Mr H Holmes, proprietor of Horseshoe Coaches Ltd., Tottenham, London, is the third generation of a family business which was started by his grandfather in the middle of the 19th century. In those early days and until 1928 the business was entirely that of a farriers which for many years shod the horses of the London General Omnibus Co Ltd.

Now, although he vividly remembers the time when he was solely engaged in helping his father in the stables, Mr Holmes can claim to have spent many years dealing with the legal, financial and practical operating problems which confront the private hire and excursions and tours operator

The most rapid strides have been made since 1945 when the revenue earned on Government work during the the preceding war years was sufficient to permit a considerable expansion of the fleet and also the purchase of Lee's Luxury Coaches Ltd., of High Barnet. A feature of the post-war development has been the establishment of a depot at Kempston in Bedfordshire. Mr Holmes started running vehicles in this part of the country in 1941, when he carried workmen to and from the sites of new airfields.

The present operations in this area, although of an altogether different nature, are still for the conveyance of workmen. Many of these workmen are foreign nationals, mainly Poles and Italians, who entered the country under the scheme to augment our own current labour shortage. They are accommodated in isolated ex-Army and prisoner-of-war camps situated in the districts surrounding the two large brickwork's of the Marston Valley Brick Co Ltd. at Marston and Ridgmont, Beds.

Each of these workers is obliged to make a contribution towards his travelling expenses, the balance being made up by the brick company. Consequently the services are operated under express licences, but are restricted to the carriage of the brick company's employees.

The Horseshoe fleet has grown from one second-hand 20-seater Lancia in 1928, and six second-hand 32-and 28-seater Gilfords in 1939 to one numbering 45 vehicles varying from 25- to 37-seaters of A.E.C., Bedford, Dennis, Foden, Gilford and Leyland manufacture. The present fleet includes three coaches taken over with Lee's Luxury Coaches, and a number of new vehicles acquired in recent years one of which- a Dennis- was displayed in the 1950 Earls Court show.

Of the 45 vehicles, 20 are permanently stationed at Kempston and the remainder in two neighbouring garages near the undertaking's headquarters at 368, West Green Road, Tottenham. The London-based vehicles are engaged on four classes of work: excursions and tours from Easter to September to south and east coast resorts, contract carriage of schoolchildren for Middlesex County Council, private party work and one 19-year old express service operating every Sunday morning from Fleet Street to points in North London. and terminating in Enfield.

The express service is run for the benefit of newspaper workers who would otherwise be without any means of transport. Two vehicles are usually employed, and two fares are charged- 1s 3d to High Cross, Tottenham, and 2s beyond-roll tickets being issued by the drivers, who possess p.s.v conductors' licences.

The London vehicles, engaged as they are primarily on catering for pleasure travel, include the newest and most comfortable units of the fleet. The 20 at Kempston, although mainly London rejects including a few wartime utility buses, are nevertheless maintained in first-class condition by a staff of two skilled and two semi-skilled fitters and a cleaner. A number of these vehicles is also used for the conveyance of schoolchildren, a contract being held with Bedfordshire County Council education authority, and are available for private hire work in the neighbourhood.

Mr Holmes' problem, in common with that of many similar operators, is that of utilizing his vehicles to the fullest possible extent during the greater part of the year when the demand for pleasure travel is small. Although licensed to operate excursions and tours from Easter to the end of September, Mr Holmes says that under present conditions the only period when these services are really profitable is from about mid-July to the beginning of September. He regards a firm all-the-year-round group of workers' express services, such as he has in Bedfordshire, as of far more value than a group of seasonal excursions and tours.

However, one factor, that of school summer holidays, allows Mr Holmes to do some beneficial juggling with his vehicles between the two depots with the aim of reducing some of the slack created by seasonal fluctuations. The very same weeks during which the Bedfordshire and Middlesex schools are closed down are the weeks already referred to when, weather permitting, the demand for licensed and private pleasure services is at its peak. It is therefore a logical step to transfer surplus vehicles at Kempston to London for this period of six or seven weeks. It has also been proved worth while to transfer the drivers with their vehicles to pay the cost of their board and lodgings which is incurred whilst they are away from home.

Another move in fleet allocation takes place in the autumn soon after the complete summer season has ended when two or three of the oldest regular London vehicles are transferred to Kempston, where they replace a similar number of vehicles that are due for disposal or scrapping. In the spring their places are due to be filled by the arrival of new vehicles forming part of the company's expansion and replacement programme, and thus the regular London fleet is brought up to full strength for the summer.

Mr Holmes holds what he admits to be controversial views on the question of further excursions and tours fares increases. He thinks the need for general fares increase could at least be postponed by lengthening the period during which the higher summer fares are operative. In his opinion it is illogical that a date like Whitsun which varies by several weeks from year to year should decide when the season commences. He argues that the deadline should be fixed on the first Sunday in May every year and the season extended to the last instead of the second Sunday in September.

The justification for this proposal, he says, is the fact that it would spread the traffic over a longer period, the weather in May usually being good, and the probability that any further general increase in fares would have a very adverse affect on the traffic as a whole.

                                                     Reproduced from 'Bus & Coach- January 1952

(Editors Note:  We are indebted to Mervyn Askew (A Horseshoe Coach Historian) who has kindly provided us with 'Horseshoe' memorabilia.  Our apologies for the quality of the picture reproduction which should nevertheless provide a useful  historical record from this era)