Regency Travel: Carriage Omnibus

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George Cruikshank sketch of omnibus c. 1830.

The first British bus line was created in 1824 by John Greenwood in Manchester.  He purchased a horse and a cart with several seats, and started an omnibus service between Pendleton and Manchester that could transport people without prior booking, and people could be picked up or set down where they requested.  Eventually, he would add daily services to Buxton, Chester, and Sheffield. Pnedleton was a Regency era suburb favored by the merchant class (Olusoga, D., Backe-Hansen, M. (2020). A House Through Time. United Kingdom: Pan Macmillan.)

were found for all Greenwood's omnibuses were next introduced These were considered a marvellous innovation which no one ex pected could possibly prosper Crowds assembled to see the first omnibus start from Pendleton to Manchester and little by little Greenwood's omnibuses were known in every part of the town Notes and Illustrations Concerning the Family History of James Smith of Coventry (b. 1731-d. 1794) and His Descendants: With Tables of Pedigrees. (1912). United Kingdom: S. E., Priv. print. by Truslove & Bray, Limited.

A year later, a French business man would start a similar services in Nantes that would expand to include Paris omnibus services by 1828.  The businessman, Stanislas Baudry, had a year earlier commissioned English coachbuilder George Shilliber to design a coach that could be stable while still carrying a large number of passengers, and the design was successful.  Every fifteen minutes the omnibus, which opened on April 28, would run between La Madeleine and Bastille.  Successful, one hundred omnibuses were soon available on eighteen different routes, carrying twelve to eighteen passengers.

Shillibeer saw the success and immediately sprung into action to launch a similar enterprise in London.  Using his same Parisian design, he created a service that opened on July 4 1829 between Paddington, Yorkshire Stingo, and the Bank via the New Road, Somers Town, and City Road.  Four daily services were offered, with seats for twenty two passengers and a coach pulled by three horses (Olusoga, D., Backe-Hansen, M. (2020). A House Through Time. United Kingdom: Pan Macmillan.)

George Shillibeer’s first London omnibus, 1829

called the omnibus The word omnibus was received with marked disapproval by every person to whom Shillibeer spoke concerning his new venture If one vehicle is to be called an omnibus what are two or more to be called people said to him Omnibuses Shillibeer replied promptly but his questioners were horrified and to their dying days preferred to call them Shillibeers Some people called them omnis and Mr Joseph Hume speaking years later in the House of Commons created much laughter by referring seriously to the vehicles as omnibi
Three or four short stage coaches had been running on that road for many years but as they took three hours to get from Paddington to the City and charged two shillings for outside seats and three shillings for inside ones they were not patronised by able bodied people who usually preferred to walk Moreover the short stage coaches were uncomfortably loaded with luggage which they collected and delivered every journey On the morning of July 4 1829 Shillibeer's two new omnibuses began to run A large crowd assembled to witness the start and general admira tion was expressed at the smart appearance of the vehicles which were built to carry twenty two passengers all inside and were drawn by three beautiful bays harnessed abreast The word 66 Omnibus was painted in large letters on both sides of the vehicles The fare from the Yorkshire Stingo to the Bank was one shilling half way sixpence Newspapers and magazines were pro vided free of charge The conductors too came in for considerable notice for it had become known that they were both the sons of British naval officers friends of Shillibeer These amateur conductors had resided for some years in Paris
and were therefore well acquainted with the duties of the position which they assumed The idea of being the first omnibus conductors in England pleased them greatly and prompted them to work their hardest to make Shillibeer's venture a success They were attired in smart blue cloth uniforms cut like a midshipman's they spoke French fluently and their politeness to passengers was a pleasing contrast to the rudeness of the short stage coach guards a most ill mannered class of men Each omnibus made twelve journeys a day and was generally full So great a success were they that the takings averaged a hundred pounds a week Nevertheless Shillibeer had much to contend with The short stage coach proprietors disliking competition endeavoured to incite the populace against Shillibeer by declaring that he was a Frenchman and ought not to be allowed to run his foreign vehicles in England Moreover the aristocratic and wealthy residents of Padding ton Green objected strongly to the omnibuses coming into their select neighbourhood and petitioned the local authorities to prevent their doing so And when they found that their
endeavours were futile they declared solemnly that Paddington Green was doomed If they saw the neighbourhood to day they would con sider no doubt that their prophecy was fulfilled although as a matter of fact it was railways and not omnibuses that from a residential point of view ruined the neighbourhood But the threatened doom of Paddington Green did not deter the sentimental poke bonneted young ladies who resided in the charming suburb from spend ing a considerable amount of their time in watch ing the omnibuses start In the middle of the day many of them were in the habit of taking a ride to King's Cross and back for the sole purpose of improving their French by conversing with the conductors That praiseworthy amuse ment was short lived however for as soon as the omnibuses were in good working order the gentle men conductors relinquished their posts and were succeeded by paid officials The new conductors were dressed in dark velvet suits and as far as politeness was con cerned were all that could be desired Unfortu nately they became possessed of the belief not yet quite extinct that to rob an omnibus
proprietor was no sin The amount of money handed in to Shillibeer grew less daily a very suspicious decrease considering that people living on the road which the omnibuses travelled declared that the vehicles were as well patronised as ever Shillibeer therefore made arrangements with various trustworthy people to ride in his omnibuses as ordinary passengers and check the number of people carried and the amount of fares which they paid For a few days every journey that the omnibuses made there was a male or female passenger watching the conductors and from their reports Shillibeer discovered that the two men were between them robbing him to the extent of 20 a week This was corroborated by the conductors themselves whose style of living had become decidedly luxurious In their time of affluence they did not forget their poorer friends and one night after work was finished they treated a number of them to a champagne supper at the Yorkshire Stingo The whole party became hilariously drunk and while in that condi tion the hosts threw discretion to the winds and bragged loudly that they made 10 each a week out of the omnibuses in excess of their pay
Among their guests were detectives employed by Shillibeer who repeated the confession of fraud to their employer with the result that the first professional omnibus conductors were discharged Shillibeer's leniency due to his anxiety not to have his omnibuses mixed up in any scandal encouraged succeeding conductors to steal Shilli beer was at his wits end what to do when a man called on him with a patent register guaranteed to put a stop to the conductors pilferings The register was designed to be placed underneath the omnibus and people entering or leaving the vehicle trod on a plate fixed in the step the regis ter recording every person who stepped upon it Shillibeer liked the idea and bought one of the registers on the condition that the inventor acted as conductor until its reliability had been proved thoroughly For two weeks everything went well and the conductor was anticipating an order for a second register when a gang of men in sympathy with the discharged conductors attacked the omnibus while it was standing outside the Yorkshire Stingo smashed the patent register with sledge hammers and half murdered its inventor Shillibeer who
misplaced But in spite of all obstacles Shillibeer pros pered and in less than nine months had twelve omnibuses at work A few of these were two horse Moore, H. C. (1902). Omnibuses and Cabs: Their Origin and History. United Kingdom: Chapman & Hall, ld..

 

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