I READ Jim Lynch’s letter about the number 8 bus and saw that he got quite a few replies.
One thing that no-one mentioned was that it was also run by Thames Transit in its final days.
It took it over in 1994 when COMS was bought by the Go-Ahead Group, and a bus war erupted between it and Thames Transit.
COMS withdrew from the less profitable routes, such as the 8, to concentrate on the more competitive corridors.
At this point Thames Transit took over the service, and called it “The Marston Pony”, along with the number 6, which was branded “The Wood Farm Woodman”.
They unfortunately didn’t last long because they used tired vehicles and failed to run frequently enough with the attenuation of staffing under the pressure of the bus war, and were withdrawn when the bus war ended in autumn 1996.
ALEXANDER RP EDWARDS
Temple Village
Midlothian
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