Everywhere in the Midlands

‘Everywhere in the Midlands’ was the best description of Midland Red, and with a huge operating area it was certainly accurate. At the formation of the National Bus Company, Midland Red would operate the largest fleet in the company, and one of the largest geographic areas in the NBC. Changes to bus operating areas would see a sizeable part of the fleet transfer to West Midland PTE, leaving the company to serve the surrounding counties, from south Staffordshire through Leicestershire, Warwickshire and parts of north Oxfordshire, round through Worcestershire and Herefordshire up into Shropshire. Unique self-built vehicles along with numerous standard BET Leyland Leopards, and vehicles from local independents taken over in the mid-1970s, made for a fascinating fleet. In 1981 the company was split into separate units, introducing a level of individuality between the fleets. Well-known for its long-distance express services, eventually marketed as Midland Express, Midland Red buses were a common sight right across the heart of England throughout the 1970 and 1980s, from rural Herefordshire along the Welsh Marches, through Midlands cathedral cities and markets towns into the West Midlands conurbations, and became firmly established as a well-liked and then much missed fleet.