A tram of Swindon Corporation Tramways in 1911

Buses in Swindon have been the major method of public transport in the region since the beginning of the 20th century. Introduced in 1927 and replacing the tram system in 1929, the area is now served by numerous operators.

History

Swindon Corporation was the local council formed by the 1901 Municipal Borough charter, and Swindon Corporation Tramways started to operate electric trams in 1904.

Motor-bus operation started in 1927 and two years later all the trams were replaced by this form of transport. In 1942 Swindon became one of the first authorities to take delivery of the "Arab" made by Guy Motors.[1] One of these, No. 51 (DHR 192), is now preserved at RAF Wroughton near Swindon which is an Annex of the National Museum of Science and Industry and open to the public on certain days of the year.

On local government re-organisation in the early 1970s the name was changed to Thamesdown Transport. Following a sale to the Go-Ahead Group in February 2017, it was rebranded Swindon's Bus Company.

Rural and inter-urban bus services around Swindon were mainly operated by Bristol Tramways (later known as Bristol Omnibus Company), which established a branch in Swindon in 1921. Bristol became part of the National Bus Company, and in 1983 the Swindon branch was transferred to a new company, Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company, operating in Swindon under the name Swindon and District. Cheltenham & Gloucester was sold to its management in 1986, and absorbed into the Stagecoach Group as Stagecoach in Swindon in 1993.

Bus station and Fleming Way

Original bus station

A bus stop in Fleming Way

Before 1966 Swindon had no bus station, and buses departed from street stops in and around Regent Circus. The first bus station was opened in 1966 on the site of the tram station in Corporation Street. Following expansion it eventually took up most of the land between Manchester Road and Fleming Way. The site was redeveloped in the 1980s on construction of the current facility, with the bus station replaced by office accommodation now used by Zurich Financial Services.

Existing bus station

The current bus station was constructed in the 1980s, adjacent to the former site of Thamesdown Transport's garages. It predominantly acts as a terminus for buses serving destinations outside of the Swindon urban area or non-frequent services. It is also used as a coach station, with services by National Express, Megabus and international services leaving from here.

Thamesdown Transport's original Corporation Street office

Redevelopment

Thamesdown's depot in 2007, now used by Swindon's Bus Company

In 2004, Swindon Borough Council announced the proposed redevelopment of the town centre area including the bus station.[2] Thamesdown Transport moved from their Corporation Street home to a new facility at Barnfield in 2005,[3] with the land earmarked for conversion to commercial properties. As well as town centre offices, the project also makes provision for housing, shops, cafes and restaurants.[4] The plans would lead to the demolition of all buildings in this area, including the current bus station, with a replacement to be built along Fleming Way.[5]

In 2015, a multi-storey carpark adjacent to the bus station was demolished as part of this scheme.[6] The former Stagecoach Bus Depot on Eastcott Road was approved for development as a housing site in 2018.[7] The final stage of work in the Fleming Way area began in 2022, with the new bus station due to open in 2024.[8]

Operators

Coachstyle

Coachstyle provides services to Royal Wootton Bassett, Malmesbury and Yate from the bus station.

Megabus

Megabus provide low-cost bus services to Cheltenham, Gloucester and London from a stop adjacent to the Sainsbury’s superstore at Stratton.

National Express

National Express provide nationwide coach travel from the bus station.

Stagecoach West

Stagecoach West operate in West and North Swindon and in rural areas. Two routes are branded as Stagecoach Gold services with higher specification buses: the S6 to Oxford via Shrivenham and Faringdon, and the 55 to Chippenham via Calne.[9]

Swindon's Bus Company

Swindon's Bus Company operate the majority of Swindon's urban services and school buses. They also provide employee services for Nationwide, having 3 bus routes (the N1, the NW2 and the NW3), with all of the routes serving the headquarters of Nationwide. Services terminate at both the bus station and Fleming Way, although with Fleming Way now being shut, the bus services that used to terminate at Fleming Way now terminate at the Bus Station.

Salisbury Reds

Salisbury Reds operate the X5 service to Marlborough, Pewsey, Amesbury and Salisbury which runs hourly from the bus station.

Ticketing

The majority of tickets purchased on Swindon's Bus Company and Stagecoach West services are honoured by both operators.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Swindon Corporation". Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  2. ↑ "Plans for New Swindon unveiled". Swindon Report. swindonweb.com. 2004. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  3. ↑ "Thamesdown Transport unveil modern new bus depot". swindonoffice.com. 2005. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  4. ↑ "Second piece of New Swindon Jigsaw falls into place". Swindon Report. swindonweb.com. 2004. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  5. ↑ CB Richard Ellis Limited. "The Exchange" (PDF). New life for New Swindon. The New Swindon Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2006. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  6. ↑ "Swindon car park demolition starts new phase of regeneration". BBC News: Wiltshire. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  7. ↑ "Swindon parish backs revised Stagecoach depot housing plans". This is Wiltshire. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Molnar, Hannah (31 August 2022). "Fleming Way to close until 2024 for major redevelopment". Wiltshire Live. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Stagecoach Gold". Stagecoach. Stagecoach. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
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