LONDON GENERAL OMNIBUS CO., LTD. This British joint stock company was founded in Paris in 1855 and commenced operations in London in 1856. The passing of the Stage Carriage Act of 1832 had produced a boom in omnibus business and led to a congestion of many services. The London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., purchased 600 of the omnibuses in service and paid the proprietors £250,000 for the right to work them on the established routes. A scheme of fare reduction and extended service was at once initiated and a prize of Li oo was offered for an improved new type of omnibus, which was promptly nicknamed the "knifeboard" owing to the arrangement of its outside seats. In 188o the London Road Car company began work and introduced omnibuses with the so-called garden seats; the removal of the staircase to the rear of this type of omnibus marks the inception of the modern omnibus. It was not until that the first motor omnibus of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., was licensed to work between Kennington and Victoria. In 1908 the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., was amalgamated with the London Road Car company and the Vanguard company.
The London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., still continued to run horse-drawn omnibuses, the maximum number of these vehicles operated being 1,418 in 1905, with a stud of nearly 18,000 horses. The last horse-drawn omnibus operated between London bridge and Moorgate street until Oct. 1911.
In Jan. 1912 the company passed under the control of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Ltd. From
then onwards, the company began operating the omnibuses of other companies, the Metropolitan Steam Omnibus Co., Ltd., from Oct. 1912 ; Tramways ( M.E.T.) Omnibus company from Jan. 1913, the Gearless Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., from April 1913 and the Southern from Aug. 1913. Working arrangements were entered into with many other companies, and later, in 1926, the company acquired an interest in the small independent con cerns which had begun work in 1922. After the war improved types appeared from time to time. Eventually the whole of the pre-war fleet was superseded by newer vehicles. The covered top omnibuses were introduced in 1925 and the six-wheeled omnibus known as the "London Six," seating 66, in 1927.
The operations of the company in 1928 completely covered the Greater London area and extended into the home counties. The area of its operations was about 2,800 square miles and the number of routes was 364. In 1928 the staff numbered 29,000.
Under the powers conferred by the London Electric Railway Facilities Act of 1915, an agreement was entered into by the com pany with the City and South London, Central London, London Electric and Metropolitan District railways as to the payment into a common fund after meeting revenue liabilities of any sur plus which might remain. In 1933 the company was merged in the London Passenger Transport Board. (L. C. M.)