Hello Mark In 1955 Hants and Dorset Omnibus Company ran from the bus station in High Street, Lymington, covering journeys to Bournrmouth and Southampton, including many of the New Forest villages. They were the only buses running a stage service at that time. Stage routes are those where a bus has a regular timetable and stops along their route. Hants and Dorset's Head Office was, I believe, at Bournrmouth. Other bus companies mentioned, Shamrock and Rambler, Royal Blue, were coach operators, not stage buses. I worked for Shamrock and Rambler, who started Charlies Cars in Bournemouth in 1987. They stopped trading in 1989. Their Head Office was in Bournemouth. Royal Blue Coaches was started by an ancestor of my first wife and was also based in Bournemouth. Southdown Motor Company, based in Portsmouth, ran the routes East of Hampshire and into Sussex and Surrey. The furthest West they ran was to Southampton. Bus companies and routes at that time were very strictly controlled by the Traffic Commissioners. Buses had to carry a conductor, One Man Operation, or OMO's, did not enter service until the late 1960's. A person joined the bus company as a conductor, would spend several years learning the routes and then take his (very stiff) Public Service Vehicle Class 1 driving test to qualify as a bus Driver. A PSV1 entitled a person to drive a double-decker bus "for hire or reward" and take fare-paying passengers. The lesser qualification of a PSV111 (three) was for coach drivers. I do not know what a PSV11 might have been for. Hope this is helpful Colyn. ----- Original Message ----- From: "mark ware" <[email protected]> > Hi all, > > I have a relative Leonard Horace ROOK, who died in Lymington in 1955 and > whose occupation was listed as bus driver. As he was 68 when he died I am > assuming that he was retired, but, does anybody know who he might have > driven for and if so is there anyway in which I might be able to find any > records for him? > > Many thanks > > Mark

Also Wilts and Dorset operated out of Lymington on what I believe was a staged service to Salisbury. And I think a PSVII comes under a Group II Licence for people with Diabetes these days but not sure exactly what it was back then. I know I had HGV I which covered all weights for articulated trucks, and there was HGV II and III But PSV was a different categorising, PSV III is for minibus drivers whereas coach drivers come under PSVII I think Colyn Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Colyn Blundell" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 3:57 AM Subject: Re: [ENG-HANTS] Old Lymington Bus Companies Hello Mark In 1955 Hants and Dorset Omnibus Company ran from the bus station in High Street, Lymington, covering journeys to Bournrmouth and Southampton, including many of the New Forest villages. They were the only buses running a stage service at that time. Stage routes are those where a bus has a regular timetable and stops along their route. Hants and Dorset's Head Office was, I believe, at Bournrmouth. Other bus companies mentioned, Shamrock and Rambler, Royal Blue, were coach operators, not stage buses. I worked for Shamrock and Rambler, who started Charlies Cars in Bournemouth in 1987. They stopped trading in 1989. Their Head Office was in Bournemouth. Royal Blue Coaches was started by an ancestor of my first wife and was also based in Bournemouth. Southdown Motor Company, based in Portsmouth, ran the routes East of Hampshire and into Sussex and Surrey. The furthest West they ran was to Southampton. Bus companies and routes at that time were very strictly controlled by the Traffic Commissioners. Buses had to carry a conductor, One Man Operation, or OMO's, did not enter service until the late 1960's. A person joined the bus company as a conductor, would spend several years learning the routes and then take his (very stiff) Public Service Vehicle Class 1 driving test to qualify as a bus Driver. A PSV1 entitled a person to drive a double-decker bus "for hire or reward" and take fare-paying passengers. The lesser qualification of a PSV111 (three) was for coach drivers. I do not know what a PSV11 might have been for. Hope this is helpful Colyn.