Bowman's Bus Services

Bowman's Bus Services
ParentJack Bowman
Milton Bowman
Commenced operationApril 1935
Ceased operation23 February 1974
HeadquartersSt Agnes
Service areaAdelaide
Service typeBus operator
Depots1
Fleet42 (February 1974)]

Bowman's Bus Services was an Australian bus company in Adelaide.

History

In April 1935, David Bowman commenced operating a weekly bus service from Hope Valley to the Adelaide central business district via Peserverance Road. The service quickly expanded to become twice daily. From circa 1937, a second service commenced from Tea Tree Gully to One Tree Hill.[1]

A second service from Tea Tree Gully to Adelaide via North East Road later commenced. Following David Bowman's passing in 1967, it passed to his sons, Jack and Milton.[1]

By the early 1970s, Bowman's had expanded to operate nine routes:

In early 1974, Bowman's became an AAT Kings contractor.[2]

With falling revenues and rising costs, on 11 February 1974 the routes of Bowman's, along with those of 11 other operators, were taken over by the Municipal Tramways Trust.[1][3][4][5]

Fleet

Up until the late 1950s, the fleet had primarily consisted of front-engined Fords. In 1959, the first of 15 Commers was delivered. These were followed by Bedford SBs and Hino RC320Ps. When operations ceased in February 1974, the fleet consisted of 36 buses and six coaches. All passed to the Municipal Tramways Trust.[1]

Depots

In 1970, Bowman's opened a new all under cover depot on 3.25 acres on the corner of North East and Tolley roads, St Agnes replacing depots in Hope Valley and North Adelaide.[1][6] Having been rebuilt in 1980 and 1989, the depot remains in use with Torrens Transit.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bowman's Bus Services Australian Bus issue 65 September 2014 pages 10-19
  2. ^ AAT begins national tour operations Truck & Bus Transportation June 1974 page 114
  3. ^ Private buses in Adelaide taken over by SA Government in $4 millon deal Truck & Bus Transportation March 1974 page 114
  4. ^ Trust Assumes Control of Licenced Services Among Ourselves issue 168 April 1974 page 4
  5. ^ Bowman's Bus Services of Adelaide's North East Australian Bus Panorama December 2022 pages 45-54
  6. ^ Depot designed for future expansion Truck & Bus Transportation July 1970 pages 98/99
  7. ^ St Agnes Depot Re-commissioned Among Ourselves issue 207 October 1980 page 5
  8. ^ St Agnes Depot Transit Australia January 1989 page 18
  9. ^ St Agnes Depot Torrens Transit
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.