History

This history falls into two distinct parts – the original ‘country’ route started by East Surrey Traction Co and the later Arriva route taken over (in part) by TfL.

The country route

East Surrey Traction Co Ltd had been formed in Reigate in 1911, first reaching northwards with a route from Redhill to Epsom in June 1920 (later the 406). In November 1921, another new route (later the 408) was introduced from Epsom to Guildford.

On 8 April 1925, East Surrey introduced route 408S (Leatherhead to Guildford via the ‘lower road’, Fetcham, Bookham Station and Horsley Station). The 408S started as a one-bus operation using a 16-seat Garford, new in 1920, soon replaced by a 28-seat solid-tyred AEC YC single-decker (pending delivery of new larger buses, and in contravention of the local authority agreement that had specified pneumatic tyres). On 17 November 1925, the route was split into two detached sections, with the single-decker on the Horsley Station to Guildford service (later the 432) and a double-decker on the Leatherhead to Effingham section. Both buses were based at Leatherhead garage (LH), which had opened in 1925.

On 4 June 1927, the 408S eastern section was extended to Epsom via Ashtead Pond, renumbered 418 and supplied with new ADC416 single-deckers, further extended to West Ewell in May 1928, to Tolworth Red Lion in April 1930 and in February 1934 reached Kingston Station. In September 1935, the ADCs were replaced by new 4Q4 side-engined single-deckers.

After a temporary wartime extension to Guildford (absorbing the 432), 16 January 1946 saw the Bookham to Kingston 418 double-decked with red STs. A number of later route changes as the area developed included the re-routing via Berrylands from 1 January 1947.

It was the 418 that was the first recipient of RTs in the southern Country Area, desperately needed to replace petrol-engined STs. Eleven roofbox RT3s were received at LH in August/September 1948 and most of the red STs departed.

September 1968 is remembered for the widespread flooding in south London and Surrey from Sunday 16th. The River Mole flooded parts of Leatherhead, including Leatherhead garage, putting many buses out of action. Fourteen red RTs were drafted in for about a week to help cover services, from ten different garages. LH’s RTs returned to service, generally within a week or so. RFs were more severely affected; LOTS recorded that borrowed RFs also appeared on the 418.

The increasing pressures on London Transport through the 1960s are well known. Continuing falls in passenger numbers and staff shortages called for new thinking. An obvious move, naturally resisted by the unions, was the extension of one-man operation (OMO – there were no women bus drivers in LT in the 1960s). Leatherhead had hosted the first Country Area OMO large-saloon experiment on route 419 in 1954, and its success had led to most Country single-deck workings being OMO by the mid-1960s. The next step was the conversion of RT routes to single-deck OMO, but this was inhibited by the lack of surplus RFs. The first conversion at Leatherhead on 14 June 1969 included Sunday conversion of the 418 to RF operation.

It was against this background that on 1 January 1970 the Country Area became London Country Bus Services and was transferred to the National Bus Company; London Transport itself was taken under the aegis of the GLC. Other than the alteration of fleet names to ‘London Country’, little changed at first. Before the change, London Transport had ordered AEC Swifts (the SM class) for the Country Area, and the first arrived at Leatherhead in June 1970 for the daily conversion of the 418 to OMO.

Reminiscent of the post-war situation in LT, the company turned to hiring in buses, and between November 1974 and March 1978, a dozen Bournemouth Corporation Daimler Fleetlines (and an Atlantean) operated at LH. These appeared on a variety of routes, some normally single-deck operated, including the 418.

In January 1978, the post-war loop through Berrylands was removed, and later that year, on 28 October 1978, the 418 was withdrawn and replaced by a new group of routes 476, 478 and 479, each running hourly from Kingston to Bookham Station via Epsom by slightly different routes. These routes broadly continued until deregulation in 1986 and versions of the 478 and 479 continue in Surrey today.

A new route numbered 418 commenced on 24 April 1982 between Sutton and Leatherhead, barely overlapping with the old, but rather replacing the Central Area 164 between Banstead and Epsom, then continuing via the main road to Leatherhead with journeys to Effingham. This 418 continued until deregulation, when it too was withdrawn.