the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE). As a result of this, the company renamed to Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) on Friday 29th March 1974. Service W1 continued to operate a cross-city route between Ombersley Road, Worcester City Centre, and London Road after the company name change.
On Saturday 14th February 1976, Midland Red Omnibus Company Limited (MROC) introduced “revised and improved” changes to the Worcester City local bus network, running with one-man operated Leyland National single-deck buses. Only one route survived these changes unchanged, so in effect it was an entirely new network. At this time, Service W1 was withdrawn and replaced by new Service W32 and Service W33. These both ran between Ombersley Road and London Road, but then continued via Liverpool Road and Newtown Road to Ronkswood and the City Centre. From the City Centre, they then ran to Dines Green with Service W32 running an anti-clockwise loop via Oldbury Road and Tudor Way, and Service W33 terminating at Spenser Road.