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when the service was withdrawn.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withdrawn on the 13th January 1992.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.